Valentines Day stuff! Also, BRAND NEW EXPERIMENTAL HISTORY MEME!

[beboots]

 Good evening, everyone! Happy Valentines day, for those of you who celebrate it! 

First, a brief link recommendation. If you've never heard of Postsecrets, you should definitely check them out: essentially, people send in anonymous postcards with their secrets on them. Some are sad, some are quirky, some are touching, and all are absolutely awesome. This week they have a Valentine-themed series of postcard secrets for you to look at. This one was my favourite: 


Furthermore, the Edmonton Journal (which, along with the National Post, I read almost every day to keep up with news about the world) apparently held a contest for the best Edmonton-themed Valentines cards, most of them poking fun at the city. This particular one was my absolute favourite, mostly because I had to cross that bridge five days a week to get to Fort Edmonton this past summer. It was murder during rush hour when it was down to one lane. >_<; It's been under construction for at least two and half years.

For more, see here!

As a side note, I did celebrate this Valentine's Day as a single person. Here's hoping that I shall find my true love in the coming year! :) I should mention that I mostly enjoy Valentine's Day because it also doubles as my dearest mother's birthday! We have flowers and chocolate about the house, then, regardless of the state of our personal lives. :) Happy birthday, mother mine! Now, tomorrow is the holiday I look forward to even more than the events of St. Valentine... Cheap Chocolate Day! Celebrated: wherever chocolate is sold!

On a final note... I actually began writing this post in response to the lovely surprise left for me at atla_valentine. I hadn't realized that people would leave me messages! :)  They made me smile. Therefore, my original plan had been, in response to people writing lovely flattering things about the history dorkery that goes on in this journal, to write a post about some of the crazy little tidbits I've been learning about in my History of Translation class... which just so happens to be what I'm studying for at the moment (even as I procrastinate reviewing for the midterm to write this post). I'll get around to that very soon! It will still happen!

I did, however, just have a thought. Maybe I could do something completely and utterly crazy and unprecedented. I could... do a history meme. I want to share the love with you guys. I love telling historical anecdotes; I like to think I got quite good at it while working at Fort Edmonton. Maybe no-one will want to play with me. I will still tell crazy history stories to the world! Just give me a direction, guys. :) What do you want to hear?

It shall be a shameless effort at trying to emulate the cool kids (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE), only instead of fanfic, it will be random history tidbits, in the style of the posts that have appeared in this journal before.

THEREFORE, what I resolve to do is ask you, the readers, for history prompts! Ask me a historical question: anything you like. For instance: "who is your favourite member of European royalty and what was the most interesting thing they ever did?" "What do you think is the silliest reason a war ever started?" "What is the most unusual historical artifact you have ever seen in person?" "What can you tell me about Canada's participation in such-and-such a war?" It can even be something like "tell me the craziest thing you know about the 17th century/the bubonic plague/aboriginal history/etc., etc., ad nauseam." I shall even search for an appropriate image to accompany the historical blather! 

If I don't know the answer to your question, I resolve to use my research skills and access to university databases to find the answer! You may get more coherent history squee if I've heard of the topic before, though. I have studied European history across the ages, some East Asian history, and lots of Canadian and American history, but still, don't let that limit your selection! I suspect that if you ask me something about the history of medicine or the French or English languages you will get extra-long anecdotes. Indulge your curiosity, and I will try to be interesting in return! :) 

Comments

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

Please describe one of your favorite moments in Canadian history, especially the badass parts of it that nobody else seems to know about.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

But almost ALL Canadian history is badass! Where shall I start? ;)

Hmm... I'll tell you a quick story about our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald. Compare: http://harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=151

If people know anything about good ole Sir John A. beyond the fact that he was our first Prime Minister, he's known for the fact that he was a drunkard. He had good reasons for it - his wife had died, he was from Scotland... ;) I kid. Anyway, people were definitely vicious in their insults back then. People weren't afraid to tell him that he had a big nose and stupid hair. By all accounts people thought he was UGLY. But I digress.

Anyway, he was on a campaign trail in the mid-1850s (Confederation wasn't on the agenda until the early 1860s, so this is before what he became famous for) and was participating in this debate while totally plastered. He stood up suddenly to make a rebuttal to something his opponent had said and... threw up in front of everyone. This is the Victorian era. People were horrified.

BUT he saved it: he said something to the effect of "Listening to my opponent speak always makes me feel sick to my stomach!" That is why he was our first prime minister. He can work with his vices. ;)

Hmmm... what else is cool... Oh, I should tell you the story of the Piegan Haircut! Gimme a minute, it's a long one and it'll need a new post....

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Now this is a story I tell at times at Fort Edmonton but I always have to preface it with a bit of historiographical background. It's the story of the Piegan Haircut.

Now the Piegan (or Peigan, depending on which side of the border you're on) are a tribe in the Blackfoot Confederacy. Along with peoples like the Blood, the Blackfeet and others (to use the historic white names for their people), their territory stretches throughout Southern and Central Alberta, bits of Saskatchewan, and trails into Montana, South of the border. They are said to be the traditional enemies of the Cree, who are to the North and East of them, going all the way to Manitoba and even Hudson's Bay. All you have to know is that they do NOT like each other at this point.

It is the... 1830s or 1840s. The setting is Fort Edmonton, a Hudson's Bay Company fur trading fort. The sole reason the Europeans/Euro-Canadians are there is to make profit. This is Rupert's Land: it's not even a part of Canada... which doesn't even exist as a country yet. All the company wants is furs (beaver, mostly, but they'll accept anything as long as it's not dog or horse). They need to be on good relation with the natives for this, because they're the source of these goods.

I should just let you know that the word "haircut" in the title is a euphemism. This is a story about scalping. Now, there was a trend that began in the 1960s with the resurgence of aboriginal culture in North America that blamed Europeans for teaching natives to scalp people, or at least encouraging it with bounties and such. That's... probably not true. There's lots of archaeological evidence that demonstrates that scalping did happen WAY before European contact. You can tell from the cut marks on skulls. Anyway, it probably evolved as an easier thing to carry along with you as a war prize than, say, a whole skull. There's ceremonial value to it. Scalping is also not necessarily a fatal wound. There are medical treatises from the East Coast from the 1820s explaining how to treat a scalped head wound. It didn't happen NEARLY as often as Hollywood would have you believe, but it did happen in the West. European metal knives may have made it easier.

Anyway, so the Chief Factor (read: general manager of the the Saskatchewan District, AKA all of the Forts on the Saskatchewan Rivers AKA most of three modern provinces) of Fort Edmonton, John Rowand, rules over his men with an iron fist. He doesn't want trouble. It's in his best interest that everyone gets along, and that includes his customers. Fort Edmonton sits on the North side of the North Saskatchewan River, which is Cree territory. However, he's negotiated so that the Blackfoot can come up to trade unmolested.

However, Rowand, who is pretty important in the company, has to go to Fort Pitt, much further east, for some kind of annual meeting. He leaves stern instructions to the Chief Trader for the two or three weeks he'll be gone.

Of course, with all of the things I've prefaced this story with... you know something is going to go wrong. Essentially, a group of Cree and a group of Peigan both come up to trade at the same time. The Cree see the Peigan approach, think "eeeh..." and decide to retreat and come trade after the Blackfoot are gone.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

But there's always that ONE GUY who decides to cause trouble. A Cree man snuck into the Blackfoot camp that night, stole a bunch of horses, and murdered a Peigan chief. BAD idea. He's pursued by the Peigan and actually runs into the fort, hoping for protection. The Chief Trader, not knowing what else to do, closes the gates, puts the Cree man in chains... and waits for Rowand to get back.

Rowand has a reputation for a nasty temper, so you can only imagine the reaction when he gets back. I imagine it's something like "I LEAVE YOU ALONE FOR JUST TWO WEEKS, AND-!!" D:< He's also a rather large and blustery man (picture like, five & a half feet tall and 300 pounds). He's an intimidating man.

Anyway, he is in a bit of a bind. The Cree just want their man back. They promise to punish him for what he did, but Rowand knows that the man will probably just get a slap on the wrist, and that'll make the Peigan angry. The Peigan bring in a lot of furs: he doesn't want to alienate them either. But he can't just give the Cree man over to the Blackfoot: they'll probably torture the man to death, which will incense the Cree, and the Fort does stand in their territory... But he can't let the Cree man go unpunished.

In the end, as he wrote in his journal, the Peigan man was given a "haircut". Now, you have to understand that these journals were at the very least seen by his superiors in London and may even be published. He was aware of his audience. However, this was PROBABLY a euphemism for scalping. Shaving the man's head wouldn't have shamed the man enough. Rowand gave a knife to a member of the Peigan chief's family and had the Cree transgressor scalped.

Remember, you can be scalped alive, and you will live. It's very painful and bloody, though, and a permanent injury. Rowand's father was a doctor in Montreal: he could have then treated the man for his injuries, given the man back to the Cree and said "There, he's still alive: don't let it happen again." He could also say to the Peigan: "There, the man's been punished, I'm sorry this happened, and please come back again." Win-win.

Again, we have very scant evidence for the whole story - just this brief account in Rowand's journal that glosses over the details, but it is a dramatic story nonetheless. Rowand was an interesting figure.

As a side note, here is an image of a man who was scalped as a boy and was photographed when he was much older, courtesy of wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_McGee,_scalped_as_a_child_by_Sioux_Chief_Little_Turtle_in_1864-2.jpg

Anyway... and that's the story of the Peigan Haircut. Please ask questions!

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

OMG it's been forever, but I had the WEEK OF UNPLEASANTNESS and a full day of sitting around like a bump on a log getting absolutely nothing accomplished. I did very much enjoy the story, and the picture, though I immediately started naming cranial sutures instead of the normal reaction of OMG his scalp is gone.

I had... er... five exams, three quizzes, and a lab practical in the span of a week, and all of them were hard. One of them was videotaped. Regular correspondence can resume now.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Oh, no worries! I totally understand! :) I just wanted to let you know, though, that I'll be leaving for an impromptu ski trip with my family in a few hours and I won't be able to get proper access to the internet until Wednesday. ;) But then I shall definitely reply to things! I should have internet access at the hotel in the Rockies, but you never know... and I'll just have my itty-bitty iPod touch, not an actual keyboard, so they won't be long responses. ;)

Anyway, I hope that this week turns out better! :D Drink lots of calming tea!

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

In two weeks I'll be in Mexico. Vacation-related internet losses for the win!

Tea is an excellent idea. I have lots and lots of green tea, much better than dealing with all the snow outside.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Yaaay vacations! Also, I send out lots of postcards, and I love getting them back. If you send me a PM with your mailing address, you can be on my postcard mailing list! ;) If you're nervous about doing so, that's fine. I may yet turn out to be an internet ax-murderer in disguise. ;)

Tea = <3 . :)

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

DRAGONS!!!!!!!

In other words-- I couldn't sleep last night and wanted something good, I thought I'd read a chapter of "Napoleonic wars with dragons." Then I read the entire book overnight. (I found the first three books in one volume, with only one small chunk of pages falling out at the end-- I love my used-book store.) I was about to start crying when the one dragon died, and I'm too frazzled to even remember names that feel made-up. (Those take the second reading for me to get properly.)

All of it is PERFECT for the literary setup and follow-through. I can think "alright, that one's marked to get a dragon" and "yep, she has a reason for that" and "OMG WOMEN!" and it all comes through... eventually, and not exactly in the way I expected.

So yeah. Nerdgasms over all of the research, and I'm already planning how quickly I can read the next two books/find the third so that I can shove the trilogy-book at my dad and say "read this." He's just as much of a nerd as I am, and PETER JACKSON OPTIONED THE BOOKS. So he could feasibly go from The Hobbit to making a whole lot of people-and-dragons movies and even steal half of the Lord of the Rings cast just because he CAN and who the hell wouldn't fly dragons.

/don't mind me too much, I'm coming out of three weeks of insomnia by hitting the Emergency Reset button, luckily with no tests on the immediate horizon. I didn't sleep last night, I was too busy trying to study physiology and then happily imagining how dragons would appear, to the point that I realized on first glance at a picture that they have the details for the Chinese vs. European dragons wrong-- Chinese had 6 spines for the wings, but in the picture that breed had 5 and the others had 6, and the feet were all wrong besides.

Also, I am sending my address by message.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

OMG SQUEE! I HAVE CONVERTED YET ANOTHER PERSON TO THE GLORY THAT IS TEMERAIRE.

Yeah, as soon as Granby came around I was like RIGHT he will eventually get a dragon. ;) You may yet be surprised by someone who acquires one in the sixth book... several someones, in fact.

"Nerdgasms over all of the research" I KNOW, RIGHT? Slowly over the course of the books you get this strong anti-colonialism message, because adding dragons to the world makes things like colonialism a LOT harder, because they have dragons too. It's awesome.

I also love how Novik didn't cop out and go "well, it's set in the early 1800s, so that's why I don't have strong female characters". NO. She totally does the opposite! :D I mean, and the fact that they're not quite accepted by wider society makes them THAT MUCH MORE badass. <3

I ALSO TOTALLY HOPE THAT PETER JACKSON PULLS THROUGH AND DOES MAKE A MOVIE/MINI TV SERIES OF THE BOOKS. GODDAMN. People need a historically well-researched fandom to glee about. <3

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

I called "y'know, it'd be a lot easier if they just let Laurence get himself adopted or whatever they need to do, because there are a whole lot more books after this and it would also be hilarious" as soon as I saw the special repetition on "these are the only people to get Celestials."

Not only did Novik make strong lady characters, she didn't stereotype a race that they go and find later. She has good characters and bad characters, she addresses "odd" superstitions with respect... yeah, textbook case of what TO do.

Jackson will be coming off of The Hobbit and will have (BETTER have) proven to the world that he can make one badass dragon. What better continuation of his work than to make a whole BUNCH of badass dragons?

I am also absolutely convinced that Laurence has the best background possible. He understands flight in a very physical sense, from the way that sails work, he has that extra touch of manners and hyper-proper-ness that makes him an absolutely adorable co-worker, he knows tactics and actually can create new strategies... and he reads his dragon stories and buys jewelry and that story is such a romance with subtexts of "of course they can read, they are intelligent as well as being pretty."

Women couldn't vote in Switzerland until 1971. For local elections, it wasn't until 1990. Novik has a very interesting time period to play in.

I liked Serpent's Shadow for the gigantic historical context. The protagonist's father was an English doctor, her mother was a very high-class woman in India, she's a doctor dealing with shit before women could vote. She also has excellent taste in male companions-- she makes friends with a retired sea captain. Very charming man, much more likely than his fellow magicians to accept women as equals, and very, very well-mannered.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

"I called "y'know, it'd be a lot easier if they just let Laurence get himself adopted or whatever they need to do, because there are a whole lot more books after this and it would also be hilarious" as soon as I saw the special repetition on "these are the only people to get Celestials.""
Awesome. <3 For me, it came as a complete surprise, but... yeah. I loved the execution of that. <3

"Not only did Novik make strong lady characters, she didn't stereotype a race that they go and find later. She has good characters and bad characters, she addresses "odd" superstitions with respect... yeah, textbook case of what TO do." PRECISELY! <3 Yeah, there were some villainous Chinese people, but others were awesome. Like that old man who suggested the adoption thing in the first place. I loved his take on the traditional British dinner! :) I think that it's the fact that Novik treats these people with respect. When people are disagreeable, there's a reason for it, and they're not representative of everyone in their particular "category".

"Jackson will be coming off of The Hobbit and will have (BETTER have) proven to the world that he can make one badass dragon. What better continuation of his work than to make a whole BUNCH of badass dragons?"
Yes yes OMG. <3 I'm also really looking forward to the Hobbit. (I heard that they cast one of my favourite British actors, Martin Freemon, as Bilbo. <3 )

"He understands flight in a very physical sense, from the way that sails work, he has that extra touch of manners and hyper-proper-ness that makes him an absolutely adorable co-worker, he knows tactics and actually can create new strategies... and he reads his dragon stories and buys jewelry and that story is such a romance with subtexts of "of course they can read, they are intelligent as well as being pretty.""
EXACTLY. I like that he knows just enough to get by and then move on from there. He's all like "yeah, my dragon will bathe because he WANTS to. I won't stop him simply because it isn't done." Bitchin'. <3

I am definitely going to have to pick that book up! :D

Also, when you're done all six books in the Temeraire series... I have a bunch of fanfic recommendations for you. :) Speaking of which... the last fanfic I actually posted on fanfiction.net a while back was an alternate universe oneshot of the first book in the series. Would you like to take a look? http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4952506/1/Unconventional

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

OMG Jane and William-- it's perfect. He's so formal and scandalized and BRITISH, I think that's why I love him. (That is in the older generations, somehow. I probably know seven British people, three older and four younger, and somewhere between those two generations a lot of the stiff upper lip mentality disappeared.) It also would get him a very, very fast introduction to the aviators if he's "that friend of Jane's" that socialized during those horrible dinners.

I only called "get him adopted" because it was the neatest possible plot given all of the foreshadowing and previous information, and Novik is always quite elegant in plotting things out-- classic elements all over the place even within a very original plotline.

"PRECISELY! <3 Yeah, there were some villainous Chinese people, but others were awesome. Like that old man who suggested the adoption thing in the first place. I loved his take on the traditional British dinner! :) I think that it's the fact that Novik treats these people with respect. When people are disagreeable, there's a reason for it, and they're not representative of everyone in their particular "category"."

Right! There are very cool and very obnoxious people, but it's actually a personal choice. Not "all Chinese people are like this." I especially liked that Laurence had to realize that this other civilization was MORE civilized than the British Empire. That's quite hard for a man of this time period.

"Yes yes OMG. <3 I'm also really looking forward to the Hobbit. (I heard that they cast one of my favourite British actors, Martin Freemon, as Bilbo. <3 )"

They have Andy Serkis and Ian McKellan, which were two of my big concerns. They're also doing the leadup between the Hobbit and the Fellowship, and I've been saying for years that actors would do cameos-- they do have Orlando Bloom and Elijah Wood reprising their original roles. It really makes sense-- the dwarves get themselves caught by Legolas's dad, and Legolas has a pretty big part in the in-between stuff according to my dad. (He reads the Silmarillion, I get the interesting parts without reading it. I like that arrangement.)

"EXACTLY. I like that he knows just enough to get by and then move on from there. He's all like "yeah, my dragon will bathe because he WANTS to. I won't stop him simply because it isn't done." Bitchin'. <3"

He knows little enough to accidentally make some major changes. He does know that women-creatures have brains, he's just easily scandalized but still a gentleman about it.

"Also, when you're done all six books in the Temeraire series... I have a bunch of fanfic recommendations for you. :) Speaking of which... the last fanfic I actually posted on fanfiction.net a while back was an alternate universe oneshot of the first book in the series. Would you like to take a look?"

I read the Harry Potter/Temeraire crossover without finding the first book of the series, and on second reading it makes a lot more sense. I think my favorite part was when Harry decided the trio felt right, with Hermione spitting acid and Ron as Mr. Muscles-- so true!

I still think it's too perfect that Laurence is so befuddled by a woman with so much of a personality that he keeps forgetting to ask about her escort or any of the proper things. "Pants" would rank right up there with "on a dragon" and "sword wound to the face," dear man. And she was going to ask him advice for people in the Navy... just cool, and it only changes tiny pieces. He'd integrate into the corps more smoothly with her on his side, he's past his initial "eep!!!" reaction with figuring out that Lily's rider is a GIRL, and he can accidentally win even more points with Jane by letting the cute little "boy" help out with his dragon.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

I know! <3 I really love the Roland/Laurence pairing. Some other people are like "meh" or hate it because she's so pushy or something, or that she gets in the way of their favoured Laurence/Granby or Laurence/Tharkay pairing... but I can like all three, can't I? I really like that it's Jane who takes control of their relationship. It's awesome to see a strong female character do that without becoming a shrew or bitch stereotype. :P

"I especially liked that Laurence had to realize that this other civilization was MORE civilized than the British Empire. That's quite hard for a man of this time period." Exactly! And then he goes so far as to not only acknowledge this privately but also to help Temeraire work to implementing changes in ENGLAND based on the "barbaric Chinese" practices... Very brave.

"They're also doing the leadup between the Hobbit and the Fellowship, and I've been saying for years that actors would do cameos-- they do have Orlando Bloom and Elijah Wood reprising their original roles. It really makes sense-- the dwarves get themselves caught by Legolas's dad, and Legolas has a pretty big part in the in-between stuff according to my dad."
Interesting! It would make sense to at least have Legolas in the background. I've never read the Silmarillion beyond the first chapter or so which sets up the mythology... and I kind of lost interest. Granted, I was like, in grade 9 at the time, so maybe the worldbuilding was a bit beyond me. ;) I'll probably give it another shot this summer. I'm jealous of your arrangement. ;)

"He knows little enough to accidentally make some major changes. He does know that women-creatures have brains, he's just easily scandalized but still a gentleman about it." Exactly! He's outwardly polite and courteous at almost all times even if the person he's offended by is a dick or just doing something REALLY unusual... It gives him an in, an opening to change his mind. :)

"I read the Harry Potter/Temeraire crossover without finding the first book of the series, and on second reading it makes a lot more sense." <3 I know! It's really one long string of Temeraire references. ;) Super cute! Also, that author has written another Harry Potter/Temeraire crossover with timetravel and dragon!Harry which gets really kickass like three or four chapters in, after the setup. :3 You should check it out.

""Pants" would rank right up there with "on a dragon" and "sword wound to the face," dear man." Exactly. :) That's what I was trying to go for. Their relationship would build over time, but Jane as a dragon captain is a big part of herself, so it really couldn't progress much further until Laurence knew that and respected it. It's only AFTER Laurence gets a dragon of his own that things might progress to be a bit more steamy. Or not. Could be either/or. They'd be friends either way. You're right, though, in that I think that in having Jane as a friend Laurence would be much more quick to integrate into the corps. He wouldn't be so inclined to take what Rankin says at face value, for instance, and he'd be more readily accepting of Harcourt and lil' Emily, so while he'd still be formal with them he wouldn't be AS stiff and formal as he was in canon. Holding himself at slightly less than arms length goes a long way when forging friendships in the corps. Also, with Jane to pave the way for him... she's seen the less stiffly formal side of him, and so I'm sure that she can convince the others that a nicer and more awesome side to him DOES exist. ;)

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

Honestly, Laurence needs somebody that is actually pushy, or nothing would happen. He's too polite and reserved and all of that. He doesn't put up much protest at all when somebody else is making the offer, but until that point, I really don't think he'd ask. She's definitely not an unwelcome aggressor, but she gets him past the initial shock of "we're not married."

"Exactly! And then he goes so far as to not only acknowledge this privately but also to help Temeraire work to implementing changes in ENGLAND based on the "barbaric Chinese" practices... Very brave." Also a huge deal for somebody raised on "obviously we're the best." He even acknowledges that he was wrong about that.

"Interesting! It would make sense to at least have Legolas in the background. I've never read the Silmarillion beyond the first chapter or so which sets up the mythology... and I kind of lost interest. Granted, I was like, in grade 9 at the time, so maybe the worldbuilding was a bit beyond me. ;) I'll probably give it another shot this summer. I'm jealous of your arrangement. ;)"

I love my arrangement. My dad doesn't talk about the Silmarillion with many people, because very few people read it, but I like the stories and can remember the cool parts for later

"Exactly! He's outwardly polite and courteous at almost all times even if the person he's offended by is a dick or just doing something REALLY unusual... It gives him an in, an opening to change his mind. :)" He's adorable, and it didn't take long at all for his crew to decide they were going to follow his standards for a bit.

"<3 I know! It's really one long string of Temeraire references. ;) Super cute! Also, that author has written another Harry Potter/Temeraire crossover with timetravel and dragon!Harry which gets really kickass like three or four chapters in, after the setup. :3 You should check it out." Duly noted-- dragon!Harry makes a lot of sense, Laurence!Harry wouldn't.

I was just thinking I really wanted Girl Scout cookies and someone showed up selling them. I also terrified the poor girl when she got a good look at the huge tank just inside the apartment, but... can't have everything. The girl's terrified of snakes and was not happy to learn that there are seven of them inside.

"Exactly. :) That's what I was trying to go for. Their relationship would build over time, but Jane as a dragon captain is a big part of herself, so it really couldn't progress much further until Laurence knew that and respected it. It's only AFTER Laurence gets a dragon of his own that things might progress to be a bit more steamy. Or not. Could be either/or. They'd be friends either way." And either way, she's going to be the one to initiate steamy, and he'd be polite and awkward and adorable if he was going to turn her down.

"You're right, though, in that I think that in having Jane as a friend Laurence would be much more quick to integrate into the corps. He wouldn't be so inclined to take what Rankin says at face value, for instance, and he'd be more readily accepting of Harcourt and lil' Emily, so while he'd still be formal with them he wouldn't be AS stiff and formal as he was in canon. Holding himself at slightly less than arms length goes a long way when forging friendships in the corps. Also, with Jane to pave the way for him... she's seen the less stiffly formal side of him, and so I'm sure that she can convince the others that a nicer and more awesome side to him DOES exist. ;)"

Plus, he comes in with approval from a very respected captain that he's seen in battle, and he's had conversations with her dragon. When an egg does hatch on his ship, he's much more likely to treat Temeraire as a very smart creature from the very beginning. That wouldn't make much of a difference with the two of them, as Laurence is too polite for things to drag on no matter what, but it would keep Rankin from having any influence.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

"Honestly, Laurence needs somebody that is actually pushy, or nothing would happen. He's too polite and reserved and all of that." Precisely! I think that they complement each other. :) Also, I'm betting his relationship with her helps him understand and respect female aviators much sooner. Also, Jane is awesome and deserves some happiness, especially as provided by Laurence, who is also awesome. And a bit of a woobie. :)

Speaking of... you should see this piece of fanart, commenting on Laurence's reaction to things:
http://demonbunny.deviantart.com/art/Laurence-D-Expression-78334699
Also, while we're on the subject, this is my favourite (and possibly the only good?) piece of Jane/Laurence fanart. <3
http://demonbunny.deviantart.com/art/Temeraire-Captaaaain-O-104069429
Also by the same (amazing) artist, a summary of the first half of the first book:
http://demonbunny.deviantart.com/art/Temeraire-Summary-I-and-II-110051483

AND NOW BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING

"Also a huge deal for somebody raised on "obviously we're the best." He even acknowledges that he was wrong about that." Which really does show how much he develops as a character and how much his world views change upon actually seeing more of the world.

"Duly noted-- dragon!Harry makes a lot of sense, Laurence!Harry wouldn't." Oh no, you misunderstand: Harry (who has been changed into a dragon through complicated, voldemort-themed means) and a few others go back in time, screw it up, try to get back to their present, and end up in an alternate universe. Harry is a talking, firebreathing dragon, and is awesome. :3

"I was just thinking I really wanted Girl Scout cookies and someone showed up selling them." I used to sell those, way back when! :) I <3 the mint-chocolate kind... which I think are no longer sold. I seem to recall them switching companies because the one they'd used for several generations could no longer guarantee that the cookies wouldn't have some sort of passing contact with a nut product. :P

Also: YOU HAVE SNAKES? YOU ARE AUTOMATICALLY A+++ AWESOME IN MY BOOKS. :D

"And either way, she's going to be the one to initiate steamy, and he'd be polite and awkward and adorable if he was going to turn her down." Oh he'd try, but Jane can be VERY convincing... :3

"Plus, he comes in with approval from a very respected captain that he's seen in battle, and he's had conversations with her dragon. When an egg does hatch on his ship, he's much more likely to treat Temeraire as a very smart creature from the very beginning. That wouldn't make much of a difference with the two of them, as Laurence is too polite for things to drag on no matter what, but it would keep Rankin from having any influence."

Oh yes. :) I'm sure he'd have a BIT more of an idea for how to treat Temeraire, and by that point he'd have exchanged a few letters with Roland so she'd have probably complained to him about SOMETHING dragon-related (possibly how stupid the admiralty was in some respect) so he'd know a BIT more... Also, he'd be able to call Rankin on his shit almost right away, probably, as you said.

I'm also sure that having someone capable of introducing him to others would also help make him more comfortable. You don't really introduce YOURSELF in the Regency era: it's always a mutual acquaintance, right? Jane could blaze the trail for him so he doesn't have to break any of his deep-seated social conventions just to make friends. ;)

(Also, I totally need a Temeraire or dragon-related icon. For serious.)

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

"Precisely! I think that they complement each other. :) Also, I'm betting his relationship with her helps him understand and respect female aviators much sooner. Also, Jane is awesome and deserves some happiness, especially as provided by Laurence, who is also awesome. And a bit of a woobie. :)" He is such a woobie. I think half the characters I end up really liking are, they're just so much fun to WRITE-- they're quite used to things happening all around them.

Fanart is awesome stuff, and typically makes me wish again that I could draw the things I try describing.

OMG I looked at all of them. "Fanservice" indeed.

"Which really does show how much he develops as a character and how much his world views change upon actually seeing more of the world." He's so cute! I had a severe professor-crush on a British man, and it is the cutest thing in the world if you can get one to blush. (That was a pure accident, and it took the entire class reciting the title of one of his books at him without any pre-arranged signal, but it was hilarious.)

"Oh no, you misunderstand: Harry (who has been changed into a dragon through complicated, voldemort-themed means) and a few others go back in time, screw it up, try to get back to their present, and end up in an alternate universe. Harry is a talking, firebreathing dragon, and is awesome. :3" Right. That's time-travel, though-- for the other story, using Harry as Laurence would have been puzzling in the rebirth sense.

"I used to sell those, way back when! :) I <3 the mint-chocolate kind... which I think are no longer sold. I seem to recall them switching companies because the one they'd used for several generations could no longer guarantee that the cookies wouldn't have some sort of passing contact with a nut product. :P"

Thin Mints? Those are still sold, all the time, and are one of the few that haven't changed names every three years. They did switch companies, but not all that recently.

I OWN ONE SNAKE. HIS NAME IS NEVILLE AND HE IS A SWEETHEART. MY ROOMMATE OWNS SIX.

I walked into the apartment meeting her the first time, and hello giant snake tank on my right. (Giant. This is at least a 100-gallon tank.) It houses a 4.5 foot royal python. I told her she'd just gotten 10X cooler, she smiles and opens the door to the pantry-- it's a snake room that had 5 more inside. We also have a gecko, a cockatiel, a rabbit, and two fishtanks.

I might get a python later-- the royal python is a complete sweetheart, and /afraid of his food/. Cutest thing in the apartment. If the rat touches him, he won't eat it. He's also never even tried to strike at people, tends to hide at sudden movements, and blows bubbles when he drinks water.

I am going to have an animal named Temeraire. If I do end up getting an impressive enough snake, that would do it. I actually really like the blue-and-orange boa at the pet store, but don't want to start out with a big attitude problem snake. I forget the exact breed, but he's gorgeous and has been in that store way too long. (My mother is amazing and long ago reconciled herself to a herpephile daughter.)

"Oh he'd try, but Jane can be VERY convincing... :3" She could convince ME, I think. She's pretty damn awesome.

The scene where Laurence frog-marched Rankin over, and that was all his poor dragon ever wanted... I was really close to crying there. It was an absolutely beautifully written scene, and I loved that the officer's concern after was for the DRAGON, hang Laurence manhandling Rankin around.

It's rude to introduce himself, but Jane is a well-respected Captain and obviously quite fond of the Navy man. That will knock over a lot of the concerns about an outsider with a very impressive dragon.

"(Also, I totally need a Temeraire or dragon-related icon. For serious.)" Indubitably. Ask the dA author if you could use some of her/his artwork as an icon? Mention you'll credit them in a post, that might work out fast.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

One more piece of Temeraire fanart for you before I head off to bed: http://fav.me/d1j2a6d (Read the description, too)

"I had a severe professor-crush on a British man, and it is the cutest thing in the world if you can get one to blush. (That was a pure accident, and it took the entire class reciting the title of one of his books at him without any pre-arranged signal, but it was hilarious.)" <3! :D I currently have a crush on this amazing tour guide we had in York. We three girls went out drinking with him afterwards and oh my goodness word that came out of his mouth made me smile at him even more. (Also, his stories got more and more funny and badass as the hours passed.) I think North Americans are predisposed to think of British accents as being automatically more hot and more intelligent. :)

"for the other story, using Harry as Laurence would have been puzzling in the rebirth sense." Oh most definitely. I love the Temeraire!Harry that the author wrote. :3 Super cute!

"They did switch companies, but not all that recently." It would have been back when I actually was in girl guides, so that would have been... oh goodness, like ten years ago or more. D: I feel old.

"I OWN ONE SNAKE. HIS NAME IS NEVILLE AND HE IS A SWEETHEART. MY ROOMMATE OWNS SIX."
... I CAN HAS PHOTOGRAPHS?? He sounds adorable! :D What kind of snake is he?

" the royal python is a complete sweetheart, and /afraid of his food/. Cutest thing in the apartment. If the rat touches him, he won't eat it." THAT IS EVEN MORE ADORABLE. Seriously. Why do people hate snakes? :(( I've loved them for years, since I was a small child. My love for snakes was clinched when I visited a reptile house in Drumheller (the Dinosaur capital of Canada!) and my sister and I got to hold a ball python. :3 I loved it. Snakes have lovely soft scales to touch.

""Oh he'd try, but Jane can be VERY convincing... :3" She could convince ME, I think. She's pretty damn awesome." SHE COULD CONVINCE ANYONE! I've read fics that are Jane/Tharkay... and I think I remember reading one (crack?) crossover in which she seduced all of the heroines of the Jane Austen novels. >_> I also read one alternate universe in which Jane seduced a female!Laurence. Yeah. I don't think any of these fics were explicit, it was mostly for the lulz and to play with the character. JANE WOULD TOTALLY DO IT, TOO.

"The scene where Laurence frog-marched Rankin over, and that was all his poor dragon ever wanted... I was really close to crying there." I KNOW! ;_; I really hope that there's a scene in the series in which Rankin actually realizes what he did. >:(

"It's rude to introduce himself, but Jane is a well-respected Captain and obviously quite fond of the Navy man. That will knock over a lot of the concerns about an outsider with a very impressive dragon." That's exactly what I was thinking. Maybe Granby will stop being a dick sooner?

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

OMG SO LIKE LIEN. I actually love characters that are that up-front about being bitchy. Granby's original grumpiness wasn't nearly so in-your-face. "Yeah? I don't like any of y'all. Deal with it" is so, so much more fun in characters

I know!! But only certain types of Brit accent. The one we generally hear is the high-class version, and you almost never hear a good Yorkshire. It took me reading through the entire book with Mariel to work out what on earth the moles were saying, so I had to go all the way back through to pick out all the dialogue. I do plan to read those books out loud to kidlets-- I love doing accents. If I can work out how to do an Irish accent, I'll be happy.

I quit Girl Scouts when I was twelve. My troop didn't do anything, none of my friends were there anymore, and it stopped being fun. I worked at a Girl Scout camp later, though, so... I love that place. (I just met my roommate for next year, we talked online and just met in person. She went to that camp for years. We both know the same person-- she mentioned a girl, she was one of the most fun people at camp.)

"... I CAN HAS PHOTOGRAPHS?? He sounds adorable! :D What kind of snake is he?"

CORRECTION. MY ROOMMATE HAS SEVEN, WHICH IS FREAKING RIDICULOUS. I always, always, always forget Imriel in the count. Galileo is the other baby Columbian rainbow boa, and he's the favorite. Isis is the four-foot rainbow boa, Dante's the four-and-a-half foot royal (ball) python, there are two boa constrictors (Athena and Kratos), and I kept forgetting to add Dexter the king snake into her count.

I have Neville. He's a lavender-morph corn snake-- very pale markings, blue eyes. Genuinely blue eyes. He's a sweetheart, except for right now. He's shedding, which makes snakes very irritable, and the weather made me delay his meal two days. It's no huge deal, because snakes can be delayed a full week when they typically eat once a week, but it made him really cranky. He still didn't strike at me when I scooped him up. I'll go find pictures when I remember.

"THAT IS EVEN MORE ADORABLE. Seriously. Why do people hate snakes? :(( I've loved them for years, since I was a small child. My love for snakes was clinched when I visited a reptile house in Drumheller (the Dinosaur capital of Canada!) and my sister and I got to hold a ball python. :3 I loved it. Snakes have lovely soft scales to touch." They're so awesome!!! I am convinced that it's how dragons feel. People are always shocked when they realize how nice the scales feel, and the bellies are just cool.

"SHE COULD CONVINCE ANYONE! I've read fics that are Jane/Tharkay... and I think I remember reading one (crack?) crossover in which she seduced all of the heroines of the Jane Austen novels. >_>" OMG YES.

"I also read one alternate universe in which Jane seduced a female!Laurence. Yeah. I don't think any of these fics were explicit, it was mostly for the lulz and to play with the character. JANE WOULD TOTALLY DO IT, TOO." IT'S BECAUSE JANE IS AN AMAZON JEZEBEL AND SHE LIKES SUBVERTING THE PATRIARCHY FOR FUN AND DRAGON-RIDING BABIES.

"I KNOW! ;_; I really hope that there's a scene in the series in which Rankin actually realizes what he did. >:(" Same here! I hope he actually starts to miss the poor darling. He was probably trying to raise the dragon the way HE was raised, when I stepped back and thought about it. "Spare the rod and spoil the child," "children are seen and not heard"-- poor thing was still young, and Rankin was NOT raised with the dragons. He probably acted like the thing's father, or even like a husband to a wife. People in that era were not free with praise/coddling as a rule. So yeah, he sucks, but... it wasn't malicious neglect. I bet it was what he knew.

"That's exactly what I was thinking. Maybe Granby will stop being a dick sooner?" Granby might not have the chance to start. Jane would make him grow up and be a nice polite aviator for her boyfriend. BECAUSE NO ONE CONTRADICTS THE WILL OF JANE.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Oh, remind me and I'll tell you the crazy story of what happened to Rowand's body after he died. I've just got to do homework right now, so... uh... yeah.

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

Is it anything like the many people who were exhumed post-death to be put on trial/killed again/variously mutilated? That's a pretty common theme, surprisingly.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Gather round, children, I shall tell you another gory story! :D

Essentially, John Rowand remained pretty respected. He died suddenly in the early 1850s, I'm told because when he arrived at... maybe it was Fort Pitt? Or Fort Gary? One of the bigger forts further East, anyway, he saw some employees doing something stupid, so he marched down the hill and started to yell at them. He had a notoriously bad temper if he felt you weren't working properly. Anyway, he got all red in the face... and had a heart attack and died. He actually died about a month after he retired, but his papers hadn't kicked in yet so he was still TECHNICALLY an employee of the company.

Anyway, not knowing what else to do, the men buried him in the Fort cemetery. When Sir George Simpson, Rowand's friend and boss, heard about this, he was like "no no no, guys, he wanted to be buried in Montreal, like his father" so they dug him up again. Now, he was a pretty big guy, so they boiled him down until he was just bones. (There's a vicious rumour going around that they made his considerable amount of fat into soap, but that's probably a lie.) He was then put into a giant barrel of alcohol and put on a boat to Montreal. (There's always the rumour that the barrel arrived empty because men had been tapping it without knowing what was inside, but that happens with ALL stories of bodies being transported this way so it's also probably just a rumour.)

At one point, the barrel accidentally fell overboard and apparently spent a few months bobbing around Lake Winnipeg before it was retrieved.

Anyway, you can't go straight from Lake Winnipeg to Montreal. It doesn't work that way. They're on separate river systems, separated by large portages. As strange as it seems, it's actually faster to go all the way up to Fort Churchill on Hudson's Bay, put the cargo onto a large sailing ship, go to LONDON, England, and then back across the Atlantic, up the St. Lawrence River. It's easier and quicker, apparently.

Rowand's barrel got misplaced in a London depot for a few years, and, after it was finally rediscovered (probably by some hapless clerk), it was shipped over to Montreal, where he is buried today. Tadaa! All in all, it took him several extra years to get buried.

I'm told that my friend Will, who plays Rowand at the Fort, wants to visit his grave when he goes to Quebec and pour some whiskey over it as tribute.

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

That has so, so many elements of classic in there-- it's the proof-positive that these stories exist, probably (even if the lye and alcohol bits might be exaggerations, they might be true).

[beboots.livejournal.com]

There is documentation that most of the elements of this story did take place, though: how he died, his initial internment, his, uh, being boiled down, the fact that it took FAR too long for him to get to his destination... Yeah. History is cool. You can't make this shit up, man.

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

History is awesome, and all of those insane stories came from somewhere. All of those classics of stories happen in real life, sometimes, and it's just as odd there.