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

[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]

Lien is awesome. Lien + Napoleon = EPIC. If you get a hold of the edition that's published the first three books in one giant, hardcover form, they have a short story at the very end about how Lien integrated herself into France and how Napoleon came to respect her. I've read it (sitting on a stool in my local bookstore for half an hour) and it was awesome. :)

I was in sparks, brownies, girl guides, and even in first year pathfinders, but in the latter our troop consisted of me, my twin sister, and only two or three other girls... and we did next to nothing. :( Not fun anymore. I like the institution, and it was great to meet other people when I was very young, but... yeah. Also, the older more historic uniforms were cooler. They actually looked like uniforms. ;)

Yaaay snake pictures! :D 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." OMG YES DRAGONS. <3 Snakes DO feel nice. You really just need the person to get over their irrational fears long enough to get close enough to touch, really... ;)

"IT'S BECAUSE JANE IS AN AMAZON JEZEBEL AND SHE LIKES SUBVERTING THE PATRIARCHY FOR FUN AND DRAGON-RIDING BABIES." YES YES AND YES. And Laurence is really just being dragged along for the ride (PUN NOT INTENDED) with Jane and Temeraire. Everyone deserves equal rights!

Pee Ess: which book have you finished? Where are you right now? (I don't want to spoil you!)

"He was probably trying to raise the dragon the way" !!! I never thought about it that way! That actually makes sense, though! Especially if it's combined with the fact that, well, it's not like he's HUMAN, so that would firmly squash any possible qualms that come to Rankin's mind...

"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." NOT EVEN THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. Granby will stand no chance. If he tries to pull that "Sir" bullshit on Laurence, I'm sure that Jane would quickly suss Laurence out for why he was upset and she'd have a WORD or two with Granby. No disrespectin' the awesome navy guy! Or at least if you are then at least make it a joke we can all share.

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

My bookstore had the three-in-one version. (Used book store, best ever, constantly has fantasy and sci-fi books shifting through in the most easily-accessible aisle in the store). Quite tiny, locally owned... best bookstore ever. You can find awesome things in there, even if it can take half a year for someone to sell a book you want. (Nobody EVER sold their copy of Emperor Mage, but I'm not surprised. That book was probably the best of that series, and Immortals was a good series.)

Neville (corn snake) just shed! I could hear him doing it for two hours. He was still quite grumpy when I scooped most of the shed out (the tail broke off again), so I'll probably see if he'll let me handle him tomorrow, before feeding him. He's a growing snake, after all. I keep all of his shed skins, mostly because they're awesome. They also give an instant reference on how much bigger he is, even if he insists on breaking the tails off and not shedding all in one piece.

The guys at camp brought in a massive bit of snakeskin saying they found it behind their cabin. I said "that's nice, tell me where it was originally and THEN we'll talk." When they decided I wouldn't buy it at all, they admitted that Sunflower (he was a very chill person, quite secure enough to use the name well) had a friend that breeds snakes.

"OMG YES DRAGONS. <3 Snakes DO feel nice. You really just need the person to get over their irrational fears long enough to get close enough to touch, really... ;)" Right!!! That's what I did for two summers, coaxed girls into thinking reptiles were awesome. My proudest moments were the brave group of three Asian counselors who approached me asking about Sally (for Salazar). It was the most solemn introduction I've done, snake or otherwise, and afterward they drew me a big thank-you card saying "we love Sally" with a very cute pink bow drawn on card-Sally's head.

The other time-- little girl with Down's in a Brownie (grades 1-3) troop. She didn't like the big snake (I would always offer to hold the snake's head out of the way, with shy girls, to guarantee they would never be bitten), but King (she was a lady, odd story on the name that amounts to me not understanding Egyptian accents) had delivered twenty-one live babies that morning. Katelynn was about eight, the snakes were a little longer than an unsharpened pencil and right about that width... she held a baby snake, and she was the happiest damn kid I'd seen in weeks. (That troop rocked. They were all extremely conscientious of Katelynn without being condescending, full marks to troop leaders.)

"YES YES AND YES. And Laurence is really just being dragged along for the ride (PUN NOT INTENDED) with Jane and Temeraire. Everyone deserves equal rights!" PUN SHOULD BE INTENDED. EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL, BUT EVEN TEMERAIRE AGREES THAT IT IS RATHER AWKWARD TO EXTEND THAT TO SEX WITH DRAGONS.

I'm just moving into Black Powder war. I have classes and real life in the way of my book-time right now. AND OMG WELL-STRUCTURED PLOT -swoon-

"!!! I never thought about it that way! That actually makes sense, though! Especially if it's combined with the fact that, well, it's not like he's HUMAN, so that would firmly squash any possible qualms that come to Rankin's mind..." Rankin himself was a shit. His mommy coddled him from the sound of it, but his dad was probably sterner than Laurence's. Nobility were HARD on their kids, and generally sent them off to elite schools as soon as possible, seeing them rarely.

"NOT EVEN THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. Granby will stand no chance. If he tries to pull that "Sir" bullshit on Laurence, I'm sure that Jane would quickly suss Laurence out for why he was upset and she'd have a WORD or two with Granby. No disrespectin' the awesome navy guy! Or at least if you are then at least make it a joke we can all share."

Jane used WORD. It's SUPER EFFECTIVE. Granby has FAINTED from the shock of being rude and disrespectful to Jane's boytoy.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Interesting! How many shed skins do you have? How noticeable is the size difference?

"It was the most solemn introduction I've done, snake or otherwise, and afterward they drew me a big thank-you card saying "we love Sally" with a very cute pink bow drawn on card-Sally's head." That sounds absolutely adorable. :)

"King (she was a lady, odd story on the name that amounts to me not understanding Egyptian accents)" That sounds like not only an odd but an AMAZING story. <3 (Also: BABY SNAKES HOW CUTE <3 <3 <3 )

"PUN SHOULD BE INTENDED. EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL, BUT EVEN TEMERAIRE AGREES THAT IT IS RATHER AWKWARD TO EXTEND THAT TO SEX WITH DRAGONS." OH YES, DEFINITELY. (Although you haven't yet read this amazing dragon-turned-human!Temeraire/Laurence fic, yet... :3 ) But yes, in general, I agree with that. ;)

OH YES WELL-STRUCTURED PLOT = <3! :D I love Novik for this (as I do Rowling) for being able to write books with their own self-contained plots and subplots and yet still manage to weave in a much larger plot throughout the entire series. :3 YOU ARE ONLY AT THE BEGINNING HOLY CRAP YOU ARE NOT PREPARED.

There are surprisingly few Temeraire fics out there with Rankin. I would have thought that there would have been a BRILLIANT amount of potential, there in fandom, for Laurence to smack more sense into the man. Or just smack him around. ;)

I did once think of a crazy idea for a Temeraire/Harry Potter crossover in which lil'Harry (age six or seven or so?) somehow gets sucked into the world of Temeraire and, being an orphan, is shipped off to the Aerial Corps, where he becomes a runner with Emily. Then stuff happens, ???, PROFIT! Because Harry knows what being neglected is like, he'd bond with Levitas and perhaps eventually save the dragon's life and then becomes his captain or something and then goes back to his original world with a DRAGON or something and... yeah. It was just a random idea. >_>

"Jane used WORD. It's SUPER EFFECTIVE. Granby has FAINTED from the shock of being rude and disrespectful to Jane's boytoy."
Laurence used BLUSH against Jane. It's SUPER EFFECTIVE. <3 <3 <3

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

I think I have five shed skins right now. Neville was born on July 29th of last year, so he's still a baby. Yesterday I had to help him out because the tail absolutely wouldn't come off. I thought he was being a grump, again, but he had a good four-inch section of old skin bothering him.

In retrospect, I feel quite silly. King was my charmer snake that never struck at or musked on me. (Snake-musk smells VILE, and I think skunks aren't bad at all.) She started eating ALL the time, she was quite irritable compared to her usual chill, and she was putting on a little weight. She was completely content after giving birth. I separated her from the snakelets, but they weren't in any danger from her. Garters don't usually eat other snakes, from what I've seen, and she had enough to eat.

"That sounds like not only an odd but an AMAZING story. <3 (Also: BABY SNAKES HOW CUTE <3 <3 <3 )" Ragy /said/ "Kingstar," after his backpack's brand. I didn't know that was a word, and it had an odd vowel motion, so I heard "Kingasaur" and got attached to the name. He found it, so he got to name it, but he let me keep the not-quite-right name.

"OH YES, DEFINITELY. (Although you haven't yet read this amazing dragon-turned-human!Temeraire/Laurence fic, yet... :3 ) But yes, in general, I agree with that. ;)" Nope, but I want to! Much easier than Laurence turning dragon. He'd be polite, and probably would take ages to confess any parts that made him unhappy, but he'd lose QUITE a few acquaintances.

"OH YES WELL-STRUCTURED PLOT = <3! :D I love Novik for this (as I do Rowling) for being able to write books with their own self-contained plots and subplots and yet still manage to weave in a much larger plot throughout the entire series. :3 YOU ARE ONLY AT THE BEGINNING HOLY CRAP YOU ARE NOT PREPARED. "

THEY PLAY CHEKHOV'S GUN PROPERLY. IF YOU SHOW SOMETHING, YOU //MUST// USE IT LATER. Also, self-referencing plotlines for the win.

"There are surprisingly few Temeraire fics out there with Rankin. I would have thought that there would have been a BRILLIANT amount of potential, there in fandom, for Laurence to smack more sense into the man. Or just smack him around. ;)" Or for somebody to steal the poor loyal dragon away.

"I did once think of a crazy idea for a Temeraire/Harry Potter crossover in which lil'Harry (age six or seven or so?) somehow gets sucked into the world of Temeraire and, being an orphan, is shipped off to the Aerial Corps, where he becomes a runner with Emily. Then stuff happens, ???, PROFIT! Because Harry knows what being neglected is like, he'd bond with Levitas and perhaps eventually save the dragon's life and then becomes his captain or something and then goes back to his original world with a DRAGON or something and... yeah. It was just a random idea. >_>"

Harry might have been there when Levitas was hatched. Rankin was the important one, of course, and just might have pushed Harry aside to be there. (Rankin was meant to get that dragon. He would push some foundling orphan that had such a bad hit to the head that he stared at horse-drawn coaches as much as the dragons.)

"Laurence used BLUSH against Jane. It's SUPER EFFECTIVE. <3 <3 <3" Jane has BLUSHED. Jane's attack-WORD is less effective. Jane uses BECOMING SMILE.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

I learned something new today! I didn't even know that snakes HAD musk!

So did you know that your snake was pregnant before she gave birth? Did you buy her pregnant?

HERE, YOU MUST READ IT. http://novembersmith.livejournal.com/36445.html This author's portrayal of human!Temeraire is adorable and incredibly in-character, in my opinion.

Oh man, human-turned-dragon!Laurence would be SO stoic. He's still be all about doing his duty to his country, but he'd miss opposable thumbs and the ability to write and being treated like a human being TERRIBLY, although he still has that stiff-upper-lip mentality...

"Harry might have been there when Levitas was hatched. Rankin was the important one, of course, and just might have pushed Harry aside to be there. (Rankin was meant to get that dragon. He would push some foundling orphan that had such a bad hit to the head that he stared at horse-drawn coaches as much as the dragons.)" OMG that would be a brilliant idea! VERY WELL-SUITED TO RANKIN'S PERSONALITY, Y/Y.

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

"So did you know that your snake was pregnant before she gave birth? Did you buy her pregnant?" My bad! That was at camp. I picked her up out of the woods. Garter snakes have live birth and a long gestation period, those babies come out ready to eat. My absolute favorite was named Severus Snake. He was a freaking newborn that lunged at my thumb when I was trying to release him in the woods. I set him down, he /chased me out of his woods/ by snapping at my tennis shoes. He was about the size of a pencil.

"HERE, YOU MUST READ IT. http://novembersmith.livejournal.com/36445.html This author's portrayal of human!Temeraire is adorable and incredibly in-character, in my opinion." READING NOW.

"Oh man, human-turned-dragon!Laurence would be SO stoic. He's still be all about doing his duty to his country, but he'd miss opposable thumbs and the ability to write and being treated like a human being TERRIBLY, although he still has that stiff-upper-lip mentality..." I think I just might write it. Laurence is too damn much of a woobie for it NOT to happen, now, and he'd be trying so hard to not upset Temeraire. I'd have to put it early, though, well before Granby has a dragon, but maybe after the trip to China. I think Laurence's crew instantly splits themselves between the two dragon, and Granby asks if he can still serve as lieutenant on /Laurence/. "You're my captain, sir" or something to that effect, and then Temeraire spoils the ecstasy of non-reactions by nuzzling them both. (Laurence is pretty numb to his father freaking out, and relieved when his mother immediately sends a letter asking permission to visit the covert, but the reaction to Jane would be hard. I think she'd get her arms around as much neck as she could and just stay there for a while, nobody else around.

Screw it, I have spring break. I might need to wait on the other books, though. My mom is SO damn happy when she can buy a book that she knew I wanted, and I wouldn't want to know precisely what was coming next, I could ask general questions and look up the history of the wars. Laurence is amazingly adept at flying, I'd think (he was giving lessons to Temeraire) and comes up with entirely revolutionary things. He also sprains ligaments a few times because certain motions are not possible with wings, but his crew quickly learns when to sing out a warning.

Laurence is all about duty, so he'll go to war the instant he can fight properly. He tries to brush it off as yet another change in duty. I can't decide just what type of dragon he'd be, but it's not a Longwing or a fire-breather or a Celestial. He might be an Imperial, to get the size in the right kind of range.

"OMG that would be a brilliant idea! VERY WELL-SUITED TO RANKIN'S PERSONALITY, Y/Y." Rankin's such an ass.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

"Severus Snake" - I AM IRRATIONALLY AMUSED BY PUNS! <3 "I set him down, he /chased me out of his woods/ by snapping at my tennis shoes. He was about the size of a pencil." He's a badass, straight up. He's probably out there intimidating something RIGHT NOW. ;)

PLEASE WRITE IT. THERE IS A SAD LACK OF DRAGON!LAURENCE OUT THERE.

"I think Laurence's crew instantly splits themselves between the two dragon, and Granby asks if he can still serve as lieutenant on /Laurence/. "You're my captain, sir" or something to that effect, and then Temeraire spoils the ecstasy of non-reactions by nuzzling them both." YES PLZ. And if anybody in the admiralty tries to assign Laurence a captain Temeraire will obviously have to get all indignant and they will both start thinking that it's a silly thing, really, to require a dragon to have a captain when they're fully sentient beings themselves... and hey, weren't there dragon generals in China? Couldn't they do the same in England? Etc., etc..

Also, maybe they could compromise and have Tharkay be acting captain. Or something. >_> Like how Granby is acting captain of Temeraire, because Temeraire will accept no substitute for Laurence.

...That idea you have for Jane and Laurence. ;_; TRAGIC. Gah. Please write it.

"He also sprains ligaments a few times because certain motions are not possible with wings, but his crew quickly learns when to sing out a warning." Oh yes. I imagine he has some dragony instincts but still thinks a LOT like the human he used to be and so sometimes the two sets of instincts don't really combine well. ;)

Also, now they HAVE to bring a Chinese cook along because there's NO WAY that Laurence will eat raw meat.

The only other fic I've read with dragon!Laurence (which was, admittedly, a dream sequence) had Laurence as a Flamme-de-Gloire because of his French ancestry. (In this one scribbled fic outline I wrote which involved dragon!Laurence I made him a Flamme-de-Gloire, too, because that involved additional misunderstandings in people thinking he was on the other side. Oh wait, come to think of it... I actually wrote out quite a bit of that one! ... Unfortunately, I can't send it to you yet because it contains spoilers of books three through five. >_> ) But yeah, I think that it would make more sense to have him be some sort of French or British dragon if you want his new body to reflect the old.

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

""Severus Snake" He's a badass, straight up. He's probably out there intimidating something RIGHT NOW. ;)" Oh yeah. I loved that little guy, he was too damn cute trying to lunge for me while balanced on my palm. I have tiny hands.

"PLEASE WRITE IT. THERE IS A SAD LACK OF DRAGON!LAURENCE OUT THERE." I'm trying to make it happen AFTER I study for my exam at 8am tomorrow. It's not working yet. Dragon!!Laurence is too damn noble and self-sacrificing and quiet and desperate to not inconvenience anybody else. I can work in a Chinese folk tale I skim off something real, Old Mysterious Magic-maker, Laurence was polite and the Magic-maker did it because (reason to be decided later). He spends all of the first day coiled in on himself in shock, with Temeraire wrapped all around him and Lily and Maximus bringing food to them--pre-killed, in deference to flying it over and people being squeamish about eating still-living things. (They'd start cooking food for Laurence, and Temeraire wants some too) Laurence ends up dictating a letter to his mother, and hang the rest of the world.

"YES PLZ. And if anybody in the admiralty tries to assign Laurence a captain Temeraire will obviously have to get all indignant and they will both start thinking that it's a silly thing, really, to require a dragon to have a captain when they're fully sentient beings themselves... and hey, weren't there dragon generals in China? Couldn't they do the same in England? Etc., etc.." Right! Temeraire stone-cold refuses to accept any captain but Laurence. He will accept a lieutenant, as Laurence has, and he will fight, but they will NOT give him a captain. He would even accept "principal rider." Several of Tem's reforms start up accidentally. Laurence is rather devastated that he can't read to Temeraire anymore, or buy him things, but Roland might volunteer herself for that. Laurence said she needed to pay more mind to her schooling. (Emily is aghast to realize she will be reading math books.)

"Also, maybe they could compromise and have Tharkay be acting captain. Or something. >_> Like how Granby is acting captain of Temeraire, because Temeraire will accept no substitute for Laurence." Right! I think Granby steps up as Laurence's acting captain, to keep the two of them together, but Temeraire decides that Laurence is well enough. If it sets up earlier than I thought, I'll find a good alternate.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

"! Temeraire stone-cold refuses to accept any captain but Laurence. He will accept a lieutenant, as Laurence has, and he will fight, but they will NOT give him a captain. He would even accept "principal rider." Several of Tem's reforms start up accidentally." OH YES. Necessity is the mother of invention.

Also, Laurence will totally still have some money in his accounts, y/y? So he's the first dragon to really own property aside from jewelry. They'll probably need to be property reforms in England based on the Chinese model... and I'm sure that Jane could help browbeat some politicians into that. ;) Maybe Lord Allendale (reluctantly, at his wife's behest) could help out too? It IS his son, after all, even if he's not his eldest...

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

Laurence does own property! They have some issues with that, but in the end, the aviators probably forge a few things with Laurence's full permission and let Granby run errands. Laurence never quite develops the taste for shiny things, I think, but somebody can make him a very, very happy dragon if they bring in a jeweler and let Laurence talk through exactly what they'll be making for Temeraire.

Lord Allendale is immensely reluctant to admit his son is still alive (and a dragon). His wife visits as often as she can, which is every two or three months, and her main concern is that they're looking after him and that he's eating enough and if he needs her to set the ladies of the town at their husbands' ears.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

"They have some issues with that, but in the end, the aviators probably forge a few things with Laurence's full permission and let Granby run errands." Lol yes. Perhaps on paper Laurence is on "medical furlough", because legally it's difficult to acknowledge the existence of human-into-dragon-transforming-magic. Officially, Laurence was birthed off of a captured French egg, perhaps? Nobody has to know besides, well, those IN the know, about the fact that this dragon used to be a person?

"Laurence never quite develops the taste for shiny things, I think, but somebody can make him a very, very happy dragon if they bring in a jeweler and let Laurence talk through exactly what they'll be making for Temeraire." Oh yes. :) I'm sure that the other dragons, especially Temeraire, look in askance at him when he's all like "but gold and silver clash! And wouldn't look good against the yellow of my scales anyway! And it's too expensive!" They try to convince him of the virtues of shiny things but he still doesn't quite get it. His form of dressing up is giving his scales a good scrub and perhaps put on a few relatively plain chinese claw covers that Temeraire finally managed to push on him.

"Lord Allendale is immensely reluctant to admit his son is still alive (and a dragon). His wife visits as often as she can, which is every two or three months, and her main concern is that they're looking after him and that he's eating enough and if he needs her to set the ladies of the town at their husbands' ears." I <3 Laurence's mum. You should also see this image:
http://temeraire.org/wiki/Image:Majestys_dragon_02_72dpi.jpg

Also these other, non-spoilery images:
http://temeraire.org/wiki/Image:Hatchling.jpg
http://temeraire.org/wiki/Image:Life-changed-anke.jpg
http://temeraire.org/wiki/Image:Majestys_dragon_01_72dpi.jpg
http://temeraire.org/wiki/Image:First-flight-anke.jpg
http://temeraire.org/wiki/Image:Shelter-anke.jpg

There are lots of other lovely images by this artist and others on the wiki, too, but unfortunately they're all in one category and many of them are spoilers.
Oh, here's one more, because Laurence and Temeraire cuddling is love:
http://temeraire.org/wiki/Image:Toj_01_reunion_72dpi.jpg

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

"Lol yes. Perhaps on paper Laurence is on "medical furlough", because legally it's difficult to acknowledge the existence of human-into-dragon-transforming-magic. Officially, Laurence was birthed off of a captured French egg, perhaps? Nobody has to know besides, well, those IN the know, about the fact that this dragon used to be a person?" Right!!! It's quite quiet, and Laurence can't go near cities anymore. No more society for him, rather like a permanent sailing expedition he finally decides. He did like the sea better, and it's for the best that he didn't marry that girl after all.

"Oh yes. :) I'm sure that the other dragons, especially Temeraire, look in askance at him when he's all like "but gold and silver clash! And wouldn't look good against the yellow of my scales anyway! And it's too expensive!" They try to convince him of the virtues of shiny things but he still doesn't quite get it. His form of dressing up is giving his scales a good scrub and perhaps put on a few relatively plain chinese claw covers that Temeraire finally managed to push on him." OMG yes, and he only accepted the claw covers because they were easy enough to remove. He'd be mortified if (when) Jane noticed them, but she'd understand. I think she's gentler on several things, because Laurence is so far out of his element it would be cruel to tease him so much as usual.

I don't think dragons have a set mating season, but it is rather traditional to have extra stirrings in the spring. When I finally know enough canon to slide this in somewhere, I can use that as a starting point for Tem, and then a huge leap forward for Laurence.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

"and it's for the best that he didn't marry that girl after all." Yeah, that would be awkward. >_>

I'm sure that Laurence has all sorts of problems now with seniority. Should he be treated as a young dragon, which he is in skill? According to his experience in the aerial corps? As a member of a branch of the military/navy? His actual age? Does he have an actual rank anymore OH NOEZ

"OMG yes, and he only accepted the claw covers because they were easy enough to remove." Exactly. Temeraire wanted to give him a present because he loves him and also because the last present didn't work out so well, but it still took a lot of convincing. They do look rather nice, though, and all of the dragons agree, although they could use more giant jewels and elaborate carvings. Possible of dragons. JEWELED DRAGONS.

It's also a strictly dragon-type thing to wear, and so Laurence can have additional qualms about that. He SLOWLY slides into dragondom, feeling uncomfortable the entire way.

Oh yes, Jane would lay off most of the teasing. Perhaps the first time she tried it didn't go over well? A joke in poor taste because it almost made Laurence cry but Laurence CAN'T cry anymore and that makes him even more sad? But I'm sure that as Laurence grows more comfortable with things she will start to break out a few more jokes.

"I can use that as a starting point for Tem, and then a huge leap forward for Laurence." I look forward to see how you'll approach this. XD

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

"...That idea you have for Jane and Laurence. ;_; TRAGIC. Gah. Please write it." I really wish I could draw it. She's out there with him for hours on end and neither has said a word, and finally she asks if it would be wrong to suggest that they can fly together. Excidium has already promised to not be jealous, and she'd rather not deal with the rest of the covert for a while. This story is turning LONG, but if I really wanted drama, then Jane is rather unexpectedly pregnant. (Again.) She would have told him if she'd stopped the herbs, but it seems that the last batch the aviator women bought up was ineffective. I'm not sure if that would be too much of a distraction, but it would take Jane out of the picture for a while in a way that battles alone couldn't. (Their kid eventually would end up on Temeraire, I think, quite happy to be Flight Officer or whatever title they like-- in charge of the men aboard the dragon and yelling the signals.)

Laurence sketches out adaptations to the battle plans with his claws in soft earth. His suggestions are MUCH better now that he can see for himself where the weak points develop.

"Oh yes. I imagine he has some dragony instincts but still thinks a LOT like the human he used to be and so sometimes the two sets of instincts don't really combine well. ;)" Oh yes. It takes half of forever for him to work out the dragon instincts for attraction--Temeraire is the only dragon he could ever feel that way about, and he wastes a few minutes fussing over ethics before realizing that Tem has NEVER had an issue with knowing what he wants.

"Also, now they HAVE to bring a Chinese cook along because there's NO WAY that Laurence will eat raw meat." I think it becomes necessary, at least once. It's harder than almost anything else--harder than missing thumbs, not as hard as losing Jane utterly. Granby would wipe him down personally, hang anybody that tried to help, and promise that Laurence is the most unnaturally neat dragon he's ever met. (At that point, all are quite used to Tem entirely curling around Laurence at night, and no one ventures close enough to eavesdrop when Tem's up at least two hours talking like Laurence used to do.) The crew is rather terrible cooks, but several manage to learn so that they can occasionally convince the Chinese fellow to cook for one so that Laurence can have a proper English meal.

It might even happen in China, just for the full "what do we do now?" effect, maybe as they're leaving. Lien could swing it, I think, and she's exactly the type of character to think that's a reasonable option to "the emperor adopted that creature? I'll show THEM."

"The only other fic I've read with dragon!Laurence (which was, admittedly, a dream sequence) had Laurence as a Flamme-de-Gloire because of his French ancestry. (In this one scribbled fic outline I wrote which involved dragon!Laurence I made him a Flamme-de-Gloire, too, because that involved additional misunderstandings in people thinking he was on the other side. Oh wait, come to think of it... I actually wrote out quite a bit of that one! ... Unfortunately, I can't send it to you yet because it contains spoilers of books three through five. >_> ) But yeah, I think that it would make more sense to have him be some sort of French or British dragon if you want his new body to reflect the old."

Any details I should know about Flamme-de-Gloire? I need to read through a second time for details, there's a whole lot to remember in this series. I'd like a midweight, definitely, and it would be nice if I had a shot at keeping Laurence's eyes and maybe a lighter tone--there's not much dark on or in the man.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

"and finally she asks if it would be wrong to suggest that they can fly together. Excidium has already promised to not be jealous." Aww... Yeah, this would make an excellent piece of fanart, too, but I really like the idea of Jane flying with him.

Also - another child? Laurence has a human son? ;_; (PROOF THAT HE ONCE WAS HUMAN) But yeah, I like this idea. A bit more drama, does take her conveniently out of the picture for a bit, and I like your idea of the kid captaining Temeraire. (You could even make the baby a girl? Because women should be able to captain badass dragons beyond the few breeds that only accept women?)

"Flight Officer or whatever title they like-- in charge of the men aboard the dragon and yelling the signals." Ooh... I like this idea! A compromise that Temeraire and Laurence come up with, because nobody will be captaining THEM...

"Laurence sketches out adaptations to the battle plans with his claws in soft earth. His suggestions are MUCH better now that he can see for himself where the weak points develop." Aww yeah. Perhaps he and Temeraire, both the only literate dragons in Europe, could also come up with an alternate writing system that works better with claws? It could just be a different alphabet "font" that is less curvy and more spiky and thus easier to write... and for other dragons to learn? They could teach the others! Literacy is a useful skill. ;)

"It takes half of forever for him to work out the dragon instincts for attraction--Temeraire is the only dragon he could ever feel that way about, and he wastes a few minutes fussing over ethics before realizing that Tem has NEVER had an issue with knowing what he wants." Aww... :D (Male dragons in a relationship! I'm sure that if anybody (human) objects, Temeraire could just squash them. What are you going to do? Laurence isn't really a part of society anymore ANYWAY, and I think that the vast majority of the aviators could be brought around to the idea...)

"I think it becomes necessary, at least once. It's harder than almost anything else--harder than missing thumbs, not as hard as losing Jane utterly. Granby would wipe him down personally, hang anybody that tried to help, and promise that Laurence is the most unnaturally neat dragon he's ever met." Aww, yes please... <3 I'm sure that when the transformation first occurred (presumably in China? Where there are more supplies?) and Laurence was still adapting, he ate cooked food, but I suppose once they have to make their way across Asia and Europe privations/lack of supplies/lack of ability to make a cook fire because they're in enemy territory will force Laurence to eat raw meat and I'm sure it's quite traumatizing for him because it's like giving up something that was still HUMAN, one of the few things he has left... It feels like a defeat.

"At that point, all are quite used to Tem entirely curling around Laurence at night" ;_; Aww, yes, please! That would ALSO make an excellent piece of fanart.

"The crew is rather terrible cooks, but several manage to learn so that they can occasionally convince the Chinese fellow to cook for one so that Laurence can have a proper English meal." YES PLZ. I'm sure that Laurence appreciates any efforts that they make.

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

It's an entirely unusual circumstance, and Excidium didn't seem quite so possessive of his captain. He's probably rather approving of the sailor-human that made Jane happy, and quite aware enough to know that it would be difficult to belatedly become a dragon. (New thought-- do NOT try separating Tem and Laurence in formations, Tem will NOT approve.)

Pregnant!Jane is also out of the war after a certain point, which means that it's all the more urgent that Laurence get trained up even faster than Temeraire-- Laurence has seen all the formations and has the general sense, and he was a captain of a ship. He can manage to be a very, very fast learner, even if he never will keep up with Tem's languages.

Plus, "your daddy is that dragon over there. It's a long story." I do think it would be freaking adorable if they had another little girl, and they could name her after Laurence's mum because the woman was awesome (and would again travel up with a proper escort to go visit son and grandchild.) Plus, if they have a girl, and Tem will only accept Laurence's child... they'll lose a Celestial if they don't give in, and Tem has already utterly destroyed the idea that seniority always means first shot. The dragons can mind the little one at first, and then the dragon will have an array of options that the human and dragon leadership approve of-- Rankin and his ilk will not be allowed near a dragon, hang the nobility.

The types to accept "Flight Officer" care about the DRAGON, not the rank. They're much better fighters. I think Laurence might have been able to force himself to take a captain (instant demotion, to the military mind), but Tem won't hear of it. (Tem because typing out the full name every time makes me run out of characters.)

"Perhaps he and Temeraire, both the only literate dragons in Europe, could also come up with an alternate writing system that works better with claws? It could just be a different alphabet "font" that is less curvy and more spiky and thus easier to write... and for other dragons to learn? They could teach the others! Literacy is a useful skill. ;)" I do think Tem will invent it, with frequent contributions from Laurence-- it starts as a rather fast plan to give Laurence SOMETHING to do besides sit quietly and try to not look unhappy.

The aviators are rather disappointed to not have eggs from either of them, I'd think, but... huh. Animal husbandry might kick up a few notches, if they could do a bit of artificial insemination. There are a few awkward points (the lucky human in charge of gathering the-er- sample from Tem, probably with Laurence right there, the lucky people in charge of inseminating the quite obliging female dragon), but... my friend's done AI with stallions, if I wanted to be way too accurate I could ask.

I do think he's changed in China, on his way out. Lien's revenge, she's cold enough for it to fit.

";_; Aww, yes, please! That would ALSO make an excellent piece of fanart." Nobody dares make a comment about it, even if Lily laughs when nobody's around to gossip about lovesick young ones.

"YES PLZ. I'm sure that Laurence appreciates any efforts that they make." Laurence tells them to not be silly, he can eat burned meat. He ate burned meat quite often as a human, thank you, and his digestion is much more hardy now.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

"(New thought-- do NOT try separating Tem and Laurence in formations, Tem will NOT approve.)" Oh yes. I'm sure that someone will try at some point, probably because Temeraire and Laurence would both have firepower (divine wind and FLAMES respectively), and so by rights they should both be split up into different formations... but of course they won't have ANY of that. They fly surprisingly well together considering Laurence's messed up human instincts.

"Pregnant!Jane is also out of the war after a certain point, which means that it's all the more urgent that Laurence get trained up even faster than Temeraire-- Laurence has seen all the formations and has the general sense, and he was a captain of a ship. He can manage to be a very, very fast learner" Oh yes! (Although I'm sure that this isn't the first time this has happened to the captain of a Longwing, so perhaps they have a system of acting captains in place for maternity leave?)

Also, yeah, Laurence would be the only Flamme-de-Gloire in existence who can't really speak French. Or can only mangle it.

"Plus, "your daddy is that dragon over there. It's a long story."" XDD VERY long story. On the plus side, this kid will grow up believing in magic?

"ild.) Plus, if they have a girl, and Tem will only accept Laurence's child... they'll lose a Celestial if they don't give in, and Tem has already utterly destroyed the idea that seniority always means first shot." EXACTLY. And like you said, now they have a check-and-balance system so the Rankins of the world will never again get near dragons.

"hang the nobility." OR SQUASH THEM. I'M SURE THAT TEMERAIRE WOULD VOLUNTEER TO DO THE SQUASHING.

"The types to accept "Flight Officer" care about the DRAGON, not the rank." VERY TRUE. Also, Flight Officers would get valuable experience in a possibly not-so-permanent position, so they're poised, like Granby, to take a dragon's egg.

"I think Laurence might have been able to force himself to take a captain (instant demotion, to the military mind), but Tem won't hear of it." Oh yes, Laurence is just the type to martyr himself, but Temeraire and others work hard to break him of his harmful self-sacrificing tendencies. THEY HAVE TO STICK TO THEIR GUNS. NO CAPTAINS FOR THEM.

"I do think Tem will invent it, with frequent contributions from Laurence-- it starts as a rather fast plan to give Laurence SOMETHING to do besides sit quietly and try to not look unhappy." And sighing every so often. (Possibly his sighs involve some smoke, so you can see his melancholy in manifested physical form drifting above the treeline in the covert.) He needs to stop moping and take some action!

"my friend's done AI with stallions, if I wanted to be way too accurate I could ask." Woah, really? How far back does this kind of thing go? /morbidly curious.

"Laurence tells them to not be silly, he can eat burned meat. He ate burned meat quite often as a human, thank you, and his digestion is much more hardy now." Oh yes, they should stop being so silly. He does miss potatoes, a bit, because trying to actually cook up enough to actually give him more of a taste is a bit of a ridiculous undertaking.

Re:

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

Found a spoiler. I just wanted a couple details, but... Jane WAS.

"Oh yes. I'm sure that someone will try at some point, probably because Temeraire and Laurence would both have firepower (divine wind and FLAMES respectively), and so by rights they should both be split up into different formations... but of course they won't have ANY of that. They fly surprisingly well together considering Laurence's messed up human instincts." Temeraire is brilliant at compensating for Laurence's odd behaviors, and Laurence knows just which ideas Tem will get in his head. They'd be much, much less effective if apart.

" Oh yes! (Although I'm sure that this isn't the first time this has happened to the captain of a Longwing, so perhaps they have a system of acting captains in place for maternity leave?)" I would imagine so, yes--Excidium will accept her lieutenant as acting captain, so long as all understand that he WILL be having his proper captain back in time. I'll still get Jane to meet his mother, even if I will have to name Lady Allendale unless she has a Christian name anywhere. Probably Margaret.

"Also, yeah, Laurence would be the only Flamme-de-Gloire in existence who can't really speak French. Or can only mangle it." OMG yes!! It pains Tem a little ("really, Laurence, this is one language that we should spend time on"), but Laurence simply has no interest in that sort of thing.

"XDD VERY long story. On the plus side, this kid will grow up believing in magic?" That kid has the oddest habit of checking through her meal as if there'll be something that isn't meat or vegetables, nobody gets it.

"EXACTLY. And like you said, now they have a check-and-balance system so the Rankins of the world will never again get near dragons." The dragons quite like this new plan, even the little ones like Volly agree to help enforce it.

"OR SQUASH THEM. I'M SURE THAT TEMERAIRE WOULD VOLUNTEER TO DO THE SQUASHING." THEN HE'D MAKE QUESTIONABLE-LOOKING OFFICERS CLEAN OFF HIS FOOT.

"VERY TRUE. Also, Flight Officers would get valuable experience in a possibly not-so-permanent position, so they're poised, like Granby, to take a dragon's egg." Right! They're used to changing companies, and later they'll be quite familiar with several types of dragons. (The older dragons have a conference about just which fellows are suitable for guiding a young dragon. Some should only be posted when the dragon is fully mature, some are fine at any age.)

"Oh yes, Laurence is just the type to martyr himself, but Temeraire and others work hard to break him of his harmful self-sacrificing tendencies. THEY HAVE TO STICK TO THEIR GUNS. NO CAPTAINS FOR THEM." Tem has it down, and Jane is quite sharp on the subject. 'Of course we shan't subject Captain Laurence to a demotion for circumstances quite beyond his control. Lieutenant Granby has quite correctly offered to continue his work as Laurence's superior officer, and you cannot deny they have been effective together. Now, let's spend our time finding someone suitable for Temeraire.'

"And sighing every so often. (Possibly his sighs involve some smoke, so you can see his melancholy in manifested physical form drifting above the treeline in the covert.) He needs to stop moping and take some action!" OMG YES, and he only does that when he thinks he's alone-- Jane says it. 'You were sighing again, Laurence, and it's... well, you exhale smoke as you do, so it's no use hiding about in the woods. Then we know that you're unhappy and too noble by half to inflict the emotion on us as a friend ought.'

"Woah, really? How far back does this kind of thing go? /morbidly curious." Um... not sure on the full history, but I'd bet they had it in the 1800s? /just checked. First recorded thing in Western history was in the 1400s. It was in medical literature in 1790, and we have a winner.

"Oh yes, they should stop being so silly. He does miss potatoes, a bit, because trying to actually cook up enough to actually give him more of a taste is a bit of a ridiculous undertaking." They'll do it back at the covert in an absolutely massive pot. It takes the better part of two days to heat that much water, but asking Laurence to do it would spoil the surprise.

Re:

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Clearly you must read faster so that there will no longer BE any spoilers! ;) (I read the first four books in like eight or nine days. >_> Didn't get much else done during that time. D: )

"Temeraire is brilliant at compensating for Laurence's odd behaviors, and Laurence knows just which ideas Tem will get in his head. They'd be much, much less effective if apart." Precisely. They already know each other really well.

"Excidium will accept her lieutenant as acting captain, so long as all understand that he WILL be having his proper captain back in time." Perhaps this can also be the germ of the idea of using a different term, like "Flight Officer", for a person who has slightly different responsibilities?

I really, REALLY want Jane to meet Lady Allendale, now. >_> It would be a clash of cultures, I think, but still epic.

"It pains Tem a little ("really, Laurence, this is one language that we should spend time on"), but Laurence simply has no interest in that sort of thing."
It's kind of in vogue to disdain French things. During the Napoleonic wars it was considered unpatriotic in Britain to drink Champagne or French wines, so everyone drank port from Portugal and such instead. On some level it can be the same kind of attitude with Laurence. ;)

"That kid has the oddest habit of checking through her meal as if there'll be something that isn't meat or vegetables, nobody gets it." XD OMG YES. Perhaps someone pranks her at some point and actually puts something in it...?

(I also have an idea for where you can begin the timeline so they're in England, but you'll have to get to the end of book four, first. >_> )

"THEN HE'D MAKE QUESTIONABLE-LOOKING OFFICERS CLEAN OFF HIS FOOT." AS A WARNING TO THE OTHERS.

"'Of course we shan't subject Captain Laurence to a demotion for circumstances quite beyond his control." And then Jane would stare them down until they agreed. And I'm sure that because it's the family honour at stake they can perhaps bring in Lord Allendale to help with this. This is a political thing! No son of his will be demoted for something like this!

MOPEY LAURENCE IS A SMOKING LAURENCE. I'm sure he's mortified about it.

"It takes the better part of two days to heat that much water, but asking Laurence to do it would spoil the surprise." Aww... perhaps he was feeling particularly down about something and Temeraire, Granby and Jane organized it for him to cheer him up?

[beboots.livejournal.com]

"It might even happen in China, just for the full "what do we do now?" effect, maybe as they're leaving. Lien could swing it, I think, and she's exactly the type of character to think that's a reasonable option to "the emperor adopted that creature? I'll show THEM."" How are you thinking of managing it? I had a thought - because it'll probably have to be some sort of magical object, perhaps that gift that Temeraire picks out for Laurence from among his mother's hoard? It could be a giant pearl, because Temeraire remembered that story told in canon about the human who was turned into a dragon by swallowing a pearl, only IT ACTUALLY IS THAT PEARL or something?

...And in this situation, of course, Temeraire could have the actual guilt of being the cause of his captain's distressful situation, and Laurence, KNOWING THIS, tries to act less miserable than he actually is, and, well, misunderstandings all around? Until someone like Jane smacks some sense into them both? (Because there are still a limited number of human beings in the world who would physically assault a dragon. Jane is one of the rare few.)

As for details about this particular breed... There is a Temeraire wiki, probably sanctioned by the author, because there's a link on her website). You can see the wiki here: http://temeraire.org/wiki/Main_Page
And the website here: http://temeraire.org/
There is a beautiful drawing of a Flamme-de-Gloire on its page (third one down): http://temeraire.org/wiki/Flamme-de-Gloire

The wiki does a good job at breaking down all of the breeds, with images, known members of the breed, etc. Be warned, though, because there will be spoilers on this site. Not on the page for this particular dragon breed, though. It only has a brief blurb on common tactics used by the French to disguise them because of their value.

The advantage of the Flamme-de-Gloire is that they are yellow (and Laurence is blond?) so there's a similarity there... and I'm sure you can just wave your hand and make his eyes blue. ;)

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

"How are you thinking of managing it? I had a thought - because it'll probably have to be some sort of magical object, perhaps that gift that Temeraire picks out for Laurence from among his mother's hoard? It could be a giant pearl, because Temeraire remembered that story told in canon about the human who was turned into a dragon by swallowing a pearl, only IT ACTUALLY IS THAT PEARL or something?" I was thinking a forced transformation thanks to Lien, but using the pearl would be quite nice. Maybe the hired cook that they lost.

I have not at ALL settled on a timeline. I want to start it much, much closer to England, to not be reinventing the wheel by writing the entire cross-Asian journey with an extra dragon.

"...And in this situation, of course, Temeraire could have the actual guilt of being the cause of his captain's distressful situation, and Laurence, KNOWING THIS, tries to act less miserable than he actually is, and, well, misunderstandings all around? Until someone like Jane smacks some sense into them both? (Because there are still a limited number of human beings in the world who would physically assault a dragon. Jane is one of the rare few.)"

Jane would beat a dragon into submission without breaking a sweat, easy, because she'd Look at them as she did it. Temeraire would feel terrible, and Laurence would try even harder to not show that he's at all upset, and it would take Jane AND Granby to sort it out again. (Granby hasn't been able to fix it. He takes the matter to Jane, and is quite mortified to break his captain's confidence.)

Wikis are fun, fun things to have around.

"The wiki does a good job at breaking down all of the breeds, with images, known members of the breed, etc. Be warned, though, because there will be spoilers on this site. Not on the page for this particular dragon breed, though. It only has a brief blurb on common tactics used by the French to disguise them because of their value." Fine with me, I can skim around suspicious-looking spoilers.

"The advantage of the Flamme-de-Gloire is that they are yellow (and Laurence is blond?) so there's a similarity there... and I'm sure you can just wave your hand and make his eyes blue. ;)" Laurence is quite blond, and I love him enough to put blue on a yellow dragon. (Blue and yellow are the colors of rather despised university rivals. My uni has green and white.)

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Lien is quite villainous. She could perhaps be involved somehow... perhaps planting the idea of giving the pearl in Temeraire's mind, or ensuring through the cook that it gets swallowed?

"I have not at ALL settled on a timeline. I want to start it much, much closer to England, to not be reinventing the wheel by writing the entire cross-Asian journey with an extra dragon." That's a good point. It could happen closer to Turkey or something. ;) That way you can have Tharkay there too! ...Also, read faster. ;) There may be other options later on for the timeline. ... Also, if you want the Jane-is-pregnant storyline it may have to happen in England itself because they were gone an awful long time in China...

"it would take Jane AND Granby to sort it out again. (Granby hasn't been able to fix it. He takes the matter to Jane, and is quite mortified to break his captain's confidence.)" Aww yeah. Granby tried very hard, but he's brave enough to admit defeat and seek help. The combined stubbornness of Temeraire AND Laurence is a high mountain to climb.

[feral-shrew.livejournal.com]

"Lien is quite villainous. She could perhaps be involved somehow... perhaps planting the idea of giving the pearl in Temeraire's mind, or ensuring through the cook that it gets swallowed?" I think it happens back in England to make my life easier, and I can tweak events as necessary-- at least NEAR England, maybe even partway through Black Powder War. Laurence flies unharnessed for that fight, they pretend he's one of the promised dragons, and Tem might need to stage "losing" his captain on a flight so that the Prussians don't get it.

"That's a good point. It could happen closer to Turkey or something. ;) That way you can have Tharkay there too! ...Also, read faster. ;) There may be other options later on for the timeline. ... Also, if you want the Jane-is-pregnant storyline it may have to happen in England itself because they were gone an awful long time in China..." I'm working on reading faster, I have three exams this week and was at a dance half of yesterday and once in a while I sleep. Not often, though, I've been an insomniac most of this month. I read 85% of the first book overnight when I couldn't sleep at all.

"Aww yeah. Granby tried very hard, but he's brave enough to admit defeat and seek help. The combined stubbornness of Temeraire AND Laurence is a high mountain to climb." Especially since they're so desperate for the other to be happy. Jane can badger Laurence into 'manning up' (purposely chosen to make him snap into a reaction) and admitting that it's disappointing to not have thumbs and to miss out on all the pleasures of being human, even in exchange for the new fun of having wings. Tem can stop thinking it's his fault whenever Lien does something particularly nasty or it will be a VERY long war.

(Also, all of Tem's tendrils... Laurence just might have forgotten. Tem's the bigger dragon, which makes it quite easier for Laurence to curl under him again, and Laurence might not realize that he has an... effect. Quite early on, but Tem is patient for once in his life, because Laurence would be upset and confused and still thinks of himself as a person. Tem decides to wait until being a dragon in the morning isn't a surprise, and also because Jane firmly told him that if he pursued his interests now, he would force Laurence to run from him, or WORSE, to not run because he'd do anything to make Tem happy. That makes Tem behave himself quite well, because that would be a horrible thing to do.)