beboots: (Canada "discovery" history)
[personal profile] 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 [livejournal.com profile] 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! :) 

Date: 2011-02-28 02:22 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beboots.livejournal.com
Oh man, there's going to be a lot of frank discussion about dragon sexuality in this fic, isn't there? ;) AWESOME. Trailblazing! ;)

"I think Jane ends up living with Margaret for a month or two" I love this idea. I wonder how Lord Allendale will react? Possibly by studiously ignoring the connection between his wife's new friend and their youngest son. Willful denial. ;)

"There's no use separating them. Temeraire would roar and Laurence would be so quiet and dutiful and not at his best that they lose any advantage at all." Exactly. So you may as well just let them stay together. ;)

Date: 2011-02-28 02:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feral-shrew.livejournal.com
I've had too many classes to NOT think about it.

Lord Allendale chooses to pretend that it's some random woman his wife took a shining to, I think, probably until he realizes that the little girl looks quite a bit like a baby Laurence. Men of that age did NOT hold babies, not in high-class homes like that, but I think he would sit with her sometimes and give her little gifts.

Besides, you'd need to be a monster to not succumb to Laurence radiating Dutiful Misery. Seriously. It's an art form with him.

Date: 2011-02-28 02:38 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beboots.livejournal.com
Oh yes. He'd probably see the baby in passing the arms of the nanny at least once a day and so on, but once he notices the small similarities he'd go through a face of not being able NOT to notice and then he just goes back into self-denial again. ;)

"Besides, you'd need to be a monster to not succumb to Laurence radiating Dutiful Misery. Seriously. It's an art form with him." AND THE BEST PART IS HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW HE'S DOING IT. It's adorable, and completely non-manipulative.

Date: 2011-02-28 02:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feral-shrew.livejournal.com
If the Dutiful Miser manipulation was intentional, it wouldn't work, but he's too damn dutiful to actually use it to his advantage. So all his friends do it for him.

Recent thought: some idiot (Rankin) might send word out that they have a feral, if there's quite a bit of indignation about immediately putting out a harness. Temeraire barely wears his, but a few of the less-tactful folk might want to put all of the history behind them in favor of getting a fire-breather.

I think Lord Allendale really notices when the girl toddles straight into his office (evading two nursemaids and a governess) and finds Laurence's favorite place and/or does something adorably similar. By the time they find the child, she is listening rather intently to Lord Allendale explaining the work she is interrupting.

Date: 2011-02-28 03:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beboots.livejournal.com
They can't HELP but want to help him. And cuddle him. Even if they aren't the cuddling type.

" but a few of the less-tactful folk might want to put all of the history behind them in favor of getting a fire-breather." Oh man. Rankin had better approach with EXTREME CAUTION lest he be squished. Same thing with whatshisname. That other guy from the first book. Dayes? That guy who lied to Temeraire. I think that even if the person wasn't given official leave to become Laurence's captain, I'm sure that he would have LOTS of suitors, bringing him shiny things and tasty bits of meat, tempting/bribing him into liking him best... Temeraire gets defensively jealous, even though Laurence is very polite about the whole thing and doesn't give any indication whatsoever that he's interested in the men.

"By the time they find the child, she is listening rather intently to Lord Allendale explaining the work she is interrupting." YES. <3

Date: 2011-02-28 03:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feral-shrew.livejournal.com
"They can't HELP but want to help him. And cuddle him. Even if they aren't the cuddling type." Temeraire is, and Jane adapts, and several of the crew get comfortable enough to perch on Laurence's foreleg or sprawl over his shoulder when he's lying down. After an invitation, Emily and Dyer clamber all over him, and Emily especially is close.

"Oh man. Rankin had better approach with EXTREME CAUTION lest he be squished. Same thing with whatshisname. That other guy from the first book. Dayes? That guy who lied to Temeraire." I even thought of them. Some fast-thinking man might convince some high-ranking official that knows nothing of dragons that things must be done, immediately, or the feral dragon must be sent to the breeding grounds. (I would imagine that to KEEP the dragons there, the wings are somehow marred. It's never said, but why would the dragons stay where they were put and give up their eggs at all? Unless later canon contradicts it, I would assume the wings are broken/clipped/somehow handicapped.)


"I think that even if the person wasn't given official leave to become Laurence's captain, I'm sure that he would have LOTS of suitors, bringing him shiny things and tasty bits of meat, tempting/bribing him into liking him best... Temeraire gets defensively jealous, even though Laurence is very polite about the whole thing and doesn't give any indication whatsoever that he's interested in the men." Laurence is a bit bemused by all of it. The shiny things are very coveted by the other dragons, so he leaves them on the ground for others to fight over and occasionally accepts a free meal.

Jane has a contingency plan. If she cannot convince the commanding officers to allow Granby to stay as the chief officer on Laurence, and cannot keep Temeraire and Laurence together, then she'll put herself forward as the most qualified person to train Laurence based on her experience with Excidium. It's a very unusual circumstance, but she could bear the separation for a time if it meant saving Laurence from the vultures. Excidium would agree, I think, because otherwise Jane would be very unhappy.

I do think that the original plan was "we won't tell anybody. We'll get a harness on, change his name, introduce him into the center of a new formation, and have a very experienced captain to make up for his lack of useful experience." It wouldn't stand.

Date: 2011-02-28 03:41 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beboots.livejournal.com
Oh man. The breeding grounds? You are not prepared. There is an AWESOME bit with the breeding grounds and the dragons there later on in the series. I will only say that no, their wings are not clipped. They mostly stay there of their own free will. Or "free will", however you want to interpret it.

Interesting contingency plan! Does that mean that Emily is put on Excidium early, or...?

But yeah, their subtle plan didn't work so well. As soon as people hear he's a FIRE BREATHER... all bets are off. Everyone wants a piece of him. >_>

Date: 2011-02-28 03:50 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feral-shrew.livejournal.com
What can I say, I'm cynical and don't expect hidden places to be nice until I've had a very good view of what's going on.

Laurence and Temeraire eventually form a two-point formation, and the two of them have an impossibly close synchrony of movement that nobody else can touch. They watch the other's flank constantly, they seem telepathic, and nobody even thinks to separate the pair when you could have two stronger positions (instead of one unassailable one). After a couple years, it's impossible to think of them being apart.

Jane had a long talk with Excidium, and they agreed that her lieutenant would take temporary command (same one that gets it while she's pregnant). Later, she gets command back, he has a nice resume boost, and Excidium's mature enough to miss her without letting it affect the fight.

Yeah. Fire breather, so everybody's pushing and pulling, and it probably takes Granby reminding all present that this dragon has the mind of a man, if they have ever doubted it in the others, and he will not stand back and watch them give his captain to the highest bidder. (Sir.)

Temeraire has a rather long period of frustration to suffer through, poor thing, but Jane is supportive and Lily thinks it's sweet.

Date: 2011-02-28 03:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beboots.livejournal.com
But man, that wing-clipping thing is a freaky thought. D: This series COULD go a whole lot darker really easily. I think it was in the first book that it was mentioned in passing that Laurence had heard that once, like a decade before, parliament had started a debate about culling off the retired dragons, like the ones in the breeding grounds to save money. They only didn't do it because the entire aerial corps threatened to revolt.

But man, if that had gone through... D:

I like the idea of a two-front formation. DOUBLE ATTACKS ARE DOUBLY EFFECTIVE.

"Fire breather, so everybody's pushing and pulling, and it probably takes Granby reminding all present that this dragon has the mind of a man, if they have ever doubted it in the others, and he will not stand back and watch them give his captain to the highest bidder. (Sir.)" XD
Also, (not that he would, but) this same dragon COULD just crisp them if they were annoying/pushy enough. Probably by accident. :P

Aww Lily. <3 I read this one fic a while back with the female dragons gossiping about various things and it was HILARIOUS. (Unfortunately, cannot recommend to you until you've finished book five. ;) )

Date: 2011-02-28 04:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feral-shrew.livejournal.com
That's why I expected some kind of wing-clipping. It does seem that the breeding areas are kept by aviators, but the examples I heard were "feral dragons" and the traitor Frenchman's dragon, neither of which seem particularly inclined to stay in one place because a human said it. There's also the example of how a politician would manage the "beasts." I do think that if Laurence proved impossible to tame, and seemed improbable to stay put, they just might realize that he wouldn't hurt them.

I remember that every aviator was going to walk out if the dragons were killed.

Plus, two-point center. Somebody is ALWAYS ready to fire, they can rest between volleys, and holy shit can they destroy it. Temeraire leads to get some nice edges, Laurence sets it on fire, Temeraire breaks it more... Most things will fall to that combination. They don't have the forging capabilities to resist heat and concussive force. It doesn't hurt that the two central dragons barely need their crews, and probably fly light so that they can stay even closer.

"Also, (not that he would, but) this same dragon COULD just crisp them if they were annoying/pushy enough. Probably by accident. :P" It probably would be an accident, as it's Laurence, but he DOES have a temper behind all the polite Britishness.

"Aww Lily. <3 I read this one fic a while back with the female dragons gossiping about various things and it was HILARIOUS. (Unfortunately, cannot recommend to you until you've finished book five. ;) )" OMG YES! She seems to talk most with males in the series, but that's what Laurence sees. The dragon-ladies would need more privacy to gossip properly, and I'd think that Catherine would provide her with all the information that Lily could want.

Date: 2011-02-28 04:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beboots.livejournal.com
I think that the French dragon was sent to the breeding grounds near Halifax (of course I remember, because it's Canada! :D ), so the dragon literally has nowhere else to go. Where else would he be able to fly to? Not back to France. (...I also have a sinking suspicion that that dragon is so torn up about the death of his captain that he doesn't want to go anywhere, or live life.)

"Somebody is ALWAYS ready to fire, they can rest between volleys, and holy shit can they destroy it." Aww yeah. :3 See, it makes tactical sense!

I think it would be interesting to chat with dragons. They have interesting perspectives on things. (Why isn't this series real life? ;_; )

Date: 2011-02-28 04:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feral-shrew.livejournal.com
(Yeah, that dragon doesn't really care about anything anymore, so good luck coaxing him into breeding-- maybe in time.)

It doesn't hurt that Temeraire and Laurence together are unstoppable, and all of their flank protection seems to act as an accessory-- one of them is periodically glancing up to check for threats from above, and Laurence's reaction to being frightened from above is probably to turn on whatever's coming and yell a warning, as in sailor training for unexpected visitor. As a dragon, that probably comes out fire the first time the hapless training assistant scares Laurence as is required.

Date: 2011-02-28 04:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beboots.livejournal.com
"Laurence's reaction to being frightened from above is probably to turn on whatever's coming and yell a warning, as in sailor training for unexpected visitor." I love this idea - mingling his human instincts and training in a GOOD way. :D

Aww yeah, Laurence and Temeraire, unstoppable team! :D Good luck trying to take them out with anything less than like 20 or 30 dragons, and even then, the enemies had better not cluster too close together or they'll all be taken out by a few well-placed shots from these two. ;)

Date: 2011-02-28 04:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feral-shrew.livejournal.com
Laurence was trained on a ship, where if you are going down,a t least have the grace to yell out to the next poor soul if you're entirely startled on your own turf.

The real danger is that if either Laurence or Temeraire is injured, the other dragon will suddenly go beserk. Both of them absolutely despise Lien, and if the military is very smart they'll hold Laurence back and make him look like a full-time guard on Temeraire. (It takes forever to coax Laurence into hiding the yellow.)

Date: 2011-02-28 05:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beboots.livejournal.com
"The real danger is that if either Laurence or Temeraire is injured, the other dragon will suddenly go beserk." Oh yeah, that's a very good point! Gives them more reason to fight ever more fiercely so the other doesn't get injured?

Oh yeah, so Laurence the firebreather is now England's secret weapon? Because the French don't know... :3

Date: 2011-02-28 05:37 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feral-shrew.livejournal.com
It gets even harder to fight them after they're lovers. They KNOW each other in a way that most are never going to figure out, and their crews are probably very light and mostly there for some artillery support and signaling.

Lien turned Laurence into a dragon, something of his heritage. At worst he's an acid-spitter... she thinks. She didn't know he was French, never looked at his lovely family chart.

Also, stray thought: I still find it puzzling that Temeraire's egg was so poorly guarded. What would have happened if a few of the fire-breathers (I'll remember the proper name eventually) had flown out to escort the Amite in? Flying over the ocean is dangerous, but two of them could take it in turns and it's not difficult to carry an egg in a properly-done pouch.

If they found the egg in possession of the British, or if (better) a VERY large French gunship found them, then they might have been in French custody when the egg hatched on-ship. It would still find Laurence and that would be the end of it, but it's much thornier when it's the dragonet meant for the emperor and has decided that it's sleeping in the brig.

Date: 2011-02-28 05:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beboots.livejournal.com
And because they don't have actual captains, they are ridiculously difficult to capture. A boarding party from a French dragon can only hope to kill some of the crew but neither Laurence nor Temeraire would really be capable of being captured with the threat of hurting one person.

"At worst he's an acid-spitter... she thinks. She didn't know he was French, never looked at his lovely family chart." Oh yeah, she miscalculated. ;) She thought that she was going to humiliate him, have him turn into some low-bred dragon so everyone can see how low he really is... ;)

That's a good point about Temeraire's egg. I believe it was justified because they were trying to be secret. Also, generally the trip IS faster and less dangerous by sea than by dragon (Laurence only didn't wait at the beginning of Black Powder War because their ship had suffered an accident and needed months to be repaired), and a dragon transport ship isn't exactly subtle. ;) The Frenchmen on the ship had been in the doldrums for over a month and were running low on supplies, too. :(

"It would still find Laurence and that would be the end of it, but it's much thornier when it's the dragonet meant for the emperor and has decided that it's sleeping in the brig." Now that would be an interesting situation, if the egg imprinted on someone who was a prisoner of war! ;)

I think that they never intended the egg to hatch on board a ship: it was bound for Napoleon himself, remember? (Also, Napoleon was apparently notorious for not having a head for naval battles. He was all about land engagements. So he wouldn't be on a ship. ;) )

Date: 2011-02-28 10:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feral-shrew.livejournal.com
I was having a crappy day. I made a (damn reasonable) request for a one-day extension on paperwork. My study abroad trip was cancelled on Friday, the paperwork to work in any other medical office was due Friday, I wanted two hours on Monday to get the appropriate papers filed. The office refused (if they gave me an exception they'd need to give one to everybody... and they refused to give everyone one day), and went the extra mile of treating me like a toddler throwing a tantrum. I'm polite to people when they're doing their jobs. My mom even brought that up when I called her--it was bad enough that I ended up crying because they were oozing disdain and I'd had a rough day and I think I utterly bombed the physio exam because the meds just took my migraine from an 8 to a 4, instead of down to a 2 like usual.

I went to the pet store, and the nice people let me hold a lovebird for an hour and a half, and one of the employees talked about what I could do with a five-gallon. He's awesome-- I can get angelfish. I could get two smalls, or the big black one (if he's still there) that would immediately be named Temeraire. (That would leave the catfish to be Laurence. I think that might happen.) Then I came home and Neville-snake was cuddling around my arm to the extent that I needed strip off the shirt to get him out of the sleeve so that I could feed him, and after his last shed he got even prettier. He has an orange/peach stripe running down his back, not that it shows except in direct sunlight, and there's a prism effect between his belly-scales right now. So animals rock.

Re: French capturing Laurence and baby!Tem: The advantage is that Temeraire is still quite tiny, and probably easy to trick? They'd also have the issue of trying to bring the ship in, and if Laurence is the only surviving officer... it might turn into an abrupt change again, if the British AGAIN try catching the Amite. Might be fun as a comedy-of-errors.

That's perfect! Lien DID mean for him to be some useless animal that can barely talk. Instead, Laurence is very, very powerful and at least as smart as she is-- she might have thought he'd be a Volly, small and simple and oh-so-European. (She wouldn't realize that Volly does his job brilliantly and has a lot of loyal companions.)

The French ship had rather epic bad luck, and I did like that Laurence returned the captain's sword the instant he worked out just why the man had put up such a fight. The captain did his best, but the story would have suffered without Laurence there as a balance.

"Now that would be an interesting situation, if the egg imprinted on someone who was a prisoner of war! ;)" That would be just like Temeraire, too--cause the most fuss possible while being so cute/funny/useful that people let you do it.

They didn't mean for the egg to hatch on the ship, no, but they should have had some kind of contingency planning.

Date: 2011-02-28 11:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beboots.livejournal.com
I'm very sad to hear about all of this. :(( I hate it when people don't concede to perfectly reasonable requests for no good reason. >:(

I thought that I was having a bit of a bad day, but it had some pretty good high points. I'm coming down with a cold so I'm headachy, achy in general, and I'm sneezing, sniffling and coughing all the time. The coughs are those deep-chested raspy ones that sound like you're only halfway out of the grave. >_<

I did, however, visit the special collections room in the Health Sciences library this morning to do some research for my thesis, and I took some neat-o pictures of some of the stuff in there. I'll make a blog entry with them later this evening so you'll have something super interesting to look at, at least?

Again, I'm sad to hear about people being stupid. I'm sending you a mental hug right now. I hope that holding the animals helped! :) (A black Temeraire!bird would be AWESOME)

"Laurence is the only surviving officer..." ;_; But but but - Riley is awesome! ;_; That makes me terribly sad.

But yeah, it would be an interesting comedy of errors should the egg/dragon pass between several hands several times. ;)

"she might have thought he'd be a Volly, small and simple and oh-so-European. (She wouldn't realize that Volly does his job brilliantly and has a lot of loyal companions.)" Precisely! She wanted it to be a punishment... which is another reason that Laurence has to buck up, because being miserable means letting Lien WIN.

"The French ship had rather epic bad luck, and I did like that Laurence returned the captain's sword the instant he worked out just why the man had put up such a fight." I really liked that gesture on his part. Also, quick point: I'm not sure if you speak French, but you might want to know that the ship that was captured has an adorable name that has a double meaning, because "Amitié" is where we get our English word "amity" from, although in the original French? It's a noun meaning "friendship". :)

"That would be just like Temeraire, too--cause the most fuss possible while being so cute/funny/useful that people let you do it." And he simply doesn't understand why Laurence can't come up top where it's so much nicer. Temeraire also doesn't really understand the difference in speaking French and English, and doesn't yet understand the concepts of "war" and "prisoner".

Date: 2011-03-01 02:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feral-shrew.livejournal.com
"I'm very sad to hear about all of this. :(( I hate it when people don't concede to perfectly reasonable requests for no good reason." The part that really upset me is that I was being extremely respectful. I asked politely if I could have a one-day extension, I outlined my circumstances, and both women I talked to (the woman in charge was still on lunch break when I stopped by first, after I went to lunch the woman I needed was there and the first woman was gone)... they both were just plain hostile about it.

I do NOT like getting sick. At all. Sadly I've been sick entirely too often lately, but my morning classes are all video-recorded, so I was able to baby myself past a few instances of 'getting-sick' without turning them into 'infected with the plague,' which is quite impressive when one roommate had bronchitis and the flu at the same time.

Special Collections!!! Love that place-- I could post up a full 1951 booklet about menstruation, and about how you'll probably faint and die if you exert yourself while menstruating. You'll shiver and die if you go into a POOL while menstruating.

(I would be tempted to name ANY bird Temeraire. The one that liked me was orange and green, but he was sweet and loved long-haired people-- I meet a LOT of animals that way.) I think I'll
Again, I'm sad to hear about people being stupid. I'm sending you a mental hug right now. I hope that holding the animals helped! :) (A black Temeraire!bird would be AWESOME)

";_; But but but - Riley is awesome! ;_; That makes me terribly sad." Oh! Sorry, I was going to save Riley and a few other random crew, but Laurence is still furious that the fighting was so needlessly lethal.

"Precisely! She wanted it to be a punishment... which is another reason that Laurence has to buck up, because being miserable means letting Lien WIN." He'll have no choice, the dear man, because Jane and Granby and Temeraire shan't be denied. He IS happy in time, but it's a very hard transition.

I do know that amity's friendship. I know scattered words from lessons in second grade (my teacher used the French pronunciation of my name for the rest of the year-- "Bridget" is MUCH softer in the French version, and he was cool enough to get away with whatever he wanted). I'm decent with Spanish, and know my Latin roots well enough to guess on some words, and some words are directly borrowed from the French.

"And he simply doesn't understand why Laurence can't come up top where it's so much nicer. Temeraire also doesn't really understand the difference in speaking French and English, and doesn't yet understand the concepts of "war" and "prisoner"." Oh yeah. 'But why is he in the prison? You went to fight him, and he fought back, and you have done the same when other people come. He is a very good man, and we are in the ocean, so he could sit with me on the deck out of the way.'

If I wrote that, it would probably be a very short piece that ends with Temeraire critiquing the British escort and everything else about it while Laurence is quite resigned to being the dragon's permanent guide. (Best part about turning Laurence into a dragon: he gets a dragon's lifespan.)

Date: 2011-03-01 03:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beboots.livejournal.com
I mean, I understand their position in that I'm sure that they get lots of people who try to wheedle and whine their way into getting extensions for stupid reasons, but if you're respectful and have a very good reason for making the request, I don't understand what the great hardship is in handing it in one day late. :(

I'm debating if I should go to class tomorrow. It's a once-a-week seminar, so I probably will... I have to hand in a paper proposal anyway. But I still feel ill. :( I hope I feel better when I wake up tomorrow... I also don't want to infect everyone. :(

"I could post up a full 1951 booklet about menstruation, and about how you'll probably faint and die if you exert yourself while menstruating. You'll shiver and die if you go into a POOL while menstruating." That sounds hilariously bad. If you can post something about it, that would be amazing! <3

(Also, I've totally made the blog post about the human skin book. :D Have a look!)

"Sorry, I was going to save Riley and a few other random crew, but Laurence is still furious that the fighting was so needlessly lethal." Oh, that's all right then. ;) I <3 Riley. I can totally see Laurence being pissed about the battle being so ruthless and bloody. This is still a war in which there is still some expectancy of gentlemanly conduct... especially since he treated his French prisoners so well.

I'm reviewing my poor Spanish skills (one semester in grade ten like six years ago!) with the help of a phrasebook for my trip to Spain. :) I had all of my classes in French up until grade ten, and even then all of my maths and sciences were taught in that language, not English. I miss it, actually, although I'm much more comfortable writing long papers in English. French words are instinctive for me.

I think that Novik knows French, because she does throw in a lot of little references in the French names for things. :) I love the way she names her dragons for that reason, too... I wish I knew more Latin so I could know what all of their names mean immediately upon their introduction. ;) All of the dragon breed names, too, are meaningful in their own languages. :)

"He is a very good man, and we are in the ocean, so he could sit with me on the deck out of the way.'" Yes, it's not like he can go anywhere anyhow. (Until, of course, Temeraire is strong enough to carry a full-grown man in flight... but still, they're in the middle of the ocean, so where would they go?)

"If I wrote that, it would probably be a very short piece that ends with Temeraire critiquing the British escort and everything else about it while Laurence is quite resigned to being the dragon's permanent guide." XD Excellent. Resigned!Laurence is the best. :)

That's one of the things that makes me sad to think about: Laurence, as a human, probably only has a good, what, forty, MAYBE fifty years in him, tops? Temeraire will live much longer than that. ;_;

... Need to go watch something lighthearted and humourous, now...

Date: 2011-03-01 04:25 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feral-shrew.livejournal.com
'The dean unexpectedly cancelled a trip that has been publicly moving forward for more than 6 weeks, and the 8 student participants had all bought plane tickets to Mexico' wasn't good enough. They didn't even listen to WHY I was asking for an exception before going on the warpath. Basically, she didn't want to file the paperwork. It's not a deadline set by anybody else, but she doesn't want to do any more of the papers for this SEMESTER. You need to have things set up two months in advance if you wanted to shadow somebody in April, and it's just moronic. It would make more sense if there was a uniform two weeks' notice, with maybe three for spring break.

They could have at least looked faintly regretful. "I'm sorry, but we can't offer any exceptions to the policy" is good. "If I gave one to you, I'd have to give one to everyone" in this chiding tone-- THAT was it. Umbridge. She had the same sanctimonious little "I thrive on your misery and think you are pathetic" thing going, and I was having a rough enough time because I'm still unhappy about Mexico. (But my parents said that we can use the rest of the money I have on credit with the airline at Christmas, which means no 22-hour drives this year, and they feel really bad that I can't go on my cool little trip so we'll probably go somewhere really cool. They also feel a little guilty that they're going to Alaska for about 3 weeks with no kiddies, so... it'll work out later.)

My professor LOVED that paper-- the history of tampons, and I had images filed with the U.S. Patent Office. (Did you know that the 'modern' plunger applicator was patented in 1933? Or that disposable sanitary pads and then tampons exist because Kimberly-Clark had a shit-ton of absorbent bandaging left after WWI, and the nurses used it for just that purpose?)

Human skin book? Creepy!

Right!! I think even the French prisoners would be unhappy with all the blood, because it's going to reflect poorly on their honor and country, but the French aviators were too damn furious that the dragon was taken at all, let alone hatched and bonded to some English pig. (Is it pigs? I know the French are pejoratively called frogs on occasion, but don't know if France chose a specific animal.)

Spain? When are you going? Pretty, pretty country, and some awesome history.

I know 90% of dragons on arrival. I didn't know "gloire" at all, but the names so far have been awesome and I have caught what they mean.

"Yes, it's not like he can go anywhere anyhow. (Until, of course, Temeraire is strong enough to carry a full-grown man in flight... but still, they're in the middle of the ocean, so where would they go?)" Right. The crew will NOT be happy when (not if) Tem grabs Laurence and shoots off for a joy-ride. It's clear on return that Laurence is still sputtering and attempting to make the dragon not do it again-- Tem's fault, and they can laugh a little at the poor English bugger that's more like the dragon's pet than the other way around, but I think they'd be friendly. Laurence has been a very honorable prisoner, and he was an honorable jailer, and now he's an honorable dragon-toy.

"Excellent. Resigned!Laurence is the best." He really is! So damn cute when he sighs and relaxes some principles.

I KNOW!! And some dragons just don't do well when they lose their person, so he REALLY needs a kidlet or eight to keep Temeraire from pulling a Puff the Magic Dragon and vanishing into nothing.

/shifts brain back to thinking about Granby's excellent moment of insolence. Jane might even be the perspective for the opening, if I feel like I have her. She's been summoned on urgent business (mostly because Laurence's entire crew vouched that she'd be able to help), and when she shows up Temeraire is all coiled around a flamme-de-gloire (if that's wrong, I'll get it right later).

Date: 2011-03-01 04:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beboots.livejournal.com
"'The dean unexpectedly cancelled a trip that has been publicly moving forward for more than 6 weeks, and the 8 student participants had all bought plane tickets to Mexico' wasn't good enough."
!!! D:< That is... I don't have words. :(((

""I'm sorry, but we can't offer any exceptions to the policy" is good. "If I gave one to you, I'd have to give one to everyone" in this chiding tone-- THAT was it. Umbridge." >:( That is the worst. Is there any way of getting the dean who put you in this mess to pull some strings for you? I mean, if there were seven other students, too, surely you aren't the only one in this situation? Surely they can make exceptions for exceptional circumstances?

The history of tampons? That sounds like a super-interesting paper, I'm not going to lie! :D I love finding out the history behind obscure things. :) I don't know much about the history of menstruation aside from the whole First-World-War-nurses-and-bandages story, and the fact that apparently during the fur trade men would give the softest part of a rabbit's fur to their wives for such purposes... But otherwise, it was absorbent moss (the same plant used in place of diapers) for all the native women of the area. Or so I'm told. I haven't actually looked at the sources.

"but the French aviators were too damn furious that the dragon was taken at all, let alone hatched and bonded to some English pig." Right, I can see the aviators being pissed about that. As for the French insults... I'm trying to remember period appropriate ones. I can't remember how recent "Rosbif" is - it comes from the French pronouncuation of "roast beef" which is apparently the defining English dish to them. I'm thinking... maybe they would call the English "cochon" (pig), but...

Oh, lol, according to Wikipedia: "les goddams - During the Hundred Years War, the French took to calling the English les goddams because of their frequent use of expletives." XD I'm not sure if this term would have still been in use in the early 1800s, but it's hilarious nonetheless!

"Flamme de gloire" = "flame of glory". :) (Also has associations with fame/celebrity, but mostly glory.)

"It's clear on return that Laurence is still sputtering and attempting to make the dragon not do it again--" I suppose it must have even been Laurence that convinced them to turn around. He, as a navyman, knows better than most just how BIG the ocean is and how far away from land they are.

"- Tem's fault, and they can laugh a little at the poor English bugger that's more like the dragon's pet than the other way around" XD I love this idea. SO TRUE. Laurence is but a dragon-toy at times. ;)

I seriously love the image of Temeraire and dragon!Laurence cuddling/comforting and being comforting. Adorable! <3

Date: 2011-03-01 05:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] feral-shrew.livejournal.com
Yeah. The profs went through all the proper channels, the administration abruptly said "you need to make this an elective and give credit," we said 'cool, sign us up,' then they said "through the Study Abroad office," 'awesome, good international health insurance' and then NO, YOU MAY NOT GO and we were :< ten days before our flight left.

"That is the worst. Is there any way of getting the dean who put you in this mess to pull some strings for you? I mean, if there were seven other students, too, surely you aren't the only one in this situation? Surely they can make exceptions for exceptional circumstances?" We're trying to get some kind of compensation for losing over $100 in deposit to the airline because they refused to allow the trip happen. We weren't asking for credit, we were going to do range-of-motion testing in a free Mexican clinic with zero liability insurance because the laws don't support that kind of thing.

Ancient Japanese and Roman women used tampons, which surprised me quite a bit, and some Greek and Mediterranean women used sea sponges. Roman women used wool, Japanese women used paper and had to change the tampon out 10-15 times a day.

"Oh, lol, according to Wikipedia: "les goddams - During the Hundred Years War, the French took to calling the English les goddams because of their frequent use of expletives." XD I'm not sure if this term would have still been in use in the early 1800s, but it's hilarious nonetheless!" I'd use it and call it accurate enough. Laurence is polite enough to LOOK at other people and realize their motives, and that's a way-too-rare gift. 'Ah, the French captain was defending this prize' and 'this is what that man wanted to happen.'

Oh, I see! The words are very similar, but I didn't want to assume when a few different words could feed into "gloire." (I think Laurence will eventually be a bit mollified to have such a lovely name, even if it IS French. I think Jane would solve that by pronouncing him some English equivalent and moving on with life-- you're an English dragon now, we can have an English name. Just a bit of cheerful xenophobia in deference to the war.)

"I suppose it must have even been Laurence that convinced them to turn around. He, as a navyman, knows better than most just how BIG the ocean is and how far away from land they are." Right! Temeraire would not be easily convinced, as he doesn't want to return Laurence to a big cage, but Laurence doesn't want them dead (and doesn't want his crew punished, which may be the argument to sway Temeraire.)

"XD I love this idea. SO TRUE. Laurence is but a dragon-toy at times. ;)" Especially when Laurence is a dragon, because he is such a doting husband at all times. Not that Tem's the lady in the relationship, but Laurence has this intrinsically male approach to it-- quite cute.

"I seriously love the image of Temeraire and dragon!Laurence cuddling/comforting and being comforting. Adorable! <3" I am quite happy that Laurence could end up as a midweight of a very appropriate color. He needs to be big enough to BE paired with Temeraire in fights (and maybe later for some other reasons, but Laurence doesn't think of that for ages). He's still a bit sputtering/indignant that he will be a prominent player in dragon-porn, he'll get over it.

Date: 2011-03-02 12:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beboots.livejournal.com
That is bullshit. And there's nothing you guys can do? >:((( NOT COOL.

See, and it wasn't even a fake vacation thing, it was a legit practical experience thing that may help people. :(( I seriously think that you guys should get compensated because this was the school's mistake, not yours. :(

"Oh, I see! The words are very similar, but I didn't want to assume when a few different words could feed into "gloire."" Oh yes, you always have to be on the watch for false friends. The one I always like shocking people with is the "excited" vs "excité" thing. In Quebec, you can use the latter like you use the word "excited" in English, but in France there are sexual connotations (like, she's sexually excited). I remember hearing about this in a second year French class. The professor had us all ask each other hypothetical questions to practice our answers, and she asked this girl who walked in late (in French, of course): "What would you do if your favourite actor walked into the restaurant at which you were eating?" To which she of course replied "Oh, I would become very excited!" ;) We all laughed.

"Temeraire would not be easily convinced, as he doesn't want to return Laurence to a big cage, but Laurence doesn't want them dead (and doesn't want his crew punished, which may be the argument to sway Temeraire.)" Oh yes, because Temeraire is still quite small and didn't think to take the remaining English crew with him, even if he WERE big enough to carry them all. Laurence still looks out for his men; Temeraire has a personal attachment to Laurence but still doesn't quite understand the concept of "duty" yet.

Dragons are beyond human gender norms. ;) I think it's even canon that Regal Copper females are bigger than males, so along with the laying-of-eggs instead of birthing live young that then have to be taken care of, I think that female dragons are fairly equal, socially, with male ones.

"(and maybe later for some other reasons, but Laurence doesn't think of that for ages). He's still a bit sputtering/indignant that he will be a prominent player in dragon-porn, he'll get over it." I make a winky face at that. ;)

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