aerialcorps

[aerialcorps]

A gaggle of Jade Dragons for RustlingLeaves for this year's Temeraire Summer Exchange! Since they also asked for sketches, here's me trying to figure out how to draw Jade Dragons:

The wings are inspired by the common swift (Apus apus); they have a fast, dynamic flight which would match a Jade's.

This also means that the "arm" part of the wing is shorter than the "finger" part, which would mean that the wings are rather long when folded up. That also matches the description of Jade Dragons having dragging wings when walking.

I pondered either giving them a short mane or some frills or nothing and then went with a short mane.

For the horns I went with simple antler-like ones in adult dragons, they take a moment to grow though. The fifth dragon (the one landing) is a young dragon and therefore has more nub-like horns. (On that note: the fourth dragon is supposed to be old and therefore more grey in appearance than the others.)

Since dragons do apparently have external ears, I gave the Jades small ears to be more aerodynamic.

The colours of the Jades were inspired by this dagger ^^

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longwing conflagratia propaganda

i have good arguments i promise

quick longwing timeline:

1485-1509 - longwings as a breed are first developed during henry vii's reign. (they won't accept male captains and tend to go feral.)

1533-1588 - longwings are given female companions, assigned 'official' male captains, and can be used in the aerial corps. (elizabeth i is crowned queen in 1533 and is the one to think of setting longwings to female companions, the spanish armada is defeated in 1588 with longwings playing a major role.)

1607-1657 - longwing's female companions are officially given the rank of captain. (gentius has about 200 years of active service, so he probably hatched around 1607, give-or-take a few years. he had a male captain for long enough to still remember him with distaste two centuries on, so it must have been at least a few years until the battle where his companion took command and was awarded captaincy. sometime in a 50 year period feels like a safe assumption given we don't know how old his companion was when he hatched, or when she passed his captaincy to a daughter/other successor, and i have to put a cut-off point somewhere)

also

i didn't remember this at all, thanks for mentioning it! it actually kind of dismantled one of my arguments for longwing conflagratia entirely!

points for firebreather conflagratia

obviously, her name - it matches the naming conventions for other firebreathers, often being words related to fire, light, burning, etc.

the captured agincourt flamme-de-gloires. the battle of agincourt was in 1415, 173 years before the spanish armada. most dragons seem to reach fighting-weights at about a year old, so those flamme-de-gloires could have been younger dragons, captured taking risks older dragons would know to avoid? if they were young dragons, then by the time of the spanish armada, they might only be a few years past 173 - close to gentius' age when he was fighting in america. conflagratia could have been one of the original captured dragons, or one of a very small number of offspring (if we assume there were just enough captured flamme-de-gloires to reproduce amongst themselves, but the breed then disappeared when reproducing with british breeds? i'm doing my best, i was only really good at punnet squares.).

points for longwing conflagratia

her name, again - it could easily refer to a longwing's destructive acid, capable of burning enemies and ships as much as any firebreather

the captured agincourt flamme-de-gloires again! after 173 years, their french captains were definitely dead, along with any real way for the british to control them. given that the usual method of forcing captured or rebellious dragons into obedience seems to be through threatening their captains, it seems unlikely that they would take a liking to britain, or accept british captains, and therefore there would be no way to ensure their loyalty if they were sent to defend britain. (i can't really counter conflagratia maybe being one of a handful of offspring though. it's entirely possible.) also, the longwing breed had been developed in the time between their capture and the armada, so there is the argument that there's little reason to risk using elderly firebreathers that are as likely to attack you as the enemy when you could use the young acidspitters that are just as dangerous and are definitely loyal?

even if harnessing the longwings was the first thing elizabeth i did after her coronation, they would only have been in service with the aerial corps for 55 years by the time of the armada, and it was probably far closer to 20 or 30 - enough time to harness a handful and begin developing formations and tactics around them, but no real chances to test them until the anglo-spanish war began in the 1580s. the spanish armada would be the perfect opportunity for the corps to demonstrate what longwings were capable of, and to establish them as england's primary aerial defence, a breed as threatening to ships as any flamme-de-gloire or flecha-del-fuego.

during conflagratia's time, longwings were still assigned male captains, and their female companions would not be considered captains in their own right for at least 30 years, if not longer. it's entirely possible that sir francis drake was the man assigned as her captain (which. could cause some interesting historical changes?), or that her formation was sent to fight with his fleet. this one doesn't guarantee that she's a longwing, but it's fun to think about, at least!

not really points for or against?

while dragon eggs are traded during peacetime and as part of alliances, most nations seem to be jealously protective of their largest and most destructive breeds, for obvious reasons. britain and france traded pascal's blues and parnassians, not longwings and flamme-de-gloires, or regal coppers and grande chevaliers. spain and britain were allied for several years before the armada, but i don't see why either side would be willing to share the advantage their firebreathers and acidspitters provide.

honestly it just seems kind of odd that conflagratia being a firebreather wouldn't be mentioned, given that she seems to be a fairly significant figure?

i have very few points for firebreather conflagratia which. it really doesn't make sense to me for her to be a firebreathing breed i genuinely think she'd be a longwing it fits so much better. i did try i promise i just can't overcome the longwing bias.

in conclusion

okay firebreather conflagratia does unfortunately seem more plausible than i thought. however! i still think longwing conflagratia is more likely! and i personally like it more.

also. i think it's probably safe to say the defeat of the spanish armada is likely when the longwings went from 'the dangerous new breed that's only just stopped going feral' to 'vital for britain's safety and basically the heart of the corps', right? maybe a little exaggerated but still. anyway i just really like the idea of conflagratia sort of. being the face of the longwings as they become an instrumental part of the aerial corps?

plus longwings are just really cool. don't get me wrong i adore firebreathing dragons but. acid-spitting sharpshooters accurate from 400 feet? incredible. (thats uhh. 100 feet higher than big ben? god a longwing would be great for lowering the population of the houses of parliament)

both of the wikis say conflagratia was probably either an early longwing or a captured/traded flecha-del-fuego, but given how protective most nations seem to be of any breeds with special abilities, and the fact we never hear anyone mention britain managing to get hold of a firebreather, i honestly don't see how she could have been anything other than a longwing? it just seems very unlikely? for her to have been anything else?

[aerialcorps]

both of the wikis say conflagratia was probably either an early longwing or a captured/traded flecha-del-fuego, but given how protective most nations seem to be of any breeds with special abilities, and the fact we never hear anyone mention britain managing to get hold of a firebreather, i honestly don't see how she could have been anything other than a longwing? it just seems very unlikely? for her to have been anything else?

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anyone who's read vici - when do you think it takes place, roughly? cause i'm pretty sure it implies some fairly significant changes to historical events? or i've really missed something lmao

okay so as far as i can tell, and probably very simplified, in real life:

mark antony spent his teen years in rome, gambling, drinking, having affairs, and associating with street gangs. he had enormous debts at 20 and fled to greece at 25, in 58 BC. in 57 BC he joined the military, gaining command experience and political connections (he may also have had a part in convincing roman forces to become involved in egypt's political affairs? which is where he may have first met the 14 year old cleopatra). in 54 BC, thanks in part to those political connections, he's assigned to join caesar in gaul, where he further proves himself as a military leader and develops a friendship with caesar that lasts until the ides of march, in 44 BC.

however!! in vici:

it looks like antony's life followed the same path until around 58/57 BC where, instead of leaving rome, gaining military experience, and making political connections, it seems he was arrested for murder and sent to kill a dragon or die trying. he then joined caesar's gallic campaign around 3 years early, with what might be europe's first tame dragon (given the reactions to vici's presence among people without slaughtering them, and her ability to speak.)

i'm assuming the divergence to be around 58/57 BC because of the circumstances of the trial. antony's hideously in debt, until the arrest it seems he was still on the streets of rome drinking and gambling, the magistrate outright calls him "a licentious and disreputable young man" - this tracks for the real mark antony before he left for greece, so presumably vici's antony either chose to stay in rome for some reason, or was arrested before starting to think about leaving.

i'm also assuming he joins caesar years early because. i'm pretty sure the whole story takes place in under a year? it's probably a little over a month to travel from rome to placentia and back, then six months until vici hatches, then six weeks until they end up with the army in gaul. the only other spot i could maybe see this fitting is around 54 BC, as antony's transferring from egypt to gaul, but by then he's not a delinquent anymore and presumably has a far better reputation, so ultimately it really wouldn't fit there?

anyway, vici also has a couple other fun changes - in temeraire's rome, the military has dragon-hunting divisions, dragon-slaying is considered an honourable death and clears debts, and the senate seems to have enacted laws against keeping dragons specifically to get antony and vici out of the city!

[aerialcorps]

WIP of Lien in the sunset

[aerialcorps]

You've got mail! 💌 Long distance cargo courier (summer & winter rig*)

✓ Thick overcoat for warmth at high altitudes ✓ Cushioning for comfort & sleep on long distance flights ✓ Custom saddle (captain's personal choice), extra padding

✓ Dark lenses to avoid eye strain from snow ✓ Thick woolens and extra layers are key to staying warm! ✓ Scarf for dragon optional but convenient to tuck legs into. And they like to match :)

*Jewelery is not part of the working rig but an individual choice. In this case a token of appreciation and uncommonly showy for a courier dragon.

Archie & Ophy backstory by @kindofdistracting <3

[aerialcorps]

Temeraire illustration made for Laurence some months ago! 

Posted using PostyBirb

[aerialcorps]

had this idea that at some point Tharkay might have taught Laurence alternatives to fighting with a rapier (or any sword type weapon, really) and ended up on staff fighting and - because it’s them, c’mon guys - had to make it homoerotic

i don’t even know where this would fit in canon, maybe it’s a missing scene, maybe post canon, but does it really matter? their travels are long and the clothes are slutty and that’s all i care about

[aerialcorps]

Why Strathvagan?

Have you been wondering why so many post-canon Temeraire fics call Tharkay's Mysterious Scottish Estate Strathvagan?

Well, it's my fault. Canon is ambiguous about the location of Tharkay's estate but, since I'm Scottish, my headcanon is obviously that it's in Scotland. I put it relatively close to the English border: in Ayrshire (I like a pun, plus it gives Tharkay and Laurence a nearby shoreline for romantic walks or endless wistful pining). And because I like a pun, I called it Strathvagan. "Strath-" is a Gaelic place name element meaning valley, seen in names like Strathclyde. Its pronunciation is sometimes elided: Strathaven is pronounced "stray-ven".

So ... in my head at least, Strathvagan is pronounced "stra-vaygan". And "stravaigin" is an old Scots word for "roaming, wandering around."

So there you go. Strathvagan exists largely because of my desire to have Tharkay be called, basically, "Lord Wanderer". (And anyone who likes is welcome to use it! I get a little shiver of delight whenever it pops up in someone else’s fic!)

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another lil doodle, I hc that most of a longwing's wingspan is made by the arm bones rather than the digits, similar to an albatross

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very quick yellow reaper sketch as i try to figure out their design

took their basic body shape from the golden retriever and the wing shape from pigeons, since yellow reapers are described in canon as the most common and therefore the most "boring" dragons, I took the two animals that are kind of the "default" and "boring" animal/breed seen in human settlements.

what makes them distinct is their stripes which vary among individuals the same way zebra stripes do, the black slash over the eyes which are also black-colored to make it harder for enemies to target their eyesight, and the long, razor-sharp sickle claws on their first wing digit, a unique trait to the reaper line which also gives them their name

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xenica! based on the xenica butterfly and on the common slope dragonet (draconetta xenica)

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I didn't expect drawing dragons would involve so much math

Here it is! The first in a series of Temeraire breed standards (that I'm at least hoping to make if life allows) and an example of what a finished version of my Big Ole Temeraire Breed Template might look like!

(if you find any mistakes or odd things in the breed's specs please do let me know, my math is abhorrent and I was tired)

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found an old sketch file in which I was contemplating the Fleur-de-Nuit....

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Okay, hello everyone, I have no idea how the hell Tumblr works, but there's a solid Temeraire community here, so I have to join in since I'm on my third reread and the series about dragons involved in the Napoleonic Wars is eating my brain again.

So yeah, there's your Temeraire fanart. And be gentle, I have no idea what to do here, hah

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A sleepy Malachite Reaper, and a Longwing and a Grey Copper meeting in the sky.

[aerialcorps]

some Temverse dragon morphology headcanons