#annabellioncourt

[saintmachina]

You've written both shorter and longer works, so I was curious at what point in the writing process you decide that you're working on a novel or novella? Is it a word count while you're writing, or do you go into a plot with a plan of how much time will be needed tell its story? I'm 60K into something that started as a novel, but I thought since the 30K mark that it was going only clock in at novella length if I was lucky.

At this point I shoot for 80k for every first draft I write, but that's only for the full-length novels I'm contracted to write with my publishers. I know what their word count expectations are, and 80k is usually meaty enough for me to say much of what I want to say while still leaving room for things to grow in edits, as they tend to do with me at the helm. Other authors overwrite their first draft, knowing they'll trim in edits.

However, if whatever I'm working on doesn't have a contractual wordcount attached to it, I feel it out! Basically I let the creative juices lead on the first draft, then make an executive decision about padding or cutting once I have a sense of what I'm working with. Some stories are most impactful told in a few sentences, or a few dozen pages, or a few hundred pages. And you typically discover what kind of story you're writing through writing it.

All this to say I do really like writing novellas and feel like I shine in the format, justice for novellas, but most readers want a more substantive experience, so that's what I now provide.

[widowshill]

Ships ask V, I, C.

A -> Z FANDOM ASKS.

V - Which character do you relate to most?

in terms of ds it's unquestionably my girl V <3 booksmart girl constantly fumbling her way through social situations, fascinated with history and The Past™, former manhattanite, in love with ghosts and spooky stuff and louis edmonds, etc. thankfully (regrettably?) i have fewer 40+ year old men with murky pasts interested in me romantically to deal with than she does.

outside of ds i feel like this is gonna be so cringe but lowkey... elsa. in terms of always being Older Sister Upheld to Standard of Perfection, the mental illness and social frigidity, the asexuality / ace lesbianism, and that really close but also fraught relationship with my younger sibling. you never saw me cry harder than at frozen bway !

I - Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?

man ... i kinda hate to answer this one because i have so many mutuals in it including you but uh. that one pirate romcom :/ as for why? mostly the misogyny, but also some behavior towards the cast i was really uncomfy with, as well as the entire little war with b.lack s.ails and flint. i was there during the pirate polls and i read some Things that Displeased Me. i have more i could say but not here lol.

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will.

oh i'm keeping quiet on ds for this one. big one for me in potc land is jack & angelica. not 4 me never will be for me 👎 walmart esme.

[emcads]

@annabellioncourt ok to satisfy my own curiosity, I tried to run the simulation again. how much is esme really spending on that twenty-peso feather?

the only seemingly legit peso/pound conversion I found was this page from the University of Virginia: according to them, a peso (piece of eight) was worth slightly less than a quarter of a pound, or 4 shillings 6 pence. in the interest of accuracy and aiming low i used the shillings & pence number (with this site to explain the math), multiplied by 20, to get 4 pounds 10 shillings.  I put that into the National Archives currency converter, and set the year to 1710 for an early 18th century estimate for TPOF.

but it only goes as recent as 2017, and i’m not satisfied because the world has had some crazy inflation since then. so I asked bank of england:

that’s a lot. but just because i’m american, I used the current exchange rate

meaning that, all said and done, miss esmeralda spent 700 cash on a nice little feather for her hat.

now, far be it from me to claim potc to be extremely historically accurate, but even in the text itself (Eight pesos was a lot of money—enough to buy two bulls, or an unbroken horse. “Neptune’s nightgown, love! You can’t go flashing that much money here! This is Shipwreck City! Are you mad?”) twenty pesos is no small expense. the it girl of the caribbean frankly. it also makes her getting angry at bainbridge make a lot more sense, the man just sliced through her versace feather.

[i-want-my-iwtv]

Are there references for the castle Lestat used to live in? I think it should have the air of Lestat's gloomy childhood and also his optimistic future with Louis.

I'm not sure if you mean specific castles AR based Lestat's castle on, or lines in canon... to my knowledge, we don't have a specific castle, and I don't know passages/line refs about Lestat's castles and I confess that I don't have time to compile them here 😅

As I remember, there were a lot of vague things about the castle earlier on, something about how cold it was, and the old armory room. Gabrielle had a room that I imagined was part of a tower, or other place not just down the hall, but I may have headcanoned that. Later in canon Lestat talks about the renovations and how it's all being updated with modern amenities while still preserving the anachronistic charm as much as possible, so that walking around, you're not confronted by light switches and other things that would betray the prior time period (except of course for all the flat screen TVs pffft).

Maybe someone can add some lines here?

I think it should have the air of Lestat's gloomy childhood and also his optimistic future with Louis.

^I like this, very poetic! 🏰🌹

You might also like this post by @duendology, @takemetocoffin-or-losemeforever, and @annabellioncourt re: cité des Arvernes: can’t you just see little baby mortal Lestat, hunting and galavanting around this place!

Here are 2 castles I envision as Lestat's, and I have a few more in my #castle tag. BUT, these are kind of small for his current standards, I just like the aesthetic of these. With all the remodeling he’d probably have one more like Kylemore Abbey, Pollacappul, Co. Galway, Ireland.

Anjony Castle/Château d'Anjony, Auvergne, France

^X Massif Central//Auvergne//France, @vampchronfic shared this one in 2014

I like this one bc it's IN the Auvergne! And I love the idea of there being sprawling fields around it, and woodland within walkable/horse-ridable distance. It also has at least one tower, and I imagine Gabrielle had a special tower room.

Dunluce Castle Medieval Irish Castle on the Antrim Coast

Yes 6 pictures from mostly the same angle bc I liked them ALL.

Not in France. Oh well. 

Maybe it’s too far ruined, but I love the majesty of it being on a cliff, and the sprawl of it. Also there is a spot that a bunch of ppl use for wedding/engagement photos and it’s cheesy and now I want fanart of Louis/Lestat doing one of these... with fireworks in the background... #fanart request...

Relevantly: https://www.caraghislaphoto.com/dunluce-castle-elopements/ 

Kylemore Castle & Abbey, Pollacappul, Co. Galway, Ireland.

I think in modern times Lestat’s castle would have to be huge to accomodate all the vampires gathering there, so this would be better, and I like it on the water like this, nestled into verdant forest.

“This 40,000 ft2 castle took 100 men four years to complete. Originally built for English Parliament member Mitchell Henry and his family in 1867, the castle initially had more than 70 rooms and has a granite facade that’s 142 feet wide. Also on the property are a Gothic cathedral, the family mausoleum, Kylemore Abbey (a Benedictine monastery), and Ireland’s largest walled garden.” [X]

[bloomingcockroaches]

Tbh I always personally Interpreted it as Elizabeth being surprised Barbossa can talk in such a way, but I also was an autistic 12yo that perfectly understood what he said when I first watched the movie so lol

okay 1. very swag of 12 year old you

2. #i like to imagine that the confusion is over barbossa knowing what acquiesce means#equivalent of the 'wait thats illegal' meme (via @beccarooni )

3. Even as a teen I read it more as her confusion being shock that the criminal in ratty clothes (however fancy they once were) know anything longer than four letters. Barbossa then just makes fun of her with "means no" as if she was the ignorant one. Which, in a way she was (she was the spoiled governor's daughter) (no hate on the character it would have been weird for her to immediately think of them as her equals) (via @annabellioncourt @constant-and-immovable )

general consensus is that i have been interpreting elizabeth's confused face wrong for 20 years. everybody point and laugh.

[not-wholly-unheroic]

A Comparative Analysis of Hook’s Ship and Cabin in Popular Media Portrayals

Part 4: Peter Pan (2003)

P.J. Hogan’s 2003 film is full of life and color, and Isaacs’ Hook is likewise a colorful character who, though grounded in reality, most definitely has a flair for the dramatic and a taste for the finer things in life.

Like the other Hooks we have seen thus far, Isaacs’ Jolly Roger appears to be the large stereotypical pirate ship that all children think of, despite the impracticality of a slower vessel in actual piracy. (By this point, I think we should just assume that all Hooks go for form over function when it comes to their choice of ship.) It’s a gorgeous ship, and I do wish we got more close-ups of the outside of this particular Roger so we could see more of what’s going on with all the decorative work on the outside of the cabin and the figurehead, etc. One thing, though, that stands out about this ship is that the mainsail itself has a giant skull and crossed swords on it. This would be completely impractical for any actual ship, as the enemy would see them coming and know they were pirates right off the bat…lending credence to the idea that this ship (and this Hook) may be deeply shaped by the children’s imagination. Then again…what else should we expect of a pirate ship whose name itself is the Jolly Roger?

The shots we get of the inside of Isaacs Hook’s cabin reveal the living space of a man who is accustomed to a decadent lifestyle but not so over-the-top as to be entirely unrealistic. While his beautifully decorated harpsichord is the centerpiece of the room, we also notice that he has several tables, a couch, and a globe.

This is about all we can tell from the in-film shots of the cabin, but some promotional material and a pirate-themed hotel that purchased a few set pieces from the film and set up their own room to mimic Hook’s can give us a few ideas about what the rest of the cabin might look like. (Big shout-out to @annabellioncourt for providing several of these bonus material images!)

In the one promotional photo, there is what looks like a lute, perhaps, in the background. I also love the little detail of the skull and crossbones on the candle stand…and his li’l stripey socks.

Here we can see the full-sized bed with a gun and what looks like it might be an Eton crest over it. (Note that if you pay close attention in Hook’s intro scene in the film, you will actually see that the tattoo on his left arm is an Eton crest as well.)

Isaacs Hook also has a self-portrait in his cabin, it seems…which interestingly has a date on the frame of 1742. This is about the most specific we get with ANY Hook as far as time period goes. This is after the Golden Age of Piracy had really already come to an end, though it’s technically possible he might still have been “Blackbeard’s bosun” depending on his age, as Blackbeard’s career ended in 1718 in a battle off Ocracoke Island, NC. Isaacs himself was around 40 years old when the filming was done, so if we want to assume Hook was around the same age when he came to Neverland and the portrait was done shortly before then, he would have been around 16 at the time of Blackbeard’s downfall. A bit young but…it’s possible if he started his career at sea early. Cabin boys usually started out around age 12 but could be as young as 8-ish on occasion. However…this wouldn’t really track with Hook being an Eton student. Assuming he actually graduated, he would have been at the school until he turned 18. So while Isaacs Hook may have very well been a sailor or even more specially a pirate prior to Neverland…he likely wasn’t a peer of Blackbeard or the other more well-known pirates of the early 1700s.

One last thing that is interesting to me is that in addition to the more standard weapons/tools like chains, guns, and boarding axes that we see in some shots, this version of Hook keeps what looks like an entire small cabinet of various tinctures and powders. At least the one of them which he removes is poison, but one wonders….are they all different kinds of poison? Or are some, perhaps, medicinal in nature or for recreational use?

As a whole, Isaacs’ Hook is, I think, perhaps one of the most realistic portrayals of the character. While there are some highly fanciful aspects to his ship—like the giant skull on the mainsail—much of his personal space has the lavish furnishings one might expect of someone with an aristocratic background without feeling too entirely impractical. Add to that a concrete date on the portrait, and I’d say this Hook is more grounded in reality than nearly any of the others we’ve encountered so far.

[anteroom-of-death]

Okay since @soulless-angel25 and @annabellioncourt interested.

Rose Tyler's ending is positively an uncanny horror story disguised as romance/perfectly happy.

Imagine you're Rose Tyler.

Imagine growing up without a father, but from how your mother talked about him, he clearly hung the moon and painted the stars upon the sky.

Imagine growing up with a disabled mum who can't make ends meet in a traditional way, so until you can work, you rely on welfare and whatever favors your mother can scrounge up from men.

Imagine having a slew of toxic boyfriends who clearly leach off you and your innate goodness and talents. So much so that one convinced you to drop out. Effectively ruining your chances to ever getting better. Doing better, rising above your station.

Imagine getting a job at a fancy shop, helping the better off than you look the best, while you're trying to put food on your table and force your current boyfriend to grow up.

Imagine that's gone.

Imagine then meeting a man who you suddenly get it. You suddenly understand why your mother talked of your father in such a way.

Imagine the fright and worry that your poor mum had while you were gone. The sleepless nights. The police. The fear that only comes when a mother doesn't know if their baby is safe in their bed, warm and happy.

Imagine then that he shows you sights and wonders and things far beyond anything you can imagine. Or even mentally process.

Imagine going back in time and comforting and meeting your dead dad. Seeing him take his last breaths and the light fade from his eyes. And his bravery! Your mum was right about him, no exaggeration.

Imagine seeing an enemy that destroyed your man's people. And you're there, half trying to save the day, half trying to comfort him from his PTSD.

Imagine he sends you back home.

Imagine that you're worse off, not only do you crave things that you never did. But you can't get a job now, probably. The gap on your resume makes you not an optimal candidate.

Imagine now, that you do go back to him. You do something so painful to save him and your friends, and the universe at large.

Imagine that he changes. He's no longer the man you fell for. He's different. He claims he's the same, but it's not.

Imagine you have to learn to fall back in love.

Imagine it works.

Imagine that you're in a parallel universe. Your mum and dad are there, but you're not. Your mum looks healthy. They're rich. Your fathers a success! The guilt must eat at you, were you what was holding him back? Were you what caused your mother's health to fail?

Imagine seeing your father lose your mother. It's a replay back to your childhood in reverse.

Imagine now, that both of these universes collide. And your mum and your dead dad whos rich get together.

Imagine you feel relief. But incredible loss. You've lost your man, your special someone. The one who sets your inner world's stars and moon in your sky.

Imagine your mum gets pregnant. You have a brother. He never suffers and never has to go through what you have. It must feel alienating. He gets it all. Two parents, unlimited food, unlimited treats, joy without pain. While you're still fighting 20 or so years of these contradictions.

Imagine now, the sky is going dim. The universe is under some sort of attack. It's up to you to find the one person in the entire multiverse that would be able to understand it and stop. Imagine the anger you must feel because not on your watch will you let suffering happen.

Imagine you find him. You've been replaced multiple times by now.

Imagine you see him. And he nearly dies.

Imagine you fight and win and the multiverse is healing. But you have to go back.

Imagine that your man just gifts you a carbon-copy version of himself. But sometimes is not quote right. It's him but not. He even looks a little different, again.

Imagine you take this consolation prize. You go back to your new new new new life. It looks perfect, you could want for nothing logically. But is it enough? Will it ever be?

Imagine everything looks perfect, is it really??

All these events must lay on you and suffocate you.

[pasdetrois]

tagged by @utenah to list my 9 favorite books of 2023 or 9 books on my 2024 tbr list. thank you! 🌷

(I only really enjoyed a few of my books from last year, so this is my tentative 2024 tbr)

i'll pass this along to @pristina-nomine @teaposing @maddenedbythesstars @anatomicalmartyr @briarhips @tiernaherida @annabellioncourt and anyone else who wants to, though of course feel free to ignore~

[chiropteracupola]

tagged in a thing by @verecunda!! it took me ...several weeks to actually do it, but I Have been thinking about it the entire time. so.

rules: list ten books that have stayed with you in some way, don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard - they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you.

The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. LeGuin - this is the book that I spent my whole life looking for, was certain existed, and well - it's real, and was exactly what I needed when I found it, and that's not something that happens often.

Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson - so many of the best developments of the past few years of my life can be owed directly to this book. which is a wild thing to say, I'll admit.

Spying on Whales, Nick Pyenson - ocean's haunted! whales are full of weird goo! and other fun facts written in such a tranquil manner.

Beowulf, as translated by Seamus Heaney - it's Beowulf. what more have I to say. if you know you know.

Bonnie Dundee, Rosemary Sutcliff - that incredibly rare thing, a book that actually depicts the artistic process in a way that makes sense to me as a person who draws.

The Flight of the Heron, D.K. Broster - previously unimaginable occurrences have in fact Repeatedly Occurred because of this book. shan't elaborate as I'm sure you've seen my soupy state of being over the last year or so.

The Adventures of Robin Hood, Roger Lancelyn Green - almost positive that this was the first book I ever truly Shouted about. there's a half-written stage adaptation written by twelve-year-old em around in some folder somewhere still...

In Small Things Forgotten, James Deetz - sends me into some kind of Architectural Trance every time I read it.

Tim To The Lighthouse, Edward Ardizzone - administer this potion to your children at frequent intervals to most certainly turn them into boat-obsessed scribble artists who will never recover.

By the Great Horn Spoon, Sid Fleischman - ...actually I just realized that a lot of the way and what I write now can be traced directly to having this poured directly into me as a small child as well. hm.

and I shall tag... @sailorpants, @dxppercxdxver, @sanguinarysanguinity, @natdrinkstea, @alizuriacrow, @cytocutie, @what-even-is-sleep, @graveyardrabbit, @annabellioncourt, @cedarboots, if you'd like to share?

[mostlikelytobeagainstcapitalism]

many thanks to @wanderdreamer for the tag!!

Favorite Color: I've literally loved every shade of green since I was a child, but I'm beggining to appreciate blue more, especially when it's mixed with green. red it's pretty too but only when it's a dark shade, not really a fan of highlighter.

Last Song: been listening to the black sails playlist for two days straight while studying and sleeping and nothing else (the soundtrack I'm listening to while writing this is the banner of captain flint, if anyone's curious).

Last Movie: I watched one at the theater today for a school activity (?) and since i'm italian, it was an italian movie. very recommended but very graphic and violent: Io, capitano (I captain).

Currently Watching: new girl because I've got six months free of disney+, black sails because I refuse to finish the last season (the last episode I watched was e2s4 on august 31st), modern family (but I've been trying to finish that for years) and only murders in the building (again for free disney+).

Other Stuff I Watched This Year: one piece live action (you HAVE to watch it), good omens s2 (watch this too) and extraordinary attorney woo (im not very into kdrama but I loved it).

Shows I Dropped This Year: started but can't get past episode two of the great, can't finish queen charlotte (I didn't even finish bridgerton because s1 is too boring) and I've been trying to watch attack on titan for years (I reached e1s3 but I can't get past that since 2018, so I've been rewatching hoping i can finish it).

Currently Reading: it'd be quicker to just drop my goodreads and leave, but the latest are the price of freedom (prequel of potc), circe (literally on page 2) and the last wish (from the witcher). I get bored too easily and I haven't found something that interesting yet, but I'm about to start the poppy war and I've heard it's good so I hope I can read all three books in a row and not want to shoot myself in the face out of boredom (finger crossed 🤞).

If you stumble on this, feel free to do it.

I'd also like to tag @boltlightning @annabellioncourt @fred-erick-frankenstein and hope to get to know you better ❤️.

[widowshill]

I was tagged by @dying-suffering-french-stalkers to post five songs that I like! thank you friend ❤️

leaning on a lamp post, herman's hermits.

thank the lord for the night time, neil diamond.

what goes on, the beatles.

this just doesn't seem to be my day, the monkees.

harper valley p.t.a., jeannie c. riley

I'm tagging: @criticalfai1ure @seacavepuzzle @annabellioncourt @mirthcrowned @flameandignite @weirdalfemme and anyone who would like to!

[emcads]

Her line about the feather is PAINFULLY true AMD always makes me laugh: cosplayers, reenactors, and renfaire pirates-- we all have spent or would spend an unnecessary amount of money on the perfect hat feathers.

yeah been there 💀  to be fair, i think the last time i tried to currency convert + inflation adjust it was almost $400, which still feels a little excessive to me any way you slice it,  but for a full array of renfaire feathers ....  well.

[flameandignite]

10 Songs

tagged by the wonderful @tortoisesshells !

Rules: You can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. Put your playlist on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, and then tag 10 people. No skipping!

“The Willow Garden” Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

“Come On Home” Franz Ferdinand

“Bring Me Your Loves” St. Vincent

“Letters” Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

“A Cottage in the Woods” George Bruns/Sleeping Beauty OST

“Fear The Future” St. Vincent

“One Day” Hans Zimmer/At World’s End OST

“Christina the Astonishing” Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

“My Boy Builds Coffins” Florence + The Machine

“Underwater March” Klaus Badelt/Black Pearl OST

Tagging: @corneliushickey @annabellioncourt @emcads @dying-suffering-french-stalkers @cherub-charms & anyone who wants to do this

[hug-your-face]

Tumblrs anti spam code is not letting me connect two mutuals and I'm at my wits end so:

@annabellioncourt please see @spheregirl's post asking for perfume help here

@spheregirl pls know that @annabellioncourt is a Certified Perfume Nerd and may be able to help.

My regular muties, please excuse my interruption of your scrumbling to conduct a sudden Eyreian introduction. Carry on.

[jacqal]

comission for @annabellioncourt of National Theatre Treasure Island’s Jim & Silver, modelled after this Wyeth painting of OG Jim & Silver! really fun piece, plus i got to practice with my fountain pen again <3

[ornstein]

Tag game! 9 people you would like to get to know better. Tagged by @woundedheartwithin ❤

3 ships: Ryuzo/Anyone, Genichiro/Wolf, Kiryu/Nishiki

First ever ship: Jack/Elizabeth from potc

Last song: Something something Evanescence

Last Movie: Fnaf

Currently Reading: The Strange Garden and Other Weird Tales by Alex Kingsley

Currently Watching: ～

Currently Consuming: ～

Currently Craving: Vacation

People to tag: @starfolk7 @annabellioncourt @diniidjarin @meyerlansky @general-grey