#he's a military history buff

[explodcor]

@musemilitia​ said: "Kacchan!! Kacchan!! Kaminari-kun and I were trying to figure out what the top three strongest military weapons in the world would be." Izuku explained before adding, "do you have any ideas about that?"

Fuck. That sounded like a painful conversation between two dumbasses who knew nothing about military history. It was a good thing he hadn’t overheard or else he would have likely burst a blood vessel. 

“Do I have ideas about military weapons...?!” he echoed, clearly offended that Deku would even ask that. Nearly all of his attacks or support items were named after historical military weapons. “That’s the dumbest fuckin’ question I’ve heard leave your mouth in a while.” 

“Listen up, nerd!” Katsuki declared. “Since listing off names of different nuclear weapons is too fuckin’ easy, I’m gonna give you a short list of artillery weapons that’ll kick anyone’s ass.”

“The Soviet-era 2S7M Malka Howitzer is the most powerful artillery system with 203 millimeter caliber rounds,” he said without pausing to think. It was just information he knew from memory. “It’ll easily knock helicopters and fighter jets out of the sky and tear holes in tanks.” 

“.950 JDJ is the largest caliber rifle in existence right now,” he added. “There’s a .950 mm-caliber cartridge in that fucker.” He paused. “And then there’s the Eryx shoulder-launched rocket launcher with a 134 mm caliber warhead on the missile. That will level most of a damn city.” 

Do not challenge him on military weapons trivia, Deku. You know better. 

[daguerreotyping]

Ambrotype of a cute militiaman next door whose hat is as wild as his hair, 1860

[oreolesbian]

the absolute lack of media literacy from people who haven’t even seen oppenheimer is making my head spin but whatever

[thatndginger]

I'm a totally normal human being, I totally didn't wake up from a dead sleep and immediately ask Person (who was already awake) the logistics of soldiers in a hypothetical wilderness situation with few supplies

(yes. it was for War Witch. No, I don't know why I needed to know this upon waking. I was dreaming about a fictional modern high school ffs)

[wellntruly]

If you read the novel Catch-22 (1961), about U.S. Army pilots & sundry stationed on a Greek island during World War II, you will encounter this off-hand description during the period where Yossarian is hiding in the field hospital:

At which you will either pause worryingly, or you’re normal.

I am not normal, because I have watched the television show M*A*S*H (1972-1983), about U.S. Army medical staff in a mobile surgical unit during the Korean War, and which features a character called Hawkeye Pierce, who frequently looks like this:

Now this bathrobe, iconic simply, appears red to the observer. However, deep into the run there is a line in which Hawkeye refers to it as "purple"—great consternation. But film cameras and light waves being what they are (capricious, devilish), it could very well be maroon in life. It could very well be maroon. It’s what I assumed after that comment. But what I'd never asked was, what is it made out of? Is that corduroy, could it be corduroy, could this be—

Oh noooooooo!

Why is Hawkeye the only one who is wearing the robe of patients from the last war, I ask you! Is it for the METAPHOR. To make me YELL. Did the costume department make it for him, or did they just already have one on hand in the WWII storage? Wait it wasn't real was it? Where is it, where is this robe!

Well babe, it’s in the Smithsonian:

A) of all, fucking fantastic, could not be a place I more want Alan Alda’s bathrobe as Hawkeye Pierce to be than the National Museum of American History. B) well well well well well, what do we have here:

[sic]

So looking THAT up brings you nothing that makes any sense, even trying to correct for spelling. But not to fear: historical re-enactors are here.

On the website of the “WW2 US Medical Research Centre,” an absolutely delightful combination of words and spelling brought to you by two European history buffs, and that’s Europeans who are obsessed with history, specifically American medical units in the 1940s, there’s a page for pajamas, and why look who’s here:

OH ho oh HO!

“Progressive Coat & Apron Mfg. Co.” is so similarly bizarre that I would be very willing to bet that something like idk, the imperfect process of digitizing thousands of records for a website catalog, could have absolutely resulted in “Agressive Coat and Manufacturing Company.” Which would mean yeah, yeah yeah: vintage World War II, slash Korea, just five years later. It was authentic, what they gave Alda to wear, along with his dog tags.

Just Hawkeye though still, which is what's odd.

BUT HANG ON.

Heeeeey now!

So I was recently reminded that in the pilot episode, but the pilot episode only, Wayne Rogers as Trapper John McIntyre also has the regulation corduroy MD/USA bathrobe! In fact, he actually has what would appear to become Hawkeye’s—observe the location of the embroidery. Pocket, like Hawkeye’s in every robe appearance after this first episode, the robe that ends up in the Smithsonian Museum. Whereas the one with the embroidery on the chest that's hanging above Hawkeye's cot here, a common variant that shows up when you’re searching around on military history websites, after this appearance I believe is seen just once more on a visiting colonel later in the first season, then quietly vanishes. Alda ends up in Trapper's, and stays in it for keeps, while Rogers gets, of all things, a cheery goldenrod terry number.

But like, why. Why just Hawkeye in the WWII surplus robe. Both Doyle and Watson have avenues here that I like to think about. For the Doylist side, I suspect it was a decision of like, this is simply too matchy. It’s 1972, our TV screens are small, we gotta take any chance we can get to distinguish these tall white men constantly wearing the same of two monochrome outfits.

In fact, I actually wonder if there was a world where Trapper might have stayed in the maroon and Hawkeye could have ended up in Henry’s robe.

The light blue & white striped bathrobe McLean Stevenson wore as Henry Blake was sold at auction in 2018, and the item description contains the curious detail of it having a handwritten tag inside reading “Hawkeye.” Well heeeyy again.

And here’s another curious detail:

There was a blue & white striped Army-issue robe as well

Now Henry’s is clearly NOT vintage WWII, lacking the pocket embroidery, being terry cloth, and also of course: pastel. But it’s INTERESTING, isn’t it? They had to have been GOING for that look, with that same unusual collar shape and that multi-stripe patterning.

(Also, for real 'what the hell even IS this color' fun, this militaria collectors purveyor has one of the maroon versions too, with photos you can page though and laugh as it flips between looking clearly purple and clearly red in every other photograph. Cameras!!!)

Anyway now we turn to the Watsonian explanation, which seems to run like this: the men at the 4077 were just casually passing their robes around to each other. It's about the intimacy in the face of war, etc. I can see bathrobes going missing when they bug out, getting stolen from the laundry by Klinger and scrapped for parts, being handed off to a poor cold Korean kid who needs it more, and then they need to get to the showers and one of them is like hey, just take mine, and then it’s his now. And eventually most of them end up in warmer-looking civilian robes than the Army holdovers that were being distributed early on, but Hawkeye, he just hung on to Trapper's.

And as a side effect, still looks like he's been injured in World War II.

[bad-tf-fic-ideas]

(331) In another 17 million years, the war has faded from much of living memory, replaced by more recent wars about which the present day cybertronians feel more bitter. During this era, internal factions are more or less at peace.

The forums of Cybertron now simply facilitate bickering online about real mechanism fiction (RMF) and what counts as "in character" for the ever-popular characters of bygone eras. Today's fic idea is to use unsanctioned and dangerous time travel to launch beloved historical figures (Autobot and Decepticon high commands) into this future world and expose them to the mythologised versions of themselves inhabiting the RMF forums.

Options include:

As much as it's great that their biggest problem is the reputational despair of being beloved historical figures on the internet, Optimus is also aghast to encounter some lube-nosed buggy with nostalgia goggles talking down to him about how Optimus Prime was a real prime's prime and would never have lowered himself to friendship with someone so far below him as Megatron — they didn't do that kind of thing in those days, don't you know?

Starscream proves so frustrating to the locals that he starts an incendiary argument on a web forum about the technical capabilities of now-ancient war machines and gets the whole platform temporarily shut down when his interlocutors leak confidential military technology. It takes him less than two days and, incidentally, gives him access to modern military specs.

Jazz discovers that he is 50% of the most popular all time RMF ship. He willingly falls down a labyrinthine rabbit hole of JazzProwl fanfiction. He tries very, very hard to drag Prowl (less willingly) with him.

Megatron has refused to make an account because he knows himself well enough to know that he is not going to be able to hold back from telling people they're wrong on the internet. But ever since Soundwave sent him this link, he's been reading and digesting the history buffs' fan theories. The MegOp narrative is... shockingly compelling. :/

[yourmomsushi]

Poly 141 x Baker Reader Warnings : MDNI, fluff? , suggested poly!

“It’s too…crispy?” I hear from the customer in the corner, making me groan mentally. I had always fumbled with making croissants , especially the ones were they’re supposed to be soft and chewy, not rock hard like the fucking earth. I fidget with a strand of hair, my two pretty pink lavender bows are trimmed to perfection and dangle in my hair aimlessly. I tug on my white apron, when I hear the doorbell chime, turning my head to the direction of the sound, I see buff shoulders like they were made to carry damsels in distress and the fucking world. The man wore military green and black, with a vest over as he turned to my direction, his hair shaved except the mohawk he sported so confidently. I fumbled with my name tag. Meanwhile, I see a man with a scurry beard and hairy arms that are visible due to rolled up sleeves of a plaid white shirt, another man had rich creamy skin, his face and body literally glowing as he lays a arm on another man, who seems so damn mysterious, covering his face with a balaclava that is in the form of a skull, dark war paint smudged against his eyes. I open my mouth and start the usual lines of the average customers, expect its much more softer  than usual, which I don't even notice,

“Hi! Welcome to Bun”s Bakery! What can I get you?” I say, fixing my name tag : Bun : short for the name Bunnie. 

“Hi. So we're gonna start on one tea, 3 cups of dark espresso, and one blueberry muffin.” The man with fuzzy black hair says, with his arm slang over the Skull face-covered man, whom I’m surprised didn’t shove him away. 

“Okay! Your total is 10.56$” I say with a smile.

After the payments are done, the group of men find a table in the corner of the cafe, taking in the scene before them. Art pieces hanging around, antiques and sculptures, it was like a hectic history and art, but you couldn’t help but awe at it softly. I turn in just then, carrying their drinks and warmed blueberry muffin on a small white tray. 

“Bunnie, right?” the man with the overgrown mohawk says, eyeing my name tag with curiosity. 

I nod with a smile “and you lot must be?” I say with a genuine smile for once these days. 

“I’m Johnny,” He says, reaching over and pointing at the man with the skull mask, “That’s Simon.” He then points to the prettiest man out of all of them. “That’s Kyle”. He finally then points to the oldest man of the lot, with a slightly overgrown beard. “And, that's our captain, John.” 

I smile. “Pleasure to meet you all, you guys are new here?”

John smiles and nods “It’s just temporary for a few months, nothing permanent.”

I smile again, giving them extra napkins and refills, “Well, if you need anything, let me know, you know how hectic Italy can get, am i right?” I give an awkward chuckle and smile. 

Throughout their stay, I hear the man give hushed whispers to each other until finally, the skull guy, simon comes up to me with a grunt and says : 

“Others wanted to give you their number, here.” He tugs a note with all their phone numbers in there, he grunts again and walks back, his voice was gruff and almost - kind?

I give a small smile and wave as they leave the building, my heart flutters softly, new friends, new starts.

So much for burnt croissants I guess.

[hallowedmistress]

stardew sexuality hcs!

bachelors + bachelorettes

alex

definitely gay

grew up in a homophobic, religious family

first time he saw gay people was on tv on a news program about same-sex marriage being legalised

george immediately turned it off in disdain and evelyn distracted him with some food, but the thought lingered at the back of his mind

as he grows up, he collects sports magazines. more often with lean, muscular men on the covers than not

he suppresses it for years but it comes to a head when the cute new farmer moves in

and the rest is history

elliott

homoflexible

knew he was into men since he was very young

his family wasn't pleased to say the least. their only son, gay and a writer? the blasphemy.

didn't dare confess to any of his childhood crushes because he grew up in a pretty old fashioned area

instead wrote letters and stuffed them into used cans and threw them into the sea

lived in zuzu city for a short while before moving to stardew valley, had a relatively unhealthy lifestyle of drinking and hookups and no sleep. the cabin on the beach helped with his insomnia

very rarely attracted to women; usually into the type of women who mistake him for a lesbian

sam

unlabelled

leans more towards men

vincent called him weird at first but wrapped his head around it pretty quick

jodi doesn't talk about it but she just wants him to be happy and not hide any part of himself

kent absolutely flips when sam brings the farmer, his boyfriend, over

they make it work. kent warms up to the farmer, and the strict military rules drilled into his head slowly come undone

he reluctantly tells sebastian he likes guys at the saloon one night while abigail isn't around. sebastian just says 'huh', and beats him at pool.

sebastian

queer, on the aromantic spectrum

never really thought about romance. he has enough to deal with by himself, why should he want someone else?

has a little crush on sam when they're kids

only realises it was romantic when sam tells him that he likes guys. and sebastian realises oh, i can do that.

he doesn't really tell anyone but he blurts it out to his mother one afternoon

robin is supportive, and curious at first

demetrius... doesn't say much.

after kissing sam for a dare, he huddles inside a blanket with a red face for a whole day

harvey

heteroflexible

he likes women, but likes the occasional buff man

he's vocal with his support of the community, and pins up a pride flag on the clinic's wall

he lost a trans girlfriend to suicide back in the city. it sticks with him, and he makes sure to respectfully inquire about all his patients' mental health and if they need anything

he likes the farmer for their cool, confident demeanor regardless of their gender.

shane

straight

never thought about his sexuality

kissed a few of his homies back in college before he dropped out

hasn't really "fallen" for anyone before the farmer

abigail

bisexual

this girl is so, so bi

she definitely read manga on sites named stuff like yaoiparadiseheaven growing up

always shipped the protagonist and rival in pokemon games

has a few bi pride pins. pierre hates it and wants her to tone it down, but she refuses. loud and proud

caroline chides her, but is secretly proud of her and even buys her some sapphic movie dvds

haley

lesbian

it's complicated. she knows she has some sort of comphet, and she hates it

she wants to be out to the whole town just to prove a point, but she wants to present as straight at the same time just to feel more accepted

she flirts with guys and then feels like throwing up

she tries to flirt with girls and ends up insulting them

she and abigail have some sort of sapphic jealousy thing going on

when the farmer comes to town, abigail knows she's head-over-heels for the butch immediately despite her previous insistence that she only likes femme women

leah

definitely a lesbian

chill about it. she doesn't tell anyone, but she doesn't hide it

she has a vase painted the lesbian colours

her ex from the city is non-binary

she doesn't expect to fall for the farmer at all, but ends up yearning for months

boldly sculpts a messy piece of two women kissing

she and male!farmer would talk about women together

penny

her labels keep changing

she's into women, and into pretty guys.

she used to always keep an eye out for the woman who worked the jojamart counter

pam catches her reading a lesbian romance once, and penny fears the worst

instead, pam just nods and mentions she went out with some women herself and penny just stops in her tracks wide-eyed

when she first meets the farmer, she can't stop blushing around them

maru

she never really fathomed being attracted to men in the first and doesn't get why demetrius is so against her having male friends

demetrius is obnoxiously supportive once he finds out. the farmer sighs every time they walk in on an overly large display of support

he celebrates her coming-out anniversary every year

lesbian in stem

she's also on the asexual spectrum. something like demisexual, maybe. she doesn't have it figured out yet

emily

pansexual, and open about it

every time someone asks if she has a boyfriend, she corrects them to 'significant other'.

romance doesn't work like 'normal' to her

every friendship has a little romance, and every romance has a lot of friendship. isn't that the best way to live?

she's very affectionate. with friends, family, s/o's, anyone.

[gunnrblze]

Random Elias headcannons (pre ODIN/death(?) idk)

➤homebody when he’s off duty

➤ambivert^would rather spend his time relaxing when he can, but does like spending time with the ghosts/Hesh & Logan especially

➤has trouble relaxing though, a little high strung. feels the need to always be doing something

➤likes to garden, did it a lot with Miss Mama Walker

➤type of fella to eat cornflakes for breakfast lol. Raisin Bran ass old man

➤paces a lot for various reasons. “shh, I’m thinking” he’ll say if you try to interrupt

➤relatively chill but will go from 0 to 100 very quickly. levelheaded enough to rarely get out of control though. temper, but he knows how to tame it

➤takes his coffee black with a little creamer, no sugar

➤closeted. even to himself a bit, like he just does not really clock the fact that he likes men in a serious way

➤lovedddd Miss Mama Walker with his whole heart and soul, and i think she knew he was a lil queer and just kinda let it be, cause he was devoted to her regardless and they were locked in

➤sudoku king

➤very hard worker (capricorn energy lol), had that quality instilled in him by his father, and did the same thing with Hesh and Logan

➤regularly wears those ridiculously tight t-shirts as seen above (zoo wee mama thank you) cause he’s a little oddly proportioned. his shoulders are so wide that shirts just always fit a lil weird

➤history buff. ask him anything and he can probably tell you a great deal about any given major event. type of guy that has “fun facts” that you actually might not have known (at least, they’re fun to him lol)

➤would quiz Hesh and Logan as kids on military history/general history. he’s not so secretly a bit of a nerd, so every once in a while Hesh and Logan will also just be like “did you know the first ever living creature in space was a dog-“

➤loves lemonade. complains when it gives him acid reflux. still drinks it

➤gives the best side eye/glares. the wordless type that definitely make you start acting right

[dadoodler25]

It's really funny how in Mortal Kombat everyone makes fun of Johnny Cage, saying he's full of shit and lame, unskilled because he brags a lot when:

He's outlived nearly the entire cast, even his own wife

He's a legitimately skilled fighter who's beaten tough people like Sonya, Kano and Kenshi

He has a power that can harm Elder Gods, meaning he's basically a god-killer

He's still a really good person who'll do the right thing, even if he acts like a dick

Sure, he flirts, but he backs off when they don't want him

In the new MK1, not only is he a history buff who knew all about Kenshi's clan, but in an intro against Geras, he's actually got a PhD in Quantum Mechanics, and his mom was apparently a cop so he knew about every law

He made a story about everyone in his adventure

In MK1 defeated Bi-Han and Kuai Liang simultaneously, without getting hit by ice-magic or a kunai, and let me remind you, Johnny thought that everything until the whole thing was a prank.

He also joined the military

In the comics, he was revealed to be a better parent than Sonya

[captainmera]

Hellu!! In the latest chapter of tgb you spoke about hunters political power as the golden guard, and I would love to hear more about that if you would like to share !!

Sure! :)

This is super long, though. Because context of why I conclude these things are important to know!

Enjoy..!

This is just me being a history buff, though. And if you've read my webcomic In Blood we Rise, you know I like playing with the social-culture of a society.

So from the bits and pieces I've picked up from the show, either via how characters treat one another (Ex. Boscha, Amity, Willow, Gus) and the use of titles (coven heads, Emperor, "prince" - aka Golden Guard) I expand upon those clues and apply what I know of those titles, or the human equivalents of them.

The Golden Guard is, although mockingly, referred as similar to a prince title. Whatever it actually is or not is up to anyone's guess. But given that the GG is the Emperor's right-hand man, and the Emperor is a sort of religious leader/dictator.. I concluded that the GG is somewhat similar in nature.

If "Emperor" is a leader, with religious implication (as Hunter himself used the words such as "sacrilege" when invading Belos' mind) and is commonly known to know the will of the Titan (their god and nature).

Then, I think it is fair to say, that the GG most likely has similar roles but on a smaller scale.

Hunter was raised into this role, not unlike how a prince is raised to become king one day.

- If Emperor = Pope. - Then GG is = King, a military general, priesthood. - The Coven heads = Gentry (Earls, Barons, Marquesses, etc) - People like the Blights are = Gentry (Lords, Ladies, etc) - Maybe people like the Clawthornes are = Middle class? (Merchants?) - And people like the Parks or Porters are = Peasants (lower classes up to lower middle class). - And people like... *shrug* ..? ... Steve? = Peasants (Lower working class to upper working class)

This hierarchy is similar to the English one, Philip Wittebane was English. I am going on a limb here that Philip conjuncted his own application of the hierarchy he knew of onto an already existing system.

So we got the previous hierarchy system (shown and told by Boscha, mostly, and Amity in season 1). With whatever Philip could layer ontop. So it's not accurate-accurate, but a bit to the left.

We know power is important. And we know they talk about important FAMILIES. The Blight's "Dont associate" with weaker witches. Implying that some families with better magic and power have a higher status, and it is even encouraged to impose your status on those beneath you.

The teachers don't intervene when Boscha bullies Willow, they even celebrate her for her superiority. However, they do allow Willow to show her worth through POWER too.

So you can raise in social ranks by being better than others. Hence why other witches were so eager to take advantage of Gus, too. Gus is from a lower or middle class, but his illusionist powers are superior. He could easily rise to become a coven head one day. If recognised for this, others might want to hitch a ride for as long as he can carry them.

We know nothing of the Boiling Isles culture before Belos took over.

We do know a bit of traditional cultural things; like Palismen and the bed-nests. You could even say that Eda is a traditionalist in that sense, as she wants to use Wild Magic like they used to do on the isles.

We also know that The Titan's children used to be running around plentiful, that there was a subgroup of Witches that were Hunters too! (Hunter's name being Hunter has so many layers, man.. Not just Witch-Hunter-General but, like, hunters hunting Titans - the literal, kind of, devil imagery of this realm. Maybe Belos knew? Maybe he met the titan hunters? Maybe that's how he knew how to find the not-broken-mirror of the collector? What else did he know? WHO KNOWS.)

But the Titans has been dead for a very long time. But in that time in-between, we know people did exist. And where there is people, there is structure and culture. And back then, in the Deadwardian times, we know they knew they lived upon the Titan. It would not be so farfetched if they had some sort of priesthood similar to.... The greek temples?

The illusionist graveyard statues are... Coming to mind. I struggle to believe that illusionists were supposedly always considered the lowest and most useless group of magic users. It is heavely implied that Gus talents were meant for greatness. Especially in regards to the human realm.

I think, with the stone portal being as Hellenistic and temple-looking, that there might've been once-upon-a-time where witches frequented into the human realm more often. Perhaps with the use of illusion magic. Perhaps, back then, being an illusionist was a great thing to be.

But time changes things. What used to be a useful skill falls out of style. And whatever else (like Abomination slime) becomes more useful to the contemporary culture, that's what will be on the rise.

Speaking of abomination, I think it's meant to represent a sort-of industrial revolution ordeal. And that's where the Blights took a big shine in power.

... AAAANNYYWAAAAAYY~~~!

You had to read my thoughtprocess on that before I can go into your actual question.

SO..! The Golden Guard!

First, let's figure out what the heck a prince does and typical life could look like. Let's look at the real life prince of England at the time! Charles the first.

Charles was born on 29 May 1630. In August 1642 (twelve years old), the long-running dispute between Charles I and Parliament culminated in the outbreak of the First English Civil War. In October the same year (still twelve years old), Prince Charles and his younger brother James were present at the Battle of Edgehill. And spent the next two years (so fourteen years old at the end of that) based in the Royalist capital of Oxford. In January 1645 (so now fifteen), Charles was given his own Council and was made titular head of Royalist forces in the West Country. By spring 1646 (so now ca sixteen years old, like Hunter), most of the region had been occupied by Parliamentarian forces and Charles went into exile to avoid capture. Charles I surrendered into captivity in May 1646. (sixteen)

Right! So uhh... Surprisingly similar to Hunter's current situation with Wild Witches and rebellion brewing.

The thing about royals, yeah, is that they are given this birthright to lead the people "by god". Being king, queen, whatever, is a deeply Christian religious occupation.

We are talking about a time when people who were rich were just inherently deemed more morally superior. Because god let them be born into privilege. Of course, humans are humans and we are critical beings. There's a reason why the French chopped the head off their royals: People don't always agree to the status quo, no matter how religiously influential it is.

Philip Wittebane would have this bias too, though. At least somewhere in his consciousness.

Back in the days, being a "Gentleman" actually meant something. It was not just a title given by birth, it was something you had to live up to. That is why it was such a dramatic offence if a gentleman did not behave like one. When you are born into a leading position, you are expected to lead with the people in mind. Corruption, of course, happens anyway and people don't do what they're supposed to. Either because they don't want to, never asked for it, or simply take advantage of it.

Either case, a title had purpose. Just like a prince. It doesn't matter if you're twelve years old. If you're a prince you are taught, raised and told to behave a certain way to impose both courage and confidence in the people.

If you say shit like "I THINK I know what to do" nobody will trust you. You're twelve, but you're supposed to be a better breed than everyone else, after all, God appointed you into being a royal. You must be special. If you're not, then God made a mistake. If God makes mistakes.. Well, then God is flawed.

God cannot be flawed. Everything rides on the belief that God knows all, is all mighty, etc. God is absolute. You were supposed to trust God. So a twelve-year-old prince is expected to just... Pretty much be the same as a 30-year-old man, intellectually. They could speak four languages, they were already reading military tragedies, and so on.

But they're just twelve and, will, in secrecy (as we know) enjoy things that twelve year-olds enjoy. Like fairytales.

Back to the Golden Guard.

We know that Hunter has no respect from the Coven heads (parliament of sort), lol. They don't think he has the knowledge 'nor wisdom to lead. He haven't even raised the ranks in such a visible way, presumably the way they have.

Darius, whom we know nothing of, could either be like Gus and be an extremely talented abominationist regardless of his class. Or he's like the Blights; from a rich background and worked hard with the good cards life handed to him, and was expected to rise high (like Amity) and did so.

Meaning, the coven heads are peers out of respect. They aren't competition to one another, they are experts in their fields of magic. It is people trying to rise to their position that they need to put a foot onto to keep them beneath their own rank.

Supposedly, Raine outshone the previous Bard Coven head. Either the old one died, or Raine was just better.

All of this, though, means that the Coven heads resent Hunter. He's above them, but haven't "fought" through the classes like the others. He was born above them, and now rose above them. There's no reason to believe he is better. Especially without having any magic.

Hunter has a lot to prove as the Golden Guard.

The way Darius speaks of his mentor, the previous GG, we can assume that that GG had proven himself even without magic. He had respect. Darius is comparing them both.

Hunter might've been raised sheltered because the previous one might've NOT been raised sheltered and that went horribly wrong.

SO.. AGAIN....... WHAT CAN THE GG DO?

Priesthood slash general, in a royal sense!

So basically he's a pirate captain, yar harr. Or at least in the fictional sense, Captains weren't actually capable of wedding or divorcing people.

Priesthood,

because Belos is implying he's got a religious connection with the Titan. So pressumably, Hunter can do cermonious things like.. Weddings and divorce, knighting someone into Covens with a glove or in other means, spiritual guidence like taking confessions/forgiving-or-offering consolance on the behalf of the Titan.

We don't really know much about the B.I. culture before Belos, other than wild magic and the previlent use of Palismen and Titan Blood.

We also know portals were a thing, and supposedly that there are forgotten portals where Human Garbage slips in now and then.

Presumably, on my part anyhow, I think there were priests not too unsimilar to the Coven heads, but rather so they were experts in their fields (like Illusionists) but weren't hindered from using other magic too.

Perhaps the highest priest(ess), were someone who was fluent in all magics (like eda). True wild magic. The Golden Guard, being at the top of the ladder, most likely is supposedly an equevalence of this.

So, the ironic symbolism here then; is that Hunter has no magic. It is a false system.

General,

because the Golden Guard went through scout training and is the highest rank. He would be expected to know battle stragedy, history, how to fight and be leading in battle. As well as take the risk of losing his head if captured.

He would speak to others like his words are definite and absolute. Like he is above others, whatever he believes himself to be so or not.

He can't say shit like "I think we should do this" it doesn't make an army trust him with their lives. He has to be more confident than them, that he is willing to die with this move, too, with them. "This is how we win." <- no matter how insane the plan is, if he sounds confident they trust him. The same way I would trust my teacher during a fire alarm. I know where the fire exit is! I still turn to my teacher, incase they know something I dont and want me to take the window instead.

You trust authority who has gained your trust in their ability to lead you in a crisis. The Golden Guard, supposedly being the title that describes THE BEST OF THE BEST witch on the isle... You may not know how they got there, but you know they did. You may trust it, you may not. But the average citizen might.

Hunter can't show that he doesnt know what to do. He cannot surrender. Because if HE don't know what to do, they're all fucked.

He has to make decissions based on logic and stragedy alone. And sound confident about his decissions, regardless of his true feelings. He can be terrified, and stand with his head high and order the palismen around to ensure the house is secure.

His fear comes out as a general taking charge. Because that's hat he knows. The same way a K-Pop dancer 's muscle memory kicks in on certain songs, Hunter's muscle memory is to step into his GG mask and hand out orders.

Until his friends call him out and he drops the "mask" and reveals that he's just a teen like any of them, wanting to roll under a bed and hide.

Prince,

he is Belos' nephew and Belos has the title Emperor, not pope. Although the GG is a title you can rise to, Hunter's specific situation of having been born and raised in the castle gives him a bit of a royal edge.

This means, most likely, that most if not all of the citizen would assume that.. Once Belos dies of old age, the one to take "temporary" seat as emperor is the right-hand man. And, possibly, just take the seat all together as a succession.

No wonder Belos made his nephew the GG, it secured his only remaining family a good position after his soon-passing and.. Politically, it would assure that the power of the throne remains within the family. Furthering the suspicion that Hunter hasn't earned his role. it is all a game of political chess.

He's the highest rank after all, why not just take the seat and be in charge once Belos passes away from age or illness? (I believe this is why Kikimora wants to be the GG and sucks up to him even if she knows he's cruel, by the way. Belos is old, it's just a waiting game.)

He could also make supreme court decissions. Forgive a crime, decide something is a crime when presented a case, and sentence people.

We see him threathen Luz with this when he steals palismen.

He is quite entitled, and I don't really blame him for it. He's been isolated and brought up to believe it is his right to be entitled. He has also proven it to himself, through hard work, that he has earned the right to be absolute and the final word.

SO, WHAT ABOUT POLITICAL, CONVOLUTED, CONTEXTS?

It also makes him a political target.

Kikimora wants him dead, to take his place. Perhaps so she could become empress once Belos dies off.

Had the show been allowed several more seasons, I'm confident we might've had a longer arc for Hunter to change sides. Maybe even be kidnapped by Darius-or-Raine before or after Hollow Mind happens.

Raine might know Belos wants him back, Darius might want to keep Hunter hidden and away. Both cases makes Hunter a chess piece. He still represents things for the people of the B.I. for better or worse.

For Darius - People who believe in the GG might, after Belos being overthrown, want Hunter to take his place as a "kind prince". With Darius as right-hand and mentor. As, perhaps, Darius would consider that a suden change in culture and power might be too shocking and difficult to adjust for the people. Something similar, like a pinnce, might be easier than a sudden NO MORE ANYTHING AT ALL. That would lead to civil divide and maybe even war.

For Raine - Hunter could be used to exchange a prisoner (maybe Eda?) and, or, be kept until after the rebellion to serve for his own crimes. (of course, this is only before they would discover Hunter's just as much a victim as everyone else, if not more). They could also consider that Hunter knows A LOT about Belos and secrets he might've kept. Perhaps even discovering that Hunter is a grimwalker and things develop from there.

The people - Hate him or love him. No plan is really a good one of what to do with him post-war. All ideas have conflict of interest or consequences. Honestly, putting Hunter in any position post-war might just stirr up unnecesary opinions. But leaving him totally be might make people upset and discontent as well.

There is also the question of HIS CRIMES. Because yes, he did "just do his job", and that might bode less on other coven heads, but Hunter? Hunter wasn't doing just his job, it was his life. The context of him being a grimwalker and manipulated, abuse and brought up with a sole purpose.... Does put some different lights on his after-thought crimes in Belos' name.

Because AT THE TIME, they were not crimes. Harvesting the palistrom forest, imprisoning wild witches, forcing conversion into covens, sentencing people to prison or petrification is... You know. Things he was supposed to do as the GG. He also had no choice but to become the GG. He didn't chose it. Belos did.

So debate would undoubtfully come up on whatever he deserves punishment or not.

I think, to satisfy everyone. He might get a very low sentence, slap on the wrist. Forbidden to participate in politics, perhaps? Who knows.

I'M JUST PUTTING FROSTING ON THE CAKE HERE, I DON'T KNOW. I'm just a storyteller with an oh-la-la~ for drama and the clashes of people of different backgrounds and lives. I personally enjoy bringing people together in crisis from all spectrums of a society, and boil them down to what makes them human and connect with one another.

So... Take all of this with a grain of salt from someone just... Enjoys convoluted mayhem like this. Where a straight-forward answer is never quite that simple.

But there is always a way. :)

Just gotta turn on the light, and finding one another wont be as difficult as running in the dark fighting demons.

[nesiacha]

The jacobins executed by Bonaparte

The plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise 24 december 1800 who kill 22 people and 56 injured

Warning:

As always I could be wrong as a history buff so feel free to correct me. Special dedication to @aedesluminis without whom I would never have been able to have so much information on Bernard Medge.

Alexandre-Joachim Chevalier

It is frustrating to have so little information about the Jacobins executed by the First Consul Bonaparte. Among them was the artificer Alexandre-Joachim Chevalier, arrested in December 1800 before he and his group could kill Bonaparte. He was executed on January 11, 1801, along with Veycer, who had not manufactured the infernal machine of Saint Nicaise (even though they had intended to kill Bonaparte). When he learned he was condemned to death, he reportedly shouted "Long live the Republic" but was immediately taken away by the gendarmes.

According to the author Jean Louis Vissières, though this should be taken with caution, as this book imagines what Alexandre Joachim Chevalier might have said if they let him talk after he learned the death sentence , this man worked in Year II at the artillery workshop in Meudon to improve the weapons intended for the soldiers of the Republic. Outraged by the Coup of Brumaire, he became part of a group of Sans-Culottes opposed to Bonaparte, including Desforges, a former member of the Cordeliers Club; Juvenot, a former aide-de-camp to General Rossignol; Gombaut-Lachaise, an officer struck from the ranks by Bonaparte, who deemed him excessive; Didier, and others.

Fouché's police, comprising a large number of informers, quickly foiled the plot, and the group was arrested at the end of December 1800. Again, according to Jean Louis Vissières' book, it seems Chevalier knew he was convincing no one by asserting his innocence but amused himself by exasperating the police and magistrates. This strategy was all the more effective because it allowed him to deny the involvement of other Jacobins. For example, "You wrote on a piece of paper: I am going to kill Bonaparte." Chevalier replied, "It was just to try a pen. I wrote the first sentence that came to mind."

It seems that once incarcerated, he got along well with the royalists as companions in misfortune, given that they shared a common hatred for Bonaparte. This information should also be taken with caution, but it reminded me of the touching anecdote about the friendship that developed between Marie Françoise Goupil and Lucile Desmoulins (their husbands were enemies and they likely would have been too if not for the misfortune that struck them, allowing them to bond in the face of the horrific parody of justice that led these two women to their deaths).

Of course, it seems clear that he was involved in the plot to kill Bonaparte in reaction to Bonaparte's coup and the rise of dictatorship. However, it is important to note that he never built the infernal machine on Saint Nicaise Street as he was accused (the work of the royalists).

Bernard Medge

He was born on September 3, 1753, in Carcassonne. At 17, he joined the naval artillery in Toulon. In 1787, he was involved in a case of stealing a cup, experienced imprisonment, and left to establish himself as a tanner before rejoining the army in 1792. In 1793, Metge was appointed principal administrator by the representative on mission Richou, where he came into conflict with Roussel. During the Thermidorian Convention, while Roussel was rising in rank, Metge wanted to resume military life and sought a lieutenant's commission in the Gendarmerie, which was refused by the Committee of Public Safety and the Directory. His position was precarious, especially as he was now considered a soldier without regular leave and risked punishment as a deserter.

He came to Paris in November 1795 to assert his rights and grievances. He had not forgotten his goals regarding his military career.

In the winter of 1795-1796, Metge became increasingly politically left-leaning, engaging in public debates, particularly in pamphlets, including one printed by René-François Lebois, considered the New Friend of the People, titled "Dialogue between a Representative of the People and a Former Administrator." In this pamphlet, Metge criticized the Council of Five Hundred for disregarding citizens' opinions and appeared in a public hearing on the same day the Directory announced the discovery of the Conspiracy of Equals. Consequently, Metge was arrested upon leaving and incarcerated. He wrote to the Minister of Police, Cochon de Lapparent, asserting he had no connection with the Babouvists, was appalled by their ideals, and said, "Indeed, preach the sharing and equality of goods, and you will have the lazy."

In March 1798, he published his work titled "Project of a General Bank of Agriculture and Commerce." It was primarily addressed to "farmers, merchants, manufacturers, fabricators, bankers, and brokers." Here is an excerpt: "Guided by the example of trading nations, I thought the best way to lift commerce from the lethargy in which it languished was to provide all citizens, without distinction, the means to invest their funds advantageously, securely, and with honest profit without any risk; and to allow others to easily obtain the sums or advances necessary for the type of work or industry they practice, paying only the most modest interest" (page 1).

He praised free commercial contracts and insisted that the government should be independent of finances, aligning more with capitalism and liberalism, as Metge adhered to the Constitution of Year III. In August 1799, he once again attacked Sieyes (the first time being in 1796) and contested the validity of the election that allowed Sieyes to become a director. He wrote a pamphlet titled "Panegyric of Sieyes," which established Metge's notoriety but also marked the beginning of his downfall. He was considered one of the 34 anarchist leaders and was arrested along with the 20 deputies seen as the neo-Jacobin opposition faction on November 11, 1799, shortly after Bonaparte's coup, Sieyes, and Ducos.

For the fifth time, Metge was arrested on October 4, 1800. What sealed his fate was simply his opinion. He authored a text "The Turk and the French Soldier," which justified the Egyptians' right to resist Bonaparte and called for a new "Brutus." His printer, Delrue, was also arrested. Here is the incriminating excerpt from the text:

"The Turk: You French call us slaves, while you are so dull that you don't even realize you are a hundred times more enslaved than us. In my country, a general who committed even a thousandth of the crimes Bonaparte has defiled himself with would have paid with his head... Where is the man who, knowing his rights and dignity, would want to live under such a government? Yet they dare to speak of liberty and equality; what a derision! Governments know well that they are dealing with fools and cowards, for there isn't a single Brutus.

The Soldier: There will be thousands.

The Turk: So be it."

This offense of opinion became conflated with the "Opera Plot" and the "Dagger Conspiracy." Consequently, Jean-Louis Humber, Denis Chapelle, and Etienne Jallabert were arrested for the opera plot. For the dagger conspiracy, Ceracchi, Arena, Topino-Lebrun, Demerville, etc., were arrested. Madeleine Fumey and Flamant were also arrested, with Flamant seen as dangerous by the police because, according to them, he was "the confidant of the conspiratorial leaders, and he was also responsible for printing and distributing pamphlets against the government at the Jacobins on Rue de Bacq."

The confusion was orchestrated by Fouché and Prefect Dubois, especially regarding Chapelle, who founded a secret society, and Metge. The case was handed over to a government commissioner, Gauthier-Biauzat, who was perplexed by the lack of material evidence for planning Napoleon's assassination. The accusation was based only on threatening words, polemical writings, meetings, and worse, there had been resort to torture—yes, torture. In addition to Bonaparte reinstating the punishment of branding, Fouché's police committed illegal acts of torture, rolling back reforms even Louis XVI had abolished. Despite threats from Fouché, Commissioner Gauthier-Biauzat, a scrupulous jurist, to continue to dissociate the cases.

Nevertheless, Bernard Medge was executed with two others, following this parody of justice on January 20, 1801, just after the arrest of the royalist François-Joseph Carbon, one of the main instigators of the Rue Saint Nicaise attack on January 18, 1801. Ceracchi, Arena, Demerville, and Topino-Lebrun were executed on January 30, 1801.

What is interesting about Medge is how political alignments shift over time. He was a neo-Jacobin, a fervent republican, an early opponent of Bonaparte, and an admirer of Brutus, yet clearly opposed to the Babouvists. Instead, he claimed allegiance to the Constitution of Year III. While his ideas appeared more conservative for a political class in 1793-1794 (even extreme leftists could be quite lukewarm on property rights), he is considered to belong to the left wing in the political class 1795-1799 and was classified as an anarchist by the Brumairians. In "The Turk and the French Soldier," we see another dimension of Medge: he can be interpreted as opposing expansionist and conquest wars, especially in defending the Egyptians, but also as glorifying the right to resistance.

My reflections and interpretations: To me, this is proof that Bonaparte was more deceitful from the start than even the revolutionaries in their worst moments. While we often, and rightly so, speak of the parodies of justice carried out by the Committee of Public Safety (CPS) supported by the majority of the Convention against the Enragés, the Hébertists, the Indulgents (although we often forget that Thermidor was not as bright, especially the execution of the last Montagnards like Charles Gilbert Romme, Goujon, and others), with very dubious amalgamations and sometimes fabricated evidence; in popular films, we only talk about the assassination of the Duke of Enghien (again, rightly so) concerning Bonaparte. Yet he committed far worse. As I said, although there were horrible figures during the French Revolution and the CSP committed questionable acts in an infernal internal and external situation to save the revolution, Bonaparte committed unforgivable acts in a much better situation just a month later, aiming to consolidate his power. Worst of all, he was a Jacobin And it truly took very little time for him to betray his former comrades—whereas the revolutionaries took longer to engage in internal struggles—for power. Not to mention the use of torture, an unforgivable act, and one abolished by Louis XVI. It is truly a step backward and more than unforgivable that Fouché's police practiced it on someone regardless of their convictions, whether royalist or republican.

Regarding the Jacobin Alexandre Joachim Chevalier, there was likely an attempt to murder Bonaparte. But didn't Napoleon himself say, "If I am treacherous, let all be Brutus," during the coup d'état? Wasn't he treacherous by betraying everything the French had given their lives for, and consequently, didn't the Jacobins have good reason to resent him? So, technically, he shouldn't be angry with the Jacobins who saw through his game from the start. Let us not forget that Medge was executed for the offense of opinion against Bonaparte. This demonstrates that ultimately, the 18 Brumaire was not as well-received as it seemed, whether by royalists or republicans.

The parodies of justice were worse under the CSP and led to the enactment of rather horrific laws: on January 5, 1801, without trial, 130 Jacobins were accused of complicity in the Rue de Saint Nicaise attack and were deported to the Seychelles without trial (including Felix Lepeletier), half of whom would die there (it was seen as worse than execution). Not to mention the arrests and detentions suffered by Marie Anne Babeuf and Simone Evrard after so much misfortune had already befallen these two militant women.

When it came time to draw up a list, Bonaparte called upon his former colleagues, the Septembrists. Did he forget that he was one of them (of the Jacobins, not the September Massacres) to deport them? Several state counselors said the assembly would never authorize this and that it had no competence. Talleyrand and Cambacérès then appealed to the Senate under "defense of the Constitution" measures as I understand it.

On February 7, 1801, the crimes of seditious assembly, rebellion, assassination, and brigandage became punishable by special tribunals; these courts did without juries and were not subject to appeal or cassation*. It was even worse than the justice of the revolutionary tribunal.

I strongly condemn assassination attempts, even against a figure I dislike as much as Bonaparte, for obvious moral reasons. If some Jacobins wanted to do it, it was the wrong way; even if they had succeeded, it would have opened the door to another dictatorship in my opinion. It was necessary to rally the masses again and start a new revolution. But I must point out that the movements were full of informants and often fabricated cases.

It is clear that Napoleon did not care whether they were truly guilty of the Rue de Saint Nicaise attack; he wanted to get rid of them, probably to further discredit Fouché in the eyes of the Jacobins (though Fouché needed no help in discrediting himself) and perhaps to provide assurances to the right and maybe tell his opponents, "This is what awaits you if ever…." In any case, he struck on all sides and eventually found himself alone, so when he really needed help, few allies were there for him (compared to Marat, who was arrested, and all of Paris rushed to his aid, or even when Robespierre, Saint-Just, Couthon, and Le Bas were arrested, 17 out of 49 sections wanted to help them without them asking for anything). Karma is harsh and finds its origin in this tragic affair, which would only be the beginning of a long list of grievances against him. Thats why I think Bonaparte didn’t care to save the revolution when he make the coup, it was above all for power.

I am not saying that Napoleon was a bloodthirsty man as often depicted by English propaganda. It is a black legend that needs to be combated, but I want to emphasize that while we often spend time condemning the acts of the revolutionaries (often rightly so, I am not absolving them), we exonerate Napoleon and his acts, which I believe were ten times worse.

Finally, I urge everyone who wishes to find more information about these Jacobins who were shot or died in deportation because it is always interesting to learn more about these forgotten figures of history and I can be wrong.

*https://www.napoleon-empire.net/chronologie/chronologie-1801.php

Sources  :

Excerpt from Bernard Gainot's text Un itinéraire démocratique post Thermidorien Bernard Medge

[poledancingdinos]

Hostile Territory - Chapter 22

Pairing: Captain Syverson x OFC (Leah Coleman)

Word count: 3.2K

Warnings: Past Sexual Harassment, Past Physical Violence, Masturbation (M)

Catch up: Series Masterlist

Taglist: @amberangel112 @utterlyhopeful-fics @marantha @kebabgirl67 @littleone65 @omgkatinka @luclittlepond @athenepromachos @enchantedbytomandhenry @narnianaos @geralts-yenn @peaches1958 @avengersfan25 @sillyrabbit81 @summersong69 @identity2212 @liecastillo @lena-banena @mrsevans90 @confessionbrain-writings @eclecticfashionbookszipper @happydistraction @hannah9921 @valacircareads @toooldforobsessions @kingliam2019

Masterlist

Day 204

Leah filled an entire shopping cart with vegetables, cheese, chips and all the fixings for a massive taco feast. That was, everything except the meat. For that, they stopped at a butcher shop on the way back. Sy hadn’t expected for things to still be so domestic after his conversation with Leah over breakfast but he wouldn’t want it any other way. 

Sy was sure he’d misheard Leah when she told the man she needed six flank steaks but, as it turned out, it was no mistake. The small army Leah had referred to was not much of an exaggeration. Apparently, they were expecting up to thirty people which was about half the population of Warhorse.

It was a good thing they had taken Caleb’s car instead of his rental. They wouldn’t have been able to fit the multiple cases of beer, wine, juice and soda in addition to the groceries. It was also simpler to leave anything not perishable in the car rather than hull it in and out of the house.

By lunch time, they had finished their assigned task, the flank steaks had been put in the fridge to marinate and the two of them were back cuddling on the couch after eating a few sandwiches.

To Leah’s surprise, in addition to loving fantasy books, Sy was a bit of a history buff. He found a show about some famous British king and, though Leah had never heard of it, the leading men were pretty to look at so she was willing to give it a shot.

After the first episode, Leah began to feel restless. The show was interesting and, let’s be honest, the money shot twenty minutes in didn’t hurt at all, but she just felt like they should have been doing something… more.

“I guess this wasn’t exactly what you were expecting when you flew out here to see me.”

Sy looked down at Leah over her shoulder but with her back to his chest and her gaze stubbornly fixed forward, he couldn’t read her expression.

“What do you mean?” he asked, tightening the arm he had wrapped around her waist while sliding his other hand over her stomach.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, resting her head against his shoulder. “It feels like in the movies the people who get two weeks of romance before they have to go their separate ways spend them having all these big adventures or fucking like rabbits and we’re just sitting at home watching the X-rated version of British history.”

“To be fair, if we’d had X-rated history in school I might have actually learned something.”

Sy’s attempt to lighten the mood didn’t do much good. Leah still chewed the inside of her cheek like it was an olympic sport.

He pulled Leah up onto his lap, stroking his thumb over the outside of her abused cheek.

“Babygirl, when our two weeks are over, we don’t go our separate ways, we go back to Warhorse.” Sy pressed a kiss to her temple, threading his fingers through her hair. “We don’t need adventures while we’re home because we get enough life-threatening missions while we’re away.” The tip of his nose brushed the shell of her ear as he moved to kiss the side of her neck. “And you don’t need to compare us to a Nicholas Sparks movie as fitting as it might seem.”

Busted. She hadn’t expected for him to know what she was referring to but clearly he was well versed in cheesy military romances.

“It’s a book too,” she grumbled.

“Oh?” Sy smirked against her skin, lifting his head to meet her gaze. “Well if it’s a book then we should be following it step by step. Although that Dear John letter might not have the same effect if you hand it to me on base.”

Leah shook her head, slipping from his grasp and moving to stand away with her arms crossed over her chest. “We won’t physically be apart but we won’t be together either. We can’t be so what are we supposed to do then? Am I supposed to sneak into your room after lights out and sneak back before anybody wakes up? Do we go back to how things were before we left?”

Sy pulled her back to him, flipping Leah onto her back and slotting himself between her legs so she wouldn’t be tempted to run again. Okay, maybe she hadn’t run so much as pulled away but he wasn’t letting it happen again. “I wish I had an answer to that, darlin’.” He moved a stray piece of hair out of her face, gazing down at her in such a way that she already knew what he would say next. And for once, it didn’t scare her. “I just know that I love you and that I’m not ready to let ya go.”

“Yeah?” she asked, in barely a whisper.

“Yeah…” He’d never said those words to a woman before and he was suddenly worried he’d spoken too soon.

Thankfully, the cutest little shy smile pulled at Leah’s lips. “I love you too.”

“Yeah?” he repeated, leading Leah to playfully slap his shoulder.

“Shut up and kiss me already.”

Leah felt more than heard Sy’s appreciative rumble. “Yes ma’am,” he growled before sealing his lips over hers.

Her hands snuck up his shirt, exploring the vast expanse of his back. Pinned under his comforting weight, there was no space left between them but she still tried to pull him closer by wrapping her legs around his waist.

“Ignore that,” Sy mumbled when his erection pressed against her covered core. 

“You don’t have to.”

“I’m gonna anyway.”

By some twisted coincidence, breathless moans coming from the television pulled their attention away from each other and over to the screen where the King was being generously served by a woman on her knees.

Sy broke away from Leah’s hold, reaching for the remote and switching the show off. As he dropped back onto the couch, he took a deep breath, grateful for the moment of reprieve before he blew his load in his pants. Before they could get back to what they were doing, footsteps coming from the upper floor alerted them to the time.

“Shit, I need to get the car loaded. Caleb’s gonna be fussing with his hair until the last possible second so he won’t think to do it himself.”

“I should uh… I should go shower.”

Not wanting to draw attention to the little situation he would obviously be dealing with while he was in there, Leah simply nodded and moved towards the kitchen.

“Oh!” Sy looked up towards where Leah stood in the doorway of the kitchen. “Wear something warm and pull out some stuff for overnight. I’ll put it in a bag for later.”

Intrigued, the Captain made his way upstairs to get his clothes. As he walked by the half-open bathroom door, he saw Caleb bent over the counter as he styled his hair, wearing only a towel. With a smile on his face, Sy riffled through his duffle, tossing some clothes on the bed and taking his nicest jeans and henley to change into after his shower.

As he stepped under the spray in the small first floor shower, Sy was still at half-mast. As soon as he replayed the moment where Leah told him she loved him, he was back to granite. He put a hand on the wall and wrapped the other around the base of his cock, giving it a squeeze. There was no time to draw things out, he just needed a clear head for the rest of the night.

Leah might have thought he shut off the show to avoid making her uncomfortable but the truth was that he shut it off to stop picturing Leah on her knees for him. He would wrap that hair he loved so much around his fist and use it to move her head over his shaft.

The water rolled down his back as his muscle clenched with every stroke up and down his length. Sy released a shaky breath when his thumb slid over his tip just right. He slowly repeated the motion a few more times, causing his ass to clench as his hips bucked forward of their own accord.

“Shit,” he hissed, his head falling forward.

Closing his eyes, Sy envisioned Leah’s tongue darting out to taste the beads of precum dripping from his slit. Then her lips would wrap around the head and she would sink down the length of his dick, going further and further each time. Her small hand would work the bottom half of his shaft and when she would be done making him nice and wet, she would take her hand away and sink down until he hit the back of her throat.

Before he even realized he was close, Sy was shooting his load onto the shower wall. A shiver ran down his entire body as a choked moan escaped his lips.

“Holy shit.”

Though his chest was still heaving, Sy couldn’t afford to waste any more time. He quickly rinsed the shower wall and used the available bottle of body wash to clean himself and his beard.

Sy stepped out of the bathroom just as a voice sounded from the second floor.

“Leah, come on we gotta go!” Caleb ran down the stairs with his hair perfectly styled but his shirt not yet fully buttoned. “Where the hell did I put my wallet?”

“Your wallet is with your keys on the table. The car is loaded and the electric cooler is plugged in for the cold stuff. We’ll meet you there.”

That made Caleb freeze halfway through putting his shoes on. “The fuck you are.” He marched back towards the kitchen where Leah sat at the table. “Look, I know you weren’t legal yet but we made a deal when you got that death machine and we agreed you’d never drive it after drinking ever no matter how little and especially not at night.”

Sy didn’t appreciate the raised voice and was tempted to intervene but he knew better than to get in between fighting siblings or to fight Leah’s battle for her. Leah, however, didn’t at all seem phased by her brother’s outburst, crossing her arms and waiting for him to finish his rant.

“Do you have any idea how many motorcycle accidents we get in the ER and what kind of damage the riders get? Broken bones, concussions, road rash… that’s the injuries the lucky ones get. The unlucky ones go straight to the morgue.” 

“Are you done?” she asked, standing and walking around the table.

Caleb looked taken aback by his sister’s calm tone. 

“Sy has a rental car which he can use to drive us but I was thinking we could take the long way there with my bike and stay at the cabin tonight.”

“Oh.” Caleb let out a relieved sigh, wiping a hand down his face. He hadn’t automatically assumed she would be staying the night since the cabin only had one bedroom and they normally just made the half hour drive back so they could each sleep in their own beds. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell like that.” He pulled Leah into a hug, muttering an ‘I love you’ into her hair.

If Sy had to venture a guess, he would say that their open affection came from the unexpected loss of their dad. Caleb was obviously terrified something might happen to Leah as well. And who could blame him considering the things he witnessed every day working in a hospital emergency room?

“Do you ride?” Leah asked once she saw Caleb off.

Sy nodded. “I got my bike license before I got my car license.”

“So… What do you think about riding up together?”

With a sigh, he caught Leah by the hips, pulling her closer. She responded by clasping her hands around Sy’s neck.

“Darlin’, I’m willin’ to put my male pride aside for a lot of things ‘cause I know you’re tough as hell and independent to a fault but I draw the line at ridin’ bitch.”

He was expecting some kind of snappy retort at his choice of words but Leah just smirked.

“Who said you’d be the one ridin’ bitch?”

Now that sounded like an amazing idea. Leah’s bike didn’t have anything for a passenger to hold onto so she would be forced to wrap her arms around him if she wanted to stay in her seat.

“Well if you’re offerin’ so nicely.”

After Leah found her spare helmet and set up a GPS on the front of her bike, they packed their change of clothes in a backpack and set off for the evening. It didn’t take long to realize why Leah had suggested the ride. The fall colors were gorgeous along the open road. As a bonus, Leah’s body was pressed flush against his back, her legs framing his and her gloved hands fisted in his old leather jacket.

Sy was almost disappointed when Leah pointed out the dirt path that led off through the trees. 

“Finally,” Caleb said as they walked in. He was halfway through the back door, holding a stack of what looked like four by fours in his arms. “L I need you to cut up the vegetables while me and Lachlan finish setting up the yard. Camden will be here soon with the stereo equipment.”

Out in the yard, Caleb’s friend was raking the leaves, while Caleb began attaching what Sy now knew to be legs to a table top.

“There isn’t much room in here so we take the legs off the tables when we store them. It also makes them easier to bring in and out of the cabin.”

Leah had obviously realized what he was looking at while she began pulling the vegetables out of the grocery bags.

“Why not just use folding tables?” he asked, taking everything over to the sink to be washed.

“Folding tables are expensive for what they are. Plus they’re often really narrow so my dad custom built three different tables that were the same size and could be attached together with brackets. With a power drill, it doesn’t take much longer to set up.”

Leah was almost done chopping the peppers and onions when the next person arrived, letting himself in.

The man gave a general greeting to the guys who’d come back inside to wash their hands before dropping his bags and moving to stand behind Leah. He put both hands over Leah’s ears and turned to Caleb.

“Why is Leah in the kitchen?” he stage whispered.

Caleb laughed, waving off the man’s concern. “Relax, she’s getting the vegetables ready. No cooking involved, only her scary knife skills.”

“Oh, well that’s fine.” He removed his hands and set them on her shoulders instead. “Hey Killer, welcome home.” He pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek before unpacking his supplies.

“Fuck you, I’m not that bad a cook,” she said, shooting a glare at the older man.

“Says the girl who managed to make a salad inedible.”

“You mix up the sugar and the salt one time…” she grumbled under her breath, looking back towards the cutting board.

Sy couldn’t help but smile at the adorable way she was pouting.

“Why does everyone call you Killer?” he asked, both genuinely curious and wanting to draw the attention away from Leah’s apparently lacking culinary skills.

A blush crept up Leah’s cheeks as she expertly sliced onions into long, even strips.

“It’s not everyone, just the guys who were around while I was in my freshman year of high school.”

“That doesn’t answer his question though,” Lachlan pointed out.

When Leah remained silent, Camden took over.

“One day, while me and our friend Niki were studying at his house, he got a call from Leah’s school asking him to come in because they couldn’t reach Caleb. When we get there, the principal calls Niki in and starts telling him how Leah was getting suspended because she attacked another student. The guy starts going on about how they will have to involve social workers if we can’t keep Leah in line and says that she needs a strong hand to keep her emotional outbursts in check. So Niki pulls me and Leah in and asks what caused the altercation. Turns out, the principal’s son had been calling Leah ‘doll’ despite her telling him numerous times to stop.”

“That’s when Niki asked if I was the only one being punished for what happened which was a stupid question seeing as they knew exactly who his son was and they knew for a fact that he could get away with murder.”

Camden hummed in agreement. “I was pre-law at the time so I gave him some speech about sexual harassment being a gateway to rape and that by not addressing the harassment he was condoning it and fostering a hostile study environment. It spooked him enough that he agreed to drop her suspension. Anyway once we left the school Niki made a comment about how Leah had every right to go Chucky on his punk ass. Killer kind of stuck after that.”

Never in a million years would Sy have guessed that Leah’s nickname would come from ‘killer doll’. In a way, it was kind of brilliant that they would use it as a way to praise her for sticking up for herself.

He remembered how Leah had said she’d isolated herself after their dad had died and realized it was probably a result of that asshole principal threatening to involve social services instead of admitting his own son had done something wrong.

“I’d never seen Niki so angry before,” Caleb chimed in. “When I got home from my midterm he looked about ready to hunt the kid down himself.”

“Still would have been better than Gage being the one to do it.”

“Fuck,” Caleb shook his head, clearly in agreement with Lachlan’s comment, “dad would have brought him back just to kill him all over again.”

When the three men stepped out to unload the stereo equipment, Sy slipped in behind Leah, putting his hands on her hips. “Is it all pet names that make you go serial killer or just ‘doll’?”

Leah looked outside, making sure Caleb was still out of earshot before she set the knife down and turned to face Sy.

“I lost my shit that day because he told me that if I wanted guys to notice me I should be a good little doll and only open my mouth when I wanted someone to stick something in it. I didn’t want any of them to worry more than necessary so I never told them.”

“Jesus,” he pulled Leah closer as if wanting to shield her from the memory, “I think that just ruined the word doll for me.”

He rested his forehead against Leah’s, taking a deep breath. 

“That’s okay, I like ‘darling’ better anyway. Or baby girl, that was nice too.”

Chapter 23

[ematooney]

Either I’m gonna sound like an idiot or smth I just need to know because it’s bothering the FUCK outta me.

Why on God’s green fuckin earth is THIS

AN ALIEN INVADER

Like?? Why do keronians invade?? Why??? Do they want to conquer the universe or some shit? Spread their territory or whatever the fuck? I mean, they’re tiny little frog dudes and they SEEM innocent (minus that one time they hid an artificial planet destroyer in the Earth that killed the dinosaurs) like they seem like alright peaceful folks and stuff, plus it also seems like they have plenty of neccessities and super advanced technology to actually live and thrive.

I mean, sure, their planet is like super small compared to ours, like same size as our moon so it makes logical sense that they invade to expand their property to control their own population not to mention gather needs like food, equipment, or technology. If that were the case couldn’t they like, I dunno, make a peace treaty with other planets? Planetary peace treaty??? (Look I’m not a history economical buff ok)

Like I’m genuinely curious about this guys. Why do the keronians invade? Is it explained in an episode? I’ve only seen season one and half of season 2, I don’t have any access to watch 3 or 4 (other than paying a subscription on crunchyroll) and I have the manga but only 1-17 and I know it’s not mentioned in there. So what the heck??

And if that’s the case, what do Keronians do when they invade? As far as I’m aware, they can be pretty brutal, but that’s about it. They can easily make time stop with that whole Planet Anesthesia thing from the Garuru arc and just be quick and easy about it, but what else do they do? Do they wage war against other aliens from other planets? Do they kill other aliens? And when they do invade a planet, what happens to the natives? Are they killed? Are they made into slaves or some shit? I NEED ANSWERS YOSHIZAKI.

Also, what’s up with Keron being obsessed with Earth? The show does say that Keron has been wanting to conquer Earth for a long time so why haven’t they done so already? They have that Planet Anesthesia thing so why did they have to send 5 of the silliest sillys to get it done?

Oh, and another thing! What the frog is the deal with the Keron Military?? Their rules are extreme! Like SUPER extreme! Like, fuck up this invasion and you’re executed buddy!!

Seriously, look at this!!

(Episode 51)

HE GOES TO FUCKING JAIL.

That can’t be normal right?? If you fail to complete an invasion you go to jail OR WORSE!

GET YOUR FUCKING MIND ERASED.

I mean, my only guess on why they would do this is that they want Earth so bad that they would go beyond the extremes!

Look, I love Sgt Frog, and I want to know more about their race and its world building. Is it explained at all other than what we already know? Why do the Keronians invade? Why do they want Earth so badly? What happens when they do successfully invade? Why are the rules in the Keron Military so extreme? The anime and the manga hardly explains any of this!! (At least to my knowledge)

Well, I have a theory on this, so hear me out.

Imagine living on a tiny planet that’s almost completely overpopulated with hardly any resources to go around and then suddenly you find this HUMONGOUS planet that’s 10 times the size of your own filled to the brim with all kinds of goodies you can get your grubby hands on. Frog paradise, right? Except there’s one tiny problem. It’s already occupied. Easy, just send a planet destroying monster to wipe em out! Problem solved. Okay, that worked but now we have another problem. Now there’s this new race that are way smarter and ethical than the previous ones, so now what?

Well, our last attempt with the whole planet destroying Kiruru was a bit extreme so why don’t we send our best platoon out there?

The best platoon:

Great job, guys.

[kxyera]

What the Ghost ghouls were in their mortal lives (Headcanons!)

Just headcanons that ive thought of <3

Aurora

I feel like she would've been an owner of a super aesthetic store, like the most ultimate place to get cute clothes that matched everyone's aesthetic, whatever it may be.

Cirrus

She gives off strong army vibes — She was an army cadet as a teenager (UK PEOPLE KNOW) at the very least. She was the sweetest cadet in the squad, but could definitely pin you down and beat your ass if needed. She doesn't take shit from no one (ahem- swiss.)

Cumulus

I feel like she would be an early years/kindergarten teacher, always in the most bright colours and taught the kids through singing and music. She's good with children and finds them adorable, even if it means she drinks coffee more than any other substance and marks worksheets with stickers.

Sunshine

I am telling you, this girl is a history BUFF, she worked in a museum — simply as an employee, but found happiness and love in every single day. She definitely lived her mortal life to the fullest.

Swiss

He's done military service, like Cirrus, but he really found passion in singing. He was definitely the soldier bringing up everyone's spirits in hard times, while being the fastest and most agile.

He and Cirrus definitely have competitions and races in the Ministry/On tour just to have fun and keep fit. A real brother/sister relationship where they challenge literally everything.

Who can drink water the fastest, who can do the most press-ups, who can do the drills better? It’s always a competition between the two.

Sodo

He was actually always a musician. He always was a lead guitarist, and he can't let go of that in his immortal ghoul life either. He enjoys the freedom of it, the thrill he gets on stage, the adrenaline of a show.

Mountain

He owned a small bookstore in his hometown, a little cosy one where anyone could come along and read/buy books. He knew everyone that came in, chatted with them about life. He just was a calm boy with a lot of close friends, in all honesty. He enjoyed talking about books, the pure fact it could bring out long conversations about possible endings was his favourite thing in the world

Rain

He was a tattoo artist (totally not based off of @rainyhoursinhell, im totally not obsessed with 'there is a star in the sky', not at all! teehee)

He was definitely also the teenager that gave shitty stick and pokes in the school bathroom, his motto was "Once its on your body, its your problem" so he wouldn't get the blame if it got infected

Phantom

He was a scare actor! He loved going around the theme parks, just being a little silly and getting reactions out of people. He also loved getting into costume — he said it was like halloween every day (He loves halloween)

Aether

He was a journalist for music -- A bit like Sodo, he couldnt give up the thrill of music, just in a separate way. He loves interviews specifically, writing up and meeting different artists and bands

He met Sodo's band once, but they've never realised since being in the Ministry for whatever reason. Maybe one day they'll realise they met before.

[tallmadgeandtea]

Turn Week 2023:

History Nerdery!

Hello, and Happy Fourth of July! For today's Turn Week, I wanted to talk about Benjamin's regiment in the Continental Army. We all know he's a Connecticut Dragoon, but what does that mean and what did they do, exactly? I'm going to let you know! The Continental Cavalry is my favorite unit in the army, and I actually did an Honors Research Project on them last year for my college. WARNING: this is going to be LONG. I'm sorry. Kind of.

What is the Continental Cavalry?

The cavalry is the mounted troops in a military force, meaning they fight on horseback. At the time of the Revolution, the cavalry was considered an elite and necessary force for a proper military. Combat on horseback was dangerous- you not only had to avoid cannon and gunfire, but you had to attack other mounted troops with lances and sabers of their own.

There are two types of cavalry: light cavalry and heavy cavalry. The light cavalry had three primary duties. Scouting, which was to patrol enemy forces, movements, and the terrain surrounding camps and battlefields, which also played into reconnaissance. They also served as messengers to officers on and off the battlefield. On the other hand, heavy cavalry was troops used in action. Their objective was to lead charges and weaken the enemy’s unmounted troops, like going after their flanks. They also performed raids/ambushes or small skirmishes against the enemy. Their combat was on and off the battlefield.

Due to the near constant lack of funds for the Continentals, their Dragoons performed both light and heavy cavalry roles. A dragoon/trooper is a soldier who fights either on horseback or on foot, depending on the amount of horse available. They used weapons such as: a cavalry saber, a shortgun, and a musket.

Unlike the British army, which brought over cavalry forces, at the beginning of the war, there was not an official cavalry for the Continentals. Some state and organized militias had mounted troops- such as the Philadelphia Light Horse- but professional, commissioned troops had not seen action.

After seeing the performance of the British cavalry during the New York Campaign, General George Washington realized his army needed horses of their own. Writing to Congress in late 1776, “From the Experience I have had in this Campaign… I am Convinced there is no carrying on the War without them.”

What made up the Continental Cavalry?

In 1777, the cavalry's first year in action, there were four regiments of Light Dragoons.

The 1st Regiment of Dragoons- from Virginia, also known as Bland's Light Horse. Their uniforms were originally the "classic" Continental coat: blue with red facings, but they then changed the standard to brown with green facings.

The 2nd Regiment, also known as the Connecticut Light Dragoons, Colonel Elisha Sheldon and Benjamin Tallmadge's force, mustered from Connecticut, hence the name. Their uniform was blue with buff facings.

The 3rd Regiment, aka Colonel Baylor's or Lady Washington's Light Horse, in honor of Martha Washington. Their uniform was white with blue facings (one of my favorite uniforms in the army.)

And the 4th Regiment, led by Colonel Stephen Moylan. His troops originally wore red! coats, and this lead to some incidents of friendly fire. At Washington's order, the regiment changed to green with red facings.

How does this relate to Turn: Benjamin Tallmadge and His Dragoons.

Although the show does not get into heavy detail about Benjamin Tallmadge's battle experience, we know what battles he was present at with his regiment.

1777 the cavalry's first years as professional troops in battle. Both had very... different outcomes, let's say. Both were also mentioned or briefly shown in season 2 of Turn, and my research focused on this.

During the Campaigns, a set of troops from each regiment of Dragoons was stationed with General Washington in Pennsylvania, led by Bland, Moylan, Baylor, Sheldon, and Tallmadge.

Benjamin Tallmadge and his soldiers were present at both the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown.

At Brandywine, Washington first used the dragoons for only scouting, not combat. But as the British went after his insecure right flank, he frantically sent units of soldiers and cavalry to prevent the British from getting to the road along and to Brandywine Creek. The cavalry also acted as messengers to officers during this battle, but insufficient preparation and speed led to delayed reports. The cavalry did lead a charge that allowed Washington to retreat, but the day was lost. Afterwards, the British marched into the Continental capital of Philadelphia.

After Brandywine, Washington needed another battle to try and take back Philadelphia. With a night march, he decided to attack the British near their camp in Germantown, Pennsylvania, a small village outside the city.

Washington had four columns, 2 made up of Continental forces and two of state militias. Just as at Brandywine, his right wing was commanded by Sullivan, and his left by Greene. The Dragoons were now under their newly commissioned commander, General Pulaski. Tallmadge stated in his memoirs that, “if every division of the army had performed its allotted part, it seems as if we must have succeeded.”

Unfortunately, this would not be the outcome at Germantown. At the beginning of the battle, the Continentals were winning. Part of the camp was captured. A heavy fog and rain set over the battlefield, and the British used this fog to their advantage. They retreated into a local country house and created a stalemate.

Benjamin Tallmadge and his dragoons were first stationed with Sullivan’s division, close upon “the scene of the action.” As the battle turned against the Continental forces and the troops became victim to enemy and friendly fire, Washington ordered him to use his 2nd Dragoons to block any further retreat, to no avail. Germantown was lost.

Germantown was the last official engagement of the Philadelphia campaign. But on June 28, 1778, the Continental Army and the Cavalry engaged the forces at the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey. Due to proper military training thanks to the Inspector General Baron von Steuben and six months of waiting at Valley Forge, the army emerged as a proper fighting force and prevailed against the British. The victory allowed the Continentals to take back their capital and keep Washington in as Commander in Chief.

Monmouth is the shown in the finale of season 2- Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot- with Benjamin leading his dragoons into the battle.

After the 1777 campaigns, Tallmadge and his dragoons would stay up north, particularly New York, to patrol and engage the enemy in raids. They also participated in the Battles of Stony Point and Fort St. George, which were shown in seasons 3 and 4 of Turn.

Sources (and further reading):

Memoir of Col. Benjamin Tallmadge : Tallmadge, Benjamin, 1754-1835 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Brandywine: A Military History of the Battle that Lost Philadelphia but Saved America, September 11, 1777 by Michael C. Harris, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for Philadelphia, October 4, 1777 by Michael C. Harris, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Cavalry of the American Revolution - Jim Piecuch - Westholme Publishing