#nimblermortal

[tanoraqui]

Trick or treat! Queen's Thief series or Spellcoats please?

This is a great combination because one of my favorite pet headcanons is that these series take place on different continents in the same world. The vibes just match, you know? The themes of real people becoming history and legends, the amount of fantasy in the fantasy settings (very little, really, and both ambling toward industrial revolutions). The way the gods do and do not interact with and relate to humans; how the older gods are more nature-based and the younger more human. Eugenides the god could so be an Undying of Dalemark, as could Immakuk and Ennikar.

[Tanaqui voice] “Go to bed, Duck.”

[hello-delicious-tea]

We Would Like to Announce: A Tortallan Progress!

We (@nimblermortal and I) have Progressed on our fic, and so we invite YOU, our subjects, knights and ladies, to joust for the HONOR of beta-ing our incredible work of genius, sorcery, and stunning wonder, in which Numair tries very unsubtly to get Varice to leave Ozorne and come to Tortall. Trials begin at dawn!

[cartograffiti]

If you decide you don't want to get into Daredevil again I can ruin it for you. I've done it to people before. This is an offer, not a threat.

Thank you! If I contemplate it for more than sixty seconds I remember I'm not taking them back, they can feed me cute set videos and I will imagine the story is good and know it isn't.

[nimblermortal]

Heck yes Tonys halted due to WGA strike

Heck yes Stranger Things halted due to WGA strike

Heck yes no new Last Week Tonight due to WGA strike

IMPACTFUL THINGS AND THINGS I LIKE BEING HALTED DUE TO WGA STRIKE IS GOOD

PAY DEM WRITERS! BOOYAH!

[petermorwood]

@nimblermortal sent me this last week:

A second blade weapon became increasingly common in the later Viking Age. It does not have a formal name, being often referred to as a fighting-knife or battle-knife, and it was essentially a development of the one-handed, long seax knife of the Migration Period. A single-edged blade with a thick back that added weight to a short, stabbing blow, it seems to have been intended as a back-up weapon. By the tenth century, battle-knives had elaborate scabbards that were worn horizontally along the belt, allowing them to be drawn across the body from behind a shield if the sword was gone; a variant hung down at an angle from an elaborate harness. It seems they may also have been worn on the back - again for a swift, over-the-shoulder draw. Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price @petermorwood (Mr Morwood! Mr Morwood!) I found an archaeologist claiming people were doing over-the-shoulder draws! Would you care to weigh in?

*****

Would I ever! That's a button well pushed. But things got odd when I tried, because as soon as I'd written even the smallest reply and saved to Draft, this happened:

Letting it stand would have seemed like I was trying to avoid comments, corrections or criticism, but despite poking around in Settings there was no way to turn things on. It was only by cut-and-pasting @nimblermortal's entire original as a Quote starting a new post that the problem was resolved.

Anyone else encountered this?

Anyway, on with the lecture response. :->

*****

As regards Back-Carry / Back-Draw of "battle-knives", I'm not convinced.

("Battle-knife" is a term I've never seen in connection with any Viking Age weapon. What's the Old Norse for it? German "Kriegsmesser" (war-knife) refers to something much bigger from 500 years later, also not back-carried or back-drawn - which from here on will be BD / BC.)

To get where he is now, a full professor, Neil Price will have defended his PhD, and should know such a statement as "It seems they may..." will need evidence to support it.

That phrase is easy to write, as is "According to legend..." and "It is said..." However these are IMO default History Channel phrases, with all the authenticity that implies. None of them actually PROVE what they're speculating.

"Experiments conducted by museum staff wearing authentic armour reveal that IT SEEMS medieval knights could use smartphones."

But does it prove medieval knights USED smartphones? See what I mean?

*****

I first asked if anyone had actual proof of BC / BD on Netsword almost 30 years ago, and to date there's been nothing. I've also posted about it quite a lot on Tumblr, so being poked with this particular stick is no surprise. :->

The quotation from "Children of Ash and Elm" is the first time I've heard of a trained archaeologist making a claim for BC / BD, and the odd part is that Prof. Price also states the weapon was intended for "...a short, stabbing blow" - which means wearing it horizontally in front makes far more sense. From that position it can be drawn far faster and with less telegraphed intent than "...on the back - again for a swift, over-the-shoulder draw."

Reaching up for any weapon carried across the back, whether long or short, is a bigger movement - and thus less "swift" - than snatching out the same weapon worn at the hip or across the front at waist level, especially if - as he suggests - that move is masked behind a shield (or for that matter a cloak, a door, or a half-turned torso...)

Try both moves in front of a mirror with a ruler or even a length of dowel, and you'll understand.

With a weapon-hilt visible behind one shoulder or just a cross-belt suggesting something slung out of sight, what's a Norse warrior going to think when his potential opponent reaches up there? At a moment of hot words and high tension, will he wait while an itchy back gets scratched or until an attack happens?

The explosive violence described in sagas suggests not.

If Prof. Price has solid proof for his BC / BD notion in the form of artefacts or art - and it'll need more than a one-off example - I'll be very pleased to finally see some "show me" evidence.

(It won't do anything for longswords of 500 years later, of course, though I bet the uncritical back-carry brigade would leap on it regardless.)

But without that evidence, I'm taking "it seems" with a wary pinch of salt.

*****

There's a weird internet fixation about BC / BD (which are NOT the same thing) and an equally weird need to show that back-draw "works", whether with hooks under the guard and a leather condom at the point...

... or by being open most of the way down one side.

Neither are real-world historical, so let's see how they work in fantasy.

IMO they're not appropriate there either, because the designers are so eager to provide working BC / BD that they ignore the main function of a scabbard, which is to carry the weapon in something which protects people from the weapon's edges, and the weapon from the elements.

Real scabbards for real swords went to some trouble over that. They protected people, including the wearer, with a completely enclosed wooden, leather and / or metal case, and protected the blades by having them fit into their case well enough that inclement weather stayed out.

This fitting could involve metal collars (Japanese habaki), or tight-gripping lanolin-rich fleece linings, or leather flaps, caps and rain-guards mounted on hilt or scabbard-throat. Real scabbards didn't have exposed metal and weren't open-sided rainfall buckets, because the priorities of actual sword users were very different to those of back-carry fans.

Given the number of posts I've seen about the technical side of fantasy world-building - history, geography, even geology and meteorology - I think this difference is worth noting.

*****

The first time I recall seeing back-carry mentioned in a historical-not-fantasy context was in "Growing Up in the Thirteenth Century", © Alfred Duggan 1962. Here's the extract in question:

Unfortunately Duggan - though according to his Wikipedia entry "His novels are known for meticulous historical research" - doesn't give any cited source for this; his introduction to the book says:

I know the feeling! :->

I'd still trust him more than some modern historical writers who seem over-willing to add a touch of fantasy speculation / interpretation if it rounds out something inconclusive, makes the history more interesting or chimes with a personal agenda.

"Accurate" is better than "interesting", and "I don't know" is better than making stuff up.

*****

To repeat: I've yet to see any museum-exhibit or manuscript-illumination examples of BC / BD ever done For Historically Real with Western European swords, especially the hand-and-a-half longswords on which modern back-draw fans seem fixated.

A seax, scramasax or just plan sax is shorter, but yet again, this is the first time I've read anything even remotely scholarly about them or their later Viking-age version (saxes were associated more with Saxons than Vikings, guess why?) being BC / BD.

By contrast, there are at least three art instances of saxes worn horizontally, on 10th century crosses at Middleton Church, Yorkshire:

The art is backed up by surviving examples with scabbard-fittings still in place, indicating how they were worn. Here's one example, from the Metropolitan Museum, New York which makes that very obvious.

The little decorative masks (originally part of the top of the scabbard, now corroded onto the blade) are clearly meant to be This Side Up, and also show that this scabbard was This Side Out for a right-handed draw, since there's no detail on the back.

There's a similar fancy-front / plain-back / right-hand-use leather sax scabbard at the Jorvik Centre in York.

There's only a single photograph of this bigger one - 54cm (21.5 in) overall - from the Cleveland Museum of Art, with no way to see if the L-shaped scabbard mount is decorated on just one or both sides. However it does indicate the weapon was meant for horizontal wear.

I've also flipped the website photo to show right-hand use, because "It seems..." (hah!) more probable. Here's why I did it:

For most of history being left-handed was unusual, a disapproved-of aberration and the origin of the word sinister.

Left-handers were useless in any formation from Ancient Greece through Ancient Rome to the Saxon and Viking period where the shields of a phalanx, testudo or shield-wall had to overlap for mutual support.

In the Middle Ages, both the specialised armour and the layout of jousting courses were almost 100% right-hand only.

Most surviving swords with asymmetrical hilts, such as swept-hilt rapiers, are made to for right hands not left.

Even nowadays many weapons - including the current British Army rifle (SA-80 / L85/A2) - are set for right-handers only.

*****

The longest saxes are called Langseax (surprise) though this may be a modern-ish term. Here's one from the British Museum, the so-called "Seax of Beagnoth"...

...which is 72 cm (28.5 in) total / 55cm (22 in) blade.

That's about the same as a Roman gladius (another sword never back-worn despite its convenient size) and is a good 25-30cm (10-12 in) shorter than the average "proper" sword of the same period, which means it could be drawn over-shoulder...

However the layout of its runic engraving shows it was almost certainly meant to be worn horizontally As Per Usual.

*****

And now we've come all the way back around to Prof. Price's claim that Vikings did BC / BD with their battle-knives.

Such a claim needs proof.

Please, show me some.

[pod-together]

Pod-Together Day 5 Reveals 2024

moonlight lullaby (Tortall - Tamora Pierce) written by coffee_and_cardamom, performed by paintchipblue Summary: On their way back from the Barony Olau, the gang encounters something very unexpected.

On the History and Styling of God-Cloth (Original Work) written by Drel_Murn, performed by nimblermortal Summary: Yena had made her career selling pieces at auctions and to the art world online. As a priestess of Lady Keneka, God of Weaving, she got the occasional commissions from temples, but those didn’t come often enough for her to support herself off of. Even with the money she made selling in art circles, it was her late husband’s job as a plumber that had kept food on the table day-to-day.

on the ashes of sparrows (Hadestown - Mitchell) written by DuskDragon39, performed by BubblesKat Summary: Her fur is still dirty and matted, covered in oil and coal dust. “What do I do?” she asks the god next to her. “Sing. Sing for him, and hope like hell that your boy walks out of there alive.” Or, a retelling of Hadestown with daemons - and a bit more besides.

Leverage: Human Resources training (Leverage (US TV 2008)) written by Elle-dubs, performed by Wereflamingo Summary: Parker leads an HR training.

The Dreams that Devour Nightmares (One Piece (Live Action TV 2023)) written by estelraca, performed by Cricketbones Summary: The Straw Hats have made it to the entrance to the Grand Line, but someone doesn't want them to move forward, and is willing to trap them in their worst nightmares in order to stop them.

Dawn of a New World (Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)) written by flipflop_diva, performed by pensnest Summary: Giles is frustrated. And worried. Glory seems unstoppable, and Dawn is in horrible danger. But then a package shows up in the Magic Box and suddenly nothing is what it seems. Literally. Starting from the fact that now there are two Rupert Giles.

do you think I'm frightening? [text, audio] (Our Flag Means Death (TV)) written by oddishly, performed by Tipsy_Kitty Summary: A brave little trickle of longing makes itself known in Ed’s chest. The shriek eats it.

gone to be faraway (Stranger Things (TV 2016), Supernatural (TV 2005)) written by pprfaith, performed by reena_jenkins Summary: In which the Party find out that Steve is more than everyone's favorite punching bag and Ersatz!Mom.

Treacherous Gifts: Copper (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) written by RisalSoran, performed by BardicRavenReads, audio production by OneGoldenRaptor

Friends of Cordelia (Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold) written by Sanguinity, performed by PhoenixFalls Summary: During her decades of service to the Imperium, Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan commanded a special place in the hearts of queer Barrayarans. Explore their stories today at the Vorbarr Sultana Capitol Museum.

[lucigoo]

Weekly Roundup: 5th May - 12th May

Some on forgot to mention it had gone Sunday. Having both broken and dislocated my wrist on Saturday its all a little higgldy piggldy on my brain right now, whoops. I have a weekly goal of 10,000 words but I think im gonna lower it to 5000 atm nd try and give myself some grace. So, I managed 10,492 words last week with 3 uplodaded fics But first, as always, recs <3 Got A Secret Need To Keep It - BindiTheSkunk - The Hobbit (Bagginshield, Bilbo is just plain feral in the best way) Summary: Bilbo tries to do what Thorin told him to with his supposedly dying breaths and return home to his books and armchair...but a sudden revelation makes him go to return to the place his heart was left at, but he is set upon by Mirkwood's elves who wish to use him... From Hobbiton With Love - Dimity Blue (Arnie) - The Hobbit (this is just adorable, Bilbo/Thorin) Summary: The Battle of the Five Armies is over with everyone surviving. Back in the Shire, a lonely Bilbo turns to writing novels about "Noti the Spymaster". They're surprisingly popular, especially in Erebor. Your Own Faithful Land - 61Below - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thori, little Frodo is the most precious thing around) Summary: Uncle Bilbo lived Very Far Away, so he never stopped by for tea, and he missed the fireworks Gandalf lit off at the Lithe. It was too unfair. Instead, Frodo had to content himself with the letters and the wonderful stories that Uncle Bilbo would write to him. All Manner of Things - Drel_Murn, nimblermortal - Wiedźmin | The Witcher - (Geralt/Jaskier, I have discovered I am a glutton for Accidental Warlord/Arranged marriage Au's and this one is golden) Summary: Julian is pretty sure he's not the Count of Lettenhove's daughter, but after he's thrown away his other marriage prospects, his father sends him to forge a political marriage with the Warlord of the North. Julian's just trying to survive, but in the face of true kingship and the Kaer Morhen Fanon Hot Springs, he might just learn to thrive.

Accidental Warlord AU in which Jaskier is trans. With, perhaps, a few other changes along the way. A Wolf and a Bard Walk into a Bar... (I Forget the Rest) - SuperFrikinAngsty - The Witcher (Geralt/Jaskier, Aiden/Lambert, I adore after the Mountain fix it fics) Summary:

The bard’s first drink was nearly gone when the door to the tavern was thrown open. All conversations stopped as every patron turned to look at the newcomer. The air tensed around him, and Jaskier sighed.

Witcher. Mutant, the people around him whispered. Hatred and fear colored their voices as they cursed the man walking inside with uneven steps.

Jaskier sniffed the air tentatively and sighed in relief when the scent didn’t match the one he’d spent the past months avoiding. Instead of horse and onion, this witcher smelled of sulfur and blood.

Well. That wasn’t good. Of Swords and Songs - ThedemonCat - Multifandom (Geralt/Jaskier, The Withcher/Sweeny Todd Au i never knew I needed,) Summary: Years ago, Geralt Rivia enjoyed a peaceful life with his husband, Jaskier, and their daughter, Ciri. However, an affluent Judge became infatuated with Jaskier, leading him to orchestrate a scheme that wrongfully accused Geralt of a crime. This resulted in Geralt's imprisonment on a remote island.

Now, Geralt has returned, driven by a thirst for vengeance. He discovers that Ciri is now under the judge's care, and the fate of Jaskier remains a mystery to everyone. Hope someone likes at least one of them <3

And now, like always, my fics. Sharing Spaces (Because you want me to) _ An animal bday gift fic for the wonderful @hobbityalse, Cat Bilbo/Lynx Thorin Summary:

Thorin has been relcated to a new zoo, he needs a friend. Well, th ehumans think he needs a friend, Thorin disagrees.

Bilbo just doesnt want to be alone anymore. A dwarf alone: Not all alone, I'm here cousin (Gen fic, exploring the familial relationship that should have existed betwee Gimli and Frodo) Summary: The fellowship is grieving Gandalf, but there is a dwarf who is mouring more the just their fallen Wizard, he is mourning his family and their legacy.

Dwarves are not supposed too mourn alone, but Gimli is a lone dwarf, until he isn't alone in his grief any longer. Whoops, I spilt the tea (Sirius/Remus ay Hogwarts. For @flashfictionfridayofficial, prompt #262, Spill the tea) Summary: McGonagall has ordered Sirius to spill the tea, so that's exactly what he does. So thats it for another week, have a good one, take care, and try not to fall over and break your wrist, it sucks ......

[unfavorableinstigation]

If we're all memeing about where we're going to go if Tumblr dies, I'd like to put in my vote for LinkedIn. Both because it would be hysterically funny and because my one (1) friend on LinkedIn is @nimblermortal.

[adroitjackal]

@judesstfrancis tagged me!

rules: choose 4 of your favourite characters from 4 pieces of media as options and let your tumblr pals decide which one most suits your vibe

I’ll tag @nimblermortal @ploridafanthers if you want to participate, and also anyone else who wants to!

[icryyoumercy]

@nimblermortal i think i entirely forgot to tell you yesterday because i got excited and then distracted, but your guess at þýðing found me translations, which makes a whole lot more sense than useless

[shadowen]

Summary:

Nile isn’t sure what she expected self-professed “demonologists” to look like, but the two guys sitting across from her are definitely not it.

Notes:

Written for AU Roulette 2023. The prompt was "Urban Fantasy", so I developed more of the Demonologist AU I've been noodling, with sincere gratitude and apologies to the memory of Ed and Lorraine Warren. Additional thanks to @nimblermortal for the beta! Will I write more of this story? Who can tell. For now, enjoy.

[jazzhandsmcleg]

@nimblermortal tagged me :)

rules: choose 4 of your favourite characters from 4 pieces of media as options and let your tumblr pals decide which one most suits your vibe

I will tag @imaginariumgeographica, @ikoku-sovereignty, @relia-robot, and @poorlytunedukulele but anyone who wants to join the fun should of course feel free!

[shaftal]

A Year In Shaftal: Wrap-Up

We did it! A whole year where the Elemental Logic fandom has been the most active it’s ever been! The final standings:

spiritintheinkwell (mod, not eligible for final gift): 19 works 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 

grimdr: 6 works 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

nimblermortal: 5 works 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

kichiquax-draws: 4 works 🔥🔥🔥🔥

samwisestouthearted: 4 works 🔥🔥🔥🔥

senqin: 1 work 🔥

thesunwillart: 1 work 🔥

rhododendria: 1 work 🔥

All in all, 8 people contributed fanworks, covering 22 (!) prompts. grimdr is our champion, and I’ll be asking him what he wants for his gift soon.

What happens to this blog now? It stays up, and I will still be tracking relevant tags and reblogging fanworks here. Also... If you stick around long enough, I fully intend to run this event again when Fire Logic turns 25 (in 2027). I didn’t remotely get through my ideas this time.

[nimblermortal]

Book: ...a former jarl's guard who openly admitted to being responsible for the threatening letter written to Theod and me. His name was Otrygg Otryggson.

Nimbler: *bursts into laughter*

Traitor McTraitorface? Really? That's what you named the fellow? No wonder you're not afraid to throw around names you're unlikely to use again!

(Tryggvi is an actual name - witness King Olaf Tryggvason - and ó- is a negative prefix. The verb involved is trúa, or the adjective tryggva, true/loyal/faithful. So this dude's name is uh. Hilarious.)

[ao3feed-vorkosigansaga]

Nikki Vorsoisson and the Vorkosigan Legacy

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/SBiljI1

by nimblermortal

When Nikki goes to jump ship pilot summer camp, he has two goals: meet fellow jump ship fanatics, and don't let anyone think he's related to the Vorkosigans. Unfortunately, Vorkosigan agendas manage to ruin everything.

Featuring such beloved characters as Boring Stepdad, Cool Uncle Mark, and Uncle Gregor, The Only One Who Listens

Words: 11588, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Nikolai Vorsoisson

Additional Tags: Summer Camp, Sexism, Bullying, Politics, Teenage Drama, Coming Out

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/SBiljI1