#and the uses of anachronism

[epersonae]

Truth or dare! 🔪🧩🪲

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

ngl I am very low research for my fics, back in the TAZ days the most it ever was is looking at tazscripts for specific lines from the show or looking up D&D spells for the characters to use. and ofc David Jenkins School of Historical Accuracy - but I will say that I did do a bit of a deep dive when I was working on chapter two of Hungry for love, ready to drown to figure out what books Stede might have looted, and took way too long figuring out when the Jacquard loom was invented. I think there's a balancing point of having an understanding of what's plausible historically in order to know when to play with it, and writing that fic was a fun place to play with it.

actually, no, wait, speaking of Hungry for love, ready to drown: that is the fic that prompted @emi--rose's Stabifesto, which was merely my attempt to answer the question: how much would Ed be bleeding after getting stabbed? ended up being a waaaaay deeper dive into the subject than I had intended, and I ended up using like three details.

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

minimum bar of writing quality, I also have a minimum bar of characterization which is a "know it if I see it" thing (and occasionally if the writing is good enough I'll forgive it not quite being in-character), in particular there's sort of a constellation of things with Ed and Stede specifically that if I see it I'm like oh you don't get these guys. And like, write what you want forever, but also I'm not going to read it. honestly, anything with Izzy alive post-canon.

and then there's this weird, I don't know how to describe it, with canon-era fic, but it's related to my thoughts about use of history, and knowing the rules you're breaking, and sometimes the wrong anachronism will throw me out of the story so badly that I can't keep reading. (there's an absolutely gorgeous fic that I know a lot of people love, but it reads to me like it's set very clearly and solidly in the late 1800s or early 1900s, and I kept getting thrown by the details because they're so lovely rendered, it's a beautiful world that is entirely wrong. if it had been written as an AU it probably wouldn't have bothered me so much!)

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

I'm actually going to skip this, the thing I was working on last is in a spot where I don't want to post anything to tumblr 😅 (but who knows, maybe I'll come back and reblog this with an addition)

[dykekarkat]

you think neil was hitting that kevin day ao3 tag to cope while on the run or was he too technologically illiterate. actually he was probably writing kevin day fic in his freaky little binder now that im thinking about it...writing his own little childhood friends au canon fix it...

[serpentface]

Omg, is there any more about Odonii battlefield performance?

Faiza giving a full battlefield performance, which includes grimacing, sinister looks, letting out terrifying war cries, and banging on her shield with her dagger's pommel. She's wearing a full set of armor, which is functional but highly decorative. A squire will be present somewhere nearby to carry the rest of her weaponry.

As mentioned in the other post, Odonii generally do not actually Participate in fighting. Their perpetual armament and training to correctly Use this armament has predominantly symbolic functions, with their bodies as vessels for state and military empowerment and integrity.

Their normal role on the battlefield is:

a) Spiritual protection for their associated warriors and intimidation of enemies.

Their role is partially to be the ‘guardian lion’ figure in human form, their presence and performance in of itself is considered metaphysically protective. This guardian lion nature is played up and reinforced with their dress and behavior- they wear lion skins over their armor, paint their faces red to obscure human features, perform war cries tailored to sound inhuman (not like lions, just a very shrill and frightening sound). They perform ‘frenzied’ movements that intend to evoke an enraged animal- pacing, banging on their shields, biting their weapons/shields, baring teeth, exaggerated glances that emphasize the whites of their eyes, etc. This can be a disturbing sight- reassuring to their allies who know a frightening spiritual guardian figure is on their side, and demoralizing to an enemy (the latter especially in conjunction with common beliefs that Odonii are witches/shapeshifters)

b) A motivating factor to get the men to fight more bravely.

This is partly out of religious belief (you will probably be a little bolder if you feel reassurance that God is very much present and on your side, via Its priestesses), partly out of esteem for the order (you are highly motivated to perform for their recognition and protect them from harm). In a way, their role on the battlefield is the Least masculinized aspect of their performance- they are in part there to remind men of their mothers, wives, and daughters, who they are supposed to be the protectors of and whose benefit they are ultimately (at least deemed to be) fighting for.

In some cases, this is taken to a (cultural relative) extreme wherein they will expose their breasts towards their own men as a part of battlefield performance, in the form of a supplicatory gesture (bearing the breasts and thumping on the chest with a fist). (The Odomache’s nude body should never be publicly seen under any circumstances, limited and controlled exposure by Odonii Can be appropriate). Breasts are not sexualized in this cultural sphere, but are not treated as neutral body parts either, instead having values of motherly nurturing and feminine vulnerability projected onto them. Odonii showing tits will be a DISTINCT reminder of the ‘vulnerable female’ elements that the men should be protecting, and can be highly motivating (especially in the context of a figure who is otherwise behaviorally ‘masculinized’, it’s jarring and can have useful emotional impact).

c) General spiritual leadership (in connection to a & b).

Weapons dances are an aspect of military training and the kagnoma odo dance is always performed prior to conventional battles, Odonii lead these dances. This has multifacted functions- it is believed to spiritually bless the troops, it is a means of practicing with weaponry/limbering up, it is a psychological rallying point and good for morale, and it may intimidate your enemy who can see it happening from a distance (by displaying readiness/eagerness to battle, good discipline, unity, and physical might). Odonii also perform personalized blessings of soldiers, weapons, and armor.

c) Filling gaps in the command structure or acting as commanders

Odonii are involved in strategic meetings, and ones who receive battlefield roles are very well studied in military tactics. As a matter of technicality, their commands to the body of Imperial Wardi troops do not override those of generals or other ranking soldiers (though they will often be deferred to regardless), but they can fill in gaps in the command structure in case of death of high ranking soldiers or if lines become scattered and communication breaks down.

Additionally, there are two elite warrior orders presided over by the Odonii priesthood (the rest answer directly to the Usoma's court appointed general), with senior Odonii as their commanders and the Odomache as their general. (This is one of many political tension points between the priesthood and monarchy, given that the Odonii have managed to get themselves about 200 high skill, firearm'ed warriors that are separate from the normal military structure, only as loyal to the Usoma as their current general is, and Very beloved among the public so you can't just like, outright kill or disarm this very obvious threat.)

d) A strategic flexing of eastern seaway honorable combat norms

Conventions of honorable warfare have broad commonalities across the eastern seaway peoples, one of which is that noncombatants (by default- women, girls, prepubsecent boys, unarmed elderly men) are not legitimate targets in the normal process of open war (but are fair game in contexts like sieges when a foe has refused to surrender on behalf of their population). Odonii being armed throws a wrinkle into this - they are still effectively ‘noncombatants’ by virtue of being women, but if they actually Engage in fighting they do present a threat that could be justifiably neutralized.

If they do not actually Use their arms they are not legitimate targets, and an enemy concerned with honorable combat will have to work around their presence (or risk social/retaliatory consequences if he does not). They are thus effectively human shields- at the very least introducing an additional layer of difficulties for an opponent to navigate, and sometimes actively putting their bodies between their men and their opponents.

e) as a factor of D, potential mediator figures.

When in conventional battles, Odonii on losing sides are usually expected to allow themselves to be captured without resistance. They stand a very high chance of being taken alive and remaining unharmed due to a combination of factors- baseline honorable warfare practices (which are ABSOLUTELY not always followed, but at least Influence behavior), fears of material consequences in retribution for harming the priestess, fears of spiritual consequences for harming a potentially powerful witch, knowledge that releasing an Odonii unscathed may give the captors a better negotiating position down the line, or knowledge that an Odonii is a very valuable hostage and can make for a good bargaining chip.

Because of this element, captured Odonii are expected to perform mediation roles, negotiate the release of hostages, carry messages from their captors, or bravely tolerate hostage conditions (ideally while gaining intelligence on their captors)

---

Odonii very, very rarely actually participate in combat (and are in fact not Supposed To in the vast majority of circumstances).

They are, however, fairly well equipped for it. Their perpetual armament is symbolic in nature, but its intended function of empowering their bodies and the state by proxy additionally requires them to know how to Use It. They are trained and regularly drill and engage in mock battles in each of their key weapons/defensive combinations (sword, sword and shield, spear, spear and shield, longgun, handgun) and are expected to be adept at their use. Odonii who attend battlefields, while not being directly engaged, are still in very high-stress and dangerous environments and will have to learn to stay calm and collected under duress. All this doesn't mean every Odonii would be a skilled warrior in an actual combat situation (given that most will have no experience fighting someone who is actually trying to Kill Them), but it does mean they have enough technical skill and mental fortitude to stand a decent chance.

The only times where they are SUPPOSED to actively engage is when a battle is deemed as an existential struggle and is being lost (in practice, the main context for this is a siege), or losing against a foe deemed so thoroughly depraved that they won’t even slightly follow wartime conventions. The idea in these situations is that they are most likely already doomed, and that they should die protecting their people in battle.

Wardi history is filled with stories of Odonii fighting and dying in desperate conflicts (particularly against Imperial Bur), but this is at least Partly historical revisionism (there WERE some women in proto-Odonii roles involved in these conflicts, but these retellings project the modern Odonii order onto its multiple progenitor practices).

Odonii are frequently present on battlefields, but there are only two major instances of modern era Odonii participating in battle as full combatants, both involving conflict with Finnerich

---

The fully modern incarnation of the order can be defined as starting in the late period of Burri occupation, in which multiple Wardi city-states and kingdoms allied against a common foe, and the separate progenitors of the Odonii tradition began to coelesce into a single practice. These alliances were mostly dropped after Burri withdrawal, and the immediate post-withdrawal period was a chaotic scrambling to politically stabilize and assert old territorial claims- thus most Wardi states resumed hostile or indifferent relations with one another. (The one exception is that Wardin and Ephennos remained allied, which shortly would become a Big Deal). Forms of early Odonii now existed throughout most of these states, just not united under a single banner.

The city of Godsmouth was blockaded and besieged by Finnerich during this period (taking advantage of its historical rival’s weakness in the political chaos of de-occupation and hoping to capture or at least maim the city), and some of these early Odonii were involved in this conflict and are known to have engaged.

Godsmouth was a rival to its neighboring states more than anything else- there was little reason for others to send aid in the conflict, and it was left to fend for itself. It was and is a heavily fortified city, and thus the siege lasted for months, with the strategy turning to starving the population out rather than the risky maneuver of throwing troops at well-defended gates to force entry. The Finn forces never managed to breach the inner walls, but were very successful at starving the city's population, raiding its farmlands and villages, and destroying its ports and capturing or burning its ships, all with minimal casualties on their side.

The strategy of the siege finally turned to a risky push to breach and capture the city (due to Finnerich’s own dwindling resources and logistical difficulties in restocking due to storms at sea, and news that an allied Wardin and Ephennos had, in an unprecedented move, been persuaded to send reinforcements (in return for Godsmouth's sworn fealty and absorption into their alliance)), and Finn forces succeeded in breaking through the outer walls. This developed into a very dramatic standoff in which the remaining warriors and/or civilians of Godsmouth attempted to fend off the attack long enough for reinforcements to arrive (which would take days by sea).

Odonii are very famously known to have fully engaged in this stretch of the conflict on the front lines, as it represented an existential threat to the city-state (it’s a fortified settlement, if it was captured, reinforcements would not matter). Some of the recountings are distinctly fanciful (describing Odonii and noblemen leading Siege Of Helms Deep style khaitback charges into masses of enemies, or SWEARING that one of them actually did turn into a lion and ripped apart a hundred Finns before she succumbed to her wounds). An At Least Partially True Story With Exaggerated Elements of the final days of the siege describes the Odonii priestess Hibrides Odiboe rallying a group of elderly men into battle by baring her breasts and scratching deep, bleeding wounds into her chest, declaring herself as 'your mothers, your wives, your daughters, and look how I bleed while you hide behind your walls and wait to die.' While accounts have fantastical elements, it is factual that Odonii priestesses fought and died defending the city's inner walls, notably filling command positions left vacant by slain or starved leaders and rallying citizens to the front lines.

The end of the siege was ultimately a pyrrhic victory for Godsmouth- the city was never actually taken but its population was starved and riddled with disease, its farmlands were burned, and its ports were destroyed. Finnerich forces retreated before reinforcements arrived after failing to break through the inner walls in time, but had succeeded in most objectives of severely wounding their historical enemy. It has been a source of collective trauma in Godsmouth since that point (it is now out of living memory, but vivid stories remain of seeing the dead eaten by dogs and the starving eating the dogs that ate the dead, watching family members succumb to disease and starvation, all while hearing the sounds of fighting draw closer and closer with no reason to believe that any help would ever come), but ultimately recontextualized as a victory, a turning point in the arc of modern history. (The Wardin-Ephennos-Godsmouth alliance, which formed in full as a result of this conflict, would become the triple state that conquered the rest of the region and formed Imperial Wardin).

The direct participation of Odonii in this conflict is heavily played up in the narrative as the order in its purest form as sovereignty incarnate, the priestesses bravely fighting for (what would turn out to be) the beginnings of the Imperial Wardi state. The 11 Odonii who died fighting in the siege have been bestowed sainthood and are memorialized in a series of guardian lion statue-shrines overlooking Godsmouth’s ports (in which their ashes and bones are stored).

---

The other instance of modern era Odonii engaging in conflict is significantly less romantic, occurring in the context of the Extremely failed second invasion of Finnerich.

During and after the rout that resulted in the Odomache's capture and killing, it became exceptionally clear to the Imperial Wardi forces that They Were Fucked. The conflict veered with REMARKABLE speed from being an attempt end the state's civil war between the Imperial Wardi-loyalist provincial puppet government and its rebelling northwest population, to a desperate struggle for Wardi forces to get out of Finnerich Alive. At this point it was assumed (fairly accurately) that any defeated party would be summarily executed, so most Odonii present ended up directly engaging in battle. Two are known to have died leading soldiers in a bid to retrieve the Odomache's body, others fought and/or died while defending the retreat.

A few Finn Odonii (women appointed as a local sect of the priesthood after the initial takeover) remained in the capital after the Wardi forces fucked off overseas, and were executed along with the rest of the installed loyalist government and priests (though it's unlikely that they were involved in any fighting, as the provincial government surrendered after the withdrawal).

Odonii veterans of the invading force have not fared well in the aftermath. Most of those who survived the ambush in which the Odomache was captured have ended up committing honorable suicide due to breaking vows in abandoning their leader in retreat, failing to retrieve her body, and/or being assaulted in capture. More have committed (ostensibly ritual, probably emotionally driven) suicide in the years that followed, with the knowledge that their leader's death and defilement and this severing of God's spirit has brought doom upon their land in the form of an unbroken drought and famine, and that they failed to prevent this. The priestess who was captured alive to witness the Odomache's death and released unharmed to report it was the first.

All this has opened some vacancies in the order's leadership, and given things a very somber tone. It is currently in debate as to whether the ones who died on Finn soil (particularly those who died attempting to retrieve their leader's body) should be canonized as saints or if it's a little too soon for all that.

[anachronic-cobra]

"Virginity Rocks" is one of those songs that goes so, so hard, but I could never adequately explain to anyone who hasn't watched Nightmare Time why I have a hello-fellow-kids-esque abstinence song on my playlist

[sca-nerd]

I went to my first ever SCA event today and now… the only question is what to make for my first bit of garb! Curse these friendly people who want to tell you about their projects now I have too many ideas

Welcome to the dream!

[carnivalls]

[amanda palmer voice] behold the world's worst accident

[mask131]

You know... It is REALLY easy to do the whole "voodoo doll" trope or practice while avoiding any cultural appropriation, religious misrepresentation or racist cliche. Just... don't call it "voodoo".

Because if you are not aware, this practice of using a doll or figurine to bewitch or curse or put a spell onto a person, is actually older than the creation of vodou and its various branches. It can be found in medieval Europe. Several European countries have their own specific words and terms for this magical practice - a pratice attested since very early days. Heck it was even present in Greco-Roman Antiquity!

So... there is nothing forcing you to constantly say "voodoo doll" when talking about a spell-through-puppet. Except a bad habit that the United-States media imposed onto the rest of the world, I guess...

And, as the bitter old cynical soul that I am, I will definitively grumble something about how it is very telling that Americans did not choose to pick one of the several European terms and words for this magical practice and rather latched desperately onto a term related to a discriminized, fantasized and misrepresented Black religion... grumble grumble grumble.

But I will be fair to Americans and leave the possibility of the doubt. Because we all know the common American is a bit too lazy to do thorough research or be interested in anything outside of its own country, and so it is possible that all those people did sincerely believe that the idea of "magical bewitching figurines" was created on American land - because as we ALL know, everything was invented in America and for or by Americans, right? So of course it is bound to be the "voodoo doll" because it can't possibly have existed before the United-States were founded right?

Grumble grumble grumble.

[whump-and-other-misfortunes]

Bambi and the King

cw fantasy whump, captivity, nonhuman whumpee, defiant whumpee, royalty

Cassian choked on the wine he was drinking. “You what?” he demanded between coughs, handing the glass to one of his servants. 

“A wood nymph,” Valeria, the leader of the royal guard, repeated with a stoic expression. “We found him about fifty miles west, sneaking through Arlo Forest. The little thing was a pain to catch, but we got him.” 

Cassian was still reeling. A nymph venturing into his kingdom was almost unheard of—they knew better. And the fact that his guard had managed to capture the creature was equally stunning. As far as magical beings went, nymphs were up there with faeries in terms of flightiness and cunning. “You have him?” Cassian repeated in disbelief. 

Valeria nodded once. “Yes, your majesty. Would you like us to bring him in?” 

The man waved his hands in an aborted gesture. “Um—yes. Yes, of course.” 

Valeria strode away silently, returning to the throne room a few moments later followed by two other guards. They were each holding an arm of the struggling wood nymph, dragging him to stand before Cassian. He looked young—no older than twenty, maybe, but Cassian wasn’t sure what that meant for nymphs. Soft auburn hair framed his face and he was scowling poisonously.

“Well, isn’t this something,” Cassian drawled, gazing down at the creature. He was tall and thin—willowy, his mind supplied—with big brown eyes. Sweet, like a fawn. He could have almost looked innocent if Cassian didn’t know the strength nymphs were capable of through their magic. And if this one weren’t looking at him like he was a second away from scratching the king’s eyes out. 

“Get off me,” the nymph spat, yanking his arms away from the guards. 

Cassian waved them off. “It’s alright. Let him go.” 

The guards released him and they, along with Valeria, stood to the side. The nymph stayed where he was, standing before Cassian’s throne, but those doe eyes shot daggers at him. Delicate wrists were locked in front of him in gold chains—special cuffs that blocked magic. The only reason they still had the creature there, and he hadn’t already run off or upended the entire castle. 

“I must admit,” Cassian said, “I’m very curious why you were trespassing on my land, Bambi.” 

The nymph’s glare soured even more, if that was possible. “My name is August.” 

Cassian waved his hand dismissively. “Not what I asked. Don’t you know that magical beings are not allowed to enter my kingdom without express permission? Your kind usually isn’t foolish enough to disregard that rule.” 

“The second I get these cuffs off, I'll fucking kill you,” August sneered, tugging pointedly at the restraints. 

A strange sense of excitement filled Cassian—this was already more entertainment than he’d had in a long time. And if the little nymph at his feet happened to be quite pretty as well, that was just a plus. “Well,” Cassian sighed, “if you don’t wish to answer my questions, then I suppose I'll have to keep you around until you’re ready to talk. Valeria—take him away, please.” 

August startled, trying to jerk away from the guards as they returned to grab him. “Wait, I—” 

“Don’t worry. They’ll be gentle with you, Bambi,” the king promised sympathetically. He turned his gaze to Valeria, instructing, “Find somewhere nicer to keep him, please. I don’t want our guest catching a chill in the dungeon.” 

The nymph’s eyes widened, but the fight quickly returned as Cassian’s guards began to drag him away. “Get your fucking hands off me,” he snapped, before turning over his shoulder to shout at Cassian. “I will claw that stupid, smug look off your face! You can’t keep me here!” 

“I’ll come see you soon,” Cassian called after him. Oh, this was going to be fun. 

taglist: @morning-star-whump ((lmk if you want to be added!))

pt 2

[trashcreatyre]

The joke is that he doesn't know what trans means because he died before that was a term

[copper-skulls]

i've given my grillby dragon an umbrella and wanted to draw him standing under one since then. Well, lesson learned: UMBREALLAS ARE HARD TO DRAW

[valeechtine]

The thing is "forced diversity" only became a real thing after people online got called out for only ever having like white ocs or just Never making women [ESPECIALLY TRANS WOMEN] and now sometimes I see a character lineup and its like Oh I can like actively see the diversity checklist you were crossing off in your head specifically to try and get tumblr woke points because you are being so fucking Weird about this. Like in an effort to be like LOOK LOOK AT HOW DIVERSE MY CAST IS I AM ADVERTISING THIS BY JUST TELLING YOU ABOUT HOW DIVERSE EVERYONE IS YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW GENRE OR THEMES they make it so clear that making characters of color or women or disabled characters etc has to be a Conscious Choice instead of just. Something that comes naturally because that reflects our real world.

[solradguy]

Gotta be one of the raddest guys ever :)

Thank you 😎💖💖💖

Sometimes I get kinda bummed that I missed out on getting the solbadguy url but in the long run I think that might've actually ended up being a good thing because "Sol Badguy but with mirror shades" is so much funnier

I wish the person that made the meme I lifted the handle from hadn't deleted. It changed the course of my life in the best weird ways and they probably spent like less than 5 minutes on it lol

[mqfx]

sidenote: I think it's funny when ppl are like "but back in the day" etc etc when the story is Fantasy. there is no "back in the day" we are making it up. not a comment about the ask I got btw I am talking about g/o/t fans who justify the age gap marriages with "BUT BACK IN THE MEDIEVAL TIMES" like bro? 1st of all even they didn't and second of all how does that matter this is a novel some guy wrote not a historical treatise and 3 GRRM did that to make a point not bc he wants you to ship it??? anyway

[shih-coulda-had-it]

I saw your ageswap au from a few days ago with nana and sorahiko as students and bakugou and midoriya as old ppl, but I’m just wondering how toshi fits into all of this? Is he the same age as he is normally? Is he like a toddler? I’m curious lol

Toshinori unfortunately doesn’t get the joy of being ageswapped. He’s been locked into dadmight. The issue is that Nana (I’m improv-ing, by the way) has perfectly normal parents, and it’s actually Sorahiko who lacks a decent male role model.

[anachronic-cobra]

Being far along enough in my gender transition that assholes think they can make queerphobic comments to me like I'm gonna agree with them is the WEIRDEST set of emotions I've ever felt in my life.

Coworker: "Gonna have a beer cause I ain't a fucking queer, eh?"

Me, a cocktail-loving tranny faggot who's simultaneously having his gender affirmed and being subjected to homophobia:

[catilinas]

thomas biggs, poetics of the first punic war