Vineyard vines mens cashmere sweater
Ties!
2009.07.24 15:38 Ties!
The subreddit where you can discuss and link to your favorite neckties, knots, personal stories, etc. Both neckties and bow ties are appreciated!
2023.05.31 23:34 JustPlummy nine and thirty
“Pass the wine, would you?”
It was perhaps the loveliest party Joanna had ever organised.
Even the sun lingered in its attendance, evening rays cast long across the neatly manicured lawn. A white canvas canopy stretched over a long mahogany dining table, covered with a swath of soft white linen that sprawled over its length. The crystal chandeliers that hung overhead twinkled in the gentle breeze, chiming in on the din of pleasant conversation as they shed the last of the sun’s light across her guests’ happy faces.
Everyone was talking all at once, but it was like music. While what remained of their feast had begun to grow cold upon their gilded plates, there was plenty enough wine left to entertain them all. With the children long abed, Joanna had granted herself permission to indulge— enough now that her head was fuzzy with drink and her cheeks were flushed pink. By her third cup, she even found Lysa’s incessant chattering pleasant, though she masked her amusement behind her embroidered fan when Joffrey sent her a look of utter reproach from the opposite side of the table.
Behind them, the servants had begun to light the candles meant to float along the lake, sending them off carefully in an effort to keep the flame from catching the floral arrangements that hung from the newly-repaired rowboat that bobbed at the shoreline.
“… don’t you agree, Jo?” asked Damon, his hand sliding over the swell of her knee beneath her table.
“Hmm?”
She snapped her fan shut, dragging it beneath her chin as she turned to face him. Perhaps it was the wine, or the sentiment of the occasion, or simply that he had not touched her in such a way for so long, but when she caught his gaze— those kind green eyes soft when fixed upon her— she felt butterflies swirl low in her belly.
He was devastatingly handsome in white, the possessive flowering vines that swirled about his collar embroidered in gold by her own hand. He wore his age well, though the worry lines that creased his forehead were deeper than she had hoped they might be.
“Lord Eon was speaking of the gruesome murders in Lannisport. I told him such topics are ill-suited for such a lovely supper table.”
“Well, my love, it simply wouldn’t be a proper dinner party if Lord Eon didn’t manage to spoil his dessert with some morbid conversation or another.”
They kissed, and when Jo righted herself she caught Ryon looking a little forlorn. He had seated himself diagonally from her and made a great show of chatting with an increasingly-intoxicated Rolland Banefort, swapping stories and laughter, but his gaze always came back to her.
And it was always less merry then.
Joanna was quick to devise a distraction, peering down to the far end of the table rather than risk souring Damon’s otherwise pleasant mood. Darlessa was far enough into her cups that she had begun to threaten to dance upon the table, but despite the clamour, Edmyn– sat at the very corner by his lonesome– did not look up from his baked apples, pushing them around his plate with disdain.
She imagined she ought to have felt sorry for him, but after her conversation with Darlessa she could find no sympathy to spare.
“A grisly affair, I’ll admit,” Lord Crakehall said, “but one that nonetheless requires attention. A letter reached me just the other day saying that another life has been claimed – this one of the merchant class.”
Edmyn seemed to sit up at that, but Eon continued.
“His death only confounds the matter, as it seems the killer chooses based on neither sex nor status.”
Edmyn slumped back into his seat and Joanna did not fail to catch the apologetic look Elena sent her from her husband’s side.
“I could have sworn I barred any letters with ill contents from this haven,” Joanna said with her gentlest smile. It was, of course, a lie. She read all correspondence to and from Elk Hall.
“I’ve heard of this butcher as well,” chimed in lord Gerion, swirling the contents of his umpteeth glass of wine with a furrowed brow. “Foul enough that even the bards won’t sing of him.”
“Are you certain it is a man behind the murders?” asked Lysa. Her desperation to be seen as insightful in the eyes of Ryon Farman was obvious, though she at least had the wherewithal to avoid looking directly at him when she asked the question. “Surely a woman could be just as capable, given the right motivation.”
“And men provide plenty,” said Darlessa, arousing a laugh from the table.
Damon only smiled weakly. “I’ll have it looked into,” he said, then added, “...again.”
Joanna could see the topic beginning to creep into his mind and was eager to change the subject, but a commotion beat her to it.
The clatter from across the table nearly startled her from her seat, the weight of both Joffrey and Damon’s careful gazes quickly upon her rather than the offender. Rolland, for his part, took no notice of how his bumbling had unduly frightened her, slapping the napkin from his lap down onto his plate with a crooked grin as a servant rushed to clean the spilt wine.
“Don’t you think–” Banefort started, holding up his half-empty cup in question. “It’s high time you delivered your speech, Your Grace?”
“Lord Banefort! It is the duty of the guests to celebrate His Grace!” Joanna said indignantly.
“Oh. Well… I haven’t anything prepared, my lady, but if you insist–”
“It’s no worry, Rolland.” Joanna wasn’t quite sure Damon spoke genuinely or if he were only of the same mind as herself – that it would be better that Lord Banefort did not speak at all.
“I shall have a fine speech for you, Your Grace,” the young heir said anyway. “I have no doubts your sentiments will inspire my own.”
“Oh,” Joanna scowled across the table. “Spare us.”
Damon stood on steady feet, his cup still as full as it had been when the first course had been served. If it was his aim to be so abstemious then she saw little point in protesting.
“No toast could begin tonight without raising a glass to those women among us,” Damon said, lifting his cup as he looked down the length of their table.
“Hear, hear!” Rolland shouted as he raised his own, newly refilled, the other men following suit as well.
“And not only for their gentle love, but for their steadfast patience.”
Joanna did not miss how Elena squeezed Eon’s hand, for she missed nothing.
“What an honour it is to see my thirty-ninth nameday in the company of such fine people – Harrold, who tolerates me–” Some of the men laughed. “– and who is always honest, even when most men would be frightened of speaking the truth. For that I am eternally in your debt.”
There was something in Damon’s tone, something normally absent from his japes or stories, and it prompted a long silence afterwards in which only the cicadas and bullfrogs could be heard. There was a gravity to the words, and Harrold looked almost emotional. His mouth tightened and he tried to look at the table, but Ryon was putting an arm around him and echoing the praise.
“Eon,” Damon went on. “Sometimes it seems as though you were born for your role. For as many times as I have cursed your counsel I have followed it, and twice as often have I thanked the Crone for sending you as her proxy. I pray that your life is long, so that my children, too, can benefit from your moral guidance.”
Eon averted his eyes with a gruff sort of acceptance, and Elena beamed.
“Gerion,” Damon said next, raising his cup to the Lefford. “The siege in the Riverlands would have felt twice as long without your company. Twenty years, instead of ten, perhaps…”
Gerion laughed along with the others, raising his own cup back. Joanna found it harder to smile. It had been a damned long war for her, pregnant and alone save for a Lydden of her own.
“And Ryon, who hosted the most memorable Tournament of the Three Ships in all of history!” Damon went on. “We have shared a boat now. I think that makes us brothers, in a way. I am glad that together we have freed our houses from the grudges of our fathers.”
Ryon lifted his cup, and Joanna averted her eyes. She did not want to see what his held, and she knew without looking that his gaze rested upon her and not the King.
“Rolland, who has known me both as a foolish child and now as a foolish adult. What a privilege it is to get to watch our own children playing side by side, as we did. Hopefully they’ll keep more out of trouble than either of us ever managed to do.”
Rolland laughed heartily at that. Joanna detected the exhaustion in his wife as she used her own napkin to dab at a new spill.
“Edmyn…” Damon turned his cup to Joanna’s brother, who was already on what she suspected to be his fourth cup of wine. “You have been a true confidant to me. There exists a debt between us which I could never hope to repay. I hope that our friendship, too, can heal ancient wounds.”
At last, he looked to her.
“And Joanna. For everything.”
He let the word hang in the air.
Everything?
Joanna smiled and winked up at him as though it were some secret they shared– as though her praises had already been sung– but the weight of having earned a mere two words as thanks for all of her great labour sat heavy on her chest.
“Someone once told me that a king has no friends,” Damon said, glancing down the length of the board. “Only enemies, and those waiting for a reason to become one. But when I look around this table, I see people that I trust. People who I trust with my secrets, my ambitions, my faith, my life, my children’s lives. And what do you call that but a friend? So, a toast to friendship!”
Joanna shared in the applause, though the resolute finality of his speech left her more anxious than awed.
“Well, I couldn’t possibly follow that,” Rolland muttered, draining the last of the wine in his cup.
submitted by JustPlummy to GameofThronesRP [link] [comments]
It was perhaps the loveliest party Joanna had ever organised.
Even the sun lingered in its attendance, evening rays cast long across the neatly manicured lawn. A white canvas canopy stretched over a long mahogany dining table, covered with a swath of soft white linen that sprawled over its length. The crystal chandeliers that hung overhead twinkled in the gentle breeze, chiming in on the din of pleasant conversation as they shed the last of the sun’s light across her guests’ happy faces.
Everyone was talking all at once, but it was like music. While what remained of their feast had begun to grow cold upon their gilded plates, there was plenty enough wine left to entertain them all. With the children long abed, Joanna had granted herself permission to indulge— enough now that her head was fuzzy with drink and her cheeks were flushed pink. By her third cup, she even found Lysa’s incessant chattering pleasant, though she masked her amusement behind her embroidered fan when Joffrey sent her a look of utter reproach from the opposite side of the table.
Behind them, the servants had begun to light the candles meant to float along the lake, sending them off carefully in an effort to keep the flame from catching the floral arrangements that hung from the newly-repaired rowboat that bobbed at the shoreline.
“… don’t you agree, Jo?” asked Damon, his hand sliding over the swell of her knee beneath her table.
“Hmm?”
She snapped her fan shut, dragging it beneath her chin as she turned to face him. Perhaps it was the wine, or the sentiment of the occasion, or simply that he had not touched her in such a way for so long, but when she caught his gaze— those kind green eyes soft when fixed upon her— she felt butterflies swirl low in her belly.
He was devastatingly handsome in white, the possessive flowering vines that swirled about his collar embroidered in gold by her own hand. He wore his age well, though the worry lines that creased his forehead were deeper than she had hoped they might be.
“Lord Eon was speaking of the gruesome murders in Lannisport. I told him such topics are ill-suited for such a lovely supper table.”
“Well, my love, it simply wouldn’t be a proper dinner party if Lord Eon didn’t manage to spoil his dessert with some morbid conversation or another.”
They kissed, and when Jo righted herself she caught Ryon looking a little forlorn. He had seated himself diagonally from her and made a great show of chatting with an increasingly-intoxicated Rolland Banefort, swapping stories and laughter, but his gaze always came back to her.
And it was always less merry then.
Joanna was quick to devise a distraction, peering down to the far end of the table rather than risk souring Damon’s otherwise pleasant mood. Darlessa was far enough into her cups that she had begun to threaten to dance upon the table, but despite the clamour, Edmyn– sat at the very corner by his lonesome– did not look up from his baked apples, pushing them around his plate with disdain.
She imagined she ought to have felt sorry for him, but after her conversation with Darlessa she could find no sympathy to spare.
“A grisly affair, I’ll admit,” Lord Crakehall said, “but one that nonetheless requires attention. A letter reached me just the other day saying that another life has been claimed – this one of the merchant class.”
Edmyn seemed to sit up at that, but Eon continued.
“His death only confounds the matter, as it seems the killer chooses based on neither sex nor status.”
Edmyn slumped back into his seat and Joanna did not fail to catch the apologetic look Elena sent her from her husband’s side.
“I could have sworn I barred any letters with ill contents from this haven,” Joanna said with her gentlest smile. It was, of course, a lie. She read all correspondence to and from Elk Hall.
“I’ve heard of this butcher as well,” chimed in lord Gerion, swirling the contents of his umpteeth glass of wine with a furrowed brow. “Foul enough that even the bards won’t sing of him.”
“Are you certain it is a man behind the murders?” asked Lysa. Her desperation to be seen as insightful in the eyes of Ryon Farman was obvious, though she at least had the wherewithal to avoid looking directly at him when she asked the question. “Surely a woman could be just as capable, given the right motivation.”
“And men provide plenty,” said Darlessa, arousing a laugh from the table.
Damon only smiled weakly. “I’ll have it looked into,” he said, then added, “...again.”
Joanna could see the topic beginning to creep into his mind and was eager to change the subject, but a commotion beat her to it.
The clatter from across the table nearly startled her from her seat, the weight of both Joffrey and Damon’s careful gazes quickly upon her rather than the offender. Rolland, for his part, took no notice of how his bumbling had unduly frightened her, slapping the napkin from his lap down onto his plate with a crooked grin as a servant rushed to clean the spilt wine.
“Don’t you think–” Banefort started, holding up his half-empty cup in question. “It’s high time you delivered your speech, Your Grace?”
“Lord Banefort! It is the duty of the guests to celebrate His Grace!” Joanna said indignantly.
“Oh. Well… I haven’t anything prepared, my lady, but if you insist–”
“It’s no worry, Rolland.” Joanna wasn’t quite sure Damon spoke genuinely or if he were only of the same mind as herself – that it would be better that Lord Banefort did not speak at all.
“I shall have a fine speech for you, Your Grace,” the young heir said anyway. “I have no doubts your sentiments will inspire my own.”
“Oh,” Joanna scowled across the table. “Spare us.”
Damon stood on steady feet, his cup still as full as it had been when the first course had been served. If it was his aim to be so abstemious then she saw little point in protesting.
“No toast could begin tonight without raising a glass to those women among us,” Damon said, lifting his cup as he looked down the length of their table.
“Hear, hear!” Rolland shouted as he raised his own, newly refilled, the other men following suit as well.
“And not only for their gentle love, but for their steadfast patience.”
Joanna did not miss how Elena squeezed Eon’s hand, for she missed nothing.
“What an honour it is to see my thirty-ninth nameday in the company of such fine people – Harrold, who tolerates me–” Some of the men laughed. “– and who is always honest, even when most men would be frightened of speaking the truth. For that I am eternally in your debt.”
There was something in Damon’s tone, something normally absent from his japes or stories, and it prompted a long silence afterwards in which only the cicadas and bullfrogs could be heard. There was a gravity to the words, and Harrold looked almost emotional. His mouth tightened and he tried to look at the table, but Ryon was putting an arm around him and echoing the praise.
“Eon,” Damon went on. “Sometimes it seems as though you were born for your role. For as many times as I have cursed your counsel I have followed it, and twice as often have I thanked the Crone for sending you as her proxy. I pray that your life is long, so that my children, too, can benefit from your moral guidance.”
Eon averted his eyes with a gruff sort of acceptance, and Elena beamed.
“Gerion,” Damon said next, raising his cup to the Lefford. “The siege in the Riverlands would have felt twice as long without your company. Twenty years, instead of ten, perhaps…”
Gerion laughed along with the others, raising his own cup back. Joanna found it harder to smile. It had been a damned long war for her, pregnant and alone save for a Lydden of her own.
“And Ryon, who hosted the most memorable Tournament of the Three Ships in all of history!” Damon went on. “We have shared a boat now. I think that makes us brothers, in a way. I am glad that together we have freed our houses from the grudges of our fathers.”
Ryon lifted his cup, and Joanna averted her eyes. She did not want to see what his held, and she knew without looking that his gaze rested upon her and not the King.
“Rolland, who has known me both as a foolish child and now as a foolish adult. What a privilege it is to get to watch our own children playing side by side, as we did. Hopefully they’ll keep more out of trouble than either of us ever managed to do.”
Rolland laughed heartily at that. Joanna detected the exhaustion in his wife as she used her own napkin to dab at a new spill.
“Edmyn…” Damon turned his cup to Joanna’s brother, who was already on what she suspected to be his fourth cup of wine. “You have been a true confidant to me. There exists a debt between us which I could never hope to repay. I hope that our friendship, too, can heal ancient wounds.”
At last, he looked to her.
“And Joanna. For everything.”
He let the word hang in the air.
Everything?
Joanna smiled and winked up at him as though it were some secret they shared– as though her praises had already been sung– but the weight of having earned a mere two words as thanks for all of her great labour sat heavy on her chest.
“Someone once told me that a king has no friends,” Damon said, glancing down the length of the board. “Only enemies, and those waiting for a reason to become one. But when I look around this table, I see people that I trust. People who I trust with my secrets, my ambitions, my faith, my life, my children’s lives. And what do you call that but a friend? So, a toast to friendship!”
Joanna shared in the applause, though the resolute finality of his speech left her more anxious than awed.
“Well, I couldn’t possibly follow that,” Rolland muttered, draining the last of the wine in his cup.
2023.05.31 23:16 flowerks Why do you knit?
 | I’m reading the book “No Idle Hands: the social history of American knitting” by Anne L. Macdonald, and in the introduction she discusses interviews of why people knit. This book came out in the ‘80s, so it would be fun to compare! Another question she asked is why don’t men knit? Would love to here opinions! submitted by flowerks to knitting [link] [comments] |
2023.05.31 22:53 nightsideof3den [Poem] Algernon Charles Swinburne - Faustine
Ave Faustina Imperatrix, morituri te salutant.
Lean back, and get some minutes' peace; Let your head lean Back to the shoulder with its fleece Of locks, Faustine. The shapely silver shoulder stoops, Weighed over clean With state of splendid hair that droops Each side, Faustine. Let me go over your good gifts That crown you queen; A queen whose kingdom ebbs and shifts Each week, Faustine. Bright heavy brows well gathered up: White gloss and sheen; Carved lips that make my lips a cup To drink, Faustine, Wine and rank poison, milk and blood, Being mixed therein Since first the devil threw dice with God For you, Faustine. Your naked new-born soul, their stake, Stood blind between; God said "let him that wins her take And keep Faustine." But this time Satan throve, no doubt; Long since, I ween, God's part in you was battered out; Long since, Faustine. The die rang sideways as it fell, Rang cracked and thin, Like a man's laughter heard in hell Far down, Faustine, A shadow of laughter like a sigh, Dead sorrow's kin; So rang, thrown down, the devil's die That won Faustine. A suckling of his breed you were, One hard to wean; But God, who lost you, left you fair, We see, Faustine. You have the face that suits a woman For her soul's screen — The sort of beauty that's called human In hell, Faustine. You could do all things but be good Or chaste of mien; And that you would not if you could, We know, Faustine. Even he who cast seven devils out Of Magdalene Could hardly do as much, I doubt, For you, Faustine. Did Satan make you to spite God? Or did God mean To scourge with scorpions for a rod Our sins, Faustine? I know what queen at first you were, As though I had seen Red gold and black imperious hair Twice crown Faustine. As if your fed sarcophagus Spared flesh and skin, You come back face to face with us, The same Faustine. She loved the games men played with death, Where death must win; As though the slain man's blood and breath Revived Faustine. Nets caught the pike, pikes tore the net; Lithe limbs and lean From drained-out pores dripped thick red sweat To soothe Faustine. She drank the steaming drift and dust Blown off the scene; Blood could not ease the bitter lust That galled Faustine. All round the foul fat furrows reeked, Where blood sank in; The circus splashed and seethed and shrieked All round Faustine. But these are gone now: years entomb The dust and din; Yea, even the bath's fierce reek and fume That slew Faustine. Was life worth living then? and now Is life worth sin? Where are the imperial years? and how Are you Faustine? Your soul forgot her joys, forgot Her times of teen; Yea, this life likewise will you not Forget, Faustine? For in the time we know not of Did fate begin Weaving the web of days that wove Your doom, Faustine. The threads were wet with wine, and all Were smooth to spin; They wove you like a Bacchanal, The first Faustine. And Bacchus cast your mates and you Wild grapes to glean; Your flower-like lips were dashed with dew From his, Faustine. Your drenched loose hands were stretched to hold The vine's wet green, Long ere they coined in Roman gold Your face, Faustine. Then after change of soaring feather And winnowing fin, You woke in weeks of feverish weather, A new Faustine. A star upon your birthday burned, Whose fierce serene Red pulseless planet never yearned In heaven, Faustine. Stray breaths of Sapphic song that blew Through Mitylene Shook the fierce quivering blood in you By night, Faustine. The shameless nameless love that makes Hell's iron gin Shut on you like a trap that breaks The soul, Faustine. And when your veins were void and dead, What ghosts unclean Swarmed round the straitened barren bed That hid Faustine? What sterile growths of sexless root Or epicene? What flower of kisses without fruit Of love, Faustine? What adders came to shed their coats? What coiled obscene Small serpents with soft stretching throats Caressed Faustine? But the time came of famished hours, Maimed loves and mean, This ghastly thin-faced time of ours, To spoil Faustine. You seem a thing that hinges hold, A love-machine With clockwork joints of supple gold — No more, Faustine. Not godless, for you serve one God, The Lampsacene, Who metes the gardens with his rod; Your lord, Faustine. If one should love you with real love (Such things have been, Things your fair face knows nothing of, It seems, Faustine); That clear hair heavily bound back, The lights wherein Shift from dead blue to burnt-up black; Your throat, Faustine, Strong, heavy, throwing out the face And hard bright chin And shameful scornful lips that grace Their shame, Faustine, Curled lips, long since half kissed away, Still sweet and keen; You'd give him — poison shall we say? Or what, Faustine?
submitted by nightsideof3den to Poetry [link] [comments]
Lean back, and get some minutes' peace; Let your head lean Back to the shoulder with its fleece Of locks, Faustine. The shapely silver shoulder stoops, Weighed over clean With state of splendid hair that droops Each side, Faustine. Let me go over your good gifts That crown you queen; A queen whose kingdom ebbs and shifts Each week, Faustine. Bright heavy brows well gathered up: White gloss and sheen; Carved lips that make my lips a cup To drink, Faustine, Wine and rank poison, milk and blood, Being mixed therein Since first the devil threw dice with God For you, Faustine. Your naked new-born soul, their stake, Stood blind between; God said "let him that wins her take And keep Faustine." But this time Satan throve, no doubt; Long since, I ween, God's part in you was battered out; Long since, Faustine. The die rang sideways as it fell, Rang cracked and thin, Like a man's laughter heard in hell Far down, Faustine, A shadow of laughter like a sigh, Dead sorrow's kin; So rang, thrown down, the devil's die That won Faustine. A suckling of his breed you were, One hard to wean; But God, who lost you, left you fair, We see, Faustine. You have the face that suits a woman For her soul's screen — The sort of beauty that's called human In hell, Faustine. You could do all things but be good Or chaste of mien; And that you would not if you could, We know, Faustine. Even he who cast seven devils out Of Magdalene Could hardly do as much, I doubt, For you, Faustine. Did Satan make you to spite God? Or did God mean To scourge with scorpions for a rod Our sins, Faustine? I know what queen at first you were, As though I had seen Red gold and black imperious hair Twice crown Faustine. As if your fed sarcophagus Spared flesh and skin, You come back face to face with us, The same Faustine. She loved the games men played with death, Where death must win; As though the slain man's blood and breath Revived Faustine. Nets caught the pike, pikes tore the net; Lithe limbs and lean From drained-out pores dripped thick red sweat To soothe Faustine. She drank the steaming drift and dust Blown off the scene; Blood could not ease the bitter lust That galled Faustine. All round the foul fat furrows reeked, Where blood sank in; The circus splashed and seethed and shrieked All round Faustine. But these are gone now: years entomb The dust and din; Yea, even the bath's fierce reek and fume That slew Faustine. Was life worth living then? and now Is life worth sin? Where are the imperial years? and how Are you Faustine? Your soul forgot her joys, forgot Her times of teen; Yea, this life likewise will you not Forget, Faustine? For in the time we know not of Did fate begin Weaving the web of days that wove Your doom, Faustine. The threads were wet with wine, and all Were smooth to spin; They wove you like a Bacchanal, The first Faustine. And Bacchus cast your mates and you Wild grapes to glean; Your flower-like lips were dashed with dew From his, Faustine. Your drenched loose hands were stretched to hold The vine's wet green, Long ere they coined in Roman gold Your face, Faustine. Then after change of soaring feather And winnowing fin, You woke in weeks of feverish weather, A new Faustine. A star upon your birthday burned, Whose fierce serene Red pulseless planet never yearned In heaven, Faustine. Stray breaths of Sapphic song that blew Through Mitylene Shook the fierce quivering blood in you By night, Faustine. The shameless nameless love that makes Hell's iron gin Shut on you like a trap that breaks The soul, Faustine. And when your veins were void and dead, What ghosts unclean Swarmed round the straitened barren bed That hid Faustine? What sterile growths of sexless root Or epicene? What flower of kisses without fruit Of love, Faustine? What adders came to shed their coats? What coiled obscene Small serpents with soft stretching throats Caressed Faustine? But the time came of famished hours, Maimed loves and mean, This ghastly thin-faced time of ours, To spoil Faustine. You seem a thing that hinges hold, A love-machine With clockwork joints of supple gold — No more, Faustine. Not godless, for you serve one God, The Lampsacene, Who metes the gardens with his rod; Your lord, Faustine. If one should love you with real love (Such things have been, Things your fair face knows nothing of, It seems, Faustine); That clear hair heavily bound back, The lights wherein Shift from dead blue to burnt-up black; Your throat, Faustine, Strong, heavy, throwing out the face And hard bright chin And shameful scornful lips that grace Their shame, Faustine, Curled lips, long since half kissed away, Still sweet and keen; You'd give him — poison shall we say? Or what, Faustine?
2023.05.31 22:39 FavoriteKarma How do I locate certain patterns when shopping in store
I will stand in store, in a drawer full of patterns and have no clue where to start looking. Kids size, women, men , plus size, pets, dresses, shirts, etc.. Patterns hard to find when you're specifically looking for a style. Is it color coded?
I know how locate costume, and brand (except mimig and know me patterns). How do I find plus size, or swim wear, or sweaters etc.?
submitted by FavoriteKarma to SewingForBeginners [link] [comments]
I know how locate costume, and brand (except mimig and know me patterns). How do I find plus size, or swim wear, or sweaters etc.?
2023.05.31 22:32 gunterthedestroyer 29 [f4m/t] SC/USA- how'd I ever breathe without a kiss from goodnight you (envy and ftm welcome...as I am on the lgbtq spectrum too)
Oooopssss meant enby not envy
I'm admittingly pretty weird and I have no shame. Is it off putting to a lot of people? Yes. So, I'm looking for someone who can vibe with that. I sing to my dog and I don't think she likes it very much. I talk to myself outloud...in Public...even at work.
I'm looking for someone who knows how to be verbally affectionate without being creepy. There's a fine balance! But affectionate is an absolute need! I want goodnight calls and goodmorning texts. Verbal affection is super important to me. My love language is words of affirmation. I like men who are more "alt" (think goth who never truly grew out of their goth phase) but that isn't a requirement.
Don't use the chat if you can help it.
No married men. 25+.
Here's some true (and only slightly facts about me)
submitted by gunterthedestroyer to r4r [link] [comments]
I'm admittingly pretty weird and I have no shame. Is it off putting to a lot of people? Yes. So, I'm looking for someone who can vibe with that. I sing to my dog and I don't think she likes it very much. I talk to myself outloud...in Public...even at work.
I'm looking for someone who knows how to be verbally affectionate without being creepy. There's a fine balance! But affectionate is an absolute need! I want goodnight calls and goodmorning texts. Verbal affection is super important to me. My love language is words of affirmation. I like men who are more "alt" (think goth who never truly grew out of their goth phase) but that isn't a requirement.
Don't use the chat if you can help it.
No married men. 25+.
Here's some true (and only slightly facts about me)
- I often buy shit I don't need…bought a blanket for my cat (in my defense I bought it from goodwill and it was new) and a stocking for my dog. She ruins every sweater I buy…but yet I keep buying them.
- My favorite color is green but it's a special shade. It's like between forest green and emerald. Maybe a dark emerald?
- I have a shit load of siblings.
- My music taste hasn't changed much since high school. I make this huge playlist to only listen to the same songs over and over and over. But sometimes I'll find new (to me) artists...but they're still on the same wavelength if things I listened to in high school
- I'm infj and hufflepuff
- I like hugs, nice sounding voices, and tattoos...and beards are nice too
- I have a really bad memory and lose my shit allll the time. I've left so many things at my sister's house.
- My ideal living situation involves bunkbeds so that there's plenty of room for activities
- I work at a Montessori school. Trying to become a teacher eventually.
- I watch a lot of nonsense TV to relax...SpongeBob is still my jam. I even have SpongeBob shoes
- I don't care if you're ftm or nonbinary. If we click, we click
2023.05.31 22:30 heyitsmaggie Posted a thrifted DK weight cashmere sweater about a week ago- here is my haul! Thanks for all the tips and encouragement!
 | submitted by heyitsmaggie to Unravelers [link] [comments] |
2023.05.31 21:43 pleck0 [SELL] New Balance Teddy Santis, NOAH, Howlin', Carhartt WIP, Nike, YMC, Howlin', Norse Projects, Adidas Originals, Vans Vault PRICES LOWERED
Everything listed can be found here in case individual links do not work:
https://www.ebay.com/usgrouch_douglas
A KIND OF GUISE
NOAH
-NOAH FW22 Cotton Seed Stitch turtleneck Camel Brown L NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256035178033
NEW BALANCE
NIKE
VANS VAULT
VANS GENERAL RELEASE
ADIDAS ORIGINALS & ADIDAS x PALACE
CARHARTT WIP
NORSE PROJECTS
MEN'S:
WOMEN'S:
CHAMPION REVERSE WEAVE
MISC
submitted by pleck0 to MaleFashionMarket [link] [comments]
https://www.ebay.com/usgrouch_douglas
- A Kind of Guise Shalin Shirt Elmwood Check women's L NEW with tags: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256013976834
- A Kind of Guise Kura Cardigan Fuzzy Honey L NEW with tags: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255982214327
-NOAH FW22 Cotton Seed Stitch turtleneck Camel Brown L NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256035178033
- NOAH FW22 Fair Isle wool beanie multicolor NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255982215406
- NOAH SS21 cotton sweater luminary/pale yellow size L NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255910116741
- New Balance BB550WT1 white/green men's 7.5 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256079329467
- New Balance M990AD1 TEDDY SANTIS Macadamia Made in USA men's 7 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256050318084
- New Balance 574 silver birch/sea salt ML574WD2 men's 8 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255947715571
- Nike Dunk Low Retro Pale Ivory/Night Maroon Valentine's Day 2023 mens 8 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256055494847
- Nike Dunk Black/White "panda" men's 8 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255998649504
- Nike AF1 "acorn" men's 8 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255052239910
- Nike Lab solo swoosh crew Moss Green size M NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256057458319
- Nike Lab solo swoosh crew Washed Teal size M NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256057460767
- Monk's Robe Brown Old Skool men's 7.5 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255994233052
- Black/Marshmallow Style 36 men's 7.5 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255027469572
- Old Gold/Black style 36 men's 7.5 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/254427686234
- Supreme x Jean Paul Gaultier Floral Print Era Pro Black 8 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/254196642751
- Autumn Glaze authentic 9 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/254097244810
- Desert Embellish Era Safari/Multicolor 5 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/253855161589
- Adidas Padiham Sand/Green Tint men's 7 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256027462898
- Adidas Tobacco Gruen Cream White/Bliss/Light Brown men's 7.5 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256013949493
- Adidas x Palace Pro White/Red Mens 8 Preowned: https://www.ebay.com/itm/253748569585
- Munchen Hazy Green/Wild Pink men's 7 NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256002777108
- Carhartt WIP Klondike Pant Ale Brown 30/32 NEW with tags: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256039813450
- Carhartt WIP Sid Pant Parsley Green 29/30 NEW with tags: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255994232277
- Carhartt WIP Allen Sweater Dusty Hamilton Brown M NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255954175784
- Carhartt WIP Allen Sweater Grey Heather L NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255934965877
- Skagen Guernsey Chocolate Brown XL NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255910115987
- Skagen light bubble Dark Navy (with defects) L NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255935065822
- Birnir brushed lambswool brass yellow men's L NEW with tags: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255947679608
- Evelina Sweater Utility Khaki L NEW (no tags): https://www.ebay.com/itm/256035172050
- Evelina Sweater Dark Navy L NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255942906731
- Helvig rollneck pale lilac women's Large NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/254935653853
- Aslaug brushed dark navy women's Large NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255910115005
- Dorthea heavy jersey kit white XL NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255954178879
- Champion x Urban Outfitters reverse weave hoodie Orange L NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/253524158361
- Champion x Urban Outfitters UO reverse weave hoodie purple plum L NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/254405211056
- Champion x Urban Outfitters UO reverse weave hoodie Teal Turquoise XS NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/254487877264
- howlin' shaggy bear cardigan blue power size S NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256063732266
- YMC You Must Create Guanabana Belt orange/multicolor NEW: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256020040499
- YMC Kurt Cardigan Green size L NEW with tags: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256043103508
- YMC Kurt Cardigan Green size M NEW with tags: https://www.ebay.com/itm/256070362549
2023.05.31 19:00 mossbottle Men's shirt sizing (way too small)
My shirt size is always a M or L (button-up, sweaters, just plain t-shirts etc.). (edit: I'm in the US, if that makes a differene re sizing of shirts) I just ordered a bunch of shirts, all size L, and most of them fit like they are S or even XS. I could barely fit them over my head! I was so confused I even double checked the size on the tags and also my orders to make sure I didnt accidentally order them in kids sizes.
Here's a photo of one of the shirts size L on top of a size L t from American Apparel: https://imgur.com/a/3KHwB9G One of the shirts fit normally lol Have others had this experience? I also read many reviews of each of the items - everyone says the fit is "true to size", and I see pictures of guys who look bigger than me saying they're wearing S. What gives? Am I missing something about the way sizing works on Shein? I'm returning everything and planning to re-order them all in XL or XXL... And here's the link to the Shein shirt, you can see most people are not wearing it super tight: https://us.shein.com/SHEIN-Men-Solid-Sheer-Tee-p-11049524-cat-1980.html
submitted by mossbottle to SHEIN_ [link] [comments]
Here's a photo of one of the shirts size L on top of a size L t from American Apparel: https://imgur.com/a/3KHwB9G One of the shirts fit normally lol Have others had this experience? I also read many reviews of each of the items - everyone says the fit is "true to size", and I see pictures of guys who look bigger than me saying they're wearing S. What gives? Am I missing something about the way sizing works on Shein? I'm returning everything and planning to re-order them all in XL or XXL... And here's the link to the Shein shirt, you can see most people are not wearing it super tight: https://us.shein.com/SHEIN-Men-Solid-Sheer-Tee-p-11049524-cat-1980.html
2023.05.31 18:04 NamelessNanashi [The Gods of Dragons: Beginning] Ch 11 - Road to Hamerfoss Part 1/2
--- Table of Contents ---
Spring 4985, 18 Buromoth
The road to Hamerfoss was north out of Smilnda. By horse, the journey took only two days, one and a half if ridden hard. By foot, it generally took four days, but escorting a heavily loaded wagon would take the squires six.
On the first day out, Thom and Rerves released their excited energy through constant chatter. Talking about how happy they were to finally be on their way to real training. Occasionally Shon would join in.
On the second day, they spoke about how much easier it would be to concentrate without the girls around. Shon didn’t join much in this conversation.
On the third day, they confessed to missing Daisy and Ania. Suspecting they missed the conversation, Shon attempted to chime in more often.
The fourth and fifth days were plagued with spring rain, and the boys did little more than complain, particularly about their new leather armor chafing when wet. Shon couldn't help but grumble in affirmation. He'd hated the armor from the first day.
The sixth, and final, day saw a stop to the rain. The boys spent their walk beside the wagon carefully dodging puddles after Thom submerged his entire boot in one deeper than expected. There was very little talking between them now, all three too nervous and excited for their imminent arrival.
The road outside the city had been the only part with flat fields and open skies on either side. For the rest, they'd traveled through forest, with only the occasional clearing maintained explicitly for travelers to camp. Tall evergreens growing close together blocked the view of anything beyond the road at their feet, giving Shon and the others very little to look at as they marched.
Two sturdy horses pulled the wagon of supplies for the fortress. Barrels of food and crates of scrap metal as well as sacks of letters and the Squire's personal bags, weighed down the laden wagon, the wheels carving deep channels in the muddy road.
Shon had already sketched the wagon, the horses, the Paladin driving them, and his fellow Squires many times over. He even managed a few landscape drawings, for lack of better subjects. He had no idea how the other two managed to calm their excitement before sleep. Perhaps that was why they talked so much every night.
Walking ahead of him, Rerves readjusted the hilt of his short sword while Shon pulled at the neck of his armor for what seemed like the hundredth time each. They hadn’t been trained in the proper use of either, and Shon wondered again why the Paladins had insisted the Squires wear them. They'd been ordered to guard the wagon, but who would be stupid enough to waylay a Temple cart so close to a fortress full of knights? Of course, monsters such as the draken and drakwalves were always a threat, but what were three untrained boys supposed to do against something like that?
Shon sighed, letting his hand fall limply from the gorget. It was no use. No matter how many times he tried to shift it, it would just rub somewhere else until he grew uncomfortable enough to try again. He attempted to distract himself, letting his eyes unfocus and picturing himself going through his kata as he walked in a daze. Master Veon-Zih always said that mental practice was just as important as physical training, though in this case, Shon was just glad it gave him something to focus on besides his nerves and discomfort.
He was about to start the second kata when he nearly ran into Rerves. The taller boy had stopped walking, and Shon arched an eyebrow at him before realizing that the wagon had also stopped. There was no way they were there already…
Stepping to the side, Shon saw what had stalled them. A man in what looked like poorly kept half-plate stood in the middle of the path. A large war ax strapped to his back.
The stranger scratched at his short beard, scraggly and peppered like his hair, “Ho traveler, where you headed?” He called.
The three boys looked to the Paladin driving the wagon, watching as his eyes narrowed, “We are bound for Hamerfoss, good ser…”
“Ah, so the toll you’ll be payin' will be comin' out of them coffers then,” the stranger called, his face splitting into a grin as the boys looked back his way.
“There is no toll on this road, good ser.” their Paladin stated. As if their heads had been placed on a swivel, the Squires returned their gazes to him, but only for a moment as the stranger answered again.
“There is now.” the bandit lifted his hand, the Paladin stood, and the boys looked between the two with wide eyes, not sure what they were supposed to do. The bandit whistled, a sharp sound that sent birds flying from the trees as four hooded figures exited from the gloom to surround the wagon and its three terrified Squires.
The Paladin drew his longsword, ordering the boys, “Protect the wagon!” They turned frightened eyes on each other for only a moment before looking back at the bandits. Each now holding swords of their own.
The knight lept from the wagon and charged the leader, who'd reached for his ax. Thom and Rerves fumbled for their short swords, and Shon dropped into a low stance, his fists held at the ready and heart beating furiously.
“Shon, sword!” Rerves yelled, his voice somehow steady as the four hooded bandits stalked closer.
Shon actually felt himself blush despite the situation and pulled his sword from its scabbard like the rest. He felt off-balance, the weight of the weapon throwing off his well-rehearsed stance. He didn’t have time to adjust before the bandits charged. Two went for Rerves, leaving one each for Shon and Thom.
Shon tried to relax, to stay alert and ready to move, as he'd been taught. But his palm was sweating and he clinched the hilt tighter than intended. Focused on the bandit heading his way, the chaos around him blurred, becoming indistinct, like a drawing left in the rain. Shon held his ground and lifted the sword to one of the ready positions he'd seen the Paladins practice. His attacker was quite a bit taller than he was, and Shon lifted the sword above his head as the first swing came down hard from above.
The hilt shook in Shon's hand, and his attacker didn't hesitate to swing again, this time sweeping around and aiming for Shon's left leg. Clenching his teeth, Shon pivoted the sword down to block again but misjudged the length of his blade. The bandit's long sword passed below the point of Shon's block to strike just above the knee. He felt the impact, but could only imagine the damage, refusing to look and thanking Hengist the limb hadn't buckled. As the shock of the hit ran its course, the attacker flicked his sword up from inside Shon's failed guard, knocking the weapon from his hand.
The short sword flew free, but Shon had already begun his counter, aiming with his free right hand at his attacker’s extended wrist. The hit would have knocked the attacker's arm aside at the least, but with his now empty left hand, Shon struck the same arm from the outside at the elbow. In an instinctual effort to save the joint, the bandit twisted awkwardly, but predictably, bringing his head lower and closer.
Cartilage crunched beneath his knuckles and Shon's attacker reeled back, gripping his nose under his hood and cursing loudly enough for others to hear over the clang of metal and chaos.
One of Rerves' attackers disengaged from his two-on-one fight to aid his friend, who was now backing away from Shon as fast as he could. Shon hesitated a moment then dashed to his fallen sword.
Again Shon felt unbalanced with the weapon in hand. He tried to shift his weight to offset the difference but barely had enough time to bring the sword to bear as the second attacker swung his two-handed greatsword at Shon's right side.
Taking his own weapon in both hands, Shon managed to absorb some of the force of the blow, but he still wasn't strong enough to fully block the strike. His arms buckled, giving way for his opponent's longsword to hit his upper arm. This second hit hadn't fully registered in Shon's mind when the new attacker shoved his shoulder into Shon's chest, trying to push him over.
It worked. Shon fell to the ground with a splash and smack as he habitually swung his hands down to slap the ground, dropping his sword again, but breaking the energy of the fall. Just as Master Veon-Zih had taught him. Perhaps expecting Shon to be winded, the attacker didn't follow through with another attack on the prone boy; instead, turning to look at the companion Shon had punched.
Shon didn't hesitate. Still on his back, Shon twisted his hips, scissoring his legs to either side of the bandit's leg and kicking him behind the knee and inside the shin. The bigger man went down, and Shon swung his legs up, rolling onto his shoulder blades before jumping directly to a standing position. Or at least trying to. The leather armor was heavy and awkward, and he wobbled when he landed on his feet. As he attempted to regain his balance, another whistle rang out from the front of the wagon.
As one, the attackers disengaged from their respective defending Squires. The one Shon had knocked down rolled away and was helped up by his companion sporting a bloody nose. The Squires didn't pursue. Their hands shook with adrenaline, and their eyes tried to dart every way at once.
"Stand down, Squires," it was the Paladin. The knight had sheathed his sword and was moving back towards the wagon, but the boys could barely manage a glance at each other before focusing back on their attackers. Still very much on edge. It wasn't until the attackers in question also sheathed their weapons that the Squires began to slowly straighten, looking between the Paladin, the lead bandit, their attackers, and each other in quick succession.
"You all did very well," the knight said, reaching out to ensure the horses were still calm. They'd hardly moved, causing Shon to determine they must be warhorses, perhaps one was the knight's own partner.
"Not bad, not bad." the lead bandit started forward, slinging his ax back over his shoulder as he moved. Rather than being reassured by the gesture, the Squires dropped back into their fighting stance.
The Paladin snapped, "It was a test, boys. Relax and sheath your swords before you hurt yourselves." The lead 'bandit' laughed out loud at that. It was a booming sound like a bark straight from his belly as he threw his head back and planted his fists firmly on his hips.
"First time seeing battle, even a mock one, and you can't help but be on edge. It's the same every year," he said, the strange speech pattern he'd used before completely gone. He gestured, and his four underlings removed their hoods. The one with the bloody nose still had it pinched, his head tilted forward.
Mock battle… Shon's leg and arm throbbed painfully with every heartbeat, and his knuckles stung as he clenched and unclenched his fists to try and relax. But now that it was over, he realized that both hits had been with the flat of the blade.
The ringleader continued, "These fine Squires are going to be the newest Paladins of Hengist. After their vigil next month." the four attackers saluted and the younger Squires exchanged glances again before finally putting their swords away. "And I," the man slapped his chest, "am your new Weaponmaster. Master Daunas Mung. It will be my job to train you in combat at Hamerfoss."
Rerves was the first to recover. He smiled, but his voice held a hint of sarcasm, "I wish I could say it's nice to meet you, Master Daunas," he tried to laugh, "perhaps once my heart has stopped trying to beat its way out of my chest." That caused the Weaponmaster to bark his own laugh again. Thom smiled nervously at Shon, who was taking slow, measured breaths to calm his own heart.
The Paladin took a moment to examine their various bumps and bruises but only used his magic to heal the senor squire's broken nose. The much larger party continued together towards Hamerfoss, Master Daunas riding with the Paladin in the wagon while the older Squires chatted amongst each other. Thom and Rerves didn’t join in the chatter, both looking as anxious as Shon felt. He could hear the two uninjured seniors making fun of the two who had fought him and wasn’t sure if he should be embarrassed or proud. He'd hardly used his sword, -dropped it twice!- and the sword was the sacred weapon of Hengist. The symbol of the god himself.
Eventually, -finally- they left the woods and immediately saw the fortress situated in the middle of a vast field. Hamerfoss was one of the oldest structures still being utilized in Clearhelm. As such, it wasn't nearly as visually impressive as some of the newer Temples in the cities. Even so, as they approached the south gate, the three new Squires gaped at its great stone walls in awe.
The outer curtain wall was twenty stones high, -at least four of the boys stacked one on top of the other- with two layers of iron portcullises, their bars as thick as Shon's forearm. Walking through the first, the boys looked up and saw the faces of Paladins looking down at them through holes in the ceiling, built for dumping hot tar or oil on invaders trapped between the portcullises. They moved a little faster through the second.
Beyond the wall was one of two open courtyards, with training dummies, archery targets, and sparring rings separated by neat stone walkways. The smell of hay and horses wafted over the whole place from the stable against the south wall to their right, and the ringing "tink, tink" of a hammer on metal filled the cool air from the smithy built into the side of the fortress proper.
"Welcome to Hamerfoss!" Master Daunas gestured widely to all before them, and Shon fixed his eyes on the fortress itself, rising up like an indomitable mountain before him. It was about fifteen feet taller than the curtain wall, with one great tower in the center jutting up another fifteen feet above that. The roof was lined with battlements where archers could rain death on an invading army.
Turning his head, Shon could see three of the four bastions at the corners of the curtain wall and the armored figures that must be more Paladins standing guard. His left hand twitched as he longed to unpack his journal and draw every detail. The bare, dead-looking vines covering the face of the west wall, he was sure they would bloom in a few short weeks and cover the stone in green; the squat smithy coming out of his workshop to wipe the sweat from his brow in the cool air of early spring; and the slack-jawed expressions of awe on his companions' faces as they tilted their heads waaay back to try and see the top of the fortress's tower. But there would be plenty of time for that. After all, this would be his home for the next four years.
"Well. Don't just stand there gawkin'! Unload the wagon." Shon jumped in surprise and glimpsed Thom and Rerves doing the same. Master Daunas must have startled them out of their awe as well.
Shon was grateful as Rerves cleared his throat and took charge. His habit of speaking first and taking control had annoyed the girls back in Smilnda, but as Thom was used to it and Shon didn’t like giving orders, it worked out well for the boys. "Thom, you get the horses settled. Shon, you start handing me things out of the wagon." Without a word of argument, Thom nodded and went to the horses, murmuring gently as he began removing their harness and Shon climbed into the bed of the wagon to lift one crate at a time down to Rerves.
Master Daunas snorted, turning away from the new boys to give orders Shon couldn't hear to the older Squires. The young men saluted in unison, one moving to help Thom and two coming back to the wagon to help Shon and Rerves. The last jogged to the blacksmith, who waved him towards the smithy. He returned a moment later, carrying a small box and marching towards the smith, who was speaking quietly with Master Daunas.
"Shon, come on!" Rerves whispered, gesturing with both hands impatiently. Shon shook his head to clear it, handing Rerves another crate. He'd been paying a little too much attention to Daunas and the smith.
"Sorry," Shon murmured, but if Rerves heard him, he just took the box and set it with the others. It didn't take long for the four Squires to finish with the wagon. Shon hopped down with his own pack over his shoulder just as Thom came out of the stable with the senior Squire to meet them.
"Horses taken care of?" Rerves asked, and Shon blinked at him, thinking, Of course, they were; Thom wouldn't have come out otherwise…
"Yep, all settled and ready to go," Thom answered with a smile. Shon would've simply nodded. He was never one to waste words on things that didn't need to be said, and now more than ever, he found himself so focused on taking in everything around him that he could hardly think of words to say.
It seemed Master Daunas had been waiting for something to be said out loud, though, because he turned towards them at the sound, "Alright lads, this here is Nangran Flintchest. He's our resident Smith, and he'll be making all your equipment." The man was only as tall as Thom, but his shoulders and chest were broader even than Master Daunas, with hands the size of shovels and a beard that hung to the middle of his chest.
"Line up, smallest... largest…" As he spoke, Nangran pointed first to the right, then to the left of Shon, and didn't bother to see if they obeyed before turning away from them to open the box the older Squire had brought. Taking out a long measuring tape and a ratty-looking notebook, the smith tossed the young man the notebook without explanation and headed toward Thom with the measuring tape. Thom quickly positioned himself to the right of Shon with Rerves on Shon’s left.
Nangran motioned with his hand, grumbling only "Arms…" Without need for further explanation, Thom stepped forward and lifted his arms like a 't', visibly swallowing down his nerves. Shon watched closely as the smith took the smaller boy's measurements. Around his chest, his bicep, lower arm, from shoulder to elbow, elbow to wrist, neck to waist, and much more besides. Thom stood stiff, following the old man's clipped instructions with hesitant jerky movements. Shon thought it should be awkward to work around their armor, but Nangran didn't seem to notice.
"Sword?" Nangran asked, and Thom made a confused sound. But the smith waved a massive hand in his face, "Not you, boy. Daunas, what sword?"
Master Daunas had his arms crossed over his chest and was tilting his head back and forth from one side to the other, absently scratching his beard before he finally said. "Two hands." he then pointed at Shon, saying, "Bastard." Shon wrinkled his nose, but the offense was short-lived when Daunas pointed at Rerves, saying, "One hand."
Nangran sniffed, "One each..." he stepped over to Shon and motioned for him to raise his arms. Shon stiffened but obliged, keeping his eyes fixed forward as the old man ran his measuring tape all across Shon's body, fighting not to flinch each time the Smith brushed against him.
"Yep," Daunas answered. They were talking as if the boys weren't even there, and the older Squires just watched. Didn’t they have anything better to do? "And that one," Daunas continued, nodding towards Shon, "is a lefty." Nangran snorted without comment and continued measuring, while the Squire with the notebook scribbled a little something extra besides the numbers Nangran mumbled to him.
But then the smith ran his hand down Shon’s forearm, touching the skin of his wrist, and pulled away in surprise. Shon jerked his hand back but quickly returned it with a nervous swallow. The smith stared at him, his brow furrowed, "You're cold as ice boy. Nervous?"
Shon shook his head, but the smith continued to stare, so he added, "No sir. I'm always cold."
The smith hummed and went back to measuring around Shon's wrist and back up his arm, "They say cold hands make a warm heart," Nangran muttered.
Beside Shon, Rerves and Thom snickered. "Whoever says that has never met Shon," said Thom, who had relaxed noticeably once the smith had finished with him. Face forward, Shon glared sideways at him, but there was no real anger in it, and Thom snickered again.
Master Daunas let out another bark of a laugh, "I see you get along well! That's good; you'll want friends in training." Shon tried to relax, taking a deep breath through his nose and letting it out through pursed lips. He did get along with his fellow Squires. He felt his lips tilt up in an almost imperceptible smile. He would even go so far as to call them friends. Even if they did poke fun at each other. Or maybe it was because they did.
Smith Nangran moved on to Rerves, and Shon looked from the larger boy to the smaller and back again before focusing his gaze on Master Daunas. It seemed neither of them was going to ask the adults to clarify what they meant by the sword assignments, so he would have to. Feeling more at ease, he asked, "I thought we were going to be trained in all weapons…"
Daunas must've seen where Shon was going because he spoke at the pause provided, "Oh, you will, boy. But I was watching you fight back on the road. You didn't think we staged that little raid just for fun, did you?" Shon didn't answer. He had thought it was just for fun. Perhaps some kind of hazing ritual. When Shon didn't say anything, Daunas continued, "You boys haven't been trained, so your movements were on instinct, giving me an idea for what fighting style you may lean more towards." he pointed at Shon, who crossed his eyes to focus on the finger, "You, boy, are going to be a problem. You're the one old man V's been training."
Who? Shon refocused on the Weapon Master's face, arching an eyebrow in confusion. When Master Daunas didn’t respond to the look, Shon guessed, "Master Veon-Zih?"
Daunas continued, "He's got you jumping around with no mind to the armor you'll be wearing or the weapon in your hand. You'll have to work twice as hard to adjust some of those habits." Shon was taken aback, shocked, and a little afraid… He didn't want to lose what he'd already learned… but Master Daunas continued, "But with a hand-and-a-half sword, you'll be able to switch between one and two-handed maneuvers." he smiled softly, and Shon realized his emotions must have been showing on his face more than usual because the Weapon Master seemed to be comforting him. "You mark my words; you'll favor the bastard sword for sure."
Nangran finished with Rerves and began rolling up his measuring tape. He turned his back on the boys but spoke to them as he took his notebook back from the senior Squire, “Take that leather off and put it in the wagon. I’ll have better ready for you by first watch week.” The Squires exchanged looks, then began following the command, stripping off the leather armor and thick gambeson and trying in vain to straighten the sweaty wrinkled uniforms underneath.
“You four,” Daunas addressed the seniors, who moved from parade rest to attention in perfect unison, “show these three around and give them the rundown of how things work around here. You three,” he looked over his shoulder at Shon and the others, scratching his neck again, “this is your last day of freedom, enjoy it while you can.” all seven Squires saluted and Daunas sighed, giving a lazy salute in response before walking off, muttering to himself, “I need to shave…”
The older Squires approached the younger, two of them snickering after Daunas was far enough away not to hear. Shon arched an eyebrow at them and, seeing the expression, the tallest explained, “He’s normally clean-shaven. He let his beard grow out all week for the wagon raid.”
“You’ll be doing one too, in your last year.” another of the four added.
“Sorry about your arm,” the one who had fought Thom said, holding out his hand to the younger boy, “You really did do well, considering.” Thom shook the young man’s hand with a grateful smile at the compliment.
The two who had fought Shon exchanged looks with each other then looked at him, their expressions expectant. Shon arched his other eyebrow instead. Did they really expect him to apologize? They had attacked him. And he was four years younger than they were.
“So…” the one Shon had bloodied started, drawing the word out.
“Who taught you how to fight?” the second interjected.
“Master Veon-Zih.”
When Shon didn’t elaborate further, the two exchanged silent shrugs. Shon looked away from them, frustrated. They could communicate with each other fine in gestures and expressions, yet, he was expected to explain details they didn't need? Would they even know what a Monk was? Did it even matter? He was here to train as a Paladin now.
The only one who hadn’t spoken yet cleared his throat, and the other three turned his way immediately. Apparently, he was the unofficial leader of this group, just like Rerves was the unofficial leader of theirs. “We'll show you the barracks first. You should shower and change your uniforms before we walk around the rest of the fortress.”
“You have showers here too?” Rerves blurted in amazement, then snapped his mouth shut, blushing.
The two who were prone to laughing did so again, “Why wouldn’t we?”
“I bet we need it more than most of the official Temples.” the two laughed again.
Thom shuffled his feet nervously but said, “They told us things would be a lot rougher here.”
“They were probably just trying to scare you,”
“They were talking about the work,” the leader said sharply, then turned towards the fortress.
Shon and the others quickly grabbed their bags and rushed to follow. The leader continued to talk as they fell into step behind him, “Your day will start just before sunrise, at fifth bell. You will get dressed, make your bed as quickly as possible, then gather with the others in the courtyard,” he gestured with one hand at a wide-open spot on the training grounds, “From there we run. Around the fortress ten times in formation. After that are drills and then breakfast. After breakfast, we have prayer, followed by lectures, then heavy weapons and armor training, then lunch.” they made their way into the fortress and up a long flight of stairs to the third floor, “After lunch, there's more classwork, then light weapons and combat training. You’re then given an hour of free time to shower and rest before dinner. After dinner, there is mandated study or prayer time, then another hour of free time before lights out at ninth bell. Once every season, we take four weeks to stand watch, one week for each shift.”
He took them down a long hall lined with doors on one side. Shon tried to listen and count the doors at the same time and was glad he did when the leader stopped beside the ninth, “These three rooms are yours. Go ahead and get a new uniform and meet us back out here.”
One of the nicer boys stepped forward to open the first door, “This one is Rerves, followed by Shon and Thom.” Shon entered to find a small room barely six feet square. Directly across from the door was a bed that took up the entire wall and a small high-set window that looked out over the training field. Beside it was a small desk with a single wooden chair. Under the bed, Shon found a long shallow box full of neatly folded uniforms. His name was embroidered in the lining of each piece, and on top was a pinned note with instructions detailing the laundry procedure. Shon only skimmed it, it was the same as the fortress in Smilnda, and most likely the same the Provence over, perhaps even the kingdom.
He left his pack by the desk and returned to the hall with one of his uniforms to find it empty. Glancing down either side of the hall, he shrugged at Thom’s questioning look when he was joined by his two fellows. They waited at least ten minutes before the seniors returned, without their armor and holding their own spare uniforms. They looked nearly as disheveled as the juniors. The leader gestured for them to follow again and said, “Once you get your armor, you will keep it in your room. It's your responsibility to keep it oiled or polished as appropriate.” well, they would be good at that at least… Had they been left to wait while the seniors cared for their armor? Shon didn’t bother to ask, following the four deeper into the fortress.
They were taken to the showers, a single large room with spigots set into the walls and drains in the floor. The seniors started to strip down, placing their dirty uniforms in a basket by the door and setting their clean sets on the benches set along the same wall. Thom, Rerves, and Shon all exchanged looks before following their lead.
There were only ten showerheads, and Rerves finally asked, “How many Squires are there here?”
The seniors each moved to their own showerhead, and the room was quickly filled with hot steam, “Twentyone, including us, but we will be gone in a month, so that will leave seventeen.” one of them answered, stepping under the hot water with a grateful sigh, rinsing the sweat and dirt from the road off his surprisingly well-muscled body. Shon counted the shower spigots again as he moved towards his own. Almost twenty Squires and only ten showers at a time… it sounded like a nightmare. But at least they had hot running water.
Though he had above-average cold tolerance and preferred the winter chill far more than the summer sweat, Shon always enjoyed a truly hot shower. Master Veon-Zih liked to argue that baths were far superior, but in Shon's experience, baths always cooled off too quickly, which was why most ordinary citizens of Clearhelm used the public steam baths.
After they were washed and dressed, the real tour began. They were shown the hall with the officer's rooms, the infirmary, the mess hall, the library, and the classroom. “There’s only one?” Thom asked, peeking into the room with a blackboard across the far wall and long tables situated in front.
“Tomorrow is the last real day before the watch weeks start. You'll spend those four weeks catching up on foundational stuff. Kingdom-wide law, and your assigned sword dills, that sort of thing. After that, the lessons are given in a four-year rotation, so your first classes after the watch weeks will be new to both you and everyone else." the leader explained.
The nicest one elaborated, “You’ll have the same schedule we did, so comparative law, followed by history, then theology, then comparative cultural studies.” Shon wasn’t sure what he looked forward to least on that list. Though all would be better than fighting for a shower…
"There's also etiquette, monster studies, combat tactics and command, and war history and theory." his friend added, and Shon was relieved that at least most of those seemed more interesting.
Next, they were shown some of the less-used rooms. The war room, full of charts and maps and only used for large-scale tactics training, and an indoor sparring room that looked like it was never used.
“This is supposed to be for heavy weather.” one of the laughers said with a snicker.
“But Master Daunus says your enemies won’t let you move a fight inside, so why practice there,” added the other. Shon happened to agree, but also wasn’t looking forward to training in the rain after having walked in it for two days.
Lastly, they were shown the chapel, not as fine as the one in Smilnda but with the same sweet incense and warm comfort. The atmosphere seeped into Shon’s bones as they approached the head altar for a brief prayer and a blessing from the resident Cleric. He was a young man with pale brown hair and green eyes. He smiled warmly down at the new boys, saying, “Welcome to Hamerfoss, Squires of Hengist.” which in turn made each of them glow with enough pride to banish the nerves of their first day and daunting future.
***
--- Part 2/2 ---
--- Table of Contents ---
All comments and criticism is welcome.
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Spring 4985, 18 Buromoth
The road to Hamerfoss was north out of Smilnda. By horse, the journey took only two days, one and a half if ridden hard. By foot, it generally took four days, but escorting a heavily loaded wagon would take the squires six.
On the first day out, Thom and Rerves released their excited energy through constant chatter. Talking about how happy they were to finally be on their way to real training. Occasionally Shon would join in.
On the second day, they spoke about how much easier it would be to concentrate without the girls around. Shon didn’t join much in this conversation.
On the third day, they confessed to missing Daisy and Ania. Suspecting they missed the conversation, Shon attempted to chime in more often.
The fourth and fifth days were plagued with spring rain, and the boys did little more than complain, particularly about their new leather armor chafing when wet. Shon couldn't help but grumble in affirmation. He'd hated the armor from the first day.
The sixth, and final, day saw a stop to the rain. The boys spent their walk beside the wagon carefully dodging puddles after Thom submerged his entire boot in one deeper than expected. There was very little talking between them now, all three too nervous and excited for their imminent arrival.
The road outside the city had been the only part with flat fields and open skies on either side. For the rest, they'd traveled through forest, with only the occasional clearing maintained explicitly for travelers to camp. Tall evergreens growing close together blocked the view of anything beyond the road at their feet, giving Shon and the others very little to look at as they marched.
Two sturdy horses pulled the wagon of supplies for the fortress. Barrels of food and crates of scrap metal as well as sacks of letters and the Squire's personal bags, weighed down the laden wagon, the wheels carving deep channels in the muddy road.
Shon had already sketched the wagon, the horses, the Paladin driving them, and his fellow Squires many times over. He even managed a few landscape drawings, for lack of better subjects. He had no idea how the other two managed to calm their excitement before sleep. Perhaps that was why they talked so much every night.
Walking ahead of him, Rerves readjusted the hilt of his short sword while Shon pulled at the neck of his armor for what seemed like the hundredth time each. They hadn’t been trained in the proper use of either, and Shon wondered again why the Paladins had insisted the Squires wear them. They'd been ordered to guard the wagon, but who would be stupid enough to waylay a Temple cart so close to a fortress full of knights? Of course, monsters such as the draken and drakwalves were always a threat, but what were three untrained boys supposed to do against something like that?
Shon sighed, letting his hand fall limply from the gorget. It was no use. No matter how many times he tried to shift it, it would just rub somewhere else until he grew uncomfortable enough to try again. He attempted to distract himself, letting his eyes unfocus and picturing himself going through his kata as he walked in a daze. Master Veon-Zih always said that mental practice was just as important as physical training, though in this case, Shon was just glad it gave him something to focus on besides his nerves and discomfort.
He was about to start the second kata when he nearly ran into Rerves. The taller boy had stopped walking, and Shon arched an eyebrow at him before realizing that the wagon had also stopped. There was no way they were there already…
Stepping to the side, Shon saw what had stalled them. A man in what looked like poorly kept half-plate stood in the middle of the path. A large war ax strapped to his back.
The stranger scratched at his short beard, scraggly and peppered like his hair, “Ho traveler, where you headed?” He called.
The three boys looked to the Paladin driving the wagon, watching as his eyes narrowed, “We are bound for Hamerfoss, good ser…”
“Ah, so the toll you’ll be payin' will be comin' out of them coffers then,” the stranger called, his face splitting into a grin as the boys looked back his way.
“There is no toll on this road, good ser.” their Paladin stated. As if their heads had been placed on a swivel, the Squires returned their gazes to him, but only for a moment as the stranger answered again.
“There is now.” the bandit lifted his hand, the Paladin stood, and the boys looked between the two with wide eyes, not sure what they were supposed to do. The bandit whistled, a sharp sound that sent birds flying from the trees as four hooded figures exited from the gloom to surround the wagon and its three terrified Squires.
The Paladin drew his longsword, ordering the boys, “Protect the wagon!” They turned frightened eyes on each other for only a moment before looking back at the bandits. Each now holding swords of their own.
The knight lept from the wagon and charged the leader, who'd reached for his ax. Thom and Rerves fumbled for their short swords, and Shon dropped into a low stance, his fists held at the ready and heart beating furiously.
“Shon, sword!” Rerves yelled, his voice somehow steady as the four hooded bandits stalked closer.
Shon actually felt himself blush despite the situation and pulled his sword from its scabbard like the rest. He felt off-balance, the weight of the weapon throwing off his well-rehearsed stance. He didn’t have time to adjust before the bandits charged. Two went for Rerves, leaving one each for Shon and Thom.
Shon tried to relax, to stay alert and ready to move, as he'd been taught. But his palm was sweating and he clinched the hilt tighter than intended. Focused on the bandit heading his way, the chaos around him blurred, becoming indistinct, like a drawing left in the rain. Shon held his ground and lifted the sword to one of the ready positions he'd seen the Paladins practice. His attacker was quite a bit taller than he was, and Shon lifted the sword above his head as the first swing came down hard from above.
The hilt shook in Shon's hand, and his attacker didn't hesitate to swing again, this time sweeping around and aiming for Shon's left leg. Clenching his teeth, Shon pivoted the sword down to block again but misjudged the length of his blade. The bandit's long sword passed below the point of Shon's block to strike just above the knee. He felt the impact, but could only imagine the damage, refusing to look and thanking Hengist the limb hadn't buckled. As the shock of the hit ran its course, the attacker flicked his sword up from inside Shon's failed guard, knocking the weapon from his hand.
The short sword flew free, but Shon had already begun his counter, aiming with his free right hand at his attacker’s extended wrist. The hit would have knocked the attacker's arm aside at the least, but with his now empty left hand, Shon struck the same arm from the outside at the elbow. In an instinctual effort to save the joint, the bandit twisted awkwardly, but predictably, bringing his head lower and closer.
Cartilage crunched beneath his knuckles and Shon's attacker reeled back, gripping his nose under his hood and cursing loudly enough for others to hear over the clang of metal and chaos.
One of Rerves' attackers disengaged from his two-on-one fight to aid his friend, who was now backing away from Shon as fast as he could. Shon hesitated a moment then dashed to his fallen sword.
Again Shon felt unbalanced with the weapon in hand. He tried to shift his weight to offset the difference but barely had enough time to bring the sword to bear as the second attacker swung his two-handed greatsword at Shon's right side.
Taking his own weapon in both hands, Shon managed to absorb some of the force of the blow, but he still wasn't strong enough to fully block the strike. His arms buckled, giving way for his opponent's longsword to hit his upper arm. This second hit hadn't fully registered in Shon's mind when the new attacker shoved his shoulder into Shon's chest, trying to push him over.
It worked. Shon fell to the ground with a splash and smack as he habitually swung his hands down to slap the ground, dropping his sword again, but breaking the energy of the fall. Just as Master Veon-Zih had taught him. Perhaps expecting Shon to be winded, the attacker didn't follow through with another attack on the prone boy; instead, turning to look at the companion Shon had punched.
Shon didn't hesitate. Still on his back, Shon twisted his hips, scissoring his legs to either side of the bandit's leg and kicking him behind the knee and inside the shin. The bigger man went down, and Shon swung his legs up, rolling onto his shoulder blades before jumping directly to a standing position. Or at least trying to. The leather armor was heavy and awkward, and he wobbled when he landed on his feet. As he attempted to regain his balance, another whistle rang out from the front of the wagon.
As one, the attackers disengaged from their respective defending Squires. The one Shon had knocked down rolled away and was helped up by his companion sporting a bloody nose. The Squires didn't pursue. Their hands shook with adrenaline, and their eyes tried to dart every way at once.
"Stand down, Squires," it was the Paladin. The knight had sheathed his sword and was moving back towards the wagon, but the boys could barely manage a glance at each other before focusing back on their attackers. Still very much on edge. It wasn't until the attackers in question also sheathed their weapons that the Squires began to slowly straighten, looking between the Paladin, the lead bandit, their attackers, and each other in quick succession.
"You all did very well," the knight said, reaching out to ensure the horses were still calm. They'd hardly moved, causing Shon to determine they must be warhorses, perhaps one was the knight's own partner.
"Not bad, not bad." the lead bandit started forward, slinging his ax back over his shoulder as he moved. Rather than being reassured by the gesture, the Squires dropped back into their fighting stance.
The Paladin snapped, "It was a test, boys. Relax and sheath your swords before you hurt yourselves." The lead 'bandit' laughed out loud at that. It was a booming sound like a bark straight from his belly as he threw his head back and planted his fists firmly on his hips.
"First time seeing battle, even a mock one, and you can't help but be on edge. It's the same every year," he said, the strange speech pattern he'd used before completely gone. He gestured, and his four underlings removed their hoods. The one with the bloody nose still had it pinched, his head tilted forward.
Mock battle… Shon's leg and arm throbbed painfully with every heartbeat, and his knuckles stung as he clenched and unclenched his fists to try and relax. But now that it was over, he realized that both hits had been with the flat of the blade.
The ringleader continued, "These fine Squires are going to be the newest Paladins of Hengist. After their vigil next month." the four attackers saluted and the younger Squires exchanged glances again before finally putting their swords away. "And I," the man slapped his chest, "am your new Weaponmaster. Master Daunas Mung. It will be my job to train you in combat at Hamerfoss."
Rerves was the first to recover. He smiled, but his voice held a hint of sarcasm, "I wish I could say it's nice to meet you, Master Daunas," he tried to laugh, "perhaps once my heart has stopped trying to beat its way out of my chest." That caused the Weaponmaster to bark his own laugh again. Thom smiled nervously at Shon, who was taking slow, measured breaths to calm his own heart.
The Paladin took a moment to examine their various bumps and bruises but only used his magic to heal the senor squire's broken nose. The much larger party continued together towards Hamerfoss, Master Daunas riding with the Paladin in the wagon while the older Squires chatted amongst each other. Thom and Rerves didn’t join in the chatter, both looking as anxious as Shon felt. He could hear the two uninjured seniors making fun of the two who had fought him and wasn’t sure if he should be embarrassed or proud. He'd hardly used his sword, -dropped it twice!- and the sword was the sacred weapon of Hengist. The symbol of the god himself.
Eventually, -finally- they left the woods and immediately saw the fortress situated in the middle of a vast field. Hamerfoss was one of the oldest structures still being utilized in Clearhelm. As such, it wasn't nearly as visually impressive as some of the newer Temples in the cities. Even so, as they approached the south gate, the three new Squires gaped at its great stone walls in awe.
The outer curtain wall was twenty stones high, -at least four of the boys stacked one on top of the other- with two layers of iron portcullises, their bars as thick as Shon's forearm. Walking through the first, the boys looked up and saw the faces of Paladins looking down at them through holes in the ceiling, built for dumping hot tar or oil on invaders trapped between the portcullises. They moved a little faster through the second.
Beyond the wall was one of two open courtyards, with training dummies, archery targets, and sparring rings separated by neat stone walkways. The smell of hay and horses wafted over the whole place from the stable against the south wall to their right, and the ringing "tink, tink" of a hammer on metal filled the cool air from the smithy built into the side of the fortress proper.
"Welcome to Hamerfoss!" Master Daunas gestured widely to all before them, and Shon fixed his eyes on the fortress itself, rising up like an indomitable mountain before him. It was about fifteen feet taller than the curtain wall, with one great tower in the center jutting up another fifteen feet above that. The roof was lined with battlements where archers could rain death on an invading army.
Turning his head, Shon could see three of the four bastions at the corners of the curtain wall and the armored figures that must be more Paladins standing guard. His left hand twitched as he longed to unpack his journal and draw every detail. The bare, dead-looking vines covering the face of the west wall, he was sure they would bloom in a few short weeks and cover the stone in green; the squat smithy coming out of his workshop to wipe the sweat from his brow in the cool air of early spring; and the slack-jawed expressions of awe on his companions' faces as they tilted their heads waaay back to try and see the top of the fortress's tower. But there would be plenty of time for that. After all, this would be his home for the next four years.
"Well. Don't just stand there gawkin'! Unload the wagon." Shon jumped in surprise and glimpsed Thom and Rerves doing the same. Master Daunas must have startled them out of their awe as well.
Shon was grateful as Rerves cleared his throat and took charge. His habit of speaking first and taking control had annoyed the girls back in Smilnda, but as Thom was used to it and Shon didn’t like giving orders, it worked out well for the boys. "Thom, you get the horses settled. Shon, you start handing me things out of the wagon." Without a word of argument, Thom nodded and went to the horses, murmuring gently as he began removing their harness and Shon climbed into the bed of the wagon to lift one crate at a time down to Rerves.
Master Daunas snorted, turning away from the new boys to give orders Shon couldn't hear to the older Squires. The young men saluted in unison, one moving to help Thom and two coming back to the wagon to help Shon and Rerves. The last jogged to the blacksmith, who waved him towards the smithy. He returned a moment later, carrying a small box and marching towards the smith, who was speaking quietly with Master Daunas.
"Shon, come on!" Rerves whispered, gesturing with both hands impatiently. Shon shook his head to clear it, handing Rerves another crate. He'd been paying a little too much attention to Daunas and the smith.
"Sorry," Shon murmured, but if Rerves heard him, he just took the box and set it with the others. It didn't take long for the four Squires to finish with the wagon. Shon hopped down with his own pack over his shoulder just as Thom came out of the stable with the senior Squire to meet them.
"Horses taken care of?" Rerves asked, and Shon blinked at him, thinking, Of course, they were; Thom wouldn't have come out otherwise…
"Yep, all settled and ready to go," Thom answered with a smile. Shon would've simply nodded. He was never one to waste words on things that didn't need to be said, and now more than ever, he found himself so focused on taking in everything around him that he could hardly think of words to say.
It seemed Master Daunas had been waiting for something to be said out loud, though, because he turned towards them at the sound, "Alright lads, this here is Nangran Flintchest. He's our resident Smith, and he'll be making all your equipment." The man was only as tall as Thom, but his shoulders and chest were broader even than Master Daunas, with hands the size of shovels and a beard that hung to the middle of his chest.
"Line up, smallest... largest…" As he spoke, Nangran pointed first to the right, then to the left of Shon, and didn't bother to see if they obeyed before turning away from them to open the box the older Squire had brought. Taking out a long measuring tape and a ratty-looking notebook, the smith tossed the young man the notebook without explanation and headed toward Thom with the measuring tape. Thom quickly positioned himself to the right of Shon with Rerves on Shon’s left.
Nangran motioned with his hand, grumbling only "Arms…" Without need for further explanation, Thom stepped forward and lifted his arms like a 't', visibly swallowing down his nerves. Shon watched closely as the smith took the smaller boy's measurements. Around his chest, his bicep, lower arm, from shoulder to elbow, elbow to wrist, neck to waist, and much more besides. Thom stood stiff, following the old man's clipped instructions with hesitant jerky movements. Shon thought it should be awkward to work around their armor, but Nangran didn't seem to notice.
"Sword?" Nangran asked, and Thom made a confused sound. But the smith waved a massive hand in his face, "Not you, boy. Daunas, what sword?"
Master Daunas had his arms crossed over his chest and was tilting his head back and forth from one side to the other, absently scratching his beard before he finally said. "Two hands." he then pointed at Shon, saying, "Bastard." Shon wrinkled his nose, but the offense was short-lived when Daunas pointed at Rerves, saying, "One hand."
Nangran sniffed, "One each..." he stepped over to Shon and motioned for him to raise his arms. Shon stiffened but obliged, keeping his eyes fixed forward as the old man ran his measuring tape all across Shon's body, fighting not to flinch each time the Smith brushed against him.
"Yep," Daunas answered. They were talking as if the boys weren't even there, and the older Squires just watched. Didn’t they have anything better to do? "And that one," Daunas continued, nodding towards Shon, "is a lefty." Nangran snorted without comment and continued measuring, while the Squire with the notebook scribbled a little something extra besides the numbers Nangran mumbled to him.
But then the smith ran his hand down Shon’s forearm, touching the skin of his wrist, and pulled away in surprise. Shon jerked his hand back but quickly returned it with a nervous swallow. The smith stared at him, his brow furrowed, "You're cold as ice boy. Nervous?"
Shon shook his head, but the smith continued to stare, so he added, "No sir. I'm always cold."
The smith hummed and went back to measuring around Shon's wrist and back up his arm, "They say cold hands make a warm heart," Nangran muttered.
Beside Shon, Rerves and Thom snickered. "Whoever says that has never met Shon," said Thom, who had relaxed noticeably once the smith had finished with him. Face forward, Shon glared sideways at him, but there was no real anger in it, and Thom snickered again.
Master Daunas let out another bark of a laugh, "I see you get along well! That's good; you'll want friends in training." Shon tried to relax, taking a deep breath through his nose and letting it out through pursed lips. He did get along with his fellow Squires. He felt his lips tilt up in an almost imperceptible smile. He would even go so far as to call them friends. Even if they did poke fun at each other. Or maybe it was because they did.
Smith Nangran moved on to Rerves, and Shon looked from the larger boy to the smaller and back again before focusing his gaze on Master Daunas. It seemed neither of them was going to ask the adults to clarify what they meant by the sword assignments, so he would have to. Feeling more at ease, he asked, "I thought we were going to be trained in all weapons…"
Daunas must've seen where Shon was going because he spoke at the pause provided, "Oh, you will, boy. But I was watching you fight back on the road. You didn't think we staged that little raid just for fun, did you?" Shon didn't answer. He had thought it was just for fun. Perhaps some kind of hazing ritual. When Shon didn't say anything, Daunas continued, "You boys haven't been trained, so your movements were on instinct, giving me an idea for what fighting style you may lean more towards." he pointed at Shon, who crossed his eyes to focus on the finger, "You, boy, are going to be a problem. You're the one old man V's been training."
Who? Shon refocused on the Weapon Master's face, arching an eyebrow in confusion. When Master Daunas didn’t respond to the look, Shon guessed, "Master Veon-Zih?"
Daunas continued, "He's got you jumping around with no mind to the armor you'll be wearing or the weapon in your hand. You'll have to work twice as hard to adjust some of those habits." Shon was taken aback, shocked, and a little afraid… He didn't want to lose what he'd already learned… but Master Daunas continued, "But with a hand-and-a-half sword, you'll be able to switch between one and two-handed maneuvers." he smiled softly, and Shon realized his emotions must have been showing on his face more than usual because the Weapon Master seemed to be comforting him. "You mark my words; you'll favor the bastard sword for sure."
Nangran finished with Rerves and began rolling up his measuring tape. He turned his back on the boys but spoke to them as he took his notebook back from the senior Squire, “Take that leather off and put it in the wagon. I’ll have better ready for you by first watch week.” The Squires exchanged looks, then began following the command, stripping off the leather armor and thick gambeson and trying in vain to straighten the sweaty wrinkled uniforms underneath.
“You four,” Daunas addressed the seniors, who moved from parade rest to attention in perfect unison, “show these three around and give them the rundown of how things work around here. You three,” he looked over his shoulder at Shon and the others, scratching his neck again, “this is your last day of freedom, enjoy it while you can.” all seven Squires saluted and Daunas sighed, giving a lazy salute in response before walking off, muttering to himself, “I need to shave…”
The older Squires approached the younger, two of them snickering after Daunas was far enough away not to hear. Shon arched an eyebrow at them and, seeing the expression, the tallest explained, “He’s normally clean-shaven. He let his beard grow out all week for the wagon raid.”
“You’ll be doing one too, in your last year.” another of the four added.
“Sorry about your arm,” the one who had fought Thom said, holding out his hand to the younger boy, “You really did do well, considering.” Thom shook the young man’s hand with a grateful smile at the compliment.
The two who had fought Shon exchanged looks with each other then looked at him, their expressions expectant. Shon arched his other eyebrow instead. Did they really expect him to apologize? They had attacked him. And he was four years younger than they were.
“So…” the one Shon had bloodied started, drawing the word out.
“Who taught you how to fight?” the second interjected.
“Master Veon-Zih.”
When Shon didn’t elaborate further, the two exchanged silent shrugs. Shon looked away from them, frustrated. They could communicate with each other fine in gestures and expressions, yet, he was expected to explain details they didn't need? Would they even know what a Monk was? Did it even matter? He was here to train as a Paladin now.
The only one who hadn’t spoken yet cleared his throat, and the other three turned his way immediately. Apparently, he was the unofficial leader of this group, just like Rerves was the unofficial leader of theirs. “We'll show you the barracks first. You should shower and change your uniforms before we walk around the rest of the fortress.”
“You have showers here too?” Rerves blurted in amazement, then snapped his mouth shut, blushing.
The two who were prone to laughing did so again, “Why wouldn’t we?”
“I bet we need it more than most of the official Temples.” the two laughed again.
Thom shuffled his feet nervously but said, “They told us things would be a lot rougher here.”
“They were probably just trying to scare you,”
“They were talking about the work,” the leader said sharply, then turned towards the fortress.
Shon and the others quickly grabbed their bags and rushed to follow. The leader continued to talk as they fell into step behind him, “Your day will start just before sunrise, at fifth bell. You will get dressed, make your bed as quickly as possible, then gather with the others in the courtyard,” he gestured with one hand at a wide-open spot on the training grounds, “From there we run. Around the fortress ten times in formation. After that are drills and then breakfast. After breakfast, we have prayer, followed by lectures, then heavy weapons and armor training, then lunch.” they made their way into the fortress and up a long flight of stairs to the third floor, “After lunch, there's more classwork, then light weapons and combat training. You’re then given an hour of free time to shower and rest before dinner. After dinner, there is mandated study or prayer time, then another hour of free time before lights out at ninth bell. Once every season, we take four weeks to stand watch, one week for each shift.”
He took them down a long hall lined with doors on one side. Shon tried to listen and count the doors at the same time and was glad he did when the leader stopped beside the ninth, “These three rooms are yours. Go ahead and get a new uniform and meet us back out here.”
One of the nicer boys stepped forward to open the first door, “This one is Rerves, followed by Shon and Thom.” Shon entered to find a small room barely six feet square. Directly across from the door was a bed that took up the entire wall and a small high-set window that looked out over the training field. Beside it was a small desk with a single wooden chair. Under the bed, Shon found a long shallow box full of neatly folded uniforms. His name was embroidered in the lining of each piece, and on top was a pinned note with instructions detailing the laundry procedure. Shon only skimmed it, it was the same as the fortress in Smilnda, and most likely the same the Provence over, perhaps even the kingdom.
He left his pack by the desk and returned to the hall with one of his uniforms to find it empty. Glancing down either side of the hall, he shrugged at Thom’s questioning look when he was joined by his two fellows. They waited at least ten minutes before the seniors returned, without their armor and holding their own spare uniforms. They looked nearly as disheveled as the juniors. The leader gestured for them to follow again and said, “Once you get your armor, you will keep it in your room. It's your responsibility to keep it oiled or polished as appropriate.” well, they would be good at that at least… Had they been left to wait while the seniors cared for their armor? Shon didn’t bother to ask, following the four deeper into the fortress.
They were taken to the showers, a single large room with spigots set into the walls and drains in the floor. The seniors started to strip down, placing their dirty uniforms in a basket by the door and setting their clean sets on the benches set along the same wall. Thom, Rerves, and Shon all exchanged looks before following their lead.
There were only ten showerheads, and Rerves finally asked, “How many Squires are there here?”
The seniors each moved to their own showerhead, and the room was quickly filled with hot steam, “Twentyone, including us, but we will be gone in a month, so that will leave seventeen.” one of them answered, stepping under the hot water with a grateful sigh, rinsing the sweat and dirt from the road off his surprisingly well-muscled body. Shon counted the shower spigots again as he moved towards his own. Almost twenty Squires and only ten showers at a time… it sounded like a nightmare. But at least they had hot running water.
Though he had above-average cold tolerance and preferred the winter chill far more than the summer sweat, Shon always enjoyed a truly hot shower. Master Veon-Zih liked to argue that baths were far superior, but in Shon's experience, baths always cooled off too quickly, which was why most ordinary citizens of Clearhelm used the public steam baths.
After they were washed and dressed, the real tour began. They were shown the hall with the officer's rooms, the infirmary, the mess hall, the library, and the classroom. “There’s only one?” Thom asked, peeking into the room with a blackboard across the far wall and long tables situated in front.
“Tomorrow is the last real day before the watch weeks start. You'll spend those four weeks catching up on foundational stuff. Kingdom-wide law, and your assigned sword dills, that sort of thing. After that, the lessons are given in a four-year rotation, so your first classes after the watch weeks will be new to both you and everyone else." the leader explained.
The nicest one elaborated, “You’ll have the same schedule we did, so comparative law, followed by history, then theology, then comparative cultural studies.” Shon wasn’t sure what he looked forward to least on that list. Though all would be better than fighting for a shower…
"There's also etiquette, monster studies, combat tactics and command, and war history and theory." his friend added, and Shon was relieved that at least most of those seemed more interesting.
Next, they were shown some of the less-used rooms. The war room, full of charts and maps and only used for large-scale tactics training, and an indoor sparring room that looked like it was never used.
“This is supposed to be for heavy weather.” one of the laughers said with a snicker.
“But Master Daunus says your enemies won’t let you move a fight inside, so why practice there,” added the other. Shon happened to agree, but also wasn’t looking forward to training in the rain after having walked in it for two days.
Lastly, they were shown the chapel, not as fine as the one in Smilnda but with the same sweet incense and warm comfort. The atmosphere seeped into Shon’s bones as they approached the head altar for a brief prayer and a blessing from the resident Cleric. He was a young man with pale brown hair and green eyes. He smiled warmly down at the new boys, saying, “Welcome to Hamerfoss, Squires of Hengist.” which in turn made each of them glow with enough pride to banish the nerves of their first day and daunting future.
***
--- Part 2/2 ---
--- Table of Contents ---
All comments and criticism is welcome.
2023.05.31 16:53 AbbreviationsWarm383 Yuki Mō fubuki
Full name : Erzulie Mō fubuki
Gender : female
Age : 32
Origin : grandline
Occupation : pirate, first mate, weapons maker & shipwright of the Everii Pirates
Devil Fruit : Snow Snow Fruit
Appearance
Freda is a women of average height. Freda has pale white icey blue hair stopping just past her butt with the ending in a ponytail and somewhat big aquamarine eyes that seem to sparkle slightly. Freda has soft features being one of the most beautiful women in the one piece world. She has light brown skin and has a soft smooth flowing voice as well. She normally wears black high heel boots that stop at her calves midway and wears a fitting blue turtle neck sweater dress that stops slightly above her knees. She wears snowflake earrings & matching lipstick as well. She keeps a winter trench coat on as well it’s never closed and has the everii pirates symbol on the back.
Personality
Freda likes to run ahead of others and explore and get into things often due to her inquisitive nature. She likes to play and engage in immature behavior and will attempt to party excessively at anytime without fail, sometimes wanting that over gold if hungry. She loves food and looks at it second to gold only. Freda will go to sleep at any time right wear she is at, often stopping whatever she’s doing shocking surrounding individuals just like ace in the arabasta diner. While very beautiful she is somewhat of a tomboy loves to engage in fights, squabbles & drinking contest with her fellow crew members often beating majority of the men on the crew in multiple bets, challenges and fights. She can act childish at times throwing a tantrum or abusing her Yuki Yuki no Mi fruit ability for childish or petty things. She will often taunt and tease her opponents even sometimes belittling them. She tends to be cruel and seductive to them even taking her time and attempts to crushing them completely. Even with all of this she is still very smart and intellectual.
Abilities
While Freda is capable of sailing and navigating the GrandLine alone or with a crew and building high quality ships. Freda is also a high iq weapons maker and expert. She is a mechanic as well. Freda is the first mate, mechanic & shipwright of the everii pirates. Having command over team of mechanics and shipwrights to keep the ship in order. Freda also is one of the combatants on the crew as well. She is a beautiful singer as well, having a natural talent for it.
weapon
Freda had made a snow blast cannon by researching her own fruit power. This cannon resembles a Gatling gun but has a single barrel with a cover and mouth that opens when charging a blast. This cannon charges up for up to 3 seconds before blasting a large forceful blast of snow similar to Frankie’s pre-timeskip coupe da vent move. If on target the enemy suffers crushing and blunt damage as well severely cold temperatures making it harder to move.
Haki
Being a power holder for a long time she mastered her fruit power long ago working and mastering her haki abilities. She is a holder of Observation, Armament and even Supreme King haki. Freda has a close to expert handle on her haki her most notable being her Observation Haki as she can see 6-12 seconds into the future. She also has advanced armament haki as well using it against much stronger enemies to can contend with her in a fight.
submitted by AbbreviationsWarm383 to OnePieceOCs [link] [comments]
Gender : female
Age : 32
Origin : grandline
Occupation : pirate, first mate, weapons maker & shipwright of the Everii Pirates
Devil Fruit : Snow Snow Fruit
Appearance
Freda is a women of average height. Freda has pale white icey blue hair stopping just past her butt with the ending in a ponytail and somewhat big aquamarine eyes that seem to sparkle slightly. Freda has soft features being one of the most beautiful women in the one piece world. She has light brown skin and has a soft smooth flowing voice as well. She normally wears black high heel boots that stop at her calves midway and wears a fitting blue turtle neck sweater dress that stops slightly above her knees. She wears snowflake earrings & matching lipstick as well. She keeps a winter trench coat on as well it’s never closed and has the everii pirates symbol on the back.
Personality
Freda likes to run ahead of others and explore and get into things often due to her inquisitive nature. She likes to play and engage in immature behavior and will attempt to party excessively at anytime without fail, sometimes wanting that over gold if hungry. She loves food and looks at it second to gold only. Freda will go to sleep at any time right wear she is at, often stopping whatever she’s doing shocking surrounding individuals just like ace in the arabasta diner. While very beautiful she is somewhat of a tomboy loves to engage in fights, squabbles & drinking contest with her fellow crew members often beating majority of the men on the crew in multiple bets, challenges and fights. She can act childish at times throwing a tantrum or abusing her Yuki Yuki no Mi fruit ability for childish or petty things. She will often taunt and tease her opponents even sometimes belittling them. She tends to be cruel and seductive to them even taking her time and attempts to crushing them completely. Even with all of this she is still very smart and intellectual.
Abilities
While Freda is capable of sailing and navigating the GrandLine alone or with a crew and building high quality ships. Freda is also a high iq weapons maker and expert. She is a mechanic as well. Freda is the first mate, mechanic & shipwright of the everii pirates. Having command over team of mechanics and shipwrights to keep the ship in order. Freda also is one of the combatants on the crew as well. She is a beautiful singer as well, having a natural talent for it.
- Physical Abilities
- Devil Fruit
weapon
Freda had made a snow blast cannon by researching her own fruit power. This cannon resembles a Gatling gun but has a single barrel with a cover and mouth that opens when charging a blast. This cannon charges up for up to 3 seconds before blasting a large forceful blast of snow similar to Frankie’s pre-timeskip coupe da vent move. If on target the enemy suffers crushing and blunt damage as well severely cold temperatures making it harder to move.
Haki
Being a power holder for a long time she mastered her fruit power long ago working and mastering her haki abilities. She is a holder of Observation, Armament and even Supreme King haki. Freda has a close to expert handle on her haki her most notable being her Observation Haki as she can see 6-12 seconds into the future. She also has advanced armament haki as well using it against much stronger enemies to can contend with her in a fight.
2023.05.31 16:47 onelamebitchboy Black Midi Ultimate Bracket Day 6: Western vs Talking Heads
 | Yesterday's Winner: John L by 204 votes to 119 for 953 submitted by onelamebitchboy to bmbmbm [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/hoqoy3ns083b1.png?width=2532&format=png&auto=webp&s=93d9bddeb68ef26714b77923cc47022c52033976 View Poll |
2023.05.31 16:34 TexasUnderVine History is on display as I explore a newer wine destination called Meierstone VIneyards. This 550 acre farm has been in the family for 5 generations and is a farm and ranch. Wine is their newest venture and they are doing it right. https://texasundervine.com/episode/ep17-hc-meierstone-vineyards
 | submitted by TexasUnderVine to TexasWine [link] [comments] |
2023.05.31 16:22 Noblesse311 Character Concept [109]: SMS Prinz Heinrich (World of Warships)
Faction:
Ironblood Kaiserreich (Imperial Federation of Germany)
Class:
Ersatz Yorck-class Battlecruiser
Background:
In an alternate timeline…
On 29 October 1918, a rebellion broke out amongst the sailors at Wilhelmshaven, with similar unrest breaking out on 3 November 1918 that led to the Kiel mutiny, these events, in which the sailors and workers in both cities began electing workers’ and soldiers’ councils modelled after similar councils of the 1917 October Revolution would be the catalyst that started the German Revolution of 1918-1919. By 7 November, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), specifically the pro-parliamentary Majority SPD (MSPD, to differentiate from the pro-Soviet-styled Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany or USPD) would take charge of the revolution, joining the calls for Wilhelm II to abdicate. Despite the Kaiser’s refusal, Germany’s chancellor, Maximilian von Zähringen, himself the heir to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Baden, would announce that the Kaiser and his son, Crown Prince Wilhelm had already abdicated.
On 9 November, Philipp Shiedemann, the State Secretary under Max von Baden was dining with Friedrich Ebert. As an SPD member was late for the meeting at the restaurant, Philipp Scheidemann would dine directly at the same table as Friedrich Ebert. It was there that both men would receive the news that Karl Leibknecht of the USPD was to announce the establishment of a Soviet Republic. While Shiedemann wanted to maintain the initiative for the MSPD by proclaiming a German Republic instead, he was talked down from doing so by Ebert, citing that the decision must be decided by the constituent assembly. \1]) Regardless, Leibknecht would announce the establishment of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany, followed two days later with the signing of the armistice at Compiègne two days later.
The move not to align with the USPD led to a rift between the two wings of the SPD, that would dominate the German Revolution, a fact furthered by Baden and Ebert meeting with General Wilhelm Groener, leader of Germany’s Supreme Army Command. The Baden-Groener Pact, concluded on 10 November, ensured the loyalty of the military and its support against leftist forces, and ensured that the military, limited by the Treaty of Versailles, would remain fully in control by the German officer class. This would prove handy however, as the row between MSPD and USPD deepened when far-leftist groups in the latter broke away to form the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and launch what would become the Spartacist Uprising in January 1919. The uprising was put down by the Freikorps and their leaders were effectively executed, and with the affirmation of Ebert and Baden, those responsible were not court-martialed and the worst offenders suffered lenient sentences, which made the government unpopular with the far-left.
As for the far-right however, while there were still misgivings about the new government, the fact of the matter remained that the monarchy still existed as an official institution, and indeed, many Allied and German leaders, both in support and in opposition to the war, favored transitioning Germany into a full Constitutional Monarchy \2]), which would be achieved with the 1919 German Constitution, also known as the Weimar Imperial Constitution. (in reference to the 1871 Constitution also being known as Bismarck’s Imperial Constitution) \3]) Although there were considerations to install one of the male sons of Crown Prince Wilhelm to become Kaiser, their young ages (the eldest, another Prince Wilhelm was twelve at the time) and the danger of a regency in such trying times forced the decision to instead put the Crown Prince younger brother, and the Kaiser’s fourth son, Prince August Wilhelm as the new Kaiser, becoming August I of what became known as the German Imperial Federation. \4])
The 1920s in Germany would be dominated by the desire to restore the prestige and privileges as to be expected by a European nation, chiefly the withdrawal of Entente troops from the Rhineland. Citing the need to ensure the status quo, the chief negotiator, Gustav Stresemann would negotiate with Britain and France to recognize and abandon its claims to German territory lost during the Great War, in exchange for a loosening of its military restrictions citing the communist threats to the east in the form of Soviet Russia, now the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the communist states that survived from it, the Hungarian Soviet Republic and the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. The result from these negotiations nearly led to a break, as France (itself slowly falling into the grip of far-left politics) not only did not wish to see Germany rearm in any capacity, but was also still keen on trying to detach the Rhineland from Germany (with the far-right even desiring its integration into France) something that had been thwarted by the limited German authorities in the zone as well as by the British who saw an attempt in 1923 and 1925 off, causing financial and diplomatic damage between France and the British. In spite of everything, many of the sides did get something out of the deal in the Treaty of Locarno, with Germany repudiating its claims to lost territories and a loosening of military restrictions in order to assist in seeing off the Communist threat. As part of the Locarno Treaty was a Naval Agreement, ratified by British Parliament and the German Reichstag that would effectively bring Berlin into the Washington Naval Treaty system, setting its maximum tonnage at 35% of the current tonnage in service under the Royal Navy, a move that would anger the French and push them closer to the Soviet Union. \5])
One of the results from this was the revival of Germany’s capital ship program, largely left moribund following Germany’s defeat in World War I. Initially, designs were planned for a cruiser with pre-dreadnought-sized main guns to serve as a replacement for the older Braunschweig-class pre-dreadnoughts in order to remain compliant to the old treaty, but with the new naval agreement put in place. The planned ships were canceled and instead development shifted to the construction of a new battlecruiser which was to be laid down by 1929. The design used was to be the old Ersatz Yorck-class design, retaining the 380mm main guns in four twin turrets, as well as her secondaries, twelve 150mm guns in single turrets, but would see the inclusion of Anti-Aircraft armament in the form of 88mm Flak guns in twin turrets and 37mm guns, also in twin turrets. The reasoning for why the Ersatz Yorck design was chosen in a slightly modified form was mainly to avoid stepping on the shells of the British, a design that would largely be viewed as dated by comparison (the original design was completed in 1916, and the planned lead ship was laid down that year, but was never completed due to a shift to U-Boat construction and was ultimately scrapped in 1918) but would serve as a stepping stone towards Germany among equals with the other great powers. The lead ship, which would keep the provisional name as its official name, SMS Yorck, was laid down on 5 February 1929, launched on 19 May 1931 and commissioned on 1 April 1933. SMS Prinz Heinrich (named after the Kaiser’s uncle), originally readopting the old provisional name “Ersatz Scharnhorst” and the second ship in her class would in turn, be laid down on 25 June 1931 at the Kaiserliche Reichsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven (KRW) shipyard. She was launched on 1 April 1933 and commissioned on 12 November 1934. Heinrich herself would be followed by the third and final ship in that class, SMS Friedrich Barbarossa (formerly “Ersatz Gneisenau”), commissioned on 6 January 1936. \6])
Heinrich’s career would be dominated by developments wrought outside of Germany. The French Revolution of 1934 by the French Communist Party and its sympathizers led by Maurice Thorez would see the final repudiation of the Versailles Treaty, and in essence began both a naval arms race between France and Germany (the Dunkerques being developed as a response to Germany’s Hipper-class Heavy Cruisers, which in turn, led to the development of the Scharnhorst-class and later Bismarck-class Battleships) and a diplomatic effort between the forces of democracy against the Communist threat posed by the Soviet Union and the newly established French Commune. This diplomatic effort would see a close friendship, though not a formal alliance between Britain and Germany. The alliance (formally known as the Central European Alliance, though informally known as the Tübingen Accord) however would be with a number of states threatened by the spread of Communism across Europe. The battlecruiser herself would find herself involved in affairs with Spain and their civil war and their participation in non-intervention patrols (in reality, supplying arms to the nationalists in the face of French arms and equipment, and ultimately, upon a near Republican-Communist victory, the withdrawal of the Spanish Nationalists and Carlists from Spain)
Heinrich would spend the second half of 1939 and much of early 1940 on drydock for repairs and refit, during which the Second Great War would begin on 6 October 1939 with the Soviet invasion of Poland, a member of the Tübingen Accord. The French, using their tanks to invade the Low Countries in order to circumvent the Westwall, attempted to catch the Germans by surprise in a move that seem like a reversal of the Schlieffen Plan the Germans used against the French in the last war, but this French thrust was kept at bay, with parts of the Province of Hanover and the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg being captured by the Communards, with one instance seeing the titular Grand Duke, Friedrich August II, captured and swiftly executed for the crime of “being born into a family of tyrants.” Fortunately, Heinrich’s refit was to be completed in Kiel, and therefore, avoided having to be evacuated when Wilhelmshaven fell on 25 May 1940.
Upon Prinz Heinrich’s return to service on 6 June 1940, she would take part in a number of convoy escort operations between Germany and Norway after the northern part of the country was occupied by the Red Army. This would become the Mannheim Project convoys, in which Norway’s facilities specializing in the production of deuterium oxide, better known as heavy water would allow the materials to be shipped to Germany for the development of a nuclear reactor, a means to combat the Bolsheviks. Support for this endeavor would be furthered with Britain’s entry into the war in October 1940, and it would be often times when Heinrich would be joined by Battlecruisers HMS Hood or HMS Renown, two ships of whom Prinz Heinrich was originally designed to counter a quarter-century prior.
On 10 July 1942, one such convoy, Convoy WL 252 would be shadowed by French naval forces, led by French battleship Solidarité \7]). Dudley Pound, the First Sea Lord ordered the covering force to engage this force, leading to the Battle of the Celtic Sea. This battle, which featured SMS Prinz Heinrich and HMS Duke of York as well as a number of destroyers and cruisers, saw Prinz Heinrich enter into a gunnery duel with Solidarité. While Duke of York was the one who knocked out the battleship’s superfiring and rear turret, it was Heinrich that knocked out Solidarité’s boiler room, leaving her vulnerable to a pummeling by the allied forces, with the battleship’s attempt to get away thwarted by torpedo hits from German torpedo boat SMS S223, which reduced Solidarité’s speed and allowing the battleships to continue their bombardment until, unable to flee and wracked with so many hits, Solidarité capsized and sank. Though a major surface threat was eliminated, WL 252 would find herself sunk by Soviet bombers.
The tide began to turn on the Comintern in 1943 as the British began their slog into Spain and Germany and their eastern allies began pushing the Soviets back, successfully pushing them out of Poland, with Heinrich taking part in bombardment duties in the Gulf of Riga, and providing fire support for the German aerial attack on the Soviet Baltic Fleet at Leningrad. After another brief refit, Heinrich would be sent to Königsburg to retrieve the dead body of Kaiser August after a Soviet agent successfully assassinated the Kaiser on 20 June 1944, leaving the throne in the hands of his son, Alexander Ferdinand, now Alexander I of Germany. The last major actions Prinz Heinrich would take part in was in the Black Sea, supporting Allied incursions into the Black Sea coast of the Russian Soviet Republic, and was one of the few ships that made it into the Sea of Azov, albeit paying for it with a rocket strike that crippled the ship and would spend the immediate post-war years in drydock. The war ended with a defeat for the Comintern, with the communist governments toppled and some nations winning their independence from the defeated powers.
Rapidly made obsolete by newer big gun ships such as the Victoria Louise-class (originally the O-class) and the advent of aircraft carriers, Prinz Heinrich was decommissioned on 24 April 1949. By the request of Alexander I, she would become a museum ship in Wilhelmshaven, G.D. Oldenburg as part of the Friedrich August Memorial Naval Museum.
\1]: IOTL, Scheidemann would dine at a separate table from Ebert when he got the news. As a result, Scheidemann, of his own accord, would proclaim the German Republic, effectively ensuring that whatever happened, that the monarchy would be abolished entirely. The events in the paragraph serve as the Point of Divergence.)
\2]: While the German Empire [and in particular the Kingdom of Prussia] did have a Constitution, the Constitution of 1871, in reality the state was always run as a Semi-Constitutional Monarchy with the Kaiser holding significant power in a system that would be popularly called “Prussian Constitutionalism.”)
\3]: To define the 1919 German constitution ITTL, it’s the Weimar Constitution of OTL, albeit with the powers attributed to the President of Germany in the OTL Weimar Republic instead being placed in the hands of the Kaiser. In essence, the Kaiser would still retain various powers, while losing a number of powers that the position held under the 1871 Constitution. While I could’ve went with something more akin to the 1949 Constitution and have the Kaiser serve in a more ceremonial capacity from the start, the Weimar Constitution was probably the most democratic in many respects for its age, only undone by the constitutional loopholes that would be expected by a constitution for its time, as well as the various extremist groups hatred for the Republic, chiefly the far-right [and in particular the Nazis] who constantly preached that the Weimar Republic was not created by Germans but was actually imposed upon them as part of the hated Treaty of Versailles.)
\4]: Prince August Wilhelm is, to put mildly, a fairly controversial figure among the Hohenzollern imperial family. Nicknamed “Auwi,” he was a close personal friend of Hans Georg von Mackensen, a diplomat and eldest son of Field Marshal August von Mackensen, said personal friendship implied to have “pronounced homophillic tendencies.” After the abolishment of the German monarchy, he would join conservative nationalist movements and ultimately the Nazi Party in 1930 against the wishes of his father. August Wilhelm’s adoration of Hitler would play a role in the man’s rise to power come 1933, and it was his hope that Hitler would install him or his son on the vacant throne, a hope that would be dashed after the Enabling Act and would be left in the political wilderness.)
\5]: IOTL, the Anglo-German Naval Agreement was made in 1935, in part due to Britain seeking to limit German expansion by arms reduction, and Germany hoping for an Anglo-German alliance aimed towards the Soviet Union and France, as well as the former’s guilt over what was seen as harsh terms set on the Germans with Versailles.)
\6]: If the dates do not sound familiar to anyone, these are the dates that the first, second and third Deutschland-class Panzerschiff/Heavy Cruiser were laid down, launched and/or commissioned, with the Ersatz Yorck, now just the Yorck-class Battlecruisers all but replacing the Deutschlands in this timeline.)
\7]: Basically Communist Richelieu)
—
Prinz Heinrich is the Tier VII Battleship (Tier VI in World of Warships: Legends) representing the Battlecruiser tech tree in Wargaming’s World of Warships. Heinrich represents the Ersatz Yorck-class Battlecruisers, the final battlecruiser design developed by the German Empire. Originally developed as Mackensen-class Battlecruisers, lessons learned from Jutland saw the gun increased to 380mm, utilizing the same guns as the Bayern-class Battleships. Like the Mackensen-class however, the ships were never laid due to the focus shifting to U-Boat construction, and the ships were canceled upon Germany’s defeat and the abolishment of the monarchy in 1918.
Namesake:
Prinz Heinrich is named for Prince Henry of Prussia), the second son of Kaiser Friedrich III and younger brother of Wilhelm II (not to be confused with two other Prince Heinrich of Prussia, one being the brother of Frederick the Great (famously known as the prince considered to take the throne of the United States when that was considered) and another the brother Friedrich Wilhelm II). Henry was a career naval officer, serving for some 45 years in the Kaiserliche Marine. During World War I, he was the commander of Germany’s Baltic Fleet, and while the fleet was considered inferior in means compared to Russia’s Baltic Fleet, was able to keep them on the defensive throughout the war until the 1917 Revolutions. After the war, and with the dissolution of the monarchy, Prince Henry left the navy and would live a largely quiet life until his death in 1929.
Historically, only one ship bore the name Prinz Heinrich, a unique armored cruiser launched in March 1900. She would serve as a scouting force flagship and gunnery training ship before World War I, and would take part in the Raid on Scarborough in 1915, before crew shortages led to her decommissioning in 1916.
Rarity:
SSR
Stat Spread:
As the last of the Imperial German Battlecruisers, Prinz Heinrich sports superb firepower (S) though suffers from fairly poor HP for a Battlecruiser (B) and an atrocious Anti-Aircraft capability (C). She also carries a fairly excellent torpedo stat (A). Her speed and evasion is about average for a battlecruiser (B).
Abilities:
Personality:
Prinz Heinrich is a woman who is shown to be very confident and inspires such confidence in others. A very sporty individual, she is an avid fan of yachting and formula racing (her namesake also being as such, with the latter having a contest named in his honor, and was the precursor to the German Grand Prix today). As such, she is very skilled in maintenance, both for her rigging and in regards to boats, planes and cars. Though she can talk at length about her interests, she does tend to space out when it comes to other matters.
Quotes:
Design:
Prinz Heinrich is depicted as a woman in her early twenties with short white hair and bright silver, almost supernaturally glowing, eyes. Her attire borrows greatly in its inspiration from that of the Scharnhorst-class designs (in-reference to the design being used as a base for the later Scharnhorst-class Battlecruisers/Battleships) as well as her in-game namesake. A sleeveless white sweater with a black collar (which contains a pair of gold iron cross pins on each side of the collar) that runs down her torso, with detached white sleeves with black cuffs, also sporting gold iron cross pins). Heinrich wears a white skirt with black trim on the hem that runs down to her lower thighs, with white stockings and gray shoes rounding out the attire.
Heinrich’s rigging is in essence, a larger version of Mackensen’s rigging (in reference to the Ersatz Yorck’s being originally ordered as three Mackensen’s) A pair of lifelike, mechanical fish like rigging, one on each side, and each sporting two pairs of 380mm guns, with secondaries lining the side, all in a gothic-styled architecture.
A/N:
With the release of Tier VII's Prinz Heinrich, that marks the end of the Imperial German phase of Operation Weissenburg, as the next three ships in the tech tree (of which only Tier VIII & X will be covered in upcoming CC's) are, according to Wargaming's Cinematic Universe, designed in 1944, in the tail end of the Nazi era in Germany...
...except not really, as all three ships were actually paper designs developed during the late Imperial era, specifically various battlecruiser draft designs dated to the early spring of 1918. Shoutout to u/Hamartia_CL08 for doing the historical basis of the PR ships, as he did the basis for the design of one of these BC's, KMS Prinz Rupprecht, who is the Tier IX Tech Tree Battlecruiser. Both KMS Zeiten at Tier VIII and KMS Schlieffen at Tier X also follow this mentality, and I will get to those when we get to their concepts in the coming weeks.
As always, if you want to suggest a ship or retrofit in the future, please leave it in the comments below, you can also reach me via DM's to make your suggestions as well. Now about two years ago, I've covered a Character Concept of ARA General Belgrano, the story of USS Phoenix and her cursed career in Argentina, being on the recieving end as the second post World War warship sunk by a submarine overall and only ship to be sunk by a SSN at that. Well, it's funny how things pan out as we take a look at that self-same sub that fired its torpedoes into history, the third of the Churchill-class SSN's, HMS Conqueror (S48).
Link to the list of ships
submitted by Noblesse311 to AzureLane [link] [comments]
Ironblood Kaiserreich (Imperial Federation of Germany)
Class:
Ersatz Yorck-class Battlecruiser
Background:
In an alternate timeline…
On 29 October 1918, a rebellion broke out amongst the sailors at Wilhelmshaven, with similar unrest breaking out on 3 November 1918 that led to the Kiel mutiny, these events, in which the sailors and workers in both cities began electing workers’ and soldiers’ councils modelled after similar councils of the 1917 October Revolution would be the catalyst that started the German Revolution of 1918-1919. By 7 November, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), specifically the pro-parliamentary Majority SPD (MSPD, to differentiate from the pro-Soviet-styled Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany or USPD) would take charge of the revolution, joining the calls for Wilhelm II to abdicate. Despite the Kaiser’s refusal, Germany’s chancellor, Maximilian von Zähringen, himself the heir to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Baden, would announce that the Kaiser and his son, Crown Prince Wilhelm had already abdicated.
On 9 November, Philipp Shiedemann, the State Secretary under Max von Baden was dining with Friedrich Ebert. As an SPD member was late for the meeting at the restaurant, Philipp Scheidemann would dine directly at the same table as Friedrich Ebert. It was there that both men would receive the news that Karl Leibknecht of the USPD was to announce the establishment of a Soviet Republic. While Shiedemann wanted to maintain the initiative for the MSPD by proclaiming a German Republic instead, he was talked down from doing so by Ebert, citing that the decision must be decided by the constituent assembly. \1]) Regardless, Leibknecht would announce the establishment of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany, followed two days later with the signing of the armistice at Compiègne two days later.
The move not to align with the USPD led to a rift between the two wings of the SPD, that would dominate the German Revolution, a fact furthered by Baden and Ebert meeting with General Wilhelm Groener, leader of Germany’s Supreme Army Command. The Baden-Groener Pact, concluded on 10 November, ensured the loyalty of the military and its support against leftist forces, and ensured that the military, limited by the Treaty of Versailles, would remain fully in control by the German officer class. This would prove handy however, as the row between MSPD and USPD deepened when far-leftist groups in the latter broke away to form the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and launch what would become the Spartacist Uprising in January 1919. The uprising was put down by the Freikorps and their leaders were effectively executed, and with the affirmation of Ebert and Baden, those responsible were not court-martialed and the worst offenders suffered lenient sentences, which made the government unpopular with the far-left.
As for the far-right however, while there were still misgivings about the new government, the fact of the matter remained that the monarchy still existed as an official institution, and indeed, many Allied and German leaders, both in support and in opposition to the war, favored transitioning Germany into a full Constitutional Monarchy \2]), which would be achieved with the 1919 German Constitution, also known as the Weimar Imperial Constitution. (in reference to the 1871 Constitution also being known as Bismarck’s Imperial Constitution) \3]) Although there were considerations to install one of the male sons of Crown Prince Wilhelm to become Kaiser, their young ages (the eldest, another Prince Wilhelm was twelve at the time) and the danger of a regency in such trying times forced the decision to instead put the Crown Prince younger brother, and the Kaiser’s fourth son, Prince August Wilhelm as the new Kaiser, becoming August I of what became known as the German Imperial Federation. \4])
The 1920s in Germany would be dominated by the desire to restore the prestige and privileges as to be expected by a European nation, chiefly the withdrawal of Entente troops from the Rhineland. Citing the need to ensure the status quo, the chief negotiator, Gustav Stresemann would negotiate with Britain and France to recognize and abandon its claims to German territory lost during the Great War, in exchange for a loosening of its military restrictions citing the communist threats to the east in the form of Soviet Russia, now the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the communist states that survived from it, the Hungarian Soviet Republic and the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. The result from these negotiations nearly led to a break, as France (itself slowly falling into the grip of far-left politics) not only did not wish to see Germany rearm in any capacity, but was also still keen on trying to detach the Rhineland from Germany (with the far-right even desiring its integration into France) something that had been thwarted by the limited German authorities in the zone as well as by the British who saw an attempt in 1923 and 1925 off, causing financial and diplomatic damage between France and the British. In spite of everything, many of the sides did get something out of the deal in the Treaty of Locarno, with Germany repudiating its claims to lost territories and a loosening of military restrictions in order to assist in seeing off the Communist threat. As part of the Locarno Treaty was a Naval Agreement, ratified by British Parliament and the German Reichstag that would effectively bring Berlin into the Washington Naval Treaty system, setting its maximum tonnage at 35% of the current tonnage in service under the Royal Navy, a move that would anger the French and push them closer to the Soviet Union. \5])
One of the results from this was the revival of Germany’s capital ship program, largely left moribund following Germany’s defeat in World War I. Initially, designs were planned for a cruiser with pre-dreadnought-sized main guns to serve as a replacement for the older Braunschweig-class pre-dreadnoughts in order to remain compliant to the old treaty, but with the new naval agreement put in place. The planned ships were canceled and instead development shifted to the construction of a new battlecruiser which was to be laid down by 1929. The design used was to be the old Ersatz Yorck-class design, retaining the 380mm main guns in four twin turrets, as well as her secondaries, twelve 150mm guns in single turrets, but would see the inclusion of Anti-Aircraft armament in the form of 88mm Flak guns in twin turrets and 37mm guns, also in twin turrets. The reasoning for why the Ersatz Yorck design was chosen in a slightly modified form was mainly to avoid stepping on the shells of the British, a design that would largely be viewed as dated by comparison (the original design was completed in 1916, and the planned lead ship was laid down that year, but was never completed due to a shift to U-Boat construction and was ultimately scrapped in 1918) but would serve as a stepping stone towards Germany among equals with the other great powers. The lead ship, which would keep the provisional name as its official name, SMS Yorck, was laid down on 5 February 1929, launched on 19 May 1931 and commissioned on 1 April 1933. SMS Prinz Heinrich (named after the Kaiser’s uncle), originally readopting the old provisional name “Ersatz Scharnhorst” and the second ship in her class would in turn, be laid down on 25 June 1931 at the Kaiserliche Reichsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven (KRW) shipyard. She was launched on 1 April 1933 and commissioned on 12 November 1934. Heinrich herself would be followed by the third and final ship in that class, SMS Friedrich Barbarossa (formerly “Ersatz Gneisenau”), commissioned on 6 January 1936. \6])
Heinrich’s career would be dominated by developments wrought outside of Germany. The French Revolution of 1934 by the French Communist Party and its sympathizers led by Maurice Thorez would see the final repudiation of the Versailles Treaty, and in essence began both a naval arms race between France and Germany (the Dunkerques being developed as a response to Germany’s Hipper-class Heavy Cruisers, which in turn, led to the development of the Scharnhorst-class and later Bismarck-class Battleships) and a diplomatic effort between the forces of democracy against the Communist threat posed by the Soviet Union and the newly established French Commune. This diplomatic effort would see a close friendship, though not a formal alliance between Britain and Germany. The alliance (formally known as the Central European Alliance, though informally known as the Tübingen Accord) however would be with a number of states threatened by the spread of Communism across Europe. The battlecruiser herself would find herself involved in affairs with Spain and their civil war and their participation in non-intervention patrols (in reality, supplying arms to the nationalists in the face of French arms and equipment, and ultimately, upon a near Republican-Communist victory, the withdrawal of the Spanish Nationalists and Carlists from Spain)
Heinrich would spend the second half of 1939 and much of early 1940 on drydock for repairs and refit, during which the Second Great War would begin on 6 October 1939 with the Soviet invasion of Poland, a member of the Tübingen Accord. The French, using their tanks to invade the Low Countries in order to circumvent the Westwall, attempted to catch the Germans by surprise in a move that seem like a reversal of the Schlieffen Plan the Germans used against the French in the last war, but this French thrust was kept at bay, with parts of the Province of Hanover and the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg being captured by the Communards, with one instance seeing the titular Grand Duke, Friedrich August II, captured and swiftly executed for the crime of “being born into a family of tyrants.” Fortunately, Heinrich’s refit was to be completed in Kiel, and therefore, avoided having to be evacuated when Wilhelmshaven fell on 25 May 1940.
Upon Prinz Heinrich’s return to service on 6 June 1940, she would take part in a number of convoy escort operations between Germany and Norway after the northern part of the country was occupied by the Red Army. This would become the Mannheim Project convoys, in which Norway’s facilities specializing in the production of deuterium oxide, better known as heavy water would allow the materials to be shipped to Germany for the development of a nuclear reactor, a means to combat the Bolsheviks. Support for this endeavor would be furthered with Britain’s entry into the war in October 1940, and it would be often times when Heinrich would be joined by Battlecruisers HMS Hood or HMS Renown, two ships of whom Prinz Heinrich was originally designed to counter a quarter-century prior.
On 10 July 1942, one such convoy, Convoy WL 252 would be shadowed by French naval forces, led by French battleship Solidarité \7]). Dudley Pound, the First Sea Lord ordered the covering force to engage this force, leading to the Battle of the Celtic Sea. This battle, which featured SMS Prinz Heinrich and HMS Duke of York as well as a number of destroyers and cruisers, saw Prinz Heinrich enter into a gunnery duel with Solidarité. While Duke of York was the one who knocked out the battleship’s superfiring and rear turret, it was Heinrich that knocked out Solidarité’s boiler room, leaving her vulnerable to a pummeling by the allied forces, with the battleship’s attempt to get away thwarted by torpedo hits from German torpedo boat SMS S223, which reduced Solidarité’s speed and allowing the battleships to continue their bombardment until, unable to flee and wracked with so many hits, Solidarité capsized and sank. Though a major surface threat was eliminated, WL 252 would find herself sunk by Soviet bombers.
The tide began to turn on the Comintern in 1943 as the British began their slog into Spain and Germany and their eastern allies began pushing the Soviets back, successfully pushing them out of Poland, with Heinrich taking part in bombardment duties in the Gulf of Riga, and providing fire support for the German aerial attack on the Soviet Baltic Fleet at Leningrad. After another brief refit, Heinrich would be sent to Königsburg to retrieve the dead body of Kaiser August after a Soviet agent successfully assassinated the Kaiser on 20 June 1944, leaving the throne in the hands of his son, Alexander Ferdinand, now Alexander I of Germany. The last major actions Prinz Heinrich would take part in was in the Black Sea, supporting Allied incursions into the Black Sea coast of the Russian Soviet Republic, and was one of the few ships that made it into the Sea of Azov, albeit paying for it with a rocket strike that crippled the ship and would spend the immediate post-war years in drydock. The war ended with a defeat for the Comintern, with the communist governments toppled and some nations winning their independence from the defeated powers.
Rapidly made obsolete by newer big gun ships such as the Victoria Louise-class (originally the O-class) and the advent of aircraft carriers, Prinz Heinrich was decommissioned on 24 April 1949. By the request of Alexander I, she would become a museum ship in Wilhelmshaven, G.D. Oldenburg as part of the Friedrich August Memorial Naval Museum.
\1]: IOTL, Scheidemann would dine at a separate table from Ebert when he got the news. As a result, Scheidemann, of his own accord, would proclaim the German Republic, effectively ensuring that whatever happened, that the monarchy would be abolished entirely. The events in the paragraph serve as the Point of Divergence.)
\2]: While the German Empire [and in particular the Kingdom of Prussia] did have a Constitution, the Constitution of 1871, in reality the state was always run as a Semi-Constitutional Monarchy with the Kaiser holding significant power in a system that would be popularly called “Prussian Constitutionalism.”)
\3]: To define the 1919 German constitution ITTL, it’s the Weimar Constitution of OTL, albeit with the powers attributed to the President of Germany in the OTL Weimar Republic instead being placed in the hands of the Kaiser. In essence, the Kaiser would still retain various powers, while losing a number of powers that the position held under the 1871 Constitution. While I could’ve went with something more akin to the 1949 Constitution and have the Kaiser serve in a more ceremonial capacity from the start, the Weimar Constitution was probably the most democratic in many respects for its age, only undone by the constitutional loopholes that would be expected by a constitution for its time, as well as the various extremist groups hatred for the Republic, chiefly the far-right [and in particular the Nazis] who constantly preached that the Weimar Republic was not created by Germans but was actually imposed upon them as part of the hated Treaty of Versailles.)
\4]: Prince August Wilhelm is, to put mildly, a fairly controversial figure among the Hohenzollern imperial family. Nicknamed “Auwi,” he was a close personal friend of Hans Georg von Mackensen, a diplomat and eldest son of Field Marshal August von Mackensen, said personal friendship implied to have “pronounced homophillic tendencies.” After the abolishment of the German monarchy, he would join conservative nationalist movements and ultimately the Nazi Party in 1930 against the wishes of his father. August Wilhelm’s adoration of Hitler would play a role in the man’s rise to power come 1933, and it was his hope that Hitler would install him or his son on the vacant throne, a hope that would be dashed after the Enabling Act and would be left in the political wilderness.)
\5]: IOTL, the Anglo-German Naval Agreement was made in 1935, in part due to Britain seeking to limit German expansion by arms reduction, and Germany hoping for an Anglo-German alliance aimed towards the Soviet Union and France, as well as the former’s guilt over what was seen as harsh terms set on the Germans with Versailles.)
\6]: If the dates do not sound familiar to anyone, these are the dates that the first, second and third Deutschland-class Panzerschiff/Heavy Cruiser were laid down, launched and/or commissioned, with the Ersatz Yorck, now just the Yorck-class Battlecruisers all but replacing the Deutschlands in this timeline.)
\7]: Basically Communist Richelieu)
—
Prinz Heinrich is the Tier VII Battleship (Tier VI in World of Warships: Legends) representing the Battlecruiser tech tree in Wargaming’s World of Warships. Heinrich represents the Ersatz Yorck-class Battlecruisers, the final battlecruiser design developed by the German Empire. Originally developed as Mackensen-class Battlecruisers, lessons learned from Jutland saw the gun increased to 380mm, utilizing the same guns as the Bayern-class Battleships. Like the Mackensen-class however, the ships were never laid due to the focus shifting to U-Boat construction, and the ships were canceled upon Germany’s defeat and the abolishment of the monarchy in 1918.
Namesake:
Prinz Heinrich is named for Prince Henry of Prussia), the second son of Kaiser Friedrich III and younger brother of Wilhelm II (not to be confused with two other Prince Heinrich of Prussia, one being the brother of Frederick the Great (famously known as the prince considered to take the throne of the United States when that was considered) and another the brother Friedrich Wilhelm II). Henry was a career naval officer, serving for some 45 years in the Kaiserliche Marine. During World War I, he was the commander of Germany’s Baltic Fleet, and while the fleet was considered inferior in means compared to Russia’s Baltic Fleet, was able to keep them on the defensive throughout the war until the 1917 Revolutions. After the war, and with the dissolution of the monarchy, Prince Henry left the navy and would live a largely quiet life until his death in 1929.
Historically, only one ship bore the name Prinz Heinrich, a unique armored cruiser launched in March 1900. She would serve as a scouting force flagship and gunnery training ship before World War I, and would take part in the Raid on Scarborough in 1915, before crew shortages led to her decommissioning in 1916.
Rarity:
SSR
Stat Spread:
As the last of the Imperial German Battlecruisers, Prinz Heinrich sports superb firepower (S) though suffers from fairly poor HP for a Battlecruiser (B) and an atrocious Anti-Aircraft capability (C). She also carries a fairly excellent torpedo stat (A). Her speed and evasion is about average for a battlecruiser (B).
Abilities:
- Eisen und Kohle (Iron and Coal): If this ship is equipped with the Twin 380mm Drh LC/1913 main gun, increase this ship’s crit chance by 10% (30%) and decrease this gun’s dispersion by 3.
- I’m My Own Master Now!: Decrease the loading time of this ship’s main guns by 20% (40%). When this ship fires her main guns, fire a unique barrage with damage based on skill level.
- Let’s Race!: If sortied with an Ironblood Destroyer, increase the Speed and Evasion of all Ironblood Vanguard ships by 3 and 5% (10%) respectively.
Personality:
Prinz Heinrich is a woman who is shown to be very confident and inspires such confidence in others. A very sporty individual, she is an avid fan of yachting and formula racing (her namesake also being as such, with the latter having a contest named in his honor, and was the precursor to the German Grand Prix today). As such, she is very skilled in maintenance, both for her rigging and in regards to boats, planes and cars. Though she can talk at length about her interests, she does tend to space out when it comes to other matters.
Quotes:
- Acquisition: Guten Tag, Kommandant! My name is Prinz Heinrich, Battlecruiser of the Ironblood. Hey, your port seems big enough to fit a racetrack in!
- Secretary (Idle) 1: It’s so dull and drab here, don’t you wanna cut loose and have fun?
- Secretary (Idle) 2: Heh, I wonder how many other factions have ships that didn’t get built.
- Secretary (Idle) 3: I’ve met the other Prinz Heinrich. I like her a lot, but man, it takes a while to explain things to her.
- Secretary (Touch): Hey, it tickles!!!
- Secretary (Special Touch): Enough! You will treat an Ironblood royal with respect!
- Skill Activation: Time to claim the checkered flag!
- Affinity (Disappointed): If you don’t want to race, then stay off the course!
- Affinity (Stranger): I didn’t have a history, Kommandant. But I don’t care about it. Today, history begins here!
- Affinity (Friendly): When you’re going high speeds, it doesn’t hurt to learn to drift, gotta stay the course, even if you need a little course correct, right?
- Affinity (Like): Whether in battle, out in the open sea or in a grand prix, sometimes you’ve gotta be in it to win it! Hehe, isn’t that right Kommandant?
- Affinity (Love): Life only lasts for a fleeting moment. So why waste time looking to the past and why waste time worrying about the future? As every racer should, seize the moment and live for today, because tomorrow’s another day!
- Oath: I’m glad to hold on to this ring, now come and take my hand, I wanna go drive off into the sunset, just you and me~!
- Sortie (Mackensen): Hey, I’m not joking!
- Sortie (Zieten): Why do you have to be so cold?
- Sortie (KMS Prinz Heinrich): Woohoo! This is so much fun!!!
- Sortie (Hood): You look so graceful out there on the course, look at you!
- Sortie (Renown and/or Repulse): You two are like birds of a feather, just flocking together~!
- Sortie (Scharnhorst and/or Gneisenau): Nope, don’t look ugly to me!
- Sortie (Alaska): You look like you’re ready to punch someone’s lights out.
- Sortie (Graf Spee): Hey Deutschland, can I keep her?
- Sortie (König): I’ll show you my boat if you show me yours!
Design:
Prinz Heinrich is depicted as a woman in her early twenties with short white hair and bright silver, almost supernaturally glowing, eyes. Her attire borrows greatly in its inspiration from that of the Scharnhorst-class designs (in-reference to the design being used as a base for the later Scharnhorst-class Battlecruisers/Battleships) as well as her in-game namesake. A sleeveless white sweater with a black collar (which contains a pair of gold iron cross pins on each side of the collar) that runs down her torso, with detached white sleeves with black cuffs, also sporting gold iron cross pins). Heinrich wears a white skirt with black trim on the hem that runs down to her lower thighs, with white stockings and gray shoes rounding out the attire.
Heinrich’s rigging is in essence, a larger version of Mackensen’s rigging (in reference to the Ersatz Yorck’s being originally ordered as three Mackensen’s) A pair of lifelike, mechanical fish like rigging, one on each side, and each sporting two pairs of 380mm guns, with secondaries lining the side, all in a gothic-styled architecture.
A/N:
With the release of Tier VII's Prinz Heinrich, that marks the end of the Imperial German phase of Operation Weissenburg, as the next three ships in the tech tree (of which only Tier VIII & X will be covered in upcoming CC's) are, according to Wargaming's Cinematic Universe, designed in 1944, in the tail end of the Nazi era in Germany...
...except not really, as all three ships were actually paper designs developed during the late Imperial era, specifically various battlecruiser draft designs dated to the early spring of 1918. Shoutout to u/Hamartia_CL08 for doing the historical basis of the PR ships, as he did the basis for the design of one of these BC's, KMS Prinz Rupprecht, who is the Tier IX Tech Tree Battlecruiser. Both KMS Zeiten at Tier VIII and KMS Schlieffen at Tier X also follow this mentality, and I will get to those when we get to their concepts in the coming weeks.
As always, if you want to suggest a ship or retrofit in the future, please leave it in the comments below, you can also reach me via DM's to make your suggestions as well. Now about two years ago, I've covered a Character Concept of ARA General Belgrano, the story of USS Phoenix and her cursed career in Argentina, being on the recieving end as the second post World War warship sunk by a submarine overall and only ship to be sunk by a SSN at that. Well, it's funny how things pan out as we take a look at that self-same sub that fired its torpedoes into history, the third of the Churchill-class SSN's, HMS Conqueror (S48).
Link to the list of ships
2023.05.31 16:18 lazylittlelady [Discussion] Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson---Chps. I-9 to 63
We get some more insight into all the characters in this exciting section! Welcome back to the discussion!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Links:
Marginalia - best place to post anything outside of this section, especially if it's spolier-y!
Just a reminder, we take spoilers very seriously, especially in this series, so hide everything that needs it. To indicate a spoiler, enclose the relevant text with the > ! and ! < characters (there is no space in-between). Also, not everyone has read the Mistborn books, so mark those appropriately, as well. This includes the discussion below. You have been warned!
Schedule
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Summary:
I-9: LIFT
POV: Lift, Wyndle
POV: Szeth
POV: Eshonai and the Parshendi
Chapter 59: Fleet
"I'll address this letter to my 'old friend', as I have no idea what name you're using currently"
POV: Kaladin
Chapter 60: Veil Walks
"Have you given up on the gemstone, now that it is dead? And you no longer hide behind the name of your old master? I am told that in your current incarnation you've take a name that references what you presume to be one of your virtues"
POV: Shallan
POV: Shallan- 1 and 1/2 years ago flashback
"This is, I suspect, a little like a skunk naming itself for its stench"
POV: Kaladin
"Now, look what you've made me say. You've always been able to bring out the most extreme in me, old friend. And I do still name you a friend, for all that you weary me"
POV: Shallan
The next section is Chapter 64 – Chapter 70 for June 7
submitted by lazylittlelady to bookclub [link] [comments]
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Links:
Marginalia - best place to post anything outside of this section, especially if it's spolier-y!
Just a reminder, we take spoilers very seriously, especially in this series, so hide everything that needs it. To indicate a spoiler, enclose the relevant text with the > ! and ! < characters (there is no space in-between). Also, not everyone has read the Mistborn books, so mark those appropriately, as well. This includes the discussion below. You have been warned!
Schedule
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Summary:
I-9: LIFT
POV: Lift, Wyndle
- We are about to rob the Bronze Palace of the Azish with teenager Lift, her "Voidbringer" spren, Wyndle, and a gang of six others, while the Council is distracted in picking a new leader-Prime Aqasix.
- Lift is being stalked by a man in black- "Darkness" (yes, that killer is back). He is: Azish, dead eyes, white crescent mark on cheek, black uniform, silver buttons, silver collar, gloves up to forearms, has a Shardblade and has minions and an axehound-like creature that can suck in Stormlight and is not "above the law" and has all the paperwork and works in the name of "justice".
- Wyndle is a plant-like spren, who can grow vines, bloom from seeds and is between worlds and denies being a Voidbringer. He was assigned to Lift because "The Ring said we should choose you. 'She [Lift] has been visited by the Old Magic...Our mother has blessed her...She will be young, and we can mold her". He tells her she has the ability to manipulate friction-what Lift terms her "awesomeness"- and to grow and also regrow and can be an "Edgedancer".
- We learn Lift can power herself through food, and it's her heist of choice, as well as spheres. And she can partially enter the Cognitive Realm to "touch" spren and process food into Stormlight.
- The other thieves separate to thieve things and Lift is left with "Gaw", a young nephew of one of the thieves. She goes for stealing food and he follows her-and not just any food but the Prime's!
- Meanwhile, at the banquet, we learn the council isn't trying very hard to pick a successor.
- Someone defaced a painting with all the Heralds---
- As she sneaks into the banquet and is about to steal food, her nemesis arrives and snatches her. She temporarily escapes until she doesn't but a temporary distraction by the Vizier allows her to eat part of a roll. The others are being rounded up and she manages to get her awesomeness back and escapes until she realizes they have Gaw and she calls the guard's bluff only to have him kill Gaw in front of her.
- Lift gets away but then, because someone has to care, goes back to Gaw's body, remembering what Wyndle said she could do- "Regrow". She states: "I will remember those who have been forgotten" and reanimates Gaw back to life. Lift is an Edgedancer, and gets a pardon for her crime by Gaw, the new Prime Aqasix. Darkness backs off; praises "Yaezir, Herald of Kings". He [Yaezir] drools.
POV: Szeth
- Szeth is haunted by the souls of those he killed. He is in Urithiru, in the sun. A holy place where he can walk on stones. We learn he was here before when first exiled. He is thinking of Kaladin's abilities.
- We learn he was exiled for raising a false alarm that the Voildbringers are coming back. He contemplates the fact that he might have been right and the Shamanate wrong in exiling him. He might have killed all these people for no reason.
- He is on a mission to get answers. We learn there is village that leaves spheres out as an offering to him.
POV: Eshonai and the Parshendi
- Eshonai is fifteen days into her new "Stormform". It's making her different and scaring some of the other forms. We learn she sings of "Rage" and other negative song. Her sister and she are at odds, trying to get control. Venli didn't tell her what would happen although she perhaps knew more.
- The screaming she hears is "Peaceform".
- There are only two Storms left before "Weeping" time, and Eshonai wants to convince the Five to let everyone take "Stormform". The first storm that passed gave Eshonai her powers and the second storm gave the same form to 200 new soldiers and her sister, Venli, and her scholars.
- The Five are skeptical about transforming everyone. They question her talks with the Alethi and Eshonai lies about what the conversation was about. The dullform member resists her plan.
- Eshonai bypasses the Five and makes a public announcement and demonstration of needing to take "Stormform" and willing to teach it to everyone.
- She rounds up those who don't want it, using her old soldiers, who also doubt her new form. Venli tells her they have to kill the dissenters.
- As she is about to take over the city, with 20,000 non-warriors and call on "Rhythm of Descruction", she learns the non-group escaped into the chasms, including her soldiers. She threatens Venli publicly before her speech.
Chapter 59: Fleet
"I'll address this letter to my 'old friend', as I have no idea what name you're using currently"
POV: Kaladin
- Kaladin is in jail; conditions are decent, but he feels trapped. He considers sucking in Stormlight from the lighting. Syl questions what he would do after escaping.
- Kaladin goes on a rant against Elhokar that depresses Syl.
- Wit (!) comes for a musical visit and sings to him of Fleet's race against the wind. Fleet dies but reaches glory in his attempt. He leaves him with a lesson to ponder.
Chapter 60: Veil Walks
"Have you given up on the gemstone, now that it is dead? And you no longer hide behind the name of your old master? I am told that in your current incarnation you've take a name that references what you presume to be one of your virtues"
POV: Shallan
- Shallan is working on her notes, based on the maps in Amaram's room. She is looking for the capital of Natanatan, Stormseat, which she, Amaram and Jasnah believe to be on the Shattered Plains. Furthermore, she believes there are 10 routes from 10 kingdoms, including a path to Urithiru using the Oathgates. She discusses this with Pattern.
- Shallan plants a quote to interest Sebarial into looking into the Shattered Plains, just in case the Adolin plan doesn't work while doing his books.
- Navani still won't meet with her.
- Pattern is learning dirty jokes and sarcasm. He also prompts her to admit the truth about what they did, what he can do, in order to prepare for the Everstorm. Shallan cries in recalling the past, which Pattern calls a "deep lie" she must shed to have her abilities.
- Shallan practices her skills, creating Veil and trying to add sound. Instead, she learns Pattern can hold Stormlight and animate her illusion and hide inside it.
POV: Shallan- 1 and 1/2 years ago flashback
- Shallan tries to be perfect so her father wouldn't be violent. However, he takes things out on others regardless. She gives humor and stories to her brothers.
- A marble deposit and a certain shrewdness have changed their family fortune.
- Their father forbids Balat from marrying his sweetheart, kills his axe hound puppies to prove a point but is enraged when Nan Balat mentions he met with Helaran, who is back. Balat has a plan to escape with his girlfriend and Shallan, if she will do it. She holds back.
- Their father has new guards and Shallan overhears him plotting Helaran's assassination. His second wife also intervenes to stop him and they have a fight.
"This is, I suspect, a little like a skunk naming itself for its stench"
POV: Kaladin
- Kaladin is depressed. He thinks back on Moash's grandparents, who died in jail waiting for a trial.
- Syl mentions there was a "Cryptic" at the fight, which she described as "revolting" but not evil. She thinks that soon there will another Surgebinder like him. He suspects it might be Adolin but is happy he won't be the only one.
- Dalinar comes for a visit and they chat about the silversmiths in Kholinar (Moash's grandparents) and Roshone, who influenced a young Elhokar into making bad decisions. Roshone was also a liegeman to Sadeas. He was exiled when Dalinar returned.
- Dalinar urges Kaladin to look beyond Elhokar's weakness and be extra loyal in his protection. He reveals he followed his instinct in selecting Kaladin and his men and the way to change the social position of darkeyes is to effect change through example.
- The conversation leads Kaladin to conclude that Elhokar is an infected limb and must be cut off.
"Now, look what you've made me say. You've always been able to bring out the most extreme in me, old friend. And I do still name you a friend, for all that you weary me"
POV: Shallan
- Flirting with Adolin, while staking out a spot the Ghostbloods directed her to, Shallan uses her image of Veil and a tree and Pattern and realizes she is being watched. She sends Pattern to find out who.
- It turns out to be the scary lady with the mask from the Ghostblood meeting. Shallan sends Pattern out as a decoy Veil and then, ambushes Iyatil, who is surprised. We learn Mraize is Iyatil's student!
- The Ghostbloods want to know about a person newly arrived in Dalinar's camp. They are worried about Dalinar's interactions with Amaram and this third party.
- Shallan takes Iyatil on her mission, secretly using her own actual appearance to gain entry as Adolin's fiancée, and then using Iyatil to distract the ardents while she gains entry to the room holding the mystery person.
- We learn the mystery person is dark skinned like a Makabaki, ragged hair and a powerful build. She copies down his message about the Desolation coming soon, which he recites in perfect Alethi and calls himself Talenel'Elin or Stonesinew.
- He freaks out when Shallan takes some Stormlight to put on her illusion and attacks her, calling her one of "Ishar's Knights" and Shallan calls her Shardblade but doesn't need it. Her mother's soul comes up.
- As she tries to escape (as herself), she runs into a crowd that includes Amaram.
The next section is Chapter 64 – Chapter 70 for June 7
2023.05.31 15:41 TheBurnedPreacher Chapter 4
Chapter 4
One of the Devil’s greatest tricks is the sin of Sloth.1 It preys on the most basic instincts of Man to seek comfort, but that is the most horrible thing as man breaks his own will.2 The Men of greed and gold upon the Temple Mount prey on this inactivity and Sloth to corrupt and the break the will of the Righteous.3 So the greatest of Men must rally the Righteous to topple the heathen Autocrats, from the mountains and the hill the Righteous will claim their right as God’s greatest creation and perform his will.4 It is this Sloth that the Devil preys on for his feast of the sinner.5 Man may believe that they are the most blessed of creatures and take that as they may rest but no, the Devil holds the world in his bony hands6 the Righteous must stand up to this temptation and thwart the Devil at every turn.7 Man must resist the greatest of temptations, stop vines of corruption as they attempt to squirm into the heads of the Righteous.8 The leach of sin will latch on to the most Righteous of Mankind and drag him into the deepest depths of corruption and sin.9 God allows the Devil to test his creation to seek perfection within Man, the Righteous must cut out the Devil like mold on old bread.10 Action must be taken to prevent God’s creation from falling to the Devil’s domain, to pull Man back from the edge.11 This world must be burned as to remove the corruption, the cities must fall, the Men of Gold slain, the World liberated.12 The rot that consumes this World will be burned and destroyed.12 The Righteous’s action will break the cycles of sin and after one more great crusade the world will be a prosperous paradise, like the garden of old.13 God must be obeyed at his word, as He gave us this world as the most prosperous of gifts.14 As to discourage Man from breaking the cycles of Sin he has created divisions that would divide Man in all ways, ways that have never mattered so that the Devil’s plan may come to fruition.15 The Men of Sin will try and to save their lives of sin and they will believe themselves to be righteous, they are not. These men are but pawns of the Devil.16 These Men will not be redeemed so they must be cast down to hell, send them by stripping off their mortal coil, give them the punishment they deserve.17 However the young are redeemable as they have not yet embraced the Devil in their hearts, show them the light of God’s will.18 Man shall not succumb to sin, the Devil shall not prevail over God’s immortal will.19 The light of God shall shine through the infinite darkness of the Devil and his sinful temptations.20 Cast the sinner down to hell and Man shall redeem itself in the image of the Lord.21 God’s will shall fall on the sinner like a bolt of lightning cutting through a tree22 instant and powerful. The new sinful world will be broken at the feet of the new great world that will take its place.23 It is the Righteous’s job to preserve the great new world that God had wished upon Man.24 The Devil will try to rebuild the world He craves, this must be stopped in fire and brimstone.25 The Sinners will be filled with the Devil’s wrath and will not stop their attempt to break the purity of the Righteous.26 This will fail as the will of God is stronger than anything the Devil could bring against the Righteous.26 Burn the old world so that the new one may rise from its ashes, the great graveyards giving way to new life and prosperity, this is God’s immortal, undying will.27
submitted by TheBurnedPreacher to TheBurnedBook [link] [comments]
One of the Devil’s greatest tricks is the sin of Sloth.1 It preys on the most basic instincts of Man to seek comfort, but that is the most horrible thing as man breaks his own will.2 The Men of greed and gold upon the Temple Mount prey on this inactivity and Sloth to corrupt and the break the will of the Righteous.3 So the greatest of Men must rally the Righteous to topple the heathen Autocrats, from the mountains and the hill the Righteous will claim their right as God’s greatest creation and perform his will.4 It is this Sloth that the Devil preys on for his feast of the sinner.5 Man may believe that they are the most blessed of creatures and take that as they may rest but no, the Devil holds the world in his bony hands6 the Righteous must stand up to this temptation and thwart the Devil at every turn.7 Man must resist the greatest of temptations, stop vines of corruption as they attempt to squirm into the heads of the Righteous.8 The leach of sin will latch on to the most Righteous of Mankind and drag him into the deepest depths of corruption and sin.9 God allows the Devil to test his creation to seek perfection within Man, the Righteous must cut out the Devil like mold on old bread.10 Action must be taken to prevent God’s creation from falling to the Devil’s domain, to pull Man back from the edge.11 This world must be burned as to remove the corruption, the cities must fall, the Men of Gold slain, the World liberated.12 The rot that consumes this World will be burned and destroyed.12 The Righteous’s action will break the cycles of sin and after one more great crusade the world will be a prosperous paradise, like the garden of old.13 God must be obeyed at his word, as He gave us this world as the most prosperous of gifts.14 As to discourage Man from breaking the cycles of Sin he has created divisions that would divide Man in all ways, ways that have never mattered so that the Devil’s plan may come to fruition.15 The Men of Sin will try and to save their lives of sin and they will believe themselves to be righteous, they are not. These men are but pawns of the Devil.16 These Men will not be redeemed so they must be cast down to hell, send them by stripping off their mortal coil, give them the punishment they deserve.17 However the young are redeemable as they have not yet embraced the Devil in their hearts, show them the light of God’s will.18 Man shall not succumb to sin, the Devil shall not prevail over God’s immortal will.19 The light of God shall shine through the infinite darkness of the Devil and his sinful temptations.20 Cast the sinner down to hell and Man shall redeem itself in the image of the Lord.21 God’s will shall fall on the sinner like a bolt of lightning cutting through a tree22 instant and powerful. The new sinful world will be broken at the feet of the new great world that will take its place.23 It is the Righteous’s job to preserve the great new world that God had wished upon Man.24 The Devil will try to rebuild the world He craves, this must be stopped in fire and brimstone.25 The Sinners will be filled with the Devil’s wrath and will not stop their attempt to break the purity of the Righteous.26 This will fail as the will of God is stronger than anything the Devil could bring against the Righteous.26 Burn the old world so that the new one may rise from its ashes, the great graveyards giving way to new life and prosperity, this is God’s immortal, undying will.27
2023.05.31 13:56 clothesmanufacturer Design your Own style with our Custom Men Sweaters
 | submitted by clothesmanufacturer to u/clothesmanufacturer [link] [comments] custom men sweater supplier Looking for a custom men sweater supplier? Create your unique style with our customizable options. High-quality materials and craftsmanship guaranteed! |
2023.05.31 09:10 Excelsior787 The Chair - a dirge for young men
The Chair - a dirge for young men
Sit
Sit and watch the world go by
And realize it’s changing
Sit and watch the people cry and then
spin
180°
and hear it all say
perpetuate
You don’t even know why
you’re only 10 or maybe 12 or 13
but if this is how to be a man so be it
So be it if the show of suffering must go on
Surely they wouldn’t misguide me
Spin back and
Sit and watch them resist
Sit shocked, solitary and still
Don’t they know you only do what’s asked
Nay, required of you
and if you spin again
and ask the universe
how this could possibly make you a man
It will say to you
“You will learn to be strong and
respected
beloved
desired
valuable
and to do so you must lose
lose through the agony of cruelty
you must lose until you love the loss
you must lose until you relish it
and keep losing after that
lose your weakness
your nonconformity
your emotions
your joys
you must lose all of it
Don’t you want to be valued?”
and so you spun back around
And you sat
And you lost until it became a part of you
and as you cut off the hair of nonconformity
starved away the round dimples of joy
gouged out all the things you felt
and castrated your weakness
and as a sweater whose thread is pulled
you kept unraveling yourself
losing and losing all the while
because what wouldn’t you give to be loved
What wouldn’t you give to be wanted
What wouldn’t you give to be valued
What wouldn’t you give
and left where you once sat
was only a chair
edit - fixed formatting
edit 2 - never mind guess it’s staying this way
edit 3 - figured it out
submitted by Excelsior787 to teenagers [link] [comments]
Sit
Sit and watch the world go by
And realize it’s changing
Sit and watch the people cry and then
spin
180°
and hear it all say
perpetuate
You don’t even know why
you’re only 10 or maybe 12 or 13
but if this is how to be a man so be it
So be it if the show of suffering must go on
Surely they wouldn’t misguide me
Spin back and
Sit and watch them resist
Sit shocked, solitary and still
Don’t they know you only do what’s asked
Nay, required of you
and if you spin again
and ask the universe
how this could possibly make you a man
It will say to you
“You will learn to be strong and
respected
beloved
desired
valuable
and to do so you must lose
lose through the agony of cruelty
you must lose until you love the loss
you must lose until you relish it
and keep losing after that
lose your weakness
your nonconformity
your emotions
your joys
you must lose all of it
Don’t you want to be valued?”
and so you spun back around
And you sat
And you lost until it became a part of you
and as you cut off the hair of nonconformity
starved away the round dimples of joy
gouged out all the things you felt
and castrated your weakness
and as a sweater whose thread is pulled
you kept unraveling yourself
losing and losing all the while
because what wouldn’t you give to be loved
What wouldn’t you give to be wanted
What wouldn’t you give to be valued
What wouldn’t you give
and left where you once sat
was only a chair
edit - fixed formatting
edit 2 - never mind guess it’s staying this way
edit 3 - figured it out
2023.05.31 08:25 yishengsweater knit oem,des pull,Her jumper adaptation
Yisheng Sweater Factory
https://yisweater.com
email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Whatsapp/WeChat:86-13929261978
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submitted by yishengsweater to u/yishengsweater [link] [comments]
Yisheng Sweater Factory
https://yisweater.com
email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Whatsapp/WeChat:86-13929261978
----------------------------------
knit oem,des pull,Her jumper adaptation
sweater chandail,baby-clothing pullover,mens cardigan christmas des pullsweater,knitted sweater machine,sueter 2022,knitting patterns free cardigans women simple,designer fall sweater for men,sweater fleece mens pocket chaps,cardigangamis,knitwear lounge sets for women,pull noel bas prix,women winter wool sweater,hoodies sweater vest,sueters de bts,des pullgmlek hirka,sueter y short,women cardigan 3x long,bandage dress,sueter the north face para hombre,pullover 40 años,sweatersHer jumper adaptation for dogs,sweaters en hoodies dames,jumper jumper song,vetement en laine de merino,mensknit oem tapestry sweater,que mira bobo messi pullover, sleeve v neck,cardinals sweater
https://www.yisweater.com/product/womens-alpaca-knitted-pullover-pullover-factory-sweater-manufacturer
men,oversized vest knit oemfor women,iced dress,youth fleece sweater,customised sweaters,sm knitwear ltd,falda larga de nylon,5 fleece shorts,custom oversized cardigan,plain jumper,suter de itadori,dope sneakers and a hoodie pullover,knitted hoodie sweater,des pull boy sweater,luxury summer top,nike vintage sweater,pull long femme coll rond,korean sweater kids,have custom clothing made,sweater dress with sweater,how to customize hoodie,chompa de lana hombre,knitted customized sweater,bayan uzun kazak,christian sweater,custom greek aka sweater,fashion hoodies sweaters, sweater zip,cashmere sweater silk leather,fleece zip hoodie,shellack set,gatos con sueter,jordan 7 sweater outfit,fleece lined pants women,men's pullover sweatshirt,34 sleeve summer cardigans,half zip sweater,custom pull over sweater no moq,7 seater seat covers,men custom cardigan sweater,knitwear mcdonald's,cropped cardigan top,jean sleeve sweater,quilted sweater,long dress women cardigan,krkl hirka erkek,7 seater cars in india,women turtle neck knitted sweater,zara women knit cardigan,dolce gabana fur sweater,womens cardigans at target,men fitness pullover knit oemtracksuit,knitwear woman wide frame,sweater for dress,
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2023.05.31 07:30 ryebreadtangerine vineyard vines Coupon Code for June 2023
Visit this page for vineyard vines Coupon Code for June 2023. The website offers a wide selection of coupons, promo codes, and discount deals that are updated regularly, just visit the website to find the perfect one for you.
submitted by ryebreadtangerine to DealsOpaline [link] [comments]
2023.05.31 05:25 Crypto_US_Tax Is Collectible Wine the Key to Understanding What Makes Bitcoin Unique? – Bitcoin and 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild (Article 21 of 52)
This is one article in a collection of 52 articles published weekly throughout 2023 on the basics of Bitcoin. The series is intended for people unfamiliar with Bitcoin or people wishing to enhance their understanding of the fundamentals that underpin the technology. Please [contact us](mailto:[email protected]), if you have any questions or comments.
One of the biggest challenges for people entering the crypto space is distinguishing Bitcoin from all of the other cryptocurrencies that have entered the ecosystem since Bitcoin’s creation. The temptation for newcomers is to invest in the “next” Bitcoin. The appeal is frequently being able to accumulate more of the “next” Bitcoin because of the lower price. However, this strategy is bound to fail. Perhaps the simplest way to understand this is by looking at collectible wine.
The three basic ingredients for wine are simple. All that is needed are grapes (or some other fruit-based fermentable sugar), yeast, and water. Anyone in the world can easily access these items. Similarly, the code necessary to create a cryptocurrency is readily available. Bitcoin’s code is open source and the barrier to entry is almost nonexistent. In fact, many of the cryptocurrencies that have come into existence since Bitcoin have piggybacked on Bitcoin’s code with the slightest modification.
A bottle of 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild is widely considered one of the, if not the, wines of the century. There are myriad factors that have made the 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild impossible to replicate and one of the most sought-after wines ever created. First, the soil conditions in the area are truly one of a kind and a late frost on May 4, 1945 killed the early stages of the vine leading to lower production than usual. Additionally, the vineyard was fortunate enough to have Baron Philippe de Rothschild present to supervise the harvest. Baron was returning from Britain where he had fled after escaping from prison (he was being held as a result of his Jewish heritage). Many vineyards in the proximity which experienced similar favorable weather conditions were not as fortunate to have the workers look after the harvest as a result of World War II which was just concluding. In fact, the label on the bottle has a “V” for victory to mark the conclusion of the war! Finally, only 75,000 bottles were ever made of the legendary wine. Through the years many bottles have been consumed making this collectible wine scarcer. Those who were fortunate enough to hold onto this treasured wine have seen it mature into an almost priceless piece of history.
Similar to a bottle of 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Bitcoin has become the most collectible cryptocurrency ever created. While there is nothing unique about its code compared to other cryptocurrencies in the space, the success of Bitcoin has been impossible for all other cryptocurrencies to replicate since its creation. Bitcoin benefitted from the unique incubator system in which it was launched where the idea of a decentralized currency was paramount to the profit motives that are pervasive with the new cryptocurrencies being created at an astonishing rate today. In fact, Satoshi has never spent any of the bitcoin, currently valued at over $31.5 billion with today’s price, he mined in the early days of Bitcoin for a profit motive! While new bitcoin continues to be mined approximately every 10 minutes, all of the bitcoin are fungible and can be thought of as new bottles of the collectible wine being released to the public.
While some compare Bitcoin to the AOL of crypto, the more apt comparison is Bitcoin is the 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild of the industry. The incredibly rare conditions that existed when Satoshi bottled the 2009 vintage cryptocurrency cannot be replicated again. Just like a wine collector would not go to Trader Joe’s to find the next 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, a person looking for a valuable cryptocurrency to invest should not attempt to discover the next Bitcoin by investing in the latest, greatest cryptocurrency. And, truthfully, that’s probably insulting to Trader Joe’s wine. When it comes to Bitcoin, just as is true with the 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, there are no replacements.
https://cryptoustaxattorneys.com/bitcoin-and-1945-chateau-mouton-rothschild/
submitted by Crypto_US_Tax to u/Crypto_US_Tax [link] [comments]
One of the biggest challenges for people entering the crypto space is distinguishing Bitcoin from all of the other cryptocurrencies that have entered the ecosystem since Bitcoin’s creation. The temptation for newcomers is to invest in the “next” Bitcoin. The appeal is frequently being able to accumulate more of the “next” Bitcoin because of the lower price. However, this strategy is bound to fail. Perhaps the simplest way to understand this is by looking at collectible wine.
The three basic ingredients for wine are simple. All that is needed are grapes (or some other fruit-based fermentable sugar), yeast, and water. Anyone in the world can easily access these items. Similarly, the code necessary to create a cryptocurrency is readily available. Bitcoin’s code is open source and the barrier to entry is almost nonexistent. In fact, many of the cryptocurrencies that have come into existence since Bitcoin have piggybacked on Bitcoin’s code with the slightest modification.
A bottle of 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild is widely considered one of the, if not the, wines of the century. There are myriad factors that have made the 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild impossible to replicate and one of the most sought-after wines ever created. First, the soil conditions in the area are truly one of a kind and a late frost on May 4, 1945 killed the early stages of the vine leading to lower production than usual. Additionally, the vineyard was fortunate enough to have Baron Philippe de Rothschild present to supervise the harvest. Baron was returning from Britain where he had fled after escaping from prison (he was being held as a result of his Jewish heritage). Many vineyards in the proximity which experienced similar favorable weather conditions were not as fortunate to have the workers look after the harvest as a result of World War II which was just concluding. In fact, the label on the bottle has a “V” for victory to mark the conclusion of the war! Finally, only 75,000 bottles were ever made of the legendary wine. Through the years many bottles have been consumed making this collectible wine scarcer. Those who were fortunate enough to hold onto this treasured wine have seen it mature into an almost priceless piece of history.
Similar to a bottle of 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Bitcoin has become the most collectible cryptocurrency ever created. While there is nothing unique about its code compared to other cryptocurrencies in the space, the success of Bitcoin has been impossible for all other cryptocurrencies to replicate since its creation. Bitcoin benefitted from the unique incubator system in which it was launched where the idea of a decentralized currency was paramount to the profit motives that are pervasive with the new cryptocurrencies being created at an astonishing rate today. In fact, Satoshi has never spent any of the bitcoin, currently valued at over $31.5 billion with today’s price, he mined in the early days of Bitcoin for a profit motive! While new bitcoin continues to be mined approximately every 10 minutes, all of the bitcoin are fungible and can be thought of as new bottles of the collectible wine being released to the public.
While some compare Bitcoin to the AOL of crypto, the more apt comparison is Bitcoin is the 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild of the industry. The incredibly rare conditions that existed when Satoshi bottled the 2009 vintage cryptocurrency cannot be replicated again. Just like a wine collector would not go to Trader Joe’s to find the next 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, a person looking for a valuable cryptocurrency to invest should not attempt to discover the next Bitcoin by investing in the latest, greatest cryptocurrency. And, truthfully, that’s probably insulting to Trader Joe’s wine. When it comes to Bitcoin, just as is true with the 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, there are no replacements.
https://cryptoustaxattorneys.com/bitcoin-and-1945-chateau-mouton-rothschild/
2023.05.31 03:43 mossbottle Shein Men's Shirt Sizing (way too small!)
My shirt size is always a M or L (button-up, sweaters, just plain t-shirts etc.). (edit: I'm in the US, if that makes a differene re sizing of shirts)
I just ordered a bunch of shirts, all size L, and most of them fit like they are S or even XS. I could barely fit them over my head! I was so confused I even double checked the size on the tags and also my orders to make sure I didnt accidentally order them in kids sizes.
One of the shirts fit normally lol
Have others had this experience? I also read many reviews of each of the items - everyone says the fit is "true to size", and I see pictures of guys who look bigger than me saying they're wearing S.
What gives? Am I missing something about the way sizing works on Shein?
I'm returning everything and planning to re-order them all in XL or XXL...
Edit:
Here's a photo of one of the shirts size L on top of a size L t from American Apparel: https://imgur.com/a/3KHwB9G
And here's the link to the Shein shirt, you can see most people are not wearing it super tight: https://us.shein.com/SHEIN-Men-Solid-Sheer-Tee-p-11049524-cat-1980.html
submitted by mossbottle to SHEIN_ [link] [comments]
I just ordered a bunch of shirts, all size L, and most of them fit like they are S or even XS. I could barely fit them over my head! I was so confused I even double checked the size on the tags and also my orders to make sure I didnt accidentally order them in kids sizes.
One of the shirts fit normally lol
Have others had this experience? I also read many reviews of each of the items - everyone says the fit is "true to size", and I see pictures of guys who look bigger than me saying they're wearing S.
What gives? Am I missing something about the way sizing works on Shein?
I'm returning everything and planning to re-order them all in XL or XXL...
Edit:
Here's a photo of one of the shirts size L on top of a size L t from American Apparel: https://imgur.com/a/3KHwB9G
And here's the link to the Shein shirt, you can see most people are not wearing it super tight: https://us.shein.com/SHEIN-Men-Solid-Sheer-Tee-p-11049524-cat-1980.html
2023.05.31 03:08 Empty_Advice7902 The Dark Rise of One Piece: Anime's Loneliest Creator - The Eiichiro Oda Story!
 | Is One Piece the greatest Story ever told? A full Essay / Video Documentary on Eiichiro Oda and One Piece. To me One Piece is a masterpiece but it took a lot of sacrifices for Oda to become the best selling mangaka of all time. I just hope I did him justice. This is the Rise and Controversies of Anime and Manga's most dedicated Creator. submitted by Empty_Advice7902 to OnePiece [link] [comments] YouTube Documentary: https://youtu.be/obwz7ewVwnY At the time this is bring made is being made Eiichiro Oda has amassed an astonishing 230,000,000 Net Worth and is the creator of the highest selling manga of all time. One Piece has sold so many copies, that not only is Oda in the Guinness book of world records for the most copies ever sold of any manga or comic but it also puts his name in the top 10 highest selling fiction authors in human history. Engraving the name Eiichiro Oda next to William Shakespeare and JK Rowling. Oda is without a doubt one of the greatest and most creative story tellers of all time. https://preview.redd.it/hqtkwxdiu33b1.jpg?width=474&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aeb983436a68a455589f2ebc9f71efa2ba42a6d0 But this level us success and talent doesn’t come without sacrifices. Odas road to success is paved with A plethora of health issues both physical and mental, arrest and loneliness. One Piece has brought joy to millions of people and its success is something that Oda has dreamed of since he was 4 years old watching anime and Disney cartoons. Will act as a celebration of oda’s well earned achievements but also the over looked acknowledgment of the sacrfises, a-lot of Artist have to suffer through for our enjoyment, and dark untold truth of the manga industry. A Mangaka who escaped the industry even referred to it as “voluntary enslavement”. with an more infamous example being when kishmoto Creator Naruto and a rival of oda, finally finished his popular long running series, he reached out to oda to brag that he can now finally take a walk with his kid on a sunny day which would send the one piece author into a spiral but also motivated him to keep working so he could take walks with his family too one day. https://preview.redd.it/gpad5gauu33b1.jpg?width=512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5d3f31a424421779e3d95827d1a0da1a572ce97 Oda was born January 1st, 1975 in Kumamoto City Japan. From an early age he was obsessed with all things animated and cinema. Everything from Anime, Disney cartoons and Hollywood movies. By the age of 4 Oda had already began reading manga and immediately after he found out creating manga was a career! He couldn’t believe such a cool job existed and declared he would become a Mangaka to quote “avoid getting a real job” The manga that contributed the most to this epiphany was a series called “The Monster Kid” by fukiko a fujio. A story about a kid and his companions traveling through realms battling various Monsters. Oda claims that one of the panels from this specific manga was the first that made him want to draw and he would go on to draw endless copies of his favorite panel trying to get his drawings to look as good as Fujio’s. He simultaneously had fallen in love with an anime called “Vicky The Viking” Monster Kid A show that told the adventures of Vicky, a young Viking who would use his Witty and imaginative mind to help his friends out of tight situations. Vicky the Viking Vicky would spark odas life long fascinations with pirates and plant the seed for a idea that would eventually grow into one piece. you can see Vickies influenced sprinkled through out oda’s work. When odas dad found out about his sons newfound ambitions he decided to teach him to paint as he himself was a talented oil painter. oda credited his dad for his creative side and still shows off his dads paintings as the proud son he is. Oda became quite the proficient painter as well. One of his original paintings he did for a school project still hangs in his elementary school to this day When oda got a little older and his manga taste matured He gravitated toward the Weekly shonen Jump. A anthogly of mostly action-based manga that targets an older demographic. Oda also had started junior high around this time but admitted that it was rough for him and that he often didn’t enjoy it. The only time he would really feel happy was when he knew their was a new jump issue coming out the next day. He loved Everything from legendary Gag series Kochikame, to the action comedy Kinnikuman. A popular series in the Anthology called “Capatin Tsubasa” would even inspire oda to join his school soccer team just like the characters in the show. As you can tell he was a very impressionable and remains so to this day many of odas characters and themes are based of various pop culture icons like Jim Carrey, Eminem, the terminator and reservoir dogs to name a few you might know but also various Japanese acting and historical legends. https://preview.redd.it/xacz28kov33b1.jpg?width=474&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c48abe546e097a7abae860fe341bc9bb965e2a6 oda never dropped his love for soccer with his favorite team being Brazil. Oda revealed in a q and a that in the real world luffy would be from Brazil so I can’t help but to think this is influenced by “Capatin Tsubasa” oda would find his biggest influences though when he stubbled apon the series Dragon Ball. He was obsessed Toriyma’s art style and reread it more than any other manga. He loved his character designs and practicing them is why he said he got so good at drawing legendary buff dudes. But the most impactful thing Dragon Ball ever did for oda was show him how impactful manga could be. https://preview.redd.it/xpmlog1mv33b1.jpg?width=474&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=37f3ee26edad2c2243ed8b382f349117e10957fa When dragon ball was first gaining popularity oda remembers going to school and just seeing how his peers would react to the weekly releases. One day he would see his school get thrown into chaos by a single chapter. “When Krillin died in Dragon Ball, the whole school was thrown into turmoil. I remember someone kept running and shouting in the school, "Krillin died!!" with Jump in his hand." Seeing the influence a great story could have would completely reshaped the way oda looked at manga and reenforce his desires to master the craft himself. This feeling would last with oda and the 2nd year of jr high he would start developing his talent and began drawing sketches for a pirate based manga. Over the next several years oda would continue draw everyday in his free time even at the cost of his sleep and friends. this would be foreshadowing for how obsessive he can be when he puts his mind to something. At the age of 17 he would quit soccer in an attempt to take his mangaka ambitions more seriously. He had learned about a very prestigious manga completion from a company called shueisha. It was called the tezuka award and it was given to the best manga submitted by aspiring creators. During the same time Oda had taken a liking to an Western American Film called Young Guns, this would go on to inspire him to work 4 months on his first full-length Manga titled Wanted! it was an action gag comedy set in a western themed world. https://preview.redd.it/iofbbbd1w33b1.jpg?width=474&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1a4861bcd115ef687ada71058e699de7d3fb182d Oda was very proud of this creation and was excited to submit it, but he was also concerned of his parents and teachers disapproving of his decisions to focus all his efforts onto something not school related. to fix this problem would submit his work under the pseudonym Tsuki Himizu Kikondo. Being the unknown prodigy he was he would win 2nd Place and take home a 500,000 Yen cash prize. Winning this award at such a young age would send shock waves through the manga industry. many professionals within the business started keeping their eyes on him. In early 1993, Oda would go on to get several interviews and his Manga would get published in Shueisha's Mezase Mangaka! Around this time he would drop his pseudonym and start going by his real name. Showing that he was growing a lot more confident in his work. His first professional interview would even be published in Oda’s Hometown’s most prominent newspaper. Odas life was changing fast. It was getting harder and harder for even his haters to doubt his talent. Later that year he graduated high school and entered Kyushu Tokai University under the architecture program. although he never used his architectural talents in the actual field, I can’t help but to think in played a massive part in his unique city and island designs in one piece. During university oda would continue submitting more of his work to Shueisha. Not knowing his previous win already qualified him for a spot for a monthly off shoot of the weekly Shonen Jump.This spot is is where oda would release his next manga. “God's Gift for the Future” Gods Gift This manga followed a pickpocket named bran that wanted to change his way of life but couldn’t stop his bad habits. through a series of events he winds up with a magic death note book gifted from god that can not alive anyone by writing the exact date and event in the notebook. look im just gonna say it. Gods gift for the future came out in October 1993 and Death note came out a decade later in 2003. Im not saying Ohba copied teenage odas work but there are alot of similarities and I found some threads that already been disscussing the topic. If you read all of odas work in release order, you can see how each one gets progressively better and more complex. And he defiantly has two things he was good at from the begginning. Character development and world building. Part this is due to oda admitted just loving the characters he creates and he even said cries while drawing emotional or sad scenes they have to go through. But being the near physcoeopathically ambitious machine he was. even at a young age He wasn’t satisfied with only being in a Monthly release magazine so the following year in 1994 he decided to enter a contest named Hop-Step Awards with a Manga named Ikki Yako, Oda won first place with Ikki Yako giving him his first undisputed success as a Mangaka. Ikki Yako With the back back awards and victories, oda was finally believing he had an actual chance at his dream coming to fruition, so the same year in 1994 he would drop out of university to pursue he career as a professional Mangaka. Dropping out of college is a huge deal in Japan. Even if you become a success some people will look down on you as school is seen as a right of passage to many Japanese citizens. Not as a option as it is in some other countries. Japans unique out look on hard work educationally and professionally will contribute to the dark concepts we will explore in the latter part of the video. And if you remember oda specifically didnt like school and often struggled to find enjoyment while being there. With some impressive accolades under his belt and a new found freedom oda would move to Tokyo under the charge of his editor Karou Kushima this was his officially start as as a true Mangaka. Oda had gotten a job at shonen Jump as an assistant as many inspiring mangakas do. He made practically no money but it was a necessary stepping stone all mangaka have to take if they want shot of publishing there own work one day. Some work as assistants for years or even decades with never getting that chance and often break under the extreme exceptions pushed onto them by the industry. Odas first assistant Job was for shinobu kaitani’s midoriyama police gang. It was only for the last few chapters of the series and would last just a month. But Oda claims it was extremely busy month for him and he gained an immense amount of experience about the production of a professional manga. After his manga finished Kaitani would leave Shonen Jump, Oda was sent to another Mangaka assisting creator Masaya Tokuhiro through the final years of their Manga Jungle King Tar-Chan. Tokuhiro was also the creator of the more famous Kappaman. Oda would work for Tokuhiro for a very long time. Tokuhiro was infamous for being very resistant with allowing others to help with the important parts of his work. This was hard for oda because the free time he got after his 12-14 hour shifts he would spend drawing cool ideas for his own stories and ideas he thought might work for tokukiros but his boss would never even entertain one idea, but oda would still learn alot during this time period. specifically improving his skills of background and crowd art. During this time oda would create and submit serval of his own stories to his editor kushima. and pretty much all of them would be immediately dismissed. This would hurt but he would try to not take the harsh criticism to heart. But this would all change when Oda would create and release his next manga Monsters! After throughly rereading it and then going back to all of his old works he began to see many of his inadequacies. This motivated oda to work even harder to fix his mistakes. He started thinking maybe his editor was right telling him he wasn’t ready yet. Oda was now sleeping only 5 hours night and began skipping meals because they took up to much time that he could be using to improve his craft. When Kappaman ended in Mid-1996 his new boss would also move on from shusisha and oda entered his final assistant tenure under the esteemed Nobuhiro Watsuki. Working on the best selling Manga Rurouni Kenshin or Samauri X. This would be huge for oda! Watsuki was one of the most popular mangaka not just in shonen jump but in all of Japan! He also was known to have a way more laid back style then odas previous editors. Watsuki allowed assistants to be involved in his work, speak their mind and would even review their ideas seriously. that doesn’t mean he would improve them but he felt being involved and getting hands experience was the best way to learn not just busy work for hours on in. Oda would thrive in this environment! and one of his ideas would actually pass all the hurtles and he even was credited in the Rurouni Kenshin Manga for coming up with the Character Honjō Kamatari. The great scythe. The was huge for oda and added alot of creditably to his suggestions moving forward. Oda would never forget the faith watuski sensei had in him and unfortunately this would come with some grave consciences later on. Oda was enjoying his time in watsuki studio but he remained troubled by the fact his ideas for Manga drafts continuously got rejected. Oda decided since all his new ideas wasn’t cutting he would revamp his original idea for an anime. In a last resort style effort oda began work on a pirate themed manga. He decided to call it Romance Dawn. Not feeling hopeful oda would submit it to his editor. But to odas surprise Mishima was very impressed by it and would approve for it to go into further development immediately. It would debut in a shonen jump summer special and received much praise from the readers. During the production of romance dawn oda would fall under the supervision of a new editor takanori Asada who would also believe in romance dawn. He would arrange for oda to fill the gap in the weekly shonen jump that was coming up. This was an incredibly rare and unique opportunity. Oda accepted and immediately created a 2nd version of romance dawn! Within 2 weeks it was approved by Asada as well. But a weird thing was happening. The readers Loved the unique Pirate themed story and odas handlers believed in it and saw the potential greatness in oda’s work but the higher ups where very skeptical and doubtful of Oda’s concepts and refused it entirely! Romance Dawn They didn’t wanna try anything new. They wanted more of what worked. Basically dragon ball 2.0s but oda specially set out to make the exact opposite, this was because of 2 of odas earlier influences. Dragon ball, He loved the fights and designs but wished it was more story driven and a much more random influence was the wizard of oz. Oda loved the adventure aspect of it and implemented it into many of his works but he hated the ending of the classic movie. He thought the “The real treasure was the friends we made along the way” troup was stupid. That fans deserve build up and pay off. Oda basically was inventing the slow burn of mangas. That pull you in through world building not just flashy fights. Lucky for Oda asada wasn’t having any of his supervisors nonsense and would wage war on them proclaiming that oda has something great on his hands and he would continue this campaign for months. and in May 1997, One Piece had finally been approved for publishing in Weekly Shonen Jump. If you love one piece make Sure you show resect for asada because it wasn’t for him we might have never been blessed which such a great story. Remember this was odas last ditch effort and who knows what would happen if it had failed. Soon after, Oda resigned from being Watsuki Assistant on good terms, and became a full-fledged professional Mangaka himself at the age of 22. His adventure was about to reach hights and pitfalls that he could have never imagined. And if you wanna follow me own my own adventure to be the pirate king of YouTube. This video was suppose to be saved for my 5000 subscribers special but I was so excited to drop it I couldn’t wait! it would be cool if you could get this reddit thread to 200 upvotes One Piece: This is it Oda’s obsessive nature and hard work has payed off and he wasn’t about to let it go to waste. He would double down his effort once more and from this point forward things would start moving incredible quickly. Oda would take everything’s he learned and created over the years and start immediately drafting the first 8 chapters of One Piece. Asada would lend him a hand and help him refine his ideas and offer some advice he thought could give One Piece a higher chance of success. He gave oda the advice of spicing up the first couple chapters. He thought oda had a great concept but that it wasn’t interesting enough and needed more stakes. Something too hook people and leave them wanting more. This lead to the idea of the Shanks incident in the first chapter. I think this was a great decision and set the tone for the rest of the story. On July 1997 Weekly Shonen Jump #34 had premiered the first chapter of One Piece titled Romance Dawn giving homage to his Romance Dawn Manga that started it all. When they finished they was pretty sure they had something great on their hands but they was so nervous in wouldn’t do well. They couldn’t shake their butterflies and when the 1st Volume released Oda and his editor would hide in a bookstore and watch the customers and when they seen a little boy buying the one piece volume they would shout with pure joy! This is the cutest one piece fact and know and definitely one of my favorites because it shows how much one piece really means to him. His passion would blend onto the pages and pay off. By the end of the 1st year one piece would sell 300,000 copies. Making it a hit. But this is again nothing compared to what would come. only one year later this number would grow to 6 million copies sold with no sign of slowing down. By 1999 one piece had reached over 17,000,000 prints and would receive a full length anime adaption that would be an instant smash across Japan. By 2001 oda was only 26 years old and the world was at his finger tips. He was a best selling mangaka and was getting all the interviews and festival bookings he could handle. But the most life altering appearance would happen at Jump festa 2002. Why watching the performances he would see 22 year old Chiaki Inaba a model, idol, actress, Campaign girl and Race Queen. A artistic genius in her own right. During her show she would perform in a Nami swan cosplay. Showing her love for her favorite anime character that happen to be created by Oda who was in the audience. Her beauty and talent left oda smitten. It was like a romance anime scene. He had no choice but to introduce him self later the same day. They would hit it off and her personality had him hooked. Over the next 2 years they would begin seeing each other, squeezing in dates between her performance and oda busy work schedule. In 2004 they would get married opting to have a private wedding with only their closes friends attending. Around 2004 one piece and shonen jump was more popular then ever. Manga and anime was spreading world wide. but there was an unprecedented surge in anime’s popularity in the west. The catalyst for this weeb take over would be thanks to 3 shonen Anime. One Piece, Naruto and Bleach. That would be deemed the Big 3. A titled bestowed on the 3 most popular anime of the 2000s. 3 series that completely carried shonen jump in this time period. Every anime fan in the world had one of these 3 in their top spot. later this era would be called the “Golden Age” of shonen Jump. The gap in sales of these 3 vs other series was mind blowing. And to this day the consistency of their popularity would never be repeated. All 3 of these mangaka where living their dreams but anyone with their level of ambition wants to be the best not just top 3. The 2 creators with most smoke for each other would be One piece’s Oda and Bleach’s Kubo. They 2 manga titans have had a 20 year beef that have left their fans constantly comparing the 2. The origins of this entanglement actually started because of our previously mention manga award that oda won for romance dawn. Kubo had entered the same competion and felt his win was a sure in and that it would be the launch to his own professional Mangaka adventure! But after bleach was out voted by romance dawn pushing his dreams back years. Bleach wouldn’t be released in jump til 2001! Kubo would holds oda personally responsible. in a 2017 interview when asked how he felt about his rival and he would respond saying “ I hate Oda” and revealed the 2 had a hairy run in in the 1990s. A few years later oda would have a chance to respond in his own interview during a bleach exibxit for its 20th anniversary. He was asked about Kubo and said “ years ago kubo publicly announced he hates me? Do you want to know if I hold a grudge?” “Yes I do” he went on to say he didn’t knew in kubo meant it in a perticaly rude way or in a competitive way. He said kubo has always had a competitive spirt and was a hard worker but that he does have some audacity, to to say that in public. Oda was letting everyone know he is still always down for the smoke. He would draw Kubo’s character ichigo in the one piece art style and submit it to the exhibition. Oda Draws Ichigo I love both anime but their lives sounding like real life anime rivals makes their series even better. It shows how much they both love and belive in their series. Check here down Oda and Naruto creator kishimoto also consider their self rivals but in a very different way. in 2015 oda admitted that Naruto is more popular than one piece world wide. He apricates it but it makes him jealous. https://preview.redd.it/jamhiu2xw33b1.jpg?width=474&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de87a209c908f27e9e560edf8d522866129e1c94 In 2016 kishimoto said he wanted to surpass one piece in manga sales but sadly was never able to before Naruto ended. Since then one piece popularity in the rest of the world has exploded so the final results aren’t in yet. But either way The 2 have been the dominate 2 in the world for 2 decades constantly exchanging spots. They’re respect for each other is evident as shown Through out both series easters are hidden shouting out the others manga. https://preview.redd.it/fj09lkzyw33b1.jpg?width=268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce5d77252b5a3757dc7c4f13b25e987e521f9282 But the most wholesome but scary example happened in 2013. Oda had become notorious for his machine like work ethic. He was only sleeping 3 hours a night and often would sleep at his work desk so he could wake up and be able to get back to work faster. This would cause his health to disintegrate and he would be hospaitalized. Knowing oda doesn’t like to take days off kishimoto would show up to his hospital room to check on his friend and would be shocked to see oda working on a up and coming one piece chapter. Kishimoto understood this level of work ethic better than anyone else could as arguably the other most successful mangaka of all time. Instead of asking him to stop he pulled up a chair and helped oda with his work on which woukld relived to be the legendary Dressrossa arc. A personal favorite arc of mine as you can see my avatar is designs after the arcs antagonist. They wanted this arc to be special as to not let his fans down because of his sickness. As of 2023 One Piece has sold more than 500 million copies. selling more copies than batman and harry potter. Oda is the best selling mangaka of all time and 10th highest selling fiction author in human history. The Anime adaptation of his manga is a smash hit and is growing more popular ever day. Olympians have stuck one piece posses before wining metals. Hollywood celebs have declared their love for one piece like averal lagive who eventual would send oda 2 songs for one of his movies, Jamie lee Curtis who mention robin as her favorite characters on several q and as, marvel director taika waititi rocked a luffy sweater on several occasions. One Piece film’s latest film release Earned over 15 billion yen making in the 6th highest grossing movie in Japanese history. The 4 year old that wanted to be a great manga would be so proud of oda but what has oda sacrificed for this level of success. We touched it own it a little in the kishimoto segment but to really understand or believe the truth that im about to tell you have to understand a terrifying concept in Japan called karoshi. Karoshi as phenom in Japan that translate to “over work death” in Japan the work culture is alot more extreme then most people outside of Asia can even comprehend. Japan has a 0 excuse policy in many companies not all but many. In these environment you are expected to finish all the work you are giving no matter how long it takes you. Even if you do finish your work you are not permeated to leave until anyone who is your senior is finished and you are expected to go help then instead of going home to see your family. In 2012 a documentary film maker by the name of allegra Pacheco visited Japan when she heard about the concept and was shocked to see how common this was. She would follow salavery men from their jobs and would discover dozens of them would pass out on the streets or on bus rides from complete exhaustion unable to even make it home or even move. these extreme hours leads to Japan having a high percent of work related deaths from stress heart attacks and sadly self inflicted. As of 2022, 23 percent of Japanese workers logged more than 80 hours of over time each month. Because this 1 and 5 Japanese workers are at risk of passing away from Karoshi. The Japanese government never even acknowledged this problem. That was until a 24 year old who had logged 105 hours of over time, wrote on social media that she was physically and emotionally shattered and leaped off a tall building to her end. Unfortunately this isn’t uncommon. Bcc said that it is the single highest C.O.D of men aged 20-44 in the country. there is even an infamous unalive your self forest in Japan that is the go to spot to do so. This forest gained world wide acknowledge when controversial youtuber Logan Paul went there for a day of vlogging and filmed a victim of karaoshi while his friends laughed. Understand that this a different culture don’t judge them to harshly. Im not saying this work culture is okay but its a very complicated subject. There is a theory that this was Japan’s way of restoring its economy after world war 2. with a your company is your family and you should give it all to them mindset. I dont think these traits of these phenom are a exactly comparable to oda for one reason. Oda does thing willingly. no one is forcing him to do this with his level of wealth and influence he could easy retire or reallocate the more time consuming work but instead he opts to take on the brunt of the load. This doesn’t make his fans any less concerned. Based on odas own words and interviews with his editors Oda works 21 hours of a day. The few hours he sleeps is often not even concurrent but instead broken up into 30 minute intervals through his workday whenever he gets a chance. That way he doesn’t have to relocate and can get back to work faster. When he does sleep the 3 straight hours he aims for 2am-to 5am. That way he is still the first back at the office. Other mangaka in the industry refere to oda a machine. As even though he is producing a weekly manga his art is on pare with months release manga. as where manga like Vinland saga have entire months to work on releases oda has to come out with a chapter and episode every single week and it still competes with the season series in quality. He does all this with working with the smallest team possible so he can fill more attached to his work. This goes so far that when he has to re tell passed events. He re draws them instead of reusing old art work to save time like most artist. His editors reportedly thinks and talks about one piece 24/7 even when he isn’t working. When his editor Naoki Kawashima joined odas team he said oda told him to “die for One Piece” he went on to insure him. If you destroy your health do to your work ethic. I will forever take care of your family financially. Dont think of this as oda being a bad boss. Just a acknowledge of series they take what they are creating. I watched and read dozen of interviews in peroration for this video and I couldn’t find 1 of his employee that had anything negative to say about him. Everyone who has worked for oda said it it so fun and welcoming environment. That when you see how hard he works it makes you want to work hard to and do your part to contribute to the greatness that is one piece. Oda doesn’t even want fame he just wants to create a great series. In all his interviews he hinds his face or request to have it covered in post edits. Japan loves oda. He can’t walk down the street without be swarmed by fans. In his interview grown man giggle with glee everytime he speaks. Which makes me happy they respect him as much as I do. That being said his unhealthy life leaves them very worried and oda knows his fans are concerned. even after 20 years he work schedule has eased up. In a 2021 tv interview oda opened up about he doesn’t have time to bathe, shave or even eat. He has got so lost in work that his asstaince have to come and ask him to please eat something. He does just forget sometime but other times he doesn’t eat on purpose. in 2012 oda said “The only way I can think of new ideas is to think about it alot without sleeping and eating. Because humans can only come up with truly new ideas when they reach they’re limit. So every time I am done with my manuscript I am completey exhausted.” This statement is beautiful but sad to me. Especially when you factor that oda has got moderate diabetes and goutes as a result of his work schedule and being in his work chair for so many hours at a time. In the same interview he said he always bathes before seeing his family to wash off his work mode. but that he rarely gets a chance to see them. As we mentioned, after Naruto ended kishimoto bragged to oda he can now talk a walk with his son when ever he wanted as a flex to oda about finally finishing his series as a fellow obsessive he knew the kinda pressure oda lives under and the sacfrices he is making. Them have a personal relationship may have been a way of kishmoto pleading for oda to take a break, as they have even been to each others houses. Oda only gets to visit his home once a week as he sleeps in his studio the other 6 days. So his only sees his daughters and wife 4 times a month. One reason is he finds this necessary to keep his weekly deadlines. The 2nd but sadder reason is oda fears if he spends more time with them than that he will want to stop making one piece because he will miss his family to much… one of the only times oda wandered if he should quit one piece was on one of his weekly visits his daughter said “dad you are to busy to spend time with me” Oda is currently Bringing in 30 million dollars a year from one piece royalties alone. He is currently the richest mangaka to ever live. So he is dedication to his craft is completly by choice as he has long since passed the threadsold of retirement wealth. Oda keeps going to make all of his fans and people who believe in him proud. In a marizine interview in 2017 oda said “My fans are worried about my short sleep but sleep is just a waste of time I prefer collecting information for manga. I want to become a robot that doesn’t need sleep. Even when I go on trips with my family I dont sleep much” This level of obligation for his fans is endearing but it was his loyalty to his formal sensei that would cause the most damaging controversy in oda’s entire career. In November of 2017 Tokyo Metropolitan Police lead a a raid on a residents house they had been investigating on suspicion of the sell of CP. During the analysis of the purps computer they found the evidence they needed but also a link that lead them Shockingly to the one and only Nobuhiro Watsuki. Yes the creator of rurouni kenshin and Sensei to our own Eichhiro Oda. Shortly after watsuki house and studio was raided. The investigators suspicions where unfortunately confirmed and over a 100 dvd was confiscated as evidence. With some of the victims of the tapes being as young as 10 years old. He was arrested and during the interrogation he immediately confessed and went into a unnecessary amount of detail to the investigators “I like girls in the higher grades of elementary school to the second grade of junior High” After he was charged shuisha put his series on indefinite hiatus. This sent shock ways through Japan as up to this point he was one of best selling and most respected mangakas ever and lots of new rising talent came from his tutor-edge. His reputation was tarnished but he controversially received the lightest sentence legally possible. A fine of only 1800 $ and never served a single day in jail. People where understandably out raged when it became public. Which is how oda stumbled into the cross hairs of this PR disaster. It all started with a tweet from shonen jump stating oda and watauski will be doing a joint interview on April 24th 2020. During the q and a Oda was asked what it was like working for watsuki and oda said “ I worked for him just under 4 months. Which Maybe the happiest moment in my entire life." The fanbase was instantly split down the middle. With one side declaring that even remebering fondly about someone who did what watsuki was charged was blasphemy and that it was in away supporting him. This side even share a short lived “Cancel Oda” hash tag. The other side felt like since oda has never done anything of the sort him self and didn’t know anything about it, he shouldn’t be forced to rewrite his history that lead him to where he is now. Even Watuski wife didn’t know what he was up to. Oda has only have good things said about him from his employees and from what i can tell is a great kind person who has donated lots of money to charities and his hometown. even though i am bias as a one piece super fan. I think the truth as always lies somewhere in the middle. Oda is without a doubt though one of the greatest and most successful writers in human history but let me know what you think of Oda Sensei in the comments. Video: https://youtu.be/obwz7ewVwnY 📷ReplyForward |