classic-starters:

starters from the 1990 book, THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE by avi

  • “be careful ( name ), careful of the wind you choose.”
  • “a sailor chooses the wind that takes the ship from a safe port. ah, yes, but once you’re abroad, as you have seen, winds have a mind of their own.”
  • “i’m well satisfied.”
  • “did you not mark his words?”
  • “what about him?”
  • “ah! justice for all?”
  • “for those who deserve it.”
  • “whether you believe me or not, ( name ), it is true.”
  • “justice is poorly served when you speak ill of your betters.”
  • “where are we?”
  • “i … i … i shouldn’t be here.”
  • “ah, but you and i have so much in common.”
  • “i don’t need a friend.”
  • “when a sailor dies on a voyage, miss, he goes to his resting place in the sea with his hammock sewn about him by a friend.”
  • “no more tea, thank you.”
  • “i know nothing about knives.”
  • “is she british or american?”
  • “is someone there?”
  • “no one ranks for creative genius like a sailor shirking work.”
  • “sweet are the uses of adversity.”
  • “i should like a private word.”
  • “a round robin!”
  • “i’m not certain i believe you.”
  • “we shall have it at sea.”
  • “i should think even you, in your mongrel ignorance, would know the days of piracy are long gone.”
  • “no piracy for us; only justice.”
  • “a blessing goes with you.”
  • “he’s always watching you.”
  • “he’s waiting, wanting you to make a mistake.”
  • “i don’t intend to make a mistake.”
  • “if the ship plunges, the sea will up and grab you.”
  • “you won’t be captain long!”
  • “you’ll be seen by everyone as the cruel despot you are!”
  • “what if he doesn’t get it right?”
  • “can’t we sail around?”
  • “up, damn you! up! hurry!”
  • “he’s dead.”
  • “it was you … that … murdered him.”
  • “you’ll leave the light, won’t you?”
  • “easy, ( name ), i’ll not do you harm.”
  • “close to death, surely, but not altogether dead.”
  • “may the gods protect us.”
  • “no one knows where he keeps the key.”
  • “( name ), you’re scheduled to be hanged at dawn.”
  • “how kind of you to visit. do step in.”
  • “you knew i was coming.”
  • “it was you who killed him.”
  • “let her be captain now.”
  • “what shall become of me?”
  • “were you ever a slave?”
  • “i was young. the world was big. my home was small.”
  • “it was a difficult voyage, dearest.”
  • “but mind! i shall be on the lookout for spelling mistakes!”
  • “this is home.”
  • “let it burn to ash!”
  • “what you have written is rubbish of the worst taste. stuff for penny dreadfuls! beneath contempt.”
  • “and the grammar … it is beyond belief!”
  • “you give me much hope.”
  • “i’ve decided to come home.”

classic-starters:

starters from the 1910s novel, THE CHILDREN OF HÚRIN, by j. r. r. tolkien

  • “that oath is still on us.”
  • “but you live, and so does the enemy who has done this to us.”
  • “that was a great battle, they say.”
  • “what is fate?”
  • “it may be that we fled from the fear of the dark, only to find it here before us, and nowhere else to fly but the sea.”
  • “we are not afraid any longer.”
  • “grief is a hone to a hard mind.”
  • “what lies under your words?”
  • “where else is hope?”
  • “i shall be far away and all alone.”
  • “i would rather look on my foes with my true face.”
  • “what do you desire?”
  • “i see that i am mistaken.”
  • “we take their lives as forfeit, unless they can ransom them.”
  • “a strange way to gain entry to a fellowship … ”
  • “outlaws know no law but their needs.”
  • “then choose a new captain!”
  • “now tell your tale, and be brief.”
  • “is it farewell, then?”
  • “it is growing dark.”
  • “there is blood on the hill – top.”
  • “do you fear that you have followed a spider to the heart of his web?”
  • “why do you look upon me so?”
  • “i offer you freedom.”
  • “maybe the tale is too sad yet to tell.”
  • “i will flee no more.”
  • “we are hemmed in this land.”
  • “where all lies on chance, to chance we must trust.”
  • “you come at last; i have waited to long!”
  • “it was a dark road. i have come as i could.”

Moon Phase Update.

We are in waxing gibbous and heading toward a whopper of a full moon my friends. The Sturgeon Moon takes place on August 26th. 

This is the last full moon of summer, and it is also in many ways cleaning up after the three eclipses and both the Mercury and Mars retrogrades. So, if you are starting to feel out of sorts – be it depressed, numb, manic, hypersensitive or just plain overwhelmed and emotional – know that it’s part of this particular full moon and, as with all things, shall too pass.

daily life on a warship

lightsailing:

by tradition, each day would officially begin at noon, when the date and day of the week were changed on the log – board.

the day was split into watches of four hours, which were measured by a sandglass and were heralded by the ringing of a bell. sailors worked in watches, four hours on and four hours off, throughout the day and night.

  • 00:30 1 bell
  • 01:00 2 bells
  • 01:30 3 bells ( 2 bells, pause, 1 bell )
  • 02:00 4 bells ( 2 bells, pause, 2 bells )
  • 02:30 5 bells ( 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 1 bell )
  • 03:00 6 bells ( 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells )
  • 03:30 7 bells ( 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 1 bell )
  • 04:00 8 bells ( 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells )

4 am ( the middle watch ends, the morning watch begins )

the quartermasters, who kept time and steered the ship, woke the mates, midshipmen, and the lieutenant of the watch. the boatswain would stand at the hatchways and pipe “all hands” and would shout: “larboard ( or starboard ) watch, ahoy. rouse out there, you sleeper. out or down here.” the members of the watch would quickly dress and came on deck for muster before going to assigned stations and recorded all and any information to the log – board.

shortly after, the carpenter and boatswain came on deck to start any repair work while the cook began the preparations for breakfast. breakfast was usually oatmeal gruel called “burgoo” or “skillagolee”, which, if you couldn’t guess, was not well liked by the crew. another breakfast could be “scotch coffee” – dark, thick burned ship’s biscuit boiled in bad ship’s water. 

5 am

the watch would begin to wash down the decks and polish the planks with a heavy holystone. nooks and crannies were also polished by smaller pieces of holystone called prayer books. after the decks were polished, they would be swept and swabbed and then dried. other members of the watch would polish brass fittings so they would shine in the first rays of light.

7 am

the decks dried as the first lieutenant came on deck to look over the rest of the day’s work. 

7:30

the boatswain’s mates pipe “all hands, up hammocks.” the rest of the crew would then come on deck. 

8 am ( the morning watch ends, the forenoon watch begins )

after the last of the hammocks were stowed, the captain came on deck. he would give his approval of the ship and then the boatswain would pipe breakfast for the crew. 

8:30 am

finishing breakfast, they returned to their duties and the new watch came on deck, bringing with them bags and chests from the lower deck to clean them. many of the crew worked in “messes”, which were groupings based on their mess tables, to help prepare the main meal of the day, which was served at noon. others helped the captain and master of the hold restow the provisions in the warship’s hold. some performed maintenance chores, such as retarring the rigging or repairing a damaged cannon. those not on watch slept, socialised, or mended their clothes. 

11 am

the captain, having examined he midshipmen’s logs and the gunner’s, purser’s, boatswain’s, and carpenter’s accounts and having conferenced with the first lieutenant and others, might call all hands to witness punishment. in this case, the boatswain would rig a grating for flogging a seaman. 

12 pm ( end of the forenoon watch )

noon was observed after the midshipmen, master, and the master’s mates used dinner was served to the crew, who used sea chests as benches while eating. later, the crew would receive their liquor rations from tubs on the main deck and took them to the mess tables below decks. the issuing of grog ( a mix of rum and water ) began in the 1740s as a way to control liquor consumption and combat drunkenness. though the men received two rations of grog a day, which totaled to be about a pint, it was not the only drink available. beer was rationed out at a rate of a gallon per day, but it was only available in home waters or up to a month out at sea. in the mediterannean, sailors often received a pint of wine as their alcohol ration. 

the officers did not eat the crew’s rations, nor did they eat at makeshift tables. they ate in a dining room in the wardroom on chairs at a table, usually attended by a servant. the admiralty did not provide the officers their food like they did the common crew. the officers would appoint one of their own as the mess caterer and he purchased their food ashore, using their mess subscriptions. sometimes these subscriptions, billed to each officer, ran as high as sixty pounds per year, which was more than half a lieutenant’s annual pay. however, they were able to enjoy luxuries such as fresh meat, tea, sugar, and wine. 

1:30 pm

the next watch on deck was called to duty. alternatively, all hands were called to be exercised for ship’s drills such as fire, boarding, sail handling, gunnery, etc.

4 pm ( afternoon watch ends, first dogwatch begins )

the watch changed again. this four – hour period was split into two two – hour watches called dogwatches. during this time, a short evening meal was served, along with the second grog ration. just before sunset, the drummer beat to quarters and all hands reported to their battle stations for inspection by the officers. at this time, the master at arms often arrested anyone who was being rowdy or who had managed to drink too much of a friend’s rum. offenders were put on the black list and often clapped in irons through the next day. after the ship was reported as being in good order, the men were released from their battle stations and recovered their hammocks from stowage in the netting.

6pm ( first dogwatch ends, second dogwatch begins )

8 pm ( second dogwatch ends, first watch begins )

the watch was changed. those who just finished turned in for a few hours of sleep before the middle watch ( midnight to four am ). lights were extinguished so the ship could not be seen from a distance. the master at arms would begin his series of nightly rounds through the ship. everything was quiet, except for the regular sentry reports of “all’s well” from various stations. 

12 am ( first watch ends, middle watch begins )

source: Hattendorf, John B. “The Royal Navy During the War of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic War.” A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O’Brien, 3rd ed., Henry Holt and Co. LLC, 1995, pp. 17–20.

What are Mr. Darcy’s favourite foods? Is there any food he particularly dislikes? Does he have any odd eating habits or intolerances? How would he react to someone with very bad table manners?

  • His favorite drink is hot chocolate, though he would never admit to it. His favorite foods are fresh berries and bread.

  • He is not a fan of red meat. Chicken and turkey are agreeable, goose and duck too greasy, quail too gamey, fish too…fishy. All of which would be considered rather odd intolerances to his contemporaries. 

  • He would excuse himself from their presence immediately unless to do so would cause great misfortune, in which case he would do his absolute best to ignore it. If it becomes intolerable enough, he may see fit to correct it.  

Hey so. What are Charles’s favourite foods? Is there any food he particularly dislikes? Is there a type of food he’d probably like but hasn’t gotten to try yet? What’s the weirdest thing he’s eaten?

Listen, it is canon that this big lad loves himself a good and crispy apple. While he couldn’t exactly say why, fact of the matter is that cronch is what makes an apple so satisfactory. In general, he is a big fan of fruit and dried meat, fish, and cheese. That said he won’t say no to soup if it’s what’s available.

While he will eat just about anything that is put in front of him as a general rule, he actually tends to veer away from foods that are rich and heavy with creams and butter – sauces, in general, tend to make him suspicious. He likes to know exactly what he is eating and tends to consider sauces to be dishonest means of concealing bad food. 

Charles has never had a mango but I don’t doubt that if he did he would not only love it he would knock a man out for the last one, jussayin.

Probably seal. Don’t judge him.

🤔 + Silver + “Who was Solomon Little?”

{ Truth Serum }

Damn that witches’ brew – he ought to have known better than to drink anything offered him by an Obeah woman, least of all one who appeared to be in good spirits with the captain. There was no other reason for him to suddenly feel truth falling from his lips, when within that truth lay secrets and implications that could cut too close to things he never wanted this man to know.

“He was the man in charge of my English indoctrination, and the first person I ever truly feared. Nevertheless his lessons have proved themselves – invaluable.” He opened his eyes, feeling somehow liberated from his compulsion, enough so to inquire wryly, “I take it you ask because his is the only name I have spoken that ties to any history I might have, and I’ve used it twice.” 

It was his hope to distract Flint now – if anything could stir him up from this downward slump of his, Silver did not doubt the promise of an enormous purse would do the trick. The less Flint knew of him, even now in his apparent defeat, the better. 

🤔 + Silver + “Why do you keep coming back here?” [ in That Verse ]

{ Truth Serum }

“Because I know what it is like to lose everything.” The answer escapes him without his full consent, and now that it is there, he knows it bears explaining in his own terms before the inquisition turns around on himself. 

“I can’t say I ever fought the way you did – I don’t think anyone can really relate to your war, let alone the outcome of finding what you fought for only for it to choose – anything but you. There’s elements though, that I do understand. Enough, at least, to know that you being out here by yourself is a death sentence you’ve chosen. All I can do – “ Why was he saying this? “Is stall the inevitable, and hope that arcane side of you decides it’s time to play phoenix before that comes to pass. I guess – I’m just buying you time, to find yourself again.”

[ @ Abigail ] ‘I once had an understanding that everything would go my way. That I could–bend the world to my will, were I determined enough.’

{ Human Contradiction Starters }

Abigail could not help but marvel at how similar captain Flint could be to her father sometimes. In moments like these – when he spoke of shaping the world – she could not think of him as Mister McGraw, let alone as simply James. There was a softness to the former – a sadness that had no desire to change the world, so much as a wish to know how to live in it with all the pieces that were missing.

While the latter seemed to be her friend more often than not, a man who was both sad and angry – who was the core of both Flint and McGraw – there was something in the tone today that seemed as though the scales were tipped closer to Flint, than to the man she had come to consider herself close to. 

“Even if you could have – nothing bends itself out of shape like that for too long. The pressure is too immense, when the changes are so drastic. Eventually the world would be bound to snap itself back into place – likely flinging you out of it in the process,” She mused, thinking of a tree branch pulled back too far, or a bowstring held too tightly – the swiftness with which those things realigned themselves, and the way in which dewdrops and arrows were flung far afield in the wake of it. 

Shuffling her feet so they were better tucked under her dress, Abigail wrapped her arms around her legs and plopped her head on her chin. It was cold in the interior tonight, but quieter in his home than the one she’d been staying at. That had been part of the reason for her visit today, though she’d stayed because he seemed to be in odd spirits. Now, it was too dark for her to head back alone, and she had a feeling it would be better for him to have her stay tonight, if only so when he woke up, he would find another presence and his loneliness would not be able to drown him so.

“I for one am glad that you let go before that could happen. Though I suppose that’s selfish of me, in it’s own way.” He was a dear friend, but she understood that some part of him wished he had kept fighting, if only because to him, battle hurt less than being without the people he wanted most to have beside him.

[theypissedonme, @ Abigail] 💧 Wipe away my muse’s tears [ except tbh he’s just offering a handkerchief here. what’s a verse i’ve never heard of one. ]

{ Nonverbal Starters }

Abigail had managed to hold herself together during the worst of it, but there had been no familiar faces at the time and the men who were supposed to be employed to keep these sorts of things from happening had been utterly uninterested in anything beyond being entertained by the spectacle of her attempt to get away from unwanted attention. 

In the end, she’d done something terrible and struck her assailant with one of the heavy beer tankards in reach, and fled to one of the upstairs rooms – praying that Max and Mister Rackham would forgive her for causing a scene, especially when she didn’t bring them the sort of money expected in an establishment like this. All she did was help out with the kitchen staff, but that hardly kept men from thinking they had a right to her anyway. 

The sound of the door unlocking was the only warning she had, and she barely managed to wipe her face by the time it opened. Her breathing was still telling, and she couldn’t bear to face her employer just yet, wringing her hands nervously against the fabric of her dress as she choked out, “I’m sorry – “ 

The sight of a pressed cloth startled her, and after a moment, she reached up and took it to dab at her eyes as Mister Rackham knelt, seemingly to check on her. After a moment she did gather her courage and look at him. “He wouldn’t let go,” She explained quietly, “I didn’t mean to cause a scene.” 

@theypissedonme