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#nat stop talking
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I wasn’t kidding about the kidding pool lmao
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lykegenia · 6 months
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So something has been bugging me for a while now about A and N’s backstories, and while I know not everyone will be as pedantic as me, as someone who loves history and has done a lot of writing, I feel that if you’re going to write a story about vampires and give them a specific time and date of origin, then there should be a certain level of research that goes into making that background authentic. I'm not saying that Mishka didn’t do any research. It just seems that in order to keep the vibe of a happy, mellow fantasy some of the less savoury aspects of A and N’s upbringings have been left out, and it's a shame. To be honest, it feels a bit disingenuous, and it feels like an opportunity got wasted.
Let me explain (long post got long, it's 2am)
Let's take A first, since the problem is simpler here.
A is the child of a Norman lord and an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, born in the first generation after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. A says that these were turbulent times but that their parents had a happy marriage. Which. While I’m sure a lot of unions in that time period made the best of it, I can’t help but feel this description strips away a lot of the context of what was going on at that point in history - and removes some of the complexity about A’s thoughts on love and relationships.
Basically, after he took control of the throne, William the Conqueror stripped many Anglo-Saxon lords of their lands and titles so he could give them to his Norman buddies instead - with the added bonus that it left the Anglo-Saxons without the means to raise armies against him. The sisters, daughters, and widows of the dispossessed Anglo-Saxons were then forced to marry these new Norman lords to legitimise their power, not infrequently after all of their male relatives had been slaughtered. It’s not as if Anglo-Saxon women weren’t used to being used as political chess pieces, but the years after the conquest were brutal. It’s why William had to build so many castles. The point that I’m trying to make is that even if A’s mother was content enough in her daily life, due to the power imbalance between her and her husband, it's very likely she had little choice in the matter. She may have seen a lot of her family killed for political reasons, with the knowledge that – in an age where women had very little protection outside of their paternal household – she might be next if she made too much of a fuss.
It would be fascinating to see what effect that tension has had on A 900 years later, or even to get an acknowledgement of how much times have changed, but we don’t. We don't see how their early years affected them, how they view relationships formed naturally instead of via political contracts. And I really, really wish we did. There is so much potential there.
But A is not the one keeping me up past 2 in the morning. It’s N, and the utter detachment their backstory seems to have from the period in history they lived in as a human. And it all stems from the fact that they came from the English nobility in the late 1600s.
See, the bulk of the problem is that English inheritance law at the time heavily favoured primogeniture, where a man’s wealth would go to his first-born son. Some dispensation was made for widows and other children, but the estates, assets, and most of the money had a very clear destination.
For one thing, this makes it kinda weird that N’s stepfather would have needed an heir before he could inherit, because except in extreme circumstances everything would have gone to him anyway. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the worst part of the problem, it’s just annoying when there are more plausible reasons for him marrying a woman already pregnant with another man’s child (old family friend wanting to save her from disgrace, needed the dowry to pay off gambling debts, there was a longstanding betrothal between them that would have been tricky to get out of, etc.).
No, the bigger problem with N’s backstory vs primogeniture is firstly that at the time the English aristocracy was racist af (still is tbh) and given his pretty obvious mixed-race heritage, no court would have agreed that Nate was a legitimate son (this is for a very special reason that we will be coming back to). I say Nate specifically here because primogeniture requires the eldest legitimate son. Nat wouldn’t have inherited at all, as women in that period passed from the guardianship of their father (or other male blood relative) into that of their husband after marriage, and only gained any kind of independence with widowhood. If N had been an only child, maybe they would have been treated as a special case, but unfortunately Milton exists: the eldest legitimate son who by law will inherit everything.
Now here’s the thing. Your average aristocrat in the 17th century is very obsessed with lineage and keeping the family line unbroken. He would not, therefore, send his legitimate heir to sea to be shot at or drowned before he can carry on the family name – that joy instead goes to any other sons who need their own profession, because again, they will get very little. Nat would have had a dowry, but would never have been expected to make her own living, so I'm going to focuson Nate for this next bit.
In Book 3, if you unlock his tragic backstory Nate tells you he joined the Royal Navy after Milton went missing so that he could go look for him. And, well. This is where his backstory as Mishka tells it completely falls apart. For two reasons:
1. Even in the modern day, you can’t ‘just’ join the Navy, and you certainly can’t just jump straight to being a lieutenant – it takes years of training and after a certain age they won’t take you because they won’t be able to mould you easily enough into a useful tool. For most of the Navy's history, the process was even more involved. It wasn’t an office job you could just rock up to and then quit if you felt like it, it was a lifetime commitment. Boys destined to be officers would be sent to sea as early as 12 to learn shipboard life, starting at the bottom and moving up the ranks. These were gained by passing exams and by purchasing a commission – which is why you generally had to come from wealth to be an officer at all. Once you get to lieutenant you're responsible for a lot of people, and might be tasked with commanding any captured ships alongside the daily running of yours - it was not an easy job.
2. Even as a lieutenant (one rank below Captain, with varying levels of seniority) it’s not like you can just go where you want. In the 1720s British colonies already existed in India, the Caribbean, and up the entire eastern seaboard of North America and into Canada, and the Navy was tasked with protecting merchant shipping along these seaways (and one trade in particular that we’ll be getting to, don’t worry). Nate could have ended up practically anywhere in the burgeoning empire. He would not have been able to choose whom he served under, and would not have been able to demand his superior officer go against orders from the admirality to chase down one lone vessel because he thinks another one of the admirals might be a bit dodgy. It could not have happened.
Besides these impracticalities, there’s a far easier way for the child of a wealthy man to get to a specific point on the far side of the globe to look for their lost sibling, which is the route I assume Nat took sine she couldn’t have joined the Navy (yes she could have snuck in but she’s specifically in a dress in the B2 mirror scene so). All they'd have to do would be to charter a ship and tell the captain where to go, which is the plot of Treasure Island. It's quicker, less fuss, with less chance of things going wrong. It's even possible in the age of mercantilism that the Sewells had some merchant vessels among their holdings that could be diverted for the task. Why go through the hassle of joining the Navy and potentially ending up on the wrong side of the world when you can just hire a ship directly?
If Nate does have to be in the Navy (and let’s face it, it’s worth it just for the uniform) then it's far more plausible is that, as the illegitimate son who would not inherit because of racism etc, he got sent to the Navy as a boy and rose through the ranks to become a lieutenant. When he got news of Milton’s disappearance not far from where he was stationed, he begged his captain to go investigate in case whatever happened turned out to be the symptom of a bigger problem. Like pirates.
I like this version better not just because it makes more sense, or because it keeps Nate’s situation re: inheritance closer to Nat’s and therefore makes their stories more equal, but also because it adds a delicious amount of guilt to Nate’s need to find his brother. We know his entire crew died looking for answers, because he was selfish – that’s roughly 100-400 lives lost because of him, and we know that sort of thing eats at him.
So that's one side of the story, but if Milton wasn’t in the Navy, what was he doing on the other side of the Atlantic in the first place? Well, this is where we come to the biggest elephant in the room regarding N’s backstory as a member of the 17th century English aristocracy and potentially as a naval officer: the Atlantic Slave Trade. If you are wealthy in 17th century Britain it's more than likely that your wealth comes either from the trade itself, or from the products made with the labour of enslaved people. If you are wealthy, you want to protect your assets from attack by pirates or foreign powers so you don't become less wealthy, and that is what the Navy is for.
Regardless of N’s own views on slavery at the time – and any subsequent changes in opinion – it’s likely their family owned or had shares in slave plantations in the Americas. As distasteful as it is, it makes far more sense that Milton was on a trip to check the family’s holdings when his ship - specifically a merchant vessel - went missing. From a pirate perspective, a merchant ship would make a much better target than a Navy vessel, being slower, more likely to have valuable cargo, and less likely to have marines or a well-trained broadside.
It's not surprising that Mishka left out the subject of the slave trade given her tendency to skirt around darker subjects and general blindspot for racial politics, but it is nuance that, if it was there, would create a more grounded and coherent backstory for N that doesn’t have quite so many holes. Like with A being the child of an invader and his war bride, we could get some deeper thoughts from N about their place in the world - How do they feel to have grown up so privileged when others who looked like them were regarded as literal property? How did they feel being part of the system that made it happen? Did it inform their compassionate nature? Is it still a source of guilt or someithng they've tried to make up for?
I'm not sure where I was going with all of this. It's late, my sleep pattern is fucked. The tl;dr is that giving the vampires' backstories historical context would make them feel more multifaceted and would give opportunities for character growth that are instead missed because of a desire for a more sanitized version of the past.
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natashasbitxh · 2 months
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So some of what Shayne said in today's smosh mouth ep made me think of some particular lyrics in First Love/Late Spring by Mitski, and if that's not some of the saddest shit ever then idk what is! So take an edit!
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nathaslosthershit · 3 months
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Logan sassily telling Alex to shut up after he asked if he had ever had tea in the new Williams holiday video is my favorite
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Gee pidge how come you get TWO wives
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aztarion · 10 days
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wistfulwatcher · 11 months
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i would never want to force your hand; misty/nat, 7k, explicit
“Let me guess,” Natalie snorts. “You’re in some kind of silk teddy that men just go crazy for,” she scoffs over the last word. But her fingers drift down her belly to tug at the band of her fishnets.
Misty almost lies again and agrees. But Natalie doesn’t sound impressed by the idea, and Misty has no need for what anyone else would go crazy for. “Would you go crazy for that?”
or, Misty and Nat have phone sex (but Misty has a little bit more).
Read on AO3.
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quiveringdeer · 8 months
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Some of the kind messages from my HS Interns:
"you have more honesty in ur index finger than most ppl do in their whole body" 🥹🥹🥹
"you put a lot of effort into making sure others are comfortable" 🥹🥹🥹
a superlative note I got: "MOST LIKELY TO BE THE BEST SUPERVISOR I'VE EVER HAD" 🥹🥹🥹
"thank you for taking initiative in educating yourself and also educating me on what really goes on in the world"
"thank you for being your authentic self and not some overbearing micromanager. You're such a relatable and easy to talk to person" 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
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kurooandkenmasslut · 8 months
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Sobbing I love tengen sm
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Look at him 💞💞💞
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shadowy-dumbo-octopus · 10 months
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The Cursed Evil Nat AU started out as a fun edgy haha what-if corruption arc scenario because I treat Ammet like oregano or garlic powder - ie. dump it on absolutely everything I eat to make it tastier - and because Nat deserves to commit a few crimes as a treat, but then I up and decided to make it DEEPLY FUCKING SAD.
#positive talks#Cursed evil nat au#it's about grief which you cannot let go of because you'll realise it's all you have#It's about ghosts it's about corruption in order to preserve the memory of someone you lost#Even if the kid isn't like the man you loved and lost he's the next closest thing and trying to recreate him is better than processing grie#Like a normal fucking person#But also it's about revenge and going forward because if you stop you'll realise that you're hurting people#And the mother figure you're trying to avenge would be horrified with you so you're just not gonna think about that haha#It's about trying to avenge the resistance who were butchered by this overly ambitious broken kid but not realising#That you're doing even bigger damage to London than the magicians ever did because stopping means thinking means pain#When going on a quest for revenge dig more than two graves because even more people will suffer because of you#It's also about Bartimaeus facing Nat at the very end and seeing him turn back from the destruction of the city#And wondering if he could've saved him earlier (Bort's dismissed after the fire in AoS in this one)#I was thinking about this au on the way to work and haha ouch#There's so much vengeance in here and it ruins absolutely everyone#Nat wants to take revenge on Lovelace. Kitty wants to take revenge on Nat and the magicians but mostly Nat. Ammet wants to avenge Khaba.#And Bartimaeus is just desperately trying to stay alive in this mess#Might throw Nouda in there too just for funsies. Honorius too maybe? Gotta get the staff of Gladstone somehow#Wonder how he'd mesh with Ammet ''3000 years in an amphora at the bottom of the sea' ' of Egypt#::)
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When it takes you 21 years 364 days to finally see a moose 🥴
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albatris · 11 months
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I mean I *have* to include a copy of stel's reddit post right. which is maybe 20% "ooh check out this spooky glitch in the matrix" and 80% absolutely dunking on how awkward and weird nat is as a person
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natashasbitxh · 1 month
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Shaynse Fanfic idea: A special episode of Reddit Stories comes out with Angela, Chanse, and Shayne but plotwist Angela is the one reading them and Shayne for the first time is just listening and taking the crazy stories in on the couch with Chanse. One of the stories really hits Chanse or Shayne and they get emotional resulting in the other consoling them aka a cute and simple fluffy fic. Idk I thought of this while rewatching a Reddit Stories with Chanse in it. I would also just love a video with someone else reading and Shayne on the couch, it's a refreshing take and gives Shayne less to do (which is great cuz the poor baby hosts so many things and needs a break) plus I would love to see how others read the Reddit stories and what vibes they give off. But yeah pls give me your thoughts on this idea and if someone likes it thank it's up for grabs!! 🫶🏾🫶🏾
I'm so obsessed like I need it rn
I agree tho Shayne needs a break let him sit om the couch😭 let him have a shocked at an update moment!!😭
Not only would it be great to have Chanse and Shayne on the couch..but Angela READING?? A mighty trio indeed
AND ONE OF THEM CONSOLING THE OTHER....DONT EVEN
Shaynse fluff will acc be the end of me I think
If somebody writes this PLS LET US KNOW🙏🙏🙏
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apple-the-bluebird · 8 months
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Not to personify my dice too much, but my dice love me and I love them
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natreads · 1 year
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A little glimpse of Annie Ernaux earlier today who is in Stockholm to receive the Nobel Prize for literature! She agreed to do a rare signing at one of the best (in my opinion) independent bookshops in the whole city, Söderbokhandeln, and the queue was long despite the very cold temperature, but the bookshop kept us happy with glögg (mulled wine I think) and gingerbread cookies
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quiveringdeer · 1 year
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I don't even watch the show but the posts I've seen on dash today, I feel like imma start simpin for Kishibe
can someone like give me a rundown of this mans in my inbox or dms? 🤔
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