As I looked, there was a pale horse, and its rider’s name was Death

Follow-up to my previous post More under the cut!

Hes soft spoken, puts value on appearing a gentleman, pleasant in person and disposition. He also slaughters indigenous peoples across the globe with little afterthought (his service before the plot, the Netsilik family...). Hes a good representative of war as it it targets and displaces the lowest in the hierarchy of power, perpetrated by white men as britain as the primary case study. And that, after all the posturing and expensive facades of morality, his actions are fuelled by a selfish urge to consume. The dichotomy of his disposition versus his actions is also a good parallel to the reality of war versus the reasons people find to wage them, or even the leaders themselves.

A year ago on the deck of the Daring, Admiral Lord Hornblower sacrificed his honour, and with it, all that he held dear in the world. Half-mad with grief, he retreated to a deserted West Indies islet, where he hopes to meet a merciful end -- by thirst, shark, or hurricane, he cares not which. Captain William Bush, however, is not made to allow a friend to suffer alone.

Hornblower's Lost Honour by @sanguinarysanguinity destroyed me. So I had to make a playlist about it.

Hey Terrorholics. Who wants to read James Fitzjames’s honestly kind of terrible poem about his experiences in the First Opium War? Sure you do.

Like anyone who’s gotten bitten by this bug, I learned about this poem from William Battersby’s definitive biography, James Fitzjames: The Mystery Man of the Franklin Expedition. And I have found some truly obscure Franklin-related primary sources through some fairly determined search engine abuse, so I figured this must be out there, surely.

Well, it was a little harder than I thought, because I had to dig up both the 1842 and 1843 volumes of The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle, and then hope that the versions I found actually had the relevant goddamn pages posted online. But I succeeded, and here’s the fruits of said labor.

It’s not good. It really isn’t. And it’s bloody long. But of course you want to read it, don’t you? (And it’s still better than “The Explorer’s Grave”.)

working pockets! with embroidered ‘f’ and ‘a’ ;)

So I finally did it. I turned “and like the cycle of the year, we begin again” into an actual, whole-ass book. It’s the first book I ever typeset, printed, and bound. It’s been a journey, I tell you. Binding a 2 inch thick book should not be anyone’s first adventure in bookbinding… but if this ding dong can do it, then so can you.

HUGE thanks to the people on the Renegade Bindary Discord server (on tumblr: @renegadeguild), who answered a million questions about each phase of this process. Their knowledge and talent is inspirational.

"I -- it's a technical -- it's a technical term! I'm trying to deploy the anchor!"

[ID: A page from a book with a section titled "Bottom Description." "Knowing the characteristic of the bottom is most important when anchoring." End ID]

(1073) What bottom have you? (T10 T25) JW

(1082) Good bottom for anchorage. (427) I am in want of an anchor. (681) Can you assist me? (T20 T8) SH

(5378) Very stiff under canvas. (548) I am well armed. (2470) I have long guns. (4192) I am ready for action. (5312) Get up all possible steam. (T10 T25) JW

(5301) My steam is up and I am ready. (2490) The harbour is good. (3917) You may come into port (3940) as soon as possible. (T20 T8) SH

(1390) I am acquainted with the channel. (3260) The passage is narrow. (3756) An excellent passage. (T10 T25) JW

(5179) I am in want of a spar. (5733) As much as I can take. (2496) Do you intend to come into harbour? (2596) Do not hesitate. (T20 T8) SH

(2594) I shall not hesitate. (2490) The harbour is good. (T10 T25) JW

(52) Let go your anchor. (967) You are in a good berth now. (T20 T8) SH

(2104) I am on fire. (4985) I shall shift my berth. (T10 T25) JW

(4896) Shift your berth farther out. (4897) Shift your berth farther in. (4896) Shift your berth farther out...

Hornblower: