So Many Fandoms, So Little Time

all RIGHT:

Why You're Writing Medieval (and Medieval-Coded) Women Wrong: A RANT

(Or, For the Love of God, People, Stop Pretending Victorian Style Gender Roles Applied to All of History)

This is a problem I see alllll over the place - I'll be reading a medieval-coded book and the women will be told they aren't allowed to fight or learn or work, that they are only supposed to get married, keep house and have babies, &c &c.

If I point this out ppl will be like "yes but there was misogyny back then! women were treated terribly!" and OK. Stop right there.

By & large, what we as a culture think of as misogyny & patriarchy is the expression prevalent in Victorian times - not medieval. (And NO, this is not me blaming Victorians for their theme park version of "medieval history". This is me blaming 21st century people for being ignorant & refusing to do their homework).

Yes, there was misogyny in medieval times, but 1) in many ways it was actually markedly less severe than Victorian misogyny, tyvm - and 2) it was of a quite different type. (Disclaimer: I am speaking specifically of Frankish, Western European medieval women rather than those in other parts of the world. This applies to a lesser extent in Byzantium and I am still learning about women in the medieval Islamic world.)

So, here are the 2 vital things to remember about women when writing medieval or medieval-coded societies

FIRST. Where in Victorian times the primary axes of prejudice were gender and race - so that a male labourer had more rights than a female of the higher classes, and a middle class white man would be treated with more respect than an African or Indian dignitary - In medieval times, the primary axis of prejudice was, overwhelmingly, class. Thus, Frankish crusader knights arguably felt more solidarity with their Muslim opponents of knightly status, than they did their own peasants. Faith and age were also medieval axes of prejudice - children and young people were exploited ruthlessly, sent into war or marriage at 15 (boys) or 12 (girls). Gender was less important.

What this meant was that a medieval woman could expect - indeed demand - to be treated more or less the same way the men of her class were. Where no ancient legal obstacle existed, such as Salic law, a king's daughter could and did expect to rule, even after marriage.

Women of the knightly class could & did arm & fight - something that required a MASSIVE outlay of money, which was obviously at their discretion & disposal. See: Sichelgaita, Isabel de Conches, the unnamed women fighting in armour as knights during the Third Crusade, as recorded by Muslim chroniclers.

Tolkien's Eowyn is a great example of this medieval attitude to class trumping race: complaining that she's being told not to fight, she stresses her class: "I am of the house of Eorl & not a serving woman". She claims her rights, not as a woman, but as a member of the warrior class and the ruling family. Similarly in Renaissance Venice a doge protested the practice which saw 80% of noble women locked into convents for life: if these had been men they would have been "born to command & govern the world". Their class ought to have exempted them from discrimination on the basis of sex.

So, tip #1 for writing medieval women: remember that their class always outweighed their gender. They might be subordinate to the men within their own class, but not to those below.

SECOND. Whereas Victorians saw women's highest calling as marriage & children - the "angel in the house" ennobling & improving their men on a spiritual but rarely practical level - Medievals by contrast prized virginity/celibacy above marriage, seeing it as a way for women to transcend their sex. Often as nuns, saints, mystics; sometimes as warriors, queens, & ladies; always as businesswomen & merchants, women could & did forge their own paths in life

When Elizabeth I claimed to have "the heart & stomach of a king" & adopted the persona of the virgin queen, this was the norm she appealed to. Women could do things; they just had to prove they were Not Like Other Girls. By Elizabeth's time things were already changing: it was the Reformation that switched the ideal to marriage, & the Enlightenment that divorced femininity from reason, aggression & public life.

For more on this topic, read Katherine Hager's article "Endowed With Manly Courage: Medieval Perceptions of Women in Combat" on women who transcended gender to occupy a liminal space as warrior/virgin/saint.

So, tip #2: remember that for medieval women, wife and mother wasn't the ideal, virgin saint was the ideal. By proving yourself "not like other girls" you could gain significant autonomy & freedom.

Finally a bonus tip: if writing about medieval women, be sure to read writing on women's issues from the time so as to understand the terms in which these women spoke about & defended their ambitions. Start with Christine de Pisan.

-Byzantium was a civilization that spanned a millenia and a huge geographical area. The treatment and experience of women was not constant at all times in all places.

-Women had different levels of autonomy at different periods of their lives. Many women gained great autonomy after their husband's death (and he usually died much before her), and could be registered as the head of household.

-There are basically two career options for Byzantine women: wife/mother or nun. Sometimes both, but never at the same time.

-Just as in the Latin West, class mattered a lot, and basically determined a person's entire life. Peasant women worked in agriculture and trades, while noble women had a much softer life.

-the idea that noble women were confined to the house is likely an exaggeration. (A byproduct of Byzantium's "distorting mirror") Furthermore, the women's quarters were nowhere near as closed off and restricted as the later Ottoman harems. In many places, women could move freely between their own quarters and the rest of the house. However, if a non-related male was visiting it was customary that the women would not be seen. This seems to be a mainly noble/middle class practice, and not an elite or peasant practice.

-Women played important ceremonial functions at the royal court. The Augusta (one of three titles for an empress) received the wives of visiting nobles, and was so important that, even if the emperor was unmarried, he might crown his daughter for the role. (See Leo the Wise) Additionally, there was an office reserved just for a woman, she was called "the lady with the sash" and she was placed very close to the emperor, and thus highly influential.

-Imperial women were highly influential, and could be incredibly masterful politicians.

-Women weren't forced to have endless babies until they died in childbirth. Byzantine women had access to both contraception and abortion, and there was some amount of recognition of a woman's right to choose. Furthermore, if a woman already had kids, but decided she didn't want to be a mom anymore, joining a convent was always an option. (For wealthy women)

Start of Time - Chapter 1

When you walked into the room just then, it’s like the sun came out…

Pairing: Captain Syverson x OFC, Callie

Word Count: 1.8K

Warnings: flirty banter, mentions of military, mentions of alcohol

A/N: I switched the whole thing from 2nd person to 1st person POV. Hopefully it's still just as enjoyable! Any/all feedback is greatly appreciated, seriously. Thank you so so much for coming back to read my favorite fictional couple, Sy & Callie. 🫶🏼

*No permission is given for reposting my work, copying it, stealing ideas or parts from it and claiming it as your own.*

The first time I meet Captain Syverson is at my brother’s house for his 30th birthday party. The two of them met while serving overseas in the Army together and had grown close. Though they’re best friends, my brother looks up to him like an older brother.

A bonfire blazes in the middle of the large backyard, cornhole and beer pong further away to each side of the yard. I stand on the concrete patio, sipping my hard cider, eyes tracing across the large crowd of people in the yard before I meet his gaze near the cornhole boards.

His broad frame was hard to miss — his buzzcut had grown long since returning home from his final deployment (according to my brother). His meaty arms are folded across his thick chest, where his t-shirt strains to fit over his taut pecs and biceps. The fabric of his cargo shorts clings to his thick, meaty thighs, and his beard… don't even get me started.

I think I might finally be ready to re-release Start of Time into the wild. *squeak*

If anyone still remembers it and is interested in reading it, of course. It's been soooo damn long I don't even know if anyone still writes Captain Syverson fic anymore, let alone reads it.

I've been gradually working on it over my (very fucking long) hiatus... so I should probably stop gatekeeping it to reread & swap headcanons about it via texts with @zealoushound... (not stopping that part though) lol.

(what's left of) ye old taglist: @laurenreblogs @roamwithahungryheart @pussyverson @nuggsmum @zealoushound @thelastsock @harrysthiccthighss @kebabgirl67 @diegos-butt @littlefreya @greensleeves888 @omgkatinka @nerdyoldsoul @myloveforhenrycavill @geralt-of-baevia @sillyrabbit81 @enchantedbytomandhenry @lharrietg @eldarwen333 @mis-lil-red @legendarywizarddetective @oh-for-fic-sake @capncassas @luna-aestas @wolvesandhoundshowltogether @moon9beam @thesaucynomad

💓I remember you & miss you: @angryschnauzer @astheskycries @avengedwritings @angreav @achaoticaugust @darklydeliciousdesires @demivampirew @fivequartersoftheorange @its--fandom--darling @itsrubberbisquit @just-chirpin @mary-ann84 @mayloma @notabronte @poledancingdinos @pterodactylterrace @princesscassashoneypot @pinklilprincess @rmtndew @tastytesticles @viking-raider @worshipping-skarsgard PLUS many more it won't let me tag 💔

So, if you see this & you give a shit about this years long saga of trying to finish this damn story... let ya girl know. Like this lovely anon did last year. 🫶🏼 Okaythankyoubye.

“... I already talked to him and it went poorly.”

Pairing: Captain Syverson x Female!Reader

 Prompt: American Solder by Toby Keith

Rating: 18+, a little angsty, a little fluffy, a little smutty. Warnings include: pregnancy, fingering, sex, language.

I intended to post this yeasterday but just didn’t get around to it. So here it is.

“I’m just trying to be a father, Raise a daughter and a son, Be a lover to their mother, Everything to everyone, Up and at them bright and early, I’m all business in my suit, Yeah, I’m dressed for success. From my head down to my boots”

 The alarm blared and Sy groaned softly as he rolled over to slap the snooze button. You stirred next to him and rolled towards him. He pulls you into his arms, cradling you against his chest as he nuzzles your neck.

“Morning, Sy,” you whisper, eyes closed as you tilt your head back against the pillows.

              “Morning, Bug,” he rumbles, his voice thick with sleep.

“How long do you have?” you whisper, sliding a hand up his hairy chest.

              “Long enough to love on you,” he says, softly, stroking his calloused fingers down your side.

You sigh as his fingers drift over your thigh and slips between your thighs.

              “Gonna miss this, Bug,” he whispers, stroking your folds with nimble fingers.

You stretch your leg over his thighs, spreading yourself open for your husbands wandering hands. “Gonna miss you too,” you gasp, as he pushes two fingers into you. You rock your hips into his hand and moan softly.

              “Gotta be quiet, Bug, don’t wanna wake up the little ones, now.”

You bite your lip and then pull him into a kiss, allowing him to swallow your moans as he strokes you through an orgasm before grabbing your hips and turning his hips so he can slip into you.

              He makes a noise deep from the back of his throat and it rumbles across your skin like thunder across the sky during a storm.

Your anxiety tinges your pleasure with bitterness as you cling to Sy’s shoulder as he rocks into you. Your breath mixes as you pant together, foreheads resting against each other as you try to savor your last moment together for a while.

              “I love you, Bug,” Sy moans, as he cums deep inside you. He rubs at your clit bringing you over the edge with him.

You pant together and you lift your head to press a kiss to his forehead, “I love you too, Sy, so much.” Your lip trembles as the reality of your situation sets in and Sy rubs your arms.

              “Please don’t cry, baby girl.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” you say, covering your mouth with the back of your hand. “I’m trying to be brave, for you, for the kids. But I’m gonna miss you so much,” you sob, quietly.

              He rubs your back and shushes you softly, “I know, I’m gonna miss you too, Bug, but it’s only 6 months. You’ll be so busy with the kids that they’ll fly by and I’ll be back by Christmas.”

You sniffle and tuck your head into his neck, “Last tour?”

              “Last tour,” he confirms, “Last time then I’m all yours and you’re gonna begging to get rid of me.”

“Never,” you say, softly.

              He chuckles, “We’ll just have to wait and see won’t we?”

You nod as you brush your nose against his scruffy jaw.

              The alarm goes off again and Sy groans. “Time to get ready, will you wake the kids for me?”

You nod, kissing him softly before slipping out of bed and pull on a tshirt dress before heading down the hall towards the twins room. Slipping into the you kneel by Jonah’s bed and kiss his head, standing before stroke his hair and moving across the room to do the same to Ezra. “Wake up my sweet boys, it’s time to get up if you wanna say goodbye to daddy.”

              Jonah wakes up and rubs his eyes. “He weaves today, Momma?” he asks in a small voice.

You nod, slowly and kiss his head again. Ezra is already out of bed and pulling on his slippers.

              “Jonah! Wet’s go!” Ezra says jumping on his brothers bed. Jonah tucks himself into your side and you scoop him up into your arms and kiss his temple.

“Come on, boys, Momma will make you waffles,” you say, as Ezra darts into the kitchen with a whoop.

              Jonah rests sleepily against your shoulder as you follow Ezra down the hall.

You’re just plating the boys waffle as Sy emerges from the bedroom in his camo suit. Your breath catches as you catch a glimpse of him freshly buzzed and clean shaven. You swallow back another wave of tears as he comes into the kitchen.

              “Morning, boys,” he says, kissing each other their heads as they tear into their breakfast.

                             “Mornings, dad!” Ezra chirps around a mouthful of his waffle.

              “Now, I’ll be back in a few months, while I’m gone you two need to be good for your momma, alright?”

                             The twins nod at him slowly, eyes big. “Yes, sir.”

              Sy smiles, “Good boys, I’ll call you when I can alright.” He says, looking at you with a sad smile.

“We’ll be waiting, Sy,” you reply, slipping into his arms.

              He kisses your head and squeezes you softly.

“Want some breakfast?”

              He nods, “Yes, ma’am.” He takes a seat at the table as you make him a plate.

2 months later

You waited anxiously for the phone to ring. At 3am, the boys had long since passed out waiting for their dad to call. While you knew they wanted to see them, you knew they were already on their way to being crank little monsters in the morning. The screen lights up and you grab it answering it quickly.

              “Hey, darlin’,” Sy says, face appearing in pixelated mess on the little screen.

“Hey, Sy,” you says, softly.            

              “Where are the boys?” he asks, eyes searching the screen.

“They passed out around midnight, they really wanted to see you but they were getting really cranky,” you say, turning the phone so he can see them sprawled on the couch.

“Fuck, I was hoping to wish them a happy birthday.”

You nod sadly and sy swipes a tired hand over his face.

“Do they hate me for missing their birthdays?” He asks, quietly.

You shake your head, “no, they miss you and I don’t think they quite understand the gravity of what do you do, but they don’t hate you,” you whisper.

              “I miss them,” he says, sadness clouding his blue eyes, “I miss you too.”

“I miss you too, so much. Did you get our care package?” you ask, smiling at him.

              He nods, beaming at you. “Yes, I did. Thank you, I loved the boys new school pictures they’re growing like weeds. I can’t believe they are in first grade already.

“They are and they look more like you everyday,” you murmur, settling back against the couch. “Seems like just yesterday they were tiny babies.”

              He smiles, “When we get home, I promise we’ll try for a girl.”

You smile. “About that,” you say, reaching into your pocket you fish out the test you’d taken early in the week and hold it up for him to see. “I’m pregnant.”

              His face is unreadable.

“Say something,” you whisper, chewing at your cheek.

“Have you seen your Ob?” He asks, ever the concerned husband.

You nod.

              “That’s great, Bug, did you get a sonogram?”

You nod eagerly and pull out the small picture, holding it up close to the camera.

              “Do you know what it is yet?”

You shake you head, “It’s still too early to tell.”

              “How far along are you?” he asks, admiring the black and white image.

“2 months,” you murmur, eyes darkening.

              “So that means it was that morning?”

You nod, “Yeah it was.”

              “Fuck, I’m bummed I’m missing it.”

“I’m taking daily update pictures for you,” you say, softly.

              “Thank you, Bug, have you told the boys yet?”

You shake your head, “I want them to hear it from both of us.”

              “Good idea,” commotion rises behind him and he groans, “I gotta hi, Bug, kiss the boys for me and tell them I love them. I’ll call again when I can, (y/n/n).”

“Ok, I will, be safe,Sy,” you say, eyes tearing up.

              “Love you, Bug,” he says, softly.

“I love you too,” you say, blowing a kiss.

              He catches it and tucks it into his tactical vest before the line goes dead.

You sigh and drape a blanket over the boys, before sliding off the couch and padding to your bedroom. You slip into Sy’s side of the bed and pull his pillow close to your face to breath in his lingering scent and then start to cry.

 Christmas Eve Eve

The airport was bustling with travelers, Christmas music poured through the speakers as you stood with a few other army wives waiting on their husbands. You rub your bump tenderly as you wait, the twins are practically vibrating with excitement as they wait for their father. Through the sea of camo, he finally emerges and the boys scream “Daddy!” in unison before launching themselves at him.

              His beard has grown back and his face is lined with exhaustion but he’s still as handsome as ever. He lights up as he drops his bags to scoop up his boys in a tight hug. Around you people greet their spouses and you can hear happy sobs as Sy catches your eye.

The tears well up as the relief sets in and he sets the boys down.  They run towards his bag and tug it on it as he approaches you with a determined stride.

              “I missed you so damn much, Bug,” he murmurs, pulling you into a hug.

You cling to him as he holds you, pressing his nose into your neck and breathing in the smell of home. After a moment, He pulls away and steps back to take you in, one hand falling to smooth over your bump.

              “Did you find out what it is?” he asks, softly as the boys drag the duffle closer.

You nod, eagerly and shy smile on your face.

              “So?” Sy asks, excitement on his face.

“It’s a girl,” you blurt, a tear escaping as he lets out an excited whoop.

“We’re having a girl!” He announces to the rest of the airport as you swipe the happy tears that have escaped.

“Sy, come on, let’s go home,” you say tugging gently on his arm. He turns to you again and presses a kiss to your lips.

              “I love you so fuckin much,” he says, cupping your face.

              “Daddy said a bad word!” Jonah crows eyes wide in disbelief as Ezra giggles.

You shake your head, “He can put a dollar in the jar when we get home, come on, sweet boys.”

              Sy gathers up his little family, shoulders his duffel and shepards them out of the airport. Happy to be home at last.

It’s a Syverson fanfic and he meets a younger (college student I think?) there’s a bit of an age gap. It’s her 21st and he calls her bug. It’s overall a cute series, I just cannot remember who wrote it! I can’t remember the plot either, if this sounds familiar please let me know!

Hi Anon,

I didn't know it, so I asked around and @cavillsthighs thinks its Famous Last Words by @its--fandom--darling . Here is their Masterlist as well.

Happy reading!

Ok it’s still Monday in some other planet where time moves slowly…

Pairing: Captain Syverson x reader.

Words: 623

Warnings: oral sex, oral sex on Sy’s big shoulders while standing up, big dick energy.

A/N: Blame it on @agniavateira​ my muse who got me into Sy mood lately. @killjoy-assbutt-1112 yours is coming up next. Not beta’d.

Title: Captain Cunnilingus.

Captain BDE, that’s what the women called him, and if he weren’t all muscle and girth, tattooing the back of your thighs with a dark crest that spelt only one thing: 'Sy was here’.

Your arms flailed helplessly as he hoisted you up and sat you on his mountain-vast shoulders. His breath huffing hot and humid against your dripping mound, labour-coarse hands squeezed at your rear. Afraid that you may fall, you braced your legs around his neck and reached your hands to clutch at your knees.

“Sy!” You emitted with sheer panic.