What channel do you watch for shipwreck history? Sounds good!
I mainly watch a Channel Called Oceanliner Designs, hosted by maritime history researcher Michael Brady. A lot of his videos are about Titanic but he's got a lot of videos about other shipwrecks/stories about ships sinking as well such as the Lusitania, the Empress of Ireland, the Princess Alice, and a few others. His emphasis is on the more technical/mechanical stuff when it comes to ships, so he tends to focus on that part of things a bit more in his videos.
Part-time Explorer is another one I enjoy, but the guy there does other things besides ships (he talks about Ghost Towns in the US and stuff like that too). He's also covered some ships that Michael Brady hasn't.
hello i am very curious about alice van zieks 👀 if you would like to share!
@sevarix-blogs
Sure, I'd be happy to talk about Alice! It's been a hot minute since I talked about her I think. But here's a summary/some characters facts.
Warning for Spoilers Here Since this Talks about Things in Barok's Backstory, Also a General Warning Since Alice's Story Involves Conflict in/The Breakdown of a Relationship, and Victorian Era Sexism
Alice van Zieks (maiden name: Rask) is the estranged wife of Barok van Zieks. She was originally from America, the daughter of Dr. Simon Rask and his wife, Nora. Alice found her father's work fascinating and wished to follow in his footsteps, and while her father was supportive of this, others weren't so keen on her pursuing such a career. Eventually, she was persuaded that she couldn't pursue a career as a Coroner on her own without a husband who could financially support her by her uncle Vester, who had a vested interest in her abandoning (or at least putting on hold) her studies.
Alice's Uncle, Vester Rask, was a wealthy partner in a shipbuilding company, wished to increase his power, standing, and the security of his company by developing ties to the British nobility. He could only do so much without an heir he could marry off to an aristocrat, so he decided to try and see if he could rope his niece into playing the role (and persuade his brother to let this all happen ofc).
He managed to persuade all necessary parties, and so Alice went to England to participate in the London season.
There she met a young Barok van Zieks, introduced to her by Lady Harebrayne, the mother of Barok's long time friend Albert. Alice and Barok developed something of affinity for one another and became friends. At the point they met, it hadn't been terribly long since Klint's murder and he was still suffering very keenly from that loss. He didn't really keep anyone close, but Alice was the first in a while to treat him like a person rather than as the 'Reaper'.
He developed something of a crush for his debutante friend, but at first he thought it was too risky to express interest in her. But eventually something persuaded him it was worth trying. And due to youthful inexperience and not being in the best of headspaces, he rushed into things without really thinking them through.
Alice didn't have the same feelings Barok did, but he was the first person to take her seriously and appreciate her as she was, not what others thought she 'ought' to be. When he proposed she accepted, thinking perhaps she might return the feeling in time.
The first couple of years of their marriage were fairly good in terms of their relationship. But Barok were extremely protective, some may even say overprotective. (Although one could argue he was not entirely unreasonable given the dangers he faced due to his reputation and 'curse'.)
Alice wanted to continue her studies, and initially Barok strongly encouraged this. She met and was befriended by a certain Detective Sholmes and his young charge during this time (completely unaware that this young charge, Iris, was in fact her niece). But, when she expressed an interested in doing work for Scotland Yard, this didn't sit well with Barok (because in his mind it put her in the direct line of fire of his enemies). On this point, he would tried to dissuade her, and it became a sore point for the both of them.
Some of Barok's behaviors Alice discovered didn't sit well with her. He was not keen to talk much about certain aspects of his past at the time (for understandable reasons), but the lack of information upset Alice and in some cases led her to make some conclusions/consider some possibilities on her own (some incorrect).
And eventually, there were other problems in the relationship, conflicts and problems in communication (or due to a lack of communication in some instances) that eventually led to a breakdown in the relationship.
Eventually, Alice separated* from Barok and went to live with her parents again. Only she wouldn't be returning to America. Her father was instead invited by a work colleague he met in Britain to teach at a University in Tokyo, Japan. She would continue to pursue and wrap up her studies there.
(*Separated but not divorced.)
There, she was made to feel at home due to the kindness of her father's friend and work colleague, Professor Mikotoba and his daughter Susato. She also eventually met his adopted son, Kazuma. He didn't seem keen on her at first, maintaining a more detached sort of friendliness towards her (unbeknownst to her because Kazuma had an enmity towards her now estranged husband). But in the end the two of them found an accord, and Kazuma became one of her closest companions.
(Kazuma hoped she could be an ally against her husband when he sought his revenge, but that would later turn out to not come to pass.)
She also met and befriended fellow student Ryunosuke Naruhodo, eventually went to root for both of her friends in a debate tournament, when Ryu and Kazuma met one another and the start of their friendship happened.
At the start of canon, she has decided to fully cut ties with Barok, but as he's not keen to mutually agree to the divorce, she is summoned back to England to hash things out. So she ends up on the same ship Kazuma is taking to go to Britain himself to study law. But her journey back to England starts to go terribly amiss when Kazuma seemingly and suddenly ends up dead and her other close friend Ryunosuke is blamed for it.
(Spoilers: There are disagreements between her and Barok but eventually they come to understand each other. They do get divorced but are eventually able to be good friends again. Because damn it I need more stories of people who split up but it's not because they were bad people and things are eventually okay between them but they *don't* get back together.)
Character Facts:
Alice Enjoys Pencil Sketching, Nature Walks, Foraging, Reading, and Canning/Pickling Foods (in addition to her interest in Forensic Pathology)
Is near-sighted and needs glasses as a result
She is in between in terms of her age relative to other main cast members. At 27, she is five years younger than Barok (32), and four years older than her friends Kazuma (23) and Ryunosuke (23).
She has often played Chaperone for Susato and her friend Rei.
When moving about London, and not on duty (until the end of the games) she has to conceal her face from view or disguise herself to avoid being spotted by Barok's enemies. She has to change it up from time to time to avoid creating too obvious a pattern, but her preferred disguise is one of a widow in mourning, wearing heavy, concealing black clothes.
@javertthejollypastrychef Please do. This is literally the one thing I hate about where I work more than anything.
@elvimoon They farm it out to a 'wellness' company who either does the tests themselves or gives you forms to take to a lab company or your doc. But yeah, basically. They weigh you, measure your waistline, and test your cholesterol levels and blood pressure and whether you smoke (and they won't just take your word for it if you say you don't. You have to actually test for niccotine). Supposedly they say its to keep on top of your health and catch problems early. But like... in practical terms it's just. If you don't meet their very low criteria for what your measurements should be, you get higher premiums for each 'goal' you don't meet.
They wave one goal if you take part in a 'health improvement program' or sometimes do something else like get a vaccine. They also wave stuff if you're pregnant. But other that... you're kinda shit out of luck unless your doctor is willing to vouch that you have a medical condition that makes it impossible to meet their criteria. And right now I'm not sure if my new GP will wave stuff or not. But if not... my premiums are definitely going up next year because I met fewer 'goals' this year (due to being stressed and didn't plan very well for this year. The fact I have to plan for this at all is fucked up.)
@sevarix-blogs It is! And apparently this something other companies and businesses do! My mom's old workplace apparently did this but she didn't have to deal with it because she was on my dad's health insurance from his work and they didn't do that.
I have a question about Euphemia if i may! Who would her out of house supports be with?
@recurringwriter Hello! Wow, I've been thinking about this on and off and tend to keep going back and forth. While some I'm certain she'd have supports with, others I'm not so sure about.
Part of the problem is I keep flipping back and forth in my brain because I've had the idea of her being recruitable on a Blue Lions playthrough (but not Crimson Flower or Silver Snow), but I've been toying with the idea recently of her being locked to Golden Deer in the same Manner as Dedue and Hubert are to Blue Lions and Black Eagles (with the exception that unlike those two, she does have supports aside from her own house + some Church of Seiros affiliates).
Longish Post Below the cut
From Black Eagles:
Bernadetta - Basically their supports would be about Euphemia discovering her momfriend override and the two of them working together to look out for each other so they'll be less nervous around other people.
Linhardt - Euphemia would find Linhardt completely baffling and maybe uncomfortable to be around at times. But I can easily see them having a support chain about whether one has to follow the societal obligations one expects them to follow. Or possibly Linhardt taking an interest in Euphemia's crest.
Ferdinand* - Ferdinand is someone I keep flipping back and forth on. I could see her having a support chain with that really illustrates her problems with talking to other nobles, and I can possibly see Ferdie trying to show her that there are others willing to listen, but at the same time I think he'd have a real uphill battle trying to get her to talk to him in the first place.
-> While she wouldn't be recruitable to Black Eagles, I think it would be interesting if Euphemia and Edelgard had some special dialogue/interactions, especially since they're both victims of TWSITD and had artificial crests implanted in them/list their siblings under similar circumstances.
From Blue Lions:
Mercedes - Both of them come from Family lines that inherited the Crest of Lamine at one point or another. But, I don't think they would bond over that, so much as the ordeals they've had to go through under the crest system. I think they could also possibly bond over magic in some way.
Sylvain - I feel like Euphemia and Sylvain's supports would be very emotionally heavy/fraught, and would really center around how both of them feel about the crest system. I think she would probably be scared of Sylvain at first because in her mind, he seems like the kind of noble who uses his crest to to get what he wants. When she learns the reason for his behavior, I think she would still be upset, but she would be more willing to talk to him and they would eventually be friends. I think this might be another support chain of Euphemia's that addresses whether one truly has to follow the expectations/obligations of others, but I think it would also be about allowing oneself to be vulnerable to hurt in order to not only bond with others, but be a more authentic version of themselves.
Dimitri* - I really think Dimitri and Euphemia would have a lot to talk about, from having lost the people you care about mist, to survivor's guilt, to being haunted by the past. Part of me would want it to be they can support even on the Golden Deer route, Dimitri just wouldn't be recruitable for obvious reasons, but I know that's not how the game works. I also like the dynamic of the sickly one and the one whose strong af being friends and helping each other out.
From Church of Seiros:
Manuela - I feel like their supports would really hit on Euphemia's fear of infirmaries/being alone with medical personnel. I think Manuela would find Euphemia frustrating at first, but I think she'd be very compassionate once she knew that someone in a medical role had mistreated her, and would try to get Euphemia to trust her/try to accommodate Euphemia maybe.
Hanneman - As the Crest Scholar who identified Euphemia's crest of Riegan, I think Hanneman would have an interest in keeping an eye on her while she's at Garreg Mach. I think their personal histories could give them potentially something to bond over (losing siblings due to negligence/cruelty connected to crests in particular). While Euphemia's heath problems are different than those of Hanneman's late sister, I can see them having a support chain where maybe he's a bit fussy over her because she reminds him of his sister.
Flayn - I think it could be interesting to address Church censorship, and/or possibly have Flayn and Euphemia bonding over having parents with overbearing tendencies (Seteth in Flayn's case and Baroness Lehr in Euphemia's case). They could also bond on their desire to see more of the world.
From The Ashen Wolves:
Balthus - He has a minor role in Euphemia's backstory as someone who was nice to her/spent time with her at noble gatherings when she was a kid. I can see their supports being a lot about reminiscing about the past/remembering the past and looking at the present and being like 'well shit. not where we want to be huh?'
Yuri - Euphemia would probably have an easier time talking to Yuri than to some others, and I think she'd talk about how she has an easier time with commoners than nobles. I think these supports could also touch on Euphemia's reluctance to sleep, and Yuri coaxing her to finally rest.
Hapi - Both were experimented on by a member of TWSITD and have issues with trusting certain groups as a result (nobles and the Knights of Seiros, respectively). I think the two of them would have an understanding.
Honorable Mentions-
I think it would be neat for Dorothea, Petra, Ashe, and Annette to have supports with Euphemia, but I'm struggling a bit as to how their supports would go. And the ones I have listed are already a lot. But I think it would be cool if they interacted.
Hi!! OC asks for Euphemia, does she prefer the cats or dogs of the Monastery? What is her favourite place in Garreg Mach? When does she usually get up and go do bed?
@recurringwriter Hello! Alright let's see. For Euphemia:
Monastery Dogs or Cats- She likes both of them, but she somewhat prefers cats because she kind of relates to them. (Quiet, generally in their own space unless they want to share space with you.) They make for great companions to sit with while reading over study material while spending time out of doors. Although she's been known to sneak a cat or two into her dorm room.
Favorite Place in the Monastery- Oof this is a tough one. I'd say it would have to be a toss up between the Stables (because that's where the horses, pegasi, and wyverns are!), the Greenhouse/Fishing Pond (because they have various creatures from across Fodlan), and the Sauna (because she finds the steam calming, and it can help her refocus).
Minor Trauma Mention Warning for Below!
When Euphemia Gets Up and Goes to Bed - Euphemia doesn't like sleeping, and tends to try and get away with staying up as much as possible (this is because she has frequent nightmares due to childhood trauma, although occasionally it may sometimes instead be about her anxieties). Typically, she manages to make it to midnight and awakens between 6:30 and 7:00 am. (This times slightly varies with the seasons, but it averages out to be about this much.) While 6 1/2 to 7 hours of sleep is typical for her, ideally her body prefers 8 1/2 hours of sleep. A few of her supports either touch on or focus on her lack of sleep and/or nightmares (her supports with Yuri focus on it the most, and it's heavily touched upon in her supports with Claude and Raphael, and would most likely also be mentioned in her supports with Lysithea and Dimitri).
She is eventually helped with her sleep troubles, but it takes a while before she is able to sleep comfortably enough to get the rest of a full night's sleep more than occasionally. (Having a sleeping companion, such as an animal or another person whom she trusts helps a lot.)
@sevarix-blogs She most certainly does! Euphemia loves good food of all sorts, but she has a weak spot for spicy food (or foods that have a lot of herbs and/or spices in them), and foods that are super comforting (like soups and stews). I think her inclination towards heavy season/spiciness would be moreso because she didn't have it very often for a time due to concerns regarding her fragile health. This diminished her spice tolerance somewhat but didn't diminish her love of spicy food.
I would say her favorite meal of all would be a Pheasant and Vegetable Soup that is normally seasoned generously with herbs and is especially common in the central Leicester Alliance.
Of Garreg Mach's offerings that are actually in Three Houses, her favorites would be Daphnel Stew, Super Spicy Fish Dango, Spicy Fish and Turnip Stew, and Onion Gratin Soup.
Claude has taught her about some of the food from Almyra, and even taught her to make a couple of recipes using ingredient that are more easily available in Fodlan, such as a dish that is similar to the irl dish Dolmeh (grape leaves stuffed with meat and/or grains and herbs).
not sure if you've answered this but what would euphemia's supports/relationship with byleth be like? what would byleth need to excel in in order to recruit her?
I think among the professors at the Officer's Academy, I think Byleth would probably end up being the member of the faculty that Euphemia is most comfortable with. Like her, Byleth doesn't talk a lot (although they're a lot more talkative than her and can most easily converse with people in general), and Byleth isn't from a noble upbringing, so I think she would be more willing to come out of her shell more quickly than with some others at the Academy.
I think upon their initial meeting Euphemia would probably be both physically and metaphorically hanging back behind Khalid while observing/getting a feel for them until Khalid coaxes her out to introduce herself.
I think their supports would be about feelings out of place among the group of people they're with, albeit for different reasons, and I think it could be a cool opportunity to have insight about Byleth's days growing with with Jeralt as a mercenary. And I think in the end, Byleth would be someone Euphemia very much looks up to and sees as a mentor. Her mind maybe even subtly comparing them to her older sister (one of the two siblings she lost to TWSITD).
As for recruitment, in order to win Euphemia over, I believe it would make most sense with Byleth excelled in flying and Res.
omg ficlet is such a good word and i forgot all about it...just a little fic.... to me that's a fic under 1k. all drabbles are ficlets but not all ficlets are drabbles, sort of thing? i need to write more ficlets...
Yes! Ficlet is a really good word for small little fics and it's too bad I don't see used as much these days.
I also tend to think of them are as less than 1k too. Definitely covering drabbles, but it's more of an umbrella term to cover fics that are maybe larger but still not very long.
I encourage it! Ficlets are great. It's been a hot minute since I last wrote one. I should probably look at writing some more myself. :D
