The Well Dressed Adventurer

the Lady Annabel

 Art by Sergey Gurskiy

In the Hall of the Iron King (Part II)

Imperial and Royal Army Special Ordnance Testing Facility No.3, the Crownland of Styria, Austria-Hungary, 1889.

Feldzeugmeister Alvinzci's thoughtful reverie was abruptly disturbed by a colossal series of bangs, as something inside the hanger suddenly began crashing about. A bright flash lite the hanger a few heartbeats later, followed by a mass of oily clouds of black smoke and bright flashed of flames issuing from the hanger doorway and several of the narrow windows, the thunderous sound of the explosion reverberated throughout the hanger and into the surrounding hills. Broken glass and other debris fell to the tarmac and concrete, fire engines trundled over to the hanger and teams of fire men and rescue medics scrambled in through the doorway to assess the damage and possible casualties.

Alvinzci noticed how they moved with speed and a sense of urgency but at the same time with cool, practiced ease; for them this was just another day at Special Ordnance Testing Facility No.3, there was always an explosion big or small, another accident or mishap or something running amok on the testing grounds. There had been five such blasts in the first day he'd arrived so he too was no longer surprised or alarmed by them, it was just part of the routine for everyone here.

Some, fifteen minutes later, an engineer walked over to report. His pike-grey uniform with black and steel-green collar patches was covered in soot and smoke grim, and even a few scorch marks from either steam or flames marked it. The man came to a smart parade rest in front of the general and saluted calmly and crisply as was too be expected of a soldier of the House of Austria.

"Beg to report, Herr Feldzeugmeister."

"What happened?" Alvinzci asked, after returning the man's salute, he watched the man closely. He looked alright despite the state of his uniform and his begrimed face and hair. The man abruptly coughed several puffs of smoke from his lungs several times before he could continue his report.

"The new test pilot, put Gigant into full reverse instead of forward gear, while it was in the servicing gantry and managed to destroy a major portion of said servicing gantries. Gigant's all right though, Herr Feldzeugmeister."

"Anyone hurt?"

"A few casualties, Feldzeugmeister, several people got thrown off the gantry or where hit by flying debris but the medics have them in hand and on the way to the hospital. No fatalities. The Medics will have a fuller report for you within the hour, so they tell me."

"Good." Alvinzci responded with some relief, the new safety protocals that he had insisted on seemed to be working then. The previous director of the facility, that Alvinzci had just replaced, had been both unworried and uninterested by his people being killed or injured on a regular basis. The man had been both loathed and hated in equal measure by everyone here in consequence.

"The test pilot?" Alvinzci asked with some asperity.

"On his way to the infirmary with a concussion and a broken arm."

"The engineering assistant is also on their way to the infirmary. Broke both legs and an arm jumping from the emergency hatch screaming blue murder. The idiot! He would have been fine if he had just stayed in his chair harness." The engineer muttered with some exasperation and disgust edging his voice and expression.

Alvinzci gave a brief but amused snort of agreement, at the engineer's derisive remark. Peter Tanz, the Gigant's assistant engineer had struck the general as a worrisome and nervy individual, competent in his field to give him his due, but too highly strung for field or practical work.

My Blog and Cosplay Business Card, first printing.

My first batch of business cards for both my cosplaying and blogging needs, they turned out rather well and have been well received. I have given out about a dozen so far, the majority at the first convention of my season, Toronto Comic Con 2018.

 

Cards done by VistaPrint

My Own Family Connection to the Victorian Era: Lieutenant-Commander H.F. Carter, M.V.O., RN

Lieutenant-Commander H.F. Carter, M.V.O., R.N. (Ret.), joined the British Royal Navy in 1886 and served in H.M.S Frobisher as an acting gunner and subsequently served in several other vessels, eventually becoming Gunner of the H.M.S. Thrush (colonial gunboat of the Redbreast-class, laid down 1889), who's first officer was His Royal Highness Prince George, the Duke of York*. Subsequently he was transferred to H.M.S. Crescent (1st-class protected cruiser of the Edgar-class, laid down 1890), who's commanding officer was again his Royal Highness the Duke of York. Carter later served aboard the H.M. Yacht Victoria and Albert for eight years and was promoted to Lieutenant and honoured with membership in the Royal Victorian Order.

 

H.F. Carter had retired in May 1914 but was recalled to active duties in July 1914 and served until the end of World War One. He was honourable demobilized at the end Great War and received a final promotion to Lieutenant-Commander sometime in March, 1919. He died in retirement at the age of 74 at his home in North End, Portsmouth.

 

He received at least three medals during his Royal Navy service, the Royal Victorian Order's Member of the 4th or 5th-class, and two other medals which from his photographs I have not yet positively identified. Though I suspect the center decoration and the one on the side closest to the shoulder are service medals of some sort.

 

 

* Prince George, the Duke of York, later became His Royal and Imperial Majesty King George V of Great Britain and Ireland, and Emperor of India in 1910.

The 1887 Merovingian Program

In 1887, the French Ministry of the Marine and Colonies, allowed itself to be talking into and embark on one of the most bizzare projects in it's history, the design, contruction and outfitting of three Forteresses navales mobiles (mobile naval fortresses). The project was of mammoth proportions, stupefying budgetary recklessness and epic megalomania. Dubbed the Merovingian-class (in both Naval Staff and Popular Press circles), the three vessels that would emerge from the naval dockyards at Brest (Merovech), Toulon (Childeric I) and Cherbourg (Clovis I) to a common design specification, which changed frequently during each vessels long construction, determined by the Marine Ministry's Naval Technical Department. The ships, their design, purpose and expense have been the subject of considerable and ongoing infighting and bureaucratic wrangles between the Naval General Staff, the Ministry of the Marine, the Chamber of Deputies and the Traditionalist and Jeune Ecole fractions of the Marine Nationale.

The mobile naval fortresses, were in many ways the ultimate development of the French naval coastal defense turret ships and battleships which had been a standard part of both Traditionalist and Jeune Ecole ship building programs for decades for harbor and coastal defense. They bore a more then passing similarity to the landships monolithic cousins, the Land Fortresses, being massive, heavily armoured and heavily armed but  being extremely ponderous and slow moving.

Each vessel took some three protracted years to build and absorbed a great deal of effort and resources in their respective dock yards. New fabrication facilities and new slips ways and dry docks had to be constructed at each naval port to tackle the job. When each ship finally emerged through the first months of 1889, they were found to be massively overbuilt, hideously over budget and the Naval General Staff had not the slightest operational role in mind or practical use for them. The class of nautical giants quickly were nicknamed the "Ne fais rien les rois" or the "Do Nothing Kings" a mocking reference to the later Merovingians kings of the old Frankish kingdom of France.

Each of the three vessels was visually distinguished by massively tumblehome hulls with long plough bows and sloping sterns, and equally massive superstructures. Derrick hoists located near the bow and stern allowed each vessel to carry up to eight 2nd-class torpedoboats or submersibles into action with it. Numerous ships boats and steam launches were carried aboard ship for ferrying crew, supplies and troops both too and from the huge vessels. Armaments varied somewhat between vessels and no two ships in the class carried exactly the same weapons or had them arranged in the same way. The ships are rumoured to displace well over 50,000 tons and carry 18-inch or 20-inch naval guns as their main armament supported by numerous smaller weapons for anti-aircraft, anti-boarding party and anti-ship duties. Exact details of the ships are at present regarded as state secrets by the French Government.

Each vessel was designed to carry a full mixed brigade of troops over long distances, and even a full infantry division could be carried over most transoceanic distances. Working together the three vessels could carry, transport and deploy an infantry corps of two divisions, a cavalry brigade, the Corps Headquarters and all the corps military support units and logistical elements.

An Image of Mars, an ancient planet where the dust of ages covers many civilizations.

Art by Jeff Carlisle

Memories of Past Conventions 2018

A steampunk Catwoman by cosplayer Pretty_Nerdy_Crystal and my brother's Victorian Red Hood, Toronto Comic Con.

 

 

Professional cosplayer Holly Wolf and Adam, Toronto Comic Con.

 

Professional cosplayers, the Cosplay Sisters (Marisa, Stefanie, Katrina) with Adam, Toronto Comic Con.

 

Professional cosplayer Violet Love with Adam, Toronto Comic Con.

 

 

Professional cosplayers and members of the Sean Ward Show with Adam, Toronto Comic Con.

 

 

Professional Cosplayer Karli Woods with Adam, Toronto Comic Con.