Throwback Thursday - Some illustrations I did a couple of years ago now: Dragons and their captains of the Aerial Corps (as well as Praecursoris & Choiseul) from Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series of novels. These books have always been some of my very favorites. (the last piece was colored by pal Jeremy Mohler).
I painted a dragon figurine to look like Temeraire from Naomi Noviks Temeraire series!
Simmilar to Iskierka, my main worry was the pattern. While the blue elements might be greatly exaggerated to how they were described in the books, I like how they turned out.
I have always thought that the Temeraire series would have benefited greatly by a token honour guard being assigned to the new ‘prince’ in Book 2. Like, not a proper honour guard, but SOMETHING. Like, one courier and a couple of fighting dragons. 3-4 Chinese soldiers from the aerial divisions.
Of course, these soldiers would be women, as only women fly dragons in China. Can’t send someone young and attractive, or even someone mildly interested in men, that would lead to Shenanigans. Can’t send someone who can’t fight, since for some reason Temeraire is very into fighting. Can’t send someone who’s easily cowed, because the English will definitely try that.
What I’m saying is that the entire Temeraire series is greatly improved if you imagine all the later books occurring with a sort of Greek Chorus of increasingly annoyed honour guards who were chosen because they were the rowdiest, orneriest, toughest middle-aged lesbians in China. (Picture the three goofy friends from the animated Mulan, but older, female, and So Over This Shit)
And as fun as it is to imagine their increasing exasperation with him, I do also believe that they would be so, so loyal. William Laurence may be stubborn, kind of thick, repressed as hell and clearly the plaything of destiny, but he is a good man. Honourable, brave, kind, and doing his best in a series of really insanely difficult circumstances. They might even draw the same parallel I did, comparing their travails to those in ‘Journey To The West’ - they standing in for the three rambunctious spirits being sent by Heaven to escort a noble but incredibly hapless monk on his quest.
And as much as I enjoy the bitching and moaning in my head every time he does some stupid noble shit, I also can’t help picturing one of them, when they finally return to China, standing up to speak to the court and beginning with the words ‘I have been on a journey to the West, in the company of a virtuous man’, and the whole court being all ‘oh, classy reference, this is going to be a good story’ and Laurence trying not to curl up pillbug-style with sheer mortification because he can’t handle fulsome compliments and also this woman has told him he’s an idiot more times than he’s nearly died, WHICH IS A LOT.
this sounds like a completely different book, but one I want to read.
His bodyguards would, I believe, have Absolutely Flipped Their Shit at two separate points. (Spoilers to follow)
1. When the English Admiralty decide it is a swimmingly good idea to a) release a virulent and deadly dragon disease on a) France and b) the rest of the known world so that they can be superior to everyone in the air as well as at sea, and the honourable dumbass William Laurence who these poor put-upon fighty lesbians are supposed to be protecting decides to escape from them and commit ‘treason’ out of sheer nobility because he can’t endure the idea of all that suffering and death.
Firstly, they are absolutely furious at him for ditching them because they’re his DAMN BODYGUARDS AND HE RAN AWAY AND GOT LOCKED UP IN A FRENCH PRISON FOR WEEKS. Secondly, they’re mad because he didn’t let one of THEM do it, which would NOT have been treason because they’re Chinese and England can kiss their asses on this subject. Thirdly, because if his stupid ass had actually talked to them first they could have told him they’d already dispatched like three different samples of the cure to China via ship and dragon couriers because, again, they’re loyal citizens of China and England’s delusions of grandeur are not in any way their concern.
But when the English tried to arrest him and try him for treason?
WHEN THEY TRY TO SENTENCE A PRINCE OF CHINA TO DEATH?
This always struck me as a very weak point in the otherwise well-plotted series, because apparently the Admiralty are no longer at all concerned about pissing off China even though they were wetting their pants at the thought a few books earlier, and it is immensely satisfying to picture the absolute shitstorm that would hit those smug, dragon-murdering asshholes if there was a group of Chinese soldiers on the spot ready to throw down.
ENGLAND TRIES TO KILL A PRINCE OF CHINA? ENGLAND TRIES TO SPREAD DISEASE TO CHINA AND KILL ITS DRACONIC CITIZENRY? WAR UPON ENGLAND! WAR UPON ENGLAND FOR 1000 YEARS!!
(Whether any of the rest of the series would even happen at that point is up for debate, but the enormous Diplomatic Drama that would ensue is endlessly entertaining to picture. Especially the part where one of them storms over the channel to tell Napoleon - who is on the verge of attacking England - that England has committed an act of war against China PLEASE ENSURE THIS REPORT GETS HOME AT ONCE. Napoleon is, at this point, in control of almost the entire land-route to China, even more irate at England than usual, and, I am willing to bet, fucking delighted to pass this news along as fast as possible.)
It is entirely possible that instead of being transported, Laurence and his suddenly incredibly diplomatically difficult bodyguards are sent to Australia simply to get them as far away from the Admiralty as possible before they cause any more trouble.
2. When their charge got his stupid ass thrown overboard off the coast of Japan. Like Temeraire, they would absolutely refuse to believe he’d drowned… not because they don’t want to believe that they lost the Prince of China with whom they were entrusted, but because at this point not one of them is capable of believing that anything can kill this fucking idiot. No, he has clearly found his way to Japan, where he is making Massive Trouble Of Some Kind At This Very Moment and Probably Starting Another War.
Which, given that at this time, Laurence has been arrested/captured/pressed into service no fewer than (tries to count) I want to say six times? I’m kind of out of it right now through being unwell, anyway, he’s been apprehended a minimum of six times, had the same ship catch fire under him two different times, sinking with most of its hands the second time, has just had a different ship sink under him off the coast of an unfriendly country, and has been the direct-if-usually-unintentional cause of at least five major political upheavals (including the death of a different Chinese prince, the end of the slave trade and loss of Cape Town, and the premature end of a dangerous plague), is a completely rational assumption.
When they locate him and find out that he’s lost his memory OF ALL OF THEM, AND HIS DRAGON, AND ALL THE TROUBLE HE’S CAUSED, I don’t care how much emotional control an experienced Chinese soldier is supposed to have, at least one of them is going to just explode.They love him, but why is he like this.
“You must know,” Granby started, halting, petrified, “–you must know that I–that none of us wished to see–you have been one of the finest men I have ever served under.”
And here Granby could admit that saving Laurence had had nothing to with the good of the service, or even about Temeraire–it had been for Laurence, and for Granby himself, because he could not bear the thought of Laurence dead and dishonored.“
william laurence is a football agent. tienxiang “temeraire” long is a hotshot wunderkind of a striker and, possibly, the english national team’s last, best hope. also, napoleon is there.
