William Brand

And for dessert...flaky pastries stuffed with vanilla cream.

Absinthe...

Tonight's special is Spanish style baked fish with herb crust...

And what an excellent attempt indeed. My compliments, sah.

Here, here. And as we have service men and women who are members of our fine Pub and Pyracy community, the holiday strikes close to home. May we see another year without any friends or family lost. Raise a glass to the fallen.

My mind sees Historical Interpretation and Pop-Culture Interpretation completely differently. For example, when I see the sailors in Master and Commander I think 'clothing', but when I see the sailors in a POTC I think 'costumes'. It's the same for Renn Faires. When I see a guy in an Elizabethean collar and the finery of the age I think 'clothing', but when I see a guy in an open silk shirt and frippery I think 'costume'. I never think of History versus Hollywood. My mind separates them instinctively into clothing or costumes. EDIT: I must agree with the good fellow below. I would like to see a monmouth cap or two from time to time.

I was bored today, so I wrote this up and posted it on FireFlyFans.net... The following observations are the rantings and ravings of a Firefly fan with too much time on his hands. I'm having a slow day. Sue me. When Firefly came out in 2002, the available materials on the subjects of canon were very limited, but for those few things displayed on screen in what can only be described as a very irregular broadcast schedule. Fans that were fans from the word 'go' clamored to understand every little detail of the Verse, for there is no fan like a Firefly fan. One of the issues that arose early on, perhaps more among the prop-making uber-fans than anyone else, was the question concerning the symbols and emblems of the Independents. One of the earliest to pull ahead in the race of prominent symbols, especially among us Browncoats, was the patch (and the later theoretical flag) of the Independents. At first, the most prevalent example of the patch (the ever-present star and bars) was that one which appeared on the coat worn by actor Nathan Fillion as he portrayed Mal. Mal is seen wearing this coat in two important battles in the series. Indeed, it is the first easily viewable appearance of the patch, though it is actually shown on several soldiers before Mal appears in the scene. Because of this, it was, and often still is assumed that the patch is intended to be worn as it is shown on that coat alone, as if no other coat exists. More rabid fans that were blessed to actually record the sporadic airings of Firefly, noticed that not all of the soldiers in those scenes wore the patch in the same direction. A few people commented on this seemingly confusing wardrobe issue, but it did not circulate widely amongst the early fans. As time went by, more and more of us became interested in the limited fan based collectibles of the Verse. At the time, there was no official Blue Sun shirt, no Jayne shirts, and almost no real merchandise to speak of. Still, even in the merchandise infancy of the Verse there was a fan based interest to possess all things Firefly. The patch of the Independents remained in the forefront among many popular coveted items, so several aspiring fan-capitalists created early renditions of it. Each of these possessed the traditional star, yellow bars and green background, though many showed the star as black. As the output of homemade and mass produced patches became available, the question of orientation began to spread. Some cried,"Star point down." Some cried, "Star point up." Many fans created mythologies that were not mentioned in the original writing at all. And the debate (although mostly subject to personal interpretation) went on. Strangely enough, many of the people most interested in the answer to this question agreed equally that the best way to resolve it was to get the answer directly from the horse's mouth. Or in other words...from Joss himself. People on both sides of the question agreed that if Joss were to answer this question, the debate would end and all Browncoats would accept this final authority in full, as one might have expected them to do. Not so. When the Companion volumes for Firefly were released to the public, Shawna Trpcic stated that the star was always intended to be worn star point up and triangle point down. Shawna Trpcic was the series costume designer for Firefly. She is the designer that created the patch for the Independents. Indeed, she created the entire look and feel of their uniforms and the vast majority of costumes for the series. Essentially she's the Betsy Ross of the Browncoats, but this fact proved unimportant. Some said, "She's just a designer, not the creator of the show." Some said, "She designed it, that's the way it should be." More unusual than either of these two responses was the prevailing third response. The supporters of make believe. These are the ardent fans that are so loyal to Mal as a character, that they endow anything related to Mal as an extension of Mal. That is to say, anything about Mal is gospel. You see, Shawna Trpcic explained that Mal is seen wearing the patch upside down because of a wardrobe mistake. Nothing more. Nothing less. Someone working within the wardrobe department sewed it on upside down. The coat specifically created and aged for Mal's character just happened to bear this mistake. This means that by shear luck, Mal's coat is wrong. This news seems to have had no effect on the staunch supporters of the wardrobe error. In fact an entire mythology about Mal's choice to wear it in this fashion has pervaded the fans of Firefly for years, with several strong reasons heading the list. These mythologies, once appealing during the time of the unanswered question, now continue on by momentum alone. They are perpetuated in complete disregard for the original creator and fans of Firefly repeat them with a hushed reverence in a headstrong attempt to make the mythology of an error into something more substantial. In short, Mal made the decision. Not the misguided seamstress. Not fate. Mal. Where are those fans that said they would defer to the word of Joss? Tim Minear (executive producer), Gareth Davies (producer) and Joss himself all signed off on Shawna Trpcic's designs, but this has made only a marginal difference in the opinions of the fans themselves. Instead, we've created new questions. Are we Browncoats or Malcoats? All of the other Browncoats in the series are seen wearing the star point up, as intended. Therefore it stands to reason that a Browncoat is one who wears the emblems and accompanying symbols of the cause of the Independents as a whole, thereby supporting the veterans and fallen soldiers of the Independents, rather than adhering to the cause of single soldier. Can canon exist where canon is refused? Yes. I'm rambling at this point, and yes, I recognize that this is far less important than the issues of unemployment and world hunger, but humor me. How many people out there are star point up and how many are star point down? The questions keeps appearing in various forums, so let's get a headcount. Let's see where people stand on this altogether trivial matter before I wax fan-pseudo-philosophical again. I need to lie down. And before anyone from the 76th gets their costumes in a bind, relax. As I've stated elsewhere, a battalion or regimental patch is different as it represents a smaller group of the whole, not the whole itself. Therefore, the patch of the 76th can have the star upside down, borrowing the emblems of the whole to define their own unique place within it.

You can watch them online at Hulu. http://www.hulu.com/videos/search?query=firefly

Welcome back, Mister Youngblood. You'll find the place much the same, but for new faces. Glad to hear that all is well.

Did anyone here purchase a town in the upcoming Atlas of the Verse? There was a charity auction of towns and I organized the Utah Browncoats to buy a little place on Hera not far from Serenity Valley. We named it Utah. It has a nice western ring to it. All the money goes to Equality Now. http://www.equalitynow.org/

Marvelous images. My many thanks to everyone who documented the event.

August 6, 1704 - The Watch Dog First Dog Watch Begins William gave over the holy ground at the change of the watch. He went below with too much mystery on his mind, too many concerns unanswered from the past few days and too many mouths to feed aboard ship. He was tired. Tudor was there. He smiled at his ever present steward and began to toss away unnecessary things, beginning with his hat. He looked at her from across the room. "What think you of the Spanish?" "I hardly know him, sah." William paused in the middle of shedding his baldric. "I'm sorry...?" Tudor looked up from the tray she was clearing. She tried not to blush and just managed it, having thought the question more specific than it was. "Sah...?" William blinked and shook his head, wondering if he was more tired then he felt. He dropped the cutlass and belt onto one of the chairs and repeated the question. "I have no opinion, apart from finding the decks over crowded, sah." William nodded and fetched out a few ledgers. He was woefully behind in his bookkeeping of the 'Dog. He opened them to find several loose pages that he couldn't remember penning. "What are these?" Tudor looked them over and smiled. "Tallies of the cargo brought on at Martinique, Captain. You were away, so we each took a turn at the glass, and...the ink well . William could make out several different hands and nodded, placing them on the table. "We could not be sure you wouldn't have details to add, so we kept them separate from the log." "Thank you." William smiled agreeably. "Most kind." Tudor placed a rum share before him, but he waved it off. "See that to any of the wounded who would have it. I had my share of it at the island." "Aye, sah." She made to leave as he began running his hand down the page columns. "You have a very even hand, Tudor," he said without looking up. She smiled as she went out.

This thread has two words I never want to see used together again. Drunken and Swordfight. That said, it's a very nice scar.

Props back to you, Kenneth. Very nice looking outfit.

No, the first film had gravity. When Jack and Will are fighting in the rafters of the smithy they stumble and do the frantic arm waving one associates with people trying to keep their balance from a height. They did this in a stationary building. Later...and under circumstances that would make real people cling for their lives...there is nothing of gravity. The story becomes little more than the most outlandish 'tall tale' exaggeration, placing the characters beyond mortal belief. When characters are beyond the pale of any threat, they cease to be interesting. They survive all unscathed and become boring parodies of real people. Story telling of this kind lacks the lifeblood of immortality and we soon return to it with the dawning wonder that we ever found it appealing. A good story teller cheats less and less in the progression of a tale. Not more and more.

Gah... ...whu? Can't find words to...describe...horror...

The tents of the encampments will hold out even a stout rain, but as a precaution, I would recommend making a bag or covering of weatherproof canvas. This could be sealed in various way, including a good coating of tar. Their are a great many here that could tell you have to make one, and it would provide protection from the elements and a means for transporting it about the festival.

Only rowing. I've been a lifeguard and done all matter of rowing.

Fantastic beards Joe and Jacob!

August 6, 1704 - The Watch Dog The officers of the Lucy were not alone in their speculation. William, Jim and Jack Roberts stood on the holy ground weaving the possibilities aloud. "Some training...?" Jim offered. "Perhaps." William returned. "A lack of discipline in the ranks. Drunken revelry?" "Perhaps." "Some matter of mutiny settled quickly." "Hmm." Jim smiled. "You're keeping your thoughts close." "Aye." William agreed and tried not to smile as Jim shook his head. "It's pointless to create nothing from so little. They have their business and we ours. I can see no treachery in the unexplained report of a musket or two. Besides, we have their company and the Lucy. the company of allies in a world at war." "Three against whatever lies out there." Jack interjected. A silence followed as each of them considered the possibilities of the Navarra. She remained before them off their starboard quarter, quiet as she had been before the shots, but for the occasional shouted order of the day to day. "Weeeelll...they'd be fools to turn on us at sea." Jim added. "Aye." William said, then added. "Paid passage." He said this as much to remind himself as he did the others. Their arrangement was as simple as currency. Being in the wilderness of the New World, that arrangement carried more weight, and the thought of weight brought William back to the observation so many had made aloud. "She sits so low in the water." Jack narrowed his eyes. "Cannon?" "Perhaps." It was Jim's turn not to agree or disagree. "Gold." Jack said, his eyes widening a little. "Bound for Trinidad?" Jim's tone was incredulous. William's brow furrowed. "Perhaps."

And... ...I shaved my head.

August 6, 1704 - The Navarra Lieutenant De la Cruz stood at the rail awhile with his eyes toward the Watch Dog. She was leaning over to the West now as she was made to crisscross on the wind bringing her a little closer again, but to far away to see faces. The sight of her eased the tension in his stomach a little. A mirthless laugh that was little more than a grunt escaped his lips as he thought of the frigate protecting them from enemies without. Amador Pessoa joined him then at the rail. "What mean you to do, Lieutenant." De la Cruz said nothing. He simply looked at Pessoa and huffed another grunt, shaking his head. He had seen Pessoa at Avendano's side too often to trust him, but then it occurred to him that he might know Avendano's mind better by playing him close. "What will you tell the Captain, Pessoa? Would you understand anything I might tell you well enough to make Avendano understand me?" Pessoa did not answer immediately and De la Cruz smiled. "You deny being in his service too late, Pessoa." "I don't know what you mean, Lieutenant." Pessoa said, trying to recover some state of neutrality. "Of course." De la Cruz nodded. "Of course. Then you won't understand that Avendano will only feed and clothe you until he sends you to slaughter." De la Cruz jabbed the man with one finger. "You're almost fat enough. A few weeks more perhaps." Pessoa's brow furrowed. He was a large man of significant strength, but these words caused the man to stumble a little internally. De la Cruz bore the man no malice, knowing that Pessoa was not as bad as some and better than others, but it delighted him a little to put an Avendano man off his guard. De la Cruz stepped forward suddenly and the tall man was overbalanced a bit. He took a step back and was further unnerved when De la Cruz leaned forward a little and sniffed the air, looking down at Pessoa's feet. "Your blood is in the water, Pessoa." De la Cruz walked away then and left Avendano's man to fret and ponder the strange, unexpected remarks.

I just shaved it off. I look like my brother.

The Poor William Fund. I'll use it to take some troubled old pirate to PIP. It's like Make a Wish for middle-aged re-enactors.

I could grow one special for PIP. Should take me about an hour.