FIC: Newly Forged (Sharpe)

[caras_galadhon]

Title: Newly Forged
Author: Galadriel (caras_galadhon)
Fandom: Sharpe
Pairing: Sharpe/Harper
Rating: PG
Archive: Lothlorien and sons_of_gondorFeedback: Always appreciated

Comments

[caras_galadhon]

Oh, OMG, have I got a fandom for you! *flails* I'm fairly sick right now, so I may not make it to work tomorrow, but... I'll see what I can do to enable you properly. ^_~ In the meantime, this is what you need to know to start: Sharpe started (and continues in fits and starts) as a series of novels by Bernard Cornwell (who is, in and of himself, a Sean Bean fangirl, as the title character in the books started to change noticeably to dovetail with the Sean Bean version once the films began). The novels are historically accurate in terms of battle location and detail; not so much in terms of the main character being able to be present at every battle.

They're basically about Richard Sharpe, the bastard son of a prostitute who takes the King's Coin, ends up in the Napoleonic Wars, and fights his way up out of the ranks and into officer status. They're very "Boys' Own" in tone -- swashbuckling romps with various women jumping in and out of Sharpe's bed -- but of course as happens a great deal with those sorts of texts, there's quite a lot of homoeroticism running through them, including men who would do anything for Sharpe, all headed by his faithful Sergeant, Patrick Harper.

The first film aired in 1993, and to date there's 16 of them (and 21 novels, 3 short stories, and 1 "How Sharpe Came to Be," plus some related, non-Cornwell-penned works about the series). By now, you've guessed that Sean Bean is in the title role, and every film is a cracking good time (even Sharpe's Gold has its moments, and it's horrible), and includes gratuitous shots of Sean's ass in some exceedingly tight trousers. ^_~ (Not that that's the only reason to watch, mind you.) SharpeFilm.com is the official site, and has summaries and some rather nice pictures, among other things, and Sharpe Pointe is a newer fansite that seems to be the most stable and complete of the ones currently available. *huffpuff* So, um. Yes. *shifty* You should maybe possibly perhaps check it out. If you want. *scuffs toe*

^_^ Also, thank you for the kind feedback! It's sweet of you to read, especially as you don't know the fandom!

[sharpiefan]

(Specifically, it's the King's Shilling. A shilling was given to any man joining the Army as a token that he was in the employ of the king, symbolic of his first day's pay. Also, in civilian employment, a shilling was given to any man or woman by their new employer to show that he or she was now in service to that person.)

And that was a wonderful little piece, with Harper's character caught perfectly. He so would go to Hell and back to bring Sharpe back to the land of the living in Sword.

[caras_galadhon]

Thanks! I'm rather sick right now, and made the comment above in a rush of excitement and fatigue last night, so I failed to use the correct "shilling." *facepalm* (Also, I did not know that about civilian employment, so thank you for that! You learn something new every day. ^_^)

I'm so pleased you enjoyed this, and thank you for the very kind words!

[sharpiefan]

I'm sorry to hear you aren't well at the moment, and I hope you get better soon.

And I was interested to learn that about civilian employment too. It give a whole new depth to taking the King's Shilling - especially when you learn that at hiring fairs, people were generally taken on for a year at a time, and yet soldiers were expected to sign up for a minimum of seven years.

There's also another theory about why soldiers wore red: It's the colour of the Royal livery, and soldiers were in service to the King. It does help that red happened to be the cheapest available dye as well, of course.

[caras_galadhon]

Thank you. That's very nice of you to say. Luckily, it's just a head cold, so I'm getting better by degrees. ^_^ Doesn't do a lot for the ol' brain in the meantime, though.

That's fascinating. I suppose it makes sense, though, since one could assume that if you didn't sign your soldiers up for more than a simple 12 months, you wouldn't have enough time to train them up, send them out, and get much done before a significant number of them would be done with you. I suspect the longer you're in, the harder it is to leave, too. (Of course, I'm also fascinated by how it was a way around prison, which seems to undercut the idea of the brave, honourable soldier fighting out of a sense of duty and patriotism. ^_~)

Interesting note on the red, too! I knew that, historically, purple dye has been more expensive, but not that red dye was cheapest.