December 2011
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Brass Tacks #97
Airship outlaws are never the most prudent with fashion; it’s fairly common to see men to go without their cravats, letting their shirttails hang loose, and women in clothing more suited to a red light district*. Still, even the sparse rules governing those fashions are relaxed during the week of New Years Truce. Our own captain Kieran celebrates by gallivanting about in only a cotton robe, and...
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Brass Tacks #96
The exact New Years Truce traditions vary by port city, and Flotsam has the largest, most elaborate celebration of them all. All week long, in rain or shine, the denizens of the floating city attempt to keep three great bonfires burning.
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Sophie's Electronic Journal of Cooking Endeavors...
Merry Christmas and Happy insert-your-holiday-here, dear readers! I spent my holidays with my dear mother this year and since she celebrates Christmas, she would be distraught if I didn’t wish you all the merriest this time of year. But enough with the pleasantries, let’s get to the food!
After gulping down a whole bowl of Oreo pudding, Mother and I set out to plan Christmas Eve...
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Brass Tacks #95
The official colors of the New Years Truce are navy, cream, and red for the night sky, the stars, and the fire* that consumed our ports.
*or the blood, depending on who tells the tale.
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Brass Tacks #94
The crew of the Sappho is handing out chocolate taffy this year, but they aren’t the only airship joining the festivities. Eleven other dirigibles are docking on Flotsam this Saturday, all of which plan to exchange trinkets, sweets, and homemade gifts.
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Brass Tacks #93
During the week of the New Years Truce on airships, and in port towns like Flotsam, celebrants enjoy a tradition of ceremonial equality. While the celebration continues, no one gives orders, and no one is subordinate, because all people are equal in the flames.
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Brass Tacks #92
At sundown during the New Years Truce, it’s traditional for senior airship captains to settle down with a bottle and recount the tale of the Burning of Argo, Phils and Chiroptera for the benefit of younger crews.
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Brass Tacks #91
The New Years Truce between airship outlaws was spurred into existence on December 31, 1892 when the three islands under U.S. control were raided and burned- under suspicion of harboring pirates.
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Sophie's Chest of Recipes: Oreo Pudding
Oreo Pudding
Christmas time has arrived in full force and in my family that means one decedent dessert: Oreo Pudding! This dish is just one of my family’s many edible traditions that we make every December. It’s akin to eating a mouthful of sugar- oreo cream cheese flavored sugar.
Ingredients:
- one stick of butter
- 1 package of Oreo cookies (use double-stuffed if you’d...
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Brass Tacks #90
Although airship pirates watch idly by as Christmas passes, they do have their own holiday. During the first week of the year, a grand festival is held on port islands around the globe to celebrate the New Years Truce.
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Brass Tacks #88
Kieran first became acquainted with Marcus when her father agreed to hide he and his family from the police. (It wasn’t that the police didn’t like gypsies, it was just that they didn’t like white men who married gypsies and had little half-blooded sons.)
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Brass Tacks #87
Sawdust is the eldest of the cats on the Sappho, and the retired mouser has stayed with Kieran longer than any other soul.
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Brass Tacks #86
Although the shadows lurking in the corners of her vision keep her up at night, Henrietta is much more frightened by the possibility of seeing nothing at all.
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Culinary Curiosities You Should Avoid Discussing...
During this festive time of the year, one should consider what one wants to bring to the center of their dinner table. Turkey is the classic option, of course, but one might want to spruce things up a tad with a modern *Turducken. Or, perchance, one dares to venture down the historically accurate trail by presenting a forgotten feathered friend to one’s guests: goose.
Well best of luck to...
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Brass Tacks #85
The brown tabby “Bourbon” is thus named for his nigh-supernatural ability to locate alcohol and consume it in massive quantities.
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Watch
Sophie Everwood takes on the task of consuming the world’s largest grape. Can she finish this gargantuan marvel?
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Brass Tacks #84
Henrietta shares many things with Kieran; nightmares, old wives tales, and alcohol are the meat of their bond. A crew member wandering the ship in the wee hours of the morning could find them huddled together over the kitchen table, sharing the most frightening legends either can remember or invent.
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Brass Tacks #83
Sophie knows to watch out for Mr. Squiggles, because the overgrown orange tabby tends to trip people by weaving deliberately between their feet.
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Brass Tacks #82
Three years ago, Kieran saw a carriage run over a tiny bob-tailed cat. Lazarus stood right back up afterward, and they’ve been inseparable ever since.
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Brass Tacks #81
Henrietta finds the relaxed atmosphere of the Sappho a welcome relief after the smothering regulations of the military. She finds her change in career ironic and exhilarating
