US/UK - Salem Witch Trials angst
anonymous
March 17 2011, 02:30:54 UTC
Colonial!America lives in Salem by himself.
Someone accuses him of being a witch before he can pack up and leave town. He's found guilty of witchcraft and sentenced to hang. Of course, as a nation-tan, he wouldn't die from hanging. He knows how important the secret of the nation-tans is, and would do anything to keep it.
England, on a visit from his home country, shows up at the last minute, but it's too late and he can only watch in horror. After the hanging is over, England claims (or even steals, in case they want a cremation) America's "corpse" to be "buried in his homeland". They leave town. Poor America is traumatized. MASSIVE hurt/comfort+fluff ensues.
Bonus: America's "body" is put into a coffin before England can get to him. Claustrophobia/even more trauma ensues? Of course, England breaks him out once they're a safe distance away from Salem.
Make me cry, anons! And yes, I do have a twisted imagination. ;_;
A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning [1a/?]
anonymous
March 20 2011, 15:42:10 UTC
(Writer!anon replies: Couldn't quite set the fill in 1692!Salem proper, but it'll be based on the actual accounts of several witch executions in colonial Massachusetts and Connecticut. From a purely physical appearance, America looks about 9 or 10 years old at the time of this incident. Full historical notes will be included at the end.)
WARNING: This fill will (eventually) contain graphic descriptions of death by hanging and its effects on the body.
Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony - November 1674As his horse picked its way along the frost-hardened ruts of the cart track, England pulled his cloak closer about his shoulders and tried not to think too wistfully of hot spiced wine and snug chimney corners. It was doubtful that America would have either to hand, not this far from Boston, but England would be thankful for a mug of small beer and a three-legged stool before the fire if it did something to draw the lingering chill from his bones
( ... )
Re: A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning [1b/?]
anonymous
March 20 2011, 15:45:27 UTC
America had not been in Boston to greet him, which was not entirely unexpected. After all, he had no reason to assume that England would make the crossing in winter, when the North Atlantic was treacherous enough to give even a seasoned sailor pause. But England's ship had arrived without incident, and he had taken only a few days to settle his most pressing affairs in Boston before he found a fresh horse and headed north, following the instinct that all nations had when seeking out the presence of one of their own.
(Oh, if only it had been south. Virginia would be far more pleasant at this time of year, and even the cluster of settlements and trading posts he'd finally managed to wrest from the Netherlands would be ever-so-slightly warmer than the Bay Colony. But north it was, and north he went.)
He hoped that he would not have to travel much farther inland. Before he had departed the last time (barely thirty years before? it felt a hundred lifetimes to him), he had warned the young colony to stay well within reach of settled
( ... )
OP loves you!
anonymous
March 21 2011, 00:49:38 UTC
I'm shaking in my seat right now in anticipation. Awesome start! And the fact that America looks nine or ten years old in this is making my eyes itch already.
So yeah. Totally stalking this fill. Thank you so much!
Re: A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning [1b/?]
anonymous
March 21 2011, 02:52:41 UTC
Wonderful start, anon. The subject is definitely challenging and the warning you made me excited as it's clear you are taking this seriously, which makes me happy. I'll be stalking this fill.
Re: A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning [2a/?]
anonymous
March 22 2011, 23:59:20 UTC
[Writer!anon is very pleased that readers are enjoying this fill so far! England and poor little America are in for a rough time of it, I'm afraid. European and colonial witchcraft trials are a pet research subject of mine, so I'm trying to treat it with the seriousness it deserves -- which means going into the grim details. But they're yet to come, so for now, on with the fill!]It was difficult to describe precisely what stirred his unease. At first glance, nothing looked out of the ordinary. The village seemed neat and well ordered, with its ploughed-under fields and tidy kitchen garden plots and simply-built dwellings for men and beasts. The smoke of kitchen fires rose steadily into the crisp November air. Not a soul was out of doors; it was so quiet and still that one could almost hear the crackle of the logs burning in the hearths. All seemed to be as it should be -- but England's civil war was too fresh in his memory for him to be deceived by outward appearances. During the worst of the fighting, he had ridden through a score of
( ... )
Re: A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning [2b/?]
anonymous
March 23 2011, 00:05:02 UTC
The question was phrased so innocently that it took England a full five seconds to realise exactly what the girl had said.
'For the what?' he said, frowning in puzzlement. 'The hanging?'
The girl nodded. 'Master an' the Reverend an' the rest of the men -- they've gone to hang the witch who brought the fever on Miss Susannah and all the others, sir.'
'Witch?' England's frown deepened. This was news to him. A charge of witchcraft was a grave matter indeed, with warrants and grand juries and all the proceedings that his laws deemed necessary to bring the accused to trial. If any of the county courts had passed sentence on a witch within their jurisdictions, word of the verdict would have been all over Boston. But this was the first he had heard of any recent witch trials, let alone planned executions. 'When was this?'
'They've not been gone long, sir.' Her face seemed to brighten, as if she hoped that she could be of assistance to the well-to-do stranger. 'And the hill's not far from here, if you're riding, so -- '
Re: A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning [2b/?]
anonymous
March 23 2011, 01:37:34 UTC
Ouch. Bet England's going to regret that move later. I have to say, I'm really enjoying this fill. It's well paced and you can literally feel the emotions England's feeling. Thank you so much, this fill is just marvelous!
I'm already cringing. England's reaction to what he's about to see will definitely not be pretty. I'm so glad to see how seriously you're taking this prompt and the history behind the subject matter. That just makes it ten times better, really!
OP is waiting for your next update with popcorn and lots of tissues!
Re: A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning [2b/?]
anonymous
March 23 2011, 12:35:25 UTC
You have no idea, a!a, how extatic you made me with every single historical reference you used. I love fics written with love to precise and accurate detail, and what you used here - how England managed the horse, how the girl had a shawl and a white cap, the creepy atmosphere of the village, everything is so vivid and I can really see the whole setting before me.
Not to mention you work with suspense like a professional and that I really felt shivers as I read that.
This is not highly promising, this already is a great fanfic, and I'm patiently waiting for your updates.
Re: A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning [2b/?]
anonymous
March 23 2011, 15:53:41 UTC
agree with the anon who said you can feel the emotions from this story. I am more and more unsettled and afraid as I read ;_; This is not going to be pretty, and I am very afraid for England and America now.
Someone accuses him of being a witch before he can pack up and leave town. He's found guilty of witchcraft and sentenced to hang. Of course, as a nation-tan, he wouldn't die from hanging. He knows how important the secret of the nation-tans is, and would do anything to keep it.
England, on a visit from his home country, shows up at the last minute, but it's too late and he can only watch in horror. After the hanging is over, England claims (or even steals, in case they want a cremation) America's "corpse" to be "buried in his homeland". They leave town. Poor America is traumatized. MASSIVE hurt/comfort+fluff ensues.
Bonus: America's "body" is put into a coffin before England can get to him. Claustrophobia/even more trauma ensues? Of course, England breaks him out once they're a safe distance away from Salem.
Make me cry, anons! And yes, I do have a twisted imagination. ;_;
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WARNING: This fill will (eventually) contain graphic descriptions of death by hanging and its effects on the body.
Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony - November 1674As his horse picked its way along the frost-hardened ruts of the cart track, England pulled his cloak closer about his shoulders and tried not to think too wistfully of hot spiced wine and snug chimney corners. It was doubtful that America would have either to hand, not this far from Boston, but England would be thankful for a mug of small beer and a three-legged stool before the fire if it did something to draw the lingering chill from his bones ( ... )
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(Oh, if only it had been south. Virginia would be far more pleasant at this time of year, and even the cluster of settlements and trading posts he'd finally managed to wrest from the Netherlands would be ever-so-slightly warmer than the Bay Colony. But north it was, and north he went.)
He hoped that he would not have to travel much farther inland. Before he had departed the last time (barely thirty years before? it felt a hundred lifetimes to him), he had warned the young colony to stay well within reach of settled ( ... )
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So yeah. Totally stalking this fill. Thank you so much!
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'For the what?' he said, frowning in puzzlement. 'The hanging?'
The girl nodded. 'Master an' the Reverend an' the rest of the men -- they've gone to hang the witch who brought the fever on Miss Susannah and all the others, sir.'
'Witch?' England's frown deepened. This was news to him. A charge of witchcraft was a grave matter indeed, with warrants and grand juries and all the proceedings that his laws deemed necessary to bring the accused to trial. If any of the county courts had passed sentence on a witch within their jurisdictions, word of the verdict would have been all over Boston. But this was the first he had heard of any recent witch trials, let alone planned executions. 'When was this?'
'They've not been gone long, sir.' Her face seemed to brighten, as if she hoped that she could be of assistance to the well-to-do stranger. 'And the hill's not far from here, if you're riding, so -- '
'Rebecca!' A ( ... )
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I have to say, I'm really enjoying this fill. It's well paced and you can literally feel the emotions England's feeling.
Thank you so much, this fill is just marvelous!
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Really, truly, this is quite great. I love the way you write, I love the way you write England thus far, and-- just everything.
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OP is waiting for your next update with popcorn and lots of tissues!
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Not to mention you work with suspense like a professional and that I really felt shivers as I read that.
This is not highly promising, this already is a great fanfic, and I'm patiently waiting for your updates.
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