fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #4625 ]

[ SECRET POST #4625 ]

⌈ Secret Post #4625 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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[Star Trek: Enterprise]

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[Horatio Hornblower]

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Notes:

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Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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06. https://i.imgur.com/AOpeYyR.png
[Horatio Hornblower]

Text: The Hornblower miniseries has almost always been my main fandom, and has a special place in my heart.

But I haven’t rewatched the series in probably a decade, and I’m a little afraid to, in case it hasn’t aged well (a somewhat founded fear, since that happened to another show I enjoyed from the same era).

Furthermore, the odds are high that if the series ever started being made again, it would be a mess, and fail to capture what made the original series so special.

And yet, if you told me today that it was coming back, with Ioan Gruffudd in the title role?

[Image: Ioan Gruffudd as Horatio Hornblower, holding his hat to his chest and smiling slightly.]

Text: I would watch it in a heartbeat, to the point of paying for a streaming service if that’s what it took to see him in that uniform again.

(I’m not sure if that makes me loyal or stupid.)

Re-posting in the right place!

The actors were fine, it was just the screenplay that let them down. I'd watch a series now dealing with Hornblower as frigate captain (and Bush as his first lieutenant, OMG.)

Have a care if you ever re-watch what we've got, though. I was so annoyed by the plot-holes that I wrote my own Age of Sail novel. It took five years.

Ha, I kind of did something similar, but it was more in response to the show getting unofficially cancelled, and I just created a character very much inspired by Horatio and started doing my own thing with him.

I'd be interested to hear more about your novel and what plot holes you were trying to address/fix.

It's funny how it's the shows that don't quite get it right that inspire ficcers! The ones that are more or less spot-on just leave people saying, "yes, that was great! *happy sigh*"

Ioan's Hornblower was a good character; likable enough to want to know more but full of hang-ups and neuroses. I would like to know about your version of him, there's a lot to play with!

My novels set 60 years earlier, when the French were much more of a threat to the British at sea (Hornblower, the books and show, really had to work hard to make them a convincing threat.) My main gripe with the series was that the French were portrayed as being completely incompetent - like, not noticing the massive frigate sailing up in cannon-shot range to rescue our heroes, and not setting guards outside their enormous invasion camp. Things like that. I made them much more au fait. Had a lot of fun with it but it's hard work writing Age of Sail!

I'm afraid my version was pretty shallow. He was inspired by Horatio mostly in relation to appearance, time period, and some of his better qualities. When I first conceived of him, he was meant to be Horatio's polar opposite; Army instead of Navy, born rich instead of poor, confident instead of full of self-doubt. Unfortunately, the confidence came across as arrogance, and that wasn't quite what I'd been going for. So I tried to tone that down, but he basically just turned into a more sociable Horatio.

I've actually got two versions of him, one that was used in a fanfic project and the other repurposed for a novel. The novel version is more what you'd expect to find in a Regency style historical fiction story; young nobleman who's a good person but inexperienced in romance. The fanfic version was created when I was in high school, and as such fell prey to melodrama, featuring romantic betrayal and the emotional scars left behind because of it (the supernatural was also involved, and it was a crossover with another thing Ioan was in). You probably wouldn't know the novel version was inspired by Horatio unless you knew me and my obsession with the character/series. The fanfic version is a bit more recognizable, since he actually does serve in the army during the war in that universe.

Sounds like you put a lot of care and attention into your story! Have you/do you want to publish it, or was it mostly just for yourself?

Well honestly, several of the Brontë's protags were based on different versions of the Duke of Wellington, so it's not surprising you took your Horatio in a couple of different directions! I like the sound of the Army chap; being confident or even arrogant isn't necessarily a bad thing. And the Regency is a great period to play with - there was so much going on, and you can have an absolute ball with it. Um, would you be willing to drop a link to the novel? I've got a long plane journey coming up.

My own novel is coming out in November if all goes well; I've got a friend with an indie press which always helps. Just chose the cover, which was fun! But yes, I wrote it mostly for myself, and it was hell on wheels and completely fascinating at one and the same time. The joys of writing. :/

AYRT Please do share a link when your novel comes out? I absolutely adore Age of Sail.

Will do, and thank-you! :D

Thanks so much for the interest! Unfortunately, my novel hasn't been published yet; I'm in the process of editing it and hope to get it self-published by next year.

Congrats on your own impending publication! And I agree with other commenters, drop a link here when it finally comes out!

Loyal, sure, definitely not stupid. I'd say you have *very* good taste. :D

It's been many years since I saw that series, but it was still well after the fact and I thought it had stood the test of time pretty well then. I was sorry it was never continued but yeah... as much as I'd love to think a remake would be amazing, I'm not sure it would be.

Ioan Gruffudd is easy on the eyes.

You'll get no argument from me on that score. None at all.

I agree on so many levels with you OP.

But particularly about seeing Ioan Grufudd in that uniform again.

Tbh, I just think we should bring Regency fashion back full stop.

I think it still looks pretty good. Though I can never get over the BTS tdibit where they mentioned that, instead of getting the ship set to move, they just all were swaying back and forth on their feet while standing around. That's so funny. I could have don't with all the Archie in the series but everything else, I loved.

And a continuation would be so great. They're now kinda the right age for the Admiral Hornblower parts of the books. The actors also really wanted to reprise their roles but I guess interest in Age of Sail stuff is too low and the budget comparatively too high for that to ever happen.

Ah well, guess I'll just go back to playing "Fic or Forester"...

I recently rewatched it and I'd say that it's still good. I liked everything but the marriage as thhe ceremony went on for too long.

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[ SECRET POST #4625 ]

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