#{{ Empress of missing important details }}

[wonder-worker]

are there any books you'd recommend for Isabelle of Angouleme?

Hi! I’m really not an expert on Isabella of Angouleme so I'm probably not the best person to ask for recommendations for her. Here are some I've heard of, though I haven't read all of them:

"Isabella of Angouleme: John's Jezebel" by Nicholas Vincent (King John: New Interpretations). I haven't read it myself but I've heard good things!

“Maternal Abandonment and Surrogate Caregivers: Isabella of Angoulême and Her Children by King John” by Louise J. Wilkinson (Virtuous or Villainess? The Image of the Royal Mother from the Early Medieval to the Early Modern Era). It focuses more-so on Isabella's tenure as queen, the period shortly after John's death, and her decision to leave England. Despite what the title may imply, it's sympathetic to Isabella and analyzes her situation in detail.

“Co-Operation, Co-Rulership and Competition: Queenship in the Angevin Domains 1135-1230” by Gabrielle Storey, her PHD thesis which collectively focuses on Isabella of Angouleme along with Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Berengaria of Navarre. You can read/download it here, it's an excellent piece for all four women.

Sally Spong has written/is writing:

Isabella of Angouleme: The Vanished Queen (Norman to Early Plantagenet Consorts). You can see her conclusion here. It's nuanced and sympathetic, though not without its issues and pre-conceived notions.

Isabella of Gloucester and Isabella of Angouleme: Female Lordship, Queenship, Power, and Authority 1189-1220 (PHD thesis University of East Anglia).

“Isabelle d’Angouleme, By the Grace of God, Queen” by William Chester Jordan. You can read it online here, though I will say that it's ... very very questionable, accepting the sensational claims of lot of unreliable sources (including the idea of John abducting Isabella in a fit of uncontrollable infatuation) entirely at face-value.

“The Marriage and Coronation of Isabelle of Angouleme” by H.G. Richardson, available here on JSTOR.

Isabella has also been the subject of two complete French biographies till date:

"Isabelle d’Angoulême, reine d’Angleterre" (Aquitaine: 1998) by Sophie Fougere.

"Isabelle d’Angoulême, comtesse-reine et son temps (1186-1246)" [Actes du colloque tenu à Lusignan, 8 au 10 novembre 1996] by Gabriel Biancotto, Robert Favreau and Piotr Skubiszewski.

There are also a few blog posts about her (here and here) which may help if you want a brief overview of her life, though they can get a little sensationalistic sometimes.

Hope this helps! If anyone knows any others, please feel free to add on!

[muninnhuginn]

The way qiu qingzhi/qiu shenji sees through lb instantly regardless of medium and yet still misses the most important part.

[andypantsx3]

IF YOU LET ME : TODOROKI SHOUTO x READER

SUMMARY: Disguised as a eunuch in the imperial palace, a mistake on your part leads to your unmasking before the prince. By rights it should mean your death, but Prince Shouto seems to have another plan in mind... CONTENT: Imperial Prince Shouto, AFAB fem reader, identity reveal, class differences, slight gender fuckery, historical sexism, implications of past sexual threats, vaguely imperial Japanese setting, deep historical inaccuracy, SFW (2.2k) NOTES: This was a barely-edited unplanned little thought demon I had to exorcise lol, thank you for being patient with me. Back to our regularly scheduled programming soon.

Your breast bindings were missing.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

You flipped your sleeping mat again, clawing through your blankets frantically, hoping you’d somehow missed them the first time. But only the tatami floor stared back up at you—strands of woven rice straw pale and bare.

You muttered a curse under your breath—you’d definitely forgotten to extract your bindings from where you’d shucked off yesterday’s robes, forgotten to squirrel them away before sinking into bed. And now they’d been whisked away by a palace maid to be laundered. Or worse, discovered.

Your eyes darted through your small sleeping chamber frantically, seeking a solution. You were already late for Prince Shouto’s first lesson of the day, and you needed all the time you could get with him today. You’d promised the Minister of Rites that you’d have a word with the prince, to try to persuade Shouto to accept the wife he was so persistently putting his advisors off on.

You were, after all, the prince’s closest confidant—his personal secretary and calligraphy tutor, an unthreatening eunuch from the lower classes with whom Shouto was clearly most at ease. And at least most of that was true—you did have Prince Shouto’s trust, friendship, and respect, as much as a member of the imperial family could bestow on a commoner, anyway.

If he was going to listen to anyone on the subject of taking a wife—at the very least one concubine, if not his future empress—it would be his trusted friend the eunuch.

There was just one very important detail that everyone, even His Highness, was mistaken about on that account.

One blasted detail that could get you killed at best were anyone to figure it out.

Your eyes fell back to your blankets, and you immediately grabbed two fistfuls, yanking as hard as you could until you felt the fabric give, the rip and tear echoing in the small space of your sleeping chamber. You kept ripping until a strip came free, a little smaller than what you usually had to work with.

But you were not about to complain, not at a time like this.

You flung the strip down to scrabble with the tie of your underrobe, unknotting it with fumbling fingers. You were just about to fling it off of you when there was a careful knock against the screen of your door.

You didn’t manage to stifle your reflexive scream, stumbling through a half-executed turn towards the door. The screen was suddenly thrown back with alarming force, Prince Shouto’s figure filling the doorway.

You yanked your shirt closed again, panicking, as you caught sight of the concern on his handsome face. You barely registered the other details, mind tripping over excuses, unable to appreciate the way his shoulders looked all the broader in his sokutai the way you normally did.

“Are you well?” Shouto demanded, his normally soft tone a little ragged. You watched his mismatched eyes dart quickly around your chambers, as if seeking a threat, only to drop back to you when there was none.

“Your Highness,” you said, lost for anything else.

“I heard—there was a scream,” he said, his eyebrows scrunching the tiniest bit.

He always looked his most beautiful when he was confused, you thought, focusing hard on a particular problem. Not that a common woman had any business thinking anything about the crown prince, never mind a woman masquerading as a man. But it was hard to ignore a face that beautiful, the way his gaze sharpened with focus, full mouth pursing as he thought through a problem.

He looked like that now as his gaze darted over you. And then suddenly his eyes dipped to your collarbone, and his features went perfectly, horribly still.

An elegant hand reached back, and he immediately drew the screen closed behind him, eyes never leaving you as he took another step into the room.

You stumbled back, almost tripping over your bedding. You did not dare to turn towards him or away, scuttling sideways instead like a nervous crab.

“Your Highness,” you began again, heart shooting into your mouth when Shouto’s long fingers tangled in your undershirt.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, his tone softening. You gripped your shirt closed as hard as you could against the tug of his fingers. “Did something happen?”

“N-nothing,” you stammered, not liking the way it made him clearly more suspicious. “I was just changing.”

But Shouto’s beautiful, cursed eyes dipped to your bedding, where the torn strip lay across your blankets in plain sight. You could almost see the calculation as his eyes widened the tiniest fraction, and his grip tightened on your robes. Of course he’d seen it, and of course it looked like a wound dressing you’d just been about to apply.

He took another step closer, too close, until you could feel the heat of him through your sleeve, smell the sweet blend of dried herbs the servants kept his clothing stored with.

You tried to twist out of Shouto’s grip without rucking up your shirt, but his hold was too strong.

“Let me see,” he ordered in his soft, low tone. Your heartbeat kicked up higher, hammering in your chest so hard it could have broken a rib.

It was a death sentence to ignore an order from a member of the imperial family. It was also a death sentence to reveal what you’d been these many years. You hoped Prince Shouto, something of a friend to you, would let you off lightly for ignoring him.

“Please, Your Highness,” you said, clinging even harder to the closure of your shirt. “I will be ready in just a moment, I am simply running late. I beg your forgiveness.”

But if there was one thing about the crown prince, it was that he was stubborn, bullheaded when it came to the ideas and goals he took seriously. And he had always made it clear he took your friendship seriously.

That perfect mouth shifted into a frown. “I order you to let me see,” he said, his tone still soft but firm. “You will let me.”

You froze under his hands, muscles locking up in panic. Shouto was still between you and the door, and your chambers were not wide enough for you to slip around him without him being able to easily catch you. He was also, unfortunately, extremely quick with sharp reflexes honed by years of swordsmanship. There would be no escaping this situation.

Fuck. Fuck, you were out of ideas.

“Hold still,” Shouto commanded gently, long fingers prying your stiff ones away from the shirt ties. You watched his face in mute panic, not wanting to see the flash of betrayal and disgust, but unable to look away as he prised your robes aside. Shame heated your cheeks.

Shouto’s long eyelashes dipped, before his gaze froze on your chest. For a second, he went as stiff as you. Then he was yanking your robes closed again, a watercolor of pink washing across the bridge of his nose and those high cheekbones.

His eyes darted back to yours, his expression perfectly still though his face was flushed. “You never told me,” he said accusingly.

The right thing to do in this situation was to go to your knees in a kowtow and beg for his mercy, but Shouto still had a grip on your robes and did not look like he meant to let go. You ducked your head in as much of a bow as you could manage, your face warm. “Your Highness, I have no excuse. I have betrayed you.”

When you had concocted this scheme, you had wanted to put yourself beyond the reach of a local official back in your home village. His advances were becoming increasingly aggressive, and as a common woman, you had no recourse. You could only escape into a place where his rule was circumvented by a superior one, where no man would think to have an interest in you.

You had not intended to become Prince Shouto’s tutor, had not anticipated the true risk of your gambit until it was already too late. But you would still rather die than be returned into the hands of your village’s preceptor.

If this is how it ended…

“I have compromised you,” Shouto’s voice startled you out of your memories.

You glanced up at him, befuddled.

Shouto’s fingers twisted in your robes. “Just now, and—all the many times we have been alone until now. I did not know.”

Honor and compromise were the least of your concerns right now, and would matter even less in the event of your death. You did not know where the prince meant to go with this.

“Your Highness, you were not expected to know,” you said, shame coiling in your belly. You would make the same choices you had made over again, if given the chance, but you had never meant to betray Shouto. You had genuinely liked him, and you would regret losing the chance to be by his side in the years to come.

Shouto’s eyes flicked over you in some kind of assessment. He lifted one hand from your shirt, gasping your scholar’s cap and tugging it free from your hair. You felt his fingers tangle so very gently in the strands of your hair, seeking out the ties and pins.

Your own eyes traced over him as he did, drinking in the firm planes of his chest in his sokutai, the dark blue a beautiful contrast with his pale skin. You heard pins dropping to the ground beside you, as Shouto rubbed a strand of your hair between his fingers. He seemed to be evaluating you in a new light, relearning your appearance though a clearer lens.

Disgust and betrayal were not evident in how delicately he was handling you. You did not know what this meant.

“They will put you to death if they know,” Shouto said, eyes slowly moving from the hair between his fingers to your face again. “You cannot hide like this forever.”

You did not know what other choice was to be had. If Shouto did not plan to put you to death himself, then what other choice did you have than to go on pretending?

Shouto’s gaze dropped to your mouth and you realized you’d spoken the thought aloud.

“There is one other way to put you beyond the reach of the court,” he said slowly.

You felt your eyebrows raise in question. “I cannot think of it, Your Highness.”

Shouto absently curled the strand of your hair about his fingers, the little crease between his perfect eyebrows appearing again. He looked the way he did when he played games with his strategy tutor, or when he was thinking hard on a new sword form.

“The ministers wish for me to take a wife,” Shouto said softly. “My household is mine to manage alone.”

Outside the laws of the court, he meant. A strange flutter went through you, heat spotting your cheeks again. Shouto’s presence before you was suddenly magnified a hundred fold, and you became singularly aware of the breadth and height of him, the heat of him almost against you.

“You do not want a wife,” you said, well aware of the many years he’d spent bullheadedly resisting the idea.

“I do not want any the ministers have selected for me,” Shouto corrected.

Your whole body felt flushed again. He meant he was amenable to you.

You had never let yourself think it but he was more than amenable to you as well.

“I would keep you safe,” he promised.

You almost slumped to the floor in relief, only Shouto’s grip on you keeping you upright. You would not die. You would not be returned to your village. You would, through all of this, it seemed, keep Shouto’s friendship.

“I know you would,” you said.

Shouto understood your acceptance. Slowly his fingers untwined themselves from your hair, and he drew your robes more firmly around you. Your body burned hot, still, stomach fluttering under his renewed brand of regard.

“I will arrange it quickly,” Shouto said. “You must stay here. I will send someone for you.”

You nodded.

Shouto looked regretful as he stepped back from you. “We will do it properly, later,” he said. “I will pay my respects to your family.”

You waved a hand frantically, shocked by the idea of the future emperor making his bows in your family’s rundown hut. It was not as though you would be his first-ranked wife or empress! He did not need to pay any respects to the family of a concubine out of a common family!

“There is no need,” you insisted, but Shouto was already turning towards the door. You could see by the set of his shoulders this was another thing he meant to be stubborn about.

“I will honor my first and only wife,” he said, turning to pin you with that heterochromatic gaze.

Your mouth dropped open in shock, but you had no time to reply before he was sliding the door closed behind him again, leaving you alone with the sudden weight of the statement. It had all happened so quickly, you had never expected that Shouto meant what he did.

You wondered what it meant that Shouto had made such a promise so readily, when he had known the truth about you for only minutes.

And you wondered if, like your original entry into the palace, you were getting yourself into something far beyond what you initially understood.

[yanderehsr]

What's up doc? 🥕. For this time may I reguest with something suprise? Basically, you can choose any four fem characters that would be the most unsettling, creepy, and controlling yandere for their yandere. Plus, which Ines would most likely break their darling?

Aight then, Hope you'll enjoy😁

Trigger Warning: Yandere, Obsessive behaviour, Possessive behaviour, Murder

Ruan Mei: She is increadibly controlling and she can be real creepy as well, before you get kidnapped by her she kinda just stares at you... all of the time, she doesn't even look away when you catch her in the act.

It is Ruan Mei's way to study you, what if you do something when she isn't looking, she could miss important details about you, detail she can use to control you better. I would rank her 3rd on this list most likely to break her darling, she actually will try to make sure you stay sane.

"I think you need to calm down, do so before I lose my patience as well, If you just do as I tell you we could skip all this"

Edelgard: She isn't the most controlling of yanderes but she's pretty high up there, but it would be rather unsettling to have her as your yandere, she tends to force herself into any conversation you have with others and isolates you from everyone else, she also tends to be rather touchy even if you aren't in a relationship, not like you can stop the future empress from doing what she wants.

Edelgard's controlling side is that she chooses who you can hang out with, she gets really mad if you ignore her commands, Hubert is fine but people like Hilda or Sylvain... yeah no, if they ever get near you their heads will be detached from their bodies, I will rank her as the 4th on how likely she is to break her darling, it's more likely for you to get stockholm syndrome with her than to break.

"It feels nice spending moments alone with you like this... I just have to ask, did I see you speak with Sylvain earlier, I hope not, that would be... tragic"

Junko Enoshima: Unsettling and Creepy to the max, she isn't very controlling tho if at all, she will openly talk with you about murder, torture and any subject you might find horrible, hell she might even kill someone in front of you to see your reaction, she loves seeing you squirm and look afraid. She makes sure you will never feel comfortable with her all so she can see your delicious despair.

Junko isn't afraid either of you telling others anout what she does, why would they believe you over her, it's almost laughable how easy it is to keep you around even with how abusive she is. Very much the most likely to break you, she might even kill you just so she herself can feel despair.

"Did you really try to rat me out, it's almost adorable, tho if you do that again I might just need to kill some of your friends, don't make me too mad darling"

Cocolia: Yup, controlling as all hell, you would also have this unsettling fear every time she looks at you, like you are a possession rather than a human, like you are hers. The sad part is that no one can deny it, you are hers and no one can help you.

Cocolia isn't afraid to get physical with you if you step out of line, she can't have you breaking her rules thats she sets for you, and in her opinion pain is the best way to learn, she doesn't really care if you break as well, if she can't get an obedient lover she would rather have a broken one. Second to most likely to break her darling due to all the physical abuse and uncare towards your feelings

"You are really testing my nerves here you know. It shouldn't be that hard to listen yet you always defy me, such stupidity needs to be punished"

[erraticprocrastinator]

Part 2 of "English Is Hard", the series where I talk about all the annoying details that can make writing a living Hell

Capitalising formal titles.

Oh, God, this one is a doozey.

It can be incredibly difficult to know when you're supposed to capitalise a person's title, especially when you're a new writer or working with characters in a more formal setting for the first time. Here are the tips I use to figure it out myself!

As a general rule, if the sentence would still make sense if the title was replaced with the character's first name, it needs to be capitalised. I've included a couple of examples below to properly explain.

After several moments, the Empress walked away, scowling.

After several moments, Alexandra walked away, scowling.

In this example, "the Empress" could be replaced with the character's first name, and the sentence would still be completely correct, so her title is capitalised.

"She does not want to be an empress, she wants to be normal."

"She does not want to be Alexandra, she wants to be normal."

In this case, although still referring to Alexandra's status as an empress, switching the title with her name does not make sense. This example is referring purely to the position, and not to the individual herself. Hence, it does not need to be capitalised.

Actually, that's another good way of summing it up: if referring to a specific individual, the title should be capitalised, but if referring to merely the position itself, it does not need to be.

A few more examples to expand on this:

Sadly, Queen Elizabeth passed away in 2022.

(the title could be replaced with just the first name and the sentence would still make sense)

Born in 1738, George became king in late 1760.

(the sentence refers to the position of king)

The Prince scurried past, giggling to himself.

He was a very important individual- the president, no less.

Now, when it comes to titles such as "sir" and "madam", the rule is a little different, but not terribly so. These should be capitalised if they are part of a title (eg. "Sir David Attenborough" or "Madam Pomfrey"), but should otherwise be left uncapitalised.

"May I present Sir William Lucas?"

("Sir" in this case is part of William Lucas' official title, and should be capitalised)

"I did not mean any offence, sir."

(in this example, "sir" is not part of a formal title, and does not need to be capitalised, even if the person was speaking to Sir William Lucas)

Madam Pomfrey was chronically overworked and underappreciated,

"I saw a young madam by the lake not long ago, she looked to be stressed."

There are so many other tidbits related to this, so many that I think I may even have to do another post further explaining all the nuances and finer details. Honestly, I could do an entire part just explaining when and how to capitalise family titles. There are a few things I've missed here, and more than likely exceptions to the rules that I've failed to mention, but I hope that this basic guide will help at least a bit.

[jpitha]

Between the Black and Gray 58

First / Previous / Next

Fen rushed through the airlock into Home. "Where is she?" she said, looking around. She was wearing her Empress uniform, but it was mussed and Gord thought that some of the buttons looked like they were not right. He thought that was odd, Fen was always very put together when she was in her role as Empress.

"Fen!" Zhe said as she came into the dock. She had taken a shower and was in clean clothes, her fur still damp. Running up to Fen, she dove into her arms. "You came!"

Fen caught her easily and smiled. "Of course I came, Zhe. When Gord said he found you and you were in a beat up escape pod, I rushed over as soon as I could. "She put her down gently. "What happened? Where's Northern?"

Zhe looked away. "She's... changed Fen. I don't know what happened. Did you know she was a warship? Before, I mean." She looked at Gord and looked back to her. "And again now, I suppose. She's said that Parvati is independent! They want to break away from the Empire."

"They what?" Fen stared hard at Zhe. She didn't look like she was lying, or if she was she believed what she was saying. "Parvati is breaking away?" Her head whipped over to Penny. "Did we know this?"

Penny flipped open her tab and scrolled a little, her slender fingers tapping. "Nothing on the main channels, I'll reach out to the backchannels Fe- Empress."

Fen shook her head. "Zhe is an old friend, Fen is fine."

Penny smiled. "Okay Fen."

Zhe watched the interaction between them. Even though she was K'laxi, Zhe could read human body language. Without the fur that K'laxi had, she actually found it easier. She thought that humans exaggerated their body language, and hardly anyone picked up on it! They were all open books. There was clearly something going on between them. "Fen, aren't you going to introduce me?" She flicked her tail in amusement.

"Oh! Yes!" Fen sputtered, but only for a moment. "Zhe, this is Penny, my assistant and... friend."

"Friend?" Zhe giggled, with a quiet barking noise. "She sure seems like more than that to you Fen. Calling her a friend when she's more doesn't seem nice to her."

"Uh" Fen blushed crimson red. "Yes, she's very... special."

Penny's smirk intrigued Zhe. She was clearly enjoying this. She bowed her head slightly. "Pleased to meet you Zhe, Fen has talked a lot about you."

"Has she now?" Zhe's ears flicked. She was also having a bit of fun at Fen's expense. "We'll have to discuss what she said about me-"

Gord cleared his throat dramatically.

"-later." Zhe said, glancing at Gord.

"I appreciate you coming to quickly after I called." Gord said. "But I assume that you'll be missed if you stay very long. If she's up for it, why doesn't Zhe go with you back to Venus?"

"Yes! That's a wonderful idea, Gord. What do you think, Zhe? Want to come back with us to Venus?" Fen said. She was just happy the conversation moved away from Penny and Zhe ribbing her about Penny.

"Sure, I guess. Are things going to be weird on Venus because I'm K'laxi?"

"Not at all! I've got entire labs of K'laxi helping us with research. You should see some of it Zhe, it's real wild stuff. I have K'laxi on staff, and even some Sefigans have been invited down to work with us. One of the few nice things about being Empress is that I can tell people to do stuff, and they actually do it! I said that we're going to stop all this Humans First nonsense, and they did!" Fen was becoming more and more animated as she explained more about what she was doing.

"Or they moved it underground." Zhe said

"I suppose..." Fen said. "But that's not important now. Come with me, let me show you around, it'll be like old times."

Later, aboard the ship Fen had commandeered, the three of them were eating dinner in Fen's quarters. The Captain had given up her room for them during the trip. The link to Venus and landing was only going to be a couple of hours.

"Okay, so give me the details." Zhe said, around a mouth of food.

"Details?" Fen said, but her cheeks started to flush again.

"Hah! You know what I mean, I can see it on you. How long have you been with Penny?"

"Oh, um, half a year or so." Fen said, blushing again. "She came on as my assistant and she was so good at it. She really helped me get a handle on this whole Empress thing. She's just so smart, and capable and and..."

"And pretty?" Zhe said, smiling.

"So pretty, don't you agree?" Fen said, nodding quickly. Penny smirked and watched the two of them.

"Oh you two. You flatterers." Penny said, taking a sip of coffee. "Let me know if you want to join us, Zhe. It would be fun."

"I-er, um, that is, I mean, thanks, but... I need to think about it." Zhe said, her fur rippling up and down in embarrassed waves.

Now, it was Fen's turn to grin. "Actually, yeah, let us know Zhe." She laughed. She turned to Penny. "So what do we know about Parvati? Zhe explained what she learned from Northern, does that match up with what we know?"

"We haven't heard anything official from the Parvatian government yet," Penny said, "But nothing we've found has indicated that Zhe's information is incorrect. Though we also don't know what they mean to do about it. Announcing your independence is one thing, but fighting to keep it is another entirely. We don't even know if the rest of Parvati is onboard with this. Northern could be part of a rogue splinter group."

"Northern was the one that fired the relativistic impactors at the shipyards and bases on Luna." Zhe said, quietly.

"Hmm." Penny made some quick notes in her pad. "Did you tell Gord?"

Zhe shook her head. "No, I didn't. He didn't ask, and..."

"And Northern was still your friend," Penny said.

Zhe nodded and said nothing.

"Northern did that?" Fen said softly. "She was the one that did all that damage, killed all those people?"

Zhe nodded. "I was aboard. She said it was the only way to get your attention. I didn't want to do it. When she launched and explained what she was doing - that was when I ran away." Her eyes were wet with tears. "I'm so sorry Fen. I didn't want to do it."

Fen stood up and walked over to Zhe. She embraced her while she was sitting and leaned her head against her shoulder. "You didn't do it, Zhe. Northern did. You didn't build those weapons, you didn't launch them. It wasn't your fault."

"She's making more! She'll attack again." Zhe said, sobbing. "I don't know what to do."

"We're going to be prepared for it this time." Penny said, firmly. "We've set up more beacons around the inner system. We have large masses with wormhole generators in key locations. The beacons will detect the wormholes, and will immediately link the masses into the path of the weapons. They'll connect with them, and will be knocked off course, or ideally destroyed."

"Will it work?" Zhe sniffed.

Penny nodded firmly. "It will. We're ready now."

When they returned to Venus, Fen and Penny were whisked away for a debriefing and an update about what had happened while they were gone. Zhe was given VIP status, and a heavily armed guard brought her to Fen's suite, saluted sharply, and closed the door behind them.

Zhe walked around the suite, and sighed. It was only a couple of years ago that they were all together and running around the galaxy, but it felt so much longer. Every door she tried was unlocked, she seemed to have the same access as Fen and Penny. The bathroom was larger than the kitchen on the Heap. In the corner was a massive bathtub made of some kind of pinkish stone, and the shower could easily wash fifteen or twenty people at once. The changing room next to the bathroom was just as large, and contained outfits of every single shape, size, and color that Zhe had ever seen, there was enough to clothe everyone Zhe had ever met. The bed was huge, and fluffy and completely comfortable. Zhe flopped into the bed and snuggled down. It had been a busy and stressful few hours. She was glad that she was back with Fen, and Penny seemed really nice. For the first time in a long time, things were starting to make sense again. She drifted off to sleep in the bed of the Empress of the Human Empire.

[icedjuiceboxes]

Do you ever think about if the whalers actually meant to kill Jessamine in front of Emily?

Like, maybe I missed details about them and Daud. But I swear they never torture targets unless deemed necessary (ie for information). And Dishonored isn't the game to hold back on horrible things people done to others. There's lots of notes/books detailing shit what gangs have done, and its clear gangs tortured people, to either make a point or revenge. but the whalers? I can't recall any mention of it. I only remember reading they're a) really fucking good assassins and b) Daud and the outsider.

So to kill a mother in front of her daughter? Traumatizing her like that? I think it was another mishap. Another mistake they didn't plan for just like Corvo showing up two days early. I think Daud was meant to kidnap Emily first.

When he shows up in the gazebo, the first thing he does is grab Emily. Maybe it was so she didn't run off, but with his abilities? It's not like she couldn't have ran far. Jessamine then attacks Daud to release Emily, and that's when his attention is turned to her and he stabs her. Then, the whaler holding Corvo releases him to grab Emily as she tries to run.

But what if. He also didn't expect Emily to be there either. We know Billie was involved with the assassination. But we don't see her at all during the attack. Why would she not be there for the killing? The most important part of the mission? Because she was the one tasked to kidnapping Emily. Daud handles the killing, and Billie was trusted with the kidnapping. So what if Billie was in the Tower, searching every room for the young empress that should have been there. Maybe Emily had a lesson, but as soon as she caught wind Corvo's ship was returning, she rushed out to be there to greet him.

Anyway. Some food for thought. Also I need to explore Daud's regret of killing an empress, but does he regret killing a mother? And Emily deserves to confront his ass about it. If only I had a comic about that- oh wait I do. And 3 parts are out already hahahaha. Wow crazy.

(Read that here)

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

God I had the shittest brain blast, absolute monster of ideas, and something that can help us define the trolls because of shitty clone genetics.

First, do the dancestors food into the ultimate self due to how troll genetics work? If so who is the dominate or does it form into someone a balance of the two? Like Karkat (angry and passionate)/ Kankri (knowledable and verbose) combine into the Sufferer or someone close to that?

Second, is Mituna’s brain damage the reason why for Sollux’s dullaity motif, specifically his psiionic troll bipolar brain? If so does that mean Skaia make each and every dancestor the opposite in terms of character development? Meenah’s a bitch so fef is kind? Kurloz’s belief where ignored so Gamzee is both oblivious (pre-supor) and visibly fantatical (post supor)? It seems like with Mituna and Sollux it’s more Sollux need to learn to deal with his disorder which Mituna couldn’t because his friends couldn’t/didn’t want to help him

Finally, from each pair of dancestors being opposites of what their character needs to become yet at the same time lacks, can we figure out their sgrub quest? Meenah needed to learn how to become empress and not such a huge glubbing bitch( which she failed) and Feferi, if left alone, becomes the empress, a direct result of no one challenging her on her ideal of kindness and compassion towards the lowbloods (another reason for nepeta to become so important in her life). The vantas’s seem destined for revolution it’s just that the coin flip of Alternia and Beforus determines if they are successful or not.

Last thing I want to add what the fuck does troll fanfiction mean because who exactly is writing it, because it’s kinda shit ngl. The beforans? Alternians? One of the Sekrets? Piexes?

Just going in order again:

The dancestors are wholly separate individuals from the Alternian trolls, and are therefore not a part of each Alternian trolls' ultimate selfhood. There is theoretically an ultimate Cronus and ultimate Eridan, and these are 100% discrete from each other with zero overlap. The Alternian ancestors (aka signless, disciple, etc.) are full-on just the Dancestors placed in different circumstances, who therefore grew up to be different people. Kankri always had it in him to become the Signless, he just failed to do so in his original session.

Skaia didn't "make" anyone do anything. Each person is their own individual with their own individual struggles, flaws, and arc. The A1 trolls often mirror their A2 counterparts, in Watsonian terms, because of genetic resemblance and similar cultural positions, and, in Doylist terms, because it makes solid narrative sense to have them serve as foils for their descendants, which necessarily requires them to be similar, with key opposite traits or circumstances. If there's anyone to blame here, it's the author for wanting to employ literary devices like foils and irony.

Moreover, I think you're missing many details about the trolls - for example, Gamzee has always been a staunch believer in his faith, Kurloz's belief is also something his friends are aware of, and Feferi has always been a kind of a casteist jackass (I wouldn't necessarily call her "kind" toward the lowbloods when it's clear that a Beforus under her rule still very much had casteism, royalty, and oppressed the lowbloods). It's a bit hard to discuss these things if we aren't on the same page.

At the end of the day, for any character who doesn't outright say what their SBURB/SGRUB quest was, we can only speculate. There's no way to know "for sure," and, in fact, no indication that Hussie even necessarily came up with any, as that entire part of the story was truncated because such details were unnecessary: it can be assumed every troll had a personal quest, since that's how the game works, and it can be assumed that they all basically failed said quest to varying degrees, because their comprehensive failures are what spur on much of the plot. No other details are necessary, and as such, were neither written nor alluded to (and Hussie outright says that this is the case for their entry artifacts). It's fun to speculate, but in terms of discussing the canon, there's nothing there to discuss.

I also have no idea what you're referring to re: troll fanfiction. Meulin canonically writes RPF about her friends, Hussie has referred to Mindfang's diary as being an explicit riff on overly flowery, sexual fanfiction, and has also in-universe called Doc Scratch's recounting of the ancestors' lives that. IDK what else you might be thinking of.

[adorastarot]

Yoongi's path towards his fs please🥺👉👈

Hiii sweet non <3 It's hereeee! Thank you so much for being patient with me this week, I have been catching up on private readings and I am still not fully caught up! But I decided to release this reading because I miss doing Tumblr readings <3

♡ This reading will have a follow-up reading for Ko-fi monthly members [view here] - More details on Yoongi's Path towards his fs

Yoongi's path to his fs

Ace of cups, page of pentacles, death

To be honest, in terms of Yoongi’s path, the main theme seems to be him becoming open to new opportunities and allowing his emotions to guide him a little bit better. He kind of does this already but he also becomes anxious at times and this doesn’t allow him to fully focus on his emotions and listen to these emotions. I feel like Yoongi has only scratched the surface when it comes to following intuition and allowing his emotions to run wild/ get out of hand. Because at times it’s ok for emotions to get out of hand. I feel like he lacks dedication towards himself, improvement and change. He is simply not committed to this right now. There is a lot of shedding that Yoongi still needs to do if he wants to be on the right path to his fs, but the death card is really calling out to me today, so I wonder if at times he calls out to his fs.

His fs’ path to Yoongi

4 of swords, the empress, 8 of cups

Yoongi’s fs needs a breaaak! A long overdue break. They are always doing something, their mind never stops, they constantly work, constantly have friends around and they just need to stop. Go into hermit mode to gather their thoughts. We know this person is powerful, they can manifest things with a snap of their fingers that’s how amazing they are, I heard “untouchable” but they just keep forgetting this! They keep forgetting how magnetic their energy is and it is very frustrating to me as a reader! I feel like this person emotionally and mentally overload themselves and they need to stop doing this and connect with themselves again. They may need to learn to let go of things that aren’t serving them anymore, but also let go of expectations that they have of others. I still feel like this person is searching for a more fulfilling career path too and once they get on this path this will help them move towards Yoongi, but right now I don’t see this being a necessity.

The energy of the path towards each other

The lovers, 7 of pentacles, 8 of cups

They…just need to decide to open up to each other. I also can’t help but feel like this upcoming Libra season is going to be a very important time for this connection and things may start to fall into place for these two. They are very in sync with each other to the point where at times they may feel each other’s energies. Communication n in the 3D is currently blocked though, but not for long. The movement will be coming and a lot of changes will be made soon, These two will be getting out of their comfort zones and I heard they need to “get out into the world” They may be travelling very far away soon but not for long. Sometimes it takes strength to walk away from tricky situations.

[voyeur-clairvoyant]

Hot take of the night:

After watching 50+ tarot de marseille channels on youtube I have some conclusions

Either all of them are dumb fucks or they straight up give a shit about history (and I'm a walking bathtub of acid).

Like, I GET that someone is the 90's had less resources so YEAH! I can understand if they believe some silly myths like "tarot was made in Egypt" and shit like that.

NOW, IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 2024 I CAN'T STAND another bitch saying "✨The Lover card is all about choices✨". WHAT?? Like, be fucking serious! That's a factual mistake due to poor artistic skills and missing info.

Then again, I can understand it from someone who had to learn by themself 50 years ago BUT YOU HAVE A PHONE AND YOU HAVE WIFI and by god you're lucky I don't have your adress cause I'd be on the fucking news.

LOVE. THE FUCKING CARD IS ABOUT LOVE.

I'm serious. Either many of them are dumb as a rock or they give a massive shit about history and basic facts and I'm ready to commit first degreee homicide.

"✨The Hanged man is about self-sacrifice and perspective✨" Wrong

"✨Death is actually not about death at all but E V O L U T I O N✨" Wrong

(talking about tarot de marseille and other classic decks. I'm a massive "no one cares about" enjoyer of the esoteric decks)

If I hear another one of them say ANYTHING about the fucking flowers or the fucking leaves in the minor arcana I'm hunting them down and eating them cannibal style, ok? Are all on the same page? Jesus Chirst, basic shit like why the Bataleur has "potential and power over the elements". They have NO idea, like, do they seriously think tarot is just a list of wacky pictures with fortune cookie level of messages added to 'em at random??

How many readers read with a tarot deck but can't actually read tarot?? (subtle but important difference)

Basic stuff like the fucking context. NO, the Rider-White-Smith deck is not the first one, and for god's sake tarot has nothing to do with Egypt and that's lowkey a racist take. Fuck you Gebellin, but at least you were a moron with historic blindness, IN THE OTHER HAND, you tarot "master" with internet access and a youtube channel, can you repeat that shit about how "tarot is actually the sacred texts of Thoth hidden into playing cards" or are we normal about historic records?

The fucking obsession with the little details. And fuck, I'm a devil's advocate so I can see how incredible must be from a surreal perspective the use of Dali's paranoid-critical method on tarot HOWEVER, I'm tired, Im so fucking tired about the meaningless details.

The Fool is not carrying a spoon, bitch be fucking real hashasha. It's a rod, a simple stich to carry his bundle of few belongings.

The missing leg on the Bataleur's table is not hiding on the Papesse's card or talking about secrets and hidden info. LOOK at the fucking card and use your brain: It's not there because the artist made a poor woodcut and the table was too big for the card. That's it.

Wheel of Fortune is a gore scene from an artistic pov. Absolutely destroyed.

The Empress has no fucking wings, again, be for real, it's just a badly drawn throne.

The lines in the Papesse's book mean absolutely nothing.

No one cares about if Death is cutting it's own foot.

Hermit's lamp used to be an hourglass because the card is TIME but then again, who cares.

I'm so tired about all this nonsense and this is just the basic level of nonsense hahaha. I'm not even touching the fucking monster that the New Age (and Alejandro Jodorowsky) created. The fucking white-washing of all cards and context into pathetic and unrelated new interpretations without any actual deep.

People have a natural fear of death. And shit! You can see how bad it was that even its name was banished into the "Arcane sans nom" or the "Arcane 13". People have always been pissing and shitting their pants thinking about death.

BUT BITCH, even that was fairest and more honest than straight up pretending Death has nothing to do with death. The little cunty names like "change" and "transformation" are the same shit as the arcane sans nom just done more cowardly. Am I being a dick? Yes, absolutely, I'm sorry for what I'm saying but this is my vent post of the year.

Tarot is something so humble, simple and human that the mere idea of talking about it as something "hidden" or "arcane" makes me sick. It's right there! You already know it! Love! Death! Time! Fame!

You have been on this planet for idk how many fucking years, you know the Sun, the Moon, the Stars. What else do you need?

Tarot should be easy and humble but instead we have a massive ton of bullshit about how "mysterious" and "enigmatic" the cards are, mixed with another ton of white washed nonsense and historic blindness. Look at the card!!! Look beyond the details of the artistic interpretation!!! Look beyond the shadow casted by the puppet and look beyond the puppet and into the light of the prime fire!!!

"✨The Lover card has actually nothing to do with love✨" and shit like that are not the revolutionay statement they think it is. As a matter of fact it's a prideful demonstration of their own ignorance.

Tarot IS easy, humble, obvious, and clear and I'm willing to die in this fucking hill. (once again, talking about TdM and classic tarot. The esoteric decks are their own hell ahshasa)

[asheervasilissa]

Yao Dàiyù (曜黛玉) - Info

AKA, me throwing random OC details to see if I can draw afterwards.

Yao Dàiyù (曜黛玉) translates as "Beautiful" (曜, Yao) and "Black Jade" (黛玉, Dàiyù).

Although at the start it was an unintentional detail, It grew to have a heavier weight in her character.

Jade (anciently also called Nephrite) was a valuable gemstone for multiple qualities, in Ancient China being considered one of its, if not the most, valuable gemstone. Those qualities that made it so valuable tend to hold a sort of weight in her character's design, personality or clothing-wise:

✧ Jade (as a whole) has subtle or not so subtle representations in her design through jewelry or engravings

✧ Its hardness and durability have a weight in her personality, making her a cold and hard to crack female with a unwavering stubborness when It comes to certain things.

✧ Strangely enough, jade does have musical qualities, which later influenced her own musical skills with the guzheng, xíqin and more.

✧ Immortality and soul. There's no need to explain this much, as this complements Qin Shi Huang's search of the "Elixir of life".

✧ Jade is also known and believed to have healing properties, which is passed onto Dàiyù, who besides being the empress is also a very skilled medic in multiple areas

Also, can't remember if I clarified this Is an OC, un-historical accuracy

She possesses various titles, all with its differences and reasons to be.

✧ Qínwáng hòu (秦王后), translates as "Queen of Qin" or "Queen Qin", title she held since her marriage until 221 BC, when the warring states got unified.

✧ Qín Huánghòu (秦皇后), which its direct translation would be "Empress of Qin", which became her oficial title beyond 221 BC until her death in 210 BC.

✧ Qin Zàishēng (秦再生), translates separately as 'Qin' (秦) and 'Renaissance' (再生) which is sometimes considered a synonym for 'Rebirth', so her translated title is "Rebirth/Renaissance of Qin", which symbolizes the changes of the kingdom, now empire, under her and Qin Shi Huang's reigning times.

✧ Qín shì ruǎnyù (秦氏軟玉), translates as 'Qin's nephrite'. Nephrite was understood as another word for jade, which at the time was one of the more, if not the most, important gemstones in the empire and chinese culture. This title emphasized the empress' importance, title, and value inside the empire.

This is all of my OC for now, again, more than obvious that she's shipped/paired with Qin Shi Huang from RoR, doesn't mean I'm calling him mine.

The character of Qin Shi Huang doesn't belong to me.

Again, thanks anyone who came this far reading the info, I'm missing her backstory and many other things, Will post It soon? Dunno'.

[lunarsilver]

What awaits you in December?

As always, choose the picture or number you feel most drawn to.

REMEMBER

I’m not a doctor, a psychiatrist, a therapist nor a psychologist. Tarot readings will never replace meetings with them.

It’s a general reading, so not everything will resonate.

If you can’t choose between two piles, probably both of them have some messages for you. You can also not identify with any of them and that’s okay too.

Readings can help you make a decision, but they shouldn’t be the main reason of making it.

1 ~ 2 ~ 3

PILE 1

Theme (Major Arcana only): The Lovers – Back of the Deck: The Empress

More info: Ace of Pentacles (R) – Ace of Cups (R) – The Fool – Back of the Deck: Seven of Swords (R)

Oh man, so many cards related to new beginnings!

The theme of your December will be relationships and feminity (regardless of your gender). The deck I used for this part of the reading futures characters from a certain game – both of them are young girls being in touch with who they are and what they want (maybe some of you play Genshin Impact and Barbara or Fischl are somehow special for you). There’s this stepping into your power and embracing who you are. Even if some may think your hobbies or how you express yourself is weird or cringe, there is also a lot people out there that would adore you and appreciate what you do for them.

As I said at the beginning, the second part of the reading kinda shocked me, literally all of the cards except the one at the back talk about some sort of a new start, pretty straightforward. This December is a whole new beginning, why wait for the new year. Be careful, there’s some chance you can miss if you won’t act. Plan ahead. There will be some looking into yourself, understanding your emotions. Do you have an imposter syndrome? There will be harder moments, but The Fool heralds a new beginning, stepping into your power and having fun with discovering new things. Seriously, getting to know yourself better and embracing it just keeps popping up. A truly „stop cringing, embrace the cringe” message.

Kinda an afterthought, but your relationships with family can be important, most likely with your parents and/or siblings, especially with your (older) sister.

PILE 2

Theme (Major Arcana only): Death (R) – Back of the Deck: The World

More info: Queen of Wands (R) – Three of Pentacles – Five of Pentacles – Back of the Deck: Knight of Wands

Looks like you will experience some blockages and stagnancy, but it’s also pretty clear this December is all about your inner self: seeking closure and inner transofrmation. It isn’t really about outer world, more about you yourself. Maybe some of you will feel a little stuck in your spirituality or disconnected from your ancestors/spirits. In case any of you plays Genshin Impact, I used a deck with characters from it for this part of the reading and the ones on your cards are Hu Tao and Paimon, maybe they’re somehow significant to you.

Now, going more into details – we have Wands and Pentacles here, fire and earth. Do you plan to visit some older building, all in white and beige, maybe abandoned, full of plants? Pretty specific, but it came to my mind when I was looking at the pictures of the Pentacles cards, they have both a pretty similar vibe, calming and kinda mysterious. A museum? Renaissance vibes.

Yeah, this Queen of Wands in reverse? That’s what I was talking about earlier, you concentrate energy on yourself now. You may spend more time alone, to understand yourself better. However! It doesn’t mean you won’t have people around you, after all we have two cards from the Court here. You will work on some project together. Remember about clear communication with each other. Nearer the end of December you can have some struggles; save some money for sure, and remember to have reliable people around you. You know, if you ever feel lonely, remember it’s always temporary. Knight of Wands says you’ve got it! You have this passion and determination, pile 2, you can do this! Oops, the Knight slided out of the pile and The Lovers showed up from under it. So, there was this feeling in me that for some of you The Knight can actually represent someone else that will be important for you during December, and I feel like these Lovers kinda confirm it. Some bond, maybe? As if this Knight was about to bring a precious relationship, you are the queen and someone else is the knight – for some, of course. Alternatively, it’s a confirmation of my words: you will do it. Some choices are to be made, and you have the fire in you to make it.

PILE 3

Theme (Major Arcana Only): The Tower – Back of the Deck: Justice

More info: The Hanged Man – King of Pentacles – Six of Swords – Back of the Deck: Knave of Wands (R)

Okay, guys, some major, sudden change, a big event or process that can be hard for you to handle. After The Tower usually something better comes to us, so keep it in mind when it won’t be easy for you. This change is related to what Justice represents: clarity and truth, cause and effect, Justice doesn’t take anybody’s shit. Whatever it is, justice will be served. For some, it can be more literal, be about law. For others, maybe someone who treated you unfair or bullied you is going to deal with the consequences. If you feel like you can be the bad guy in someone’s scenario, it’s time to change. Wow, sorry for being so serious here, just gotten into this mood after seeing the cards. In case any of you plays Genshin Impact, I used a deck with characters from it for this part of the reading and the ones on your cards are Raiden Shogun and Jean, maybe they’re somehow important to you. Some problems with keeping balance in your life?

Moving on, the beginning of this December is about letting go, stopping for a moment, reflecting, looking from a different perspective. It looks like you will be in your power, pile 3! Money, work – you have this under control. Maybe you will be some kind of a leader. Working on some passion project? There’s this stability and reliability in you, even thought different things can be frustrating. Remember to be patient. The end of the December will bring you a transition of some kind, leaving something behind – probably The Tower will be in ruin by now and you will start something new, better than what this Tower was. We have here Major Arcana, Pentacles, Swords and Wands, we only lack Cups (I actually saw a reversed King of Cups while shuffling but it didn’t pop out) – this can signalize a disconnection from feelings. Remember to give yourself some time to think about why you feel a certain way.

[vegaseatsass]

I am so rusty at writing that I hesitate to ever talk about writing things, because I almost never finish them, and even if I did, I'm not sure I would share anything publicly right now lol sob, but I'd still like to try to write something for the KPTS Prompt Fest. So I wish to once again use polls to make my decisions for me! (Thank u all for ur help in the tv poll btw; having a great time w/ Theory of Love & Little Women!) Tl;dr: Help break me out of my decision paralysis and choose one thing for me to focus on writing! (Detailed prompts after the poll)

Excerpts of full prompts beneath the cut.

1. Vegas/Porsche arranged marriage:

Bonus points for Vegas resenting Porsche for being the son his father has always wanted (or in the version where Gun's already dead, for stealing his birthright), and plotting little schemes before their marriage to ruin him and the like, and Porsche disarming him the more they get to know each other. Extra bonus points if Vegas betrays him anyway, just like in canon, but the fondness is still real (for both of them), and makes it hurt more on both sides.

2. Vegas wakes up main family heir: Vegas goes to sleep wishing, not for the first time, that he'd been born to the main family. He wakes up in an alternate universe where his grandfather made Gun the main family heir, not Korn. Gun is not a better father in this timeline. 3. Vegaskinn arranged marriage: Korn strong arms the minor family into a marriage agreement to, he claims, ease the tensions between them, but actually because he would like to collect Vegas and Macau under his roof, like chess pieces or pokemon.

It would be fun if this were set after Vegas's big betrayal, as his punishment, instead of being blacklisted and going to the safehouse, but it can also be something AU/pre-canon. The hilarious idea popped into my head of Korn having already arranged Tankhun/Porsche and Kim/Chay marriages long before he decided Kinn/blood-related nephew should happen. Alternatively, maybe Kim/Chay and Kinn/Porsche as preexisting relationships make Korn confident in his hold on the Kittisawats, and he assumes Kinn/Vegas will be a loveless Emperor/Empress marriage up against Porsche as Kinn's most beloved noble consort. 4. Porsche and Big bodyswap: Cue Big experiencing the exquisite pain of Kinn looking at him with adoration and want, but it's not actually HIM he's looking at, and fighting himself on what to do when Kinn wants to touch him. Cue Porsche having to get along with Ken and pretend he loves doing nothing but shittalking himself all day. Cue Porsche picking up on the fact that Chan is completely gone for him (for Big) after years of Big missing all the signals? Comedy, angst, any ships you want!

5. Tankhun and Kim start hearing each other's thoughts, and can't turn it off. It's actually worse when they're not in the same physical vicinity, they start hearing more of what the other is thinking and worse, so they have to start spending a lot of time together to keep the thoughts calmer and less invasive. This means Kim joining Khun for horror movie night, and yes, he does have to dress up, and Khun joining Kim…on tour? Can he do it? And what do they learn about each other when they are physically separated? What lurks in the deeps of their psychologies?

RAPE/NON-CON WARNING FOR THE REST OF THESE

6. Vegaspete, puppyplay. Vegas makes Pete wear puppy ears and a puppy tail butt plug and bark. Totally up to you if it's noncon at the safehouse or consensual after that.

7. Vegas sex pollens Kinn: Kinn is at a very important professional function surrounded by very important professional contacts when Vegas, who is also at said function, slips a drug with aphrodisiac properties into his food/drink/expensive cologne/whatever. Kinn valiantly tries to maintain his self-control, but he's only human, and before the end of the night someone — or even a team of someones — ends up having to somehow fuck Kinn until he cries while not giving any rival crime families any inkling. (@vegaseatsass note: I would 100% write this as Vegas planning to leave Kinn alone to deal with his situation, hoping he will fail but counting on Kinn superhumanly outlasting the drug, and then getting possessive about it and rushing in to take control the second it looks like Kinn's going to capitulate to unworthy outsiders. Apologies in advance to the anon that I am a Vegaskinn sicko and not a Kinn whump sicko; I hope they get this filled by a gangbang connoisseur!)

8. Vegaspete handcuffed together: Vegas and Pete are kidnapped at the auction. They wake up naked and handcuffed together. Vegas makes the most of it.

[manuscripts-dontburn]

Stone Blind

Author: Natalie Haynes

First published: 2022

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I am so, so sorry, but this one was a mess. The Gods ruin it, because they are, in fact, 21st century teenagers. The other thing that ruins it is a million points of view which chop the story up in a way that takes every exciting moment away, stretching it until you just do not care one bit. And Medusa? She is a minor character, to the point of being in the story for less than even half of it. Natalie Haynes can do better and has done better.

What Maisie Knew

Author: Henry James

First published: 1897

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Dear Lord... I think this was the most tedious and boring book I have read this year so far. If I was not listening to it on audio, I would have DNF-ed it halfway through. I was hoping for much, much more from a classic dealing with a child of a messy divorce and custody battle in times when divorce was still a dirty word. Sadly this is just a mix of awful people and a desperately naive kid in situations that are so repetitive I could have cried.

The Golden Enclaves

Author: Naomi Novik

First published: 2022

Rating: ★★★★☆

I cannot deny this whole series has issues, mainly it needed much, much more editing, and the info-dumps, so often taking a form of a stream of consciousness, can get tiring. And yet, this last book ties it together with a bow so well, I cannot help but applaud Naomi Novik for creating an original, interesting, and captivating version of the world. The finale left me positively breathless.

Elisabeth: portraits of an Empress

Author: Brigitte Hamann

First published: 1998

Rating: ★★★★★

A very nice, quite comprehensive gallery of official portraits, photographs and prints of the famous Empress, that would make a perfect companion to a full-blown biography. Perhaps the one by Brigitte Hamann herself.

The Seed Keeper

Author: Diane Wilson

First published: 2021

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Some parts of this book are extremely touching and well-written. Unfortunately, other parts bored me. I felt like the author needed to make the story tighter, and more focused. Much of what was happening seemed to only skim a surface of a situation, many of which could carry great importance within the story.

Off With Her Head: Three Thousand Years of Demonizing Women in Power

Author: Eleanor Herman

First published: 2022

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

(Wo)Maaan this was a MESS. I don´t even know where to start.There is really no logic in how the narrative is arranged. The history part is only about 25%, 10% talk about women in other places than US and the overwhelming majority of information is about Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris and Nanci Pelosi. Essentially, if you have even a tiny interest in US politics, there is nothing new or surprising (though of course, it can still make you angry). The only thing this book says is that there are awful double standards and women in power have always been treated much more harshly and cruelly than men - something we all know, cannot dispute and it could have been a Tumblr post. But frankly, Mary Beard said the same thing with fewer words and greater impact in her Women & Power: A Manifesto.I feel kinda bad about rating this book so low, considering the topic, but this was just too basic and not well put together.

Nightingales: The Extraordinary Upbringing and Curious Life of Miss Florence Nightingale

Author: Gillian Gill

First published: 2004

Rating: ★★★★☆

The amount of research done for this book and the included details that stem from it is simply astonishing. That can be seen as both an advantage and a disadvantage of the book, depending on what you want and how much of it you want. If you read this only to familiarize yourself with the remarkable Florence Nightingale, you will be probably swamped by the wealth of information about her extended family (and even some ancestors) and the almost tedious narration of her life before the Crimean mission. However, if you like family sagas, delving deep into Victorian daily life and attitudes, you will have your fill with this book. The title is indeed truthful to the content. One also must mention that even though dense, the book is very readable and easy to navigate (at least once you get over all those ancestors).

The Rules of Magic

Author: Alice Hoffman

First published: 2017

Rating: ★★★★★

Do you like - magical realism? - strong and believable family ties? - romance? - beautiful writing? Then pick up this book.

Triangle: The Fire That Changed America

Author: David von Drehle

First published: 2003

Rating: ★★★★☆

I had some problems following the opening chapters dealing with the hidden politics of New York in the early 1900s, and the frequent breaks in the narrative to introduce nearly everyone felt sometimes jarring, but all in all, this was a well-researched and sensitive tribute to those who lost their lives during this horrific event. It is also a loud call-out of greed and its favorite child, capitalism. What truly terrifies one is the fact, that things like this still happen and the underlying reasons are always the same.

The House is on Fire

Author: Rachel Beanland

First published: 2023

Rating: ★★★★☆

This is a solid piece of historical fiction that uses the same style that made books like Salt to the Sea and All the Light We Cannot See so very readable: short chapters that keep changing points of view. I liked the fact that the whole book is set during just three days, showing how quickly and unexpectedly lives can completely change. I was also glad to learn about this tragic event - the historian in me is always, always interested in learning.

The Corset

Author: Laura Purcell

First published: 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

Not gonna lie, this was pretty great! Sure, the story of Dorothea is not really as engaging as the story of Ruth, but Dorothea´s chapters provide a welcome breathing space from the suspense and horror of Ruth´s. The longer you read the more difficult the book is to put down. Excellent gothic novel.

Empty Theatre: or, The Lives of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and Empress Sisi of Austria (Queen of Hungary), Cousins, in Their Pursuit of Connection and Beauty...

Author: Jac Jemc

First published: 2023

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I was stunned by how purposefully artless the writing was. I also believe a "satire" should be more than just being snarky about real historical people. The whole thing felt extremely pointless. Save your time for better books, all ya readers of historical fiction.

The Brontës: The Fantastically Feminist (and Totally True) Story of the Astonishing Authors

Author: Anna Doherty

First published: 2022

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Sweet and simple introduction to the magnificent Bronte sisters for little kids.

Little Fires Everywhere

Author: Ng Celeste

First published: 2017

Rating: ★★★☆☆

This is a very, very good book. It was, unfortunately, simply not for me, who gets easily bored by American middle-class drama. The most interesting parts dealt directly with the adoption case, which turned out to be a subplot rather than the main event.

[solardick]

First draft of card З.

Should include completion. Start or finish. Openess vs. enclosure. Destination. Work. Spring. Winding paths or streams. The Card stands between homeland, connected by english to the world card. Travel, the chariot and the И card as strength. A strong association to number three.being interconnected. Thus also to card number 3, Вv. Still undefined.

Though by tarot is the Empress and by latin overlay the high priestess.

Geographically and historically the card would represent the great European steppes and the forest.

At the same time a dozen russian words starting with letter Зз.

Background card is from lo scarabeo’s the law of attraction deck. Which may also be found in russian print. A modern yet, antique oracle class deck. Mixing modern day tenchology and connections to the olden pre-war era.

In addition to the card, by deduction, may be delegated to number 12. Which by russian Cyrillic overlay is the justice card. By tarot to the hanged man. Or by latin overlay to the hermit.

Number twelve is also curios as it stands as midday, noon hour, also the hanged man card. As completion of the zodiac wheel. As it stands for the combining and merging of both sunset and sunrise to, midday. Only missing the unspoken midnight. Which also stands as the completion of the hourly clock. Though because of the stronger connection it has to labour, and easter, and travel also being found between the chariot and the present card of saint george. The midnight image is left to the dream. Or relegated to the purging of the witch trials, by the american west. Or simply on another hand to the evil’s plaguing the land or the feminine body. As Saint- george rescues the damsel princess from the dragon. And rides off into the sunset as a martyr for not sacrificing his beliefs to the pagan gods. But on the negative note against the feminine and homeland or world are also the evils of industrialism destroying mother earth. In the case of carbon emissions and nuclear waste.

As number 15, by the present card of repeating 3’s. Is the devil card. Though this is the Only other letter card in the deck that may take advantage of this. Having a letter and a number being synonymous by image. As said the devil card by tarot. The open to debate chosen death card Oo. Representing among other things, portents and natural omens with the guise of Waite’s magician card. And russian letter H(n). Which by tarot is the lovers card. It gets rather complicated here. As various images come into play which may be connected to others yet unrelated to the present subject. But, having an H stand in for an N is a matter of conflicting perceptions and habit formed association that puts old a language or cultural barrier. As the russian in this case are seemingly saying No to love and harmony and, subject to prejudice.

To fallow on point is that the association, connection to these following cards and images is considered a lesser arcana addition. To be distinguished from the classical major and minor attributions of tarot. There are no minor arcana as shown in the 4 divisions of elements and numbers one through 14 or one through ten with added face cards. The minor arcana of the “trumps major” are majuscule and minuscule letters. A trump major gives extra power to a word by its majuscule form starting a word or a person’s name. Elevating it, aggrandizing it, in the literal sense and not just in the aphorical sense. This is to say that the difference is a minute detail of lesser importance. Though for russian, there isn’t much difference between a major and minor letter. For they are mostly identical, except for in a few cases.

The minor arcana as are known popular by divination are a completely separate and an unrelated aspect of a tarot deck. None ever held much for imagery. And it was mostly left open to others searching for added weight of the missing elements for use in their purposes. They are an addition to aid in divinatory purposes. But, its pretty clear that the alphabet holds major and minor cases. And the minor arcana is a glorified poker deck. With four extra face cards. This is not to dismiss importance, just to make clear the distinction from the major and minor arcanas of the alphabetical suit.

So current theory for the “trumps” major and minor combined with the goal of unity or world peace. Merging alphabets and what-not, a complication affair. Is in assigning multiple letters. My explanation of this is rather meek. But bare with me. The russian language, more so than english. Has variable letter pronounciations. O sounds like A, D sounds like T. Combining the pictorial definitions of tarot with english(latin) and russian cyrilic. … One of the few exceptions of this in english is the letter C. It is a phonemic equalivant to letter S. indistuishable. This plays to notion of the devil S in the mind C. As the sea and to see can only be contrasted by written form or by spoken contextual form. As goes with the devil wispering motivation to sinful actions. Or to mistaken impressions. Example luCid, Circus, penCil, Civil. While other times making it’s proper K sound. CirKus. Or as C being in the temple of the church. One finds the devil. And now one gleams a power in the letter K being the justice card standing vigil in-front of the courthouses. And not as in Waite’s strength as harmony. Embracing the serpent hidden inside the guise of a lion.

Magic word of the day Zinc.

Wonder who my sociopath is. I bet she’s super hot. She should come to my place and ill show her a good time. Should get me an austrailian girl and make her go down under. Get me both of then and ill introduce them to my butt plugs.

As you can see i started getting positive again. So more sabotage. Cant have that. Got to manipulate and twist the psyche around and fool wveryone. Need to punished. Beaten and tossez around into another neurotic, delinquent or de….. something mess and then punish somemore until suicide becomes the only option. Year after by year. If it continue into my forties. Im not going to

Try and survive anymoee. Not allowed having a life outside being mistreated. Or dominated. Wonder whats thats like. Never rlexperiemced it before. Images of my famuly memeber standing over my body on the ground calling me a pussy or reveling in that fact that tehy are in that position. If im not allowed not being serrounded by violence or degenerate fucken cunts. Well then…. Yup. Spychologicak violence is aoonlow key that you dont notice it until you start lossing your mind. While being puniched for it.

Its like they’re all pretending to be Russians invading ukraine. Annexing what they dont have a right to using military and subversive tactics. Mirroring the image of the cure. While bullshitting the whole time and claimign a war on fake news. Yup. Serving multiple life sentences of satanic bs foe being born. Attacking wveryolatform i have even if its nto a social one. Takign ques from the art of war. Written by a totalitarian communist.

The star card doesn’t equal venus. Its night time. Its a day star. … great what doni wear the whethers all fucked up formt he mentality of this asshole s

Russia and china and the reat if thise counties could wasily take over the rest of the western world. Cant cant. Becaus ethey know the american will use their nukes. More so then they would. Thats why russian keeps threatening to use them. America has done it before.

Noni could i just refuse to be dictated to and subversed by totalitairan nazies pretending to be liberals by perventing it by military jorgon as, “

We’ee not stealing” wemre liberating.

Didnthe russians wver own any slaves? Indont thnk so. Pretty sure they were always at war with the nations of people that did. Like the roman catholics and their descenadant or spin offs.

Its fun being held prisoner like this.

America depends on threats to world destruction for its survival.

[ykoriana-imperatrix]

SDC Month - December 2023 - Saturday #4

Better to have loved and lost—

XI. Ikoriane

"There will be one for you one day," she fondly tells her granddaughter, as the child examines the doll made in Ikoriane's likeness. They all represent Empresses past and present, but for one. Gently, longingly, Ikoriane touches the face of the doll next to her own—the one bearing the face of her lost beloved. "I miss you," she whispers almost inaudibly, her pain softened by the years but never gone.

Notes

Yet another canon character featuring, though a far less developed one this time. With this fic, I wanted to showcase two important headcanons relating to Ikoriane's character in fanon. One is her close bond with her granddaughter Nayakarade—@suth-sardian and I see her as the main line adult closest to the latter and a formative influence on her. The other is her love for her sister Kuqenthe (already discussed in some detail in Kuqenthe's feature fic), and how older Ikoriane would have been affected by her loss, as she canonically outlived her sister for over two decades. I feel it would have been something Ikoriane never fully recovered from, but that, as she herself thinks here, she learned to live with in time. Kuqenthe would be gone from her heart and life, but would live on in her memories, in mementos such as the doll, in the stories told to Nayakarade and her sisters.