#Beatrice Warde

[rbolick]

Books On Books Collection - Chaucer's ABC

ABC by Geoffrey Chaucer (1934) ABC by Geoffrey Chaucer (1934)[Eleanor] Joyce Francis Chapbook, softcover sewn. H250 x W170 mm. 16 pages. Edition of 500? Acquired from Antiquariaat Fokas Holthuis, 30 April 2021.Photos: Emilia Osztafi.* Chaucer’s ABC (ca. 1369) is an intriguing early work in the history of abecedaries. There are alphabet poems in the Hebrew Bible, but according to the artists’…

[doli-nemae]

Bhaalspawn

[sunshinesickies]

Hey everyone! I hope you all are well. I just wanted to pop on and say I’m opening my requests for all characters so if you have any ideas I can’t wait to hear them! It will probably take me a bit to write them since I’ve never written anything for anyone other than myself and I’m still away but I have plenty of time to imagine and write up some good new fics!

[garadinervi]

Vincent Steer, Printing Design and Layout. The Manual for Printers. Typographers and all designers and Users of Printing and Advertising, Foreword by Beatrice L. Warde, Virtue Company, London, 1933 [baselinestore_]

[dreams-of-verbena]

You can stay at the House, if you want? Joan is always there, plus an army of Mannequins and Dolls and Shroomin and spiders. Also the House itself is alive. And I could kick anyone's ass with my bat. So I think it would be pretty safe?

[bayoubashsims]

The Goth-Crumplebottom Family Wedding, 1927

In the fall of 1927, two of SimCity's oldest families were joined together in holy matrimony with the marriage of Gunther and Cornelia Goth. The union of these two powerful families signify a new era for the clan, with talks of philantrophical endeavors and the development of new towns under the Goth Enterprises and the Crumplebottom Foundation.

The dashing groom, Gunther Goth (27), is a land developer for the family company, while the beautiful bride, Cornelia Crumplebottom (25), is the heiress of the Crumplebottom canned prunes. The event was held in the town of Moonlight Falls, where both families reside.

The colors purple and violet dotted the event whether in the roses that decorated the party or in the outfits of the attendants. The wedding reception was held later that evening, where many of the local families of Moonlight Falls attended as well as SimCity's other influential families, such as the Landgrabbs and the Capps.

See guest list

The wedding was attended by (clockwise):

The Groom's Side

Victor Goth (58): The father of the groom, the President of Goth Enterprises

Samuel Goth (55): The brother of Victor Goth, the Vice President of Goth Enterprises, and Best Man

Frida Goth (33): The elder sister of the groom

Minerva Goth (82): The paternal grandmother of the groom, advisor and silent partner of Goth Enterprises, from Midnight Hollow

Gretle Goth (55): The mother of the groom and the chatelaine of Abundant Richness, the family estate

The Bride's Side

Agatha Crumplebottom (18): A cousin of the family from Henford-on-Bagley and Bridesmaid

Agnes Crumplebottom (18): The younger sister of the bride and Bridesmaid

Simon Crumplebottom (57): The father of the bride and the President of the Crumplebottom Canned Prunes Company

Beatrice Crumplebottom (23): A cousin of the family and ward of the Crumplebottoms and Bridesmaid

Belinda Crumplebottom (16): A cousin of the family and ward of the Crumplebottoms

Bianca Crumplebottom (9): A cousin of the family and ward of the Crumplebottoms

Elmira Clamp (32): A cousin and former ward of the Crumplebottoms and a librarian

Ian Arneson (7): A cousin of the family and ward of Elmira Clamp

Prudence Crumplebottom (56): The mother of the bride, the head of the Crumplebottom Foundation

The Servers

BACK ROW

Hilda Almeria (Maid of the Goths)

Nurse Dorothea Danvers (Nurse of Minerva Goth)

Xiao Zheng (Butler of the Goths)

James Higgins (Footman of the Goths) FRONT ROW

Yvette Fouchier (Maid of the Crumplebottoms)

Nanny Tempeste Tilani (Cook of the Crumplebottoms)

Amsel Gough (Butler of the Crumplebottoms)

Alfred (Footman of the Crumplebottoms)

[shunin-gumis]

Netaro Initial SSR Story

Netaro's Soulmate Search, Group Date Edition (Part 2)

Momiji: It's finally the day of the group date!

Netaro: Oooh...! This place is crawling with unfamiliar humans. I am feeling quite stimulated!

Momiji: Netaro-kun is all hyped up too.

Momiji: We spent a lot of time practicing his conversational skills, and eventually he'd improved quite a bit!

Momiji: At least, I think.

~~~~~~(flashback start)

Akuta: Ohohohohoho, top o' the mornin' to ya Kotaro-san! I hope the weather is crazy good today too!

Netaro: Ohohohoho, indeed! The weather has been so pleasant lately that it has been quite easy to leave the laundry out to dry, yes!

~~~~~~(flashback end)

Momiji: ... I'm sure that counts as small talk, right? Yeah. Let's just put it that way.

Momiji: Oh, people have already split up and are sitting down at the tables that have been set up for the occasion...

Momiji: All that's left is to go for it...! Do your best, Netaro-kun!

~~~~~~

The gyaru sitting nearby: Hey hey~ Where'd you come from? I was born and raised right here in HAMA~

Netaro: I have arrived from a planet far beyond~ All for the sake of meeting you.

The gyaru sitting nearby: For reals? That's crazy~

The cheery guy sitting across: I gotta know, where'd you get those threads? The color is sick as hell dude.

Netaro: Right? Isn't it just so?

Momiji: Oh? Looks like it's going well? Maybe I don't have to worry after all...

Kind-looking man: Um, it's my first time attending a group date. It's kinda nerve-wracking huh?

Momiji: R-Right? It's my first time too. I accompanied a friend here today...

Momiji: This is feels kinda refreshing. It's a different kind of experience from when I deal with tourists.

Momiji: I see... this is one way to enjoy a group date I guess!

~~~~~~

Cheery guy Yamada: Thanks Netaro-kun, I'll call ya later~

Netaro: I shall wait eagerly, Yamada. For we are best pals now.

Netaro: Fufu, how was that, Doudou! Were you watching me? Did you see? I managed to hold a proper "conversation"!

Momiji: -Ah! I remember that store! How nostalgic~

Kind-looking man: I didn't think I'd get to meet someone who knew that place. I barely get the chance to talk about it...

Netaro: ...Hmph.

Netaro: Doudou.

Momiji: W-what's wrong!? Weren't you just having a conversation over there...?

Netaro: I... feel upset for some reason. I need you to look at me more.

Netaro: I managed to display the fruits of our training after all. Should you not be praising me by now?

Netaro: Go on, pat me. Praise me more~

Kind-looking man: Um...?

Momiji: This is bad, he looks confused...!

Netaro: Oh I see, you did not get to witness the results with your own eyes.

Netaro: Then I shall converse with you now! Doudou, what are your hobbies? Tell me, tell me~

Choice 1: But that would be missing the point.

Momiji: But that's not the point of this exercise, Netaro-kun. Netaro: Hm? Momiji: Netaro-kun, I want you to be able to find your Beatrice. That's why we came to this group date, so you could meet all kinds of people. Momiji: Right now, you should be talking to other people, not me, right? We'll talk more when we get back home. Netaro: ... Netaro: I see. Understood. Netaro: You. I apologize for intruding on your conversation suddenly. Kind-looking man: Oh, no, it's alright. Are the two of you friends...? Netaro: Indeed. You may call me Netaro Yowa. I am the 18th Ward Mayor of HAMA Tours!

Choice 2: My hobby is... traveling.

Momiji: My hobby... Well, I do love traveling. Momiji: Now that it's come to this, I should throw a topic to Netaro-kun. I'm sure he knows how to go with the flow now... Kind-looking man: Travel, huh. That's great, I really enjoy it too. Netaro: In that case, you should participate in one of our tours at "HAMA Tours". You will get a taste of hospitality that you have never experienced before.

Kind-looking man: Wait, you work at HAMA Tours!? Please do tell me more, I've been wanting to join a tour there since before!

Netaro: Ooh~ Why of course! I'll tell you all there is to know about it from A to Z!

Netaro: Fu~fufun~ La~lala~

Momiji: We weren't able find your Beatrice yet, but you got to make a lot of new friends in the end huh.

Netaro: Indeed! However, this is only the first round of "Beatrice Selection". There will be many many more rounds to come~

Netaro: I shall count on you for the next one too, Doudou.

Momiji: Wait, next time too!?

Momiji: Well, I guess I did have fun. And I'd be too worried to leave him alone...

Momiji: In a way, maybe this could lead to some advertising for HAMA Tours...

Momiji: All right, I'll do my best to find out how you can get to meet a lot more people.

Netaro: You promise, yes? If it ends up being a lie, I'll reconfigure you so that I can launch you through the stratosphere in the flesh, understood?

Momiji: Alright alright, I get it. Let's get some dinner and go home!

Momiji: What do we get today... We talked a lot, so I'm feeling extra hungry.

Netaro: ..........

Netaro: Indeed, I'm feeling quite peckish.

Netaro: You smile over the smallest things. Get surprised easily. Your reactions are always refreshing, and full of life.

Netaro: Kind eyes. A kind voice. Such things are present in this world in abundance, and yet that is precisely why it is so precious.

Netaro: Ha~.........

Netaro: I truly am feeling hungry.

Part 1

[eljeebee]

“Well, that’s that,” Margaux exhaled. She stood beside Bernie, who sat on his chair. They were reading something from the monitor–the “breaking news” about her son’s relationship with a Beatrice Valderama.

“The family’s quick as well, voicing their support,” Bernie nodded. He let out a sigh of relief. That means less work, he thought.

He stood up from his chair, and was about to lead Margaux out of the office when she said, “What about us, Bernie? Are we ever going public?”

He looked at her, stunned. His thoughts drifted to Penny’s advice. The young secretary asked him not to engage with Her Grace’s advances. Normally, he can hold himself well, even if he had to love her at an arm’s length, but now that Julie is close to taking office…

“You know we can’t…” He started but she cut him off.

“Julie had established herself as the Duchess now, that means we have freedom without jeopardizing my children,” Margaux smiled, pulling him close to her.

“I know that my dear Margaret,” Bernie sighed, his hands finding themselves on her lower back, “But you’re still regent. We don’t have that freedom yet until your daughter comes back. And even if so, would your children accept us? Would they stand for us? You know yourself that your relationship with the family is fragile enough. What keeps you connected with them is through your children – the children of Prince Seamus.”

“My children will understand,” Margaux said firmly.

“Margaret, please,” Bernie pleaded, “You don’t know that. Your children can make their own decisions, so who’s to say they’ll support us? They love their father so much, and you’re the only person left that reminds them of him. If they find out that you’ve moved on, you’ll have one thread left as a connection – the wife of the late prince, which you’ll lose eventually.”

“They wouldn’t do that to their own mother,” Margaux’s voice sounded strained.

“They wouldn’t, but the family will,”Bernie emphasized.

Margaux pushed him from her, and Bernie tried to embrace her back, but his hands hung empty. “Why are you being so difficult, Bernie? Don’t you love me–”

“–Your Grace, I’ve just received a call from Mr. Hamilton, Ms. Judith Ward is waiting for tea,” Penny barged in, not looking away from her phone.

Bernie stepped back, and Margaux said, “I’ll freshen up for a bit, please tell Judith I’ll be there.”

When Margaux had left, Bernie stared at the empty space beside him. His heart squeezed painfully. His attention was on Penny when she asked, “You look constipated. You alright, sir?”

“I’m alright…”

[marleneoftheopera]

Holiday Audio/Video Gifts!

For the holiday season, here are some audio gifts from various shows and one Phantom video! The link to them is here and the info is below the cut:

Happy holidays and I hope you are all having time for some rest!

Audios

POTO

Jon Robyns, Paige Blankson, Joe Griffiths-Brown, Kelly Glyptis, Matt Harrop, Adam Linstead, Francesca Ellis, David Kristopher Brown, Maiya Hikasa August 22, 2023; London

Tim Howar, Harriet Jones, Nadim Naaman, Lara Martins, Nicholas Garrett, Arvid Larsen, John Ellis, Valerie Cutko, Kelsi Boyden March 19, 2023; Greece

Josh Piterman, Corinne Cowling (u/s), Danny Whitehead, Katy Hanna (u/s), Ross Dawes, Kris Manuel (u/s), Sophie Caton (u/s), Paul Ettore Tabone, Georgia Ware October 17, 2019; London ​Matinee.

Jeremy Stolle (u/s), Samantha Hill, Greg Mills (u/s), Michele McConnell, Richard Poole (u/s), Tim Jerome, Ellen Harvey, Christian Sebek, Kara Klein, Scott Mikita (u/s) March 9, 2013; Broadway Matinee performance.

John Owen-Jones, Deborah Dutcher, Matthew Cammelle, Bruce Montague, Charles Shirvell, Margaret Mary Kane (u/s), Janet Murphy, Jeremy Secomb, Lucy Middleton January 5, 2002; London

Love Never Dies

Tam Mutu, Celia Graham, David Thaxton, Daniel Dowling August 25, 2011; London Tam Mutu's last performance.

Les Miserables

Christopher Jacobsen (u/s Jean Valjean), Stewart Clarke (Javert), Katie Hall (Fantine), Will Callan (Marius), Lulu-Mae Pears (Cosette), Amena El-Kindy (Eponine), Luke Kempner (Thenardier), Claire Machin (Madame Thenardier), Dejan Van der Flyert (Enjolras), Alex Shaw (Gavroche), Clohe Sullivan (Little Cosette), Tom Hext (Grantaire/Majordomo), Adam Pearce (Bishop/Claquesous), Ellie Ann Lowe (Factory Girl), Jordan Simon Pollard (u/s Foreman/Bujon), Matt Dempsey (Bamatabopis/Lesgles), Annabelle Aquino, Hazel Baldwin, Emily Olive Boyd, Ben Culleton, Matt Hayden, Sam Kipling, Anouk Van Lake, Harry Lake, Ben Oatley, Jonathan Stevens, Phoebe Williams, Ollie Wray September 28, 2023; London 15,000th show in London and the 5th show for the new company.

Sunset Boulevard

Nicole Scherzinger (Norma), Tom Francis (Joe Gillis), David Thaxton (Max von Mayerling), Grace Hodgett Young (Betty Shaefer), Ahmed Hamaad (Artie), Tyler Davis (Sheldrake), Charlotte Jaconelli (Johanna), Jon Tsouras (Cecil B. de Mille) September 28, 2023; London

Rebecca

Laureen Jones (I), Richard Carson (Maxim de Winter), Kara Lane (Mrs Danvers), Sara Harlington (Beatrice), Neil Moor (Giles), Piers Bate (Frank Crewley), David Breeds (Ben), Alex James Ward (Jack Favell), Shrley Jameson (Mrs Van Hopper), Nicholas Lumley (Colonel Julian) September 27, 2023; Off-West End

POTO Video

Ian Jon Bourg, Olivia Safe (u/s), Kyle Gonyea 2001; Hamburg, Germany VOB files. One of the most legendary Phantom's opposite one of the youngest Christine's!

[fiddleabout]

chef au sneak peak part deux

“One of the guests,” he says.  “She asked to see you, said that she knows you.”

Beatrice blinks at him owlishly.  “Pardon?”

Ashish shrugs, looking stricken.  “The 10:30 at table seven,” he says, as if that explains anything.  

“Do you have a name?”  Beatrice fights the urge to pinch at the bridge of her nose to ward off the way frustration is building in her as much as confusion is.  Ava takes her frustration in stride these days, had done so even before they became-- whatever they are now, heated and physical and entwined in each other’s lives to a truly excessive degree that Beatrice cannot find it in herself to worry about-- but half of the staff crumple in the face of it.

“Oh,” Ashish says, suddenly fumbling for his notepad.  Beatrice swallows the sigh she wants to let out, because there’s no possible way that he actually wrote the name on a reservation down on his notepad.  “Um--”

“Don’t worry about it,” Beatrice says, as kindly as she can after watching him flip through the pad frantically.  “I’ll take a look.  Thank you.”

Ashish shoves the notepad back into his apron pocket, squeaks out something shrill and unintelligible, and immediately flees the vicinity.  Beatrice watches him go, letting out a heavy sigh.

“What was that?” Chanel appears at her elbow, a decanted bottle of wine in one hand and a chef’s knife in the other, one eyebrow flicked upwards.  

“I have no idea.”  Beatrice sighs again.  “He said table seven knows me.”

Chanel’s eyebrow flicks up higher.  “Expecting someone?”

She doesn’t wait for Beatrice to answer, shoving the wine into Beatrice’s hand and blindly handing the knife to Ava, who barely blinks at the interruption as she tastes one of the sauces and then yells for the saucier.  Beatrice watches, frozen, as Chanel weaves her way through the kitchen and pokes her head out the door into the main restaurant for a long moment and then turns back to face her.

“Fun-sized bag of springs, tall smokeshow with spectacular cheekbones?”

“You’re one to talk,” Michelle says as she bustles past Chanel, flicking the towel over her shoulder towards Chanel’s cheekbones on her way over to Ava.  

Camila and Lilith.  Lilith is here, at their restaurant, with her pastry chef, on a Thursday when her own is surely booked solid.  She left her own restaurant to come here.  

“Shit,” Beatrice mutters.  She tries to swallow the inexplicable panic rising in her chest-- Lilith is her best friend, there’s no reason she should be panicking at seeing her-- and glances at the clock.  It’s half past eleven and the restaurant is still almost completely full, an uncharacteristically busy Wednesday; this is the first break Beatrice has had since the dinner rush started.  

“You good?” Ava appears at Beatrice’s elbow, one eyebrow raised and a hand holding out a spoon towards Beatrice’s mouth.  “Here, taste this.”

Beatrice takes the spoon blindly.  It’s muhammara, delicious and one of her favorites but also very much not on the menu for the night, and the discomfort in her chest pivots immediately.

“Why--”

“It’s your favorite, and we had way too many walnuts.”  Ava shrugs, smiles, shoves the bowl of muhammara and piece of pita into Beatrice’s hands.  “Also, you didn’t eat before the dinner rush because we--”

“Thank you,” Beatrice hurries out, cutting Ava off before she can go into lurid detail about how they’d both forgotten to eat before it got busy because they were otherwise occupied by Ava bending Beatrice over her desk in her tiny office.  “But--”

“It took like five minutes,” Ava says with another shrug, intentionally casual in spite of the faint flush dusting over her cheeks and the fact that they both know that she’s lying.  

The twist of panic in Beatrice’s chest vanishes abruptly, because Ava made her muhammara in the middle of a busy night just so she would eat.  She wants to kiss her, wants to drag her back into her office and pick up where they left off when they were busy skipping the lull before the dinner rush; instead, all she can do is clutch the food Ava offered her and stare at her with wonder like she so often does, irrevocably and overwhelmingly charmed.

“Thank you,” Beatrice says softly.

“If you two are quite done.”  Chanel’s reclaimed her knife from where she’d handed it off to Ava and points at Ava and then Beatrice with it.  “Someone is asking for Beatrice outside.”

“What?” Ava’s eyebrows crease.

“Lilith is here,” Beatrice sighs out.  She busies herself with swiping a corner of the pita through the muhammara and shoving it into her mouth, as much to buy time as to deal with the fact that she’s realized suddenly that she is, in fact, starving. 

“Lilith?”  Ava says, straightening up as her eyes widen.

“Wait,” Chanel says.  “Do you mean Lilith as in the executive chef at Per Se?”

“I mean Lilith, Beatrice’s best friend,” Ava says, an almost indecipherable tinge of panic in her voice.

“Who is also the chef at Per Se, yes,” Beatrice says heavily.  

“Well, shit,” Chanel says.  She points at Beatrice with the knife again.  Six months ago, it would have irritated Beatrice, the casual way Chanel is pointing an incredibly sharp knife at her; now, she’s used to it, the way that Ava and Chanel both are prone to using knives as laser pointers.  “Is she here to shoot Ava?”

“Hey!”

“Potentially,” Beatrice says, sighing.  They haven’t told Chanel, not really, but she’s smart and obnoxiously perceptive, so it’s hardly surprising that she immediately assumes that Beatrice’s best friend is here to threaten her girlfriend with an early exit and a shallow grave.  

“Hey!” Ava says again.  “I could hold my own, you never know.”

“You can’t,” Beatrice says in unison with Chanel.  Ava glares at her, her fake indignation so endearing that Beatrice nearly gives up on trying to be professional when they’re in front of the staff, nearly kisses her.  Instead, she takes another bite of the muhammara, inelegant and oversized, before handing it back to Ava so she can dig her phone out of her pocket to text Lilith.

I can’t leave right now.  We’re swamped.  

A response pops up immediately.  Chickenshit, which means Lilith is in a good mood.  I can wait until you close up for the night.  And then: Don’t worry, we’ll tip your tiny little zoomer waiter heavy.

[rbolick]

Books On Books Collection - Kees Baart, Dick Berendes, Henk Francino and Gerard Post van der Molen

Books On Books Collection – Kees Baart, Dick Berendes, Henk Francino and Gerard Post van der Molen

Van Hornbook tot ABC-Prentenboek (2003) Van Hornbook tot ABC-Prentenboek (2003)Kees Baart, Dick Berendes, Henk Francino and Gerard Post van der MolenDouble-sided leporello between two pamphlet-sewn booklets and bound between two oversized wooden hornbooks, held in an open cardboard box. H295 x W150 x D 30 mm. First booklet, 18 unnumbered pages; second booklet 8 pages; 52 panels. Edition of 135.…

[doli-nemae]

Gorion and his headaches

[sunshinesickies]

Masterlist

Marvel/DC

Kate Bishop x Reader

Skye/Daisy Johnson x Reader

Gwen Stacy x Reader

Cassie Lang x Reader

Kara Danvers/Supergirl x Reader

Kara x MonEl (Supergirl)

Others

Kat Stratford x Reader

Coming soon!

Pip Fitz-Amobi x Reader (AGGGTM)

Coming soon!

Cara Ward x Reader (AGGGTM)

Ava Silva x Reader (Warrior Nun)

Ava x Beatrice (Warrior Nun)

Lindsay Weir x Reader (Freaks and Geeks)

Coming soon!

[traintrainingmontage]

@astro-tram This one's for you, since I saw your kind words and figured "you know what? If someone's interested, I won't say no!"

CW: mentions of blood, injury

TTTE White Witch AU

-White witches have existed on Sodor for a very long time. It's said that they get their power from the land itself, a blessing upon those who care for it. Witches live in many, many more areas of the world, of course, but for our purposes, we will not further discuss them.

-The witch families live all over the island, and they form a coven with a long and storied history. Their individual family histories have been recorded in ancient documents. The Thin Clergyman doesn't like talking about that particular aspect of Sodor's history.

-It's said that the ancient goddess of fire and travel, who loved humans, especially favored the white witches and took pains to assist them in various ways. One such way was gold dust, which could be used to travel across great distances, and call one's familiar to their side.

-White witches have always specialized in matters of warding, protection, luck, and healing.

-Witches have always had familiars. This is to protect them from those who would covet their power. Originally, only certain animals (those who had enough intelligence that an Awakening ritual could be done to make them sapient) were used as familiars, but once humans wrought from the earth unliving creatures of fire and iron, the goddess decided, with the consent of all the lands of the world, that such creatures could also be familiars, and thus, they as a whole were Awakened.

-Skarloey was requested to be a familiar in about 1912. The Sam family had been working on the railway since 1897, and were thus quite familiar with engines by this point. With tensions high elsewhere in Europe, there was much concern over both the human and non-human threats to Sodor.

-One night, while being chased by an undead intent on getting her power, Beatrice Sam, Robert Sam's sister, ran to Skarloey and asked for his help. Creatures of fire and iron are inherently strong against those of an undead persuasion, so Beatrice hoped with all her heart that her instinct saying this sapient vehicle could be a familiar was correct. Skarloey agreed to her plea and they formed a pact.

-Beatrice gave some of her blood to the engine, cutting her palm and letting a few drops sizzle in his firebox, pleading in Old Sudric that he become her protector. With her power, Skarloey began to take on a more bipedal, humanoid appearance, although he was still very much a machine. Metal creaked and parts shifted as he stood, his frames moving to accomodate the will of his contractor, as he quickly pulled Beatrice out of where his cab suddenly wasn't and cradled her in his arm like she were a doll. At 549 cm tall, he towered above the trees. Steam began to pour from his funnel, pure and white, and with his own power, the engine began to move of his own accord. He set Beatrice down, and headed toward his foe.

-The engine pummeled the pursuer into submission. It was not a battle; it was a beating. Skarloey didn't know how to fight; he could only flail and hit aimlessly. It was enough, however; engine and witch could only stare helplessly at each other as the undead collapsed into dust, suddenly all too mindful of what this all meant. As the effect wore off and Skarloey took his engine form once again, Beatrice wordlessly got into his cab and sobbed until morning.

-It was later on that Rheneas would be enlisted as a familiar associated with the Brown family. After Sir Handel acquired the Skarloey Railway, it was thought that Jane Brown (the eventual Lady Hatt) might make the request, but she already had a familiar, and a familiar's pact cannot be broken unless it is transferred to another witch, or the previous witch dies.

-However, it would actually be Sir Handel Brown's daughter-in-law, Rachel Qualtrough Brown, who would first request Rheneas' protection.

-As it happened, the first one to approach Edward to be her familiar was Barbara Jane Hatt, Jane Hatt's daughter. She had heard tell of Skarloey and Rheneas' exploits, and felt that Edward was a good, kind, reliable engine, unlike Thomas others. With Sodor being as supernaturally-inclined as it was, and her whole family being railway enthusiasts, it really only made sense.

-Presently, the year is 1970. Nancy Rushen, Beatrice Sam's great-granddaughter, is 17, and would trust nobody but Skarloey to see her through all the troubles and tribulations she senses on the horizon. She's still quite a serious soul, but she's also loosened up quite a bit over the years.

-The same can be said of 16-year-old Rebecca Dorothy Brown, Rheneas' contractor and Nancy's best friend, who is quite good at math and hates to leave a phenomenon unexplored or unexplained. She can't shake the feeling that something very strange is happening over at Ward Fell.

-27-year-old Bridget Hatt, who thinks of Nancy and Rebecca like little sisters, would only trust Edward with her well-being as she patrols the NWR's railways. They've had a lot of strange incidents over the years, and although their magic has held, Bridget wants to try and get to the bottom of just what's trying to undermine her beloved railway.

[cat-dragoness]

Reading Castle in the Air to out loud to my housemates (pt. 2/2)

Picking up in Chapter 14-ish:

The djinn: "He first ordered me to steal a certain moving castle belonging to a wizard in this land of Ingary."

Housemate #1: "Oh my. Howl is furious right now." Me: "Yes, yes he is."

The genie is afraid of heights! I had forgotten about that detail. I don't think the housemates picked up on it mwahaha.

(I'm actually a bit frustrated now, because I feel certain that it came up in HMC that Howl is afraid of heights, and now I can't find where that was.)

Also the carpet being so smug that Abdullah is complimenting it while the genie is just wailing irately over both heights and having to listen to Abdullah flatter the carpet is just… it's them. It's very obvious that it's them.

All right, time to finish the rest of the book in one night, because Stuff Is Happening now.

Lettie: *realizes that Midnight is Sophie*. The housemates: "What?!!"

The housemates: "But that means Howl is Whippersnapper!" Me: *actually stops reading for like three minutes laughing uncontrollably*

The housemates: "Oh no, Abdullah's going to try to help with the wards and stuff is going to go wrong."

Sophie: "I have no idea where Howl is." The housemates: "What?!"

The housemates: "Wait, Michael must be Whippersnapper!" Sophie: *immediately clarifies that Michael left before the djinn showed up*. The housemates: *audible confusion*

*magic mirrors show Morgan*. The housemates: "They had a baby?!"

It honestly is interesting, though, because technically the reader has no proof and no reason to assume that Sophie and Howl had a kid between HMC and Castle, aside from the starting assumption that Whippersnapper is in fact Midnight's kitten. I hadn't thought of it but I can see why the housemates got tripped up on that.

Sophie basically scolds the air into letting them breathe properly on the way up to the castle and it's such a Sophie thing to do. Also it reminds me of a post about some old rain-spell that was basically scolding the clouds and about that being a Sophie-esque thing and I need to find that post and reblog it.

Sophie and Howl both hate heights. This is deeply entertaining xD

Sophie's ongoing commentary on which parts of the castle used to be the bathroom, or the broom cupboard, or something else, is just too much fun. The housemates seem to think so as well :D

There is so much screaming in the last few chapters and it is so much fun to read aloud but also my voice is probably going to regret it tomorrow.

After Flower-in-the-Night convinces the djinns to send the cook and his dog to Valeria:

Both housemates: "Wait!"

Housemate #2: "It's Howl!"

Housemate #1: "What? No, it's the squid maker guy!"

(Housemate #2 just really wants Howl back. Frankly I don't blame her.)

"Abdullah thought the metal pulley noise Sophie used to make as Midnight was actually nicer than the noise she was making now." Housemate #2: *promptly starts imitating an angry cat*

Sophie: *talks the curtains into being soundproof*

And she thinks she's not a powerful witch? She basically can make anything true just by saying that it is true.

So, all of the relationships in this books are literally love at first sight, aside from the already established ones like Howl and Sophie. And that's a little… I need to not actually stop and think about that, because if I do I'll inevitably get frustrated about unrealistic relationships. So. Not thinking about that, the soldier/Justin and Beatrice are pretty cute, and I appreciate that, even in what's basically a "love at first sight" trope, they fell for each other's characters and not their appearances. It's refreshing.

The Princess of High Norland hires Jamal! *giggles in Has Read House of Many Ways*

Flower: "And how many young ladies have you kissed by now?" Housemates: "Of course her thoughts would be so simple."

Flower-in-the-Night is extremely dramatic. That is all I will say on that. But I kind of relate, honestly.

Jamal: *patting Abdullah on the head and calling him "good dog"*. The housemates: *dying laughing*

The climax has so much going on. If I thought HMC had a convoluted climax I was wrong. Castle is much more chaotic.

"Finally [Hasruel] folded his great wings and became a dog himself." The housemates die laughing, and I have to stop reading the book to catch my breath, because I barely got through that paragraph.

Just. The dog. Jamal's dog. We love him. He is an excellent dog, even if he bites everyone (because he bites everyone).

It's interesting to see Abdullah's progression from fully adhering to the manners of Zanzib, to the point where he kicks Jamal to shut him up without a second thought.

*not me pinching my nose to more accurately do Hasruel's lines after he gets his nose bitten*

The neices. I do not know what to do with the neices. I am kind of exasperated by them.

"I like them much better than princesses. Why didn't I collect fat ladies instead?" Okay, someone's going to come after me for this, but this is funny.

Sophie: "Hello. My name is Sophie Hatter. You stole my husband. Prepare to die."

Sophie is just on an entire vengeful streak after she gets un-cat-ified, and it's kind of hilarious.

Sophie: *mentions Howl*. The genie: *starts making a fuss*. The housemates: *audible screams of excitement*

It's Howl!!!

The housemates are just as "what, you didn't realize?" as Sophie is.

Housemate #2: "Man, Howl was a useless genie! Sophie must be furious with him, actively sabotaging his own rescue. Why is she not yelling at him?" Me: "First: this is Howl; what did you expect? Second: you think she's not going to yell at him? This is Sophie."

Howl, holding Morgan: "My word, he's ugly!" Both housemates: "Howl!"

But also I love how nonchalant he is about his kid. I mean, he knew Morgan existed. He probably knew who Sophie and Morgan were as soon as they showed up as Midnight and Whippersnapper. He's had time to get used to the idea. So now he's just casually holding a baby while confronting a djinn. Which I love, for whatever reason.

And now, yes, my dear housemates. Back when you realized the moving castle had been stolen and said that Howl must be furious, you were absolutely correct. Why did you think the genie wanted to ruin everyone's lives?

Howl: "Calcifer must be here somewhere." The housemates: *scream Calcifer's name right along with Howl (and me)*

The carpet: *moves*. Housemate #1's eyes turn to literal saucers because she realizes: "Of course! No wonder he only responded to flattery!"

Howl and Calcifer immediately start quarrelling and, I mean, they've been quarrelling the entire book. And it's hilarious.

*a ton of foreign ambassadors show up*. The housemates: "How did they get there?" Me: "Y'know, I actually don't know that one…"

"'Do you know me?' Howl asked. Abdullah bowed. 'At least as well as you know me.' 'That's what I was afraid of,' Howl said ruefully." Another grand moment of getting the housemates to crack up.

*the Sultan has a fifty-foot stake for Abdullah*. The housemates: "Oh, he increased it by ten feet!"

Housemates think Sophie's responsible for the ever-blooming bluebell wood at Abdullah and Flower's house. I'm inclined to agree.

In conclusion, the housemates were delighted by the book, and I was delighted by the entire experience of reading it out loud. We're going to start House of Many Ways now :D

Wait I almost forgot!

(You can't change my mind on this one)

[daisychainsandbowties]

For Ava, piracy is Robin Hooding. Distributing ill-gotten gains is the best part.

For Beatrice, piracy is an escape. Being chased by the authorities has made her free.

For Suzanne, piracy is how she protects her girls. A means to an end.

For Shannon, piracy is a duty. Needs must.

For Mary, piracy is a job. A job with a built in soulmate.

For Camila, piracy is the family business. It is all about family.

For Lilith, piracy is the ultimate ‘fuck you’ to familial expectations. Found family is infinitely better.

god yeah i really do love the idea of ava, fresh-sprung from an orphanage and anointed with unholy power, fleeing through a maze of port city streets and running headlong into beatrice.

she’s got a pistol at her hip and a stack of books in her arms, smells faintly of magesmoke and blood, but she pulls ava into an alley, casts a simple ward and holds her there in the damp dark, alley cats wending around her boots.

one hand over ava’s mouth, the other trapping her arm against the splintery wooden wall until the guards (ava hopes that she thinks they’re guards) have moved on. then beatrice stepping back, appraising, going to collect her books from a neat pocket dimension she sketched into the air.

telling ava, because she follows, moth to a flame, “sorry about the rough handling. my name is beatrice, ship’s mage on the Cat's Cradle.”

she’s got the tattoos to prove it, almost consuming the skin of both arms as she tugs the cuffs up past her elbows; not down to hide them, but up, to reveal what she is.

at ava’s puzzled look she says, “it’s better, around here, to be seen as a mage rather than a woman.”

ava barely bites back on some loathsome quip, nods at her, then flinches at the sound of distant shouts.

beatrice casts a sidelong glance at her in her stained shirt, trousers cut at the knees. she's barefoot and bruised, staring like she's never seen buildings, or the sky, or a woman before.

she doesn’t even have a knife tucked into her trousers, or the slightest chance of making it through a night alone in this city.

there's a sigh trapped behind her teeth, but beatrice finds herself turning back. voice clipped, almost emotionless, “you look a little bit out of your depth.”

“no shit.”

but ava says it with a shaky laugh. she’s still more than a little preoccupied with how beatrice’s mage tattoos shift and slither in the interrupted light.

beatrice shrugs, “you know if you're interested, our surgeon needs an assistant.” her eyes travel hastily down ava’s body and then back up, “she says that small hands are helpful.”

“small hands?”

“to, ah, move around hers and to make stitches. i can’t say i really understand it, but, well-”

“magic doesn’t heal.” ava says this with bleak familiarity, like she knows the words by heart but would rather she didn’t.

she looks at her hands, tries not to think of what they can do, of the promise she made while half-asleep, to something that should not even be real.

“don’t you think that’s weird? you can do anything, but you can’t close a wound or... or fix broken bones?”

beatrice looks at her, shrugs uneasily. it’s just ink sitting under her skin, but the tattoos seem to shift and glisten wetly as she crosses her arms. “it’s not strange,” she says. “it’s the bargain we made.”

mages are oh-so-fond of trotting out that line. ava tries not to grimace at it. she is, after all, alone and penniless. she is being hunted.

“i’ve never done surgery or anything like that before,” she admits, looking down, braced for dismissal. her eyes stall on the books in beatrice’s arms. gods below i’m fucked. so fucked. i can’t even read, how am i supposed to-

“do you learn quickly?”

beatrice is looking at her calmly when ava rocks back on her heels and dares to meet her eyes. “you… what?”

“our surgeon can teach you, if you learn quickly.” beatrice pursed her lips, “if not, you could be one of the rigging boys, or… well, i’ll figure something out.”

ava stares at her, astonished. “but... why are you helping me?”

a raised eyebrow, muscles working under ink as beatrice clutches her books tightly. she looks odd and out of place in the dingy alley, with her tailored trousers and little silver buckles winking on her boots, through the dark.

“you look like you’re running from something.” ava clenches her fists at her sides, begging her abilities to stay under her skin.

beatrice seems preoccupied with her own thoughts, “someone helped me that way once, when i was… lost. you’ll meet her, i suppose. she’s my captain.”

“are you pirates?” ava blurts the question before she can stop herself, and beatrice’s gaze sharpens.

ava holds up her hands, “it’s just… two officers who are women and now your captain too. it occurred to me, is all.”

beatrice gives her a hard look, but she finds nothing in ava’s expression, beyond a measure of panic. maybe some fear, which is all for the better. "i suppose you'll find out." she's closed-off again, but not hostile.

yet, ava thinks. not yet.

“if you want, you can follow me. if not…”

beatrice frowns. already the sun is setting, dragging light back down along western shore, down into the ocean.

she turns away, starts walking, does not make a relieved sound when she hears ava start to follow. convinces herself that she doesn’t wish to make any relieved sound, at all.

one girl cannot be important, not in the scope of things.

“i’m ava, by the way.”

she speaks to the firm slope of beatrice’s shoulders. the day was too warm for a jacket, so it’s in her cabin, half-draped across the desk to hide her papers.

a half-turn, a nod of the head.

“pleasure.”