#Brothers of the Palazzo

[the-sartorial-journey]

Blue Power

[empirearchives]

Jérôme all grown up during his Italy years

Portrait of Girolamo Bonaparte, by Pietro Benvenuti

The last of Napoleon’s brothers, born in [1784], Girolamo was a carefree and frivolous young man, often lacking prudence and moderation, who led a life of entertainment. In 1807 he married Catherine, daughter of King Frederick I of Württemberg, and was made king of Westphalia by his brother. After the fall of Napoleon, he left France to reside first in Vienna then in Trieste, Rome and Porto San Giorgio in the Marche. A widower since 1835, in 1840 he secretly married an Italian noblewoman, Giustina Pecori-Suárez (1811–1903), in Florence. Returning to Paris in 1848, he was appointed governor general of the Hôtel des Invalides, then Marshal of France in 1850, president of the Senate in 1851 and was reinstated with the title and honors of Imperial Prince in 1852. He died in 1860; his tomb is located in the cathedral of Saint Louis des Invalides next to Napoleon’s large sarcophagus.

(Source)

[the-sartorial-journey]

Jules weekend inspiration...

[m3vl0vesu]

╰☆☆ 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ☆☆╮

A/N: I don't really have any tw but it's probably gonba be sad, so be warned. I'm writing this with no hours of sleep and the worst mood in a while :). Also a oneshot, I was asked to write something gut-wrenching but I don't know if it is. Batsis!reader is 15-17 Your thoughts

@moraxussy I don't think it's as gut-wrenching as you hoped, sorry!! I hope you like it though :)

One of a bats closest relative is a puma, ironically they have nothing in common. Bats come in big groups, there always surrounded by at least one other bat. Pumas are solitary animals, they don't share their territory. They're recluse, and more viscous than bats.

You were more vicious. You didn't control your anger and grief, it controlled you, but you had to find a way mange it. Tomorrow was a special occasion after all, well that's what everyone was saying but...it didn't feel like it. Tomorrow, Bruce was bringing Selina Kyle over. The famous kleptomaniac aristocrat, also known as Catwoman. The thief turned...bat? You weren't exactly sure but it'd be nice for her and Bruce to finally clear up what they were. It must've been serious if she was going to have dinner with the family. Then again, you never really saw your dad be in a committed relationship. ... 'Dad'...nope still didn't sound right. Even after all the years living together he didn't deserve that title, at least not from you. The daughter of Bruce Wayne? it sounded so foreign to you, people saying that-it sounded wrong. No, you were your mothers daughter. It didn't matter if you couldn't picture her face anymore...yeah.

.

.

. For this special occasion you needed something special to where! You chose a vest suit, an off-white shirt underneath the brown, tattersall patterned vest. Paired with some old, black palazzo pants. It was a similar outfit your other had worn a while back, you saw it an old magazine rotting in the corner of your room. It felt nice to be dressed up for once, it'd gave you a reason to finally take a shower. With everyone making a big deal out of this you had a little hope that they would acknowledge you today. Maybe Selina could change things around here.

But as people ran chaotically in the hallway and different aromas travelled into your room, you realised something. Jason wasn't here. What. No, no...you couldn't survive these without him. Your leg shook as you waited for the phone to pick up. He was the only one that properly acknowledged your existence without being cruel. He was your favourite brother, favourite sibling. I mean the bar was low but, favourite nonetheless!

"What's up Star?" His voice sounded hoars, had he just woken up? Your irritancy only growing when he used that nickname. It was usually nice when he called you it, but right now it was the last thing you needed. "Don't call me that Jay. Where are you?" ...

The silence was deafening, he cleared his throat and it made you want to cry. "I'm sorry...I'm not coming kid." No. That wasn't fair. "Tch-Then can you...pick me up?" Your voice desperate as you hated all of it. A room full of people that don't even know you, and a stranger. It was personal hell. "Look, Star, I really think you'd benefit from thi-" You ended the call, scoffing, you pushed yourself off your bed.

.

.

.

She's so pretty She sat on the right side of Bruce. Who was, per usual, at the head of the table. Soon the peaceful moment turned loud. The sounds of knives scraping against plates, Steph's nails tapping the table, Tim an Damian bickering back to hell. Huh, the chicken was just out of your reach, usually Alfred would put it closest to your seat. After a few embarrassing minutes of reaching for it, and no one helping you, your just grabbed whatever was closest. At one point you swore you locked eyes with Tim while you were still reaching for the chicken and he just flat out ignored you. Maybe it was time to speak "uhm...can you pass...can you" why was this always so hard? "Can I...Can you pass the chicken please?" Now you were sure people heard you. You watched as Grayson picked up the plate and gave it to...Selina. Of-fucking-course.

"What am I, chopped liver?"

Shit. Your shoulders tensed up and your hands balled into fists on your lap. You were in so much- "Ha." Huh? Did she...laugh? Whatever. "Sorry...can you pass the chicken please?" She nodded, was it getting hot in here? Or was it just everyone looking at you?

"You never told me she had a sense of humour." She said, her soft smile shining as she turned to Bruce, the her eyes squinted. "I don't think you told me much about her at all actually." That sounds about right. He probably doesn't even know much about you. Her elbow leaned on the table and her chin rested on her fist. "Your Mother...she was a model right?" With those words she instantly got your attention, with your eyes shining you nodded. "Yeah! She was"

With the nod of her head she leaned back in her chair. "That outfit...she wore something similar to it." Oh you definitely like her.

Before you could respond, someone had to open their mouth. "She wasn't a very famous one." Damian said, his annoying voice once again ruining your mood. "Damian." Bruce muttered. You scoffed, usually these comments would be ignored. "privileged asshole." You poked at your plate, not really hungry anymore. In fact it felt like you might throw up, or break something. "What did you call me?" He said sitting up in his chair. "I called you a privileged asshole." You banged your fork onto the table, no everyone's attention was on you. From the corner of your eye you could see Tim's scowl, it was surprising him and Bruce weren't related. You couldn't take it when he slandered your mother, but for some reason you were the villian. "Star. Don't be like that." Dick nudged you, only making you recoil with disgust. "Who said you could call me Star? Don't call me that, dick." You heard your name being called, Alfred standing to the side. He was warning you. "Sorry-" "No need to be a bitch about it." Of course Steph had to join in, you felt your mouth open, ready to spew an infinite amounts of insults when you heard your name being called a second time. Pushing the chair and table hardly you walked behind him, being led to the kitchen. "I apologise for her behaviour." Bruce's voice rung in your ears. Fuck this. .

.

.

You stood, arms crossed out tapping your foot. "You need to have some decorum-" "Decorum? Me? What about Damian?" You hated arguing with the old man, you hated when he was upset at you. The tears were already pouring, could they here this? The door was slightly ajar after all. "Master Damian has been through a lot-" "Okay?" Your voice shook, it was so wrong. But it felt right, right screaming like this. "Yes. Yes he has, and? So have I."

Alfred, mouth was agape for a second, he hadn't seen her this upset before. "Now Miss...you can't compare-" Great now you lost first name privileges. "Right. Everyone's been through tough shit, guess what? So have I!" Your voice getting louder, the anger pulsing through your veins. "I've been hurt and I'd never treat them like how I've been treated!'' Your arm extended out to the door, your other hand slapping your chest. Where your heart would be.

"WHY!...Why is their pain different from my pain?"

The question hung in the air, you held back sobs. Alfred looked tired now, almost guilty. His composure wilting slightly. "It...that's not what I mean-" Now that you had started you couldn't stop. "Do I not deserve the same amount of recognition, the same amount of love?" You felt yourself taking a step back, your whole body shaking. It's like it had a mind of it's own. "You do deserve it, please calm down..." Calm down?. Calm down? She wanted to shout at him, this wasn't fair. "You know what Alfred?" The breaths getting shorter. "What Miss.." "I wish I had stayed inside that day, I wish I burned with my mother." He looked visibly shaken for a moment, his voice gave it away. "You don't mean that." "I mean it. That way I would've died with her, knowing she loved me." Your voice got quiet at the end, barely above a whisper. Why was it always this way? What did you ever do to them. You hated this, you weren't their family. With every similarity there was difference, not a Wayne and not a Bat. But even so why couldn't they accept that and accept you.

.

.

.

The butler placed whatever he was holding down, you didn't know what it was and didn't care. The sobs were too hard to control, it made your body ache. He stepped closer, arms wide as you fell into them. Clinging on like you were going to fall apart.

A/N: Why does this suck lol

[platoapproved]

I'm still reading TVA and I gotta say for the benefit of IWTV show fans who haven't yet / aren't gonna read the books and are learning about them solely via tumblr: we GOTTA set aside some time in our busy killing Marius schedule to also kill Santino and Allesandra (from the Roman coven of the Children of Darkness that Armand mentions in the museum scene) because holy shit:

LIST OF CRIMES (some of these they don't do personally but they're sanctioning all of it)

the Roman coven kidnap all the boys from Marius' palazzo and throw them one by one onto a bonfire because they deserve to die "for their Master's sins"

Toss Armand in the fire as well but pull him out before he dies, leave him in a cell to suffer his burns.

Santino to Armand when he refuses to listen to Santino's indoctrination:

Santino again:

... then has one of the vampires in the coven dump the ashes from the other boys all over Armand's face so they get in his eyes and mouth.

Santinto to Armand (talking about Marius at first) 😒:

When Armand still resists indoctrination:

Lock Armand up in a cell and starve him for a week before tossing in Riccardo, his human best friend who he loves like a brother, who they specifically did not burn and kept aside for this purpose. Armand drains Riccardo before even realizing it is him and they refuse to remove Riccardo's body so Armand just has to be in there with it rotting.

Continue the cycle of leaving Armand starving completely alone in the dark for a week, bringing him a human victim, leaving the body there to rot. for like FIVE MONTHS while Armand loses his mind and starts seeing ghosts.

then:

[nightcolorz]

Can I ask what was Armand 's time like with the original coven/cult? I haven't read the books but I have heard how he was forced into him and it seems like a terrible time. I get how it started but he seems to have spent centuries working for the cult, if you can call it that and I was wondering how was it like? Did he really spent all that time in a cemetery? The coven seems to form the largest part of his life and I have really been wondering what those years have been like to him.

omg good question!! Thank u for the ask!!

the cult backstory part of the vampire Armand is actually relatively short considering how much time he spent there, but we r given a lot of details that give us an idea of what it was like. U said u know how it started but imma talk about that anyway for comprehension sake lol. So when he’s seventeen (in the book of course lol, in the show he’d be much older when this happens) and he had been turned into a vampire maybe within the last month or so, very very young vampire, the “children of darkness” storm Marius’s palazzo with intent to kill him. The children of darkness are a vampire coven (that most ppl in the fandom call a cult bcus they r by definition a religious cult lol) that has existed for a long time, has multiple covens throughout multiple parts of Europe. and believes that vampires are part of gods plan as demon like servants who r put on earth to serve him by spreading evil that god can fight. They believe that goodness can only exist if evil exists to combat it, and by spreading evil they r working for gods plan. So the children of darkness think that vampires, as servants of evil, should live in cemeteries with the rats, bcus they are meant to be low lives, and to refuse any indulgences such as living in houses or having mortal friends. The logic is that bcus they r like devils, they must create their own personal hell, bcus Devils arent worthy of having nice things and shouldn’t be nice to humans. So that’s why they live in cemeteries lol, and don’t have clean clothes.

so Marius is not catholic lmao (all children of darkness members are), he literally is Roman and was born before the Christian god was created. And he lives in a giant palace and has a team of mortal servants and, yknow a prostitute child who he turned into a vampire recklessly. So the Children of darkness r a very big cult, and so they believe that they r the ultimate authority that every vampire should follow, and vampires who don’t follow them r heretics (basically like Christianity historically). So to punish Marius they kill him with fire, kill all his mortal residents and the children who r living with him as his painting apprentices. They obviously can tell Armand is a vampire lol, and for being a breaking of the laws in his very existence (a vampire who was made without authority from the coven and was made as a child, also a vampire who has severe mental illness that Marius acknowledges as a disability that will make him unable to function as a vampire), they plan to kill him, sort of for the same logic Armand kills Claudia and Madeline, bcus he will die soon anyway. They line all the children (who Armand considers his brothers) up in front of a huge bonfire and throw them in as Armand is being held back screaming and trying to fight them. They are about to throw Armand in the fire with them, but the leader of the coven Santino, who is an Italian catholic who u can tell is sort of resigned and non violent, believes in the coven but doesn’t take any joy in the cruelty, sees that Armand has a history of being very very catholic and sees that he has a learned servitude and learned helplessness that would make him a very willing part of a catholic cult. He knows that Armand’s devotion to god and willingness to debase himself to honor god (he used to be a monk as a kid) would make him a good cult member, but he also can see that living with Marius has buried those tendencies in him, and he’s much more secular now. So he decides to let Armand live and indoctrinate him into the coven, aiming to beat the cult member tendencies back into him.

Santino takes armand into the catacombs and Armand is very resistant lol, he’s like why do u think I would join u I hate u u killed my master and u killed my brothers. He’s being mocked by the coven members, one guy throws his brothers ashes on his face 😭 and Armand in retaliation violently kills the guy and rips his head off and throws it into the skulls lined on the wall. Santino is Like wow. This kid is strong, he has like genuine potential. So he becomes dead set on making sure Armand becomes a part of their cult.

Santino talks to Armand to a while and explains their beliefs, hoping to convince Armand to be complaint that way. He tells him he’ll kill him if he doesn’t join them, which still doesn’t get Armand to want to comply. Santino introduces Armand to a vampire named Allessandra, who becomes sort of a maternal and mentor figure for Armand while he joins the coven. To force Armand to comply Santino then locks him in a cage and starves him of blood for weeks and weeks on end. Since Armand is a very young vampire, and young vampires need to eat multiple times a night, he’s been reduced to an animal because of how hungry he is. It’s basically like when Louis is trapped in the coffin in iwtv s2. It’s described that he’s yowling and throwing himself at the bars, biting into his arms and drinking his own blood, going completely insane, hallucinating. (Alessandra sometimes comes to sooth him while he’s loosing his shit in the cage and calls him a poor boy, pleads with Santino to let him out, stuff like that, which I think is sweet lol). Eventually the coven vampires feed Armand, and they release a teenaged boy into his cage. Armand instantly attacks and kills the boy without thinking or seeing him, and after he’s already dead Armand realizes that he just killed his closest friend and brother Riccardo, who was kept from being killed in the fire for this purpose. Armand desperately tries to turn Riccardo so he won’t die, but he’s long gone.

This absolutely pushes Armand over the edge, and he’s forced to share his containment now with the corpse of his best friend who he just killed. He tears his corpse apart so he doesn’t have to look at his face, starts throwing his limbs outside the bars, insane stuff like that. Armand is then starved again for several more weeks, and when he is eventually fed he is given a scared orphan child. Armand kills the child in his starvation and then starts to hallucinate guilty visions of the dead child in containment with him. It’s implied that this goes on in similar fashion for a long time.

when Armand is eventually released the indoctrination has worked. The intent of the torture was to teach Armand that he was a monster who deserved to live in catacombs, and that he wasn’t meant to live a life of indulgence like his master. The torture was also intended to drain him of any fight he had and to drain any hope he had of escaping. Armand is so defeated and devastated that he doesn’t care about escaping, he just goes through the motions, he’s lost everything. The coven decides that Armand’s name can not remain Amadeo, bcus of what it represents, since Marius named him Amadeo and means it “beloved of god”. Alessandra renames Armand to well, Armand lol. Armand means warrior.

after this Armand’s time in the coven isn’t described in depth, but we r told that the daily routine of the coven includes going out and tormenting and violently killing humans, indoctrinating and kidnapping vampires, and sleeping in coffins and doing rituals in the catacombs. Pretty quickly into his time as a coven member Santino sends Armand to go rule a coven in Paris, which has been abandoned by its master and needs a new one. Armand is given this opportunity bcus of how strong he is from Marius’s blood, and bcus of how uniquely dedicated and obedient he is. Santino knows that Armand is strong and resilient enough to be a leader, while also being obedient and compliant enough to not abandon his position. Armand asks to bring Alessandra with him bcus he needs someone to guide him in this position he’s never had before, and Santino allows him to.

Armand falls into the role of leader easily, just going through the motions passionlessly. He’s never been a leader before, but he’s able to fall into it with the mindset of obedience he has taken when being a part of the cult. Armand is in charge as coven master of doing all the thing to others that he was once put through, he tortures and starves vampires, kills them for breaking rules, stuff like that. Armand doesn’t believe in the covens principles, he is only a part of the coven because he feel he has no other choice. Coven leaders often abandon their stations and live normal lives, but Armand doesn’t do this bcus he doesn’t know how to live without smth to devote himself to. He’s never lived independently, he was turned as a teenager 😭 a teen who was being abused, and that’s all he knows how to be. He daydreams often about Marius coming to save him, but obviously this never happens.

We are told that Armand’s life continues in this way in much the same low action, depressing fashion until lestat comes around, the only change being that Allessandra goes crazy from old age and depression and kills herself. Lestat is the only reason Armand’s life with the coven ends, it’s implied he would have lived that way forever if he hadn’t been stopped.

Even tho the children of darkness part is pretty short and doesn’t detail much of the long time Armand spent there, it definitely informs a lot about Armand’s character. It’s a massive influence on how he perceives life as a vampire and why he reacts with so much disproportionate violence and cruelty for seemingly no reason. The reason Armand kills Claudia is very cult based, bcus for him he sees her death as a necessary part of Vampire Law. And Armand continues for the rest of his life to see extreme violence and torture as a necessary, common aspect of life that some scenarios demand. The cult also changes his personality a lot, within a few months he goes from a rebellious strong spirited kid to a cold and wide eyed monster who moves through the world like a ghost. It’s only during devils minion that Armand starts to regain his ability to be a person and starts to find a life for himself where he isn’t submitting to a purpose or a leader, for the first time in his existence

thank u again for the ask!!! I hope I answer ur question + this is what u were looking for, lol

[the-sartorial-journey]

Americano...

[the-sartorial-journey]

Wednesday's

Sartorial Journey

[teecupangel]

Cat Bureau but its just Malik dealing with his Little Cat brother Kadar, Altaïr’s continued adoption streak, and the strange Novice who seems to be having a religious experience in the backroom every day with the strange maybe deity that arrived with them- oh and the local merchants can’t understand him, wonderful…

The “Altaïr gets a cult (but nobody cares about that) and gets lots of cats against his will” idea and the “Malik and Altaïr bickers like an old married couple” side-idea with its sorta sequel “Ezio breaks down and starts doubting every cat he sees” idea. And the “Ezio looks for someone to cat-sit the army of cats while Altaïr, Malik and Desmond usurp Mario” mini-fic.

Morning strolls were the most peaceful time for Malik.

Altaïr was training in the big courtyard in the middle of their palazzo, surrounded by his children all acting like they were training with him and not just playing around.

Desmond was still asleep and will be asleep until Malik asks one of the cats to wake him up for breakfast. Desmond liked to sleep in but he was also always the last to sleep at night. He keeps saying it was his ‘internal clock’ still needing time to adjust and Malik has stopped trying to understand the many strange words Desmond uses at times. Unlike Altaïr, he preferred not to ask Desmond so many questions about words he said in passing.

His morning stroll would always lead him to the market and he had gotten used to haggling with the merchants there. His Italian was still limited but some of them spoke Latin which he could converse with. His use of Latin seemed to make people assume that he was some kind of monk from a religious sector or another.

He never bothered to correct them.

They didn’t give discounts to monks here (no matter how much Desmond complained). He did know that Desmond gets to pay less for more than he did but he always assumed it was because Desmond had a way with words and he was fluent in Italian.

Desmond, however, was not good at discerning the best ingredient to buy. He was better than Altaïr though but Malik would rather he be the one in charge of buying their food.

“Meow!”

“Hm? What’s the matter, Kadar?” Malik turned slightly to look at the small kitten gripping his shoulders with his little claws. Clear blue eyes stared back at him as the kitten meowed once more.

It was the same meow he always made whenever he was going to Altaïr.

Malik sighed and looked at what had caught the attention of the only feline companion he had.

“Oh, Malik! We have your favorite fish! As fresh as they can be!” The fishmonger he frequented caught him looking around and waved his hands towards the stall.

To be completely honest, Malik was unsure if he heard the fishmonger right. The actual words he knew from what he said were his name, ‘favorite’, ‘fish’ and ‘fresh’.

Looking at the fishes he was selling today though…

Malik’s expression remained neutral but he turned to look at kitten on his shoulder.

That was a mistake.

The kitten was giving him the biggest pleading eyes he had ever seen.

Malik let out a long suffering sigh and began to walk towards the fishmonger’s stall.

It seemed breakfast would be Altaïr’s favorite fish today.

He’ll buy a bit more since that strange novice who has been visiting Desmond every day might visit them during breakfast.

… again.

[scotianostra]

January 1st 1766 saw the death of James Francis Edward Stuart, in Rome.

Born after nine previous children died either at birth or shortly after and a tenth who died at age four, a rumour, likely started by Protestant partisans, was almost immediately spread that a living child had been smuggled into the birthing chamber in a warming pan after the royal child had been born dead. At birth he was created 1st Duke of Rothesay, styled as Earl of Chester and Prince James of Wales. He was also created 1st Duke of Cornwall.

Fearing another Roman Catholic monarch, a Protestant group invited James II’s Protestant daughter by his first marriage, Mary, to take the throne, supplanting both her father and half-brother. Her acceptance resulted in what became known as the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

James was raised in exile in France where he became the focus for Jacobites hopes. Upon his father’s death in 1701, he declared himself king and was recognized as the heir by several Roman Catholic monarchs, but was attainted for treason by Act of Parliament in March 1702 in Britain and his titles were forfeited under British law.

He attempted an invasion of Britain in March 1708, but his fleet was driven off. Another attempt was made in 1715 when he achieved landfall in Scotland but had missed the crucial Battle of Sherriffmuir disappointed by the lack of support instead of attempting a planned coronation at Scone, he retreated back to France.

By this time the French were at peace with Britain and he was no longer welcome in the country. He was invited by Pope Clement XI of the Palazzo Muti to make Rome his residence. In September 1719, he married Maria Sobieski and with her had two sons, Charles Edward and Henry. He presided over his Roman Jacobite court for the remainder of his life.

He died at age 77 in Rome. He was buried within the Vatican City, in what we know as The Monument to the Royal Stuarts. The marble monument is by Antonio Canova, the most celebrated Italian sculptor of his day. It is in the form of a truncated obelisk. It carries profile portraits of the three exiled princes, and the following inscription:

IACOBO·III IACOBI·II·MAGNAE·BRIT·REGIS·FILIO KAROLO·EDVARDO ET·HENRICO·DECANO·PATRUM·CARDINALIVM IACOBI·III·FILIIS REGIAE·STIRPIS·STVARDIAE·POSTREMIS ANNO·M·DCCC·XIX

(To James III, son of King James II of Great Britain, to Charles Edward and to Henry, Dean of the Cardinal Fathers, sons of James III, the last of the Royal House of Stuart. 1819)

Below the inscription are two weeping angels, symbolising the lost hopes of the exiled Stuarts.

[onceinawhilemoon]

Some food for fanfic:

So "James Mallus" aka "M" (aka James Moriarty even though it's not canonically confirmed, yet) arrived at Il Palazzo del Lusso on the same day as Sherlock and checked in just before him... hm.

There’s no recorded time of arrival for any of the guests, so we can only speculate. But what are the chances that M was also on the same train/ferry as Sherlock and had been following him closely since he left his home in London?

I looked up Nelson's Monument and Trafalgar Sqaure to see if they held any significance in the ACD canon. The only relevant detail I was able to find was that the square falls within close proximity to Pall Mall and the Diogenes Club.

Frogwares might have had an entirely different plotline planned for M and Sherlock involving this specific location since the Diogenes Club is never mentioned in CO and TA and it doesn’t seem to exist in this universe, but still I couldn't help but have a little freak out session at this info because WHAT IF M WAS KEEPING TABS ON MYCROFT TOO? WHAT IF HE WAS IMPLICITLY THREATENING SHERLOCK WITH HIS BROTHER'S SAFETY?

What if M knew that Sherlock would seek Mycroft’s assistance and left this photograph as a way to say, "You think you're being clever and playing it safe by leaving this matter in your brother's hands, but guess what, I'm watching him too, and I'm several steps ahead of you both."

[ladystarksneedle]

Do you have any art/painting recommendation which are very teen aegon coded

From top left: (descriptions are from left to right side)

Detail of frescoes in the Hall of the Months, Palazzo Schifanoia,

Portrait of Guiliano De Medici by Benozzo di Lese di Sandro Gozzoli

Carlo Crivelli catalogue raisonné, 1975 Bovero

Portrait of a Young Man Cosmè Tura (Cosimo di Domenico di Bonaventura)

Boy with Wine Glass and Flute Jacob Gerritszoon[a] Cuyp or Cuijp 1652

Rembrandt van Rijn, Man with a Hawk, 1643

A late portrait of the two sons of the 3rd Duke of Lennox, Lord John Stuart and his Brother, Lord Bernard Stuart; Anthony van Dyck.

Portrait of two brothers by Henri Gascar (1635 –1701)

[the-sartorial-journey]

Sartorial Journey

[lukedifferent]

I Spoke of Love: The Secret of the Pendant

A Love Story in 1850s Turin

In the crisp autumn of 1850, Turin’s high society bustles with elegance and strict conventions. Amidst the shadows of the Parco del Valentino and the grandeur of Palazzo Crepuett, a clandestine love unfolds. Amalia, a spirited young noblewoman, defies the rigid expectations of her lineage, finding solace and passion in the arms of Pietro, a cultured but humble baker. Their forbidden romance, marked by secret rendezvous and whispered promises, threatens to upend the carefully maintained facade of her aristocratic family.

When Amalia’s secret is on the verge of exposure, her life spirals into turmoil. Her mother, Countess Matilde, driven by duty and tradition, plans to send Amalia to the glittering courts of London, hoping to extinguish her daughter’s rebellious spirit. Yet, Amalia’s resolve is fierce, and with the support of her equally defiant brother Alessandro, she must navigate the treacherous waters of love, duty, and societal expectations.

Alessandro, a handsome and rebellious young man, hides an intimate secret that has never been revealed. The pendant he always wears around his neck holds this secret, shining with a mysterious light that seems to understand his deepest emotions. This pendant becomes a symbol of the hidden truths and unspoken desires that lie beneath the surface of their lives.

“I Spoke of Love: The Secret of the Pendant” weaves a tale of passion, defiance, and the timeless struggle between heart and duty, set against the rich backdrop of 1850s Turin. Will Amalia succumb to the pressures of her world, or will love guide her to a fate of her own choosing? And what is the secret Alessandro guards so closely, locked within the pendant’s mysterious glow?

[volterran-wine]

Are the Romanians the ones who spread the rumour about the Queens being stuck in the tower?

𝐂𝐚𝐢𝐮𝐬: ... Oh I have not forgot how it was our dear guests who started the rumours about how me and Aro treat our spouses. Personally, I believe The Whore and The Oaf has taken advantage of our hospitality for long enough.

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐬: Caius,-

𝐂𝐚𝐢𝐮𝐬: Marcus,-

𝐕𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐫: Seeing sweet Athenodora out and about nearly makes my stone cold heart beat once more, you must be doing something correctly after millennia of chasing shadowy beasts up the wall.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧: As if he can keep his wife happy.

𝐂𝐚𝐢𝐮𝐬: ... ... ...

-

𝐀𝐫𝐨: Seeing as though my brother has now chased our dear Romanian neighbours out of the palazzo, it it is time for this little event to come to an end. I entrust you all into Nathalie's capable hands once more.

— 𝐶𝑎𝑖𝑢𝑠, ����𝑎𝑟𝑐𝑢𝑠, 𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑓𝑎𝑛, 𝑉𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑟 & 𝐴𝑟𝑜

[copperbadge]

In Re: Carlo and Pride, I imagine Caleb's reaction to Galia's Big Shiny Parade will be something along the lines of "Good for them! Still not going!!!!!!!" ?

AHAHAHA yeah, I mean -- I think Caleb is softening a little towards Galia, because he's reached a point where he kind of knows who he is and who he wants to be, and he's comfortable with that, has a strong support network, a loving partner, social capital. But Fons-Askaz is his home, and if anything his conversation with Michaelis, where Michaelis is like "But you live, eat, teach, pay taxes here...you are Shivadh in any way that matters" affirmed that Galia is not somewhere he particularly wants or needs to return to.

There is a short story, not completed yet because I'm not sure where all it's going, where Caleb writes a song about Duke Tomas and drops it on Photogram, and it goes viral:

The app popped up the Photogram account of the Duchessa's younger brother, Lord Milo Ansevali, secretary to the duchy. His latest post was a video titled Reaction To 'Punching Down' by Caleb Canto. 

Ah, shit. 

Caleb sighed and clicked on it.

Ansevali had an earbud in one ear, and a mug of steaming tea in one hand, the teabag's tag dangling visibly. As the intro to Caleb's latest song came on over the video, he nodded his head in time, then set down the mug to start shoulder-dancing to it; when Caleb hit the first chorus, where the song got pretty intense pretty quickly, the camera began to shake wildly as Lord Milo enthusiastically rocked out. Caleb watched, fascinated, as one of the most powerful men in Galia began to headbang blurrily. 

The chorus came to an end and the camera went still; Ansevali, visibly breathing heavily, went still again as well, only nodding his head gently. As the song hit the line Even his kids don't want his job, he delicately lifted his mug to his mouth and sipped, and the screen went black. 

In the notes, he'd pinned a comment by the official Photogram of the Duchess of the Horse of the House of Galia, his older sister, Duchessa Ofelia. In Italian, it read How much would we need to pay Caleb Canto to move back to Galia?

Lord Milo had replied, Why pay him to move back? He's making our point for us from the Ask.

Caleb, who was not especially good at Photogram but was constantly around people who were, considered what Noah or Jerry would say if they were pretending to be him on his Photogram, as they sometimes had in the past. Then he opened the reply thread and tapped out, With affection for the Duchess from an Abdicaristo, I can't leave Askazer-Shivadlakia. My first love is the sea.

("Abdicaristo/a/e" is the term for a supporter of the political movement to democratize Galia and for Ofelia to abdicate the throne in favor of a parliamentary government. Ofelia is the head of the movement, which Caleb speculates makes life in the Palazzo Cavallo very exciting.)