#Catherine Trevelyan

[halobirthdays]

Happy birthday to Spartan Kurt Ambrose!

Today is his -487th birthday!

Kurt Ambrose was born Kurt Trevelyan on Circumstance. Like all SPARTAN-II candidates, he was identified as exceptional by Dr. Catherine Halsey, kidnapped, and replaced with a flash clone. Kurt was one of the top candidates of the program, with Franklin Mendez believing that he would lead the Spartans. Like all Spartans, he possessed physical and mental prowess, but he also displayed a sociable nature that was unusual for the Spartans. Like John-117, his closest competitor, he had strong instincts and a tendency for luck to fall in his favor of his intuition.

Kurt became the leader of Green Team. Like all Spartan-IIs, his intital deployments were against Insurrectionist groups. However, after the Human-Covenant war began, his training was accelerated and he was sent to combat the Covenant.

After the death of Samuel-034, Kurt was assigned to Blue Team. While uneasy with the replacement of their friend, he was welcomed into the team. During one of their missions, Kurt's armor malfunctioned, sending him into space, where he was marked as MIA and presumed dead. However, the suit malfunction was actually orchestrated by ONI under the orders of Colonel Ackerson, who wanted to use Kurt for his secret project: training the next generation of Spartans. Ackerson knew Halsey would attempt to stop him, so he had Kurt and the new recruits sent to the secret shield world Onyx to be trained. He gave Kurt the surname Ambrose, which he would need for his officer's commission, as Kurt's indoctrination was so complete that he forgot the name he was born with.

Kurt would begin training the new conscripts alongside Mendez, the same person who had trained Kurt and his peers. Kurt cared deeply for the trainees and was devastated when he lost Alpha and Beta company, blaming himself despite the fact that SPARTAN-IIIs were intentionally treated as more disposable than their previous generation. Shaken by his losses, he had Gamma company enhanced with illegal augmentations, which were risky but increased their odds of survival.

In 2552, there was an outbreak on conflict on Onyx. During this conflict, he discovered that Catherine Halsey and Kelly-087 made their way to Onyx after fleeing the Covenant invasion of Reach. Halsey was furious to discover the SPARTAN-III program, but happy to see Kurt alive. They were joined by Blue Team, minus John, who were there to assist in finding Forerunner technology that Halsey believed was located within Onyx. This was a lie, as Halsey actually intended to activate the planet's defenses and protect herself and her Spartans after the UNSC lost the war.

As all this was happening, the Great Schism had just begun in the Covenant. Fleetmaster Voro Nar 'Mantakree joined a group of Sangheili shipmasters who defected from the Covenant but maintained their faith and hatred of Humanity. 'Mantakree discovered the operations on Onyx, and took his feet to attack the shield world.

The subsequent battle left Kurt mortally wounded, and, at the protest of those under his command, he insisted on being left behind. However, before his death, he primed multiple nuclear warheads, and used himself as bait to lure 'Mantakree's forces to him. Once they were in range, he activated them, killing 'Mantakree and his entire fleet and saving the survivors.

Kurt's armor transponder continued to emit a signal that was detected by the UNSC, leading to the survivors' rescue. With the outer "shield" of Onyx destroyed, the remaining Dyson sphere was officially dubbed "ONI Research Facility Trevelyan", named in Kurt's honor using his real surname at Halsey's behest.

[halo3brodst]

First post, so I'll make it about a personal favorite of mine.

Jul 'Mdama - Character Overview

"Embittered by decades of hatred towards humanity and the loss of his own wife at their hands, the Sangheili warrior wanted revenge."

Jul 'Mdama doesn't get enough credit, I think. While I personally am not one to excuse terrorism and attempted genocide, his reasoning has some merit to it, and it's unfortunate it's entirely discarded in Halo 4 and 5. Jul even had his own encounter with a Spartan, cementing his dislike for humanity. It's actually so devastating that he became a throwaway villain just so they could introduce Cortana as a villain. At least I can hope something cool comes out of Asum and Dural...

Jul 'Mdama was born in the State of Mdama on Sanghelios in March of 2489. He married his wife, Raia 'Mdama, and had two sons, Dural and Asum. ((I'm going to ignore how stupid this plot point is because based on the Sangheili tradition of sons not know their fathers, it would have been so obvious who their father was.)) While Jul 'Mdama was away in service of the Covenant, he left the estate to Raia and her grandbrother.

Jul always had a strong resentment and distrust for humanity, even post-war. He compared them to the Flood, not viewing them as a threat to his religious journey, but acknowledging their habits of colonization and consumption. He strongly disagreed with Thel 'Vadam's alliance with the humans, thinking they should be annihilated while they were weakened after the war.

In 2553, Jul and Forze 'Mdama allied with Avu Med 'Telcam and the Servants of the Abiding Truth. He was not interested in the religious aspect, but moreso believing they were the faction best suited to take out the Arbiter.

During one of 'Telcam's weapons deals with ONI, Jul 'Mdama followed him, suspicious of who his supplier was. He got kidnapped by Naomi-010. Professor Evan Phillips interrogated him aboard the UNSC Port Stanley, and then by Black-Box. Soon after, he was transferred to Trevelyan (formerly known as Onyx), placed in captivity within ONI Research Facility Trevelyan. Jul plotted his escape, and lied about still following the Forerunners as gods as an excuse to visit Forerunner sites. He forced his Huragok escort, Prone to Drift, to disable his explosive collar, and escaped to Hesduros through a malfunctioning portal.

Jul 'Mdama put his forces together on Hesduros, and by 2554, his followers were headed to Requiem. In July 2557, his forces spotted the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn heading for Requiem, and ordered his forces to board it. They were (obviously) unsuccessful and the Forward Unto Dawn, along with Jul 'Mdama's forces, were pulled into the planet by Requiem's gravity well. As the Master Chief encountered the Cryptum, Jul 'Mdama and his forces also located the Cryptum within the core. They fought Prometheans controlled by the Librarian to get to the Cryptum.

Jul forged an alliance with the Didact for the sake of destroying humans, gaining the title "The Hand of the Didact". He made an attempt to get ahold of the Janus Key, which Catherine Halsey initially had, and he held Halsey as prisoner. After escaping with Halsey, Jul set Requiem on a crash course with its star, destroying Requiem.

Halsey had been taken back by the UNSC, but contacted Jul once more, as both of them had halves to the Janus Key, and she sought out the knowledge provided by it. Halsey realized that Jul was going to kill her soon, as her usefulness was running out. She led Jul to Kamchatka, where the UNSC fireteam, Fireteam Osiris, retrieved her. Spartan Jameson Locke stabbed him in the neck, killing him.

((I omitted a lot of content from Escalation for the sake of not rambling.))

[ladyzirkonia]

Today something different for OC sunday because I'm indulging in Dragon Age as preparation for the new game.

Meet Catherine Trevelyan, my mage and hero of the Inquisition.

She mainly studied elemental magic and found her love and comfort in cold magic. When she feels some anxiety she just likes to sit down and recite the spells she knows to calm herself down so that often a cold veil can be perceived around her, but the cold itself doesn't seem to bother her.

[vigilskeep]

I love that your trevelyans name is arthur, really gives evelyn king henry the eighth vibes. It would be very funny if she tried to cecede and form a seperate chantry denomination

LMAO i wasnt thinking of that arthur but now you say it... i have to say i don’t think evelyn has remotely the backbone or political power for the reformation. she’s also slightly too, you know, deceased. busy being a Charred Husk. as it were. although i guess in evelyn inquisitor au creating a separate chantry IS kind of what she does AGHSJSKSKS

however. now thinking abt catherine of aragon related ideas. absolutely losing my mind over the idea of arthur having a childhood betrothal before he got taken to the circle and evelyn or maxwell being married to the poor girl instead. lmao can you imagine if the girl was engaged to arthur and then (when he got taken to the circle) evelyn and then (when evelyn went to the templars) maxwell. ludicrous. i love it. the things these kids will do to dodge the altar. evelyn potentially having a widow(er) is actually very compelling though... i need to stop making ocs

[madelyn-trevelyan]

The Basics

GENERAL INFORMATION

Full Name: Madelyn Catherine Trevelyan

Class: Warrior (Champion)

Love Interest: Cullen

APPEARANCE

Height: 5’8”

Body Type: muscular, solid, heavily built

Eyes: dark blue

Hair: copper red, extremely thick and curly, usually kept braided up against her head

Tattoos: none

Piercings: none

Scars: one on the right side of her forehead through the edge of her eyebrow, one on the right side of her upper lip, one down her left jawline, one across her cheek under her right cheekbone, assorted scars elsewhere on her body

Birthmarks/freckles: freckles all over her face and the rest of her body

Typical makeup style: none

Typical clothing style: she almost always wears some form of armor, even at Skyhold

BIOGRAPHY

(Born: 9:13 Dragon)

Madelyn was raised in a strict Andrastian environment and was expected to serve the Chantry in some way, like the majority of her family. After her eldest brother joined the Templars (in order to protect their mage sister who had been sent to the Ostwick Circle by her parents), she decided she wanted to follow in his footsteps and began training as a warrior as soon as she could pick up a training sword. She was never able to join the Order, as her parents were forced to name her their heir because her other siblings were unavailable to fulfill the role. Madelyn persuaded her parents to let her join the Ostwick military until she had to take over their holdings, and after the Mage-Templar War broke out she spent almost four years leading groups of soldiers throughout the Free Marches to provide assistance where needed. She argued with her parents over the decision to leave Ostwick, but they managed to convince her to return home in order to accompany some members of her family to Divine Justinia’s Conclave.

PERSONALITY

Madelyn is serious, stoic, and grounded, preferring to keep her emotions to herself as to not appear weak to those she leads. She is rational when she makes decisions, never letting her true feelings or emotions get in the way of making the decision that will lead to the best possible outcome. She tends to focus heavily on the task at hand, doing whatever is necessary in order to complete it. Madelyn always remains professional with the people she deals with, and sometimes it’s hard for her to take that mask off and be herself around people, unless she trusts or knows them well. She also considers herself religious, and finds a sense of comfort in Andrastian teachings.

MAJOR DECISIONS

Recruited Sera, Vivienne, Iron Bull, and Blackwall.

Recruited Dorian, mages recruited as allies after stopping Alexius.

Recruited Cole.

Wardens recruited as allies after events at Adamant Fortress (everyone survives the Fade).

Cullen doesn’t take lyrium.

Cole becomes more human.

Iron Bull’s Chargers are not killed.

Celene rules Orlais (reconciled with Briala)

Blackwall sentenced to be handed over to the Wardens after Corypheus’ defeat.

Morrigan drinks from the Well of Sorrows.

Leliana (hardened) becomes Divine.

(Complete Worldstate with Warden, Hawke, and Inquisitor’s major decisions/information can be found here.)

[lyntergalactic]

DA DRUNK WRITING CIRCLE PROMPT INFO

i'm one of those writers who delights in reading and writing all kinds of things. i love all the DA NPCs and am a huge multishipper so feel free to get creative in my inbox. i prefer prompts that aren't dialogue/sentence starters, but other than that... go ham.

also if you're nabbing a prompt from a prompt list, please copy paste the entire prompt into my inbox so i don't have to have the list open in another tab.

if you want to learn a bit about my PCs, check out this dreamwidth post or scroll further down for a very brief run-down on some of their canon relationships. i'm also cool with writing default protags though they... may grow into new PCs, i make no promises lol

specifics i'm especially feeling this week:

ships: juniper/solas, iris/sebastian, hadley/cullen, alistair/zevran, blackwall/inquisitor, blackwall/the warden

platonic pairings: blackwall & alistair, bull & solas, varric & solas, cassandra & solas, linden & solas (it's a solas kind of week, okay...) hadley & alistair, hawke & varric, iris & fenris, fenris & sebastian

prompt lists/types: h/c tropes, a softer world, non-sexual intimacy, things you said, prompts from poems

canon character relationships:

hadley amell - romanced leliana but they break up a few years pre-inquisition; eventually gets together with cullen; very close friends with alistair, zevran, and nathaniel; was close with anders and misses him muchly; adores shale and sten and the feeling is... potentially mutual??

iris hawke - romanced sebastian and they've got a queerplatonic thing with fenris; has another weird queerplatonic thing with anders; loves carver to bits and pieces and has an... Interesting relationship with him; pretty much considers varric family; surprisingly friends with cullen.

juniper lavellan - romanced solas; adores her little brother and tag-along linden; very close with dorian, cole, and bull; has a bit of a fraught relationship with sera; admires cullen, cassandra, and varric.

linden lavellan - seriously looks up to bull and varric; has Mixed Feelings about solas; wants to be a little like viv when he grows up; he and more human!cole have a cute puppy crush thing on each other by the end of the game timeline

laoise cousland - romanced alistair; besties with leliana and zev; surprisingly close with nathaniel? and is friends with oghren after he sobers up; has a weird relationship with anora that blossoms after laoise and alistair take the throne

catherine trevelyan - romanced cullen; looks up majorly to vivienne and cassandra; loves hanging out with varric and dorian and solas because she's a nerd. started off slightly intimidated by bull but now they're bros.

the mega prompt list dreamwidth post

[candlekept]

Dragon Age World States

Torny Brosca ♕ — Sword & Shield Warrior | Champion & Guardian | ♡ Leliana Marian Hawke — Dual-Wielding Rogue | Shadow | ♡ Isabela Herah Adaar — Storm Mage | Knight-Enchanter | ♡ Sera

Lyna Mahariel — Dual-Wielding Warrior | Templar & Spirit Warrior | ♡ Zevran → Nika Kader — Dual-Wielding Rogue | Bard & Legionnaire Scout Garrett Hawke — Entropy & Arcane Mage | Force Mage | ♡ Anders Ashton Trevelyan ♕ — Archer Rogue | Artificer | ♡ Iron Bull

Devyn Amell — Creation & Entropy Mage | Spirit Healer, Blood Mage, & Battlemage | ♡ Morrigan Lorena Hawke — Two-Handed Weapon Warrior | Berserker | ♡ Merrill Berik Casash — Dual-Wielding Rogue | Tempest | ♡ Dorian

Recca Aeducan ♕ — Two-Handed Weapon Warrior | Berserker & Reaver | ♡ Alistair Gladys Hawke — Dual-Wielding Rogue | Duelist | ♡ Fenris Evelyn Trevelyan — Winter Mage | Rift Mage | ♡ Josephine

Kallian Tabris — Dual-Wielding Rogue | Duelist & Shadow | ♡ Leliana Catherine Hawke ♕ — Primal & Creation Mage | Spirit Healer | ♡ Sebastian Elda Cadash — Two-Handed Weapon Warrior | Reaver | ♡ Blackwall

Aedan Cousland — Archer Rogue | Bard & Assassin | ♡ Anora Tanner Hawke — Elemental & Spirit Mage | Blood Mage | ♡ Merrill Ilana Lavellan — Sword & Shield Warrior | Champion | ♡ Solas

Neria Surana — Primal & Spirit Mage | Arcane Warrior & Keeper | ♡ Alistair Lilian Hawke — Two-Handed Weapon Warrior | Reaver | ♡ Isabela Kaaras Adaar — Dual-Wielding Rogue | Assassin | ♡ Cassandra

Elyon Mahariel — Archer Rogue | Ranger & Assassin | ♡ Morrigan Rylan Hawke — Sword & Shield Warrior | Templar | ♡ Fenris Mana Lavellan — Spirit & Inferno Mage | Necromancer | ♡ Cullen

Vico Amell ♕ — Entropy & Spirit Mage | Shapeshifter & Blood Mage | ♡ Zevran Letty Hawke — Archer Rogue | Assassin | ♡ Anders

[out-of-the-embers]

“You’re not gonna cry, are you?” For whoever you'd like! :D

Thank you for the prompt! :D This is for the 300 words or less challenge.

I chose to write something for my inquisitor, Lily Trevelyan.

Words: 298

Lily glared at the woman in front of her.

What a coincidence that she shows up now. This woman was never there when Lily and her parents needed her, but she made her appearance known whenever she was the one who needed – no, demanded – something from them.

She was a woman to who took and kept taking until she was satisfied enough to vanish into thin air. She was a leech, feeding off the pain and loss Lily’s parents went through after she was taken to the Circle.

What a coincidence that she shows her face after Lily has been named Inquisitor and the Inquisition has gained a considerable amount of power.

“What in the void are you doing here, Catherine?” Lily said slowly. Catherine’s presence never brought good news.

Catherine gawked at her, pressing her hand to her chest. “Now, now Lily. Is that any way to greet family?” Her eyes roamed over Lily’s appearance with arrogance and disgust. “Then again, you were raised in the Circle. I doubt they taught you much about manners.”

Lily stared at her. She was not going to play Catherine’s games.

Catherine cocked her head, her gaze cold and calculating. “What’s wrong? You’re not going to cry, are you?”

Lily looked at her for a moment before she released a laugh. “Grow up, Catherine. We’re not children anymore. If your plan was to see what you could gain from the Inquisition, I’m afraid you went about it the wrong way.” She looked to the soldiers standing next to Catherine. “Please escort this woman out. Do not allow her to enter our grounds if she returns.”

Catherine’s eyes grew wide. “How dare you–”

The soldiers saluted and Lily watched as she was dragged away. 

She was done being taken advantage of.

[aur-eliaa]

I can’t deal with how good her face is.

[thealmightyemprex]

Actors who were nearly Bond villains 2

David Bowie ,Sting and Mick Jagger as Max Zorin in A View To A Kill

Anthony Hopkins as Alec Trevelyan from Goldeneye and Elliot Carver from Tomorrow Never Dies

Alan Rickman as Alec Trevelyan from Goldeneye

Sharon Stone as Elektra King in The World is Not Enough

CAtherine ZetaJones as Elektra in The World Is Not Enough and Miranda in Die Another Day

Jean Reno as Renard in The World is Not Enough

Olivia Willaims and Saffron Burrows as Miranda in Die Another Day

@ariel-seagull-wings @amalthea9 @metropolitan-mutant-of-ark @theancientvaleofsoulmaking @filmcityworld1 @lord-antihero @princesssarisa @marquisedemasque

[halobirthdays]

Happy birthday to Jul 'Mdama!

Today is his -465th birthday!

'Mdama's mistrust for humanity was pragmatic: he recognized humanity as a threat, and felt that, left unchecked, they would colonize beyond the Sangheili's control. Jul was not particularly religious, but was willing to use what remained of the Covenant's piety as a means to his ends. After the death of his wife, his hatred of humanity became personal, going to great lengths to ensure their destruction. He met his end at the Battle of Kamchatka at the hands of Spartan Jameson Locke. With his death, his remaining forces were defeated at Sunaion on Sanghelios, marking the end of his Covenant and the Covenant as understood before the Great Schism.

After the fall of the Covenant, he disagreed with Arbiter Thel 'Vadam's decision to make peace with humanity. He sought out others who shared his belief, and partnered with Avu Med 'Telcam, leader of the Servants of the Abiding Truth. After following 'Telcam to meet his secret weapons supplier, he was captured by Spartan Naomi-010 and brought to ONI Research Facility Trevelyan, where he was interrogated and experimented on.

Meanwhile, his wife, Raia, died in search of him, having insisted on boarding one of 'Telcam's frigates in her search for him. The frigate was shot down by the Arbiter's forces as 'Telcam attempted to bombard the state of 'Vadam.

At Trevelyan, he learned of the Didact and his location. After escaping through a portal, he convinced the Sangheili inhabitants of the reclusive Hesduros--who had not heard about the Great Schism--to assist him in finding the Didact. It was here that he learned of his wife's death, and his determination to destroy humanity was solidified. Jul called his faction the Covenant--the last vestige of the original hegemony.

On Requiem, Jul forged an agreement with the Didact due to their shared desire to eradicate humanity, coining himself the "Didact's Hand". There, he learned of the Janus Key, a Forerunner "key" which would allow him to access the Absolute Record, a Forerunner artifact repository. He partnered with Catherine Halsey, who had been taken prisoner by the UNSC, and who had her own reasons for wanting access to the Absolute Record.

After the record was destroyed, Halsey realized that she would no longer be useful to Jul. Thus, she devised a trap and contacted the UNSC to give them Jul's location. Fireteam Osiris arrived and engaged 'Mdama and his forces in close combat, with Locke eventually initiating a fatal blow to Jul's stomach and neck with a combat knife.

Back home, his sons--now orphaned and grieving--would take diverging paths. His oldest, Dural, would be taken in by 'Telcam and join the Servants of the Abiding Truth. His youngest, Asum, would be fostered by Kasha 'Hilot and taken to live on the multi-species community Paxopolis. Asum committed himself to nonviolence, and befriended other species--including a human--during his stay there. Thus, Jul's sons find themselves on opposing sides of post-war conflict.

[gardenofkore]

Florence Trevelyan Cacciola (née Florence Trevelyan Trevelyan) was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumblerand, on February 7th 1852. She was the daughter and only surviving child (her older sister Edith had died in 1850 at just one year old) of Edward Spencer Trevelyan of Hallington Hall (cadet son of Sir John Trevelyan, 5th Baronet Trevelyan of Nettlecombe, Somerset, and of Wallington Hall, Northumberland), and of Catherine Ann Forster.

She was baptised in St. Andrew Church in Hartburn, Northumberland, with her family name serving also as a middle name, so that she would have been able to keep it even after married.

On August 23rd 1854 Edward Spencer Trevelyan committed suicide, leaving his wife and his two years old daughter living alone in Hallington Hall.

Over the years, Florence and her mother developed a great interest in gardening and in establishing "pleasure gardens", such as gardens open to the public. Perhaps the fact that Florence's uncle, Sir Walter Carverley Trevelyan, 6th Baronet, was a renowned naturalist and geologist, might have provided some sort of influence.

In 1877 Catherine Forster died and her daughter inherited Hallington Hall. The year after the childless Sir Walter died too. Following the wishes of the late baronet, his inheritance was surprisingly split: his title was inherited by his nephew Alfred Wilson Trevelyan (son of Alfred Wilson Trevelyan senior), while Wallington Hall was left to his cousin Charles Edward Trevelyan. Despite being senior to her cousin Alfred (Florence's father was older than Alfred's one), and a closer relative than Charles Trevelyan, Florence, as a female, was passed over in the succession of the family titles and estates. In 1879, Miss Trevelyan, already mistress of herself, set off for a two years tour across Europe and North Africa, accompanied by her cousin, Louisa Harriet Spencer (daughter of Beatrice Trevelyan and Ernest Augustus, youngest child of Spencer Perceval, the only British prime minister to have been murdered). During a stop in Alassio, the two girls visited Parco Fuor del Vento and the villa Molino di Sopra as guests of General William Montagu Scott McMurdo, owner and designer of the park. Florence could thus admire the terraced hill, planted with olive, orange and palm trees and cypresses, and adorned with four pagoda style buildings. From there she could also see Gallinara island, shelter for herring gulls and protected plant species.

In 1881 Miss Trevelyan visited Taormina for the first time. The Sicilian city at that time was still recovering from the turmoil that had followed the Unification of Italy in 1861. Economical backwardness had also forced many to emigrate and so depopulate the territory. Taormina impressed very much Florence, because it reminded her of Alassio. In particular, she thought the islet of Santo Stefano (donated in 1806 by King Ferdinando I to the city) resembled a lot to Gallinara. Together with her cousin, she stayed in Taormina from January 28th to February 14th 1881. On August of the same year, the two girls were back in Northumberland. It's during this time that Florence became somehow close to Queen Victoria, to the point of being invited to Balmoral Castle (fun fact, in Taormina Florence is still popularly regarded a Queen Victoria's niece. Perhaps everything started after people saw a photo of Florence with her mother, Catherine Ann Trevelyan. Certainly the majority of people didn't actually know the actual appearance of Queen Victoria, so Mrs Trevelyan was easily mistaken with her illustrious sovereign, after all they were only 4 years apart) . In fact, despite the fact that the Trevelyan were mere landed aristocracy (and Florence, as the daughter of a cadet son, wasn't even entitled to be called lady), they were well-connected with the higher society. It was rumoured that at some point Florence had attracted the attention of the womanizer Prince of Wales, future Edward VII. Also, according to this version of the story, once Queen Victoria was made aware of this dalliance, she wasn't amused in the least. To ensure the end of it, she supposedly kindly offered Miss Trevelyan a generous annuity to keep her away from her son. Handsomely rewarded for her renunciation, Florence left Great Britain to never come back again. The main supporter of this rumour is Dino Papale, lawyer and journalist, distantly related to Florence's future husband. In his book Taormina Segreta - La Belle Epoque 1876-1914, published in 1995, he claimed Florence had been basically exiled from the court and high society because of a supposed fling with Prince Albert Edward. 

Whatever the real reason was, Florence left once again the country with her cousin Louisa. In 1885, they were back in Taormina, lodging at Timeo Inn, adjacent the Greek Theatre and owned by La Floresta family. The two women had brought with them their five dogs, and to avoid inconveniencing the other guests with the animals' yapping, in 1889 Florence funded at her own expenses the building of an upper level. When one of her dogs, Sole, fell ill, Florence was desperate since she couldn't find in all Taormina a veterinarian to tend to the animal. Desperate and in tears, she asked her neighbour Salvatore Cacciola for help. Mr. Cacciola, who lived in a mansion also adjacent to the Greek Theatre (the then Palazzo Cacciola, now Palazzo Acrosso Papale), had been Professor of Anatomy and Histology at Padua University. He tended to the dog and managed to heal it, earning the woman's appreciation. Florence and Salvatore soon got closer, especially since Cacciola had studied in Malta and was thus fluent in English. He came from a wealthy family, in the future he would even be Taormina’s mayor for almost a decade, and being a Freemason leader (he would found the Rinascimento lodge), he shared with Florence an interest in esotericism. The two quickly fell in love and married on July 5th 1890.

Once settled in Palazzo Cacciola, Florence decided to expand the already vast garden by buying one plot of land after another, until the whole slopy countryside that linked the villa to the sea was annexed to the Cacciola's property. Apparently, this decision earned her in 1894 a reproach from English archaeologist Arthur Evans. While completing the 4th and last volume of The History of Sicily from the Earliest Times, which he had written together with his (by then deceased) father-in-law, Edward Augustus Freeman, Evans criticised Mrs Cacciola's mass purchasing as it would have prevented future archaeological digs in a place so near to the Greek Theatre, and with sure archaeological and historical relevancy. ("This, with others of the most interesting and beautiful sites of Taormina, has passed into the possession of an English proprietress, who has barred the access and warned off the civilized portion of mankind in four languages", p. 110-111) Previously, on June 1890, Florence had bought the former islet of Santo Stefano (which German baron and photographer Wilhelm von Gloeden baptized as Isola Bella, beautiful island, as it is globally known). There she had a house built, and rare and expensive exotic flora planted. These plants soon merged with the islet's local vegetation creating a unique natural environment, enriched by the presence of many (and sometimes rare) species of migratory birds, insects and reptiles, like the red-bellied lizard (Podarci Sicula Medemi) which only lives there.

In 1891, Florence gave birth to a stillborn son. She decided to leave her husband and moved away from Villa Cacciola, going on to live alone even further in the countryside, in a small cottage on mt. Venere. Nearby the house, she had a mausoleum built, and a roadside that connected mt. Venere to Taormina. She became particularly involved in the charity works, like establishing a fund that would have provided the daughters of fishermen with a dowry. Furthermore, she immersed herself in the creation of an English-style garden (or landscape garden) which she will name the Hallington Siculo, after her English childhood home. Like she had done with Isola Bella, Florence mixed exotic with native plants to create a peculiar habitat. In order to make the place even more special, she had the garden scattered with many small follies (Mrs Cacciola called them "beehives"). These picturesque buildings were made of local materials: bricks, wood, and various types of stones, and even capitals and other from the Greek-Roman period and XV-XVIth century decorative elements. The hives served as a bird observatory and places where she could relax while reading or having tea alone or with friends. Taking inspiration from her esoteric interests, she added a small megalithic construction (a cromlech) made of limestone, with the ulterior intention to re-use the advanced materials. As an animal lover, she also had some cages installed to house peacocks, parrots, canaries and pigeons. These renovations plus the amazing panorama seen from the garden (ranges from mt. Etna, the Ionian sea and the surrounding countryside), makes the Hallington Siculo a true heaven on earth.

Florence and her husband had become incredibly well-known in Sicily and abroad. In 1896 (and again in 1904 and 1906) they were visited by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Prussia during his stays in Taormina, while in 1906 it was the time of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (Florence's supposed former flirt) and his wife Queen Alexandra. Other personalities included Gabriele D’Annunzio, Edmondo De Amicis, Oscar Wilde (she would finance after he got released following the charges of omosexuality), Otto Geleng, D.H. Lawrence, Ignazio and Franca Florio, Joseph and Tina Withaker.

Following her son's death, she had developed diabetes. To cure her, her brother-in-law Carlo, the only pharmacist in Taormina, injected her with strychnine (at that time considered a cure for many illnesses). In September 1907 her conditions worsened, so that she had to go back to Villa Cacciola. There she died a couple of days later, on October 4th. Respecting her wishes, she was buried in the mausoleum on mt. Venere.

Dying childless, she had named as her heirs two of her father's cousins, Robert Calverley Trevelyan (her long-time penfriend and confidante) and his brother George Macaulay Trevelyan. Her husband obtained only the usufruct of Isola Bella, the Hallington Siculo, and the plots on mt. Venere, which after his death, would have gone to his wife's English relations. Florence's heirs had to follow strict rules, all devoted to the preservation of the flora and fauna which inhabited those places. And so, the peacocks, goats, doves, canaries, and so on, which had been a great company for her in those past years, had to live in health and comfort, tended with cure and love. As for the vegetation, nobody was allowed to work the land, cut any tree, or build houses. Salvatore soon remarried with his maid Ida Mosca, and adopted his young nephew Cesare Acrosso, who will later become a lawyer and the last fascist mayor of Taormina. Taking care of his first wife's properties soon became for Mr Cacciola a real hassle. In order to get free from this, in 1923 he asked for his nephew's aid and got in touch with his political enemy Giovanni Colonna, Duke of Cesarò (Acrosso was his secretary). In exchange for his political retirement, Cacciola obtained that the Hallington Siculo was expropriated for "public interest". The garden became then property of the town of Taormina, was dismembered, reduced to a quarter of its original size, and renamed "Parco Giovanni Colonna Duca di Cesarò". On February 19th 2019, thanks to a municipal decision, it changed again its name, becoming "Parco Florence Trevelyan", finally giving her original owner and curator the proper recognition.

As for Isola Bella, at Salvatore Cacciola's death in 1927, it was inherited by Cesare Acrosso (alongside with Cacciola's palace), who will sell it in 1954 to Leone and Emilio Bosurgi. The two businessmen brothers, disregarding Florence Trevelyan's will and wishes, built 12 individual homes, plus a small pool perfectly camouflaged between rocks and vegetation, to accommodate and entertain friends and clients. When their firm went bankrupt in the 80s, they were forced to auction off the islet. In 1990 Isola Bella was finally bought by the Sicilian Region, which transformed it into a wildlife reserve, reverting back to what Florence had intended. 

Every year, on October 4th, a small ceremonial is held before a bust portraying Mrs Trevelyan in her dedicated park. It's a commemoration open to all of those wishes to remember and thank a woman who did so much for Taormina in her time, and left a lot to the future generations.

[ratonnhhaketon]

Full Writing Masterpost

Full Archive of Our Own Works  &  Full Tumblr Works

~ FANFICTIONS ~

- Assassin’s Creed

Revenge Is A Fool’s Game (Connor Kenway x Original Female Character) (Ao3 or Tumblr) 

Born to two Assassins in the Colonial Brotherhood, Eleanor Price was destined for great things. That is, until the disaster at the Davenport Homestead leaves her family in hiding and her parents’ pasts long forgotten. She is determined to find and kill the men responsible for her father’s death, no matter the cost. Revenge may be a fool’s game, but Ellie plays to win. And the prize might just be a blossoming relationship with the boy training alongside her.

- Marvel

Still Breathing (Bucky Barnes x Original Female Character) (Ao3 or Tumblr) (Masterpost)

Six months after the defeat of Thanos, the world is still in chaos. The threat of the Flag Smashers combined with the new headstrong Captain America means it's time for Valencia Zicari to help save the world one more time. But, in doing so, she also has to pick up the pieces of a broken relationship.

- Red Dead Redemption 2

See The Fire In Your Eyes (Arthur Morgan x Original Female Character) (Ao3 or Tumblr) (Masterpost)

Catherine Hays grew up in a picture-perfect, high society family in Virginia. She had her whole life planned out for her and was about to get married to a man she could not stand. When her brother uncovers a murder plot and has to pay with his own life, Catherine decides she can’t continue playing along. She takes control of her own destiny and goes south to a pretty little town called Blackwater.

~ ONE SHOTS ~

- Apex Legends

It’s Always Been You (Bloodhound x Gender Neutral Reader) (Ao3 or Tumblr)

- Assassin’s Creed

Give Me Love (Connor Kenway x Original Female Character) (Ao3)

Death Doesn’t Discriminate Between the Sinners and the Saints (Connor Kenway x Original Female Character) (Ao3)

- Dragon Age

Wait For Me to Come Home (Alistair Theirin x Female Cousland) (Ao3 or Tumblr)

- Mass Effect

I’m Scared (Kaidan Alenko x Female Shepard) (Ao3 or Tumblr)

Now That It’s Over (Kaidan Alenko x Female Shepard) (Ao3 or Tumblr)

- Overwatch

Old Shadows and New Beginnings (Gabriel Reyes x Female Reader) (Ao3)

~ DRABBLES ~

- Assassin’s Creed

Frye Twins Training Sessions (Frye Twins - NO ROMANCE) (Ao3)

I Happen to be Saving Your Arse (Frye Twins - NO ROMANCE ) (Tumblr)

Secret Hidden Talents (Frye Twins - NO ROMANCE) (Tumblr)

One Rainy Night (Connor Kenway x Female Original Character) (Ao3 or Tumblr)

Snowflake On Your Nose (Connor Kenway x Female Original Character) (Tumblr)

Things You Said When You Thought I Was Asleep (Connor Kenway x Original Character) (Tumblr)

- Dragon Age

Keep Your Eyes On Me (Cullen Rutherford x Female Trevelyan) (Ao3 or Tumblr)

Helpless (Dorian Pavus x Male Trevelyan) (Ao3)

- Mass Effect

Things You Didn’t Say At All (Kaidan Alenko x Female Shepard) (Tumblr)

You’d be a Sexy Pirate (Kaidan Alenko x Female Shepard) (Tumblr)

[cotehardie]

i can’t stop taking pics while i play this game so here are my beautiful inquisitors 

hayat lavellan, assassin rogue

ghilan lavellan, knight-enchanter mage

ghazal hayood adaar, reaver warrior

catherine eleanor trevelyan, artificer archer 

[freethemages]

DAI OC Tag

The wonderful @cerisiacos tagged me to do a sort of bio thing for my Inquisitor. :3 As I write this I am listening to the DAI soundtrack because of course

Name: Tristan Henry Trevelyan

Race and Class: Human Mage

Specialisation: Rift Mage. He likes to be competent in all forms of magic though and is a bit of a jack of all trades.

Age: 22 (at the Conclave) b. 10th Bloomingtide, 9:18 Dragon

Height: 6’0”

Family: Bann Arthur Trevelyan (father), Lady Philomena Trevelyan (mother) Arthur Lothias Trevelyan (brother, b. 9:12 Dragon), Asher David Trevelyan (brother, b. 9:13 Dragon), Lucille Catherine Trevelyan (sister, b. 9:16 Dragon)

Love Interest: Commander Cullen Rutherford

Personality/Traits: Kind and idealistic, bookish and impish, but fully capable of seriousness when he needs it. He wears his heart on his sleeve (except to his parents and brothers) and always tries to see the best in people, perhaps to a fault. A hopeless romantic, though before the conclave he never had a relationship. He was, however, rather promiscuous. He is bisexual. Protective of those who cannot protect themselves, feels immense responsibility. Dry sense of humour, witty and prone to sarcasm. May or may not me a way to guard himself. He is a fierce supporter of Mage rights, self-governance and freedom. And while for the most part his time at the Circle in Ostwick was comfortable, he still resents the institution.

Background: As the youngest child of Bann and Lady Trevelyan, Tristan was initially intended for the Templar Order, or at the very least, the Chantry. Fiercely close with his older sister Lucille, he was always a kind and sensitive boy. He didn’t get on particularly well with his brothers; they were very close in age and tended to have an heir of superiority about them. He loves them though, and they him. His father was/is a loving man, but often absent due to the commitments that came with his title- he liked to be very involved. His mother was less... attached to him. She was by no means hostile, though.

 When Tristan’s magic manifested at age 11, everything changed. His brother Asher had him pinned to the ground and wouldn’t let him go. What had been a minor game of rough and tumble had suddenly got rather nasty. Tristan threw his brother half way across the lawn and into a tree with a burst of magical energy. He was fine, but it meant that Tristan could no longer stay with his family. He was sent to the Ostwick Circle of Magi. He remembers the sobs of Lucille when he was sent away very clearly to this day.

 After some months, Tristan adjusted to circle life and proved to be a promising and capable student. He was far from an Enchanter’s dream apprentice, however. He had a proclivity for trouble; especially when he was protecting younger apprentices, as he so often felt the need to do. His friend Artemis was also a rather bad influence, when he came along. 

As a noble, Tristan was afforded certain privileges, such as regular home visits, even as an Apprentice. His mother remained distant, more so than she used to be, on account of her superstitious fear of magic. Lucille remained his confidant, and she is to this day the only one with whom he maintains regular correspondence.

 He often wonders at how different his life would have been had he not been a mage, and instead trained as a Templar. Despite what Thedas seems to say, he is very glad that his brother pushed too far that day.

Leadership Style and Preferences: fairness, mercy, punching upwards, pro-mage, peaceful where possible.

Favourite Companions (up to 3): Dorian Pavus, The Iron Bull, Varric Tethras

Least Favourite Companions (up to 3): Madame Vivienne De Fer

Mages or Templars?: Mages

Who Was Left In The Fade?: Warden Stroud

Who Rules Orlais?: Empress Celene and Briala

Favourite Advisor: Commander Cullen 😏 (excluding LI) Josephine, they’re close friends.

Hobbies: Chess, reading, arcane research, knife throwing, riding, caboodling with the noodle.

Familiar: Owl

Scars/Tattoos?: One scar, across his lowest left rib.

Favourite Flower: Crystal Grace

Favourite Stone Or Gem: Imperial Topaz (reminds him of Cullen)

Weaknesses: Fluffy hair, armour, blushes. He’s also a massive blusher himself. Perhaps too kind sometimes. Can be overcome by his emotions, especially if he hasn’t fully expressed them in a while.

Ooh this was fun, and I’m happy to have more development for my wishful self insert OC.

Thank you again Michéle for this wonderful tag idea!

I tag @margesimpsonkin @factorykat and @jchb32273 and anybody else who feels like it!

[michealtownley]

i finally had the energy to do these 🤘😌🤘