#Duke Ernest I

[rosesnink]

Y'all remember when someone compared Mr. Sinclaire saving the MC from being raped (!!!!!!) to Sam Failton saying they'd kill anybody who looked at his mistress? Cause I sure do

[uselessgay10101]

Finished book 1 and I can officially say I would 100% go into a fist fight with him

Ummm...

ONE OF THEM PERHAPS ??? 😡

Like seriously any one of them is far better than this arrogant manchild:

[teatimeatwinterpalace]

Ernest Louis, later Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, with his aunt Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne, 1881.

“She was so nice to us children, and it always gave her pleasure if she could do things with us. She was beautiful and I worshipped her... we could talk over so many things together. She has always remained the same to me, and now when she is almost ninety, she is still a match for any beautiful woman.” 

[the-last-tsar]

Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse with a baby; I believe it's his daughter, Princess Elisabeth.

[royal-confessions]

“I would love to watch a TV series about a period in the lives of three cousins ​​and emperors: Nicholas II of Russia, Wilhelm II of Germany and George V of the United Kingdom. The series could begin in 1894, at the wedding of Princess Victoria Melita and Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse, where members of several European monarchies were gathered (and when Nicholas asks Alexandra to marry him) and could end in 1918, with the end of the First World War, with each of the emperors having a different ending after the war.” - Submitted by Anonymous

[comtessezouboff]

Paintings from Buckingham Palace: part II

A retexture by La Comtesse Zouboff — Original Mesh by @thejim07

Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the Royal Collection Trust. The British monarch owns some of the collection in right of the Crown and some as a private individual. It is made up of over one million objects, including 7,000 paintings, over 150,000 works on paper, this including 30,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 450,000 photographs, as well as around 700,000 works of art, including tapestries, furniture, ceramics, textiles, carriages, weapons, armour, jewellery, clocks, musical instruments, tableware, plants, manuscripts, books, and sculptures.

Some of the buildings which house the collection, such as Hampton Court Palace, are open to the public and not lived in by the Royal Family, whilst others, such as Windsor Castle, Kensington Palace and the most remarkable of them, Buckingham Palace are both residences and open to the public.

About 3,000 objects are on loan to museums throughout the world, and many others are lent on a temporary basis to exhibitions.

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The second part includes paintings displayed in the Ball Supper Room, the Ballroom, the Ballroom Annexe, the Bow Room, the East Gallery, the Grand Entrance and Marble Hall, the Minister's Landing & Staircase, the Vestibule, the Chinese Dining Room and the Balcony Room.

This set contains 57 paintings and tapestries with the original frame swatches, fully recolourable. They are:

Ball Supper Room (BSR):

Portrait of King George III of the United Kingdom (Benjamin West)

Ballroom (BR):

The Story of Jason: The Battle of the Soldiers born of The Serpent's Teeth (the Gobelins)

The Story of Jason: Medea Departs for Athens after Setting Fire to Corinth (the Gobelins)

Ballroom Annexe (BAX):

The Apotheosis of Prince Octavius (Benjamin West)

Bow Room (BWR):

Portrait of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (William Corden the Younger)

Portrait of Princess Augusta of Cambridge, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Alexander Melville)

Portrait or George, Duke of Cambridge (William Corden the Younger)

Portrait of Frederick William, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Augusta of Saxe-Weimar, Princess of Prussia, later Queen of Prussia and German Empress (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Prince Leopold, Later Duke of Albany (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Ernest, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langeburg (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Ferdinand of Savoy, Duke of Genoa (Eliseo Sala)

Portrait of Marie Alexandrina of Saxe-Altenburg, Queen Consort of Hanover (Carl Ferdinand Sohn)

Portrait of Leopold, Duke of Brabant, Later Leopold II, King of the Belgians (Nicaise de Keyser)

Portrait of Marie Henriette, Archduchess of Austria and Duchess of Brabant, Later Queen of the Belgians (Nicaise de Keyser)

East Gallery (EG):

Portrait of Leopold I, King of the Belgians (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Victoria, Queen of England in Coronation Robes (Sir George Hayter)

Portrait of Louis-Philippe d'Orléans, King of the French (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Consort Queen of England with her Children at Windsor Castle (Benjamin West)

Portrait of Prince Adolphus, later Duke of Cambridge, With Princess Mary and Princess Sophia at Kew (Benjamin West)

The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June, 1838. (Sir George Hayter)

The Christening of Edward, Prince of Wales 25 January, 1842 (Sir George Hayter)

The Marriage of Queen Victoria, 10 February, 1840 (Sir George Hayter)

Portrait of the Royal Family in 1846 (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as King Edward III and Queen Philippa of Hainault at the Ball Costumé of 12 May, 1842 (Sir Edwin Landseer)

Grand Entrance and Marble Hall (GEMH):

Portrait of Edward, Duke of Kent (John Hoppner)

Portrait of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (George Dawe)

Portrait of Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld, Dowager Duchess of Kent (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Albert, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Victoria, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom in State Robes (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Louise d'Orléans, Consort Queen of the Belgians, with her Son Leopold, Duke of Brabant (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Feodora of Leiningen, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langeburg, with her Daughter, Princess Adelheid (Sir George Hayter)

Portrait of George, Prince of Wales, Later King George IV (Mather Byles Brown)

Portrait of Victoire of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Duchess of Nemours (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Augustus, Duke of Sussex (Domenico Pellegrini)

Portrait of Leopold I, King of the Belgians (William Corden the Younger)

Minister's Landing and Staircase (MLS):

Portrait of George, Prince of Wales in Garther Robes (John Hoppner)

The Loves of the Gods: The Rape of Europa (the Gobelins)

The Loves of the Gods: The Rape of Proserpine (The Gobelins)

Vestibule (VL):

Portrait of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the Prince Consort (Unknown Artist from the German School)

Portrait of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, Later Grand Duchess of Hesse (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, Later Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Princess Louise of the United Kingdom, Later Duchess of Argyll (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom, Later Empress Frederick of Germany (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Victoria Mary of Teck, Duchess of York (Edward Hughes)

Chinese Dining Room or Pavilion Breakfast Room(CDR):

Set of Four Painted Chinoiserie Wall panels I (Robert Jones)

Set of Four Painted Chinoiserie Wall panels II (Robert Jones)

Set of Four Painted Chinoiserie Wall panels III (Robert Jones)

Set of Four Painted Chinoiserie Wall panels IV (Robert Jones)

Balcony Room or Centre Room (BR):

Chinoiserie Painted Panel I (Robert Jones)

Chinoiserie Painted Panel II (Robert Jones)

Chinoiserie Painted Panel III (Robert Jones)

Chinoiserie Painted Panel IV (Robert Jones)

EXTRAS! (E):

I decided to add the rest of the tapestries from the story of Jason (wich hangs in the Grand Reception Room at Windsor Castle) and (with Jim's permission) added the original mesh for paintings number 2,3,4 & 5 from the Vestibule (seen here and here) wich was never published. These items are:

The Story of Jason: Jason Pledges his Faith to Medea (the Gobelins)

The Story of Jason: Jason Marries Glauce, Daughter of Creon, King of Thebes (the Gobelins)

The Story of Jason: The Capture of the Golden Fleece (the Gobelins)

The Story of Jason: The Poisoning of Glauce and Creon by Medea's Magic Robe (the Gobelins)

Sea Melodies (Herbert James Draper) (made by TheJim07)

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Found under decor > paintings for:

500§ (BWR: 1,2,3,4,5,6, & 8 |VL: 1)

570§ (VL: 2,3,4 & 5 |E: 5)

1850§ (GEMH: 1 & 3)

2090§ (GEMH: 2,6,7, 9 & 11)

3560§ (GEMH: 4,5 & 10 |BSR: 1 |EG: 1,2,3,4 & 5 |MLS: 1 |BAX: 1)

3900§ (CDR: 1,2,3 & 4 |BR: 1,2,3 & 4 |EG: 10 |VL: 6 |GEMH: 8)

4470§ (MLS: 2 |E: 1)

6520§ (BR 1 & 2| MLS: 3 |EG: 6,7,8 & 9 |BR: 1 & 2 |E: 2,3 & 4)

Retextured from:

"Saint Mary Magdalene" (BWR: 1,2,3,4,5,6, & 8 |VL: 1) found here.

"Sea Melodies" (VL: 2,3,4 & 5 |E: 5)

"The virgin of the Rosary" (GEMH: 1 & 3) found here.

"Length Portrait of Mrs.D" (GEMH: 4,5 & 10 |BSR: 1 |EG: 1,2,3,4 & 5 |MLS: 1 |BAX: 1) found here

"Portrait of Maria Theresa of Austria and her Son, le Grand Dauphin" (CDR: 1,2,3 & 4 |BR: 1,2,3 & 4 |EG: 10 |VL: 6 |GEMH: 8) found here

"Sacrifice to Jupiter" (MLS: 2 |E: 1) found here

"Vulcan's Forge" (BR 1 & 2| MLS: 3 |EG: 6,7,8 & 9 |BR: 1 & 2 |E: 2,3 & 4) found here

(you can just search for "Buckingham Palace" using the catalog search mod to find the entire set much easier!)

Disclaimer!

Some paintings in the previews look blurry but in the game they're very high definition, it's just because I had to add multiple preview pictures in one picture to be able to upload them all! Also sizes shown in previews are not accurate to the objects' actual sizes in most cases.

Drive

(Sims3pack | Package)

(Useful tags below)

@joojconverts @ts3history @ts3historicalccfinds @deniisu-sims @katsujiiccfinds @gifappels-stuff

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[tanadrin]

Reverse unpopular opinion: AMERICA 🗽🇺🇸🦅

This one feels easy to me. There is much to admire about the United States.

The list of famous American cultural figures and landmarks you can name check is basically limitless: jazz, rock and roll, Broadway, comic books, Hollywood, Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Furness, Frank Gehry (lotta architects named "Frank" for some reason), John Steinbeck, James Baldwin, Walt Whitman, Ralph Ellison, Octavia Butler, Ernest Hemingway, Ursula K. LeGuin, Raymond Chandler, John Coolidge Adams, Aaron Copeland, Duke Ellington, the Hudson River School, the Brandywine School, etc., etc. American culture is phenomenally rich (which makes sense for a wealthy country of 330 million!) and phenomenally influential, and includes everything from the relentlessly popular to the deliberately obtuse to the avant-garde.

As a political enterprise, the United States is, of course, deeply flawed. I think @apricops is basically right here. But the combination of early idealism (despite the compromises that undercut that idealism) and civic nationalism (which can't help but be inclusive in the long run) means that there is always an argument close to the core of American identity to improve and expand the idealistic elements of the American political project, and frequently in the past where nativism and xenophobia and reactionary trends have come into conflict with those idealistic elements, it is the idealistic elements that have won. Not easily, not without struggle and bloodshed and grief, but these are victories nevertheless, and I think they're victories bolstered by the hopes of what the United States could be, and what its ideals could mean, if we take them seriously enough.

[titleknown]

PD MONTH CHARACTER: SILVER HALO

Misshroom- "What can I say, she's a woman of few words? Well, I can say a whole lot more, but a lot of it's just B-roll and this ain't no B-movie show, eh?

...Well, okay, this ain't gonna wrap for the day, I'll say a bit. She's not exactly chummy, but if things're jumping the shark she'll be on the bridge over troubled waters like Jaws 5: Jaws Vs Ernest!

...She also isn't too keen on bits like that. Or like, jokes in general. Granted, that ain't one of my better ones, but sheesh, every time she's movin right along before I do! You'd think someone who's a walkin' silver screen'd be a better judge of showboatery! 

...Tho, then again on that note, I've never been able to figure out where she gets those wonderful toys. So I suppose it's c'est la vista baby..."

Princess Xanadu- "Darling, you are so funny, as if I would care to insult some pleasant folk art. At least, if I liked them. Which I do, even if she won't take it off. 

It's funny, back at home I half remember, force manipulation requires a significant degree of computational power, far beyond your current capacity. She seems to get around this quite interestingly, pre-loaded settings and manipulators, a bit like a simple leever or one of your context-locked buttons you still use. Though I admit it may be a bit... obnoxious to those more used to higher tech.

...It's funny, I wonder if there's fun to be had if she keeps the armor on. She seems like the sort who would have installed a few features..."

Seuverhund- "She is a warrior professional and consumnate, and I mean those as both adulations and statements of suspicion. She appeared as a blue floodlight and works within our midst. Others fear her, and I am suspect as while she fights with honor, it is with the honor of a juggernaut flood. She fights to be seen, as many warriors do, but I espy that it is simply to be seen by herself beyond others,

She is never bereft of that armor. She is bedecked in it at breakfast-time to final supper, at rest on her bed of many wires or at work in her room of sparks and steel. At one moment I sighted her in the shower gleaming as a nymph, still bedecked in the queer ageis. Thankfully, unlike a nymph she did not attempt to bite me or begin injecting the eggs.

That woman is a warrior I admire, and yet one I fear..."

Kammi Amalthea- Em, well... I know the other girls find her scary but... she's not so bad once you get to know her. She doesn't like to talk much, she's a lot more active when we chat online. Even if we're in the next room. She doesn't like loud noises much, so that's why she doesn't seem like she's listening.

She taught me how to play video games. She's really good at it. She... she told me she wears the armor because of a secret. She said I can say it's a secret, but I can't tell what it is. I think it's a little silly, I don't think anyone would mind it. But she got real scared when I tried to say that to her. 

I know what kind of scared she was. Whatever made her want to keep that secret seems like it was... real bad. So I'll keep it for her. If that's okay, I mean.

K-Stop- "STUBBORN. SILENT. FEAR. AFRAID. SORROW. DENIAL.SECRET. CROSSROADS. DESTINY. RETREAT OR LOVE. LOVE OR DIE."

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So, for now, the last of the Freak Legionnaires! I have more ideas for members, but this isn't Duke Nukem Forever, so here they are for now. 

Basic idea was a cool armored lady who never takes her armor off, with force constructs she can control, albeit pre-programmed in ways that're limited; ala pose dials on a 3d model and pre-loaded in limited amounts like actual tools.

I do have an idea for what her secret is, probably more mundane than you might think, but I leave itt open to you.

As with the others this month, this character and all the info/art/ect of her is under a CC0 Public Domain License! Have fun, and don't touch that dial, because there's a few more surprises on the way!

[choicesficwriterscreations]

It's that time of year again! Thank you to the creators who have shared their Top 5 creations of 2023 according to Tumblr note count. The Creator's Pick Top 5 will be posted this weekend! Links to all fics can be found below the break.

@aallotarenunelma ✒️

So This is Love (BOLAS) - Aerin Valleros x M!elf!MC

Distant Light (BOLAS) - Tyril Starfury x F!elf!MC

Indigo Night (ID) - Cassius Harlow x NB!MC, NB!OC

Répondez, s'il vous plaît! 3 (ILS/ID) - Various Pairings

Sophomore Secret (ILITW) - Dan Pierce x F!MC, M!OC

@angelasscribbles ✒️

A Fervid Fixation (TRR) Ⓜ️ - Drake Walker x MC

In Your Room (TRR) Ⓜ️- Drake Walker x Leo Rys

The Dark Kingdom (TRR) Ⓜ️ - Various Pairings

Dark Elf (TRR) Ⓜ️- Various Pairings

Heir Apparent (TRR) Ⓜ️- Drake Walker x MC, Liam Rys

@baldwinboy5ive 🎨

Blades Coffee Shop AU (BOLAS) - Aerin Valleros x MC

I Will Drag Him Back (BOLAS) - Tyril Starfury & Aerin Valleros

The Spray Bottle (BOLAS) - Imtura, Mal, Aerin

Aerin Instagram (BOLAS) - Aerin Valleros

The Prison Visit (BOLAS) - Aerin Valleros x MC

@cariantha ✒️

Accidental Valentine (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

If Only I Could (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Code Yellow (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

A Kiss on the Hand (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Daddy Distress (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

@inlocusmads ✒️

Intro To Negotiation Science (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

A Strange & Sudden Companionship (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

Cross Your Hearts & Set it Ablaze (COP) - Trystan Thorn x F!MC

Partner (Disambiguation) (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

New York, June 2014 (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

@jerzwriter ✒️

A Different Fate, Part 1 (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

What Happened in Vegas, Part 4 (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Abundance (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

The Perfect Gift (OH) - Tobias Carrick x F!MC

Take Me Out (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

@ladylamrian ✒️

Welcome to the World of Night (NB) - Nightbound MC

Bound by Fate (NB) - Nik Ryder x F!MC

A Meeting in Wyoming (NB) - Nik Ryder x F!MC

Wedding Proposal (NB) - Nik Ryder x F!MC

OC Headcanons (NB)

@liaromancewriter ✒️

Every Day (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Summer Romance (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Beautiful Stranger (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Sleeping Beauty (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Something to Talk About (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

@noesapphic ✒️

The Other Woman (D&D) - Roselyn Sinclaire, Ernest Sinclaire, Duke Richards

A Glimpse of Us (TRR/TRM) - Liam Rys & MC, Fabian Rys & MC

Barcelona | Prince Hamid (D&D) - Prince Hamid x MC

Worthy (TRR) Hana Lee x MC

The Cursed Heiress, Ch. 17 (D&D) - Mr. Sinclaire x F!OC

@peonierose ✒️

Losing Game - Part 1 (OH) - Bryce Lahela x F!OC

Nightbound AU vs. Hänsel & Gretel, Part 3 (NB) - OCs

Nightbound AU vs. Hänsel & Gretel, Part 2 (NB) - Nik Rider, F!MC, OCs

Once, Part 2 (TNA/OH) - Sam Dalton x F!MC

Hau’oli la Heleui (OH) - Bryce Lahela, F!OC, Keiki Lahela

@storyofmychoices ✒️

Go On, Feel It! (BOLAS) - Mal Volari x F!MC

Our Future Doctor (OH) - Bryce Lahela x F!OC

No Kissing! (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

Dance With Me (OH) - Bryce Lahela x F!MC

A Theif in the Gardens (BOLAS) - Mal Volari x F!MC

@tessa-liam ✒️

Memories (TRR) - Liam Rys x F!OC

The Sacrifice (TRR) - Liam Rys x F!OC

Regrets (TRR) - Liam Rys x F!OC

Old Habits Die Hard (TRR) - Liam Rys x F!OC

Turning the Page, Prologue (TRR) - Liam Rys x F!OC

@trappedinfanfiction ✒️

Brunette (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Crossroads (OH) Ⓜ️ - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

A New Neighbor (COP) - Trystan Thorne x F!MC

Midnight Talks (OH) - F!MC, Sienna Trinh

What's in a Name? (COP) - Trystan Thorne

@zealouscanonindeer ✒️

Together (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Company (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Locked In (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

20 Questions (OH) - Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

Long Overdue (OH) Ⓜ️- Ethan Ramsey x F!MC

[royalty-nobility]

The Family of the Grand Duke of Hesse

Artist: Heinrich von Angeli (Austrian, 1840-1925)

Date: 1879

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Royal Collection Trust, United Kingdom

Description

Louis, the Grand Duke of Hesse is seated, surrounded by his family. He wears a General Officer's greatcoat with the badge 'Pour La Mérite' and the Iron Cross, and holds a riding crop. His wife Alice (the Grand Duchess, Queen Victoria's second daughter) stands behind him, resting her left arm on the shoulder of Prince Ernest. Princess Elizabeth stands behind her father; Princess Alix stands on the left, leaning on the arm of the chair. The couple's eldest daughter, Princess Victoria, was pronounced 'too big' to be included in the picture. The children and their mother are in day dress.

The picture was painted for Queen Victoria, who paid Von Angeli £1260 for it on 3 December 1879. It was hoped that the artist would go to Darmstadt in 1877 to begin the picture, but he was unable to escape work commitments until the following year. On 9 April 1878 Princess Alice wrote to her mother that Von Angeli had arrived and would start work at once on preparatory studies of the heads. Princess Alice died on 14 December 1878, presumably before completion of the picture, and her likeness is close to the three-quarter-length study which Von Angeli had painted earlier in the year. The picture was brought over to Osborne House on 21 January 1879, where it provided comfort for the Queen in the months following her daughter's death. To Princess Victoria of Hesse the Queen wrote: 'The dear family picture is a great delight & comfort to me & so wonderfully – splendidly painted & grouped – so very like. I think Ella's expression is just hers & Ernie's an expression he very often has.'

[scotianostra]

July 1st 1543 saw the Treaty of Greenwich, between Henry VIII and Earl of Arran, Regent of Scotland, agreeing betrothal of Mary Queen of Scots and Henry’s son Edward Prince of Wales

Following the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss the previous year, England and Scotland signed the treaty of Greenwich on 1st July, 1543. Coming at a time of frequent conflict between the countries, a key clause of the treaties was that Mary Queen of Scots, then aged one, was betrothed to Prince Edward Tudor, then aged five.

At this time protestant England found itself in a tactically precarious position. The Auld Alliance between Scotland and France meant that England was surrounded by enemies. A particular concern was that the French could use Scotland as a base to launch an invasion of England from the north. Both England and France viewed marriage of a member of their royal family to the recently born Queen Mary as a vital diplomatic, political and tactical tool, and as such made moves to try and form a treaty to do so. Even at 6 months old, Mary was a politic pawn.

Going back to Solway Moss, the death toll at the battle itself was not especially high, the English captured 1200 Scottish soldiers, including important figures such as Earls, Lords, and 500 landowners and noblemen, this gave them a big bargaining chip. With a substantial swathe of the country’s nobility imprisoned in the Tower of London and the Scottish military out fought on the battlefield, the Scottish representative, the Earl of Arran, was forced into accepting the terms of the treaties of Greenwich.

The Scottish Parliament ultimately cancelled the treaty in December 1543, with the English insistence that Scotland dissolve the Auld Alliance having caused particular anger. Henry’s retaliation was shockingly brutal, even by the standards already established in the long conflict between England and Scotland. English armies were sent north with the only intention being for them to cause destruction and fear until the Scottish Parliament agreed to the marriage between Mary and Edward. Henry’s orders to his troops were clear: “…Put all to fyre and swoorde, burne Edinborough towne, so rased and defaced when you have sacked and gotten what ye can of it, as there may remayn forever a perpetual memory of the vengeaunce of God lightened upon them for their faulsehode and disloyailtye.”

For two years English armies, under the command of the Earl of Hertford, waged a campaign of destruction and terror in Scotland, destroying whole towns such as Dunbar and Leith. Henry died in 1547, but the campaign continued under the leadership of the regent, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset. The Scots suffered a particularly devastating defeat at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, when a bombardment from English artillery, longbow men and naval forces led to a shocking death toll, and highlighted the arrival of modern military techniques to the British Isles.

George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly is attributed as saying “I lyke not thys wooyng.” giving us the term we know today for the period “The Rough Wooing” it was popularised many years later by Sir Walter Scott

Ultimately, Mary’s mother secured her daughter’s safe escape to France, where it was agreed she would marry the Dauphin Francis, the son of the French king. Despite the bloody retaliation for breaking them, the treaty of Greenwich had failed to achieve their main aim. The official treaty for this will be covered in a post next Wednesday.

The picture is a beautiful 19th century bust of Mary Queen of Scots by French sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse and is in The San Francisco, de Young Museums’ Legion of Honor Gallery.

[duchesssoflennox]

On December 14, 1878, Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse, died.

Diphtheria claimed the life of Queen Victoria's second daughter and third child. The disease swept the grand ducal household in early November and her eldest daughter, Victoria was the first to contract the illness (November 5).  One by one, her other children contracted the disease: Alix, Marie, Irene and Ernest. Only Elisabeth didn't suffer the disease. She was sent away by Alice to the palace of Princess Charles, her mother-in-law.  Alice's husband, Grand Duke Louis also fell ill shortly thereafter. 

The young Princess Marie's condition worsened and she died on November 15. Alice kept the news from her children, and when she revealed Marie's death, the young Ernest was inconsolable that Alice kissed her son, breaking her own rule of not having physical contact with someone with diphtheria.

on December 14, she fell ill and death came quickly. Her last words were "dear Papa". She fell unconscious at 2:30 am and died just after 8:30 am, on the same day her father succumbed to typhoid in 1861.

The death of Princess Alice shocked Queen Victoria. The coincidence of Alice and Albert's death was described by the mourning queen as one that was "almost incredible and most mysterious".

Albert, Prince of Wales, who was attached to her younger sister, took Alice's death as a heavy blow. Writing to Earl Granville, he said that Alice "was my favourite sister. So good, so kind, so clever! We had gone through so much together..." Alexandra, the Princess of Wales, also sank deep in grief over her sister-in-law's passing, telling Queen Victoria, upon meeting her after Alice's death: "I wish I had died instead of her".💔💔💔

[acrossthewavesoftime]

Since I am known to make things hard for you ... here are three names :-) Queen Victoria Prince Ernest, Duke of Cumberland John Montague, Earl of Sandwich

Oh, that is a mean one! ;-)

I have thought long and hard about this:

Bed: Vicky. I can bear a night by her side while fervently thinking of England (or anything else, really), and I am sure she is not interested in anything besides telling me "you're not Albert!", either.

Behead: What a question. Ernest of course.

Wed: Sandwich. See, he was not a nice person but from all I can tell, a lot more bearable in private than Victoria and Ernest; even more so because he was not quite so much in the public eye as these two royals were. I get to be a countess, and we can live wholly apart. He has my full blessing to move into a love nest with Martha Ray. Besides, that would place me firmly in the second half of the 18th century, so I could meet some people I have had an interest in for a long time.

Thanks for the ask! :-)

[al-mayriti]

END OF THE YEAR LIST

i swear i also did this in 2023 but i cannot find it for the life of me. anyways. i have very little memory so since 2022 i decided to make a list over on twitter of everything i do / watch / read etc during the year. and i wanted to have it over here as well just cause <3

so here's my 2024, you can also see everything in this thread here where you can find pics and such, i hope you enjoy it <3

BOOKS:

11/01. anthology of catullus (bilingual edition in latin and spanish by josé carlos fernández corte & juan antonio gonzález iglesias)

28/01. symposium by plato (spanish edition by juan david garcía bacca)

11/04. my uncle napoleon by iraj pezeshkzad (in spanish)

26/05. anthology of sappho (bilingual edition in ancient greek and spanish by aurora luque) [RE-READ]

03/06. the duke and i by julia quinn (in english)

23/06. the viscount who loved me by julia quinn (in english)

08/07. the invisible weevil, by mary karooro okurut (in english)

28/07. the old man and the sea, by ernest hemingway (in english)

16/08. treasure island, by robert louis stevenson (in english)

20/08. genio de oriente, by joaquín maría córdoba (in spanish)

23/08. around the world in eighty days, by jules verne (in spanish i think?)

30/08. jazz, by toni morrison (in spanish)

14/10. the communist manifesto, by karl marx and friedrich engels (in spanish)

18/11. the spoilers, by rex beach (in english)

TRIPS:

13-14/01. valència (spain)

16/03. bolzano / bolzen (italy)

30/03. innsbruck (austria)

11-14/04. london (uk)

27/04. mantova (italy)

04/05. padova (italy)

01/03-09/05. trento (italy) [idk if it counts as a trip as i was living there but whatever]

25-26/05. lisbon (portugal)

10-11/06. firenze - bologna - venezia (italy)

29-30/08. pisa (italy)

THEATRE PLAYS AND MUSICALS:

19/01. desencantadas, at teatro lara (madrid)

12/04. hadestown, at lyric theatre (london)

VIDEOGAMES:

29/01. pentiment (pc)

08/03. summer house (pc)

21/03. showrunner (pc)

10/05. influent (pc)

31/05. urbo (pc)

11/06. fantasy town regional manager (pc)

02/07. toem (pc)

03/07. planet zoo (pc)

13/07. persona 5 royal (ps4) [REPLAY]

29/07. forward escape the fold (pc)

21/09. inazuma eleven 2: firestorm (nds) [REPLAY]

01/10. sword of convallaria (pc)

31/10. anno 1800 (pc)

23/11. pokemon café remix (switch)

20/12. two point campus (pc)

TOP 5 MOST LISTENED TO SONGS PER MONTH:

JANUARY.

5. la edad que tengo by la paloma

4. the ballad of lucy gray baird by rachel zegler

3. when the party's over by paul thin

2. de charco en charco by samuraï ft. belén aguilera

mía (unplugged) by belén aguilera

FEBRUARY.

5. muchas cosas by natalia lacunza

4. paenamorar by paula cendejas

3. enchanted by taylor swift

2. si quieres by cariño

quedará en nuestra mente by amaia

MARCH.

5. as it was by harry styles

4. la camarera by paul thin

3. i drove all night by cris b ft. álvaro mayo

2. can't catch me now by olivia rodrigo

la_original.mp3 by emilia ft. tini

APRIL.

5. femininominon by chappell roan

4. felixità by svetlana

3. so american by olivia rodrigo

2. good luck, babe! by chappell roan

no m'estima + by mushkaa ft. julieta

MAY.

5. nunca te voy a olvidar by bechamel

4. dónde by paul thin

3. torna a casa by måneskin

2. muchas cosas by natalia lacunza

aquí by izaro ft. duda in the sky

JUNE.

5. l'amour de ma vie by billie eilish

4. hot to go! by chappell roan

3. all too well (10 minutes version) by taylor swift

2. who's afraid of little old me? by taylor swift

24 rosas by aitana

JULY.

5. but dady i love him by taylor swift

4. tu novio es subnormal by kalipotxo ft. nko, krivex

3. girl, so confusing by charli xcx

2. alondra by paul thin

x by paula cendejas

AUGUST.

5. girl, so confusing featuring lorde by charli xcx ft. lorde

4. villano antillano: bzrp music sessions, vol. 51 by bizarrap ft. villano antillano

3. alondra by paul thin

2. please please please by sabrina carpenter

new woman by lisa ft. rosalía

SEPTEMBER.

5. 96,000 from the in the heights original cast recording

4. ya no siento nada by blackpanda

3. in my bed by sabrina carpenter

2. cardigan by taylor swift

punto de partida by rocío jurado

OCTOBER.

5. misil by carolina durante

4. happier by olivia rodrigo

3. la_original.mp3 by emilia ft. tini

2. normal by carolina durante

people watching by conan gray

NOVEMBER.

5. cayetano by carolina durante

4. hamburguesas by carolina durante

3. 24 rosas by aitana

2. nuestro nombre by natalia lacunza

gente corriente by jordana b.

DECEMBER.

5. santos que yo te pinte by amaia

4. me gustabas así by burgas vandal ft. stivijoes, sick vaira

3. tengo un pensamiento by amaia

2. barbie de extrarradio by melendi

mazo raro by valentino

CONCERTS:

03/02. valeria castro in teatro circo price (madrid)

09/02. pipiolas in sala paqui (madrid)

25/05. taylor swift & paramore in estadio da luz (lisbon)

29/05. taylor swift & paramore in estadio santiago bernabéu (madrid)

09/06. olivia rodrigo in unipol arena (bologna)

12/06. bruce springsteen in civitas metropolitano (madrid)

27/06. ot 2023 in wizink center (madrid)

03/11. jacob collier in wizink center (madrid)

MOVIES:

25/02. ballad of songbirds and snakes [REWATCH]

02/06. the eras tour

10/07. inside out 2 [CINEMA]

29/07. bottoms [REWATCH]

21/09. death in the nile (2022)

31/10. olivia rodrigo: guts world tour

24/11. the wizard of oz [REWATCH]

01/12. wicked [CINEMA]

TV SHOWS:

07/03. queen charlotte (2023)

10/03. the bear (2022) - FIRST SEASON

13/03. the bear (2023) - SECOND SEASON

25/03. heartstopper (2022) - FIRST SEASON

29/03. heartstopper (2023) - SECOND SEASON

13/05. paquita salas (2016) - FIRST SEASON [REWATCH]

20/05. paquita salas (2018) - SECOND SEASON [REWATCH]

30/05. paquita salas (2019) - THIRD SEASON [REWATCH]

12/06. abbott elementary (2023) - THIRD SEASON

16/06. bridgerton (2024) - THIRD SEASON

29/09. lucía en la telaraña (2021)

29/12. el ministerio del tiempo (2020) - FOURTH SEASON

[rosesnink]

The Viscountess, Chapter Seven: Back to Square One

Author's Notes

Guess who's back?? Nicole Donovan is back, baby!!! After a long silence, I've been able to pull this chapter together. Buckle up, people, cause this is about to take off! Prepare the popcorn and your theories, cause this is the calm before the storm

English isn't my first language, so please forgive any typos/grammar mistakes

If you're interested in Nicole's journey, click here!!

Summary: Nicole makes a tough choice, and a call from Isabelle Sinclaire leaves her intrigued

Word Count: 1.7k

Category: Single parent AU, romcom, couple break-up

Rating: PG-13

CW: Duke Richards being his disgusting self

Pairing: Prince Hamid x F!OC, Ernesr Sinclaire x F!OC (eventually)

Book: Desire and Decorum, modern AU

Nicole thought she had accomplished everything she wanted in life.

Her daughter had a friend whom she seemed very fond of, a boyfriend that worshipped the ground she walked in, amazing friends and an enviable network.

But the moment Hamid told her about possible marriage and meeting the parents back in Turkey, she froze. They weren’t going fast at all. Their pace was perfect. But why did it feel like she didn’t want it? She should feel nervous about impressing them, not about telling Hamid the reason she didn’t want to. What was worse? She didn’t know why she didn’t.

Or even worse, that she knew deep down and was in denial.

He had done nothing wrong. He was an angel. Anne loved him dearly, even if she never said it. All her friends ‘shipped’ them. Her father was practically begging her to settle with him after punishing herself for so long. Then why didn’t she want to advance?

What else could she possibly want, especially at her age?

Finding someone else was already hard. She was thirty, fat and had a kid. And a boyfriend who worshipped the ground she walked into. Then why did it feel like it wasn’t what she wanted?

Pulling the covers out of her large body, she shook away those thoughts and quickly dressed in her usual wool cardigan and baggy trousers. Hearing Anne stirring up, she quickly went to greet her “Morning, sweetie! Do you want me to kiss you and dress you?”

Anne nodded. Nicole gladly kissed her daughter’s forehead and helped her up, going for her dressers “Remember that today’s your presentation for the planet Jupiter. Have you studied?” She nodded. She was quite groggy and silent, as every morning. It’d pass the moment she had something solid to eat.

“Now, let’s see what you can wear for today’s presentation…”

“Good morning, Roselyn. Is Isabelle awake?” Ernest got into his ex-wife’s house, for Roselyn was busy with baby Percival… and a divorce.

“No. I suppose she won’t want to see me in a while…” She frowned, clearly guilty.

He placed a hand on her shoulder “She is angry, but she is also smart. She’ll figure it out. Give her time.”

She nodded, fighting back tears. Feeling for his ex, he hugged her, and allowed her to cry on his shoulders, just like when they were eighteen and she had fought with her mother again. They stood there, in silence, until small steps and someone clearing his throat called their attention “A-hem. Not a single week after the divorce is underway and you weasel yourself into my house trying to get back with your ex-wife, Sinclaire?”

Despite his anger, he kept his voice level. He would not wake his princess with a shouting match “I did not ‘weasel’ myself into the house, Roselyn invited me. I am here for Isabelle’s sake. And I also happen to have in high regard the mother of my child, a thing you cannot say. Now, if you will excuse me…”

“Surely you’re not angry about that little incident? It was all in good fun. A man my age has needs, after all.”

He was about to turn around and punch him when Roselyn did the unthinkable. She slapped him and spit in his face, her face full of anger “You’re a disgusting little degenerate, and if you even breathe in the same room as my daughter, I will rip out your heart and eat it for breakfast. Pick up your things and fuck off before I kick you out myself.”

Picking up a crying Percival, she lifted her chin and left, leaving behind the dumbfounded men. For Ernest, it quickly changed into pride. His dear friend had at last opened her eyes.

Chuckling, he went upstairs, where Isabelle was struggling with her alarm. But the moment she spotted her father, she jumped into his arms, and he picked her up “Ready, princess?”

“Almost. Gimme five.”

He kissed her temple “Take all the time you want. If you must be late to class, I’m happy to handle it.”

Nicole and Ernest found one another in the parking lot with their daughters. As Anne squealed and walked with Isabelle, they greeted one another “How have you been holding up? With, you know…”

Nicole shrugged “Haven’t thought about it, honestly. I’ve been focusing on Anne and helping Briar with her kids. It’s not worth the effort.”

Ernest’s shoulders softened “I’m sorry, by the way. I feel like I’ve endangered everyone with that menace.”

She touched his shoulder “The only one to blame is that lecher Richards. You couldn’t have guessed what he’d do.”

He nodded gravely, and observed their daughters, giggling as they seemed to make fun of certain boys who made a fool of themselves, as any average 13-year-old would. His eyes lightened “At least some things never change.”

“She’s her first genuine friend, you know? Teachers used to pity place Anne with the kindest group so she wouldn’t be alone, but she never clicked with anyone, you know?”

He looked at her intensely “Then all my efforts to raise her well haven’t been in vain.”

She squeezed his arm “I’m glad I have you in my corner, Sinclaire.”

“Me too, Nicole.”

As Anne was in school, Nicole tapped her foot repeatedly as she waited for Hamid to drop in. When the time finally came, she greeted him as usual and ate their meals, and as Nicole revised what she’d say, Hamid took her hand and smiled gently “Is something bothering you, askim? You know you can tell me anything.”

She sighed, her shoulders sagging “What gave me away?”

He chuckled “You’re as tense as my cat Nala when she sees a pigeon, for one. That and you’re chewing on your lip, and have nervous ticks. Spotted that as soon as I entered the room.”

She sighed. Despite having dated for a few months, he knew her so well, it made it even more difficult to break up with him.

Taking a long, deep breath “Listen, I want to start by saying that being with you was amazing, and you’ve been amazing, and still are amazing, and Anne adores you. But… I just… have this feeling that this isn’t what I want. This isn’t where I’m meant to be. I want… something else.”

“Is there someone, Nicole?”

“No! No. There isn’t anyone. It’s just… I don’t think we can offer the other what we both look for.”

Hamid sat there, taking all in as he processed it. Then, he chuckled bitterly. Nicole frowned “It’s funny, actually. My mother told me once that she was engaged before my father to a friend with whom she had a whirlwind romance. Thought he was the perfect guy, then… woke up with a gut feeling that he wasn’t the one for her. Months later, she met my dad, and it all clicked.”

She squeezed his hand “You’re not angry, then?”

He shook his head “Gutted, and a bit disappointed it didn’t work out, but no, I’m not angry.”

They stood in comfortable silence again, then looked at one another and smiled sadly “We’re good, though? Anne would hate to lose a valuable playmate.”

Hamid smiled “You’ll have to pry our adventures from my cold, dead hands.”

They laughed, and pulled in for a hug, both sad smiles on their faces “Thank you, Hamid. You were an awesome boyfriend, and an amazing friend to Anne, and I will always remember you fondly.”

He kissed her head and cradled her face in his hands, a fond look on his face “You were probably my best girlfriend. And even though we didn’t last long… I shall carry you with me as well.”

They hugged again, allowing the midday sun light the whole scenery, allowing the other to linger. Then, he kissed her forehead and picked his things “I’ll see you around?”

“Always, my friend.”

He turned around and left, looking back only once to place his hand on his chest and nod, before disappearing in the doorframe. Then, she collapsed. The breakup had gone well, and he took it like a champ, but she still felt like crap.

She pulled herself when the time for coming back to her shift came, and wiped her tears and decided to go autopilot until it was time to pick up Anne.

As Anne and her dined, she kept rambling about recess time with Isabelle “… And then, she caught the ball on one hand, threw it out of the area and told the boy that if he ever hit the girl with glasses on the face with it, she’d kick him and call the cops for bullying.”

Nicole chuckled “Good for her. I never told you this, but that punk had it coming,”

Anne gasped and pointed “Swear word!”

Nicole laughed “Bring on the jar.”

As she watched Anne run for the swear jar, her phone rang. Wondering who was calling her, she saw who called her, and, curious for why he’d call instead of text, she answered “A bit odd that you call at such sacred hour instead of a simple text, isn’t it, Ernest?”

A childish giggle made her raise her eyebrows “I’m not my father, Mrs. Donovan. I’m Isabelle!”

“Hello there, sweetie! Does your father know you have his phone?”

“He does! This is his personal phone, not his work phone. Anyways, I’m planning a weekend road trip to Bath, and we insist you come with us! You and Anne, obviously.”

“…Does your father know you’re inviting us?”

“Yep. In fact, it was mama who suggested it! What do you say?”

“Well, an impromptu road trip to Bath for Anne may be a bit—,”

“Is that Issy, mama?!” Nicole nodded “What does she say?” She quickly explained the call and, to her surprise, her face lit up “Oooooh, I’ve always wanted to go to Bath! It’s where you and Papa had your love story! And so many historical buildings and cool fairs! Can we go, please?!” She pleaded, those puppy eyes she couldn’t deny.

“Well, since I am surrounded by all fronts, I have no option but relent. Tell your father to call me and tell me all the details. You girls focus on school and preparing your luggage.”

“Yay!!” Both girls shrieked before Isabelle hung up and Anne went up her room to plan the entire event on her head.

She chuckled to herself. It looked like it’d be a very interesting road trip indeed.

[not-wholly-unheroic]

The Many Faces of Captain James Hook

With the release of the first promotional images of Jude Law’s Captain Hook for Disney’s upcoming Peter Pan and Wendy, there’s been a lot of complaints about both the costuming choices made and the fact that Law’s Hook bears little physical resemblance to the captain’s more “traditional” look and seems to be older than most versions with his graying locks. Some have even gone so far as to call Law’s Hook “ugly”—which I find rather unfair and even laughable. (If you find Jude Law in any role ugly, your male beauty standards are ridiculously high and I hate to think how hideous you must think most average people are.) Further, it’s a bit shallow to reduce a character completely to his physical attractiveness—especially a character as complex and complicated as Captain James Hook. Barrie’s Hook was described as being handsome, yes, but the popular vision of Hook as being an inherently “sexy” character is a fairly modern phenomenon in the story’s history—probably largely due to Jason Isaacs’ performance in the 2003 Peter Pan and, more recently, Colin O’Donoghue’s “Killian Jones” (who isn’t even technically James Hook) for Once Upon a Time. But the character has existed for close to 120 years, and in that time, he has borne many faces—some instantly recognizable as our favorite captain; others less so. He has worn a variety of colors and clothing styles, had nearly every shade of hair, and possessed varying degrees of facial hair. In fact, you may be surprised to find that the iconic waxed mustache, red coat, and ostrich plumed hat likely didn’t become mainstream until around the time Disney put out their version of the film. (That’s not to say other, previous Hooks didn’t ever have these characteristics. Only that Disney was probably the catalyst that solidified the look into the mind of the fandom.) For those who may not be as familiar with the history of the Hooks, let’s take a quick look at some of the lesser known versions of the character…some of whose influences can still be seen in Law’s Hook.

Here we see the costume design for Captain Hook by William Nicholson for the first production of Peter Pan, Duke of York's Theatre, 1904. You’ll notice the concept art doesn’t feature the bright red coat or any pluming on the tricorn hat.

You can see how this costume idea might have translated onto an actor in this image of one of the earliest actors to play Hook on stage, Robb Harwood.

Notice, he has no facial hair at all and although he looks like a gentleman, he’s far less “frilly” than the standard Hook is today.

The iconic mustache is also conspicuously absent in the silent film’s Hook, played by actor Ernest Torrence. He also still has the tricorn hat without any plumage. Note that Barrie was still alive at the time of the silent film when it came out in 1924, and some of his suggestions made it into the film.

Another early Hook, played by famed horror actor Boris Karloff for the 1950 Bernstein musical looks downright terrifying.

He has the mustache and the hair going on but I don’t know if I’d call him exactly “handsome” here.

Then we get to the 1960s. This seems to be about the time that we get the bicorn hat that Law’s Hook wears in the promotional photo. It shows up both in some scenes with Cyril Ritchard’s version of the character (notably, Ritchard was in his 60s when the film version was recorded, and his Hook has gray hair)—though he also has the red plumed hat we associate with most modern Hooks—and in Vincent Price’s stage Hook (sadly, not recorded to my knowledge).

Of course, we also get Disney’s version of Hook in 1953, and after that, we start to see more of the “iconic” Hook look that we’re used to with a few exceptions, such as Fox’s Hook from the 1990 series Peter Pan and the Pirates, who has white hair, no facial hair, and a dark navy blue/black outfit.

Despite looking more like an angry Quaker Oatmeal man than the usual Captain Hook, this guy gets a lot of love from the fandom because Tim Curry’s voice acting knocks it out of the park and personality wise, his Hook is both refined and threatening.

We also have to remember that even Hoffman’s 1991 version of the captain is likely much older than (and not quite as good looking as) he comes off as when he’s fully made up. Recall the scene near the end when he loses his wig:

And Rhys Ifans’ “prequel” Hook in SyFy’s Neverland (2011) hardly looks like a Hook at all when we first meet him.

Even after his transformation into the pirate we’re more familiar with, he still has the “wrong” hair color and no mustache.

Yet he manages to get the right “feel” for Hook, which makes up for everything else, epitomizing the messed up father figure in Peter’s life, inspiring both our sympathy and revulsion.

My point in saying all of this is not to explicitly praise Law’s Hook or make any kind of judgement—for that, we’ll have to see the film itself—but to simply remind folks that Hook has worn many faces over the years, and ultimately, what he looks like matters less than the actor and director’s grasp of who he is as a person. Hook, as a fan favorite, has some incredibly large boots to fill and whether or not Law will live up to those expectations remains to be seen. But let’s give the guy (and his character) a chance to speak for himself before we go judging too much. Some of the greatest Hooks haven’t always looked like what we’d expect him to.