#Election Regiment
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Fellow Travelers Timeline
(as comprehensive as i can make it. corrections/additions welcome)
1919-20 (?) - Hawk is born
based on tennis trophy which shows year 1936, and hawk's statement that he and kenny were on the tennis team in 11th grade (16/17 years old).
also date on the paperweight (1937) that hawk says kenny picked out on their senior trip. spring or fall though? if spring (usual for a senior trip, just before graduation), it would mean hawk graduated HS in 1937, b. 1919. (thanks, @lestatscunt!)
June 6, 1930 - Tim is born, on Staten Island, NY
birthdate/place shown on army application in ep 5
Gemini, with moon in Libra
>>> With a Gemini Sun Libra Moon, emotional equilibrium is hard for you to maintain in a world of constant flux and tension. Since you are not responsible for the woes and upsets of those around you, you should not feel so duty-bound to assuage their wounds or mediate every conflict that happens to come your way.
>>> your natural diplomacy, extraordinary perception and insight can all be applied creatively in such fields as politics, social work, and the mass media.
>>> your extreme open-mindedness would probably enable you to almost any life-style. You have a universal quality about you that transcends culture, religion, ideology, or any other barrier that divides mankind.
Fall 1937 - Spring 1941 - Hawk attends "Penn", presumably the University of Pennsylvania. (assuming hawk b. 1919)
(this is very very long, the rest is under the cut)
December 7, 1941 - bombing of Pearl Harbor, US enters WWII
??? - Hawk joins the army (along with Kenny), and is sent to Europe. Kenny is sent to the Pacific.
June 1, 1944 - The fall of Velletri (where Hawk got injured), which Hawk talks to Tim about in ep 3. (thanks @doodlingawaits!)
from wiki: The 36th U.S. Infantry Division commanded by General Fred Walker spotted a flaw in the German defenses on Mount Artemisio between Velletri and Valmontone. Between 30 and 31 May 1944, the 142nd and 143rd regiments penetrated the German defenses at Monte Artemisio, and on June 1 Velletri fell.
January 9 – August 15, 1945 - Battle of Luzon, where Kenny dies.
September 2, 1945 - Japan surrenders, US exits WWII
February, 1949 - Hawk starts working at the State Department
Hawk says in 1x04 (Dec 1953) that he's been working at the State Dept for "four years and ten months".
"I came out of the war with four assets: degree from Penn, a hero's war record, no particular political ideology, and a passing acquaintance with three languages. Throw in a talent for prevaricating and a taste for travel and fine clothes, you have the makings of a competent, mid-level Foreign Service bureaucrat."
Fall 1948 - Spring 1952 - Tim attends Fordham University, graduating with a degree in political science and history.
1951 - Hawk starts work for the Bureau of Congressional Relations
Tim mentions Hawk's been working there for two years during their meeting on the bench.
1952 - Tim works "the New York campaign" (presumably for Eisenhower).
1952/3? - Tim interns for three months at the Star, in the mailroom.
November 4, 1952 - Election Night, Eisenhower (R) wins the presidency. Tim/Hawk first meet and are instantly smitten. (ep 1)
February 16, 1953 to March 10, 1954 - McCarthy Hearings, part 1.
The first consisted of a series of hearings conducted by McCarthy, as the subcommittee’s chairman, throughout 1953 and early 1954 in which McCarthy alleged Communist influence within the press and the federal government, including the State Department, the U.S. Army, and the Government Printing Office.
March 5, 1953 - Stalin dies.
Late March, 1953 - Hawk/Tim second meeting
After Hawk meets Tim at the park bench, he attends a hearing where Marcus says Cohn has brought David Schine on, and then later at their lunch Senator Smith says, "McCarthy is sending Cohn and his sidekick to Europe..." This article, dated April 19, says that Cohn and Schine have been in Europe for two weeks.
Hawk mentions that it's near the end of the month, police need to make their quotas.
April 27, 1953 - Executive Order 10450 signed. Hawk goes to Tim's apartment and tells him about Kenny. (ep 1)
June 6, 1953 - Tim's 23rd birthday (Hawk 'misses' it because they weren't talking for 4 weeks. belated celebration in ep 3.)
June 15, 1953 (?) - date of the newspaper Tim is reading just before he goes to visit Hawk in ep 2, where Hawk makes him write the letter to Mary. I'm choosing to believe this is a mistake on the show's part, because this would mean that Hawk has already missed Tim's birthday.
June 19, 1953 - Julius and Ethel Rosenberg's execution. Hawk comforts Lucy about this at the end of ep 2. So, likely Hawk and Tim had their big fight very shortly before Tim's birthday, and weren't talking from end of May - end of June.
End of June, 1953 - at the end of ep 2, Tim says it's been 4 months since his last confession, making his last (proper) confession the end of Feb or beginning of March. (ie, before he meets Hawk again on the park bench).
End of June or beginning of July, 1953 - weekend trip to Rehoboth Beach (ep 3)
November 1953 - G. David Schine drafted into the army (ep 3)
Christmas 1953 (ep 4)
March 16 to June 17, 1954 - Army-McCarthy Hearings (part 2) (ep 5)
The second phase involved the subcommittee's investigation of McCarthy’s attacks on the U.S. Army. Known as the “Army-McCarthy hearings,” they were broadcast on national television and they contributed to McCarthy’s declining national popularity. Five months later, on December 2, 1954, the Senate censured McCarthy.
June 6, 1954 - Tim's 24th birthday
June, 1954? - Tim/Hawk break up, Hawk proposes to Lucy (ep 5)
I believe this happens at the tail-end of the Army-McCarthy hearings, so before June 17th. Unclear when the proposal actually happened though.
Fall, 1954 - Sen. Smith's funeral
based solely on fall foliage in this screenshot:
Late Nov / Early Dec, 1954 - Tim enlists in the army
based on army application: birthdate 6/6/30, age: 24 years, 6 months
Late Nov / Early Dec, 1954 - Hawk/Tim last meeting in the tower
based on the radio program Tim is listening to, which says, "Chief Counsel Roy Cohn has resigned from the committee. And Senator McCarthy, his approval ratings plummeting, faces censure or even expulsion from the Senate." (McCarthy censured Dec 2).
Tim leaves for Fort Dix, for training, but is later stationed at Fort Polk, in Vernon Parish, LA. (thanks, @jesterlesbian!)
December 2, 1954 - the Senate censures McCarthy.
Summer or Fall 1956? - Tim's letter (that lucy burns) (ep 6)
Flashbacks, for context:
"Since he's giving up his apartment, Hawk insists on having a lair in the woods." // "I'm surprised that he finally agreed."
Lucy lets contractor go. // "Give me a baby."
Hawk is reading the Bristol Daily Courier, a paper located in Bristol, PA, a town in Bucks County, outside Philadelphia. I can't find any info on the one headline I can read though ("Heath Carlson breaks arws deadlock, locals proud"), so can't date this properly.
Lucy cleaning out Hawk's apartment, finds paperweight, sees Tim drop off letter. (did she start clearing out the apartment only after the cabin construction was complete? or before?)
"I went into the Army to get away from you. I thought time and distance would help. But it hasn't." If Tim sends the letter in summer 1956, it's been a year and a half since he enlisted.
Biggest question here: did lucy ask for a baby before or after she read Tim's letter??? the flashbacks don't answer this definitively.
October, 1956? - Lucy becomes pregnant with Jackson (see note under April 1957)
October 23 – November 4, 1956 - Hungarian Revolution of 1956
October 23, 1956 - April 30, 1957 - Hungarian Refugee Crisis
November 8, 1956 - Operation Safe Haven commences
President Eisenhower declared that 5,000 Hungarians would be awarded visa numbers remaining under the 1953 Refugee Relief Act
Spring 1957? - Tim sends telegram. It looks like 05-??-???? to me, which doesn't really make sense if McCarthy died on May 2nd, but it's hard to make out. or maybe telegrams used the date format dd-mm-yyyy.
April 1957? - Tim/Hawk first meeting, Lucy at least 5 (or 6? or 7?) months pregnant
You should feel your baby's first movements, called "quickening," between weeks 16 and 25 of your pregnancy. If this is your first pregnancy, you may not feel your baby move until closer to 25 weeks.
25 weeks ~= 6 months, and it still seems novel to her, so let's say she's approx. 6 months pregnant here.
May 2, 1957 - Joe McCarthy dies.
May 6, 1957 - McCarthy's funeral. Tim's first visit to Hawk's apartment (ep 8)
June 6, 1957 - Tim turns 27.
June or July, 1957 - Jackson born (based on dates above)
1958? - Kimberly is born. (estimated bc she looks the same age or older than Jackson, so assuming she's a year younger at most.)
August, 1965 - President Johnson signs a law making it a federal crime to destroy or mutilate [draft] cards.
October 15, 1965 -David Miller publicly burns his draft card, becoming the first person to be prosecuted under that law and a symbol of the growing movement against the war.
May 17, 1968 - the Catonsville Nine took 378 draft files from the draft board office in Catonsville, Maryland and burned them in the parking lot. (inspo for Tim & co. thanks @brokendrums!)
November 1968 - ep 6. Hawk is 48-9, Tim is 38, Jackson is 11.
based on this newspaper screenshot when Hawk is talking to Marcus on the phone about Tim, which shows election results (1968 election took place on Nov 5th).
November 1968 - May 1970 (earliest) - Tim in prison. (he says in ep 7 he was in prison for a year and a half. this assumes he went to prison right away, but it could have been several months later if he was awaiting trial/sentencing.)
1970? - After prison, Tim moves to San Francisco and gets his counseling degree.
Mid-late 1970s - Tim earns his C-SWCM qualifications, requiring:
A Bachelor’s degree in social work from a graduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education
Documentation of at least three (3) years and 4,500 hours of paid, supervised, post-BSW professional experience in an organization or agency that provides case management services
Current state BSW-level license or an ASWB BSW-level exam passing score.
nb. because Tim already had his bachelors (from Fordham, majoring in history), I could see him entering a much-accelerated BSW program, transfering a lot of credits from his previous degree. That would give him maybe 2 more years of university, plus the required 3 years of post-BSW work = 5 years minimum before he earns that business card.
February 4, 1977 - Fleetwood Mac's album Rumours is released, including the 1970s Tim/Hawk anthem, Go Your Own Way
October, 1978 - Jackson dies
November 27, 1978 - Harvey Milk assassinated
May 20-22, 1979 - Tim on Fire Island (ep 7). Hawk is 59 or 60, Tim is 48, about to turn 49.
May 22, 1979 - Harvey Milk's (posthumous) 49th birthday (celebrated in ep 7)
1986 - ep 8
how long was Hawk in San Francisco? Timelines for the events below may be fudged in the show, bc I doubt he was there for 5 months.
March, 1986 - Roy Cohn's 60 Minutes interview, which the gang watches in ep 4.
April 15, 1986 - US bombs Libya. in the first episode you can hear reference to this on the radio, before Hawk leaves for San Francisco. (thanks @aliceinhorrorland93!)
July 27, 1986 - In California, Gov. George Deukmejian vetoes a bill that would have defined AIDS as a physical handicap calling for entitlement to protection under the state's civil rights laws.
August 2, 1986 - Roy Cohn dies (ep 8)
Late 1986? - the fundraising gala that Tim crashes, shortly after Cohn's death.
September 1986 - The State Legislature has passed another bill [in addition to the one vetoed on July 27]. Mr. Deukmejian, a Republican running for re-election, has indicated that he will probably veto the bill. (nb, this is likely the bill that Tim & co want to pressure the governor to sign).
October 11, 1987 - AIDS memorial quilt first displayed (ep 8)
--
this was a collaborative effort! many thanks to @ishipallthings for many of these details, as well as @startagainbuttercup , @alorchik, @itsalinh and others in the FT discord!
#i made this as comprehensive as i could but i would LOVE feedback/corrections#esp re: anything in 1956-1957 era#jackson's birth? and the date of that letter???#fellow travelers#timeline#reference#ft timeline#fellow travelers timeline#*
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Yesterday was quite a day, I mused as I hurried back from the medics: I caught diarrhea and voted for Roosevelt. Now I was bound for the barn on the west side of Uden where we had moved from an outpost in the north several days after returning from Best. The ballot had gone on its way to the States, but I still had the diarrhea; it made me hurry faster. The first platoon had taken over a large barn and made itself at home in the hay. Supposed to be on the M.L.R., we had posted a couple of men on 24-hour guard in the field behind us while we slept on soft hay in thin, one-man sleeping bags which had caught up with us with the last of the regiment’s rear echelon. It was our most comfortable position in Holland. But I couldn't enjoy it, because I had the worst diarrhea I had ever caught in the Army; I couldn't lie still for more than twenty minutes. Cramped and irritable, I had spent most of the day and night running back and forth to the slit-trench latrine behind the barn, with time out for a mile walk to the medics and a dose of sulfa pills. It was all the cooks’ fault, I mused as I came in sight of our quarters. Bastards always were dirty. They kill a cow and butcher it and boil it hard in pasty gravy and call it beef stew. It almost broke my teeth, but the stew wasn't to blame—it was the wash water afterward. Vile as the British seamen on the Samaria, who had set out cold pans of salt water for us to wash our mess kits in, they gave us a single garbage can of soapy water as a battalion rinse. By the time I got to the can, the scum was an inch thick on top. The grease clung to my pan, breeding germs, and gave me diarrhea at the next meal. I had spent last night on the run, unable to enjoy the comforts of my sleeping bag. Well, anyway I had voted. That made me happy. I had to walk almost two miles to cast my ballot, but I would have walked ten, if necessary, because this was my first vote—I was 22 in June—and I had always wanted to cast it for Roosevelt, the greatest President we had ever had and the only one who ever gave the working man a break. Roosevelt had faced and overcome the two great crises America had ever suffered: the worst depression in history and the world’s biggest war. He was a politician, as crafty and conniving as any, for politics is a cesspool of lying lawyers, but his work was greater than the man, and the country was better for it. The rich Republicans hated Roosevelt for helping the working man, for encouraging the labor unions to wring a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work out of employers who had never heard of such a thing before and for putting into effect fair-employment practices that they considered outrageously Socialistic. Roosevelt helped the unemployed when Herbert Hoover, the last Republican, an engineer who never quite understood humanity, had said, “Let every man help his brother,” when he knew perfectly well that the rich weren't about to help the poor, never had and never would. I had grown up with Republicans and gone to school and college with them, and sickened by their selfishness, their cold avarice and lofty contempt for the common people, had early sworn to vote for the Democrats, who, for all their rotten political faults, were more concerned with the welfare of the country as a whole. Delighted that I had at last fulfilled that ambition, I snapped back to the present when I saw a dozen people standing in front of our barn. A wild-eyed crone was shrieking and cackling at some soldiers while several Dutch children looked on.
David Kenyon Webster, Parachute Infantry, pg. 142-144.
Happy election day, USAmericans! If David Webster can walk two miles with bad diarrhea in an active war zone to vote, so can you!
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In case you are interested in further museum horror stories, I was not working there, but here it goes: a small kid, aged about 24 months, was left to roam free by their parents, who were very obnoxiously taking pictures of themselves with some of the objects on display as if this were a professional shoot. This was on a tour, mind, so they were not only being a tad annoying, their behaviour was not very polite, too, given the tour guide was talking to the group. Their kid was extremely noisy, running around and at one point, went straight for their mother's legs and hugged her from behind, causing her to almost stumble into a huge 18th century silver tankard due to the unexpected force of the child crashing into the back of her knees. The entire room seemed to gasp, anticipating to become witnesses in a high-stakes insurance claim and police investigation. Now, this was a special event guided tour with a costumed interpreter in full 18th century Prussian regimentals, who, looking at the concerned face of the museum worker close by, and the annoyed ones of the visitors, took charge of the situation: he used his walking stick to point at the child in one astonishingly swift motion and grumbled something like "You! Eh, children...", giving the parents a very dirty look. The funniest thing was, this was the moment he seemed to be most believably in character. The little one turned to their mum, buried their face in her leg and remained quiet for the rest of the tour. I feel a little bad for the child, who should clearly have been better supervised (or not brought along to a tour for older children and adults at all) but I hope it was a lesson to the parents. You don't get to be the focus of negative attention by an 18th century king in full dress uniform every day, after all.
Good for him.
You're right, though, I will say- that's on the parents. If you can't find a babysitter or think your two-year-old will get something out of the museum (hey, start 'em young!), it is now your job to run interference on that two-year-old. You don't get to take Instagram pics if you elected to bring a toddler to the Fragile Priceless Artifacts Zone.
Like I said in an earlier ask, I've honestly had more issues with adults than kids only a little bit older than that and up. Children are used to hearing "don't do this" and following directions. Adults are more likely to think "why?" and even after having it explained, "that doesn't apply to me."
Most people of all ages are fine in museums, to be clear! It's just the small number of jerks that stick out in one's mind.
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Siege of Detroit
The Siege of Detroit (15-16 August 1812) was one of the first major actions of the War of 1812. After a botched invasion of Canada, a US army retreated to Fort Detroit, where it was besieged by British and Native American forces under Major General Isaac Brock and Shawnee chieftain Tecumseh. The Americans quickly capitulated, leaving Detroit in British hands.
Tecumseh and Brock at Fort Detroit
A.M. Wickson (Public Domain)
Background: March to Detroit
By April 1812, war between the United States and the United Kingdom seemed just over the horizon. On the high seas, British warships had been boarding American merchantmen and impressing American sailors with impunity, while on the northwestern frontier, British agents were believed to be aiding two Shawnee brothers, Tecumseh and the Prophet, in their attempt to form a Native American confederacy and resist US encroachment onto their hunting grounds. In Congress, a clique of belligerent, newly-elected representatives – called 'War Hawks' – clamored for war, despite the reluctance of the general population and the underpreparedness of the military. To prepare for a conflict that seemed increasingly likely, the administration of President James Madison looked to shore up defenses in the northwest, where the US shared a border with British-controlled Canada.
As part of this plan, the Madison administration ordered a new army to be raised in the Michigan Territory and then marched to the outpost of Fort Detroit. William Hull, the 59-year-old governor of the Michigan Territory, was commissioned as a brigadier general and offered the command. Hull, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War, was reluctant to accept – he had, after all, recently suffered a stroke – but his fear of an increase in Native American attacks against Michigan settlers led him to take the command. On 25 May, Hull arrived in Dayton, Ohio, where his makeshift army was being assembled, and was dismayed at what he found. The volunteers were noisy and undisciplined, lacking adequate arms or powder. Organized into three militia regiments, the volunteers insisted on electing their own officers. As such, the men they selected as colonels – Duncan McArthur, James Findlay, and Lewis Cass – were all either politicians or aspiring politicians, men with no military experience.
After a botched army inspection in which Hull was nearly flung from his horse, the army of Ohio volunteers set out on 1 June. Proceeding at a slow pace, they reached the frontier community of Urbana ten days later, where they were joined by Lt. Colonel James Miller and a regiment of regulars, the 4th US Infantry. At Urbana, some of Hull's volunteers refused to go any further, claiming that they had not received the full pay that had been promised to them. Though they were eventually prodded along by Miller's regulars, it was not a promising start. A few days later another incident took place when one militiaman, drunk on moonshine, was startled by a noise in the dark and shot one of his fellow sentries. The man was promptly court-martialed and given the "grotesque sentence" of having his ears cropped and each cheek branded (Berton, 94). The army then marched into the Great Black Swamp, northwest of Ohio, where incessant rainfalls had overflown streams and turned the ground to mud. Meanwhile, they were, unbeknownst to them, being closely watched by Tecumseh's scouts, hiding amongst the trees.
William Hull
James Sharples Sr. (Public Domain)
On 26 June, Hull received a letter from the US Secretary of War dated 18 June, warning him that war was imminent and ordering him to get to Detroit "with all possible speed". On 1 July, Hull reached the mouth of the Maumee River where he hired the schooner Cuyahoga and loaded it with anything that was slowing the army down, including his personal dispatches, officers' baggage, extra uniforms, medical supplies, and around 30 sick men. The Cuyahoga then sailed into Lake Erie to transport the supplies to Detroit. The next day, Hull received a second letter from Washington, also dated 18 June, informing him that war had been declared, but it was too late to recall the schooner. As it attempted to enter the Detroit River, the Cuyahoga, carrying Hull's dispatches, was captured by a Canadian vessel. On 5 July, Hull finally reached Detroit, where he was joined by several companies of Michigan militia, bringing his total number to about 2,500 men. Hull, whose army was running dangerously low on supplies, had hoped to find food in Detroit but was disappointed.
Continue reading...
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U.S.Marines from Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, come under Taliban fire at Mian Poshte on July 3, 2009, during Operation Khanjar, intended to clear the Helmand Valley in preparation for the Afghan presidential election.
(Photo by David Furst/AFP)
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The Perilous Path from Willful Ignorance to the Erosion of Democracy
Democracy thrives on the informed consent of its citizens. It is a system of governance that is rooted in the principle of collective decision-making, with the understanding that the electorate is knowledgeable and capable of making decisions that uphold the common good. However, when willful ignorance becomes prevalent within a society, the very pillars of democracy begin to crumble, paving the way for authoritarianism and, in its most extreme form, fascism.
Willful ignorance is the deliberate choice to ignore facts, dismiss expert opinions, and reject the evidence that challenges one’s preconceived notions. It is a conscious decision to remain uninformed or misinformed. This stance is not only a refusal to engage with reality but also a rejection of the responsibility that comes with democratic participation. When a significant portion of the electorate chooses this path, the consequences are dire.
The first casualty of willful ignorance is the truth. In a democracy, the truth is the currency of discourse, the basis upon which policies are debated and leaders are held accountable. When the truth is devalued, misinformation and propaganda flourish. Demagogues, who are adept at exploiting fears and prejudices, find fertile ground to sow division and discord. They present themselves as the sole bearers of truth, promising simple solutions to complex problems. Their rhetoric is seductive to those who have chosen to shield themselves from the complexities of the world.
As these demagogues gain power, the institutions that are the bedrock of democracy—free press, independent judiciary, and open elections—come under attack. The demagogue’s narrative is one of us versus them, where dissent is portrayed as disloyalty. Willful ignorance allows such narratives to take root, as it creates a populace that is less likely to question authority and more likely to accept the erosion of their freedoms in exchange for the illusion of security and order.
The transition from democracy to authoritarianism is often gradual. It begins with the undermining of trust in institutions and the normalization of attacks on those who bring inconvenient truths to light. Over time, the checks and balances that prevent the concentration of power are weakened. The rule of law is replaced by the rule of the leader, and the democratic process becomes a mere facade.
In its most extreme form, willful ignorance can lead to the rise of fascism—a system of governance characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and the economy. Fascism thrives on the vilification of the “other” and the glorification of a mythical past. It requires a populace that is willing to trade its autonomy for the promise of national greatness.
In conclusion, willful ignorance is not just a personal failing; it is a societal hazard. It is the antithesis of the informed citizenry required for a healthy democracy.
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The Princess Royal’s Official Engagements in June 2024
04/06 As Master of the Corporation of Trinity House, attended the Trinitytide Anniversary Annual Court Meeting, Church Service and Luncheon. 💼⛪️🍽️
As Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Corps of Signals, this afternoon inspected The Queen’s Gurkha Signals Regiment on public duties at St James’s Palace. 🫡
As Chairman of the International Olympic Committee Members Election Commission, held a Members Election Commission Meeting at St James’s Palace. 💼
05/06 With Sir Tim As Colonel-In-Chief of The Royal Regina Rifles, unveiled a statue and attended a Reception at 10 Place des Canadiens, Thue et Mue, Bretteville. 🇬🇧🇫🇷🇨🇦
With Sir Tim Attended a service of commemoration and reception to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings at Bayeux War Cemetery. 🪦🪖
With Sir Tim As President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, attended the Annual Service in Bayeux Cathedral to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings. ⛪️
With Sir Tim As President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, attended a service to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings at Bayeux War Cemetery. 🪦🕯️
06/06 With Sir Tim Attended the Annual Founder’s Day Parade at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. 💂
As Colonel of The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons), attended a Household Cavalry Council Meeting at Hyde Park Barracks. 🐎
07/06 Opened Forest of Dean Community Hospital. 🏥
Visited Ruskin Mill Trust in Nailsworth. 🏫
09/06 Attended the Bramham International Horse Trials Prize Giving, on its 50th anniversary. 🏇🏼
11/06 Opened Mercator Media Limited’s 25th Anniversary Seawork Marine Exhibition in Southampton. ⛴️
As Patron of the British Nutrition Foundation, visited the British Armed Forces Nutrition Programme at The Royal Logistic Corps Regimental Museum in Winchester. 🍏🍊
As Patron of Farms for City Children, and Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Butchers, attended a Festival of Learning at Butchers’ Hall. 🥩🥓🍖
Unofficial Sir Tim attended a reception at the King Edward VII Hospital and unveiled a plaque dedicated to Sir Jameson Boyd Adams. 🍾
With Sir Tim As Royal Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, attended The Prince Philip Fund Commemoration Dinner at Prince Philip House. 🍽️🍾
12/06 On behalf of The King, held an Investiture at Windsor Castle. 🎖️
As Chancellor of the University of London, attended the School of Advanced Study 30th Anniversary Reception at Senate House. 📚📖
As President of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Commonwealth Study Conferences, attended a Dinner. 🍽️🗺️
13/06 As Patron of Transaid, visited the Multimodal 2024 Exhibition. 🛻
As Patron of the Townswomen’s Guilds, attended the Annual General Meeting. 💼
As Patron of the Foundation for Future London, attended the UK Cultural Exchange launch. 🇬🇧🗺️
With Sir Tim As President of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, attended a President’s Panel Discussion and Dinner. 🎤🍽️
14/06 Presided over a conference attended by the Colonels of the Regiments of the Household Division. 💂
Cavalry Regiments
Blues and Royals - Princess Anne
The Life Guards - Non - Royal
Footguards
Grenadier Guards - Queen Camilla
Coldstream Guards - Non - Royal
Scots Guards - Prince Edward
Irish Guards - Catherine, Princess of Wales
Welsh Guards - Prince William
Reserves
London Guards - Prince Edward
15/06 With Sir Tim Trooping the Colour
17/06 With Sir Tim Attended a chapter of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in the Throne Room, Windsor Castle. 🏰
With Sir Tim Attended a luncheon, hosted by the King, at Windsor Castle. 🍽️
With Sir Tim Attended an Installation Service was held in St George’s Chapel at which The Duchess of Gloucester was installed as a Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. 🪽🎖️
18/06 unofficial Attended day one of Royal Ascot. 🏇🏼
19/06 unofficial Attended day two of Royal Ascot. 🏇🏼
20/06 unofficial With Sir Tim Attended day three (Ladies Day) of Royal Ascot. 🏇🏼
21/06 With Sir Tim Attended the RNLI Beating Retreat, Reception and Dinner at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. 🛟🥂🍽️
22/06 With Sir Tim As Patron of the Eric Liddell 100, attended a Service in St Giles’ Cathedral, followed by a Reception to commemorate 100 years since Eric Liddells Olympic gold medal win. 🥇
~ Engagements cancelled due to hospitalisation ~
Total official engagements for Anne in June:
2024 total so far:
Total official engagements accompanied by Tim in June:
2024 total so far:
FYI - due to certain royal family members being off ill/in recovery I won't be posting everyone's engagement counts out of respect, I am continuing to count them and release the totals at the end of the year.
#to say she hasn’t done any engagements for the last week in june she hasn’t done too bad this month 🥹#get well soon anne!!!#it will be so lovely to see you back again 🥰#princess anne#princess royal#june 2024#aimees unofficial engagement count 2024
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FTH 2023 Wrap-Up
Boy has it been a year, guys.
This seemed like the year when anything that could go wrong did, from covid to family emergencies to work obligations to software bugs. We're so grateful to you all for your patience and for coming back year after year to remind us why we do this.
Historically, non-election years have usually seen slumps in both our number of auctions and our donation totals. But this year? You guys blew us away yet again.
We had just as many auctions as last year, which is amazing. But even beyond that: our donation total —just 10% lower than last year's massive record— is 150% higher than our third best year, making it a very close second.
So are you ready for this year's grand total?
This year
thanks to all of you
FTH raised...
$47,361.75!
Which brings our seven-year total to
$239,507.86
Thank you so much to our 616 creators who offered 800+ auctions in over 400 different fandoms and subfandoms, and to everyone who bid! Also a special shoutout to our record 17 crafters who raised over $2500 of this - three times as much as any of our previous craft bazaars!
Your returning mods (@porcupine-girl, @captainbunnicula, @tiltedsyllogism, @anyawen, and @renjunbabygirl) would also like to give our heartfelt thanks to this year's two additions to the mod team, @trickybonmot (who has been a mod before but was returning after several-year absence) and @a-still-small-vox (who is brand new to this whole thing). Given everything that went down this year, the auction literally could not have happened without them. They've been ridiculously awesome.
Creators, be sure you contact your bidders by April 1, and bidders, on your end please respond to their communication by April 15!
Once the fanwork is posted, let us know via our form (can you believe six creators have already finished??) and if you're posting it on AO3 be sure to add it to the Fandom Trumps Hate 2023 collection. If you're writing a fic for FTH and need help from our Regiment of Fan Laborers, email us!
As always, we hope that for at least some people, your involvement in FTH will lead to continued action throughout the year. Sign up for our organizations' email lists, check out their volunteer opportunities, and help boost their signals on social media!
And if you'd like to run your own fanworks auction for a good cause, we can help get you started! Contact us at fandomtrumpshate at gmail.com and we can send you our auction playbook, as well as answer any questions you have about our process.
Your mods are going to be going into post-auction hibernation mode (or, for most of us, post-auction deal-with-all-this-other-stuff mode) for a little while. So if you email us, don't panic if we don't get back to you immediately! We will start actively monitoring the inbox again by April 15 at the latest.
Here is a quick snapshot of the donations to individual organizations - see below the cut for all of the totals!
We hope to see you all again next year!
Amounts raised for each of our individual orgs:
TLDEF $8,594.5 (18.15%) DigDeep/Navajo Water Project $7,037 (14.86%) Rainbow Railroad $5,970 (12.61%) Sherlock’s Homes Foundation $3,169.5 (6.69%) Life After Hate $3,069.75 (6.48%) Never Again Action $3,062.75 (6.46%) Citizens’ Climate Education $2,235 (4.72%) Xerces $2,103 (4.44%) Razom $2,101 (4.43%) Violence Policy Center $1327 (2.80%) NNtEDV $1,157.75 (2.44%) The Appeal $935 (1.97%) Other organizations (that aren’t abortion funds) $1,151 (2.43%)
All abortion funds $5,468.50 (11.54%) Indigenous Women Rising $2,073 (4.43%) other abortion funds $1,184.50 (2.50%) Abortion Fund of Ohio $963 (2.03%) KY Health Justice Network $634 (1.34%) New Orleans Abortion Fund $349 (.74%) Buckle Bunnies $240 (.51%)
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Whipstitch Whitehall, Western Transplant & Settlement Leader.
Im embarrassed that I haven’t posted all my new fallout characters yet…this is Whipstitch Whitehall, from Vault 49 out in OK originally, but she’s made her way through to the Commonwealth & has made a living setting up small communications relays between settlements in the northern Commonwealth. She’s got a little arms dealing business on the side but that’s for later, details under the cut!
Vault 49 was established under a private airstrip used for politicians & eccentric billionaires living in the Four Corners region of the pre-war western United States. With a focus on preparedness and wilderness training, Vault Tec’s plan for 49 was to initially shock the well-to-do political class into a proverbial state of “freeze-fight-or-flight” following the inevitable nuclear apocalypse. Herded into Vault 49 alongside these social elites were a selection of local farming families chosen by a quad-state area Super Duper Mart raffle, who would be dispersed throughout the same living quarters as their former governors & elected officials. Intermarrying was highly encouraged, and living standard incentives were even instituted in the early phases of Vault Tec’s V49 Overseer Agenda to establish families of mixed parentage; results were mixed for several short generations, but Vault 49 eventually came to be known in the middle territories as one of the more successful experiments surviving into the new post-nuclear landscape.
Much of the senatorial & gubernatorial class died out in the first few decades; pampered lifestyles with extensive robotic assistance led to a group that could not handle the stressors of Vault life. Those few hardier families who could handle themselves mingled with the general population & within 2-3 generations Vault-Tec Overseer reports would have been full of rigorous training regiments, roll call counts, test scores and biometric data. The program for V49 dictated that all inhabitants be trained in extensive wilderness preparedness (akin to pre-war Eagle Scout programs) for the first 150 years after initial sealing—after which control over the vault’s main door would be relinquished to the current Overseer via a Vault-Tec official password transfer. With the Overseer’s discretion the main door would be allowed to open whenever necessary, and a system of scouting parties would be established shortly after. Phase 2 of Vault-Tec’s program would come into effect here.
Whipstitch’s parents were both particularly talented community leaders; her mother was head technician in the V49 Water Processing Plant, and her father was on the Science & Exploration Board for several years before they had little ‘Stitch. She grew up as a talented target shooter, an excellent swimmer, and with a propensity for tinkering which carried her through V49 “Blue Ranger” training; a gauntlet designed to harden potential scouting party members. Whipstitch took her chance when she could to leave the vault and see the greater world, only bits of which she’d seen previously from others’ scavenging hauls—and never came back. She feels pangs of guilt from time to time when the skies hang red with radiation storms, reminding her of the dusty prairie sky back in O-Kay. Stitch took all those skills from V49 and trained up her people skills along the way, managing to gain some small notoriety as a handy builder/engineer & quite nifty with small energy weapons.
#art#illustration#illustrators on tumblr#concept art#fan art#fallout fan art#fallout fanart#vault 49#whipstitch#whitehall workshop
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Thanks Derek Plummer
* * * *
LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN
October 14, 2024
Heather Cox Richardson
Oct 15, 2024
As the two presidential campaigns position themselves for the final sprint to the election on November 5, the difference between them is dramatic.
Trump is hunkering down behind what has always appeared to be a plan not to attract voters but instead to create chaos on Election Day. Creating confusion around the election could enable his loyalists to put in place the plan the Trump team concocted in 2020 to throw the election into the House of Representatives or get it before the Supreme Court, stacked as it is with Trump loyalists.
A central piece of that plan appears to be to rile up his supporters to violence, and a few of them have been delivering. News broke yesterday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had advised federal emergency workers to evacuate Rutherford County, North Carolina, which was hit hard by Hurricane Helene, because of concerns about their safety after Trump and MAGA Republicans spread the false rumor that federal agents are forcing people off their land to start lithium mining projects. The alert came after the U.S. Forest Service sent an email to federal responders saying that National Guard troops had encountered armed militia saying they were “hunting FEMA.” FEMA officials will no longer go door-to-door with disaster assistance, but instead will stay in fixed locations.
A man has been arrested and charged with threatening FEMA workers with an assault rifle. He was released on a $10,000 bond.
To the extent Trump or his running mate Ohio senator J.D. Vance talks about them, their policies are promises to repair what they insist is the damage caused by President Joe Biden (although the stock market hit record highs again today), or threats that reinforce an authoritarian Christian nationalist worldview. Today, Bill Barrow of the Associated Press explored the extensive overlap of Project 2025 from the Heritage Foundation and other right-wing groups and the plans that Trump and Vance have set out.
Both promise to cut taxes for the wealthy, but Project 2025 has more detail about how. Both plan to cut off immigration and to fire federal workers, replacing them with loyalists. Both say the president can decide not to use the money Congress has appropriated (in 2019, Trump refused to disburse the money Congress had appropriated for Ukraine until Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to smear Trump’s chief Democratic rival for the presidency, Joe Biden). Both call for slashing government regulations and getting rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs as well as protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and programs addressing climate change.
But perhaps most revealing of both Trump’s ideology and his plan for the election was his statement to Fox News Channel host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday that he would like to use the military against what he called “the enemy from within…radical left lunatics" to guard the election. While this is a threat to use the power of the government against his political opponents if he is elected—he mentioned California representative and Senate candidate Adam Schiff by name—it also seems likely his loyalists will hear this as a call for violence at election sites.
Trump’s statement has not gone unnoticed.
Tonight, CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper posted a dictionary definition of the word “fascism”: “A populist political philosophy, movement…that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and by forcible suppression of opposition.”
On the show, Tapper pressed Republican Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin to comment on Trump’s statement that as commander-in-chief, he would use the military against political opposition. When Youngkin denied that Trump had said any such thing, Tapper replied: “I’m literally reading his quotes to you.” Youngkin’s willingness to deny what was right in front of him did not exactly quell talk of fascism, since in his dystopian novel 1984 about authoritarianism, George Orwell famously wrote: “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.��
If Trump is hunkering down, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota governor Tim Walz are still pushing ahead, pressing Trump on both his personal weakness and his now open embrace of fascism. Harris’s advisor Ian Sams went on the Fox News Channel today to note that it’s been a month since Trump “did a mainstream media interview, and we got to wonder why. We called this weekend for him to release his medical records…. Donald Trump’s team, I heard him on your air last hour insisting that everything is okay and that…there’s nothing to see here. And your anchor rightly asked, ‘Well, if that’s true, why not just put them out?’”
At 1:12 this morning, Trump posted on his social media site: “I believe it is very important that Kamala Harris pass a test on Cognitive Stamina and Agility. Her actions have led many to believe that there could be something very wrong with her.” Sams hit that as well, noting that in the middle of the night, Trump felt obliged to write about Harris and a cognitive test “[a]s he refuses to release his medical records, sit with 60 Minutes, or debate her again—instead retreating solely to rambling rallies where he’s increasingly making no sense[.] Is he okay?”
In Erie, Pennsylvania, today, Harris outlined how her proposals for an “opportunity economy” will help Black men, calling for business loans for entrepreneurs, more apprenticeships, rules for cryptocurrency exchanges, and study of diseases that disproportionately affect Black men.
She also continues her outreach to Republicans. Today, former Trump friend and talk show host Geraldo Rivera endorsed her. So did former Wisconsin Republican state senate majority leader Dale Schultz. “I tell people, ‘Look, I didn’t leave the party. The party left me,’” he said. “This is a critically important race, and…Donald Trump should never be allowed in the Oval Office again.”
Today Harris’s campaign announced she will be sitting down with Fox News Channel reporter Bret Baier for an interview on Wednesday from the battleground state of Pennsylvania. The Fox News Channel is scheduled to tape a town hall with Trump in front of an audience of women on Tuesday. It is supposed to air on Wednesday morning, while the Harris interview will air Wednesday night.
At a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, tonight, Harris reiterated Trump’s refusal to talk to any but the right-wing media and recalled his promise to terminate the Constitution. And then she used Trump’s own words against him, playing a video montage of Trump’s calls for violence, his threats against “the enemy within,” and his call for using the military against his political opponents.
“You heard his words, coming from him,” she told the audience. “[H]e considers anyone who doesn’t support him or who will not bend to his will an enemy of our country…. He’s saying that he would use the military to go after them…. And we know who he would target because he has attacked them before. Journalists whose stories he doesn’t like. Election officials who refuse to cheat by…finding extra votes for him. Judges who insist on following the law instead of bending to his will. This is among the reasons I believe so strongly that a second Trump term would be a huge risk for America, and dangerous…. Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged. And he is out for unchecked power, that’s what he’s looking for.”
In Oaks, Pennsylvania, tonight, Trump was supposed to take questions from preselected attendees at a town hall with South Dakota governor Kristi Noem. He did, at first, although his answers were all over the place and he urged people to vote on January 5. But then, in the hot and crowded space, two people needed medical attention. Slurring, Trump then said: “Let’s not do any more questions. Let’s just listen to music. Let’s make it into a music. Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?” And then he stood on stage and swayed for 39 minutes of songs from his personal playlist before seeming to recall that he was supposed to be talking about the election, which he suddenly told the confused crowd was “the most important election in the history of our country” before turning back to the music.
Rob Crilly of the U.K.’s The Daily Mail wrote: “I was at Trump's golden escalator launch, flew out of Washington with him in 2020 and have probably been to 100 rallies, give or take. Have never seen anything like tonight.” The headline over Marianne LeVine’s Washington Post story about the event read: “Trump sways and bops to music for 39 minutes in bizarre town-hall episode.
“The scene comes as Vice President Kamala Harris has called Trump, 78, unstable and called into question his mental acuity.”
LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN
HEATHER COX RICHARDSON
#Letters from An American#Heather Cox Richardson#Kamala Harris#Trump#bizarre town-hall episode#election 2024#MAGA madness#journalism#terminate the constitution#cognitive test#MAGA Republicans#misinformation#FEMA
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On 5th April 1820 government forces defeated Radical weavers at what became known as the Battle of Bonnymuir.
The ‘Radical Rising’ or ‘Radical War’ of 1820, also known as the Scottish Insurrection of 1820, was a week of strikes and unrest in Scotland that culminated in the trial of a number of ‘radicals’ for the crime of treason. It was the last armed uprising on Scottish soil, with the intent of establishing a radical republic.
Based in Central Scotland, artisan workers (such as weavers, shoemakers, blacksmiths), initiated a series of strikes and social unrest during the first week of April 1820. This pushed for government reform, in response to the economic depression. The Rising was quickly, and violently, quashed, and the subsequent trials took place in Scotland from July to August 1820.
The events of the Rising followed years of economic recession after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and considerable revolutionary instability on the European continent. As the economic situation worsened for many workers, societies sprung up across the country which espoused radical ideas for fundamental change.
In the early nineteenth century, Scottish politics offered power to very few people. Councillors on the Royal Burghs at this time were not elected to their position, rich landowners controlled county government and there were fewer than 3,000 parliamentary voters in the whole of Scotland, hardly a democracy.
It was recognised that the key to change was electoral reform, and the events of the American Revolution of 1776 and French Revolution of 1789 helped to promote these ideas. Radical reformers began to seek the universal franchise (for men), annual parliaments, and the repeal of the Act of Union of 1707.
Between 1st and 8th April 1820, across central Scotland, some works stopped, particularly in weaving communities, and radicals attempted to fulfil a call to rise. Several disturbances occurred across the country, perhaps the worst of which were the events at Bonnymuir, Stirlingshire, where a group of about 50 radicals clashed with a patrol of around 30 soldiers, while Bonnymuir is the most famous, or should I say infamous of the events during this period, it was by no means the only “uprising”
On Monday April 3rd a strike took force across a wide area of Scotland including Stirlingshire, Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire, with an estimated total of around 60,000 stopping work.
Reports were made of men carrying out military drill in Glasgow while foundries and forges had been raided, and iron files and dyer's poles taken to make pikes. In Kilbarchan soldiers found men making pikes, in Stewarton around 60 strikers was dispersed, in Balfron around 200 men had assembled for some sort of action. Pikes, gunpowder and weapons called "wasps" (a sort of javelin) and "clegs" (a barbed shuttlecock to throw at horses) were offered for sale.
In Glasgow John Craig led around 30 men to make for the Carron Company ironworks in Falkirk, telling them that weapons would be there for the taking, but the group were scattered when intercepted by a police patrol. Craig was caught, brought before a magistrate and fined, but the magistrate paid his fine for him.
Rumours spread that England was in arms for the cause of reform and that an army was mustering at Campsie commanded by Marshal MacDonald, a Marshal of France and son of a Jacobite refugee family, to join forces with 50,000 French soldiers at Cathkin Braes under Kinloch, the fugitive "Radical laird" from Dundee.
Government troops were ready in Glasgow, including the Rifle Brigade, the 83rd Regiment of Foot, the 7th and 10th Hussars and Samuel Hunter's Glasgow Sharpshooters. In the evening 300 radicals briefly skirmished with a party "of cavalry", but no one came to harm.
The next day, Tuesday April 4th, Duncan Turner assembled around 60 men to march to Carron, while he carried out organising work elsewhere. Half the group dropped out, however the remaining twenty five, persuaded that they would pick up support along the way, set out under the leadership of Andrew Hardie. They arrived in Condorrat, which was on the way to Carron, at 5am on April 5th. Waiting for them was John Baird who had expected a small army, not this bedraggled and soaking wet group. He was persuaded to continue the March to Carron by John King, who would himself go ahead and gather supporters. King would go to find supporters at Camelon while Baird and Hardie were to leave the road and wait at Bonnymuir.
What the leaders didn’t know is that the Government had placed spies and agitators among the crowds and they were lured to the confrontation with well-armed, trained soldiers on Bonnymuir,
The authorities at Kilsyth and Stirling Castle had however been alerted and Sixteen Hussars and sixteen Yeomanry troopers had been ordered on 4 April to leave Perth and go to protect Carron. They left the road at Bonnybridge early on April 5th and made straight for the slopes of Bonnymuir. As the newspapers subsequently reported:
"On observing this force the radicals cheered and advanced to a wall over which they commenced firing at the military. Some shots were then fired by the soldiers in return, and after some time the cavalry got through an opening in the wall and attacked the party who resisted till overpowered by the troops who succeeded in taking nineteen of them prisoners, who are lodged in Stirling Castle. Four of the radicals were wounded".
The Glasgow Herald mocked the small number of radicals encountered, but worried that "the conspiracy appears to be more extensive than almost anyone imagined... radical principles are too widely spread and too deeply rooted to vanish without some explosion and the sooner it takes place the better."
The end of the Rising
On the afternoon of April 5th, before news of the Bonnymuir fighting got out, Lees sent a message asking the radicals of Strathaven to meet up with the "Radical laird" Kinloch's large force at Cathkin. The next morning a small force of 25 men followed the instructions and left at 7 a.m. to march there. Among them was the experienced elderly Radical James Wilson who is claimed to have had a banner reading "Scotland Free or a Desart"
At East Kilbride they were warned of an army ambush, and Wilson, suspecting treachery, returned to Strathaven. The others bypassed the ambush and reached Cathkin, but as there was no sign of the promised army they dispersed. Ten of them were identified and caught, and by nightfall on April 7th; they were jailed at Hamilton.
I’ll leave things there for the moment, the aftermath will be told in further posts, one in a few days, and more as the ringleaders were made examples of as they were tried for their parts in the events.
The large memorial stone to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bonnymuir was unveiled in April 2021.
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If Meredith was offered a promotion outside of Kirkwall — to become Knight-Vigilant or a Knight-Divine — would she accept it? Conversely, if she was offered the position of viscount, would she step down as Knight-Commander to take it? Is it power in Kirkwall, power in the templars, or power in general that's more important to her?
headcanon asks - @starkhvn
Being a templar is still at the core of her being; it is, ultimately, what drives her day after day - to serve and protect and prevent anyone from enduring what she did as a child. It's a lot of unresolved trauma, 'solved' in her mind, by doing what she can to save others. It is a fundamental part of her identity, beginning the very day she lost her family and was saved by Ser Wentworth Kell. With a resolve of steel, she had decided then, as a very young child, that she would become a templar.
That said, however, as she has ascended through the ranks, implementing new, effective methods to better control the mage population of the Gallows, Meredith became hungry for power. From her point of view, more power meant more control; for Kirkwall, her birthplace and her home are important to her, and to imagine going beyond its borders and leaving permanently would almost be unfathomable in the sense that she has never truly left the city-state, besides the occasional 'work' trip to the White Spire in her years serving as Knight-Commander.
While it would not be a decision made lightly, were Meredith to be offered a promotion to become Knight-Vigilant, she would take time deliberating it, ensuring that everything she had done for Kirkwall's Circle would be kept and maintained. Depending on when this theoretical promotion is offered to Meredith, she would discuss with Grand Cleric Elthina to prepare Cullen to take on the role as her direct successor and one that, for the most part, Meredith believes would follow in her footsteps.
Of course, being in command of the entire Templar Order (well, as likely subject to the Knights Divine, of course), would allow Meredith to implement the same regiment changes across all Circles under the Chantry's command. It would be one of those "with great power comes great responsibility" moments for Meredith, but I do believe with enough planning and thought, she would take it. Her hunger for power at some point would take over her desire to protect her home city, doing more than she ever could've imagined as that scared little girl.
edit: I realized I kind of contradicted myself so I'm amending this and referring to this headcanon for the bit about Viscount.
However, were she offered the position of Viscount - I think she would refuse. Her place in the context of Kirkwall is in the Templar Order. After all, enacting Martial Law and blocking an election, rather than necessarily claiming the throne for herself speaks volumes; she is playing the role without necessarily giving people genuine cause to call her a true tyrant or dictator. She remains in control of her templars, and uses this armed force to take control of the city-state without actually taking the title itself. She is not a politician, but she plays the game of politicking with what she has and what she is 'allowed' to do - but her interest is not to necessarily control Kirkwall. She is only interested in placing yet another puppet on the throne with the interests of the Chantry and Templar Order in mind, much like how she and Elthina threatened Dumar to allow them to do what Val Royeaux and the Chantry desire with regards to Kirkwall. So, if she was asked to become Viscount and to leave her station as Knight-Commander, she would refuse.
It is interesting to me the way that I believe Meredith would rather die than give up her current role to be placed on the throne as an established political leader. The idea of taking up an even more administrative position without the ability to have military-like power at her beck and call, as well as not having direct control over the mages of the Circle, is simply not in her interests. She has power enough in her role as Knight-Commander to dictate what happens to the mages (who she views as the most dangerous), that she wouldn't want to be the leader of the city-state and gain power in that sense. And lastly, she's seen what's happened to the past two Viscounts in her time! She wouldn't want to be on the throne in what she perceives to be a much weaker and unsafe position than she would be in the Gallows.
#starkhvn#HEADCANON.#[ thank you Holly for these asks; they were great! ]#[ edit: I was not awake when I answered this my BAD ]
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Chapter 10: The Show Must Go On!
Summary: Nikolai is faced with a conundrum in the leadership of his beloved Ravka, and Alina comes to him in the night needing more support than either Genya or Zoya can provide. Things escalate quite a bit. taglist: @lordbettany, @malkaleh, @fauxraven
Chapter below the cut
Kirbirsk, First Army Encampment, 3 days later.
Nikolai’s fingers clasped tight around the tin mug of coffee Isaak had handed him hours ago.
With it having gone cold, he found his fingers frozen stiff with the reality of riding for three straight days from the north of Ravka to its western edge. Standing as he did now, he found his toes cracking and popping inside the prison of his knitted socks. It was warmer here, frightfully so, and Nikolai had been quick to remove his scarf and goggles in succession. They were tossed carelessly along with his jacket over the back of his chair. Staring up at him, brows furrowed, was Colonel Raevsky of the 22nd Regiment. On Dominik’s orders, he’d been informed that Nikolai was following the Black General’s convoy. He had been told also, in stilted code, that the Sun Summoner was here.
Raevsky regarded him with a raised brow.
“What do you intend to do, Major?” He asked, crossing his arms. Nikolai sipped his coffee, grimaced, and ran his hands over the mug to strengthen the metal. Placing it on the rim of the oil lamp at his elbow, he turned back to the colonel. It would be easy for him to say that he intended to lead the First Army into the Fold in a victorious charge a la the Light Brigade, but that would be a tactical disaster.
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
He knew, from Dominik and Isaak, that First Army’s entire 24 regiments had been sent from their forts and posts to witness this miracle. However, the need for First Army to be there to witness the actions of such a man as the Darkling confused Nikolai. He knew that the Apparat had helped the Darkling take the throne from his father - Genya’s poison had worked too well.
Good riddance.
But Vasily was hardly the man to lead Ravka. Too many of his father’s ministers would use the power vacuum to seize ownership and legitimacy where they would have none under Nikolai’s rule. For that matter, the idea of Vasily leading his cavalry regiment to witness Alina’s saintly coronation frightened him. She was something far too precious, far too unique to be drowned in the mire and muck of court rule in the hands of the older generation. Nikolai found himself gnawing at his thumb cuticle as he thought all of this over, and flexed his free hand worriedly.
“What would you suggest?” Nikolai threw back, worry creasing his brows. He turned to his coffee and sipped it, relishing in the warmth. Colonel Raevsky glanced over his papers, shifting a few of them across his desk. He unfolded several tactical maps of the Unsea and its markers. Neither man knew what the Darkling planned, and it frightened both of them. “The other regimental leaders are assuming that whatever the General has planned, it’s a diversionary tactic. With our Tsar in such poor health, the cabinet has moved to speak with the war Ministry on whether to take up martial law or not.”
“Martial law?” The cup of coffee fell from Nikolai’s fingers with a clatter , and he cursed. “Has the ministry been informed of this happening-” He waved his hand outside at the general setting up of the second army’s tents in the one space set aside for them. “Was my brother told?”
“Of course.” Raevsky’s moustache quivered as he huffed in evident displeasure over the coffee staining his ottoman rug. Nikolai gave him a dark glare. “And he elected to mention that he wished to delay any sort of troop movement until his father was in better health.”
“For fuck’s sake!” Nikolai ground his teeth. “And-”
“As a result.” Raevsky pressed on, ignoring Nikolai’s curse. He shifted some more files on his desk and then held out a manilla folder stamped with the ministry’s seal. Printed in bold cyrillic across the top were the words: PRIVATE. FOR PRINCE NIKOLAI’S EYES ONLY.
Nikolai’s brows furrowed once again as he lifted the seal’s edge with a penknife and tore open the file. Staring him clearly in the face was a piece of blue carbon papers with more typed words, and a TOP SECRET stamped in the right hand corner. His hands began to tremble as he realised just what he was holding. In the case of the heir being unable to work proactively with the war ministry in place of the Tsar, the ministry had the ability to hand the power of rulership to any of the Tsar’s other sons.
Even if they were a bastard.
Nikolai chewed at his lower lip and began to sift through the files. The papers discussed what would happen in terms of military structure, absorption of Second Army under the crown’s rule in case of the Darkling’s uprising - which had happened! - and who would be punished. Nikolai winced at the thought of having to execute these orders, and turned his head to look out the tent flap. Sparing only a few of them would mean that First Army would bay for blood. The fragile and strained relationship between the two armies could be his undoing. But his going after the Grisha would alienate Alina from him perhaps forever. Nikolai ran a hand through his curls.
“When’s this meeting?”
“So you accept?” Raevsky muttered. “Good.” His eyes brightened, and he slid a box toward Nikolai. Nikolai’s pulse thundered in his ears as his gaze shifted to the box. The Tsar’s rule was legitimised by both the crown on his head, but the coronation ring. Where the Lantsov Emerald was the Tsarina’s ring, the Alta Ruby would go only on the Tsar’s finger. Nikolai’s fingers twitched.
“It’s not like Vasily to not claim power when it’s given to him.” He said aloud suddenly, quickly snapping the file shut and winding the ribbon around it. Fear made him uneasy, and the reality of such a heavy burden on his shoulders caused him to pause. Looking at Raevsky, Nikolai sighed. He needed verbal confirmation that what was happening was the truth. He’d been hunted, shot, nearly died twice, and all to protect Alina from the Darkling. Now power was being handed to him on a silver platter, and he was expected merely to scrape and bow and say yes to the massacre of people who may have allied themselves with a monster who went against the crown? All in order to protect them? Nikolai twitched again.
“His Highness is not in much order to do anything .” Raevsky replied dismissively. “He has abandoned the capital for the fields of-”
Careyeva. Where he goes, as is his veteran’s right - despite seeing no action - to drown out his memories. If only he knew a mere scrap of what the horrors of war can appear as.
Nikolai’s thoughts churned with all the anger of a tempestuous sea, and he glanced down at the box again. He could slip that ring onto his finger, take control of First Army, and go toe to toe with his brother. Rain down hellfire and fury. But the Grisha who had been so effortlessly persecuted even without Fjerdan propaganda seeping into their states like rot, there was still danger. Ravka had only recently become better. If he did not take control of First Army, steer her toward the shore of the nation over the people, he would be no better than his father!
“I’ll do it.”
The words fluttered from Nikolai’s mouth and he stiffened, feeling at once that uncanny dissonance between his mind and body that he hated with all of his heart. He stopped, and glanced down at the ring again. Before his mind could catch up to his body, Nikolai flipped the lid on the red velvet jewel box open and stared down at the Alta Ruby. Men of lesser spirit than him had worn this ring and died wearing it. They’d made Ravka into what she was in this day, yet also doomed Fortuna's wheel to spin ever onwards.
He’d break the wheel.
Let his false father and mother see what their adopted, feckless, second son could do with Ravka under his control. This ceaseless war against Fjerda would end. The Fold would be torn to pieces, cast out with Alina’s holy light. The Apparat wished to venerate her? He’d have to do so from the very depths of hell where Nikolai knew, he would one day bring that monster to.
Nikolai flexed his hand, feeling the bite of the gold band of the Tsar’s ring dig into his flesh. Raising a brow, he met Raevsky’s gaze again, and gave the man a hint of a smile. He glanced over his shoulder to the huddled tents surrounding the largest camp on this side of the Fold, and then turned his head back. Protocols would need to be followed, and he needed new heraldry if the crown was to be his. Nikolai rolled his shoulders back, tucked the manilla envelope under his arm, and reached for his kepi.
“Tell the men by the morning.” He ordered, and turned to leave.
“Yes, Moi Tsar .” Raevsky murmured, bowing his head. Nikolai smiled softly, and left as rapidly as he could. Crossing the expanse of packed earth to his tent, Nikolai watched the soldiers still not yet abed smoke and play cards. Some, he knew, found solace in the whorehouses scattered like small satellites near the edges of the once sleeping town of Kirbirsk, near the single chapel with its blue onion domes and gold crosses. It had been here he had made his first Fold crossing at 17, weeks after saving Dominik from the jaws of death. It had been here that he’d been posted before crossing once again to head back to Os Kervo and the Volkvolny.
Here, had been Alina.
Now, as he raised his head and looked across the sea of canvas tents to the Grisha pavilion with the massive, ink-black tent and the smaller tents hosting the other Grisha orders, Nikolai shivered. The darkness inside him, the shadow summoner he was by birth and from the Darkling’s magic with the stag, writhed . It wanted Alina close. It wanted her safe, free from the Darkling’s corrosive and controlling grasp. Nikolai turned his head away from the pavilion. However, as he did, he felt the darkness within him perk up. Turning back, he saw the tent flaps part and a familiar, little form creep out. Clad in a jet black cape with gold sunburst embroidery and her hair braided, Alina crossed down the set of rickety wooden steps and crept through the camp. The wind tugged at her braid, sending strands flying every which way. She looked sicklier than ever, which caused Nikolai’s heart to tug in his chest. He stopped in his tracks, and then crept closer.
“Alina.” He breathed, watching her turn. In the half light cast by the flicker of an oil lamp, she looked like a saint sent to this place to either redeem his soul, or cast it into darkness. She stared at him a moment more, and then began fumbling with her cape’s hooks. As she unclasped it, he saw not the black and gold kefta of the winter fete, but a milk-white nightgown, simple and unadorned. She gave a weak smile, and shivered. The cold air sliced through her like a knife, and she drew the cape more tightly around her shoulders.
“Come on.” Nikolai murmured, gently throwing his arm around her. With not even a whisper of protest, he helped her toward his tent. Flipping the flaps back, he nudged her inside. Once more, to his eyes, the ornate and redundant heavy tapestries kept the light filtering in at only a weak trickle. The warm Fjerdan pelts were thrown on his set of armchairs upholstered in rich emerald velvet, between which stood an ice cold samovar. With Isaak retired for the night, Nikolai had let things slide a little in his absence. He busied himself with making tea as Alina let her cape drop to the floor in a puddle of ink-black silk and corecloth. Unknown to her, light wreathed her skin and caused her body to glow much in the way fireflies did. She examined the tapestries hanging on the walls of his tent with gentle, prodding fingers. Silence hung over them, crowding in at the edges much like the shadows that pooled about in the tent’s far corners. Nikolai examined his bundle of leaves and let them set about steeping. Raising his head again, he caught Alina’s gaze stuck on the tapestry he ’ d commissioned - the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, cursed to wander eternally through the underworld until the lord of death would be kind enough to let Orpheus guide his lover from the cold and dark of the world below. He had honestly no idea why at the time he’d commissioned it. The artist, while an excellent weaver, had given Eurydice white hair and a gold gown.
For saint’s sake, Orpheus wasn’t blonde either.
Nikolai shrugged and returned to his tea making, while Alina cocked her head to one side.
“Who are they?” She asked, tapping the tapestry he’d just been examining. Nikolai sniffed, and finally seated himself on one of the two armchairs. His fingers dipped into the drawer of the samovar’s table, and he began fiddling with the bag of gears he’d been working on the day he’d been sent to take Alina east.
“Orpheus and Eurydice.” He replied, finally.
Alina raised a brow. “I didn’t learn Greek myths.” She answered, and crossed her arms. In this low light, the white of her nightgown made her look more ghostly than mortal. Nikolai sighed, and returned to his tinkering.
“Orpheus was a mortal man who, given a lyre by Apollo that made it impossible for man nor beast to resist his music, fell in love with a woman named Eurydice. They were both very happily married, until one day Eurydice was dancing with a group of Nymphs, got bitten by a snake and died instantly.”
Nikolai paused in his tinkering to fish out two tea glasses, and made Alina a cup of tea exactly as she liked it - a splash of milk and a hint of sugar. Alina accepted the glass and sipped it wanly, scrunching up her nose. “Sorry.” She apologised quickly. “I’ve been struggling with food… lately.” She winced and scratched the back of her neck. “My powers…” She gestured weakly to the antlers sticking from her skin, and pressed her knuckles to her lips.
“Fucking hell.” She added shortly. “I think…” Tears blossomed in her eyes. “Either I’ll make it through whatever the Darkling’s planned for our wretched little crossing tomorrow, or I’ll die tonight. I’ve still not decided.”
She looked at him then, her eyes dark and wide with an animalistic fear - the kind of glance a creature caught in a trap gave its potential saviour. Nikolai’s brows furrowed and he placed the glass of tea in his hand down onto the table. Standing up, he coaxed the glass from her hand and found that her palm was bleeding from the jagged edges of her grip.
“Alina…” He breathed, touching her cheek. “Why didn’t you have Zoya or Genya tell me…?”
“They didn’t know!” Alina burst out, closing her wounded fingers into fists. She ducked her head and looked down at the rug and rush strewn floor. “I didn’t want them to know. I didn’t…” She broke off again, and pressed her hands to her temples. Blood dribbled down her cheek, and she curled inwards on herself, pressing her chin to her chest.
“I can’t be what you need.” She breathed. “I can’t be what anyone needs.” With all the effort of a dam breaking, Alina’s legs wobbled and she collapsed. Nikolai’s hands reached out and grasped her tight, one hand snaking up into her hair while the other steadied her back. Pressing her face into his shoulder, Nikolai ran his fingers through her curls as Alina sobbed without remorse. They were the kind of sobs that wracked her entire body and frame, with the sick gasps of someone pushed too far over the edge into the dark. Nikolai merely held her tight and ran his hands through her hair. He could do little else, even as his heart tore and cracked under the strain of his lover’s pain.
Oh yes. He thought, brushing his lips against the crown of Alina’s head. I love her. I love her with all of the fire and fury this world has to possess, and I would destroy myself for her.
“You are exactly what I need. You always have been.” He murmured against the shell of her ear, tucking himself to be partially coiled around her. Nothing would touch her as long as he was here. “And for what anyone else needs?” He tilted her chin up, glancing down into those fathomless depths of the rich earthen brown of her eyes, and smiled.
“Fuck them. They don’t need you. They don’t deserve you.” He breathed. “The Darkling wishes to make you his Saint, the Apparat his martyr, my father his little ornament. But you are none of those things, sunshine . And you never will be, unless you wish it so.”
Alina hiccuped, and sniffled.
“You say that, and yet…” Her hand snaked up to the antlers, smearing her blood across the surface. She glanced at him again with those widened eyes, and Nikolai sighed, gently reaching for her hand. He pressed his lips to the bloodied skin, and Alina’s eyes widened, but she did not pull back.
“Yet, you are still wounded. Still someone else’s.” His hands dropped from hers and reached up to the antlers. His fingers skimmed the chilled bone, searching for a hinge, a catch. But David’s work was seamless.
“But this will not be your shackle for long, sweetheart.”
Alina swallowed and looked at him long and hard.
“How can you be so bloody sure?” She whispered.
“Morozova made more than one amplifier. There is another.” He lifted her hand and pressed his thumb and second finger around the expanse of her wrist, which made Alina’s skin prickle with gooseflesh, albeit welcome. “The Darkling contracted a notorious privateer to find it.” His expression was turning wickedly charming, and Alina felt her heart skip in her chest.
“You…?” She whispered.
“Who else?” He murmured, touching her cheek again. “Come west with me, Alina. Leave Ravka behind. As a member of my crew, you would be honoured. Be amongst fellows such as yourself. Grisha. Orphans. Outcasts . We could put a head start on the Darkling, get the sea whip before he even thinks to follow you. Return to Ravka, and…” His ringed hand cupped her other cheek, and she felt the cold sting of the gold.
“...Claim the throne of Ravka. There are two thrones on that dias. Think of it, Alina. Us, ruling, justly and fairly. Two outcasts made into the most powerful people of Ravka. Our dynasty would be eternal. Endless.”
Alina’s eyes widened. She could see it as easily as he described it. And, for the first time in her short life, she didn’t feel fear about such a momentous change. It felt right . Welcome, like she’d felt when she’d figured out how to call the light willingly. Now, she would be stronger than what even the Darkling could offer. He’d called her his Queen, yes, but that had been in a place of subservience. Now, it was an equal partnership being laid at her feet.
“Yes.” Alina breathed, her eyes widening. Without thinking, she brushed her lips against Nikolai’s in a chaste kiss, and pulled back, shock colouring her cheeks. The look Nikolai gave here was devilish, sinful. With a smirk, he cupped her cheeks once more and brought his lips down upon hers. The crash of his cracked lips against her raw ones was not unwelcome, and she smelt his scent of brandy and sea salt against her nostrils as his lips melded effortlessly against hers. Distantly, she felt him pull back, only to lay open-mouthed kisses down the expanse of her throat. His fingers pushed aside the buttons of her foppish and conservative nightgown’s collar, and she heard his voice softly murmur something.
“Tell me to stop.” He breathed.
“Don’t.” She replied. This was all moving so fast, so suddenly. But unlike with the Darkling, who had been all take with nothing given back, this was warm and welcoming. Nikolai gave and ensured none of her was left wanting. She felt his hands skim down her back, lifting her, and her head lolled back. Her hands skimmed up the back of his tunic and fisted in the seams of his shoulders as they fitted together. The height made for some awkwardness, but Alina’s back was soon sinking into the expanse of the featherbed mattress topping Nikolai’s cot.
She quickly lost herself to the passion of the moment, and when bliss came, it was as welcome and filling as she had always read about in the stories Ana Kuya had told her were for older girls. But, as Alina lay tucked against Nikolai’s chest, his arm over her stomach and lips pressed into her shoulder, she realised that this was what love was about. The horrors of the world were far easier to handle when one was given the rock solid support of a lover.
Which, Alina knew as she drifted off into that calm and endless post coital bliss, she had with her fox prince.
End of chapter 10.
#harriet rambles#nikolai lantsov#shadow and bone#alina starkov#nikolina#fic: I don't want to set the world on fire
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THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY
based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … November 5
1698 – England: William Minton, a 19 year old servant, is used as bait to entrap Capt. Edward Rigby, the first homosexual victim of entrapment by the Society for the Reformation of Manners. He was tried for sodomy. These Societies were formed in tower hamlets, London, in 1690, with their primary object being the suppression of bawdy houses and profanity. A network of moral guardians was set up, with four stewards in each ward of the City of London, two for each parish, and a committee, whose business it was to gather the names and addresses of offenders against morality, and to keep minutes of their misdeeds. By 1699 there were nine such societies, and by 1701 there were nearly 20 in London, plus others in the provinces, all corresponding with one another and gathering information and arranging for prosecutions.
1884 – Born: James Elroy Flecker (d.1915); English poet, novelist and playwright. Born in London, and educated at Dean Close School, Cheltenham, where his father was headmaster, and Uppingham School, he studied at Trinity College, Oxford, and Caius College, Cambridge. While at Oxford he was greatly influenced by the last flowering of the Aesthetic movement there, under John Addington Symonds.
He died of tuberculosis in Davos, Switzerland. His death at the age of thirty was described at the time as "unquestionably the greatest premature loss that English literature has suffered since the death of Keats".
His Collected Poems (1916) were published the year after he died at age 30. His poetry shares one trait in common with that of his contemporary, Rupert Brooke: the sexuality is ambiguous. There is no question, however, that Flecker was Gay. His lover was the classicist J.D. Beazley, one of the world's great authorities on Greek vases.
His most widely known poem is "To A Poet A Thousand Years Hence". The most enduring testimony to his work is perhaps an excerpt from "The Golden Journey to Samarkand" inscribed on the clock tower of the barracks of the British Army's 22nd Special Air Service regiment in Hereford.
Bryan Lourd (R) and husband Bruce Bozzi
1960 – Bryan Lourd is an American talent agent. He has been partner, managing director and co-chairman of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) since October 1995.
Lourd was born in New Iberia, Louisiana. His brother, Blaine Lourd, is an investment advisor. He attended New Iberia Senior High School, where he played the lead in several high school musicals. He earned a degree from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in 1982.
Lourd and actress Carrie Fisher were together from 1991 to 1994. They have one daughter, actress Billie, born in 1992. Lourd married Bruce Bozzi, the co-owner of The Palm, on October 12, 2016, and Lourd legally adopted Bozzi's daughter, Ava. They divide their time between a penthouse apartment in the West Village, in Lower Manhattan, New York City and a house in Beverly Hills, California.
Lourd was elected to the board of trustees of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2011. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. He was appointed to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities in 2009 by President Barack Obama and to the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2015.
Lourd 's clients include George Clooney, Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Robert Downey, Jr., Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon, Matthew McConaughey, Sean Penn, Madonna, Naomi Watts, Natalie Portman, Robin Williams, Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Duchovny, Helen Hunt, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Taraji P. Henson, and Peter Jöback.
1969 – The Homosexual Information Center protested at the offices of the Los Angeles Times to protest the newspaper's refusal to print the word "homosexual" in ads after it refused to print an ad announcing a group discussion on homosexuality.
1979 – Leonardo Nam is an Australian actor. He made his breakthrough as Roy in The Perfect Score (2004), and gained further recognition for his roles as Morimoto in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) and Brian McBrian in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008). In 2016, Nam began starring as Felix Lutz in Westworld (2016–present) which brought him widespread recognition.
Nam was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to South Korean immigrant parents. At the age of six, he moved to Sydney, Australia. Nam attended Sydney Technical High School and studied architecture at the University of New South Wales. Nam left Sydney to follow his dreams of an acting career in New York City, United States, at the age of 19. He studied with several acting teachers in New York, including Austin Pendleton and William Carden at HB Studio.
Before his Hollywood success, Nam travelled to New York City to pursue his acting career. His first few nights he slept in Central Park and then found jobs working as a waiter and bartender. His breakthrough role came in his performance of Roy in The Perfect Score (2004).
He had a small role in the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants as Brian McBrian, a hardcore gamer. He played Brian again in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2; in the sequel, his character has a larger role. In 2016, he joined the cast of the HBO series Westworld. In 2018 he was featured in the music video "Waste It on Me" by Steve Aoki featuring BTS.
Nam is married to Michael Dodge. They have twin sons (born 2017) together. The family lives in San Diego.
1983 – Andrew Hayden-Smith, born Andrew John Smith, is a British actor and television presenter best known for his work with CBBC.
Auditions for popular CBBC children's serial drama Byker Grove were held at his school and he won the part of Ben Carter, making his first appearance in the eighth series of the show in 1995.
Initially just using the name Andrew Smith, he appeared as a guest on Saturday morning CBBC show Live & Kicking with several other characters from the show. Smith soon became a regular guest on the show. This led to appearances on other shows and also in teen-magazines, as well as two pantomime appearances. In 2001 he applied for Equity membership and was accepted under the name Andrew Hayden-Smith (Hayden being another surname in his family), as the name Andrew Smith was already taken.
In 2004, the ex-Byker Grove actor and CBBC presenter Andrew did the unthinkable for a young man on kids' TV - he told the world he was gay. At the risk of being outed by a newspaper, he beat the tabloids to the punch and did an interview with Attitude magazine:
"Coming out is pretty scary. It's bad enough when you're almost certain that the majority of people around you will be totally cool with it. I was 21 and presenting kids TV at the time and was commended for what everyone kept saying was such a brave step."
It did his career no harm, and he's proved an inspiration - and eye candy - for young gay men across the country.
Andrew has since appeared regularly on stage and in Doctor Who. Hayden-Smith appeared in the episodes "Rise of the Cybermen", "The Age of Steel" and "Doomsday" as Jake Simmonds in the 2006 series of Doctor Who. He returned to CBBC having completed the filming, but decided that he wished to concentrate on acting. His final day of presenting was on 7 July 2006, the day before his third and final Doctor Who appearance.
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Charles Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805), 1st Marquess and 2nd Earl Cornwallis, was a British military officer and statesman best known for surrendering to George Washington at the Siege of Yorktown, the final decisive engagement of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). After the war, Cornwallis went on to serve in administrative posts in India and Ireland.
Early Life
Charles Cornwallis was born on 31 December 1738, in Grosvenor Square in London, England, the scion of an old and distinguished family. His ancestor, Frederick Cornwallis, had fought for the Royalists in the English Civil Wars (1642-1651) and had even joined King Charles II of England in exile; for his loyal service to the Stuarts, Frederick was made Baron Cornwallis in 1661 following the restoration of Charles II to the English throne. Members of the Cornwallis family would go on to prosper in various positions across the British Empire. Charles' uncle, Edward Cornwallis, served as the colonial governor of Nova Scotia and founded the town of Halifax, while another uncle, Frederick, was Archbishop of Canterbury.
Charles was the eldest of six children born to Charles, 1st Earl Cornwallis, and his wife Elizabeth Townshend. As a youth, he was educated at Eton College, where he sustained a permanent eye injury during a game of field hockey, accidentally inflicted by Shute Barrington, future bishop of Durham. In December 1757, shortly before his 19th birthday, he was commissioned in the British Army as an ensign in the Grenadier Guards. Hoping to broaden his understanding of military matters, he traveled across Europe under the tutelage of a Prussian officer before enrolling in a military academy in Turin, Italy. The young Cornwallis was described as "an English aristocrat of the finest type…enlightened, tolerant, and humane; contemptuous of money and indifferent to the outward badges of honour…a living and most attractive example of antique and single-minded patriotism" (quoted in Boatner, 285).
Upon completing his studies at Turin, Cornwallis learned that his regiment was being deployed to fight in the ongoing Seven Years' War (1756-1763). Cornwallis served in Germany in the allied army commanded by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. He first saw action at the Battle of Minden (1 August 1759) in which the British and their German allies thwarted an attempted French invasion of Hanover; it was during this action that the father of Marquis de Lafayette, one of Cornwallis' future battlefield opponents, was killed. After Minden, Cornwallis purchased a captaincy in the 85th Regiment of Foot and briefly returned to England where he won election to the House of Commons in January 1760.
Returning to the battlefront, Cornwallis was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assumed command of his regiment. He saw heavy fighting at the Battle of Villinghausen (15-16 July 1761), where he was noted for his gallantry, and participated in the Battle of Wilhelmsthal (24 June 1762). During these campaigns, Cornwallis met and befriended fellow British officers Henry Clinton and William Phillips, both of whom would also serve as generals during the American Revolution. Cornwallis fought in several more minor engagements in Germany before the end of the war the following year.
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Post Unicron war
Government of Cybertron under the elected leader of Cybertron, Windblade of Caminus, successor of Optimus Prime and former leader of Cybertron Starscream.
Rodimus Prime is the actual Prime in function but relinquished his right as governor to the current leader of Cybertron.
Cybertron council meeting 46143th
Subject: Hybrid sparks
"First of all we wish everyone remembers", representative of Divisiun, council member Vanquish takes the word before everyone else, consecutively representative of Divisiun, council member Fireshot, ends the sentence, "that we are talking of innocent, pure, new sparks".
Representative of Velocitron, council member Knockout, answers with a laugh, representative of Arduria, council member Roc, implies: "that's rich coming from you, your own colony's organic habitants are in the verge of extinction by your own wrongdoings", representative of Arduria, council member Amarite, tries to stop him in vain, "if one colony shouldn't have a say in this meeting is Divisiun, if Optimus Prime was here-".
"Please, let's not start an unnecessary discussion", Representative of Caminus, leader of Cybertron, council head Windblade, takes the lead, "let's not permit bad choices of the past take an important weight in our actual decisions".
"What are we supposed to do then?", Representative of Velocitron, council member Moonracer, takes the word with datapads on her servos, "I must say that I'm against any vivisection procedure or invasive recollection of data, I've seen what cybertronians of previous regiments did before, their own people, cut to pieces".
Representative of Earth, council member Hector Palma, exclaims: "We're not killing babies! Cybertronians or not, organics or not! That's out of the question!"
Representative of Elonia, spaceknight of the Solstar order, council member Rom, comments: "What's wrong with you cybertronians".
Representative of Cybertron, council member Bumblebee, intercepted, "I mean, those were the functionalist followers, we don't have anything to do with that, we were against it, we still are!"
Representative of Carcer, council member Elita One, interferes, "who knows what their organic side can do, what if they contract organic diseases and infect us too?"
"Their organic part may be troublesome at some point if we leave it as it is, we should've stopped it since the first one, now we have 3 and counting", CM Knockout says, as a matter of fact, "if we could purge it from their system with treatment for atrophosia-".
CM Moonracer stops him from finishing, "Knockout!"
"We won't allow such hard and unsafe medicine get used on new forged sparklings!", Representative of Eukaris, council member Airazor, takes word for both parts of Eukaris since council member Tigatron is on temporary leave due to their own recent forged sparkling.
Apparently it doesn't matter, "I just said what everyone was thinking".
"Enough!", CH Windblade takes the lead, again, "indeed, we must answer for the decision of leaving the first one care to an organic creator, we should've investigated more and put a rest of the matter before other cybertronian and human couples did the same", there is silence before the next argument, "and while you are against their human scanned components I must give you all the reminder that Navitas is improving the best he has been in centuries since his human caretaker took responsibility for his neural treatment".
A difficult topic, one that gives silence while everyone remembers the titan saying his first words since eons, being the name of the human, a hard and low reality for all Velocitron.
Representatives of Velocitron and Carcel request the end of the meeting.
Cybertron council meeting 46273th
Subject: Increase of the variant new sparks
"Now there are 9", representative of the new populated colony of Tsiehshi, council member Cliffjumper, started, "and one of the bitties is from a good friend of mine, not exactly saying I'm approving but at least not in the mood to hear someone say a single bad word or any organic-phobic comments".
"Thank you for your personal experience and insight, Cliffjumper", CH Windblade states, knowing full well that he has a datapad blowing with pictures of a little blueish green sparkling with big, shiny optics, it keeps beeping with new messages and possible pictures during the whole meeting.
Substitute representative of the new populated colony of Gorlam Prime, Lieutenant of the special team of NEST, council member Ironhide, added: "you also got Hound's pictures? Gotta say, young lad Aqua it's a delight for the spark".
"Focus, everyone", representative of the new populated colony of Prion, last survivor of the original population, council member Nickel takes the lead, "from what I got from the scientists aboard the Lost Light the sparkling is growing slow, just like everything else about him, it seems like his frame is the one of any other speedster sparkling so far, just the color of the optics it's more related to his organic creator, and in the recent outbreaks of influenza virus aboard the Lost Light the sparkling hasn't showed any discomfort so far-"
"I mean", CM Elita One speaks out of turn, "you're bound to be more than happy to see this as positive as anything, your former team is currently part of the Lost Light and they have that strange and repugnant project of a human creature with a decepticon spark-".
"You say a word more of her and I'll dismantle you whole! You glitch-!"
Council members and council head request to end the meeting due to the physical transgression between CM Nickel and CM Elita One.
Wrenches are now forbidden inside the council room.
Cybertron council meeting 46321th
Subject: Orion Pax
"We're seeing one another more times than not these recent days", notes CM Hector Palma, most of the members of the council looking at CM Ironhide's datapad with more images of a hybrid sparkling whose sire, former autobot soldier, keeps bringing more and more data, unrequited photos of the sparkling with strange human clothes.
CM Knockout answers while taking distance from CM Palma, "well, there are 15 already, doesn't matter for some even when it was publicly said that no one knows what could come from them".
"Scanners so far show that they can produce an oral solvent similar to organic fluids and they can cry like humans do", CM Nickel gives the recollected information of the last year's of development.
"Delightful".
"Well, so the meeting of today is about...", CM Rom asks while sending his daughter and wife a note that he'll get back home soon.
"Orion Pax requested permission for his human partner to take a spark from the hotspot of Earth"
All the council stayed quiet for a good while, looking between themselves as if what CH Windblade said was hard to believe, CM Rom stopped his message.
"Trypticon already agreed"
"Orion, as in Optimus-"
"He doesn't go by that name anymore"
"Right, he doesn't remember-"
"That's a big deal, I mean he might be the best for this-"
"He is a soldier with energon on his hands-"
"Just like any of the ones here"
"I approve it", CM Palma stops the discussion, giving his affirmative vote above the others, "I didn't meet Optimus Prime before the whole Unicron disaster or whatever that happened 200 years or something ago but even I know what his previous persona meant for Earth and what he can add now"
"Which is-"
"Give him a kid, and then give his kid the tittle of Prime too, so humanity can have a better ground on this galactic situation"
"Just to give the title of Prime around, do you know how much power-"
"What power, there is no reliquary left of the former Primes to even bestow to a new one"
"Hey", CM Palma, now 187 earth years old, stops the confrontation, "just like a title, like captain or lieutenant, you choose, because in all these years our people need a Prime, not exactly our friend Rodimus who is hardly in the same solar system, and you can't say otherwise", note: CM Palma looks exhausted and is assisted by CM Tigatron to stand from his seat, "now, 'Hide, can you show me some photos of that cute little fellow? I have some of my own grandkids right here".
Council members request to end the meeting, the permission ends with full affirmative votes from Eukaris, Divisiun, Elonia, Gorlam Prime, Arduria and Earth, with partial affirmation from Cybertron and Velocitron.
Cybertron council meeting 48367
Subject: Lost Light dead signal
"Hector, please, calm down-"
"How can I CALM DOWN?!", CM Palma interrupted the protocols of the council, "What happened?! We only got a distress signal coming from the Lost Light and next thing they are dead?!"
"The Lost Light has recently been in orbit of Divisiun for a few cycles", CM Fireshot started, CM Vanquish ends the sentence, "of the survivors, all are cybertronians, the last humans that were online with vital support assistance... The last one offlined just the previous cycle due to critical internal damage, the remaining survivors need-"
CM Tigatron stops the conclusion, "we get how it goes", CM Palma leaves the meeting, "how is the council of external worlds going to respond to this? That sector was under their jurisdiction and they deemed it safe".
"This is where things get funny", CM Ironhide added, "They are askin' compensation from us and Earth, sayin' that the strange organic bodies are pollution and that's our fault that former cybertronian mercenaries even existed".
"Those glitches are responsible for the extermination of my people and the destruction of the titan's, Prion's, remains", CM Nickel added, "they only care for their own expansion, if Tarn was here-"
"Wow wow, we are now going way too south-"
"They'll demand something, mark my words, they'll demand some kind of compensation for the troubles and they're going to burn down what they can before they settle a new colony for their organic needs".
CM Bumblebee, who is the bridge with the COEW and Cybertron intercedes, "Let's not get too focused on that, it can be resolved with time, they are organic too, they wouldn't be as heartless as to reclaim something out of the ordinary, and we would get the bodies anyway".
Council members request the end of the meeting, CM Nickel puts a request to enforce the spacial protection of Cybertron and it's colonies.
The council of external worlds demands compensation due to contamination of organic waste from low and primitive species such as the ones originated in the cybertronian colony of Earth.
The compensation includes: 3 tons of Ore-13 from the cybertronian colony of Earth, main transgresor, a ton of Ore-8 from the cybertronian colony of Tsiehshi and a ton of Ore-1 from the cybertronian colony of LV-117 for investigation purposes.
Cybertron's answer: Fuck you.
The council of external worlds act upon the negative of Cybertron referring to the compensation.
The council of external worlds begins the occupation of Cybertron: unsuccessful.
Orion Pax takes the name of Optimus Prime once again to lead against the invasion in place of Rodimus Prime, who was a victim of the attack aboard the starship Lost Light, which has lost 40 percent of it's crew including their human liaison, Taylor Palma, and the whole human population and suffered a total estructural damage of 48 percent.
Cybertron council meeting 48374th
"First to of all, we all grief the loss of Hector, he was a great friend, and as hard as it is we must persevere with our duties and our work with Cybertron and all the colonies, I'm so sorry Tigatron, I know you two were amica", CH Windblade announced, CM Tigatron is consoled by his conjunx endurae, CM Airazor, before giving space for the new representative of Earth, council member Emily Witwicky that now performs after the former CM Hector Palma.
"Thank you, as you all know previous to his dead due to old age, mister Palma received information from the Lost Light, specifically from the head scientist Perceptor, who made the discovery of the oxígeno rich environment around the first one as it has been named the first hybrid sparkling, now labeling them as living terraformation organisms".
CM Ironhide questions: "Terraformation, as in earth?"
"Correct, not only oxygen but many others aspects too, such as variety for rich environments in carbon and hydrogen".
"This information must be only know to us for the time being, who knows what would happen if the council of external worlds got a word of it", CM Tigatron adds.
"Just for your information", CM Amarite gets out a datapad with a foreign emblem on it, "they already know as it seem", next, all members receive notifications on their own datapads.
"They better not say anything or claim something after the fiasco aboard the Lost Light"
Representatives of Earth and Cybertron request the end of the meeting.
CM Witwicky gets her first warning regarding vocabulary.
#reader insert#x reader#tf mtmte#transformers#transformers x reader#angst#transformers idw#transformers x human reader#tf windblade#tf knockout#tf moonracer
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