#Housing estate - wikipedia
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Sault Restaurant, Daylesford, Australia: The location is divine - fields of lavender, a lake, a chapel, stunning. Sault Restaurant is set behind a playing fountain in a beautiful two-storey country house, giving visitors the impression that they are deep within the heart of rural France. It is only when a kangaroo bounds into sight across a distant paddock that you realise you are well and truly in Australia. Sault Estate was named by the original owners, after a small French township renowned for its lavender, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of South-eastern France.. Daylesford is a town located in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, within the Shire of Hepburn, Victoria, Australia, approximately 114 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. Wikipedia
#Sault Restaurant#Sailors Falls Restaurants#Sault Restaurant Daylesford#Ballan-Daylesford Rd#Sailors Falls#Sailors Falls VIC 3461#Daylesford#Victoria#Australia#Oceania#Oceania continent
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Elain, Gwyn and a possible January birthday...
I can't believe it's the end of the Year of our Cauldron 2024 and this argument has resurfaced, but here we go I guess.
Thank you @shitwillnotbegiven for working though this with me!
Firstly, I really want people to know that none of this even matters; the interview in which Steph asked SJM if Azriel's person could have her birthday happened after ACOSF was sent* to be published. So whatever couple was built up was already set in the text. It's a complete non issue. Secondly, SJM has fudged up the numbers before; I am pretty sure that someone did the maths and, according to canon, Eris would have only been around 8yo when he left Mor at Autumn's border! These things happen, and SJM has said she's not a numbers person (no shame).
* Correction: ACOSF was not yet published, but it would have been at the printers and/or being shipped out. Thank you @valentiinexo.
Thirdly, assuming SJM honours the promise to begin with, even if the birthday request predated ACOSF being sent to the printers, it's still a non issue because both Elain and Gwyn could have been born in January. I don't know why people are saying Elain was born over the summer, besides wanting to reassure themselves that she won't end up with Az.
But let's have a look.
Elain
Nesta said that Elain was "barely thirteen" at the ball when the heiress bullied her for whatever reason.
“She wouldn’t have gone into much detail about it,” Elain said. “Nesta was only fourteen at the last ball we went to before—well, before we were poor …” Elain shook her head. “Another young heiress was at the ball, and she positively hated me. She was several years older, and I’d never done anything to provoke her hatred, but I think …” “She was jealous of your beauty,” Amren said, an amused smile on her red lips. Elain blushed. “Perhaps.” It was definitely that. Even though Elain would have been barely thirteen at the time. “Well, Nesta saw how she treated me, her casual cruelties and snubs, and bided her time. Waited until that ball, when a handsome duke from the continent was there to find a bride. His family had run out of money, which was why he’d deigned to come over at all—to nab a rich bride to refill their estate’s coffers. Nesta knew the heiress had her sights set on him. The girl had bragged about it to all of us in the powder room at every ball for weeks leading up to it. - ACOSF, chapter 44
Nesta herself was only "fourteen," born in the spring.
Cassian held her gaze as he stalked for her, then reached out an arm— And plucked the cerulean-and-cream scarf Elain had given her for her birthday this spring off the hook on the wall. He gripped it in his fist, dangling it like a strangled snake as he brushed past her. - ACOSF, chapter 1
As the map and seasons of Prythian both coincide with the map and seasons of the UK and Ireland/the northern hemisphere in general (besides the four seasonal courts), and it should be safe to assume that the ball happened during the social season, then we can extrapolate from most online sources, which suggest that would have begun when British parliament returned after closing for the winter.
Per Wikipedia:
The Season coincided with the sitting of parliament; it began some time after Christmas and ran until midsummer, roughly late June. Some sources say it began at Parliament's Easter session break. The social season played a role in the political life of the country: the members of the two Houses of Parliament were almost all participants in the season, as all Peers sitting in the House of Lords were by definition nobility, and many if not most Members of the House of Commons were gentry. But the Season also provided an opportunity for the children of marriageable age of the nobility and gentry to be launched into society.
Feyre confirmed as much in ACOTAR, because she arrived back in the human lands after the "socialite season" had ended and it was getting into summer. Elain was even wearing summer appropriate attire and was flushed - maybe from the heat as much as her excitement?
Summer—in the weeks that I’d been painting and dining with Tamlin and wandering the court lands at his side, summer had come. Did my family still truly believe me to be visiting some long-lost aunt? What were they doing with themselves? - ACOTAR, chapter 25
I glanced sidelong at her. My sister was beaming, content—prettier than I’d ever seen her, even in her simple muslin gardening dress. Her cheeks were flushed beneath her large, floppy hat. “I think—I think I’d like to see the continent,” I said. And it was true, I realized. There was so much of the world that I hadn’t seen, hadn’t ever thought about visiting. Hadn’t ever been able to dream of visiting. “I’m surprised you’re so eager to go next spring,” I said. “Isn’t that right in the middle of the season?” The socialite season, which had ended a few weeks ago, apparently, full of parties and balls and luncheons and gossip, gossip, gossip. Elain had told me all about it at dinner the night before, hardly noticing that it was an effort for me to get down my food. - ACOTAR, chapter 29
The following afternoon, bleary-eyed and quiet, we all gathered at the lunch table. I thanked my sister and father for the party, and dodged my father’s inquiries regarding whether any of his friends’ sons had caught my eye. The summer heat had arrived, and I propped my chin on a fist as I fanned myself. I’d slept fitfully in the heat last night. It was never too hot or too cold at Tamlin’s estate. - ACOTAR, chapter 31
Spring is "right in the middle of" Prythian's social season. Winter > spring (tulip season) > summer. Feyre gives us this information.
All of this is to say that it is absolutely possible for Elain to be born in January and be "barely thirteen" years of age in the late winter/early spring of the same year "weeks" later, when Nesta got revenge for her at the ball. And Nesta, who was "only fourteen" at the time, could have been nearing her fifteenth birthday. "Two under two" is a common saying for a reason, and I suspect the "only" was not to suggest that Nesta had recently turned fourteen (though two in one year is definitely possible), but that she was too young for marriage in her father's/family's opinion, and the entire situation was ludicrous.
Perhaps the wooden rose was actually a birthday gift for Elain from Papa Archeron?
She plucked another figurine from the mantel: a rose carved from a dark sort of wood. She held it in her palm, its solid weight surprising, and traced a finger over one of the petals. “He made this one for Elain. Since it was winter and she missed the flowers.” - ACOSF, chapter 55
Gwyn
If Gwyn and Catrin were conceived on Calanmai, which is the first of May, and faerie pregnancies last ten months - this is of course assuming that their half-nymph mother would have expected the same duration of her pregnancy as a high fae like Feyre - then yes, a pregnancy with a due date of May plus ten months (it's impossible to count from her last missed period as we know at least the high fae only have two cycles a year, so the conception date will have to do) could end with a set of twins born in January.
Gwyn went on, “My mother was unwanted by either of their people. She could not dwell in the rivers of the Spring Court, but was too untamed to endure the confinement of the forest house of Autumn. So she was given in her childhood to the temple at Sangravah, where she was raised. She partook in the Great Rite when she was of age, and I, we—my sister and I, I mean—were the result of that sacred union with a male stranger. She never found out who he was, for the magic chose him that night, and no one ever showed up to ask about twin girls. We were raised in the temple as well. I never left its grounds until … until I came here.” - ACOSF, chapter 29
Around half of twin pregnancies make it to term, and 90% are born after 32 weeks (per google), so even with the extrapolation between human data and the barely existent faerie pregnancy "lore" I think that a January birthdate for Gwyn and Catrin is not a risky guess. I also think it's much more exciting to refer to pregnancy "lore" than data, so can we all get that going? 😂
So yeah, there you have it. Both Elain and Gwyn could have been born in January. Though again, it was a request made after ACOSF was finished. This argument doesn't "benefit" either side, and to suggest that it eliminates either Elain or Gwyn is disingenuous. Why does it keep popping up?
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Barrington Hall
Hi guys!!
I'm sharing Barrington Hall. This is the 21st building for my English Collection and inaugurating the red brick collection.
I decorated most of the house ground floor, for reference.
History of the house:
The Barrington family, long-established in Essex since the Conquest, initially resided at Old Barrington Hall. This estate, shown on a 1624 map, included substantial structures, orchards, fish ponds, and brickyards. However, in 1564, they moved to the Priory at Hatfield Broad Oak, signaling their ascent as country gentry. Throughout the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the family engaged in legal disputes over rights to Hatfield Forest with the Rich family, eventually securing a portion of the forest.
Sir Francis Barrington played a significant role in government, receiving a baronetcy in 1622. The family also had investments in New England and Ireland during this period. Despite their growing wealth, the Priory required repairs by 1700 and was demolished, causing the Barringtons to relocate to Great Waltham. The family seat at Hatfield Broad Oak was eventually rebuilt in the 1730s by John Shales Barrington, although he left it unfinished, leading to his reclusive life.
In the 19th century, George Alan Clayton Lowndes acquired the estate and made extensive neo-Jacobean renovations to the house and gardens, which were lauded in contemporary publications. After multiple ownership changes, including the purchase by A.H. Gosling in 1907, the property was later sold to the British Livestock Company and is now owned by CPL Aromas plc. The original parkland has been divided, with only 12 hectares surrounding the house remaining as part of the current estate. The landscape includes notable trees such as ancient oaks, as well as remnants of historic avenues and garden features.
More history: https://www.francisyork.com/blog/barrington-hall-a-palatial-georgian-mansion-one-hour-from-london
House file:
Location: Essex, England
Material: red brick
Style: Neo-Jacobean
Date: 1624 + remodelings
This house fits a 50x50 lot, but it coulf fit a 50x40 if you lose the garden.
I only decorated some of the important rooms. All the rest of the house is up to your taste to decor.
Hope you like it.
You will need the usual CC I use:
all Felixandre cc
all The Jim
SYB
Anachrosims
Regal Sims
King Falcon railing
The Golden Sanctuary
Cliffou
Dndr recolors
Harrie cc
Tuds
Lili's palace cc
Please enjoy, comment if you like the house and share pictures of your game!
Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/sims4palaces/
@sims4palaces
Ealry acces: November 20
DOWNLOAD: https://www.patreon.com/posts/barrington-hall-113325949
#sims 4 architecture#sims 4 build#sims4#sims 4 screenshots#sims4building#sims 4 historical#sims4play#sims4palace#sims 4 royalty#ts4#ts4 download#ts4 screenshots#ts4 simblr#ts4 gameplay#the sims 4#sims 4#simblr#sims4 build#sims 4 gameplay#thesims4#sims 4 cc
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1. bar sitcom
No one knows how a trio of grad students Penelope Featherington, Phillip Crane, and Edwina Sharma came to own a bar right in the heart of prime Mayfair real estate but everyone stops asking questions once the alcohol starts flowing. Featuring a cast of characters such as waitresses Sophie and Michaela, investor Simon Basset, cooks Finch and Colin, ruthless yet loveable Kate, hopeless romantic regular Benedict, and many, many more. (saphne, kanthony, benophie, polin, philoise, franchaela)
2. rock band (social media au)
Grammy-wining rock band The Ledgertons was formed in 2012, consisting of brothers Anthony (lead guitar), Benedict (percussion), and Colin Bridgerton (lead vocals and bass) before being later joined by their sister Francesca (keyboards) in 2018.
Snippets from interviews, Spotify, Wikipedia, Tumblr, Twitter (Elon Musk who? No, he was never born in this world) and everywhere else fans and stans of The Ledgertons (or Ledgerheads as they're affectionately called) can be found as they matchmake their way through the internet such as when Anthony goes on the highly popular YouTube show Curry Shop Date with Kate Sharma (making it the most popular episode to date), when Benedict accidentally reveals his crush on his favorite graphic artist Sophie Baek, Colin's years-long will-they-won't-they saga with Penelope Featherington, best friend and head writer of Arlington (Flixer's biggest period drama TV series), and finally, Francesca's not-so-subtle chemistry in a collaboration with popstar icon Michaela Stirling. (franchaela, kanthony, polin, benophie, minor grucy)
3. casino robbery
The Bridgertons own a chain of casinos from one end of the globe to the other but one night, the three brothers all get distracted in the original London casino and hotel that started it all. The trio wake up in one of their hotel rooms to find their account 3 billion pounds lighter with differing accounts of what happened the night before with each of them meeting the woman of their dreams. Anthony's lily-scented goddess, Benedict's Lady in Silver, Colin's Lady Whistledown, all possibly turning out to be in kahoots??? Now it's a wild goose chase but what are these brunet idiots really chasing: getting the money back or their future wives? (kanthony, polin, benophie, minor saphne)
4. The Holiday
Penelope, an Irish rose living in Paris, needs to get out. After a brutal breakup with Alfie Debling, she's sick of it. Lovelorn in the city of love? Not on her watch.
Eloise Bridgerton is not big on emotions. Maybe growing up in London has its side effects. When her office forces her to use her vacation days in the summer, she finds a lovely Parisian cottage for a house swap.
Penelope's and Eloise's lives will never be the same. (polin and philoise)
5. vigilante shit
Kate, Sophie, and Penelope run multiple money laundering businesses. ABC (cops) can't keep up (benophie, kanthony, kanthony, minor franchaela, philoise and saphne)
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#franchaela#polin#kanthony#benophie#saphne#philoise#bridgerton modern au#bridgerton#bridgerton fic#bridgerton fanfiction#polin fic#kanthony fic#yeng speaks#ao3#queue me up scotty#polin fanfiction#bridgerton netflix#anthony bridgerton#benedict bridgerton#colin bridgerton#kate sharma#sophie baek#penelope featherington#phillip crane#michaela stirling#francesca bridgerton#kate x anthony#eloise bridgerton#benedict x sophie#colin x penelope
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The Bamboo House — What can we guess it looks like? (SVSSS)
My simple take is that we can reference material culture from china that exists and then assume that it would at least have similarities if not be the same. For this I looked at famous poet Du Fu’s thatched roof cottage, and its layout for ideas on what the interior and exterior as well as the grounds of the bamboo house might look like.
Please be nice~
For the exterior we have:
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And I’ll link sources at the end, but this gives us a good idea of what size the house would be and such. For a peak lord, I’m assuming it would have extensive grounds as well, not just off the beaten path from the student’s dorms and such though I might need to look back at the book for references. It can be assumed that there would be a front gate, lobby/hall where guests are kept, a shrine of some sorts, a watershed, a gate where they keep firewood (remember binghe chopping all that wood for the shed? Yeah that thing could be a shed, could be a gate or goes from the shed to the gate when he runs low on it idk), and also one or two pavilions. That would be a decently sized estate for a peak lord, though we only have confirmation on the house itself of course, this is all speculation on my behalf.
Kitchen:
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Here we can see a Millstone which was used for grinding grains such as wheat to make food, and a counter top where they could cook meals. There is also a table with 4 benches, what looks like a basin of some kind for water, i think a pantry like object in the first photo on the top left, and a side table/cupboard on the second photo in the middle right.
Living room:
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This section was blocked off by a gate, although it is unclear if that was added after for tourists or if it was part of the original design. This features a couch/futon, a chair and enough room for company. This would be a very private area of the home for guests, as there is also a lobby/hall before the cottage that they could instead host people in.
Bedroom:
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Like in SVSSS, we can see where there could be a drapery of cloth over the top of the bed, creating a canopy effect. There is also a wardrobe to the left. This room would likely be closed off from the rest of the house with a door from the suggested wall on the bottom right side of the photo.
Office/Study:
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This room features a low table and a desk with lots of room for scrolls and parchment to be kept. It also has a night bit of light that enters the room from the window.
Layout of the property:
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This map shows us what the property may have looked like, if Shen Qingqiu was more extensive with his home than just a cottage. While I have my doubts that the grounds would be so large, simply due to suggestion through fanon and canon, I like to think he has a pretty nice set up— and thus might actually have all this stuff but never thought it was worth narrating for the audience. We do know that Shen Yuan is in fact an unreliable narrator.
Here’s another layout of the map:
This map is more detailed on the actual property layout than the first one, as it details gardens and platforms for tea. It also shows us the different paths that connect each building to each other.
Sources:
Guo L, Xu J, Li J, Zhu Z. Digital Preservation of Du Fu Thatched Cottage Memorial Garden. Sustainability. 2023; 15(2):1359. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021359
https://live2makan.com/2022/07/13/chengdu-du-fu-thatched-cottage-2-the-main-entrance-正门中轴线/
#svsss#scum villain self saving system#scum#scum villain#scumbag system#scumbag self saving system#shen qingqiu#writing#fic#fic ref#reference#bamboo house#Shen yuan#Shen Jiu#Qing jing peak#Qing ding peak#idk how to spell anymore#meta#brain worms#use it for fanfic#fanfic#scum villain fanfic#scum villain meta
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Ashton Court - Bristol UK
Ashton Court is a mansion house and estate to the west of Bristol in England. Although the estate lies mainly in North Somerset, it is owned by the City of Bristol. The mansion and stables are a Grade I listed building. Other structures on the estate are also listed.
Ashton Court has been the site of a manor house since the 11th century, and has been developed by a series of owners since then. From the 16th to 20th centuries it was owned by the Smyth family with each generation changing the house. Designs by Humphry Repton were used for the landscaping in the early 19th century. It was used as a military hospital in the First World War. In 1936 it was used as the venue for the Royal Show and, during the Second World War as an army transit camp. In 1946 the last of the Smyth family died and the house fell into disrepair before its purchase in 1959 by Bristol City Council.
Ashton Court dates back to before the 11th century. It is believed that a fortified manor stood on the site, given to Geoffrey de Montbray, Bishop of Coutances, by William the Conqueror. In the Domesday Book it is referred to as a wealthy estate owned by the Bishop of Coutances, with a manor house, a great hall, and courtyards entered through gatehouses. The property passed through successive owners and at the end of the 14th century it was considerably expanded when Thomas De Lions, a nobleman originally from France, obtained a permit to enclose a park for his manor. The house was owned by the Choke family for some time. In 1506 it was sold to Sir Giles Daubeney, a knight and a Chamberlain of Henry VII. Henry VIII gave the estate to Sir Thomas Arundel in 1541 and four years later in 1545 Sir Thomas sold it to John Smyth. The Smyth family owned the property for the next 400 years. Smyth also bought the land which had been owned, until the dissolution of the monasteries, by Bath Abbey. He used the land to extend the deer park, bringing him into conflict with the residents of Whitchurch, who complained that he had used common land.
Text from Wikipedia
The boy riding his bike brings us into the 21st Century as does the world famous Bristol Hot Air Balloon Festival which is held in the grounds of Ashton Court every year...
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The Real St. Judes: Gartloch Hospital - History (abridged)
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The Scottish Lunacy Act of 1857 saw the creation of the Glasgow District Lunacy Board. The act, through these boards, aimed to establish and operate "district asylums", which would house patients unable to pay for the already existing "Royal Asylums".
In 1889, the Gartloch Estate was purchased by the City of Glasgow for approximately £8600 (~1 million today). The Glasgow District Lunacy Board were to turn it into an asylum for the mentally ill, and Gartloch Hospital would open in 1896.
In the early 1900s, a tuberculosis sanitorium was opened.
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During World War II, Gartloch was temporarily transformed into an Emergency Medical Services Hospital; the psychiatric patients were transferred and housed in other hospitals. After the war, the tuberculosis sanitorium was shut.
Gartloch would fall into the hands of a different board (Board of Management for Glasgow North-Eastern Mental Hospitals), after joining the NHS in 1948.
Although there were 830 beds in 1904, by 1990 there were apparently only 530 - this being just under the amount available when it first opened.
In its last few years, Gartloch would fall under the Greater Glasgow Community and Mental Health Services NHS Trust. In 1996, the hospital officially closed, and was essentially abandoned, until 2003, when plans to turn Gartloch into a village began.
Now, there is a village, "Gartloch Village", surrounding the hospital. The main body, the iconic front we see in Donna Franceschild's TOTA, standing derelict and with boarded windows.
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Oh, it's also apparently haunted, according to two nurses.
What was the hospital like?
I've nabbed these (like most of the other information - although I cross-referenced the rest (such as the years) from wikipedia and some other archives) from this article on hiddenglasgow.com.
I was born and lived at 2280 Gartloch Rd (East Cottages) of Gartloch Hospital. My Father, Bill Milne was the Bacteriologist at Gartloch Hospital Laboratory. My Mother was Helen and was the hospital hairdresser. My memories of Gartloch are the most wonderful memories ever. We had the most perfect childhood. The children of employees were involved in lots of differant ways. I remember especially the farm. Our house looked onto the busy fields and the Bishop Loch. We spent many happy summers pickinf tatties with the patients. And in the long cold winters, skating on the Bishop Loch. Christmad parties in the hospital involved all the staff, their children and patients. We got to know many of the patients who had been there most of their lives. Some had been admitted the the unit because of ''having a child out of wedlock'' I have so many stories to tell this page is not big enough! I would love to hear from anyone who remembers Gartloch or who lived/worked there.
Pattie Milne [04/02/2004]
I was talking with my gran t'other night about Gartloch (her maw died in there!) and she remembers these two women that used to walk about when she went visiting. One of them was about 4 foot nothing and the other about 6 foot. They walked up and down the hall, not saying a word to each other, but every now and then the taller one would repeatedly slap the little one on the head (that story seemed funnier when my gran told it!).
Crusty [30/01/2004]
There are a few more interesting stories on the linked article, so if you're interested, I recommend you check them out.
Finally: Takin' Over the Asylum (and other pop culture)
Takin' Over the Asylum aired on the 27th of September, 1994. The six-part drama was filmed in a disused wing of Gartloch, while the hospital was still open and functional. The hospital would close only 2 years after the airing of the show.
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Gartloch's iconic, gothic towers would play a key role in the show, and be instantly recognisable to any viewer of TOTA.
Although it shut down in 1996, TOTA would not be the only media produced about the hospital. Wikipedia states that a film was produced in 2005, named (appropriately) "Gartloch Hospital", that covered the history of the hospital. This film went on to win an award in 2007, at the Scottish Mental Health Art and Film Festival, for "Best Factual Film".
Although hidden away, Gartloch hospital has an undeniably interesting history. Personal accounts from the hospital seem to paint it as a fun place, where patients and staff seemed to get along. Knowing the horrors of early mental health treatment, and the abuse many would suffer in these sort of places, we can only hope that these accounts are true and create an accurate image of life surrounding the hospital.
And I wrote all this because I really like David Tennant. Good night
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Note the decorative peaks on the towers - they are absent from the rest of the photos. They were reportedly removed in the late 1930's.
SOURCES
Very interesting archive that goes into the history of Gartloch: (link) (source of above images)
Timeline and personal memories: (link)
Overview: Wikipedia (gartloch, Takin' Over the Asylum)
#watch this get 0 notes#david tennant#takin over the asylum#campbell bain#takin' over the asylum#taking over the asylum#donna franceschild#eddie mckenna#fergus mckinnon#fergus mackinnon#francine Boyle#rosalie garrity#history#gartloch hospital
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Wood Farm, Sandringham Estate
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Wood Farm is a farmhouse on the British Royal Family's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. Historically occupied by members of the Royal Family and their guests, the house was a long favourite of Elizabeth II. From his retirement in 2017, the house was home to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Wood Farm is a five-bedroom cottage located in a secluded part of the Sandringham Estate, overlooking the sea. It has been described as a “comfortable open beamed cottage two miles from the ‘big house’”. The house is half a mile from the Wolferton railway station and is located near the stables and pheasant shooting grounds.[1] Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, reportedly decorated the walls with his own art, redesigned the kitchen and bedrooms.
In 1904, the farmhouse was referred to as “Marsh Farm" by local residents. King George V and Queen Mary sent their youngest son, Prince John, who suffered from epileptic seizures to reside at Wood Farm in 1917. He tended to a garden alongside a flock of chickens, occasionally receiving Queen Alexandra as a visitor before his death in 1919. The cottage was subsequently rented out for a number of years, including to James Ansell, the royal family's physician, before his retirement in the 1960s.
Elizabeth II and her family began using Wood Farm in 1967. Prince Philip chose the cottage for the family or guests to stay in without the huge staff or costs presented by the main house. Staff have been reported to not wear uniforms at the cottage. The Queen has also been described to have cooked and done the dishes while in residence. Charles III, when Prince of Wales, began to host shooting parties at Wood Farm during his college years, and continued to use it as a country retreat in adulthood.
The cottage is also a guest house for visitors who want "complete privacy". Diana, Princess of Wales, stayed at the farm with the Queen during a shooting party before her engagement. Divorced spouses of royals such as Sarah, Duchess of York are often put up at Wood Farm during holiday periods so they can be close to royal children without officially being at the Queen's festive holiday celebrations at Sandringham House. Catherine, Princess of Wales, stayed at the cottage during her visits to Sandringham early in her relationship with William, Prince of Wales. The couple reportedly continued to host shooting parties at Wood Farm after their marriage.
After his retirement, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh lived at Wood Farm. He was often visited by the Queen, and reportedly ran a truffle farm on the grounds of the cottage.
- Wikipedia
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TV Guide - February 27 - March 5, 1965
Donna Douglas (born Doris Ione Smith; September 26, 1932 – January 1, 2015) Actress and singer, known for her role as Elly May Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971). Following her acting career, Douglas became a real-estate agent, gospel singer, inspirational speaker, and author of books for children and adults. (Wikipedia)
Irene Ryan (born Irene Noblitt, Noblett, or Noblette; October 17, 1902 – April 26, 1973) Actress and comedienne who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television, and Broadway. She is most widely known for her portrayal of Daisy May “Granny” Moses, mother-in-law of Buddy Ebsen’s character Jed Clampett on the long-running TV series The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971). She was nominated for Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1963 and 1964 for the role. (Wikipedia)
Nancy Jane Kulp (August 28, 1921 – February 3, 1991) was an American character actor, writer and comedian best known as Miss Jane Hathaway on the CBS television series The Beverly Hillbillies.
In 1955 Kulp joined the cast of The Bob Cummings Show (Love That Bob) with Bob Cummings, portraying pith-helmeted neighborhood bird watcher Pamela Livingstone. In 1956, she appeared as a waitress in the episode "Johnny Bravo" of the ABC/Warner Brothers series Cheyenne, with Clint Walker. Kulp played the role of Anastasia in three episodes of the NBC sitcom It's a Great Life in 1955 and 1956. In 1958, she appeared in Orson Welles' little-known pilot episode "The Fountain of Youth" in the television series Colgate Theatre. In 1960, she appeared as Emma St. John in the episode "Kill with Kindness" of the ABC/WB detective series Bourbon Street Beat, starring Andrew Duggan.
Kulp appeared on I Love Lucy in the 1956 episode "Lucy Meets the Queen", performing as an English maid, who shows Lucy and Ethel how to curtsy properly before Queen Elizabeth. Kulp also appeared in episodes of The Real McCoys, Perry Mason ("The Case of the Prodigal Parent", 1958, and "The Case of the Deadly Toy", 1959), The Jack Benny Program ("Don's 27th Anniversary with Jack"), 87th Precinct ("Killer's Choice"), Pete and Gladys, The Twilight Zone (as Mrs. Gann in "The Fugitive"), and Outlaws ("The Dark Sunrise of Griff Kincaid, Esquire"). Kulp portrayed a slurring-drunk waitress in a scene with James Garner and Jean Willes in the 1959 Maverick episode "Full House". She played a housekeeper in a pilot for The William Bendix Show, which aired as the 1960–1961 season finale of CBS's Mister Ed under the title "Pine Lake Lodge". On the series My Three Sons in 1962, she portrayed a high school math and science teacher in two episodes under different character names, Miss Harris and Miss Fisher. (Wikipedia)
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Beringer Vineyards, St. Helena (No. 2)
The estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The property includes 12 buildings, sites, or structures, 10 of which are contributing. Rhine House is the most prominent, built from 1883 to 1884 and designed by Albert Schroepfer. The house has elaborate interiors, and was used to entertain visitors of the property. The house was built on the site of the Hudson House (built c. 1848–52), which was moved nearby in order in 1883 to build the larger and grander Rhine House. It has features of the Queen Anne and Chateauesque architectural styles, with attributes from its architect's own German heritage.
The Beringer family sold the Beringer name and winery to Nestlé in 1971, which in 1996 subsequently sold the enterprise to a group led by Texas Pacific Group; the company went public the next year. From 2000 to 2011 the winery was owned by Foster's Group. As of 2011, it is owned by Treasury Wine Estates.
Source: Wikipedia
#Beringer Vineyards#2000 Main Street#St Helena#travel#original photography#vacation#tourist attraction#cityscape#landmark#architecture#landscape#garden#Napa Valley#California#USA#summer 2023#nature#flora#tree#excellent wine#wine tasting#West Coast#Bay Area#Napa County#Rhine House by Albert Schroepfer#fountain#red wine#white wine#cheeseboard
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S3E1 (spoilers abound)
Already saw the first 5 minutes on Tudum. I'm firmly in the "Colin didn't see Penelope when he arrived, he was too busy looking at her house" camp. It's sweet that Pen as LW singles out the new debutantes and tries to prop them up.
I love that one of the debutantes is deaf, more diversity on this show is a good thing.
Ah, Francesca's been in Bath since the beginning of S2, thank you, Violet.
"If I can be at ease in the chaos of our home, surely I shall find my way in the Season." Truer words never spoken, Frannie.
Francesca's not the Diamond? WTAF?
Those fucking sheer gloves. I hate them SO MUCH. Long gloves were for modesty, making them sheer makes them pointless. Somebody fetch me the costume designer, I just want to talk.
So Eloise is already "friends" with Cressida and it looks like she is trying to protect Pen from her. We'll see how long this lasts.
Can we nominate Jessica Madsen now for the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series? I always hate Cressida but if, as rumored, we're going to sympathize with her this season, then I'm sure Jessica will knock it out of the park.
I love that Violet and Kate are getting along so well. I'm also thrilled that Violet doesn't approve of Eloise being friends with Cressida.
"I will move into a dower house as soon as I find one." Oookay, 15 minutes into the first episode and we have our first error. Dower houses aren't something a dowager FINDS, it's a (relatively) smaller house on an estate that the family already HAS. What Violet is looking for is a TOWN house in London since the Bridgertons should already have a DOWER house at Aubrey Hall!
Shonda, please, hire me as a script doctor. I assure you I'm affordable.
Lady Danbury: "Lady Bridgerton." Violet and Kate: "Yes?" I love that and I'm sure Agatha did it deliberately, it's cute.
Colin, dearheart, what in the actual fuck are you doing? Flirting shamelessly is only going to get you in trouble.
Lady Cowper is a bitch but we already knew that. I wonder if she took as long as her daughter to find a husband.
Wow, Portia really has given up on Pen finding a husband. This is giving me "Like Water for Chocolate" vibes (I hated that movie, so it's not a compliment).
Error #2. Unless I'm wrong, this is Spring 1815. (According to Wikipedia, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story had Princess Charlotte dying in November 1814, three years before her real-life counterpart.) Emma wasn't published until December 1815. Yeah, we're talking about only a few months and the book does match what El is going through, but still.
Great, another El & Pen fight. El, you can pretend all you like (and you're not even doing a good job) but you are MISERABLE without your best friend. Someone El respects needs to tell her off so that she'll finally grow the fuck up.
Benedict took care of the estate while Anthony and Kate were on their honeymoon? Um, Anthony, WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A STEWARD?! You know, a person you PAY to look after the estate for you instead of asking your brother to do it for free! It gave him something to do, which I'm sure was Anthony's intention, but still!
The Mondriches have just joined the nobility! Well, their eldest son has. Oh boy, Alice is not happy. I don't blame her -- her stress level just increased a hundredfold.
I need to do a @regencyama post about titles, specifically inheriting them. With the Featheringtons and now the Mondriches having a son inheriting from his mother's bloodline, I need to emphasize how rarely this happened in real life. Good on Shonda for including the concept but really, did it have to happen twice in the same episode?
NEWTON!!! Bestest boy ever!
I know that ballroom! Lady Danbury's ballroom either is or is inspired by the Marble Hall at Kedleston. I'd know those columns and the lines of black-and-white panels anywhere.
Pen, honey, your entrance would go better if you didn't look FUCKING TERRIFIED. Albion is a sweetheart, he's the best brother-in-law for Pen (well, on her side). Oh good, she's finally smiling. Portia! How can you think that's a bad color for her? Is she a little color blind? That would explain SO MUCH.
Suddenly get thirsty there, Colin? LOL He has no idea what's coming.
Some of the (presumably) eligible men are finally noticing Pen. How long before Colin steps in? Oh, Pen, you are so awkward around people you don't know well, glad to see that hasn't changed (yet).
El and Cressida talking to some of the new debutantes while Pen is still being awkward with the men. Forget flirting lessons, she doesn't even know how to just talk to men. And El, lowkey making fun of Miss Hartigan for liking embroidery. Grow up, El. At least this girl is true to herself, unlike someone I could name.
Fife is giving off the CREEPIEST vibes as he talks to poor Frannie. What do you bring to the table, good sir? A title? Look around -- titles are a dime a dozen. Surely you can do better than that.
That's what sets Fran off? This scene was one the clips that Netflix released early. I assume the gentlemen had said something offensive but they simply asked her who she is beyond her hobbies. Well, she has been doing nothing but practicing the pianoforte for what, two years now? Maybe she feels there really isn't much to her than that. Well, she's what, 17 now? She's got plenty of time to find herself.
I love how sympathetic and sweet Pen and Frannie are to each other. They're like sisters already.
Cressida with a steel chair! Seriously, there would be a small room off the ballroom reserved just for mending dresses -- tears happened all the time, as well as melted wax dripping from the candles in the chandeliers, spills, etc. But back to Cressida -- she must think very lowly of herself if she truly cannot abide any competition at all.
Too little, too fucking late, El. Choke on your apology, it's neither needed nor wanted. (I love El but haven't liked her for a long time, if that makes sense.)
Another scene Netflix gave us early -- Pen confronting Colin about what he said about her the end of S2. She was already having a bad night and Colin being all smiles was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Uh oh, Pen's writing a new LW column without even getting changed first. Honey, you're writing this in anger, you're probably going to regret at least half of it.
Portia's sweating now with that phony document about the title being questioned. Oh, this guy is threatening her, in that so very English way.
Ooo, are we finally seeing the real Cressida?
A whispering bench! Sorry, I have the tiniest landscaping nerd inside me.
Looks like Kanthony will have a three-month-old with them the beginning of the next Season.
Colin comes the morning after to apologize. Good boy. Still clueless, but good boy.
The Mondriches at their new house and their eldest boy is addressed as Lord Kent. I'm horrible at guessing children's ages but I think this kid is a preteen at most and his life just changed forever.
I will say the portrait of Edmund and Violet is very good. (I assume it's an actual painting and not a photo that has undergone Photoshop or whatever.) Have the writers made Francesca aro? Or at least demisexual? It'll be interesting to see where this goes.
I fucking told you you'd regret that column, Pen. The funny part is that she's not wrong about Colin, but she's certainly not nice about it.
Colin, for fuck's sake, MARINA AND ELOISE RUINED THEMSELVES! If LW hadn't said anything, things actually would have gone a lot worse for Marina, El, your whole family, and especially you, so shut the fuck up.
Four whole minutes of end credits, seriously?
Well, that was certainly an interesting start to both the Season and the season.
#bridgerton#bridgerton spoilers#bridgerton s3 spoilers#penelope featherington#colin bridgerton#eloise bridgerton#cressida cowper#francesca bridgerton#kanthony#polin
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Do you have a fun fact in these trying times?
Tell me, friend, do you know the story of the Lambton Worm? If not, then Today You Learned about it.
[This story is in, like, ALL the dragon books.]
The story goes that some time in the ages of the Crusades, the town of Lambton was doing its usual Sunday business of going to Mass–except for the young heir to the Lambton Estate, John Lambton, who was going fishing instead. He got a few disapproving looks from people on the way to church, but he kept fishing because he was a rebel like that. He had trouble catching actual fish, but as Mass was wrapping up, he caught something!
A worm that looked like the Devil.
Okay, so ‘worm’ in those days can also mean a serpent, and Wikipedia describes it as something eel-like. Just… he picked up something on his fishing line that was limbless, not that big, but ugly as all getout. John Lambton was freaked out by this, and he chucked it in the local well. Deciding this was punishment for his non-churchgoing ways, Johnny grows up, trying to forget about the worm. When he grows a little older, he even takes the Cross and goes on Crusade as penance.
Except the worm survived. And it grew down in that well, poisoning the water with its venom or perhaps its general ugliness. The worm eventually grows large enough to slither out of the well and starts to eat things–small animals, mostly. Then it starts drinking cows’ milk (which is a bad thing to feed dragons if you don’t want them to grow bigger), and THEN it gets big enough to start eating cows and small children.
This, as you may realize, is A Problem.
The people of Lambton, and its lord, realize that they can placate the thing by offering it milk and cows, but it keeps growing bigger, and they try to get people to come kill it. And of course knights come along and try to kill this dragon worm thing. It doesn’t work, though. Maybe they hack off a piece, but it grows back, and the worm wraps itself around a man in armor and squeezes him to death.
Finally, John Lambton, heir to Lambton, comes back from Crusade. He realizes what’s going on, and knows that it’s a problem he started in the first place, so he has to fix it. Though he sees that no one’s had much luck in killing it. So he goes to a local wise woman, and she tells him that he can kill the Worm, but first he has to make a special suit of armor, one with spearheads fused all over it. Then, when he chops it to bits, he must dump the remains in the river. And THEN, after the deed is done, he must kill the first living thing he sees. Otherwise, the house of Lambton will be cursed for nine generations.
Well, Johnny Lamb commissions the suit of armor, and then he tells his dad to arrange that when he’s done the deed, he’ll blow a horn, and so then a hunting dog will be released and John will kill it.
Lambton faces the Worm, which of course, wraps around him to constrict him. But it doesn’t work! Because his armor is covered in spikes! And so the worm pierces itself on his armor! And he has enough room to start chopping this thing to pieces. Then he throws those in the river, where the pieces are swept away before they can put themselves back together.
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[C.E. Brock's illustration.]
Lambton blows the horn to signal victory. But ohes noes! His father is so happy that he forgets to release the hound, and runs to his son and kills him. John Lambton obviously cannot go through with killing his father, so he tries to kill the hound anyway, but it doesn’t work to avert the curse. For nine generations, none of the Lambton heirs died a peaceful death in their beds.
And that’s the story of the Lambton Worm, friendo!
[John Dickenson Batten's illustration]
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Les Misérables 1.1.4 - Works Answering Words
“…there are in France 1,320,000 peasants’ cottages that have but three openings; 1,817,000 that have two, the door and one window; and finally, 346,000 cabins, with on,y one opening - the door. And this is in consequence of what is called the excise upon doors and windows. In these poor families, among the aged women and the little children, dwelling in these huts, how abundent is fever and disease? Alas! God gives light to men; the law sells it.”
Okay, folks, let’s talk ✨tax policy✨!
I do not think this law was intended to be cruel to the poor. In fact, I think it was intended for the opposite.
In an age before income tax, how - beyond land taxes - does one tax the rich progressively? By taxing things of which the rich have many, and the poor have few. A wealthy man’s mansion, such as the one that Myriel gave up for the hospital, may have fifty, a hundred, or hundreds of windows. A peasant’s or factory worker’s house, even without the tax, would have only few.
I think the intent of this excise is progressive taxation. (I suspected this at first reading it, and Wikipedia backed me up.)
This is what policy wonks call a perverse incentive - you try to do one thing, but also cause a reaction that is completely unintended. It illustrates the need to think out the possible consequences of your policies beforehand, to have systems to make you aware of problems they are causing, and to make changes to fix those problems when you find about them.
This particular problem could, in theory, be fixed by applying the tax only to homes with more than a certain number of windows (and only to homes, since there are other reasons to want buildings like factories to be well-lit; and not to multi-unit dwellings like apartments), so that it in effect becomes only a tax on the mansions of the wealthy. (In Britain, in fact, it only applied to to windows after the first 10, and was applied at a higher rate to, say, the 50th-100th windows than to the 10th-20th windows - the equivalent of the graduated income tax.) They might still call it a tax on air and light, but they also called the estate tax a death tax.
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Regarding my heading down an unfinished road... I found it on Google Street View.
So these are from a year ago.
This is the lane I drove down.
And this is the section where I realized, "Oh shit, I ain't supposed to drive here."
I used generative fill to update these images to what they looked like on the day of embarrassment.
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Looking back, there were a few cones. But all of the "do not enter" signs were gone and I think it would be perfectly reasonable to assume you could drive here. I think other people may have avoided it because they drive in this area regularly. I drive maybe once or twice a month.
And here is what the dead end looked like with a year of construction progress.
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(It is scary how close generative fill matched this to my memory of it.)
I was really confused when I got to this point. I wasn't sure if I should try backing up or turning. I thought the gravel was okay to drive on, so I pulled forward and started a u-turn. But there was a sharp drop-off from the road to the gravel section I couldn't see and that was very jarring. And the gravel was not fit for driving on. So I kicked up a ton of dust and passers-by were all "WTF are you doing?"
Hell, I was like "WTF are you doing?"
I have a feeling this memory will join a few other embarrassing moments that pop into my head right before I try to fall asleep.
It wasn't my fault, but yeah, I hate driving around here.
It feels like the highway construction in this area is endless. It's been going on for years and it never feels like any progress is being made.
They closed off 3 highway exits for streets that contain a lot of local businesses. One of them leads straight to Ferguson. And if you don't know to exit onto a side road ahead of these areas, you'll just pass them by. So people from out of town who might be looking for a place to eat or shop could easily drive past these areas.
I feel sad for my community. Big franchises are closing up shop. There is no pizza place that directly delivers to my area. When your last pizza place closes up, that's when you know your community is in trouble.
If anyone around here wants pizza delivered you have to spend a ton to have it DoorDash'd in from another area.
And it all started with a "white flight" epidemic. They even made a documentary about it called Spanish Lake (my township). There was a failed housing project nearby and a lot of poor Black folks started moving to Spanish Lake afterward. Then some scummy real estate people took advantage and it all snowballed from there...
"The 1990s saw a mass exodus of the white population, spurred on by blockbusting, a practice some U.S. real estate agents use to encourage white property owners to sell their houses quickly at a loss, implying the African-Americans moving into their neighborhood will depress their property values."
Apparently blockbusting is the new red lining.
The "controversy" section on Wikipedia sums up the movie pretty well.
I started following a Facebook page dedicated to Spanish Lake, thinking it would be other folks in my community. I thought maybe I could get to know my neighbors.
Instead, it is all of the white people who moved away reminiscing about how great Spanish Lake used to be.
People in this group are trying really hard not to say the quiet part out loud.
Riff raff?
Scot, I think you dropped this...
I grew up here. I still live here. I love my house and my street. There are some areas that could really use some help, but if you live here, you know the few small pockets to stay away from. I have no issue walking up and down my street at night without fear.
They also mourn the loss of the businesses that closed because they abandoned the area.
There is the mall which will be officially demolished soon.
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And, yes, it is the spooky mall from that viral video.
youtube
There was the movie theater... at the mall.
There was the Aloha Roller Rink.
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Which now looks like this.
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And the burger joint.
The pizza place.
And the other pizza place.
Saullo's was okay.
Angelo's in the next town over is better. And still in business!
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What was I talking about?
Oh, yeah. Don't drive down unfinished roads!
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Northanger Abbey Readthrough Ch 23
So the joke of this chapter, which I will admit to not understanding on my first read, is that General Tilney is deliberately showing Catherine everything he has renovated, so the newest and most fancy parts of the abbey, while all that Catherine wants to see is the old stuff. She's basically getting the brag tour and she wants the historical tour.
When the general had satisfied his own curiosity, in a close examination of every well-known ornament
Eleanor wants to take Catherine further, but the General is against it because "Had not Miss Morland already seen all that could be worth her notice?" The real meaning here is that nothing else is fancy enough for his pleasure, but Catherine's imagination is running again, "Something was certainly to be concealed"
The General’s improving hand had not loitered here: every modern invention to facilitate the labour of the cooks had been adopted within this, their spacious theatre; and, when the genius of others had failed, his own had often produced the perfection wanted.
General Tilney sounding a lot like John Thorpe here, but again, just more educated:
He told her of horses which he had bought for a trifle and sold for incredible sums; of racing matches, in which his judgment had infallibly foretold the winner; of shooting parties, in which he had killed more birds (though without having one good shot) than all his companions together; and described to her some famous day’s sport, with the fox-hounds, in which his foresight and skill in directing the dogs had repaired the mistakes of the most experienced huntsman, and in which the boldness of his riding, though it had never endangered his own life for a moment, had been constantly leading others into difficulties, which he calmly concluded had broken the necks of many. (Ch 9)
It's like the Thorpes were a nice warm-up for Catherine's discernment and now she's up against the real boss of liars.
As a mom, I can never read this without a bit of distress: by passing through a dark little room, owning Henry’s authority, and strewed with his litter of books, guns, and greatcoats. Litter of guns!!! What if a child toddles into this room, sir? I know there are no children about but STILL. Litter of guns, indeed.
Also, Catherine's general displeasure with this tour reminds me of Mary Crawford's speech about viewing houses in Mansfield Park:
“That she should be tired now, however, gives me no surprise; for there is nothing in the course of one’s duties so fatiguing as what we have been doing this morning: seeing a great house, dawdling from one room to another, straining one’s eyes and one’s attention, hearing what one does not understand, admiring what one does not care for. It is generally allowed to be the greatest bore in the world, and Miss Price has found it so, though she did not know it.” (ch 9)
I love Catherine being shocked about how numerous the servants are, since in Gothic novels only one or two are needed. Also, the note of how Mrs. Allen found that unrealistic. Catherine hasn't had to manage household staffing, cleaning, and cooking yet!. This is one of the things I liked about Emma 2020 by the way, the little touches they added with the servants always being around.
Catherine compares General Tilney to Montoni, and for those like me who have not yet read The Mysteries of Udolpho:
Montoni is a prototypical Gothic villain. Brooding, haughty and scheming, he masquerades as an Italian nobleman to gain Madame Cheron's hand in marriage, then imprisons Emily and Madame Cheron in Udolpho in an attempt to take control of Madame Cheron's wealth and estates. He is cold and often cruel to Emily, who believes him to be a captain of banditti. (Wikipedia)
Okay, Catherine. (Then again, it is weird that he just paces back and fourth for a full hour in the drawing room. Sit down, sir.)
Catherine sometimes started at the boldness of her own surmises, and sometimes hoped or feared that she had gone too far; but they were supported by such appearances as made their dismissal impossible.
Oh Catherine. This is the part where it's nearly impossible not to feel some secondhand embarrassment. I want to send Fanny Price or Anne Elliot to the abbey to straighten her out.
Also, here is some more information about those pamphlets the General is reading. He may be looking for traitors.
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Queerplatonic Riddler x Reader fanfic
Disclaimers:
I am not a good writer. I am simply making this because I am an aroace who loves the Riddler and and desperate for fanfiction that isn't romantic or sexual and I want it to exist in the world.
This is a bit out of character because I am simply not smart enough to write a genius and I am also not very good at riddles.
Some of it is very contrived, in particular the "worldbuilding" had to be crammed into fitting a pattern for reasons, so it is very janky.
Allos are allowed to interact but PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT THIS ISN'T FOR YOU.
Also I'm English so there may be a couple of covert language differences if you're American (eg: saw a post where apparently in the US "quite" means very whereas here it's much less intense than that)
Rating: Probably teen
Warnings: Swearing (S and F word), whump (hurt reader), violence and injury, implied ableism, near-death experiences, robberies and hostage situations (not very dangerous)
Reader insert info: Oriented aroace, quoiromantic, autistic (hyperfixating on Riddler)
Word count: 5022
Please don't give me loads of criticism I'm not releasing this to improve at writing I'm releasing this because there's no representation.
You sit in your room, reading the Gotham Gazette. A small smile appears on your face; the news keeps talking about the new crime spree, courtesy of the Riddler. You’re lying on your green bedcovers, kicking your feet and giggling. It is quite sad that his latest bank robberies are going to severely affect the economy, but… look at him. He looks so happy in the CCTV footage. His smile is the most precious thing you’ve ever seen. You love the newspaper, as long as you don’t read the articles. There’s a lot of speculation about his mental state, and, while you do agree that his mental state is probably not great, some of the speculation… it wouldn’t feel out of place on an Autism Speaks advert. You use permanent marker and doodle question marks to hide the more offensive articles. With everything that’s left, you cut it out, glaring at the scissors that are leaving jagged edges even though it is probably just a skill issue. You use Blu Tack to stick it onto the board with all of the other articles and pictures, and pick up those which fell off. Five crimes so far. You scan the articles. The names of the locations… there must be something… Classy and Elegant, a store for wedding clothes, with lots of money… House-Dealing Special Princesses, the estate agents for posh people… River Bank Tower, a tower that was a historic location for money laundering and was converted into a tourist attraction… Worshipping Mr Batman, a Batman fan club with a large following, as well as founders who got very rich… and Rose Petal Association, a very wealthy gardeners’ club. The letters… they feel… familiar…
You quickly open Wikipedia. Hands shaking – you don’t know if it’s from nerves or excitement – you search for Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Your eyes widen. Classy and Elegant – C.A.E! House-Dealing Special Princesses – H.D.S-P! R.B.T! W.M.B! R.P.A! His crimes are all after Elgar’s Enigma variations! You’re stimming, at having solved this riddle. But where will he strike next? The next piece… Ysobel…
You open Google Maps. This isn’t simple initials, the piece is named after a full name… You search around, trying to find something that fits Ysobel…
It’s the next day. As usual, it is raining. You’re carrying a green umbrella, and hoping that, if he does show up, he won’t realise that you carved the handle into the shape of a question mark. Anxiety fills you – the establishment which should be the next target, is very… suspicious. Why So Bell, a supposed bell manufacturer which everybody knows is really a front for one of the Joker gangs’ hideouts. You glance around, nervously. There are legitimate shops next door, it should be safe, it should be safe…
You’re hiding in a bush, shaking. It hurts, there are probably lots of bugs, but… you can’t just loiter in the open next to a Joker-affiliated operation, but… you have to see the Riddler’s next crime. Your umbrella is hidden with you in the bush. You’re getting uncomfortably wet. You don’t think your glasses will ever recover from this experience. Half an hour passes, and you watch as people come and go from the buildings. An obvious gang member leaves Why So Bell. You are shaking in the bush as she walks towards you. Does she see you? She’s coming closer. Closer. Closer.
She yanks you out by the tip of your umbrella. You look up at her sheepishly, trembling. She responds by punching you in the face.
You wake up, and your heart leaps as you see your favourite colour, green. Your heart is then filled with terror. The green isn’t from your many pictures of the Riddler, the green is from a massive vat of acid, and you’re dangling right over it. “Who the fuck d’you work for?!” the gang member asks. “N-N-NO-ONE! I’M N-NOT A GANG MEMBER! PLEASE! TH-THERE’S BEEN A TERRIBLE MISUNDERSTANDING!!” you squeak, terrified. The gang members – three of them – laugh at you. “Why were you hiding in that bush?!” a Joker goon shouts at you, as you feel yourself being lowered towards the acid, “You’re a spy, aren’t ya?!” “PLEASE! PLEASE! I W-WASN’T SPYING! PLEASE! I W-WAS… I WAS JUST HIDING IN THE BUSH, W-W-WAITING FOR SOMEONE!!” “Yer lying!”
Your vision is being consumed by green, and not in the usual Riddler hyperfixation way, but in the way that you are about to die. You are whimpering, trying desperately to stammer out an explanation, but there is no way to explain anything in a way that does not make you look like an alloromantic stalker…
Suddenly, the power cuts out. You scream, thinking that this the end. The Joker goons are shouting, confused. There are sounds of a scuffle, and one of their panicked yelling is cut short. The other two are fighting something. “B-Batman?” you shriek, terrified. Every time the Riddler goes to Arkham, he seems to come back worse. If Batman is here, he will surely arrest the Riddler and send him to Arkham yet again. The sounds of the scuffle stop. You wait, hyperventilating. This is very bad, as you are starting to breathe in the fumes of the acid. It’s rather funny that you solved the riddle, and now Batman came here to save you but will surely arrest the Riddler. You can’t help but laugh at the fact that you solved it for Batman, it’s so funny, he’s going to rot in Arkham! Ha! You’re being lifted up, taken away from the green, just like how your hopes of ever seeing the silly green man have gone away! Now you’re being picked up! It’s funny, Batman’s arms seem nowhere near as muscular as they should be! Isn’t it funny that you’re still in the dark, the Dark Knight hasn’t turned the light on, because dark! Ha! Get it? “Ha… I’ve already done the work, Batman!” you laugh. “Don’t compare me to that pathetic man,” your saviour replies. It’s hilarious, you’re such an idiot, you’re stupid! You’re a fool! You’re just as pathetic as Batman! What even is a Bat Man meant to be, anyway? And now, this man is holding you! From what you can see, the glow of the acid is turning his outfit green! Oh, what’s that silly symbol on his outfit?! Haha! The little question marks in your brain, and now there’s a big one on this man’s spandex! Hahaha! You’re an idiot! An idiot who didn’t realise you finally got to meet your hero! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! He thinks you’re so stupid! He can hear you mumbling about how stupid you are, you’re really not helping things, this is so funny, he’s going to hate you! And now, everything’s going dark like your future! Ha! Ha… Ha… Ha…………..
You’re in a hospital bed. Next to you is your umbrella. “You’re awake,” the nurse says, looking at you with concern. “Wh… what happened..?” “Someone found a note leading to you. You were passed out… Joker chemicals…” Your eyes widen. “J-Joker?! Is… are there gonna be lasting effects?!” “You might be more prone to fits of laughter, but that’s all.”
In the evening, you’re released from the hospital. You walk home, holding your umbrella. You feel an irregularity on the handle, and carefully take your finger away from it. Your heart leaps; there, on the handle… a small question mark, engraved into the wood. You stand there for a little while, shaking, your mouth open in what could be a smile. What could this mean?
You return home, giggling. You walked past Troyte Bank on the way, Troyte being the next piece in the Enigma variations. There also seems to be a pattern to the timing of the robberies – the next is going to be at some point between 1 and 1:30. You’re shaking. You could go to the bank at 1. You… you could see him… you could be in the bank while it’s being robbed… a bank robbery would be very scary, but you could see him! Being an innocent bystander in one of the Riddler’s very own crimes… the thought makes you giddy with excitement. You’re giggling again; the exposure to the fumes of the Joker chemical has evidently given you this new habit. You sound like a teenage girl talking with friends about a cute boy. Your laughter turns more nervous. What will people think when they hear your giggling? They’ll think you’re weird…
They already do, though…
It’s 1PM. You step into the bank from the rain of Gotham, clutching your umbrella, biting your lip to stop yourself from giggling. You loiter near the side, doing your best to not look suspicious, waiting for him… After three minutes, the door opens, and five goons holding machine guns enter the building, along with him. The Riddler, wearing his iconic green spandex, with the purple belt, and the large black question mark on the front. There are little question marks in lines down the sides of the arms and legs. He’s wearing his mask and gloves, of matching shades of purple. The spandex… doesn’t leave much to the imagination. You can tell that he is quite muscular, although not nearly as muscular as people renowned for strength, such as Batman. “I’m tough and elastic, but you have left! O! What am I? A robbery!” he exclaims, gleefully. You can’t help but smile at his wide grin. He twirls his cane as the gunmen usher everyone in the bank to the side. The gunmen tell everyone to kneel, and you kneel down, clutching your umbrella. An old man grunts from having to kneel. The Riddler looks at the group. “Tell you what. Anyone who can answer any riddles will be allowed to stand up!” he says, taking out some cards from within his belt and giving them to one of his goons, whispering instructions for the order they get distributed in. He and two of the goons walk into the vault, and are presumably taking the loot, while one of the goons points his gun at the bank staff, one points his gun at the group, and the last one is handing out the riddles. You receive your card with the riddle on it. You read the riddle: What can be gentle as the wind, or as all-consuming as fire, as strong as a mountain, as beautiful as a sapphire? “Is it love?” you ask shyly, before he has even finished handing out the riddles. He walks over to you, and reads the riddle. After a little pause, he grunts and nods, and walks off. You start to stand up, and glance at the old man next to you who is struggling. “The answer’s water,” you murmur in his ear. He rereads the riddle, and then gives his answer to the goon, who has now finished handing out the riddles. He is allowed to stand, and you wait for the goons to glance away, then give another person an answer. “My, my, you’re very good at solving other peoples’ riddles, aren’t you?” a soft voice says in your ear. You squeak. It’s him. You can feel yourself trembling nervously, he’s so close, he has a smirk on his face. The Riddler gives you a wink, and moves away. He leaves with the goons and the loot he has stolen.
That night, you go home, shaking. You’re filled with emotions, and they’re scaring you. You… you think you might… love him… you’re not sure what kind of attraction you feel… and it’s scary. He means a lot to you, and you want him to know how you feel, but you don’t even really know how you feel. You go and print out the page for Oriented Aroace on the LGBTQIA Wiki. You get out a pen and paper, and start making a diagram, with some bars, each corresponding to a different type of attraction, the main ones you can think of. For the bar about sexual attraction, you can easily put NO in capital letters. For sensual attraction, you fill it quite high. You pause, and decide to write definitions for the types of attraction. You reach romantic attraction, and hesitate. What is romantic attraction? Romance is entirely a social construct… how does one define it? After a minute of trying to think, you just fill it with question marks and print out the wiki page for quoiromantic. You start writing: “I don’t know what romantic attraction is meant to feel like. I don’t feel it usually, but you make me feel something I’ve never felt before, and I can’t tell if it’s a cross between hyperfixation and alterous attraction, or if this is what romance feels like.” You glare at the paper. You genuinely can’t tell if it’s you finally feeling romantic attraction for one person, or if it’s internalised amatonormativity and you’re just hyperfixating and have tertiary attractions. All you know is… that you love him…
The next day – another rainy one - is here. You’re loitering inside Without Nines, a casino, when he comes in, with several gunmen. There are also two women, dressed in spandex with question marks – Query and Echo. The Riddler is wearing a very dapper green suit with black question marks, along with a purple and blue waistcoat with question mark shapes. His light green tie is embroidered with purple question marks, and he wears a green bowler hat with a purple ribbon and a black question mark, the colours matching the rest of his outfit. His shirt is black, and he wears purple gloves and his purple mask. A little smile plays upon his face as everyone in the casino immediately panics, at his mercy. Guards immediately try to fight him, but the gunmen fire some warning shots. “Ah ah ah! I’m going to take a hostage! And if you don’t let me take the money, you’ll find yourselves riddled with bullets!” he says, smiling smugly. Your heart leaps as he starts walking straight towards you. You let out a little squeak as he hooks his cane around your arm, and pulls you towards him. You’re shaking, and do a little giggle, nervous. This is it. He’s noticed you. He’s taken you hostage. And all you can do is giggle like a lunatic. The Riddler is giggling slightly, as he unhooks his cane from your arm, and puts his arm around your shoulders, pointing the cane under your throat threateningly. You can feel the cold metal against your neck. With some of his goons following, he walks through the casino, holding you close to him, letting everyone know that he could kill you if they don’t let him rob the place. And yet, he gives you a gentle squeeze, and something tells you that he isn’t going to hurt you. Query and Echo force a staff member to open the vault.
He lets out a giggle as the group walk into the vault. You let out a little gasp as you see how much money there is. The Riddler chuckles. “Impressed?” he says in your ear with a low voice. He walks in front of you, and looks at your awestruck face. You’re trembling, he’s looking at you, all you can do is stare at the money like an idiot. He giggles. “Alright, then. Looting this place might take a while, so we may as well get comfortable,” he says, a smile on his lips. The regular gunmen start taking the money, while Query and Echo stay on guard at the vault’s entrance. The Riddler puts his hand on your shoulder and pushes down to make you sit on the floor. You let out a little giggle. He sits down, facing you, and holds his cane, resting it against your neck, presumably to establish some threat. “Well, then. Riddle me this. Why hasn’t Batman caught me yet?” he asks. You squeak delightedly when he says it. He laughs a little, a laugh that makes your heart feel so light. He looks happy. “Go on. I’ve seen you three times, now. You’ve solved my riddle…” he says, leaning in. “Not just anyone can do that.” You start giggling uncontrollably. You feel light. He leans back a bit, waiting for you to regain your composure. “Are you always this giggly? Is it from the Joker chemicals? Or… maybe… just maybe… is it only when you see me?” he asks, winking. You giggle more. “Ha! Ha! Hahahahaha! It’s J-J-Joker… ha! Joker chemicals! Ha ha!” you laugh. He looks at you, sympathetic, and puts a hand on your shoulder. Your giggling gets worse, and you feel yourself blushing, and he immediately pulls his hand away. He waits quietly for you to calm down, as his men continue emptying the vault. He pulls you to your feet, and whispers into your ear. “I only have two more robberies in this plan. That’s the… initial… idea…” he whispers. He’s so close to you, you can feel his breath on your ear. He gives a flamboyant twirl of his cane, and holds you menacingly again, putting his cane back to your throat. “Well then, my little hostage, it’s soon time for me to set you free,” he says, giving his handsome smile. You giggle, and blush slightly. You’re looking up at him, and he looks down at you. He lets out a little laugh. “You’re rather adorable,” he says. You squeak, and blush much more. He giggles. “Well, I’ll give you some time to regain your composure, haha,” he says, backing away slightly. You take deep breaths, and eventually calm down. He holds you again, and the group leaves the vault. He places you back with the other civilians, and moves away, his demeanour much more menacing… “Alright! And, just to seal this wondrous little robbery, everyone will give me one of their valuables!” he says, laughing. He looks so happy… you can’t help but smile… He takes peoples’ necklaces as they tremble, a pair of earrings, some fancy brooches… he reaches you, and smiles. You already know what he wants, and you shyly hold the umbrella. Your eyes meet as he wraps his hand around the handle, your grip lingering. He takes it from you, giggling, and continues taking other peoples’ valuables.
The next day, you’re walking through the streets of Gotham, giggling excitedly. Today is going to be the day you come out to him. You spent yesterday evening getting ready to tell him, getting ready to speak. You’ve simplified your explanation considerably. You can’t help but giggle at the fact that you’re going to see him, and tell him everything… maybe… maybe he was impressed by your ability to predict his crimes when even Batman couldn’t… “Hey, what’s that dumb smile on your face for?!” a menacing voice says. A gang of thugs surrounds you. You go pale. “Well? Why you giggling? You think you’re the Joker or some shit?!” he shouts. You look around, desperate for help. Citizens are walking away, only glancing for some spectacle. A furtive woman in a green coat opens her phone and points it at you – is she going to record this?! “Uh, heehee, I, I d-don’t wanna f-fight… it’s… ha… I inhaled some Joker fumes… p-please… haha… don’t h-hurt me…” “You won’t be smiling when we’re done with you!” a thug says, elbowing you in the abdomen and sending you staggering back. Tears are streaming down your face. You’re missing the Riddler’s robbery, surely he’ll think you’re an idiot, he’s going to hate you- you’re punched in the face, and sobbing. They keep punching you, keep kicking you, keep kicking you. Whack. Whack. Whack. It hurts. You feebly try to hold up your arms to block their blows, but they easily shatter your defences. You’re bleeding now. It hurts so much. They kick your legs, and you crash down to the ground, crying. They get their weapons out… one of them has a hammer… You can hear the crunch of your bones as your legs shatter. You can only whimper as one gets out her knife, and stabs you in the abdomen. You’re screaming. “PLEASE STOP! I D-D-DIDN’T DO ANYTHING TO YOU!!” you cry as they keep hitting you. Your vision goes black. This is it, you’re going to die… “LEAVE THEM ALONE!” a voice shouts. They stop, tense. Your head is bleeding, you can’t think straight, but… it sounds… familiar… Your vision is lit up with blue, as something fires electricity at the thugs. They shriek, and run away, leaving you. There are murmurs among the onlookers. You can feel hands slide underneath your body, as your saviour picks you up. He’s walking quickly. “Hey… hey… please… please talk to me…” he says. Your vision is starting to return, and you can see the Riddler, tears streaming down his face. “Sorry…” you say weakly. “It’s alright, it’s alright, none of this is your fault, please don’t apologise for anything, you will be safe,” he says, voice cracking. “I w-was gonna be there… I… I promise I’m not stupid…” “Oh… oh, baby… I already know you’re not stupid. Shh… everything’s going to be okay…” he says, holding you close as he walks. He is thinking. “Alright… you need me on the fairway, you need me for luck, but when you have me you’re well and truly fucked, what am I?” “Uh… uh… uh… a… a stroke?” you answer. He strokes your hair with his soft hands. He’s wearing a green suit, this time with a purple shirt that’s only buttoned 2/3 of the way, showing off his chest and collarbones. His hat is at a jaunty – no, messy – angle, and his mask is streaked with tears.
He enters a building. You can’t read the sign, but you can tell the initials are E.D.U. It’s dark, this building must be a repurposed warehouse. It’s quiet, except for your whimpering, and his heavy breathing, and quick footsteps. He continues stroking your hair, his hands shaking. He sets you down, and rolls up your shirt, and you can hear his sharp intake of breath. “Uh… okay… this looks bad… I’m going to have to stitch your wound…” he says. You shudder, and he picks you up. “It’s going to be okay… I promise.” He rushes into the bathroom, lays you into the bathtub and turns the tap on, rinsing the wound under the water. He gives your hair a pat, and starts preparing his first aid equipment, sterilising a needle and thread. He holds your hand, and cleans your wound as you whimper. He takes you out of the bathtub, and lays you down, using a towel to dry you. “Listen, you’ll be okay, I promise,” he says. He starts rubbing some cream around your wound, and you feel yourself going numb. He starts stitching, and you’re crying. “Shh… shh… uh… what’s so fragile that saying its name breaks it?” “S-s-silence…” you respond. He nods, and keeps stitching. “You’re a smart cookie, you know?” His words make your heart leap. He keeps stitching. “I do mean it. I really do… I’m almost done with the stitches…” After what feels like an eternity, he finishes, and smiles at you, taking his gloves off. “The worst bit’s over,” he says, stroking your hair. He bandages the area. Now that the worst part is over, you start to appreciate the softness of his hands. You realise he is wearing green nail polish, with a purple question mark on each finger. He finishes bandaging you. “All done!” he says, giving you a headpat, making you giggle. He gives you a warm smile. Your giggling dies down as the exhaustion starts to really hit you. You pass out.
When you open your eyes, you’ve been tucked into a soft, green bed, covered in purple question marks. “You’re awake!” he says, reminiscent of a puppy who just saw a friend. On top of his outfit from before, he’s wearing a knitted jumper, green with purple question marks, it looks so soft. You’re still in pain, but you blush a little, as he reaches out with his hand, then pauses. “Um, would it be comforting if I held your hand?” Your heart leaps, and you nod, giggling. He gently takes your hand in his, and smiles softly. It’s so soft, it distracts you from some of the sharp pain you feel all over your body. “Um… th-thank you…” you mumble. “Hey. I had to save you, you’re like a good luck charm at this point. It… it’s not right when you’re not there,” he says softly, stroking your hand gently. You squeak, giggling. He looks at you, a little smile on his face. “So why do you keep following me? Is it gratitude for me saving you from Joker’s gang? Are you trying to prove your intelligence against the smartest man in Gotham? Or maybe… something else?” he asks in his soft voice, winking at the end. You giggle nervously, trying to collect yourself. “I… I… heehee… hahaha… you’re… hahahahaha…” You’re shaking, nervous, and he can tell. He gently strokes your hand, a comforting smile on his face. “It’s okay… take your time…” “Ha… ha… haha… YOU’RE MY SPECIAL INTEREST!” you blurt out. His eyes are wide, and he looks very surprised. You laugh nervously. “Like autism?” he asks, his smile widening. You nod, cursing yourself for being so blunt and probably making a fool of yourself – he’s smiling wide and crying tears of joy. His leg is bouncing. “Hahahaha I need to come out hahahahaha I’m an oriented aroace I hahahaha don’t feel romantic or sexual attraction but I’m feeling other types of attraction to you,” you say, shaking. He has a little pause of processing this, and smiles. “Hey, you’re valid! So, uh, what other types of attraction do you feel?” he asks, giving a good-natured smile. “Hahahaha I feel sensual attraction where I want to touch you and I feel alterous attraction which is uh it’s an emotion attraction that isn’t exclusively romantic or platonic haha and maybe I feel aesthetic attraction hahahaha,” you say, trembling. He grins, and giggles. “You’re quite the riddle, aren’t you? I’ve taken quite a liking to you,” he says, his smile lighting up your world. The way his eyes light up fills your heart with joy. He gives your hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re so precious. Seriously, you’re one of the most adorable people ever. Seeing you during my crimes… well, now I know how Ozzie feels about seeing birds. You’re like… a little friend…” You let out a squeak, and he laughs. “You’re so cute… may I put my hand on your face?” he says. You nod, giggling, as he cups your head in his hands. “How do you feel about eye contact?” he asks. “Haha! I’m okay making eye contact with people I like!” you respond. There is a pause, as he slowly moves his eyes towards you.
“And… do you… like me?” he asks.
You look into his eyes. Both of you giggle. He gently strokes your hair. “Is this okay, d… may I call you dear?” Your heart leaps, and your mouth hangs open in disbelief. “Haha! I, ha, uh, haha it’s okay! Ha… uh… haha… what… w-what’s… what… what are we?” you ask, blushing slightly. There is a pause, as he thinks. “You seem to be my biggest fan, and I find you simply adorable. I’ll do anything to make you feel comfortable. I’ll look after you… Batman almost caught me last time, so I have plenty of free time…” “What… what happened? Wh-what did I miss?” You feel a little sting at the memory. The pain is coming back, and you can feel tears forming. He wipes the tears from your eyes. “I started the robbery… everything was in place, I had the plan, but… it didn’t feel the same, without you. What takes deep hold and becomes every day, and without it the tree will fall?” “Uh… root… routine?” “Exactly. Seeing you, it’s become part of my routine… you hold a place in my heart… I… my plans, I started planning for you…” You look at him, in awe. Somehow, the biggest genius ever, your hero… has been thinking about you. “Wow…” is all you can say. You’re not even giggling anymore, you’re just repeating the word. He ruffles your hair. “We Rogues, not many people like us. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a devoted fan… and you solved my plan faster than Batman… you can understand how much that means to me, right?” he says, seeming… nervous? The confidence is gone, he looks… anxious… like he needs reassurance. “You’re… haha… my… ha-ha-hero…” you say. His eyes light up, and he nods his head rapidly. “Um… is it alright if I give you a kiss on the forehead?” he asks. You nod, and start giggling again, as he gently puts his hand behind your head. He gives you a soft kiss on the forehead, making sure to avoid the bandage which you finally notice. He’s so gentle, and the tender kiss is taking away the pain you feel. He lets go, and looks down, into your wide eyes. “With skill, I am paid to save. What am I?” “… Protect?” He nods. “I want to protect you… you’re… you’re too precious. I’ll find the people who did this to you…” he says, wrapping his arms around you, looking into your eyes to gauge your reaction. You have a tired look in your eyes, as you lean into him. “I… I have something for you…” He reaches down, and holds your umbrella. Your crude attempt of carving the handle into a question mark shape has now been greatly polished, but most importantly, it has been covered in vibrantly-coloured question marks. “It’s… beautiful…” “A beautiful umbrella for a beautiful mind, from an even more beautiful mind,” he says, as you relax in his arms and make a contented little humming noise. He gently strokes your hair, and you fall asleep in the Riddler’s arms, your head buried in his chest.
#riddler fanfic#platonic riddler fanfic#queerplatonic riddler fanfic#platonic riddler x reader#queerplatonic riddler x reader#riddler & reader#the riddler#riddler#edward nygma#edward nigma#dc fanfic#aspec reader#oriented aroace reader#aroace reader#autistic reader#queerplatonic x reader#not tagging normal riddler x reader in case people have filtered it out bc they're sick of seeing smut on the dash#i am aware that there is quite possibly nothing else out there with some of these tags. but we can change that.
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