#October 2023 edition

[247reader]

It’s October - and that means it’s Awesome Ladies of History, Year Four! I’ll be bringing you 31 of history’s most interesting women, from the iconic to the forgotten, starting off, as per usual, with a figure from the iconic side.

Time for Eleanor of Aquitaine!

Eleanor was the elder surviving daughter of William X, Duke of Aquitaine, the most powerful vassal in 12th century France, a man who controlled far more land than his nominal overlord. Eleanor’s name, Aliénor, or “other Aenor,” referred her her mother, who died when Eleanor was a small child; her father likewise passed when she was twelve or thirteen, leaving her Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right. Duke William’s will made Eleanor a ward of King Louis VI, who bethrothed her to his heir, another Louis, and then promptly died himself, leaving the two teenagers as king and queen of France. Young Louis initially adored Eleanor, but the monkish king and high spirited duchess were ill-suited. Eleanor, to the horror of church authorities, accompanied her husband on the Second Crusade, but the campaign was a disaster, and their already-shaky marriage disentegrated along route, despite the Pope himself attempting to mediate. With two daughters and no prospect of a son, Louis and Eleanor managed to arrange an annulment… and Eleanor promptly married again, to Louis’s rival Henry FitzEmpress, soon Henry II of England. Initially, this marriage was, though not without turbulence, a happier one. Eleanor and Henry had eight children, including five sons, one of whom died young, and Eleanor, despite later legends, seems to have accepted his affairs with the equanimity of someone whose maternal grandmother eloped with her paternal grandfather. He trusted her enough to eventually allow her to rule her duchy in person on his behalf… trust that proved misplaced. When their sons, including her favorite, Richard, revolted against their father, it was with Eleanor’s support, and it was Eleanor who faced the consequences; Henry imprisoned her for the rest of his reign.

Richard’s accession, however, set her free - and also made her perhaps the most powerful queen mother in English history. She arranged his marriage to Berengaria of Navarre, held his continental lands together during his prolonged absences, and raised his ransom when he was kidnapped returning from the Third Crusade. His death in 1199 devastated her, and her relationship with her youngest son, King John, was more fractious. She took the vows at the nunnery of Fontrevault, and died there soon after, already a legend in her own time.

[royalarchivist]

Fit: I want! My! Fofoca!

Fit: I'm a nosy Italian man that wants his fofoca! 👏👏👏

We're all missing Fit dearly, but since he's busy dealing with the horrors of hurricane season at the moment, here's a compilation of some funny QSMP moments that happened on stream exactly one year ago! Featuring: Bagi and Tina fofoca, Tubbo slander, a poorly-executed stealth mission into the Federation, and more!

[ Full Subtitle Transcript ↓ ]

—

Fit: I want! My! Fofoca! I'm a nosy Italian man that wants his fofoca!

[Looking at fanart of Tina and Bagi]

[Second fanart of Tina and Bagi]

Fit: Ohhhh- [Laughs] Hmm! I see what's going on! Alright, alright...

[Looking at fanart of Roier and Cellbit and himself and Pac with Tubbo lying miserably on the ground]

Fit: Oh, wait a minute... OH, TUBBO... Oh no... I have to ask Tubbo how did thing go with Fred this weekend? Based on this artwork, I dunno how well things went.

[Looking at fanart of Cellbit with cat ears]

Fit: Cellbit as a cat? Catboy Cellbit? On my QSMP?

Pac: Mouse told us several times, also Foolish, I have to be a tsunandre, right?* Remember? The... tsunandre? The tsunani–

*[ He means 'tsundere' ]

Fit: Oh, right! Tsu– [Laughs]

Pac: Tsunana? Tsunami.

Fit: Yeah that's– I- I- know what–

Pac: Tsunami, yeah! [Deep voice] Tsunami. I have to get tsunami!

Fit: [Laughs] You have to be tsunami, that's right, you have to be tsunami. [Laughs]

Pac: Yeah, I'm gonna be just like this –

Fit: I can't believe MarijuanaFlippa would do this. Just place bedrock and diamonds everywhere. And eat all of my Funyuns.

Fit: I just hope Ramon is ok. Even if I don't get to see him, as long as he's out there and alive, and he's healthy and he's ok, that is what I want. I just want him to be ok.

Fit: I also want Spreen to finish his fcking house!

Fit: Why would I ever get anything nice? Nah, I'm just the janitor! I am underpaid and underappreciated. Underpaid and underapprecia- [He steps on a warp plate, which warps him inside the Federation] What the fck?

Fit: I'm not supposed to be here. [Laughs] What the fck happened yesterday?

[Seeing the Pac and Mike chairs on Foolish's Titan]

Fit: [Laughs]

[Looking at Foolish's Titan]

Fit: He still hasn't given it a big ass! Ramon wanted it to have a big ass. Foolish, come on, you- you're slacking. Only the best for my son!

Bad: Is that a default... diamond sword?

Etoiles: Yeah! I'm playing default now.

Fit: I see how it is.

Bad: Who are you? Where is Etoiles? [Hits him]

Slimecicle: Wait, I haven't heard- what's the fish story?

Baghera: Oh, ok! So- ok, ok! Ok! So, it's a- it's a fish!

Slimecicle: [Wheezes] Ok- ok?

Pol: Keep going!

Baghera: Yeah

Antoine: Congratulation, Baghera!

Slimecicle: You have a full-on sombrero on!

Cellbit: Ok, ok! I'll take the sombrero off!

[Arguing in very loud whispers]

Fit: [Stares directly at the camera]

???: SHHHHHHHH-

Fit: Yeah, they're not being stealthy about this at all Typing in public chat? [Reading chat] "Just watch from the bars!" "I see Cucurucho!"

[Loud airhorn noise]

Fit: Oh my-

[Tina runs past, completely visible]

Fit: ...Well, this is a shtshow.

[marigoldhospital]

[tragedykery]

“average person misses three signs their crush likes them back (or even signs that they do, in fact, have a crush) a day” factoid is actually just a statistical error. autism georg, also known as wulfert glenn,

[adam-trademark]

On the Right Trail

(October 6, 2023)

[thewales-family]

The Prince of Wales visits the 2023 Earthshot Prize Finalist ENSO, a UK-based tyre startup developed specifically for electric vehicles, in Brentford, England -October 1st 2024.

[henrywinteris]

november be kind

[super-into-on-it]

Louis Seriot

for M Le magazine du Monde | Oct 2023

shot by Jean Marques

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2023: IMPERIAL RADCH by Ann Leckie.

Up next! This came highly recommended by many friends (and also the internet at large when I asked for SFF revenge recs, so thanks!), and I have Tracked Down The Original Covers, so I'm ready to go.

[royalarchivist]

Jaiden: [Reading chat] "How was meeting Roier?" Um, it was good! Like... I think like, I'm sh- I think I was the most shy about- around Roier. [...] Everything was fine, I think it was like– I was just nervous to meet him, you know? [...] But it was great! Roier was great, Quackity was great, everyone was like– genuinely, everyone was fantastic.

Jaiden: One part of the party that made me like, really happy was like, um... Near the end of it, Roier came up to me, and like, patted me on the back and was like, "Jaiden, I'm so happy you're here!" And oh, that made me so– I was like, "Oh my gosh! Yay!" [Laughs] It made me feel so welcome, and- and excited, you know?

Feeling nostalgic about Jaiden's QSMP Brazil trip stories, and her meeting Roier IRL for the first time. 🥲❤️🇧🇷

[ Full Subtitle Transcript ↓ ]

—

Jaiden: [Reading chat] "How was meeting Roier?" Um, it was good! Like... I think like, I'm sh- I think I was the most shy about- around Roier. Because, like... Our, like...

Jaiden: Everything was fine, I think it was like– I was just nervous to meet him, you know? Because we roleplay– roleplayed parents in a Minecraft server, and then the- the- the- the guy died. And then it was like, "Ok, well..."And then we just like, haven't- uh, logged on when each others' on. So it was kind of like... I was excited, but I was also like... definitely nervous, you know? [Laughs] But it was great! Roier was great, Quackity was great, everyone was like– genuinely, everyone was fantastic. [Laughs]

Jaiden: I do remember that night– One- one night that it– one part of the party that made me like, really happy was like, um... Near the end of it, like– Everyone was pretty drunk, and- and like– Roier came up to me, and like, patted me on the back and was like, "Jaiden, I'm so happy you're here!" And oh, that made me so– I was like, "Oh my gosh! Yay!" [Laughs] It made me feel so welcome, and- and excited, you know? Because, like... Uh, I kinda just assume how much people are like... excited to- to meet each other, and me and stuff, but... I was like, "Ohhh."

Jaiden: Like, I- I was sure that like, Roier and I were excited to meet, but I didn't know like, on his end what it was like, you know? So that was like, a nice little confirmation that is like, "Oh, I'm ex– I'm excited to... you know, hang out." You know?

[marigoldhospital]

[ethelgodehel]

🔪Mistress of the Dark🩸

Ethel as Elvira

[2truehearts]

"if i was another soul in another life, would you still love me?" the question you asked was something venti had heard from you before, perhaps in a different tone and different lisp of how you said the word 'love' — but he remembered it as if you'd asked it merely five minutes ago, only to repeat it like how a music box restarts its melody once a turn blended into the other. "of course i would!" he answers in a sing-song pitch, the grin on his face a font of mischief you know all too well. "mind if i offer a cecilia for your thoughts on if you'd do the same?" you chuckle, "i would do the same as well, don't worry sweetheart." the bard clicks his tongue, waving his pointer finger at you, "ah ha—but what if you don't recognize me because i don't look as handsome as i am right now?! or perhaps i become a pla—" "venti!" "—but of course, i am merely speculating the possibilities, my dear!" he lifts your hand with intertwined fingers, smile as wide as the green of mond. "they are endless, are they not? and do they also not have you in it?" your heart skips at the little drift of his words—and he smiles, the tips of teal in his hair—and maybe, just maybe, they're glowing because he means it, not purely because it's casted by the afterglow of sun flickering about his features. a shallow breathe leaves you once it fully sinks in, before another more coherent than the one before spills into the form of a quiet "how?" "well.. let's say you have a beautiful laugh, like the promise of tomorrow first, shall we?" his hand brushes against the apple of your cheek, "no other word makes my mouth as tender as your name—my dear," his fingertips find reverence in your hair, quite and dainty. "you have my heart," he said, "you have all of me." a laugh, a breathless one as if he'd finished soaring through the winds and landed merely inches before you. "does that suffice as an answer to your question, my love?" you don't need to speak—you wouldn't need to, because the way you look at him as if he's the rest of your life and peace hurries to convince him more quickly than any other word both of you know. but perhaps your name would be a close-second, given you are what he finds in every syllable of love and never-ending bliss.

@kisthes 2023.

a/n — this piece is for @i23kazu’s ebg event for october 2023 !! loved writing it 4 my love venti hehehe <;33

[girlfriendpato]

FERRARI 250 LM [1965 LE MANS WINNING CAR]

[thewales-family]

The Princess of Wales visits Nottingham Trent University to learn about the students and staff's mental health support system during the week of World Mental Health Day 2023, in Nottingham, England -October 11th 2023.

[henrywinteris]

october be kind