#Royal Academy Rebels series

[mysticalenclave]

Heroes by Jen Calonita (REVIEW)

Princess Devin Nile didn't come to Royal Academy for fame, glory, or a crown. All she's ever wanted is to be a magical creature caretaker. Just when Devin gets up the courage to ask about following her passion, disaster strikes. ~From Heroes bio

As you can tell, again, Devinaria Nile (yes, that is her full name!) of Cobblestone Creek is saving the day once more. Sadly to her. Great for our entertainment though! She meets Anna, a former villain who doesn't start out as a nice person. Anna is the sister to Gilly (Aka Gillian if we're going by her real name) who is in the series Fairytale Reform School. Gilly is a thief but only because she is trying to help her family, who do not approve of her ways. Gilly goes to Fairytale Reform School once she gets caught for the third time. I have yet to read the series but I got book 1 of the series for free with my Kindle subscription. So far it is very interesting and Heroes makes Gilly meet Devinaria Nile. Apparently, the two met once. But Gilly was the thief, and Devin was the princess. In the start of Fairytale Reform School book 1, Gilly meets a princess and steals from her. And apparently, turns out, Devinaria Nile was THAT princess! Really shocking for me (not really). Anyway, Heroes is a great book. It combines the other series and makes Devin have a happy ending: She can go to a different school but to learn about magical creatures! Her mother at first didn't approve but learned to accept it. I hope you like this review, no I will not have a link here sadly because I am currently very busy and I will update y'all with a link soon! Have a great week!

Love, Mystical Enclave

P.S: We will be reviewing a new series that connects to this series: Fairytale Reform School. Also by Jen Calonita. Anyway, we'll review each book soon!

[plaguedoctorflashwing]

[fandom]

TV Shows

Another big year for that show that hasn't aired since 2020.

Good Omens +20

The Owl House

Stranger Things -2

The Last of Us

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles +15

Our Flag Means Death -3

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir -1

Succession +2

Adventure Time +72

Supernatural -2

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake

Ted Lasso +48

Shadow and Bone +35

The Mandalorian +15

Doctor Who

The Eurovision Song Contest +16

Interview with the Vampire +11

Danny Phantom +12

House of the Dragon -14

Heartstopper -7

The Witcher -12

Wednesday

What We Do in the Shadows -16

Warrior Nun

9-1-1 -7

Hannibal -1

Yellowjackets

Merlin +18

The Sandman -17

Ahsoka

Young Royals +33

Avatar: The Last Airbender -1

Sonic Prime

One Piece

Loki -2

South Park +11

Teen Wolf +20

Lego Monkie Kid +31

The Dragon Prince

Percy Jackson and the Olympians -16

Steven Universe +3

Andor +28

Don't Hug Me I'm Scared

The Bad Batch

Bridgerton -18

Abbott Elementary +50

Ninjago +8

Arcane -44

Obi-Wan Kenobi -33

Breaking Bad -7

My Adventures with Superman

Riverdale +4

The Legend of Vox Machina -2

9-1-1: Lone Star +8

Star Wars: The Clone Wars -14

KinnPorsche -39

Gravity Falls -31

The Untamed -19

The Winchesters

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine +4

The Rookie

House MD

Castlevania

Golden Globes

Game of Thrones -21

Criminal Minds +5

The Academy Awards -14

The Muppets

Outer Banks

Ghosts +18

Daisy Jones & The Six

Star Wars Rebels

The Simpsons +13

Amphibia -61

The Bear

Lockwood & Co.

Willow

Star Trek: The Original Series +1

Love in the Air +11

Inside Job

Community +3

Velma

Better Call Saul -34

Only Friends

Columbo +12

The Grammy Awards

Buffy the Vampire Slayer -17

Gotham -16

The Screen Actors Guild Awards

Phineas and Ferb

My School President

Clone High

Supergirl -56

Moon Knight -84

The Walking Dead

The Sanremo Music Festival

Moonlight Chicken

Black Sails -22

Invader Zim -14

The number in italics indicates how many spots a title moved up or down from the previous year. Bolded titles weren’t on the list last year.

[yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere]

so, alright, here are the movies/MEDIA that make me go *oh shit I'm so bi, omg bisexual panic*

so, alright, here are the MOVIES that make me go *oh shit I'm so bi, omg bisexual panic* (it can be very bi-vibes movies or simply movies that make me feel how very deeply i love being bi, or the ones i just enjoy rewatching-not necessarily with bi/queer representation!) : Red, White & Royal Blue 2023 , The Mummy 1999, The Little Mermaid 2023, The Little Mermaid 1989, Anne Of Green Gables 1985, Anne Of Green Gables:The Sequel 1987, Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story 2000, The Road to El Dorado 2000, Mulan 1998, The Cutting Edge 1992, Ten Inch Hero 2007, Rebel Without A Cause 1955, The Fallout 2021, Better Off Dead 1985, Anastasia 1997, Cinderella 2021, The Idea of You 2024, Rise Of The Guardians 2012, 10 Things I Hate About You 1999, Do Revenge 2022, Charlie’s Angels 2019, Bottoms 2023, Cadet Kelly 2002, Lemonade Mouth 2011, The Little Vampire 2017, John Tucker Must Die 2006, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 2016, The Princess and The Frog 2009, The Addams Family 1991, Addams Family Values 1993, Treasure Planet 2002, Atlantis: The Lost Empire 2001, The Favourite 2018, Challengers 2024, Upgraded 2024, Fallen 2016, The Half Of It 2020, A Biltmore Christmas 2023, Feel The Beat 2020, My Old Ass 2024, Time Cut 2024,(+ will probably keep adding to this soon-ish)

+ edit TV SHOWS that my bi heart loves: One Tree Hill(OTH), Shadow and Bone, Roswell 90s(OG), White Collar, Reign, Mary & George, Heartstopper, Wild Cards, Living for the Dead, Warrior Nun, XO Kitty, Wednesday, Maxton Hall : The World Between Us (2024), Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous(JWCC) & Jurassic World Chaos Theory (JWCT) , Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Dawson's Creek, Vampire Academy 2022, Fallen 2024, Willow, Dickinson, Heartbreak High, Teen Titans, Legacies, TheAddamsFamily(1964-1966), Love Victor, Lockwood&Co, Queer As Folk, The L Word, Shadowhunters, Ginny & Georgia, Get Even (2020), Geek Girl (2024), Agatha All Along,

+ edit BOOKS/ BOOK SERIES that my bi heart absolutely LOVES:

Artemis Fowl Series by Eoin Colfer, Shatter Me Series by Tahereh Mafi, The Folk Of The Air Series by Holly Black, The Diviners Series by Libba Bray, The Devouring Gray Duology by C.L. Herman, GRISHAVERSE books (Six of Crows!!, Shadow and Bone, King of Scars-3 mini series) by Leigh Bardugo , This Woven Kingdom Series by Tahereh Mafi , Fallen Series by Lauren Kate, Elixir Series by Hilary Duff, The Cemetery Of Forgotten Books Series by C. R. Zafón, The Keys To The Kingdom Series by Garth Nix, Infinity Cycle Series by Adam Silvera, Anne Of Green Gables Series by L. M. Montgomery, Bloodlines Series & Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead, An Ember In The Ashes Series by Sabaa Tahir, The Selection Series by Kiera Cass + STANDALONES Lauren Kate-Unforgiven (standalone book in my opinion), Eoin Colfer- Airman, David Nicholls- One Day, Gayle Forman-Just One- Day & Year & Night (mini series), Vanessa Len-Only a Monster (mini series here too), Adam Silvera- History Is All You Left Me, Adam Silvera- They Both Die At The End , Adam Silvera- The First To Die At The End, Becky Albertalli-Imogen,Obviously, Mason Deaver- I Wish You All The Best(+short novella here!), Casey McQuiston-Red, White & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston- The Pairing, Casey McQuiston-I Kissed Shara Wheeler, Casey McQuiston-One Last Stop, Aaron H Aceves-This Is Why They Hate Us, Wen-yi Lee- The Dark We Know, Mason Deaver-The Feeling Of Falling In Love, Sophie Gonzales-The Law Of Inertia, H.E.Edgmon-The Witch King & The Fae Keeper (duology!) , H.E.Edgmon-Godly Heathens & Merciless Saviors (mini series here!) , Carlos Ruiz Zafón- The Midnight Palace, Isabel Abedi- Whisper Haunted House, Francis Scott Fitzgerald- The Love Of Last Tycoon, Leo Tolstoy- Anna Karenina, S. E. Hinton- The Outsiders, Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera-Here's to Us & What If It's Us (duology), Page Powars- The Borrow a Boyfriend Club,(will keep adding here probably!)

BOOKS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BISEXUAL HISTORY & ACTIVISM:https://www.tumblr.com/ruimtetijd/686000390089621504/list-of-books-about-bi-history-and-activism-from

+ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q--nIkJu0OS0BgiyZmdKVwOVg1G90SFzWijNDWFTt58/edit#heading=h.wqkaxpi7o5je

+about THE MUSIC:

love you all, we need MORE bisexuality in media!!

+some links:

The Bisexual Flag, its meaning and history!:https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/762664140472008704?source=share + Lani Kaʻahumanu talking about how bisexuals have ALWAYS been around!:https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/762663819491328000?source=share

.https://anythingthatmovesarchive.carrd.co/ &https://anythingthatmovesarchive.carrd.co/#scans &https://anythingthatmovesarchive.carrd.co/#about

also i recommend this podcast ‘A Little Queer Podcast’ by two incredible bisexual people Capri Campeau and Ashley Whitfield. episode linked here, ‘Debunking Bisexual Myths and Stereotypes’ :https://open.spotify.com/episode/3wcP8HBIY0IyVxROjpZPNg?si=TIHDv-eFQi-mdsCS6zKzNA (all covered here for real!) +also check ‘A Bit Fruity Podcast’ by Matt Bernstein (very educating one!!)

THIS song (bi bi bi THIS IS OUR SONG!!) by Sub-Radio (the lead vocalist Adam Bradley is bisexual♥) :https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/765512527066087424?source=share &https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/765512891127480320?source=share + THIS BAND SINGING THE BLACK PARADE but make it ever more queer pride parade♥ :https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/765565710891155456?source=share &https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/765565917201612800?source=share (you’re scaring Ron you’re scaring Rooonn) + an awakening with HSM(?) :https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/765565797378719744/mndvx-subradioband-happy-pride-yal-anyone?source=share

(+IMPORTANT) (Nov,2023)-A Bit Fruity Podcast (created by Matt Bernstein (gay American Jewish man) Ep with Moe Dabbagh, a gay Palestinian American with family currently in Gaza. ‘Queers for Palestine & The Power of Pinkwashing’. Palestine has been occupied for more than 76 years now, since 1948 year. This ep gives you a LOT of information, especially if you are one of the people who can’t see right through the propaganda; or the ones who go ‘well if you’re gay then go to Gaza and see how that goes for you’. Queer Liberation is a liberation of Palestinian people. We can’t have one without the other. Free Palestine. Free all the people that are not yet free. This is where we start!! Ep on youtube :https://youtu.be/Xsgdk-DDSXc on spotify :https://open.spotify.com/episode/62WOjKJYih6lhuisP8tmZH?si=soRArGs1QeWqEzEaiSVlUg on iheartcom:https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-a-bit-fruity-with-matt-ber-117844074/episode/queer-palestinians-the-power-of-129612460/(keep learning & keep showing up!)

!!.http://alqaws.org/siteEn/index & https://queersinpalestine.noblogs.org/ + https://www.instagram.com/queersinpalestine/

[corazondebeskar-reads]

Fic Recs - Din Djarin

Fic recs featuring Din Djarin as a main character.

Key: 🏴 = dark, 💕 = fluff, ⛓ = rough/bdsm elements, 💀 = dead dove do not eat

Mind the warnings, and please read responsibly. you control your own media consumption.

dividers by @saradika-graphics

All Fic Recs | Star Wars Fic Recs

Series

Best Kept Secret by @lincolndjarin (complete)

summary: Married off to a prince on a planet that you hate? New husband doesn't know you, and doesn't want to know you? New husband gifts you a personal Mandalorian body guard as a wedding present? Mandalorian is a wiseass who won't leave you alone? Lucky you.

Significant (original) and Offer (prequel) by @softlyspector

summary: Din has been calling you riduur for months. You finally find out what it means, and get a little more than you bargained for.

unearthed by @grippingbeskar (ongoing)

summary: you are the new leader of your planet, but you lack an army. lucky for you, a new king has also recently ascended the throne. does anyone smell a royal wedding???

Something More Series by @amiedala (ongoing)

summary: Meeting the Mandalorian was like colliding into the rest of your life at a moment’s notice. Like oh, there you are. It was both jarring and familiar at the same time, like stepping into a minute with no intentions and stepping out of it in deja-vu. You had always been told you made too much out of everything, that you blew up every circumstance to fit some kind of grand destiny, some huge significance. If anyone asked, you’d swear up and down this was different. It was different. The Mandalorian sweeping you off your feet and out of your back alley haunts and narrow escapes was something kismet. Something cosmic. Something more.

🏴 apotheosis by @beskarandblasters

summary: Din Djarin is a force-sensitive bounty hunter, working for the remnants of the Empire. He's on the hunt for you, an ex-rebel spy who has key information; the location where Luke Skywalker is building his Jedi training academy. But when you're captured, you're not going to give up the location easily. Din will have to utilize “alternative methods” to turn you over to the dark side.

One Shots

River by @psychedelic-ink

summary: din likes it when you cry for him.

Leading Blindly by @pascalispretty

summary: A young Mandalorian seeks relief for the first time at a Canto Bight brothel.

🏴⛓ hunted by @clareguilty (one shot)

summary: you are captured by the Mandalorian

⛓ kinktober 2023 - day 3: spanking by @darthglitterfanfiction (one shot)

summary: brat reader ft. restraints and spanking

⛓ acting out by @cool-iguana (one shot)

summary: You thought it would be fun to tease Din on the comm link while he was hunting for a bounty, expecting it not to take too long. But it takes longer than you thought - and it turns out your distractions were partly why it took so long. Mando’s back now though, and he’s not happy…

Kinktober Day 9 - Gloryhole by @softpascalito

summary: Din just wants some quick pleasure. You just want to enjoy your job for once. Both of you get more than you bargained for.

pain for pleasure by @spacegay-official

summary: (aka "Din Djarin has a piercing kink send tweet")

A Good Friend to Have & Back for More by @beskarandblasters (& her boyfriend David)

summary: You and your friend work at a brothel on Coruscant, while work is slow she reveals that she owes a debt to a loan shark who is willing to pay out a bounty to anyone who brings her in. When a Mandalorian shows up at the brothel you do everything you can think of to distract the bounty hunter and buy her time to escape.

oral fixation by @beskarandblasters

summary: Din eats pussy for the first time.

[I can't believe I don't have any?? pls rec me your faves]

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday actor Bill Paterson, born on June 3rd 1945 in Glasgow.

Paterson was destined at first for a career as a quantity surveyor, before he rebelled and enrolled at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama; and soon after he graduated, while he was working at the Citizens’, he became closely involved with the brilliant generation of theatre-makers – including Billy Connolly, Alex Norton, John Bett, Kenny Ireland, John Byrne and John McGrath – who would soon go on to create the Great Northern Welly Boot Show of 1972, and to found the legendary radical touring company 7:84 Scotland.

Paterson shot to national fame in Scotland in 1973, when he created the unforgettable role of Glasgow wide-boy property developer McChuckemup, in 7:84’s unforgettable opening show, The Cheviot, The Stag, And The Black, Black Oil. Then in 1977, he starred in John Byrne’s first play Writer’s Cramp as the improbable hero, Paisley poet Francis Seneca McDade; and after the play transferred to London, quickly developed a successful stage and screen career there, playing the Good Soldier Schewyk in a memorable 1982 production at the National Theatre, and winning roles in films ranging from Bill Forsyth’s Comfort And Joy to The Killing Fields and Truly Madly Deeply. He has appeared in countless television series and radio plays, and published a book of stories based on his Glasgow childhood, Tales From The Back Green; and in 2015, he made a triumphant return to the Scottish stage when he appeared with Brian Cox in the Lyceum Theatre Company’s superb 50th anniversary production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot.

Motre recently we have seen Bill appear on the small screen in the comedy Fleabag and in Outlander. In 219 he starred in the blac comedy Guilt, set in Edinburgh.

Bill recently voiced the TV movie called A Bear Named Wojtek, it’s the story of the famous bear adopted by Polish soldiers during World War, he ended up in Edinburgh Zoo after the war. I have still to watch it, hopefully will get round to it soon. He was also in the Gameof Thrones prequal House of the Dragon

In 2015, Bill Paterson won a lifetime achievement award for his Outstanding Contribution to Film & Television in the Scottish BAFTA awards to add to his BAFTA Scotland gong for best actor in The Crow Road.

[oleanderedits]

Summary:

Recordings of meetings, encounters, and conversations pertaining to then-Rebel Agent Luke Skywalker's contributions during his 'official' time as a Civilian Consultant on Rebel Activities while stationed on the Devastator and Executor prior to his relocation to the Imperial Palace to attend the Royal Academy of Corsucant; collected and annotated by Commander Difas Ador, Imperial Naval Intelligence. (In-world documentation of Luke Skywalker's not-so-secret attempts to alert the Alliance to his still-living and semi-captive status, return to them, and/or have them come to his rescue... and eventual discovery of the unsettling news that rescue was unlikely to be the reason they'd come for him)

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: Gen

Fandoms: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars (Marvel Comics), Star Wars Legends - All Media Types

Relationship: Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader

Characters: Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader, Original Characters

Additional Tags: Fallen!Luke AU, Rebel to Imperial!Luke AU, Imperial Luke Skywalker, Transcript Format, In-world propaganda, Unreliable Narrator, in-world bias, in-world media format, Implied/referenced non-consensual body modification, Father-Son Relationship, anti-rebellion sentiments, biased reporting, Blind Character, mute character, Disabled Character, non-linear storytelling, anger issues, Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, canon-typical glossing over of violence

The next part of my series, Imperial Trash, is going up. I'm thinking it'll be 3-4 chapters, but not committing to anything.

[charasthetics]

Masterlist

This feels more like a Masterlist of my random hyperfixations throughout the years

A - B - C - D - G - H - I - J - M - O - P - S - V - Z

The’s

A’s

A Boy and His Dog At the End of the World

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Aladdin

Atlantis

Avalon High

Avatar the Last Airbender

B’s

Brave

Brooklyn 99

Brother Bear

C’s

Caraval

Carry On Series

Chronicles of Narnia

Cinderella

Coco

Cosmere

Cursed Princess Club

D’s

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

DC Universe

Descendants

Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady With the Lamp

Dragon Age

G’s

Gallagher Girls

Game of Thrones

Gifted

Girl vs World

Gossip Girl

Gravity Falls

H’s

Haikyuu

Happy Death Day

Harry Potter Series

Heathers

Heist Society

Heroes (TV Show)

Holly Black Books

Hooky

Humans

Hunchback of Notre Dame

I’s

Itaewon Class

J’s

James Bond Movies

Jumanji

M’s

Marvel

Meteor Garden

Moana

Mulan

My Hero Academia

My Little Pony

Mythology

O’s

One Last God Kubera

Overwatch

P’s

Parks and Rec

Peter Pan

Princess and the Frog

Pocahontas

S’s

Sarah J Maas Books

Sherlock

Six of Crows

Sleeping Beauty

Snow White

Splintered

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

Supernatural

V’s

Vampire Diaries

Voltron

Z’s

Zootopia

The’s

The Addams Family

The Black Stallion

The Butcher of the Forest

The Good Place

The Greatest Showman

The Little Mermaid

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

The Night Circus

The Poppy War

The Raven Boys

The Selection

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Frozen

X - X - X

Keeper of the Lost Cities

X

Legally Blonde

X

Legend of Korra

X - X

Lilo & Stitch

X

Lord of the Rings

X

My Hero Academia

X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X

Rebel Belle

X - X - X - X - X - X

Rick Riordan Mythology Series

X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X

Riverdale

X - X - X - X - X

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

X - X - X - X - X

The Magnus Archives

X - X - X - X

The Martian

X - X - X - X

The Poppy War

X - X - X - X - X

The Umbrella Academy

X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X - X

Wicked

X

[kyuohki]

⭐!

Okay, so this is for the Wilted Flower for a Broken Pet, in my technically!Anon series "To Be Remade" (the Barma'thazël/Zale smut fic that grew plot). Bc this story is now my fav thing I've written so far.

So...Keeper Anthea sort of dug into my brain and wouldn't let go until I wrote her backstory, as well as how she reacted to the broken Zale.

Anthea is constantly referred to as a weak Crescent Blessed in the fic…but that is technically not true. She is weak at healing and protective magic, but had she gotten the chance to be trained as a Warrior, she would have been a formidable mage and fighter. She probably might have even been able to fight back against Barma'thazël more effectively (and possibly could've fled with Zale somehow). Her primary magic would've been ice-based and she probably would've used dual knives.

Nearly all the Zale sections are expansions of before and after what I hinted at on the fourth segment of Chapter 8 in Break Point. I essentially wanted to go in more depth of Zale's brokenness, but not while in his head. At this point Keeper sort of reared up and demanded a name and story.

I also didn't get too in depth on it, but here's the worldbuilding I had notes for on Anthea's world, and how Warriors were reduced to courtesans:

In other dimensions, there are Solstice Warriors who have ascended into the Guardian Gods, but I like to think Zale and Valere are the only ones who have protected two dimensions. Because of this, they are more powerful than other Ascended. I ran with the idea that as time goes on, especially in times of peace, the stories surrounding the Guardian Gods becomes warped. In Anthea’s world/dimension, they have lost the knowledge that it is a Solstice Warrior that becomes a Guardian God, and to them, Solen and Luana have always been deities (some of this was due to propaganda to twist the Warriors into mere Blessed/Flowers in order to control them).

Anthea's world didn't have the extreme flooding that we see in game, and much of what we observed that was underwater is accessible. There are various kingdoms that take up a lot of the land, and Anthea's Kingdom took up the area that is Mooncradle (tho sans the floating academy). Instead of a small village that trained Solstice Warriors, Mooncradle grew into a country of its own that the Warriors hailed from (but didn't really consider themselves citizens of, as their primary concern was the world and Dwellers), and gave aid to other lands.

When two Warriors ascended to be Solen and Luana, and left to save other worlds, the world celebrated...but as time went on and the Warriors continued to move about the kingdoms giving aid, people started getting uncomfortable with these powerful mages "infiltrating" their lands. Now that the threat of Dwellers was gone, the pervading thought was that Mooncradle was dispersing their "weapons" out to spy on, then conquer, other kingdoms.

It came to a head when one of the nations captured and killed a couple of Solstice Warriors over a misunderstanding, which snowballed into a War that ended with many Solstice Warriors dead, and Mooncradle had become even more powerful with both alliances and conquering/absorbing other kingdoms into their own during the War.

Now, Mooncradle *did* have a royal family that had lusted over the power and beauty of the Solstice born, and managed to propaganda the hell out of their people and their neighboring allies that the Solstice Warriors had been acting on their own. With careful planning, and as nearly all of the vetran Warriors had been killed, they managed to corral all the Solstice Born kids and students into their first Garden. Any of the older Solstice born who rebelled against being made into courtesans were killed, and the young ones were trained and indoctrinated into their new roles, with no training on how to use their magics offensively (pushing the idea that the offensive abilities were lost when the last Dweller was destroyed, leaving only healing and light tricks). Mooncradle eventually managed to steal away anyone with even a hint of Moon or Sun power to their Royal Garden (Gardens became a common term for high end Brothels, based on the Royal Gardens). It got to the point that they were even smuggling the Solstice born out of the other kingdoms, leading the world to start believing that those magic users were dying out (and they never really questioned it bc there were no Dwellers to fight anymore).

Any children born in the Garden were carefully conceived during the year to have the highest chance at being born on a solstice (the reason Bloomings were planned the way they were). Any Flower that becomes pregnant where the birth would land outside those days were given drugs to abort the pregnancy. Those born that still missed the day were taken and either given to the sire’s family (as they were bastards, usually they became servants, but occasionally were inducted into the family line), or they were distributed out to the Gardens in the capital to be turned into higher class prostitutes (their selling point, unfortunately, was the fact they were born in the Royal Garden. I don't go into it in the fic, bc it was already getting so damn long, but those Capital Gardens are shut down and the Flowers in them were freed. All were given the opportunity to learn in the Royal Garden like the Solstice Born, to give them a chance at a better life.)

It goes without saying that any male Solstice Born in the Gardens (Royal or not) were made into eunuchs, so they could still be used as courtesans (for men and women of the Court and Royal family).

[anarchistbakery-vtubers]

Sent away to an all boys boarding school, Prince Aiden Bonedarte so desperately wishes to enjoy their newfound freedom. At last they have an opportunity to divulge themselves in their deepest darkest secret thanks to the privacy having their own room would afford them. Unfortunate for them, their single room had been converted into a double last minute and now they must share their living space with another boy

https://www.scribblehub.com/series/708771/the-prince-and-the-rebel-of-the-royal-academy/

[mysticalenclave]

Misfits by Jen Calontia is a fantasy book where Devin Nile goes to Royal Academy. She hates it. Devin is a princess who can talk to animals. She soon makes friends. At the end, she gets banished. I won't spoil the book but this was an amazing book! I got this for free on Kindle with my subscription and it was a good read. I recommend it for all people who love fantasy and princesses!

[umwmun-blog]

The Foolish Fatherland

Domestic Affairs

The Banda Oriental, now named Uruguay, has democratized and instituted universal suffrage. José Gervasio Artigas, already a national hero, has been elected the first president of Uruguay.

Meanwhile, in Chile, General Bernardo O'Higgins has followed in the footsteps of Iturbide by ordering the killing of all royalists in the country. Over the course of a bloody week, thousands of pro-Spanish Chileans are butchered at the hands of the pro-independence forces.

In Venezuela, Simón Bolívar has announced the beginning of the "Great Jump Forward," a major military expansion, involving mass recruitment of soldiers. Calling upon people from all walks of life; slaves, peasants, students, etc. into new "Revolutionary Guard" militias. After their organization, on the road to the New Granada frontline, they engage in "struggle campaigns", killing planters, destroying plantations and freeing slaves. Furthermore, a new military academy has opened in Venezuela for the patriot forces to recruit officers from. A Specter is Haunting the Americas

After abolishing slavery, remaking plantations into state-ran farms, and killing former plantation owners, New Spain has been renamed "The People's Republic of the Americas," and a new society centered around communal living and the worker ownership of the means of production has been established. Strangely, amidst all of this change, Iturbide himself has not been seen publicly recently, and all his correspondence is handled through his secretary.

Purchasing weapons from the Chinese, Iturbide expands his army, with many freed slaves enlisting. Likewise, using money from gold, a great fleet is being constructed, with the sailors being trained by the Ottoman Navy.

Cocaine is now all the rage amongst the bourgeois of both the Americas and Europe, and as The People's Republic of the Americas has a monopoly on the trade, all money is going straight to Mexico City.

Little Burr in Big Trouble

Incensed by the impressment of American sailors into the Royal Navy, the United States of America has signed an alliance with Napoleon Bonaparte and declared war on Great Britain.

This news takes a while to travel to the American frontier, where Aaron Burr, with visions of gold dancing in his head, has taken an army of mutinous American soldiers across the border into The People's Republic of the Americas. The government in Washington has no choice but to retroactively approve the illegal and unprovoked invasion, but there is nothing they can really do about it, because tens of thousands of redcoats are streaming up the Chesapeake Bay.

The Desolation of Ferdinand The loyalists and patriots come head to head in New Granada. Following the royalist withdrawal from much of the territory, the rebels have struggled to keep a hold of the colony, as effective loyalist propaganda, alongside patriot alienation has led to many of the wealthy and the traditionalists siding with the royalists, and the patriots find themselves fighting the people they are trying to liberate. The patriots, a massive force under Antonio Nariño awaiting reinforcements from Bolivar, are ambushed at Villa de Leyva by Venegas, informed by royalist spies. Espionage warfare has raged in the camps of both armies and the public at large. Venegas could not follow up on his victory, as he was poisoned by rebel spies, and has died. The Spanish crown as assumed military control of the Granadan frontline. The Spanish counterattack has been met in the field by Nariño and Bolivar, who now form a united force. Tens of thousands have died in a brutal series of engagements. The outcome remains undecided so far, but the situation can tip at any moment.

Battle of Santa Fe

De Liniers makes up his mind, and before Artigas can extract his army from Santa Fe and escape to Uruguay, it is caught by the royalist forces and takes a heavy beating. A last-ditch counterattack allows Artigas and some of his forces to escape, but de Liniers has won a crushing victory, and now can turn his attention to San Martin in Buenos Aires.

[scotianostra]

Happy 64th Birthday Brian Alexander "B. A." Robertson, born September 12th 1956.

Robertson was born and raised in Glasgow attending the former Allan Glen's School, Glasgow,[and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama. He recorded his first album "Wringing Applause", for Ardent Records in 1973. It enjoyed modest critical acclaim, and a nomination in Down Beat Magazine's year end poll. He made four further albums, but had little commercial success.

During these years, he combined his career as an artist in a writing and production partnership with bassist Herbie Flowers. BA wrote and produced with Herbie, and worked with an eclectic crowd, including Lionel Bart, Joe Brown, Jim Cregan, Ray Cooper, Micky Dolenz, Gillian Gregory, Georg Kajanus, Harry Nilsson, Phil Pickett, Annie Ross, Sandie Shaw, and Chris Spedding.

He made his first television appearance with Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel (1976), played piano on the B side of "Come Up And See Me Make Me Smile".

Before finding fame in his own right B A teamed up with guitarist Terry Britten and wrote over 20 worldwide hits, the pick of them for Cliff Richard, the songs Carrie and Wired for Sound, the latter was nominated Ivor Novello Song of the Year in 1981.

It was around the same time his singing career took off. He enjoyed chart success in Europe, with six hit singles as an artist. The first, "Bang Bang", achieved sales over 1 million, the last Flight 19, in 1982, a #1 in Iceland! This track inspired a ground breaking music video directed by Brian Grant. BA was nominated Ivor Novello Songwriter of the Year 1980, UK Male Vocalist, Daily Mirror Rock & Pop Awards 1980, JVC Scottish Musician of the Year 1982. He recorded with Maggie Bell in 1982, Frida from Abba, 83, and Lulu in 84.

As well as appearing in concert, he also featured on radio and television. Was a frequent guest broadcaster for the BBC, from 1980 to 1985. Hosted his own music series "BA In Music". In 1986 he was commissioned to compose the music for The Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. He has written more than 30 themes, songs, and scores, for film, television and special events. These include "The Other Side of The World" by Chaka Khan for the motion picture "White Nights", music for one of the UK's longest running talk shows "Wogan", and "We Have A Dream" for Scotland's World Cup Football Squad of 1982.

Throughout the 80's and 90's he continued to write and work in the studio with another diverse group, including Sam Brown, Roger Daltrey, Lonnie Donegan, Dave Edmunds, Bernard Edwards, Peter Frampton, Alan Gorrie, John Jarvis, Maz + Kilgore, Joe Sample, Helena Springs, and Andy Taylor (Duran Duran).

He met Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford in 1985, and began a second long term writing collaboration. He introduced Paul Carrack to the embryo Mike & The Mechanics. As writer and musician, he featured on six of their studio albums. Wrote their first hit single "Silent Running", Billboard's number 1 Rock Song of 1986, and the international success, "The Living Years". This most celebrated of his lyrics written when his father died twelve weeks before the birth of his son.

At the 1990 Grammy Awards, "The Living Years" had four nominations, including Song of the Year. BA was pipped for the statuettes by good friend Arif Mardin and "The Wind Beneath My Wings". In London, at The Ivor Novellos, 'The Living Years' topped 1991 Grammy winner "Another Day in Paradise" for Best Song.

He was invited to set up offices at The Walt Disney Studio, by Michael Eisner, and Jeffrey Katzenburg. BA moved with his family to Los Angeles. He remained a feature on the lot for over three years. Was Creator, and Producer of Grammy nominated, multi-platinum, music video, "Simply Mad About The Mouse". Artists include Harry Connick Jnr., LL Cool J., Billy Joel, and Bobby McFerrin.

1991 saw "Silent Running" and "The Living Years", awarded "MillionAir" status by BMI, for more than one million broadcast performances in the US. "Silent Running" has now reached almost three million plays, and 'The Living Years' over four.

From 1993 through 1995, he put together, "With Your Hand on My Heart" for Patti LaBelle and Michael Crawford. Michael's album had a double Grammy nomination and world wide sales of more than 2 million. Wrote music for "Baywatch", the world's most popular television show and collaborated on a musical with Burt Bacharach.

He continued to work with Mike & The Mechanics, had six songs in the "Beggar On A Beach of Gold" project including the title song, and another six on their, multi-platinum CD, "Hits". He worked as writer, and musical associate to Phil Ramone on the stage production "EFX”, at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. The opening song "Somewhere in Time”, a collaboration with John Barry.

For the past 20 years or so Robertson has lived in Ireland, continually working on various projects he is still in high demand, Over the years, B A has accumulated more than 70 silver, gold, and platinum record awards. He lives with his wife, designer Karen Manners, they have two adult children.

I've chosen this song because it is my favourite Scottish World goal offering, remember, if you are old enough, four years previously, Andy Cameron proclaimed, We're Going to WIN the world Cup, by the time 1982 came B A Robertson knew that it was a dream. Oh I must add, the last World Cup Scotland was in 1998, and the much more realistic song was by Del Amitri, and calle Don't come home too soon, which as always we did, failing to get beyond the first stages yet again

[dankusner]

Early meme adopters might recognize Gustave Courbet’s supercharged self-portrait The Desperate Man (1843-45) from the rounds it made on Facebook circa the early 2010s, just before viral media grew into a full-fledged meme movement.

Although the Desperate Man meme experienced somewhat of a renaissance amidst pandemic-era anxieties, it has yet to take off in the same manner as peers of the same age, like Grumpy Cat and Doge.

But, there are layers of drama behind The Desperate Man.

The meme that arose from Courbet’s youthful visage may yet have another 15 minutes of life after all.

Long before actor Peter Adam Rebadomia reenacted the artwork, or an Instagram comedian photoshopped Timothée Chalamet in Courbet’s place, those familiar with the Desperate Man meme format will recall that the painting was available on early image generators like Imgflip.

There, meme-makers can still access Courbet’s dramatically lit, vexed face—crowned with hair-wringing hands—and add their own text atop.

The meme’s captions thus far typically interpret the artwork’s tenor as one of terror, describing contempoirary problems like forgetting your cell phone or leaving the iron on.

In Spring 2020, one student made a widely circulated edition of the Desperate Man meme around the prospect of missing a Zoom appointment.

Florida State University dispersed her work across social media as part of an an ongoing art meme series.

Courbet began painting The Desperate Man at age 24, after a string of rejections from the Paris Salon left him questioning Romanticism.

The work participates in the “expressive head” tradition, an academic exercise from the 17th century where an artist envisions themself as a mad genius.

Reflecting on the practice, artist once said ”How I was made to suffer despair in my youth!” and the work itself is evidence of how the eventual social realist artist was often at odds with himself.

It also somewhat satirizes the Romantic mindset’s emotional frenzy.

While Courbet himself was said to have loved this self portrait so much that he traveled with it, the original work of oil on canvas disappeared in 1978, following a Courbet retrospective at the Royal Academy.

In 2006, London’s National Gallery organized “Rebels and Martyrs,” an exhibition exploring self-portraits by tortured art superstars like Vincent Van Gogh and Eugene Delacroix.

One week before the show opened, The Guardian reported, an art advisor from BNP Paribas contacted curator Lois Oliver alleging “a client had seen publicity for the exhibition and wanted to offer a painting as a loan.”

That painting turned out to be Courbet’s fabled self-portrait.

Why does The Desperate Man repeatedly resonate with masses to this day? For some, the work is a compelling symbol of madness. For others, it perfectly embodies male self importance. A few viewers even note that Courbet bears a striking resemblance to Johnny Depp. The work featured in a TikTok trend that made rounds last year, based on a UQuiz telling users whether they’re a soldier, poet, or king. Poets were greeted with Courbet’s timeless visage, proving the staying power of the famed artwork.

[friendly-neighbourhood-librarian]

Palace of Stone - Shannon Hale

The sequel to Princess Academy picks up with Miri and the other girls being invited to stay at the palace to help the soon-to-be princess Britta prepare for her wedding. Miri is especially excited to be given the opportunity to study at the university and bring that knowledge back to her little school in their mountain village.

The world beyond the mountain turns out to be so much more complicated than she imagined. Before long, Miri is caught between a group of rebels advocating for the lower classes and her friend who is about to marry into a royal family that doesn't seem to care about the common people at all. She believes in the rebellion's cause, but she doesn't want Britta to get hurt as a result of their protests. Surely Miri can find a better way to satisfy both sides . . . ?

The importance of education continues to be a central theme in this series. I am really impressed with how Hale has managed to take a complex and nuanced issue and presented it in a way that kids can understand and grapple with the core problems and ideas, without dumbing it down or simplifying the nuance away. I am very excited to see where the third book is going to go!

Princess Academy series: Princess Academy | Palace of Stone | The Forgotten Sisters