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owlsandwich · 1 year ago

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Haven't posted any of my own writing in a while, so here's a chapter from Darkness :) (Chapter 10)

This is my fun project, so it isn't rigorously edited - I'm trying to lean into writing for the joy again instead of my perfectionism blocking me!

***

The city squatted against the coastline; a salty tang permeating the air as their walk carried them closer. Pavement ran the line of the beach, with a rusty metal barrier separating it from the shallow slope of shingle on the other side. In the distance beyond, a heaving mass of inky sea roared in the darkness.

A walk. Julian hadn’t any purpose other than to get out of the house. Even Oren’s silence was preferable to the ominous presence of his discussion with Rowan. The weight of his duty shelved in that rundown kitchen.

Lost in his thoughts, it was a few steps before Julian noticed Oren had stopped.

“This is where they found me.” Oren’s words were almost lost under the rumble of a wave. He leant against the bars of the fence, gaze fixed on the darkness beyond.

“I know.” Julian replied. He scanned Oren’s face for a response, but he didn’t look surprised. His father had called him to his office the day that Hardin phoned. A lightborn had awakened; all the signs that the guardian was privy to confirmed it. But it was someone else. Not the expected successor, but someone new. Unwatched. Untrained. “They sent me to confirm it.” Julian continued, and Oren shivered, pulling his jacket tightly around him.

Julian was satisfied to see that it was the pale-grey one he’d picked out. It shone almost white in the darkness; a tiny spark of light against the eternal horizon. The scene seemed a reflection of that first glimpse of him. Expectations and fear transformed into curiosity in a moment. Not the legendary terror from his childhood stories, but a quiet, gentle young man. Death and destruction somehow contained within the body of this fragile creature standing alone by the sea.

“I should have guessed you were watching,” said Oren. “I suppose my parents think I’m dead?”

“Your parents?” Julian blinked. He hadn’t considered that Oren might have living family. They had taken care of the issue years ago for the expected light-born; couldn’t have any extraneous connections risking Hardin’s control of the situation. Any relationships they hadn’t planned for would be problematic. “I- I have no idea.”

His surprise must have shown, because Oren gave him a half smile. “No need to look so worried. I doubt they’ll care. Unless they can come after you for financial compensation.”

“That’s not... The information I was given is that you were alone, with no external links beyond Hardin’s group.”

This time, Oren laughed, a hollow sound containing no humor. “That’s a polite way to put it. I ran away.”

“You lived with them?” An unpleasant feeling settled in Julian’s stomach, but Oren narrowed his eyes.

“I’m not a child, Julian.” He turned away and sighed.

Julian waited, unsure whether he would go on. Despite all the time they had spent together, Oren never volunteered conversation easily. Always a fight or a challenge. This delicate truce was so fragile, and Julian suddenly realised how desperate he was to keep hold of it. A moment too precious to risk with a misplaced word.

“They agreed to let me go to university.” Oren said. The salt spray had plastered his hair to his face, his cheeks damp from the mist. “It might at least turn me into something useful. I guess I was lucky that there was one close enough for them to monitor my behaviour, or they wouldn’t have considered it.”

“Useful!” Julian tilted his head in disbelief. Did those humans truly not realise what they’d had?

“Accounting.” Oren smiled when Julian continued to stare. “I’d have thought you, of all people, would see the value in it.”

“You’re not wrong.” Julian settled against the railing beside Oren, paint chipping as he rested his arms on the metal. “I just didn’t expect it from someone like you.”

Oren shrugged. “I like spreadsheets.”

A noisy silence stretched between them again, filled by the waves and wind and the hum of traffic. A group of teenagers shrieked laughter from the other side of the road. They headed away, towards a distant row of leisure establishments that spilled light and pounding music into the night. Oren picked at his fingers as he watched them go.

“What happened?” Julian asked softly.

“I graduated and came home. They said it made sense for me to do work for Dad. Help with the business in exchange for food and a roof over my head. Seemed fair enough. “ He spoke brightly, but Julian noticed he wouldn’t meet his eyes. “It must have been two years before I got the email. Someone from uni. The company they worked for was looking for staff and they thought I might be interested. I don’t even know why they remembered me...”

The story felt disjointed and rusty, and Julian wondered if it was the first time he’d told it. The idea of the lightborn doing something as ordinary as studying, working, living; it seemed almost ludicrous.

“I told myself there was no harm in trying.” Oren continued. “I didn’t tell my parents, but they caught me sneaking back from the interview anyway. It was-“ His voice hitched. “I begged them to let me do both. Work for them in the evenings while I saved up enough to move out. I thought they’d understand.”

Julian’s grip tightened on the railing. “They didn’t want you to leave?”

Oren shook his head. “My mother called me selfish. A liar. She said that I’d been conspiring against them after everything they’d done for me and if I wanted to leave home that badly, I should get out now.” He was staring at nothing, eyes unseeing. The words spilled out of him in a torrent. “I don’t really remember what happened. Dad was shouting. I was trapped. It was so loud. Pressure in my head. This heat in my chest, burning and building. Then there was light. So bright. I couldn’t see. I just ran.”

Oren was shaking, and Julian heard his breath coming in short gasps. Without thinking, he reached out to place a steadying hand on his shoulder. At the touch, Oren flinched back.

“I’m sorry.” Julian held his palms out in a gesture of peace as Oren looked at him, wide-eyed.

“I- No... I’m being stupid.” Oren pushed himself up straight. He thrust his hands into his pockets as though it would hide the tremble.

“It’s cold.” Julian offered. “There’s no need to linger here any longer than you wish to.”

“I don’t wish to.” Oren spat the words towards the sea and Julian guessed whether the wet on his cheeks didn’t have some other source than the waves.

“Come, then.”

The seaside path continued down in the direction the teenagers had headed. Colourful lights hung like bunting here; a gaudy rainbow welcoming patrons to the entertainment district. Across the road, amusement arcades were packed between hotels whose signs peeled even as their rooms stayed full. For as long as Julian could remember, beaches had always drawn humans for leisure. Perhaps they should have gone back instead. To whatever currently amounted to a home. But instinct drew him towards the light and sound, as though the hum of life would chase away the lonely pain he’d heard in Oren’s voice.

“I didn’t hurt them.” Oren mumbled. “My magic... I don’t think it can, you know?” He stopped as they reached a set of traffic lights, where a crowd of humans huddled, waiting for the sign to cross.

“No. I’ve never heard of light magic harming humans.” Julian replied. The signal turned green, and he watched as the group crossed. Oren couldn’t hurt them. Even as he was now, with the volunteers he’d never have to. He could walk in daylight. Find a place amongst them. If he let Oren go now... Told Rowan he was dead...

But he couldn’t. Oren couldn’t be trusted to hide what he was, not if he knew the truth. Not even if he knew the entire court wanted him dead. One word in the wrong ear and the Gespenst dynasty would crumble, and his father-

“Should we go?” Oren interrupted his thoughts. “There’s no reason-“

Oren was cut off as Julian grabbed his hand. “We’re not going back yet.” Julian said, as he dragged Oren across the road after the humans.

“You’re not... hungry, are you?” Oren said. He tried to pull away, but Julian just grinned in a way that showed teeth.

“I don’t need to eat as often as you.”

A wide doorway opened ahead of them and a hall of glistening plastic machines and neon lights assaulted his senses. The floor was sticky under his feet, and the blare of distorted melody and clinking tokens from hundreds of games thrummed a beat that he felt through his body.

“Where are you going?” Oren exclaimed as they stood in the arcade's entrance.

“In here.” Julian replied. “Humans seem to like this kind of thing.”

“Yes, but...”

A clatter of coins spilled into the tray of a row of machines beside them. Julian didn’t miss the yearning in the way Oren looked at them.

“Do you not want to?” Julian nudged Oren closer. “I thought you were bored?”

Now that he looked, Julian saw that the copper from the machine was worthless; pocket change that couldn’t buy anything alone in this era. He didn’t remember the time he’d last used physical money. More coins lay within the clear plastic cabinet above, where a bar pushed forwards and backwards, as though it might nudge the rest over the edge and into the tray below. “What is this?”

“A coin pusher,” Oren replied. “You’ve never played one?”

“Show me.”

He hadn’t said it as a command, and Oren looked flustered as he scooped the handful of coins from the tray.

“Er... well, you post them in here.”

He picked a single coin and fed it through a small slot in the top of the machine. It travelled down a narrow path until it landed with a clink amongst a pile of others resting on the pushing ledge. As the bar pulled back, the coin nudged the crowd of change forward, spilling some onto the platform below.

“You’ve got to time it right,” Oren continued. “If it lands on the other coins, it won’t be able to push them, but if you feed enough in, eventually some will fall out.” He held out the remaining change to Julian, who tentatively took them. “Try and let it go when the bar is all the way back.

Julian posted a coin and watched as it rolled down to land with the rest. “That’s it?”

“Well, yeah.” Oren’s face fell. “It’s fun. When you’re a child, you know? And you can play them alone...” He shifted his feet.

“I see.” Julian inserted another coin, and this time, two were pushed into the open tray with a clatter. Oren scooped them up.

“So you win by getting more out than you put in?” Julian said. It didn’t seem like much of a victory.

“I guess?”

Oren moved down the line of flashing machines, scanning each one as though looking for something. He stopped further along, and Julian watched as he fed the coins he’d picked up in, biting his lip as he focussed on the timing.

“This isn’t the sort of thing you win, Julian. I don’t think anyone actually wants a bunch of pennies. You just play until you run out. You win the chance to play longer, but you never really win.” He posted his last coin and wiped his hands on his trousers. “There you go. All done.” A flicker of disappointment crossed his face.

Julian moved closer to look inside the machine Oren had stopped in front of. This one contained small items as well as the coins. Objects of colourful plastic attached to short chains. The one nearest the edge of the coin tray looked to be modelled after an item of human food, with cartoon eyes and a wide, drawn on smile. “What’s that?” He said.

“Oh, they sometimes put little prizes inside. Keyrings and such. It’s an incentive to get people to keep playing.” Oren pointed at another, taller machine behind them with a card slot and the word ‘CHANGE’ written on it in large, black letters. “You can exchange money for more coins, you see. The house always wins.

“And that’s why you picked this one?” Julian looked again at the smiling trinket.

“It’s pretty close to the edge, so it was worth a try.” Oren laughed, and Julian looked at him in surprise. The stress was still apparent, faint frown lines around his eyes and nails chewed blunt, but something about this place had brought a change. Oren’s hunched posture seemed straighter, and his eyes shone, reflecting the dazzling lights in a way Julian had never seen before.

“Take these and wait here.” Julian pressed the coins he held into Oren’s palm, then headed to the cash machine.

He’d never had to care how much was in his account. The screen menu lit up when he inserted his card and Julian jabbed the button that said 10. That would probably be enough. As he returned the card to his wallet, the machine vibrated, and with a rattle of metal, coins poured from the dispenser at the base. Julian leapt back as they scattered over the floor.

“What are you doing?” Oren rushed up beside him. He grabbed a cardboard tub from a pile sat atop the machine and thrust it under the chute of pennies. “Here, use this.” He passed another empty pot to Julian just as his one finished filling.

By the time they finished, they had filled four pots, along with the scattering that covered the floor. Julian set his two atop the coin pusher that Oren had chosen.

“Julian...” Oren hung back, but Julian pulled him closer.

“Come on. I want to see you do it.” When Oren still hesitated, he added. “I’m not going to put them back.”

Oren passed one of his own pots into Julian’s hands. “Then you’re doing it with me. I’m not playing by myself."

They fed the machines until the arcade closed. Four pots had been more than enough, and as they emerged into the dark, Oren held three keyrings in his hands, along with a pack of cards.

“Do you even want any of this?” Oren asked, as they made their way back towards the nesthouse.

“No.” Julian replied.

“But you...”

Julian halted and turned to him. Oren’s cheeks were flushed and his hair had curled into a wild mass from the wind and sea spray. Julian reached out and smoothed it away from his brow, enjoying how Oren’s flush deepened.

“I don’t play to lose, Oren.”

“I don’t understand you. You could have bought ten times as much with the money you spent! You still lost.” Oren replied, but he was smiling. A warm, genuine smile that lit up his face as he looked at their winnings.

“No I didn’t.” Julian replied.

#my writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writing #gay vampires #vampire romance #vampire #gay romance #darknessattheheart

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edenfenixblogs · 8 months ago

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This is so horrifying. I read Zinn in high school and I didn’t like him then, either.

There are so many issues here

1. The idea that it is ever acceptable to speak about a one group’s suffering when asked explicitly to discuss the suffering of an entirely different group is absurd.

Imagine that he had done this in any other context. This is just whataboutism?

When asked to talk about Black Lives Matter in June of 2020 suffering, what if someone talked about the Nakba instead?

When asked to talk about he Nakba, what if someone spoke about the Armenian genocide instead?

When asked to speak about the Armenian Genocide, what if someone chose to speak about the Trail of Tears instead?

When asked to speak about the Trail of Tears, what if someone chose to speak about the African Slave Trade instead?

When asked to speak about the African slave trade and chattel slavery in the United States, what if someone talked about the Holocaust instead?

I think (I hope!!!) we can all agree that this is intensely insensitive in every instance. It is never ok to respond to someone’s request for you to acknowledge their history of suffering and the ongoing legacy of that suffering that survivors and succeeding generations endure by saying that it doesn’t matter and other suffering is more important.

This man, was invited to a Jewish event hosted by a Jewish group to discuss Jewish issues.

Likely because the members were familiar with his advocacy in other areas and wanted his insight as an activist into Jewish issues.

Instead, he told a group of Jews that their suffering was both over, irrelevant, and pointless. Even in Jewish spaces, Jews are vilified by leftists for remembering our own tragedies in a way that no other group is vilified. When queer people discuss the enduring impact of the aids crisis; when Palestinians talk about the enduring impact of the Nakba; when Black people discuss the enduring legacy of the slave trade and Jim Crow; when Japanese-Americans talk about the enduring legacy of internment camps, when Indigenous American groups talk about the horrors of being moved to reservations or forced into boarding schools; and when Japanese people talk about the lasting legacy of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leftists generally agree to give these groups the space to discuss their own traumas and the legacy of pain these traumas leave in both subsequent generations in those groups and in the prejudices that carry through into modern society.

But not Jews. We can’t talk about the Holocaust ever. Not in Jewish groups devoted to Jewish issues. Not when modern political issues give us pause as a direct result of the aforementioned trauma. Not publicly and not ever.

2. I don’t give a shit that Zinn was from a Jewish family. He does not get to speak for all of us just cuz non-Jewish leftists like what he has to say about other issues. Especially in an example where an entire group of fellow Jews demonstrated a strong objection to his words and actions. To elevate his opinion over other Jewish voices is tokenizing him to further oppress Jews.

3. Who the fuck is this guy to decide that discussing the Holocaust had no value unless it could provoke anger about other issues?????

How about these purposes:

unpacking how and why Jewish people specifically became an acceptable target in so many countries

identifying ways in which society at large failed the Jewish community, why those failures occurred, and how to prevent recurrence

identifying areas in which nations involved in the Holocaust can provide restitution, reparation, and lasting safety for survivors and their descendants

developing productive and effective tools for leftists to engage in antiracist work specifically geared toward systemic antisemitism

Just to name a few off the top of my head!!!

3. This idiot was willfully obtuse. The issue wasn’t that he chose to “extend the moral issue of Jews in Europe to people in other parts of the world in our time,” and I’m sure that if he had really examined the letter he received and summarized it in good faith in his own writing rather than paraphrasing it dismissively, he would have realized that the objection wasn’t about extending sympathy and understanding from Jewish issues to other issues.

Rather, the issue was REMOVING validity and pain from Jewish issues in order to reallocate that validity to other issues, as if validity and acknowledgment are somehow finite resources.

Taking away empathy for Jewish trauma in order to address other trauma is always an unnecessary step. Just address other trauma with care. And if the legacy of the Holocaust comes up as a point of tension during the advocacy for those other issues and traumas, then address that too!

It’s not that fucking hard!!!!!

Submitted by @gerrysherry:

I clicked on one of the links ...

Respecting the Holocaust by Howard Zinn The Progressive magazine, November 1999 Fifteen years ago, when I was teaching at Boston University, I was asked by a Jewish group to give a talk on the Holocaust. I spoke that evening, but not about the Holocaust of World War II, the genocide of six million Jews. It was the mid-eighties, and the U.S. government was supporting death squads in Central America, so I spoke of the deaths of hundreds of thousands of peasants in Guatemala and El Salvador, victims of American policy. My point was that the memory of the Jewish Holocaust should not be circled by barbed wire, morally ghettoized, kept isolated from other atrocities in history. To remember what happened to the six million Jews, I said, served no important purpose unless it aroused indignation, anger, action against all atrocities, anywhere in the world. A few days later, in the campus newspaper, there was a letter from a faculty member who had heard me speak. He was a Jewish refugee who had left Europe for Argentina and then the United States. He objected strenuously to my extending the moral issue from Jews in Europe during the war to people in other parts of the world in our time. The Holocaust was a sacred memory, a unique event, he said. And he was outraged that, invited to speak on the Jewish Holocaust, I had chosen to speak about other matters.

Not sure what I was expecting.

(I'm sure many of you are already familiar with these names and texts, but all this is new to me).

#Holocaust TW #shoah cw #fuck Howard Zinn #antisemitism #leftist antisemitism #systemic antisemitism #anti-racism #hypocrisy

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traincat · 3 years ago

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Hey, what do you make of Peter following Gwen around after their breakup in TASM2?

Okay, this is a tough one because, like, I don't want to be like, yay stalking, but like, in the specific context of this scene, I'm gonna be a little bit like that. Not real life stalking, before someone comes into my inbox like, "Traincat, are you glorifying stalking?" I'm not! I've been followed for multiple blocks in NYC on several different occasions so believe me I know this behavior, in real life, is not excusable. But we're talking about a fictional character in a movie so I think it depends on what we mean when you say what do I make of it. I'm going to be talking about it purely in terms of how I'm judging most Spider-Man adaptations, which is on a scale of how true I feel they are to the original comics, not on a 1:1 adaptation ratio but on whether or not I feel they captured they spirit of the series, setting, and character.

So I have to say that I think it's a good scene because I think it's ultimately very in character for Peter. I also think it's an interesting scene because while the films are primarily through Peter's perspective -- we know his intentions while he's following Gwen around are benevolent, if overbearing -- it also allows the audience enough room to step back and to see that he's a flawed character. Which I think is one of the problems some Spider-Man fans have with The Amazing Spider-Man series: it presents Peter as a flawed hero. Prime example? He's kind of stalking his ex-girlfriend.

Do I think this is objectively great behavior from anyone? No, and I don't think we're necessarily supposed to approve of his actions. I really don't think TASM's goal was to make us agree with everything Peter does. On the other hand, do I think it is in fact hugely in character for Peter? Listen. Peter Parker's a little bit of a stalker.

(Daily Bugle #2)

(ASM Annual #42)

(ASM #596)

Don't bug your friends and family. I mean, unless your friends and family are constantly being kidnapped by supervillains. Then I guess it's like "find my iPhone."

One of the things I've talked about with Peter in terms of how he's a flawed character -- and I very much think that he is and that that's a good thing -- is that he can be controlling. It's the flipside of the responsibility: because Peter has more power than other people in his life, he assumes responsibility for them, whether they like it or not. This is, from an objective point of view, some real machismo bullshit, but with a fictional character as well-developed as Spider-Man, I think it's an interesting character note that leads to potentially interesting friction between him and his supporting cast. TASM's Peter follows this same general path; although I don't think he's a 1:1 adaptation of 616 Peter, I would say he's essentially assembled of all the same parts. And that includes his tendency to make decisions for other people.

I've seen the bit where he's following Gwen brought up a lot, and I'm not saying it shouldn't be, but what I find interesting is that Peter's behavior immediately before it in the movie is almost never dissected in the same way. When we pick up with him at the beginning of the movie, he is controlling towards Gwen. We know in the gap between The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that they've had an on and off again relationship, with several breakups -- all, it's implied, facilitated by him, because he feels guilty over her father's death and George Stacy's last words, which asked him to promise to leave Gwen alone. (I have a different post about how it's interesting that the audience seems to side with Peter and agree that he should listen to George's desires for him to leave Gwen alone instead of Gwen's desires for Peter to be with her here, but it's a little off topic for this particular discussion.) This follows the ending of the first movie, where Peter breaks up with Gwen and then appears to get back together with her at the last moment. It's all Peter's decision, on his own, made largely if not entirely without Gwen's input. He certainly knows her feelings, it's just that they don't actually factor into his decision making when we pick up at the beginning of the movie. And that's a bad thing and I don't think, at least from my perspective, the audience is supposed to agree with him -- not because they want Peter and Gwen to be together, either, but because Peter is in the wrong.

Which is why I think the "I break up with you" scene is really interesting -- from the way Peter continually talks over Gwen -- his loudly going "wait, WAIT" over her while she's trying to express her side -- to the way Gwen wrests back control by breaking up with him and that breakup sticking for the majority of the movie. Which leads us into the montage scene where Peter's swinging around New York, including the clip where he's following Gwen from the rooftops. The viewer knows why he's doing it -- because he wants to make sure she's safe, but also because he wants to be able to see her on his own terms, without letting her have that control. The flipside of great responsibility is great control issues.

I'm going to say something potentially controversial, but I think some of the pushback against The Amazing Spider-Man franchise is that they're Girl Movies. They're the chick flicks of the superhero set. Look at the set up of the first kiss compared to Raimi's Spider-Man -- he doesn't shed his shy public persona to manfully rescue the damsel in distress from thugs while the rain pours down around them and she isn't so overcome that she has to kiss him upside down. (Look, it's an iconic kiss scene! I value it for its contributions of the pop culture landscape! But the cold pouring rain does conveniently provide the audience with a little PG-13 Heroine Nipple Action.) Instead it happens on Gwen's rooftop after Peter gets done arguing with her dad about politics at The World's Most Awkward Family Dinner. If anyone gets a little PG-13 nipple action, it's Peter when he has to shuck his shirt so Gwen can tenderly wipe down his gross lizard sewer wounds while she wears a pristine white nightgown. I've mentioned before that I don't think "superhero" shouldn't really be viewed as a genre in and of itself when we're judging what makes a superhero movie "good" because most superhero films are action films mixed with another genre -- sci-fi, Western, war movies, and then there's The Amazing Spider-Man/2, which are romances. They're the Twilight of superhero films. That's why Andrew Garfield gets to have such great hair. And that's why they fall back on tropes like "the hero staring longingly at the love of his life from far away, knowing He Can Never Be With Her." Cue the music. And it works, because Spider-Man is, essentially, a romantic hero, with all the pros and cons that come with that. Is it problematic? I mean, yeah, if we're supposed to agree that Peter's in the right, which I would argue is debatable, even if Gwen, when they get back together, seems to get over him following her really quick. Romantic stalking is a well established trope -- and whether or not it should be or whether it glorifies abusive behavior is a related but different conversation to viewing this scene on its own, through my preferred lens of: does this scene belong in a Spider-Man movie?

Yeah, because, and I say this extremely lovingly, he sucks. If Peter is supposed to be a perfect character, then of course he shouldn't do this, and this scene shouldn't be in the movie. But he's not a perfect character -- he's a very flawed one, and it's an in character scene.

#peter parker #tasm #tasm2 #traincat talks comics #long post/

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whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst · 3 years ago

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Texts from the Lost Tomb part 6.1

🎶 Back on the bullshit I never got off🎶

Is this another unnecessary story arc?? With three sections??

Yes.

Wushanju Crew Chat

Wang Meng: You know, I’m someone who appreciates consistency in my day. My life is pleasant, very few issues indeed if you ignore the big ones. And yet. Yet here we are. With unresolved messes at the end of a day.

Wang Pangzi: SOMETHIN YOU NEED TO SAY MARY POPPINS

Wang Meng: We need to talk about Huo Daofu and the glittery bead curtain.

Wang Pangzi: MY FAVE TEEN WIZARD SERIES

Wu Xie: did you turn on that suggested word thingy lol

What glittery bead curtain

Wang Meng: I closed the shop at 6:00pm this evening on the dot. I locked all of the doors in and out of the shop very carefully, especially in light of recent events. The hall leading to the back office was empty. I filed the day’s paperwork, updated and sent emails, and then spent an extra hour organizing receipts and dusting. When I came back out, there were glittery iridescent bead curtains over the front entrance to the shop.

What could this mean?

Wu Xie: uh that you need to spend less time at work?

Wang Pangzi: LOOKS LIKE WE GOT ONE FOR THE DETECTIVES. THE MYSTERY OF THE BEDAZZLED THRESHOLD COMMENCES

Wu Xie: I think we can be relatively secure in thinking a glittery bead curtain isn’t a hostile threat

Wang Pangzi: SAYS YOU

I REMEMBER YE OLDE EXPLORATION TIMES HOW FAST THINGS GOT FURIOUS

BEANBAG CHAIRS SET AFLAME AND LEFT ON DOORSTEPS AS A WARNING

GLITTERBOMBS FOR DAYS

PANIC AT THE DISCO

Wang Meng: Ugh, forget it. I should have just taken them down, regardless of who they belong to.

Zhang Qiling: They are not mine.

Wang Pangzi: A BOLD STATEMENT COMING FROM OUR PRIME SUSPECT

SOMEONE QUICK GO DRAW CHALK AROUND THE DOORWAY TO MARK THE SCENE OF THE CRIME

Wang Meng: Do we know anyone who *would* sneak in and put those up? For whatever reason, legal or not? Even as a joke?

Wang Pangzi: ARE YOU SERIOUSLY ASKING WHETHER WE KNOW ANYONE WHO IS CHAOTIC, AN OUTLAW, A PRANKSTER AND/OR SNEAKS INTO PLACES

BECAUSE THAT WOULD MEAN OUR SUSPECT LIST IS LITERALLY EVERYONE WE KNOW EXCEPT FOR YOU.

Wu Xie: okay let’s think about this; for starters, I didn’t break into my own shop

Wang Meng: You would be in danger of doing some work in the process, that’s true.

Wang Pangzi: LOL

Wu Xie: ANYWAY let’s keep going. For example, Xiao Ge would only break in somewhere for a good reason. Xiao Ge, did you do this?

Zhang Qiling: No.

Wu Xie: okay who’s next

Wang Pangzi: YOU REALLY MISSED YOUR CALLING IN INTERROGATION TIANZHEN

REALLY PUT THE SCREWS TO HIM

IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE;)

Zhang Qiling: How can we be certain *you* didn’t do it?

Wang Meng: Admittedly that was my guess, too.

Wang Pangzi: WOW I SEE HOW IT IS

BLAME PANGZI AS USUAL

ANYWAY HOW DOES HUO DAOFU FIT INTO THIS

Wu Xie: Oh yeah him! Oops I got distracted

Wang Pangzi: UR ENTIRE HISTORY IN A NUTSHELL

Wu Xie: Ugh fuck off

Wang Meng what abt Huo Daofu??

Zhang Qiling: ?

Wu Xie: oh sorry xiaoge I didn’t realize you wouldn’t have spent much time around him last year

He and I go way back

Zhang Qiling: Way back where?

Babysitters Club Chat

Wang Pangzi: I CANNOT BELIEVE HE IS BUYING YOUR INNOCENT ACT

IF YOU EVER TURN TO EVIL WE ARE FUCKED

Zhang Qiling: ?

Wang Pangzi: YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHO HUO DAOFU IS

YOU WERE EXTREMELY POLITE AND BORDERLINE FRIENDLY TOWARDS HIM

Zhang Qiling: I wanted him to feel welcome. I wanted to be sure he understands he has a place here. A specific place.

Wang Pangzi: FOR A SILENT GUY YOU ARE A MASTER AT SUBTLE POWER PLAYS IM ALL TINGLY

LMAO THE IDEA OF WU XIE LEAVING YOU FOR HUO DAOFU IS HILARIOUS AND ALSO NOPE

Zhang Qiling: Rationally, I understand that.

Main Chat

Wang Meng: Huo Daofu is coming for the weekend—didn’t Wu Xie tell you? Wu Xie asked me to check in a week ahead so we could start getting ready for his arrival

Wu Xie: oh yeah I did do that

Wang Meng: Fortunately I know you and so I already went ahead and took care of everything.

Re: the trip

He made a deal with Wu Xie’s doctor that he would do periodic checkups on him here at Wushanju

Bc Wu Xie hates being in the hospital

And frankly the hospital hates him too

Wang Pangzi: FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT LOL

I FORGOT HUO DAOFU WAS DOING THAT

A VERY CHIVALROUS GESTURE

WOULDNT YOU SAY

XIOAGE

Zhang Qiling: Is it safe for him to be here with a criminal loose on the premises?

Wu Xie: Right, back to the curtain! Let’s focus on the curtain, hmm?

Wang Pangzi: I AM SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WEEKEND.

ALSO WE CAN RULE OUT XIAO BAI FOR THE CURTAIN SHE JUST SENT A SELFIE FROM NORWAY COVERED IN GREEN SLIME WITH ZERO CONTEXT, UR PROTEGE INDEED

Wu Xie: okay but who else would do something so oddly charming yet illegal and—wait.

Snake Eyes Chat

Wu Xie: hey, Glasses hasn’t been in touch lately right?

Li Cu: uh nope

Unless u count the outdated memes

Why, is money or Xie Yuchen missing

Or is this curtain related, I saw Wang Meng’s tweet

Wu Xie: haha no nothing to worry about really

(I mean maybe? but who knows)

Wang Meng is probably just getting a little paranoid in his old age

Li Cu: better than getting reckless and stupid as hell in ur old age

Wu Xie: …hey:(

Unknown Number: Li Cu, we discussed this.

Wu Xie: ????????

Li Cu: *sigh* fine, reckless and stupid as heck

Unknown Number: …close enough.

Wu Xie: EXCUSE who is that

Madame, Sir, Non-Binary Tree Spirit, etc—whomst the fuck

Are you

Li Cu is underage FYI

So Im staying on this chat

Li Cu: okay first of all, it’s not like that

Second of all I’m literally not underage I s2g

u threw the embarrassing surprise bday party, okay so u should remember

And C, that’s my counselor and I invited her. She wanted to meet u and I knew u wouldn’t agree to a visit so I added her to our chat

we have been discussing u

Wu Xie: Oh wow!!!!!!!

What a surprise:)

hi so nice to meet you:)

Main Chat:

Wu Xie: RED FUCKING ALERT

FUCK THE CURTAIN FUCK THE VISIT

IVE BEEN TRICKED INTO FAMILY THERAPY BY A SMUG TEENAGER WHO TEXTS UNKNOWN NUMBERS

Wang Meng: I assume that means something to someone here?

Not my problem? Good.

Wang Pangzi: AHAHAHA GOD I LOVE LI CU

HES LIKE ADORABLE KARMA FOR ALL THE SHIT YOUVE PUT ME THROUGH

IM RAISING HIS ALLOWANCE

Wu Xie: wait i give him an allowance

has he been collecting on two allowances??

Zhang Qiling: Three. I knew about both of yours.

Snake Eyes Chat

Wu Xie: so uh may I ask your name?

Unknown Number: you can call me Ms. Lee.

Now, if you’re comfortable talking in this format, why don’t you tell me how things have been going?

Wu Xie: oh everything is normal and fine and safe as usual, why do you ask:)

Li Cu: I heard about ur necklace thing. nice of you to NOT mention it.

another dangerous adventure. again. prick.

Ur lucky your cool boyfriend cares about you so much or you’d have already died like ten years ago

Wu Xie: lol try twenty years ago

Li Cu: That isn’t funny.

Unknown Number: …What?

Wu Xie: shit ur right, okay that was a bit glib, my apologies.

…I use humor as a coping mechanism?

Unknown Number: and Li Cu, how do you feel about that?

Li Cu: he doesn’t even know what that phrase means

He doesn’t cope, like ever

In fact

It’s kind of why we met

Which is a funny story in retrospect tbh

Wu Xie: haha what are you talking about sweetie hahaha need I remind you of certain anecdotes that could idk send me to jail maybe lmao

Unknown Number: …You know, perhaps an in-person meeting might be more effective?

Wu Xie: haha such a nice idea but why

Main Chat

Wu Xie: If I go to jail, I’ll have to create alliances for protection, right, that’s how it works on tv

Who do we know who spends time in jail

Other than Hei Yangjing, he’s only ever there for like 12 hours and i suspect he just gets himself arrested bc he enjoys the breaking out process

Also how’s the curtain case coming along

Zhang Qiling: Has someone threatened you?

Wu Xie: well not yet but soon I’m sure

Wang Pangzi: WHERE WAS THIS PARANOIA WHEN WE GOT TAKEN TO THE TEA HOUSE HUH

Snake Eyes Minus Your Fucking Therapist Chat

Li Cu: okay how tf did u pull off spy and undercover shit

u are sus as hell

Wu Xie: damn son is it pick on Wu Xie night

I missed the flyers or I would’ve invited my uncles

Also re: the curtain it’s been mostly solved

Li Cu: I’m not your son, idiot.

Wu Xie: …oh. Sorry, sorry, you’re right, bad choice of words, haha

Forget i said anything

Delete this chat even

Li Cu: shit I meant

Legally, biologically, I meant—

shit

…I turn into an asshole as a coping mechanism?

Wu Xie: oh that’s all okay! I have to go do something else now let me know if you need anything okay kid thanks!

Li Cu: goddamn it calm down who’s the kid here

lemme organize my thoughts so I can articulate my emotions fuckin healthily or w/e

Ugh maybe for like one afternoon we could go to Ms. Lee together? She knows how to word stuff

Wu Xie: uh…okay.

Li Cu: Anyway you don’t need to worry abt jail

As if you would survive prison for one day you’d piss off half the place in like an hour or less

I gave Ms. Lee the heavily edited version of the desert highway to hell roadtrip and i discussed it more in terms of like “nightmarish but still wouldn’t take any of it back”

Well maybe the sand

that shit was everywhere

Wu Xie: oh kiddo. It’s fine, really…You don’t have to explain yourself to me.

Li Cu: no, no it’s just

I do technically have a dad

who is an asshole. Being a son doesn’t really mean shit to me bc it sucked.

So you need to stop backing down just cuz ur guilty abt stuff. I’m really really glad ur not my dad in a good way. Do u get what I mean there

Where’s the mafia widower I followed into hell, huh

Wu Xie: Ur a good kid, despite my influence. I’m really glad you have someone to talk to after everything I…after everything. Wow this talking through feelings thing is kind of weird but nice ur right

Jfc no wonder it took me and xiaoge so long to—you know what, we won’t get into that

Li Cu: ew tmi

Also re: this week’s recent necklace fuckery

I moved my stuff here, I live here now

So you can’t die anymore

Or else…Idk I don’t have a threat planned

anyways abt the curtain

Wu Xie: oh my god, kid…kid you have no idea

I am in tears.

Li Cu: see this is why I can’t be nice to you I can sense the hallmark channel from here

Ugh don’t be sad in ur room that’s dumb

Go hug Pangzi or something

Maybe delete this chat

Or the curtain thing

Focus on the curtain thing

Just stfu and go away

Wu Xie: <3 screenshotting this <3

Li Cu: I take back everything I said. This is why Xiao Ge sleeps on the roof. I hope the ghosts of the Wangs put up that curtain to strangle you somehow. Go die in a stupid way, it’ll suit you.

Wu Xie: lol don’t worry I’m not gonna embarrass you with it or anything

Main Chat

Wu Xie: omg guys look how cute my kid is *sending screenshot*

Wang Pangzi: I MEAN

HE IS WISHING YOU DEATH

BUT SURE

CUTE I GUESS

Wu Xie: no but read the whole thing:):):)

Zhang Qiling: It is indeed very hard to remain angry with you. And you are welcome to join me on the roof.

Wang Pangzi: UH NOPE

NOT WHENI HAD TO BLEACH THE COUNTER IN THE KITCHEN

DONT TRAUMATIZE THE EARLY BIRDS THEYRE ALREADY FREAKED OUT BY U YA HOODIE CRYPTID

Wu Xie: ok true but babe ur like a sexy cryptid

Wang Meng: so, are we just accepting that there is a glittery curtain of unknown origin, and Huo Daofu is going to have to see it while he’s waiting for you at Wushanju bc you’re going to family therapy?

Wu Xie: right

Wang Pangzi: SHOULDA TAKEN EARLY RETIREMENT HUH

Wang Meng: I’m going to go dust something.

Unnamed Chat:

Unknown number: so the curtain…

Unknown number 2: yep, not my best work but I kinda panicked last minute u know

Unknown number: what is in the water at Wushanju that makes everyone dumb and attractive

Unknown number 2: relax they’ll figure it out

#ultimate note #whomst #wu xie #dmbj #the lost tomb #pingxie #iron triangle

36 notes · View notes

lacrimosathedark · 4 years ago

Text

Hamilton Inaccuracies/Corrections (because why not?)

Okay so, I saw a post on reddit that was like, “what’s some inaccuracies in Hamilton off the top of your head?” and I got a whole bunch...and then I had to double check to make sure if I was right...and I’m pretty long-winded...and ��now I have this 5,000ish word monstrosity. And apparently you can only post 1000 characters at a time on reddit. Laaaaame. So here’s some Hamilton facts I’ve gathered in my brain. Since it was kinda off the top of my head despite being so long, it’s kinda vague in some places, so if anyone wants to expand on anything (or correct me if I oopsed somewhere) please do! Though nicely please.

Also I am also awful at citing things, but I know I learned some of this from @john-laurens and @ciceroprofacto so thank you.

LET’S BEGIN!

Act 1

Rachel Faucette was not a prostitute, but she was a “whore” in the sense that she did what she fucking wanted with her body. During her first marriage she may or may not have been sleeping around, but she refused to stay with John Lavien, her husband, anymore. So he had her arrested. And he could do that. Because patriarchy and theocracy. And she was essentially put in solitary confinement. You can see why she tried to leave, right? She tried to get their marriage annulled or get a divorce. I forget what the issue was but she couldn’t and eventually she just moved to another island where she met James Hamilton.

The intro song makes it seem like Alexander was an only child. He actually had an older brother, James Jr., but he kinda fucked off after their mother died, working and taking care of himself. They also had an older half-brother Peter Lavien, but I don’t think they really knew him other than as the son of their mother’s abusive ex who took everything from them when she died. John Lavien was able to do that because when Rachel was with James Hamilton, she had not been able to get legally divorced from him so she wasn’t really married to James Hamilton, so James Jr. and Alexander were illegitimate ie bastards. He was an asshole. I don't think Peter had anything against the Hamiltons, but I think he grew up to be a Loyalist so. He actually made some trouble in South Carolina for Henry Laurens, John's dad! But I think I read somewhere he also left money for Alex and James Jr. In his will, which is sweet.

This is more visual since it’s not specified in the song, but in the show, Hamilton’s cousin mimes hanging himself. Peter Lytton’s cause of death if I recall was inconclusive, but he was in his bed and there was a lot of blood. So, yeah, he didn’t hang himself.

Alexander did not punch the bursar. However he did return to Princeton later during the war and blew a canon through the school and apparently decapitated a painting of King George lololol. He was under orders, but yknow. Probably felt pretty good after he was rejected for accelerated courses. He wasn’t the only bastard rejected, though! Ben Franklin’s bastard son was too. The guy in charge of admissions, Witherspoon, hated bastards as a concept and Princeton was a very religious school at the time I believe.

It may have been the plan by Aaron and Esther Burr for Aaron Jr to graduate Princeton, but like, he couldn’t really be sure of that? He was like 2 years old when they died, and his older sister Sally was 4 I believe, maybe 5.

Hercules Mulligan met Alex in 1772. His older brother Hugh knew Alex’s old employer in St. Croix and helped him get to mainland America. Alex and Hercules lived together for a long while, and Hercules is actually who got him interested in the revolution.

John Laurens was in England in 1776. He wouldn’t meet Hamilton and Lafayette until he accepted his post as Washington’s aide-de-camp upon his return in August of 1777.

Lafayette couldn’t have met Hamilton before August 1777 because that’s when he met Washington, and he was appointed as a volunteer to the Continental Army only a week prior, and before that he had been in France. But Lafayette later declared their relationship to be like that of brothers, Alexander his closest connection in the states besides Washington.

Lafayette admired and absolutely adored Laurens and they were besties, but neither of them knew Mulligan. They may have met in passing, or heard about him from Hamilton, but nothing more.

“Lafayette” was actually a nickname based on his title of “Marquis de la Fayette”. In his autobiography, he wrote: “It’s not my fault I was baptized like a Spaniard, with the name of every conceivable saint who might offer me more protection in battle.” I’m glad he thought it was funny at least. His name is Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de la Fayette.

Hercules Mulligan is not known to fuck horses.

The Revolution had already sorta started. Actually, Hercules and Alexander had been part of local militias before 1776.

This is more of a miscommunication since the actors are close in age, though the lyrics try to get it across. There’s a reason Mulligan says he’s got the others “in loco parentis”. In 1776 Hamilton and Lafayette would have been 19, Laurens would have been 22, and Mulligan would have been 36.

I think we all know “Laurens, I like you a lot” does not cover the scope of their relationship but that’s rather self explanatory so unless someone asks I’ll leave it at that. And for other clarifications. But at the very least I’ll share this: Anyone who saw them knew they were like attached at the hip (without knowing how attached *winkwonk*) and you could almost always contact one through the other. Laurens was notoriously bad at answering letters, to Hamilton too (and Alex did bitch about it because he is insecure and needs love), but it became quickly known he got back to Hamilton fastest so people would be like “Tell Laurens I said hi!” or “Hey, I need to get these to Laurens, you send them to him.” Which is hilarious. I just imagine Alexander going, “Why me?”

While all of them are Revolutionaries, Laurens is the only one you could solidly call an abolitionist, and Mulligan’s even shaky on the manumission part. He was supposedly part of the Manumission Society Hamilton helped start, but Mulligan also personally owned slaves and was never known to have freed them (One helped him with spy shit. His name was Cato!). In fairness, Hamilton and Lafayette wholeheartedly agreed with Laurens, and Hamilton was the biggest supporter of his battalion plan, and both of them did try to continue working towards equality after the war, but it was never the top priority for either of them and their lives kinda went to hell, so it fell to the wayside. Lafayette actually did some nifty stuff worth looking at, and Hamilton might have tried to keep one of John Lauren’s freed men from Henry Laurens! But as slavery stuck around for a while, it clearly wasn’t anything significant.

Angelica would meet and befriend Thomas Jefferson in Europe, but she would never manage to convince him to put women in a sequel because he’s a huge misogynist and told her in multiple letters that politics isn’t for women and I think he deserves a shoe up his southern backside. Side note, it always bothered me that Lin played up the misogyny in the musical. I mean, yeah, all of them would be misogynists compared to us, but for their time, Hamilton wasn’t so bad. If there was anyone to play up misogyny with, it was Jefferson, because he would tell Angelica for years and years that politics could never make women happy, and that the women in France were foolish for trying etc.. Hamilton would actually discuss politics with Angelica frequently and openly. And there’s a proto-feminist in the cast that was never recognized—Aaron Burr! He respected Theodosia Sr. as an equal and she was his most valuable political ally, and he made sure Theodosia Jr. got the same education any boy of her time would have. He actually respected women to a decent degree. Not to say he wasn't as much of a ho as Hamilton cuz yeah that's accurate (but they were both disaster bisexuals more on Burr's sexuality later)

Farmer Refuted was an essay Hamilton wrote arguing against Samuel Seabury's posts. They weren't shouting in the public square(but Lin got the sass right. I love his face when Hamilton and Seabury are fighting over the podium). Seabury was also really really old, not young and cute like Thayne, hence the line about "mange". Blech.

General Montgomery didn’t take a bullet in the neck, it was a grapeshot from a canon in his head (and his thighs), but close enough I guess. Side note: Burr actually served a short interim on Washington’s staff, but only for like 10 days because they hated each other lolol.

Alexander didn’t bring Laurens, Mulligan, or Lafayette to Washington. Lafayette joined up with the Continental Army in 1777 and quickly convinced them he wasn’t like the other French nobles; he was a glory-seeking kid with a boner for America (for some reason???). Laurens was requested by Washington to join his military family and he arrived also in August 1777 just after Lafayette. Like previously stated, Mulligan was doing shit even before Hamilton did.

Alexander would not have been in charge of spy shit (though may have been somewhat involved). Washington had people like Mulligan for that, who actually saved Washington a few times. But also, the "King’s men who might let some things slide" was the tactic Mulligan used. He was actually very charming, and his wife was very high in British society and he was a skilled tailor, so they were thought of well among the redcoats, and he got a lot of information through chatting with his customers. He also could usually smooth-talk his way out of trouble. Actually, Mulligan blended in so well, when the war was over, people in the city wanted him out cuz they thought he was a Loyalist. So George fucking Washington paid him a visit and commissioned I think a coat from him, and that cleared that up. He got a LOT of business after that.

Alexander would not be Washington’s right hand man, or at least, not his only one if Lin was using that to mean aide-de-camp. In that case, Laurens would also be Washington’s right hand man, along with many men not named in the musical.

John Laurens may have been reliable with the ladies (comes with the territory of being hot, rich, and a perfect gentleman), but he most certainly didn’t want to be. His father noted, rather proudly at the time, that as a young teenager he expressed no interest in girls. John was also married by 1780, and at least Alexander knew. (he told John he'd found out in the well-known April 1779 letter. You know... “Cold in my professions...find me a wife...the length of my nose...” That one.) Because John apparently didn't tell people he was married. Laurens. Sweetheart. Get. Your. Shit. Together.

John also would not be at this ball. February 1779 to March 1780 he is fighting down south, and this ball was early 1780.

The tomcat thing may be half true. Martha Washington did supposedly name a cat Hamilton, but it was an affectionate thing. The slang tomcat meaning ho wasn’t a thing at that time, so it couldn’t be named to tease Alex for his promiscuity. I believe this was one of the many things John Adams made up to slander Hamilton.

Hamilton and Eliza had met before 1780. They had met once two years prior at a dinner her father had hosted. Also, Hamilton had been courting her friend Kitty Livingston, and his friend and fellow aide Tench Tilghman had been attempting to court Eliza, and they’d actually done at least one sort-of double date (which is adorable). So this shouldn’t have been the first time they’d seen each other. Could still be when they fell in love, though, since they started courting after this. Which is cute to think about.

Speaking of Tench and Eliza! I don't remember when this took place but Tilghman journaled it, he went out on something of a hike with a few ladies and they got to a cliff. Of course, he had to help the girls climb up. Except Eliza who started climbing by herself like a natural to the bewilderment and likely horror of the other ladies. Elizabeth Schuyler was a bamf okay?

Of course everyone knows by now, Angelica was married before Eliza. During the Winter’s Ball, she’d already eloped with Jack Carter aka John Barker Church and run away to Boston.

Their courtship was not that fast. Not like, weeks. More like months. Fun fact, Eliza is the only of the five (yes FIVE) Schuyler sisters who didn’t elope and actually got her parents permission! But here’s a heartbreaking fun fact: while Alex was courting Eliza, Laurens was taken prisoner and then on probation. He wasn’t allowed to leave the state of Pennsylvania. He was mentally in a very dark place. Alex kind of procrastinated telling Laurens about Eliza, didn’t say he was courting anyone until they were already engaged.

I can't leave this alone if I'm sad you have to be too. Alex was hella depressed during this time too. Of course he was a soldier so he couldn't see Eliza as much as he'd have liked. On top of that, he kept pushing for an exchange for John and kept getting rejected because they couldn't show preference for him. And then Laurens was sending him very few letters, of course, and the ones he did send were very depressed, even suicidal sounding. He had to work while dealing with that. He had to keep begging Eliza to write to him to be reassured that she still liked him.

No one could show up for Hamilton for the wedding. Some sources say fellow aide James McHenry showed up, but he’s the only one. Alexander even invited his deadbeat dad, offered to pay all his travel expenses and everything, guess how that turned out. So Eliza’s side of the hall was packed and his was empty. God, can you imagine how sad that is?

Another heartbreaking fun fact! John Laurens was out of probation and could have made it to the wedding, was invited (Hamilton, I kid you not, jokingly invited him to a threesome with his new wife in a letter: “I wish you were at liberty to transgress the bounds of Pensylvania. I would invite you after the fall to Albany to be witness to the final consummation.” (emphasis is original to Hamilton. As is the misspelling of Pennsylvania. Yes, seriously.)) and John did not go. Instead he went back to work trying to talk his way out of getting sent as an envoy to France and suggesting Alexander to take his place. You know. His boyfriend who just got married. Sure, he was right that Hamilton was better equipped for the job, but yknow. Another fun fact, one of the guys who voted for John to be the one to go to France was John’s ex-boyfriend Francis Kinloch. Who was a turncoat, and had been a royalist when he and Laurens split. How’s that for some twisty bullshit.

Sorry, this one isn’t about the musical, it’s a tangent, I just got excited about that quote. Both that style of innuendo and the misspelling of Pennsylvania are consistent in Hamilton’s writing. Listening to john-lauren’s podcast about the April 1779 letter can really help you understand how Hammy uses innuendo but also I just love listening to it it’s insightful and hilarious and I love John Laurens but y u do this and my heart hurts for Hamilton but he is also a ho but aNYWAY. As for Pensylvania...well, he kinda made that mistake on an important document. ...It’s The Constitution. He misspelled Pennsylvania on The Constitution. No big deal. Not like something that could haunt his legacy forever. Oh my god I’m so sorry.

Philip Schuyler did have sons. Five in fact. Two of them died pretty young though I think, considering there are three kids in a row named John Bradstreet Schuyler. The other two were named Philip Jeremiah and Rensselaer.

Laurens, Lafayette, and Mulligan were all married before Hamilton. Hercules Mulligan married Elizabeth Sanders in 1773. Lafayette married his beloved Adrienne in 1774. John Laurens was regretfully obliged to marry Martha Manning in 1776.

Sigh. Again with the misogyny. Anyway, I wanted to comment on the marriage as a loss of freedom. From what I can tell, Elizabeth helped Hercules with his spy work at home. John was literally fighting a war across the ocean from his wife, and probably having an illegal affair with Alexander (though to be fair to him, he was kind of running away from Martha because he didn't marry her for love, gosh, there are no winners here). Lafayette absolutely adored his wife but still was also fighting a war an ocean away, and had multiple affairs, at least one with his wife’s blessing. So yeah, losing your freedom with marriage? Bullshit.

Despite where it is in the musical and Eliza singing the beginning, Stay Alive is roughly about Valley Forge, which would be December of 1777 through June of 78. So before the ball and wedding. (Fun fact! A lot of people theorize Valley Forge as when Hamilton and Laurens’ relationship may have escalated into romantic and/or sexual territory. They may have had more privacy, as small temporary buildings were being made to better withstand the cold, and Hamilton was sick a lot during that time and did need tending a lot. West Indian boi did not like Northern winter.) But yeah, Congress being stupid and the army resorting to eating their horses sometimes and not being able to buy food and equipment? All true. It was a real bad winter.

Mulligan wouldn’t have to go back to New York, he never would have left. He remained there as a tailor and a spy throughout the war. He wouldn’t have been traveling with Washington.

Hamilton and Laurens didn't write essays so much as start working out John's battalion plan and writing letters trying to push for it.

This duel happened in 1778, so like. This timeline is so fucky.

Stay Alive makes it seem like Hamilton was the one who wanted to duel Lee, but it was 100% Laurens from the start. The off-Broadway version demonstrates it a bit better. Hamilton was Lauren's second to save his ass. Hamilton had a rough relationship with Washington, but Laurens admired him greatly and would have willingly defended his commander’s honor. John was a Good Boy who always bowed his head to his asshole father, even at first for his battalion plan, but John wouldn’t let even his father talk shit about Washington. Fun fact about this duel, Alex and John were late to the duel because they “got lost in the woods”. Oooookay. Suuuuuuure. And Baron von Steuben was straight. (Fact: Steuben was very gay and pretty much pushed out of Europe for it. And he actually also had challenged Lee! They talked things out before this.)

Aaron Burr was not Charles Lee’s second. His second was a Major Evan Edwards. Lin wanted a parallel with the final duel. To be fair, that was a really cool way to do it and I like it better that way.

Alexander Hamilton could NOT agree that duels are dumb and immature. He was in 10 duel challenges as a participant in his lifetime, 9 of which he was the challenger. One time he challenged two people at once. One time he challenged an entire politcal party apparently. No, I am not kidding. He had a bad day. And I think you know the one time he wasn’t the challenger.

Lee did not yield on the first shot, nor was Laurens satisfied. Lee was pretty much like, “It’s just a flesh wound!” and wanted to go another round and Laurens agreed, but Hamilton and Edwards managed to talk them down. Yes he was shot in the side. But that wasn’t all because Laurens absolutely roasted Lee at his court martial.

Lee: Were you ever in an action before?

Laurens: I have been in several actions; I did not call that an action, as there was no action previous to the retreat.

I love this man. So much. The sass of this man.

We don’t know if Washington was angry about the duel with Lee. We do know that Laurens, and probably Hamilton, had Christmas dinner with him two days later. When Hamilton left, it was because Washington had snapped over a misunderstanding (caused by Lafayette actually, and he really tried to make it better because Lafayette is a sweetheart), and then continued to deny Hamilton the command he requested, and he resigned. It was entirely unrelated to the duel and Laurens. However, the daddy issues are real.

I don’t know if Lafayette went to France for more funds and came back with more guns, but Laurens certainly did! Ben Franklin told him to chill, but he actually got super impatient and ended up supposedly disrespecting and maybe kinda threatening the court, demanding what he needed, and walking out. They were were kind of shocked and impressed into giving more than had been requested. Any existing deities bless John Laurens. I love him.

Lafayette actually nominated his own aide to lead the charge and Hamilton appealed for himself and Washington finally gave in to Hamilton.

Laurens was not in South Carolina. When he finally got back from France, he was sent to Yorktown. He actually was commanding the group Alexander led. (Power couple lol) He also helped with negotiations after the battle. Also, supposedly making the British play ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ on their way out was Laurens’ idea because boy is made of sass and spite.

Henry Laurens would not have sent a letter to Hamilton about John’s death. Even if he would have, he couldn’t. At that time, he’d been locked up in the Tower of London as a prisoner. We have no idea when or how Alexander found out, or who might have told him. We know he wrote to Nathanael Greene on October 25 and Lafayette on November 3 (literally 2 months after Laurens' death), and the mentions of Laurens were very short. It’s thought that he really couldn’t talk about Laurens. People have compared it to the stories of how Benjamin Tallmadge apparently couldn’t hear Nathan Hale’s name without crying.

After Yorktown Alexander resigned and John went down south to flush British troops out of the southern states. His group was ambushed at Combahee River and he decided to charge instead of wait for backup and he died. Many people think it was a combination of his usual recklessness, suicidality, and glory-seeking mixed with a desperation with the war coming to an end. It was such a small skirmish. He deserved better. He left his daughter, Frances, whom he had never met, orphaned, as her mother had died months earlier from sickness. She was adopted by John’s oldest younger sister, also coincidentally Martha Laurens (though married was Martha Laurens Ramsay).

The Levi Weeks case was years later than that, in 1800, though it was alongside Burr. Hamilton actually lost his first trial as a defense lawyer and was not with Burr.

The whole conversation where Hamilton proposes Burr help him write the Federalist Papers is fake. Lin made that up entirely.

John Church’s wealth kinda...varies. He was a gambler. At first, he was actually in quite a bit of debt. He did make it big eventually and he and Angelica moved to Europe. He really didn’t seem to be a lot of fun to most people, but Angelica eloped with him. She chose him against her father’s wishes. I don’t get why Lin kept writing lines saying she didn’t love him, at least at first. He also does this in the cut song Congratulations where she says “I languished in a loveless marriage” bish you eloped wat She also lived as a socialite and was adored by anyone who met her apparently, so like???? da fuq Lin. Didja really do Laurens dirty for these lies or at the very least uncertanties? Could you not prop up that romance without making her say she hates her husband?

Act 2

More of a personality miscommunication. Irl Thomas Jefferson was shy, quiet, and hypersensitive, nothing like how Daveed plays him. If you knew a guy like the real Jefferson in real life you might be endeared to him out of pity or because he seems sweet, but in the short time of a musical that would immediately be read as cold and unlikable. So the best way to portray “this guy is a likable asshole” is to make him loud and made of sass which is what Daveed does magnificently. So, not at all accurate to real Jefferson, but gets the concept of him across.

Thomas was not off getting high with the French. Probably. He was making negotiations for the Revolution. And abusing Sally Hemings (his, at the time, 14 year old slave, who was also his sister-in-law, and 30 years his junior, and was brought along to entertain his daughter). And actually probably chatting up with Angelica!

By the time Philip was 9, he had two sisters, Angelica (7) and his foster/adopted sister Frances Antill (6), but he also had two brothers already, Alexander Jr. (5) and James Alexander (3), with maybe another one on the way since William Stephen would be born next year.

The whole comma thing is backwards. It was Angelica who made the initial mistake. Hamilton pointedly and flirtatiously teased her about it before closing it with “Adieu ma chere, soeur” French for “Goodbye my dear, sister”. So it’s more playful and less lovey dovey in context, so the tone is all wrong. It’s not romantic, it’s teasing and snarky.

Say No To This feels like it’s over quick. The affair lasted a year, not just the summer Eliza was away.

Clermont Street wasn’t renamed until many years later.

I don’t know that Alex has always considered Burr a friend. Irl they weren’t as close, and Hamilton was keenly aware of how slimy Burr could be.

Lafayette was NOT fine. He was imprisoned a lot during the French Revolution, the poor man, and many members of his wife’s family were killed. HOWEVER! Hamilton was not just sitting by. Angelica and her husband did make an attempt to rescue Lafayette, and the Hamiltons fostered Lafayette’s son Georges Washington Lafayette (yes that was his actual name). So Hamilton also did not forget Lafayette.

Not all his defendants got acquitted, obviously. Stop being cocky, Ham.

People comment on how Jefferson whines about Hamilton’s fashion sense while literally dressed in violet velvet. The original plan was to have him in browns, but Daveed is just such a friggin star that they just had to give him something brighter and decided to go with a Prince-inspired look. Originally the browns were going to be representative of his supposed representation of farmers. Though note here: Jefferson’s agricultural representation is much the same as modern Republicans’ rural representation. More for show.

Actually, let's get political for a sec. I've done some research in my hyperfixation and in searches for Hamilton shiz I've ended up stumbling into far-right nonsense and I know how to recognize the degrees of nonsense from years of actually paying attention to it now because this is what I do apparently. Which is weird, right? Lin kinda portrays him like a lefty. Well, here's the thing. Any proud historically educated Republican will tell you that their roots are in the Federalist Party. Which is technically true. What they will neglect to mention is the flip between parties that happened when the Republicans decided to use southerners racism to their advantage in elections. Being subtly racist can get the racists and the non-racists on your side! Yeah, it's gross. Federalists are more like Democrats. The corporatists. They clearly care more about companies and Wall Street, but they put actual action into social progress on rare occasion. Democratic-Republicans are like Republicans, conservatives who don't want social change and rail against it and pretend they aren't for corporate interests while being just as bad as the other guys. But Republicans have a tendency to rewrite history to paint themselves as the good guys, or reclaim things that aren't theirs as their own. Just look at the Civil War! Or...literally just...America I guess. Yikes. But yeah, here's your warning. Don't just go looking at and trusting things labelled Federalist. It likely won't be friendly.

John Adams didn’t fire Hamilton, Hamilton left. Eventually. And this is not the only time this kind of verbal confrontation happens, and not the one that destroys the Federalist Party. That actually happens after the Reynolds Pamphlet. But John Adams hates Alexander Hamilton with the burning passion of a thousand suns and really kinda earns this.

I’m not sure if he specifically called Alex a Creole bastard but I wouldn’t be surprised, there were other similar racist and bastard-related insults. You know the tomcat thing mentioned above. He started the rumor of the affair with Angelica. He accused him of being a rake (male version of whore at the time). He also may have behind closed doors accused him of being a sodomite. His (probably gay) son Charles helped with that one, bringing back rumors from a dinner he had with Hamilton (who he was working for) and John Church because Church joked about Alex being fond of a guy. Adams probably thought working for Hamilton was what made his son gay and alcoholic (Charles was an alcoholic and may have died in part because of that; Hamilton was not an alcoholic, but he supposedly could not hold his drink. He was smol).

Jefferson, Madison, and Burr didn’t accuse Hamilton of speculation. It was James Monroe, Abraham Venable, and Frederick Muhlenberg. Lin wanted to keep consistent representation of the Democratic-Republican party. But anyway, the whole thing went to hell because Monroe sent the letters to Jefferson (or I’ve also heard Monroe gave them to Madison who sent them to Jefferson) who, the spiteful gangly fucker, started spreading rumors because fuck Hamilton, amirite? Hamilton challenged Monroe to a duel over that. And who stopped this duel? Aaron Burr. He gets to be the good guy now and then.

It wasn’t just total strangers that got Alex off the island. He was sponsored by his cousin Ann Lytton and his teacher Reverend Hugh Knox. Also, he was kind of expected to get an education and come back and help out the island...guess what he never did. Oops.

This one I may be wrong, but I’m pretty sure. I think Eliza was upstate with her family when the Reynolds Pamphlet was released, away from Alex. I also know she had recently given birth to their son, William Stephen. A lot of people think Alexander had been keeping that in mind. Eliza had had a miscarriage once before, when she was under a lot of stress and alone and with the kids and he had to be away (Whiskey Rebellion), so some people think he made sure she was surrounded by her family and waited until the child was born to drop this on her, and gave her distance from him if she needed it. At least he knew he fucked up, and he really did love her.

Those weren’t Alexander’s guns. They belonged to John Church.

It was quite some time between Philip’s challenge and the actual duel.

Another age miscommunication; Eacker was 27ish and Philip was 19 when the duel happened. There was a whole 8 years between them!

Eacker didn’t shoot early. Actually, both of them stood staring at each other for a really long time doing nothing. But Philip went to make a move and Eacker shot him.

Alex and Eliza had made up from the Reynolds Pamphlet bullshit before Philip died. When he passed, Eliza was already pregnant with the son they would also name Philip in honor of his older brother.

Hamilton wasn’t really the deciding factor in the election of 1800. But he did say that about Burr and it did help swing the vote somewhat. But also, this was before Philip died. Philip died in 1801.

If a vote is that close, you can’t win in a landslide??? That’s not how words work???? Mister Miranda????? You are a writer??????? Sir???????

Burr actually held a term as Jefferson’s Vice President.

The Burr vs Hamilton Duel was in 1804 and was actually about another election and other things Hamilton was saying about him. Burr was running to be governor of New York and lost but heard about Alexander telling people the things he listed Alexander saying in Your Obedient Servant.

Thayne should not have played Alexander’s doctor. Sydney should have played Alexander’s doctor. Do you know why? Philip and Alexander had the same doctor when they died. Alexander took that doctor with him to the duel. His name was David Hosack.

While there’s evidence to suggest Burr experienced immediate regret (he stepped forward as if wanting to see if Hamilton was okay and supposedly asked after him and wished him well before Alexander passed) in the years that followed, until he was on his death bed, he expressed nothing but neutrality or even pride for having shot Hamilton. The ‘the world was wide enough’ comment could plausibly be entirely made up, and even if it were true, it was supposedly said toward the end of Burr’s life. Burr's life was quite a ride after Alex. He tried to make like his own empire out of Texas, and then of course was tried for treason, but he got out of that, but then everyone hated him for that ON TOP OF already hating him for killing Hamilton, so he had some crazy journey around Europe for a while. He kept a journal, writing entries like letters to Theo. The most notable things I think he writes he'd "been amused for an hour with a very handsome young Dane. Don't smile. It is a male!" which implies maybe Theodosia knew her dad was bi and was at least amused by it? And he spent a while living with Jeremy Bentham, who is generally accepted to have been gay (if you want more Burr gayness look into Jonathan Bellamy and Robert Troup. Troup knew Hamilton too!). Unrelated to his sexuality but I find it important, Burr spent, in modern cash, $40 on a coconut, in his own words, "like an ass." He returned to America eventually. I dont remember if it was before or after his foreign adventures, but his beloved grandson (also named Aaron Burr) died, and then not long after, Theodosia was lost at sea on her way to visit her dad. No one knows what happened to her. It's so sad. Anyway he married a wealthy widow named Eliza, spent all her money on charity, and died the day their divorce was finalized. And Eliza Jumel's divorce lawyer was Alexander Hamilton Jr..

Poor Eliza couldn’t go through all of her husband’s papers. Her son, John Church Hamilton, finished the work for her when she no longer could and put together the biography that inspired Chernow’s that inspired Lin’s musical. (He named a son Alexander and a daughter Elizabeth. He even named one of his sons Laurens! Aw.) And we have come full circle.

The End :33

There’s probably more but that’s what I’ve got. Thanks for reading!

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antoine-roquentin · 3 years ago

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Harold Cruse, in his uneven but at turns insightful 1967 polemic, The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual, wrote that “no literary or cultural movement today can be truly and effectively radical unless it presents a definitive critique of the entire cultural apparatus of America.” This line comes to mind whenever I read any of the recent wave of declarations of a new Black Renaissance, which tend to be rooted in the visibility (fame), white institutional acknowledgment (award nominations), and compensation (book sales, TV and film deals) of a select few rather than in any collective progress or societal shift. This supposed renaissance seems manufactured, bought and paid for, distinctly establishment. It has co-opted the language of radicalism and revolution without any of the moral underpinnings.

Cruse’s observations reverberated during the culture wars of the 1980s and ’90s. Thirty years ago, both Cornel West and Henry Louis Gates Jr. reshaped notions of the Black public intellectual and the scholar as celebrity. They joined forces at Harvard University in the hope of reinvigorating the public significance of Black intellectual culture just as some of the more gnostic ideas of race, identity, and culture (signifying, anti-essentialism, intersectionality) gained pop-cultural significance. The “Black Renaissance” of the ’80s and ’90s went by a variety of names, but was best captured by Trey Ellis’s “new black aesthetic,” an attempt to capture the rise of Black writers, artists, and musicians emerging in the wake of left-leaning, nationalistic Black cultural politics.

Gates and West were as much a part of this movement as more recognizable figures like Spike Lee and and musical acts like Public Enemy. Indeed, the professors parlayed their unprecedented visibility into conventional academic metrics of success, like programs and centers. But they also appeared frequently on talk shows, signed commercial book deals, made rap albums and movie appearances, and eventually produced television shows. Was their use of the celebrity spotlight an abandonment of Cruse’s “radical critique,” or was it an important front in an ongoing culture war? Or something in between?

Looked at from the vantage of 2021, academic celebrity — hypervisibility and mainstream popularity — has shifted the metric by which we measure intellectual success. Over the years, our Black celebrity intellectuals have tended to measure success by what white people value.

White people can afford the titillating delusion of Black radicalism and renaissance — they traffic in Black celebrity intellectuals and mascots, whom they promote to validate their own moral innocence as well as their bona fides as allies. It’s almost literally the least they can do. They can also use these mascots to antagonize and browbeat their “bad” white counterparts. It’s a tired act, but it makes for profitable theater.

But Black mascots excite Black people only so much, which explains the vastly different reactions I get from friends and colleagues by race. Many of the white ones are eager and beaming when they discuss the Amanda Gormans (and non-Black minorities like Lin-Manuel Mirandas) of the world. My Black friends and colleagues are far more cynical and frustrated. Their prevailing sentiment is that we have too much to lose to continue to indulge silliness and empty symbolism. They want collective improvement for Black Americans, not an invitation to root for a metaphorical hero in the latest media-generated movie. They want tangible change, not abstract renaissance.

The new Black Renaissance specializes in shallow personal investigations of identity, television shows and movies marked by clunky dialogue and heavy-handed storylines that seem lifted straight from social media. The Black public intellectuals and establishment radicals specialize in nebulous catchphrases: T-shirt fodder like “Black Excellence” and “Black Girl Magic” (which is also a bottle of wine now), and mumbo jumbo like “Black Abundance.” These slogans and hashtags, which can’t withstand the slightest scrutiny, seem tailored for use in dull online culture wars.

Add to that stockpile “go where you are valued, not where you are tolerated.” It’s a damned good quip. Never mind that it’s tone-deaf advice when most Black people lack the option of mobility — and rarely find any evidence of being valued. The quip and the clapback are what’s most prized online. Nuance isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s unwelcome.

It’s no mystery that the discourse, around race, Blackness, progress, politics, policy, is stultified. In step with the right, the left has leaned hard into the politics of identitarian grievance and resentment. Sloganeering plays better than serious intellectual interrogation, as do controversies that give the audience the vicarious thrill of victory over perceived enemies. Traditionally reputable media outlets increasingly default to puff pieces and Access Hollywood-style profiles of individual Black “creatives.” This neoliberal take on conservative exceptionalism highlights the accomplishments of a handful, sans context. Declarations of a renaissance are preferable to investigating the plight of the collective. In this way, the sensibilities of the white gatekeepers and white audience mold and constrict the field of Black thought. When they’re handing out Pulitzers for Black meditations on mustaches, you get down or lay down.

This has created a bottleneck effect among Black public intellectuals, who are competing to make the same obvious points about the most accessible issues, and to argue passionately against the most extreme foils. It incentivizes shamelessness, self-promotion, and shallow discourse. Self-critique has fallen by the wayside. For example, when Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, offered her dubious rationalizations about buying up millions of dollars of personal real estate despite being a Marxist, the Black-public-intellectual class was nowhere to be found. I saw a couple of softball interviews, including one in which an apologist dismissed the very legitimate criticism and questions about integrity and misallocation of resources as right-wing attacks that surfaced because “we’re winning.” Never mind that some of the criticism came from the families of victims of police murder. If this is what winning looks like, how do I quit the team?

As traditional institutions and political processes fail us, we turn with greater frequency to reality-show-styled celebrity figures to seek vicarious victories in place of the policy changes that result in legitimate collective uplift. The slogans and hashtags entrench us in the politics of resentment. They offer little more than schadenfreude. Those who use intersectionality as a cudgel conveniently forget that many things can be true at once. Instead, they lean into a selective, opportunistic, Manichean morality: If you are against ___, you must agree with the bad person on the other side. And so the foil sets the agenda.

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robininthelabyrinth · 4 years ago

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Hi!! I really loved your NMJ/WWX/LWJ ficlets!!! I'm very into this ship now lol I literally can't get the idea out of mind!! I keep think about LXC finding out NMJ is also into LWJ and going " Da-ge WTF" :D

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 - aka Pastime (with good company)

Lan Xichen had heard no word from Yiling since Lan Wangji had gone.

It was – distressing. If only he’d known…

He had, though, hadn’t he? Back when they’d all been at the Cloud Recesses together, long ago before it’d been burnt, his brother had always been so fond of Wei Wuxian, even if he’d always denied it. His expression had brightened whenever he’d seen the other boy, his eyes always on him, his attention always drawn to him…

Lan Xichen had thought it was a crush.

A silly little thing, fleeting: he vaguely remembered one time, when Lan Wangji had been only six years old, he’d asked, in that adorable serious fashion of his, if he could marry Nie Mingjue when he was older. He’d already known not to bring up issues of marriage to their father or uncle, and their mother had recently died; who else could he ask?

Lan Xichen, then nine years old, had laughed himself sick.

Still, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t known in the years since then that his brother’s disinterest in women had less to do with virtue and more to do with his personal inclinations. He’d teased him over it a few times, encouraged him in the rare instances when someone seemed to catch his interest, the way Wei Wuxian had; he’d even had a private word with their uncle to prepare him for the fact that any children would have to come from his lineage, not his brother’s.

He just hadn’t realized it was serious this time.

He should have realized. Lan Wangji was six no longer, his attention more serious, his affection sincere –

He’d known Lan Wangji was a cutsleeve, that he liked men the way other men liked women. He just hadn’t understood that his brother had fallen in love – and now he might very well spend the rest of his life mourning his lost chance to win Wei Wuxian, and all because Lan Xichen didn’t realize..!

Some elder brother he was.

By the time he’d figured it out, it was too late to cancel the engagement between Nie Mingjue and Wei Wuxian without great political cost, and Lan Wangji insisted on going alone as chaperone as he had promised; he’d refused any and all attempts by Lan Xichen to discuss the issue, and the most he had said was that it would be better for him to see with his own eyes that it had happened – the implication heart-breaking.

Lan Wangji had had hope, however foolish, and Lan Xichen had helped kill it. By facilitating the marriage of Lan Wangji’s love to another man, no less – not even a woman, which anyone would have understood…! For political reasons…!

Lan Xichen spent a great deal of time pacing and meditating, trying to calm his unhappy heart and thinking of what actions he could take to take to rectify his mistake.

That’s what he was doing when Nie Huaisang unexpectedly swanned in through the door to the hanshi one afternoon.

“So this is going to be a mess,” he announced, throwing himself down on one of the seats. “A mess, I tell you! All that work, and I’ll have to redo the whole thing, er-ge; it’s really not fair…at least I’ll have your help with it, this time!”

Lan Xichen blinked, a little blindsided by the sudden tsunami of words. “You know I’m always happy to help you, Huaisang,” he said, since that was both true and relatively safe.

“I know that, but now you have to be involved! Where do you want your table for the wedding banquet, do you think?”

At least he was only asking for advice on the wedding. The one Lan Xichen was currently kicking himself for supporting.

“I’m not sure,” he said, trying to smile and not quite succeeding. “Near the front?”

“Of course near the front. You’re part of the wedding party, aren’t you?”

Lan Xichen supposed from a certain perspective he was. “You think I should be seated at the main table, given my role as da-ge’s sworn brother?”

“Well, that too, I guess,” Nie Huaisang said. “Maybe it’ll just be easier to have one big table? We could have your family on one side of the table to represent the bride –”

Lan Xichen held up his hands. “Huaisang. Why would we represent the bride? The Jiang sect is representing Wei-gongzi.”

Nie Huaisang, who’d been all but horizontal, splayed out face down on the table, lifted his head and blinked at him. “Er-ge, don’t be silly. I’m not talking about Wei-xiong. I’m talking about Lan-er-gongzi – oh, I suppose I should call him sister-in-law now, I guess? So, Lan-saozi? No, that sounds weird. I’ll just stick with Lan-xiong.”

Lan Xichen rubbed his ears, wondering if he’d started hearing things. “Huaisang, what are you talking about? Wei-gongzi is the one marrying your brother.”

“Yes,” Nie Huaisang said slowly. “Of course he is. Lan-xiong is also marrying him.”

“…that’s impossible.”

“Not impossible at all; the plan is that they’ll share the position of first wife,” Nie Huaisang said, slowly sitting up. “There’s been more than one Madame Nie before…I’m sorry, did you not know? Didn’t Lan-xiong tell you?”

Lan Xichen stared. “Tell me – what? That he’s – that he’s planning on marrying your brother?”

“And Wei-xiong,” Nie Huaisang said. “Normally, both brides would make their vows to the husband alone, but everyone agreed that it would be more appropriate if Wei-xiong and Lan-xiong shared vows as well, reflecting the prestige of the Sects and their own dignity as men – did Lan-xiong really not say anything?”

“Forgive me, Huaisang. It appears I need to speak with my brother. Urgently.”

He strode out the door, his steps more hurried than the calm pace he was accustomed to using –

Lan Wangji was walking towards the hanshi.

He was coming from the direction of their uncle’s house; he must have arrived around the same time as Nie Huaisang – perhaps they’d even come together – but Lan Wangji had always followed family etiquette before sect etiquette, as Lan Xichen had taught him: he would have formally greeted his uncle first and foremost, shared a cup of tea with him, and only then gone to find Lan Xichen.

To break the news first to the sect leader, presumably.

“Wangji,” Lan Xichen called, and Lan Wangji turned to look at him –

He was smiling.

Not a full smile, of course; only the most joyous occasions brought out that rare ray of sunlight. But there was the slightest curve to his eyes that suggested he was pleased, and in the light of the setting sun, Lan Xichen could see the small hint of red in his ears that showed bashfulness.

“Brother,” he said formally, inclining his head.

“Walk with me,” Lan Xichen requested, and led them towards the jingshi – it would at least be private, if nothing else, unlike the currently occupied hanshi. It was only once they were inside that he spoke. “Do you have something to tell me?”

Lan Wangji nodded.

Lan Xichen forced himself to sit, as if that would calm his racing heart. “Please do.”

“Before the evening meal, Nie-gongzi will formally deliver to you a letter,” Lan Wangji said, very nearly managing to appear unperturbed to those who did not know him well enough to see his excitement. “Requesting permission to arrange a marriage.”

“With you.”

“En.”

“You and – Nie Mingjue.”

Lan Wangji blinked at Lan Xichen’s unaccountable rudeness. “The vows would be taken between myself, Mingjue-xiong, and Wei Ying.”

Lan Xichen rolled the words ‘Mingjue-xiong’ around his mouth as if seeking to taste every aspect of it. His brother was a stickler for proper etiquette; he would never refer to Nie Mingjue by so familiar a name unless he was truly serious about this.

“And this makes you happy?” Lan Xichen asked.

Lan Wangji smiled. He actually smiled, the expression blooming on his face as inexorably as the sun rising; he ducked his head to try to hide it, but it was far too late for that. “En.”

Lan Xichen wished he could just take that as the full answer it was clearly intended to be.

“Wangji,” Lan Xichen said very carefully, his hands folded in his lap. “When you left – I know you are very fond of Wei-gongzi. I have been thinking of this matter since you left. I have concluded that while the price may be high, if you wish for me to advocate to Mingjue-xiong that you be permitted to marry Wei-gongzi, I will do so.”

Lan Wangji’s smile faded into a look of some bewilderment. He didn’t understand: the expression on his face so very clearly said but I’m marrying him already…?

“If you wish to marry him without Mingjue-xiong,” Lan Xichen clarified. “I do not want you to feel as though the only route to your happiness is through another –”

But Lan Wangji was shaking his head, very quickly. Lan Xichen stopped talking and waited for Lan Wangji to gather his thoughts.

“I would not marry Mingjue-xiong to win Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji finally said. “I would not.”

Lan Xichen softened. “I know you are always sincere, Wangji, and would never act to deceive. But at the same time, this is – very unexpected, you understand? The matter concerns the happiness of the rest of your life. It must be done right. I mean…when did you even become interested in Mingjue-xiong?”

Lan Wangji flushed red and dropped his eyes to the ground. “…six.”

Six? What –

“That crush?” Lan Xichen blurted out, eyes wide. “When you were six and he was thirteen?”

Lan Wangji’s head dipped lower and his shoulders went up defensively.

“You’ve liked him ever since then? Really? You’re not – not just saying –”

With an expression of great suffering on his face, Lan Wangji leaned over and whispered some words into Lan Xichen’s ear – even at that distance, they were barely audible, rushed together into a scarcely coherent mumble, but upon hearing the words ‘spring dreams’ and ‘tried to stop’ and something even more disturbing about Wei Wuxian and the time spent supervising him in the Library Pavilion, Lan Xichen learned in a single blow both that his concerns were misplaced and also far, far more than he’d ever wanted to know about his brother.

“I see,” he said, his voice a little strangled. “And you only got over it by – replacing him with Wei-gongzi?”

Lan Wangji, looking horribly shamed, nodded.

“And now you think about both of them doing –”

Lan Wangji looked up in dumbstruck horror, only to have his eyes narrow as he realized that Lan Xichen had absolutely no intention of finishing his sentence and was only teasing him.

Lan Xichen couldn’t stop the smile that spread over his face, and he didn’t even try.

“I’m very happy for you,” he said, and meant it. His brother’s happiness was all he had ever wanted, from the beginning, no matter how unorthodox – and besides, having two lovers technically fulfilled their uncle’s constant exhortations that they never allow a single person to become their entire lives, the way their father had.

If either of them were to do something unforgivable (probably Wei Wuxian) or die young (probably Nie Mingjue), Lan Wangji would still have the other by his side to support him through the hardship. He would never be alone.

Yes, this was fine.

Of course, Lan Xichen was still going to have to have a talk with Nie Mingjue about marrying his little brother away from him…

He paused.

“Wangji,” he said, starting to feel a terrible premonition. “Have you raised this with Uncle yet?”

Lan Wangji paused for a moment, and Lan Xichen could see his back straightening as if he could somehow adopt even more of a proper posture than he already had habitually. “…no.”

Lan Xichen knows his brother to be able to infer the rest of that: After all, you’re the head of the family, I had to get your approval first, and also it would be very nice to have someone to act as a shield for me – please?

“…Uncle is going to kill me,” he sighed.

Lan Wangji’s eyes curved up a little, and Lan Xichen felt that it might almost – almost – be worth the truly disastrous scolding he’s about to get.

#mdzs #lan wangji #lan xichen #nie mingjue #wei wuxian #my fic #my fics #pastime with good company #Anonymous #pasttime with good company

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drferox · 5 years ago

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I’m not trapped here with them...

I’m pretty sure everybody has a relative that’s just a little vile - the stereotypical racist/bigoted/rightwing/arrogant aunt or uncle that you’d obliged to tolerate at family gatherings, but encouraged not to talk back to when they’re spouting verbal diarrhoea for the sake of ‘keeping the peace’.

Well, these people exist outside of the family unit too, and they occasionally come to the vet clinic. And because they have been trained by such family situations to think that they are entitled to voice their opinions without challenge or consequence, especially around younger, female people, they tend to voice those opinions at the vet clinic too.

They seem to mistakenly walk into a vet consult believing that just because I might be female and about the same age as their stifled, muted nieces that I will behave in the same way and meekly accept whatever garbage they’re spewing today. And it’s quite frankly delightful when you realise that you don’t have to go along with it anymore.

I am not trapped in the consult room with them. They are trapped in the consult room with me. And they’re paying me for my expert opinion now, I’m the authority in that room and all I have to do is act like it. I also don’t actually have to invite them to leave until I’m good and ready.

It takes a little bit of practice to get good at politely, but firmly shut down this sort of person’s bullpoop, but it is habit forming. It helps when you have good documentation of your previous discussions, and your medical records are so, so helpful in that situation. A helpful technique is to also agree with their sentiment but not their reasoning, and offer them a new reason to think about instead.

So our conversations go a little like this:

“I don’t see why we should have to wait outside this whole coronavirus thing is blown out of proportion” - “I agree it’s frustrating, but we’re making small changes to ultimately protect the more vulnerable of our community, and as a male over 65 with a heart condition bod you are part of that vulnerable community. It’s to protect you, not me.”

“I was here just last week for his ears and the medication was hard to use and didn’t work.” - “Actually, you were here over three months ago for his ears, told to have a recheck after 14 days which you didn’t come for, and have had two unrelated medication repeats in that time where you told us everything was going well when asked. Also it was his left ear that was the problem, not the right like this time. And the ears don’t look that bad, so I wouldn’t have expected this to have been an issue for more than ten days. But if putting the medication in is an issue, we have a few alternatives.”

“Do you have to do cytology each time? This is getting expensive.” - “yes I do, and the in-house test is value for money as if I send the slide away to the lab it costs at least four times as much. Which is what we will end up doing if you don’t come to rechecks and end up with antibiotic resistant infections. But if you come to your recheck as you’re supposed to, we only charge the cytology fee, unless you need different medication.”

“This whole coronavirus thing is a conspiracy. The ‘powers that be’ deliberately let the cruise ship dock so we’d get the virus and force us all to become a cashless society” - “It’s not a conspiracy, it’s a pandemic. And it’s far more likely that someone like Peter Dutton just had a friend on the boat that they wanted to let off. Remember he caught the virus too?”

Don’t actually make a move to open the door for them and invite them to leave until you’re satisfied with the conversation. They get so uncomfortable when the conversation isn’t going their way, when you’re not just giving lip service because they’re a paying customer. Don’t get mad, just consistent and repetitive. Remember, they chose to come to you. They chose to bring up these topics.

Then actually escort them to the front desk so they don’t try to re-start the conversation with a nurse and ‘win’ at getting their misguided opinions across. Because they will try to restart the conversation with an easier target if you let them.

They’re not trying to convince you. They’re just looking for someone to agree with them and make them feel smart and respected. If you don’t give that to them, they will eventually go quiet, and even if you can’t change their minds perhaps you can prevent them from spreading their ideas to someone else, or at the very least you wont have to keep listening to it.

Try it sometime. You might have been on the receiving end of this technique as a rebellion high school student. You get to flip the script in adulthood.

#veterinarian #vetblr #the general public #gonna document his excuses #so he can't get anything for free #happy side effect that I can shut down his bigotry

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besanii · 4 years ago

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shattered mirrors 56

WangXian ; 1280 words

Lan Wangji enters the Imperial study as he has done since he was fifteen years old and first starting out in his political career. And as always, his brother is seated behind the desk with his uncle standing to one side, both of them waiting for him—only this time, Lan Xichen is no longer wearing the dark blue robes of the Crown Prince with silver clouds along the collar, but in Imperial black. Amongst the clouds now are dragons stitched in gold, winding their way around his sleeves and the length of his robes; the formal headdress is nowhere in sight, but the usual silver headpiece has also been replaced by one of gold.

The sight gives him pause once he steps over the threshold, a stark reminder of what else they have lost in the months since the war ended.

“Your subject, Lan Wangji, greets Huangshang,” he says, sinking to his knees and touching his forehead to the tiles. “May our Emperor live for ten thousand years.”

Lan Xichen raises a hand briefly in his direction.

“Hanguang-wang may rise,” he says.

Lan Wangji rises to his feet and turns to his uncle with a shallower bow, his hands clasped before him in a wide circle.

“Huangshu.”

Lan Qiren nods. “Wangji.”

They have not spoken at much length since Lan Wangji’s return from the front lines—marred by his very public punishment and subsequent seclusion, as well as Lan Qiren’s own official duties—but Lan Wangji knows his uncle disapproves of his actions and behaviour in the past year. It shows now with the tension in his jaw and the rigidity of his spine, the way he glares at a spot just over Lan Wangji’s shoulder instead of directly at his person. Lan Wangji does not fear censure, but being the subject of his uncle’s displeasure has never been a comfortable experience.

Fortunately, however, there are more pressing matters at hand.

“Huangshang sent urgent summons for me,” he says, bowing his head as he addresses Lan Xichen once again. “Is there perhaps an important issue Huangshang wishes to discuss?”

Lan Xichen turns to the servants in the room.

“You may leave us,” he tells them.

“Yes, Huangshang,” they chorus, bowing in unison. They back out of the room in two lines, heads and bodies still bowed; the last two eunuchs pull the study doors closed behind them.

Once they are alone, Lan Xichen reaches for one of the missives on his desk and opens it. The gold fabric cover is embossed with a familiar motif that sends a uneasy chill down Lan Wangji’s back. Lan Xichen, however, sounds only thoughtful as he studies the contents.

“A messenger arrived from Lanling this morning,” he says, eyes still scanning the missive. “Jin Zixuan has renounced his title and left Lanling.”

What?

“Renounced his title?” Lan Wangji repeats, stunned. “And left Lanling?”

Lan Xichen nods gravely, refolding the missive and holding it out to him; he takes it with a bow and quickly scans the contents. Jin Zixuan, the eldest and only son of His Majesty Jin Guangshan and his queen—making him the only legitimate heir to the throne of Lanling—had been betrothed to Jiang Yanli before Yunmeng had fallen and the princess herself had vanished. Lan Wangji has had very few personal dealings with the former Crown Prince in the past, but if rumours were to be believed, he was a great deal more capable and trustworthy than his father.

“The official reason is that Jin Zixuan has taken ill and has been sent away from court to recuperate,” Lan Xichen says. “But our ambassador has written separately that, a day or so prior to this announcement, father and son had fallen out over the subject of his marriage.”

“Jin Zixuan refuses to enter into another arrangement,” Lan Wangji guesses.

Lan Xichen nods again.

“Jin-wang has been looking into prospective matches from all their major allies, both within Lanling and outside of it,” he says. “Qinghe has several princesses of marriageable age and a marriage alliance would help them gain a foothold within the court, of course, but Nie-wang has never seen eye-to-eye with Jin-wang so it is unlikely. Qishan and Yunmeng are…out of the running.”

He grimaces and falls silent. Almost three years on from the massacre, the fall of Yunmeng still weighs heavily on all of them. The ongoing search for Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian’s whereabouts has so far yielded no results, even with the combined efforts of Gusu, Lanling and Qinghe—although, Lan Wangji notes with disdain, Lanling had been the first to consider the venture fruitless and withdrawn their support.

“We do not have princesses of marriageable age here in Gusu,” Lan Xichen continues. “Unless we include shu princesses—but Jin-wang is unlikely to accept anything other than a princess of the di line.”

Lan Wangji is inclined to agree.

“What is Jin Zixuan’s opinion on the issue?” he asks.

Lan Qiren snorts.

“He insists that Jiang Yanli may well still be alive,” he says. He does not roll his eyes, but the disdain is evident. “He refuses to dishonour their existing arrangement unless there is concrete proof to the contrary. He would rather abandon his family than accept the very real possibility that she is already dead.”

The bluntness of his words stirs within Lan Wangji a mixture of irritation and exasperation, but he curls his hands into fists and holds his tongue. There is no sense in disagreeing with his uncle, no matter how passionately he feels about the issue, or how sympathetic he is to Jin Zixuan’s plight. But deeper still, there is admiration and envy—for Jin Zixuan’s decisiveness, for his bravery in choosing to walk away from his country, his duty and his family.

But where Jin Zixuan has many siblings waiting in the wings to fill his position, Lan Wangji is keenly aware that, without him, Lan Xichen would be alone. Their uncle may provide support and advice where he can while remaining impartial, the truth of the matter is that, ever since their mother’s death and their father’s illness and seclusion, they had learned very quickly that they could only depend on each other in the treacherous world of politics. No matter how strong his own personal desires may be, Lan Wangji cannot abandon his brother to the mercies of their political foes.

“Such devotion and loyalty should be commended,” Lan Xichen says, looking at him as he speaks. There is an infinite kindness and sympathy in his voice, with an underlying finality that brooks no argument. “Although it is a shame to lose a valuable future ally, especially as the new Crown Prince has yet to be decided.”

Lan Wangji feels a rush of gratitude towards his brother, who offers him a small smile. Their uncle huffs, clearly displeased, but does not argue.

“Do we know where he has gone?” Lan Wangji asks then. “Or what he plans to do?”

Lan Xichen shakes his head.

“Only that he has left Lanling alone,” he says. “We believe he intends to continue the search for Yanli-gongzhu and Wei-gongzi.” He gives their uncle a quick sideways glance, almost in warning, at the derisive little snort he makes under his breath. “We will, of course, continue our own search. Those in charge have been instructed to keep us abreast of the situation. I have asked them to report directly to you.”

Lan Wangji sinks to his knees and bows low at the waist, before pressing his forehead to the tiles.

“Your subject thanks you, Huangshang, for your generosity,” he says.

Notes:

di (嫡) - ‘legitimate’, usually in reference to the legal wife and her offspring (as opposed to concubines)

shu (庶) - ‘illegitimate’, referring to concubines and their offspring

〜〜(／￣▽)／　〜ф

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