#ask fife

[thefife01]

1, 3, 10, 15!!!

1: Favorite house? Golden Deer all the way babey!!! We're just out here to have a good time!!!!!!

3: Unit you always recruit? I recruit every possible unit on every playthrough lolol I can't bear to kill my kiddos!!! But I'd say my most-used recruit is usually Mercedes.

10: Favorite support conversation? Oh this is so hard!! There are a lot that I like, but I don't think anything will be able to top the comedic genius that is Felix and Annette's.

15: Favorite support conversation? Wait I just realized this is on the question list twice!! But for good reason!! Cyril and Lysithea's is also SO good and lives in my head rent-free. So does Ferdinand and Dorothea's, and any support with Hubert or Lorenz.

3H Questions: https://www.tumblr.com/thefife01/729807578132070400?source=share

[iamthemaestro]

am I really at the point in my life where I’m having to decide if 8+ instruments is too many to bring to school…

[queenalexandraofdenmark]

Can you share with us your favorite photographs Of alexandra and her children?

Thank you in advance! 🤗

Of course anon! ☺🩷

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[aprilbrowines]

Haruko - 🍌

🍌-Haruko's diet consists of ramen pack, frozen meals, and convenience store snacks. half joking aside she like home cooked meals, her favorite being chicken pot pie.

[nia1sworld]

You guys need to stop torching and kidnapping Nia and save some for the rest of us!

Ask the ink chronicles #153

(I'm still gonna imagine that gaudy's 6ft tall, though without a prob)

[triviareads]

Tell me about your interest in Lord Fife I'm curious now :)

Oh he basically encapsulates all the douchebag white boys I know so I feel very proprietary about him. Like, he may be a loser, but he's MY loser. Look at this pathetic little man and his receding hairline:

@jeanvanjer and I have come up with a variety of delightful headcanons for him. I have a joke in my modern kathony fics that he tries to get into Mary's pants by offering to help her evade taxes in that way only rich people somehow get away with. He's very into getting shamed, imo. Also! In his historical iteration, he probably has a thing for toes and one day, he finds a debutante who's very into it. Who knows what him and the lovely Miss Goring get up to in those closets 🤷‍♀️. Also, looking back, I think I briefly wanted to make Penelope his sugar mama but tbh he's too good for her and that's saying something.

Anyway, here's Fife again. Salud.

Oh! and enjoy this twitter compilation of him:

[thebaffledcaptain]

Music of the Revolutionary Century: How Stands the Glass Around

The first tune in this series is possibly my favorite Revolutionary War tune (made known to me by Brandon F—he has a great video on it if you're interested), though to call it such would technically be a bit of a stretch. The song first appears, to our knowledge, in a 1729 opera called "The Patron," but earned the alternate name "General Wolfe's Song" when it was allegedly sung by General Wolfe the night before his death at the Plains of Abraham during the Seven Years' War. Now, he probably didn't sing it, all things considered, but it's no question why it would have been associated with so morbid an event—it's a remarkably morbid song in itself. I find the last stanza particularly haunting:

'Tis but in vain I mean not to upbraid you, boys 'Tis but in vain For soldiers to complain Should next campaign Send us to Him that made us, boys We’re free from pain But should we remain A bottle and kind landlady Cures all again

The Druids do a suitably haunting version (the entire album is excellent but unfortunately only available on Youtube), which I choose specifically because I feel it's the most faithful to the actual context in which it would have been sung (I'm fond of John Townley's version, as well, but it's a little more upbeat). Here, stripping it down to the vocals and the churchly four-part harmony (the phrases feel a little more isolated, perhaps resigned, because they each cadence into themselves, whereas in Townley's version they lead harmonically into one another), it feels eerily evocative: four soldiers sitting around a fire in the chill night air, knowing that in the cold brightness of the morning they will march into the valley of blood and death... any significance they've ascribed to their own lives has been chipped away over time by their impassive, grueling reality, leaving them with only the nihilistic freedom of knowing they have nothing left to lose.

[mirrormirror-bytherose]

Fife, don’t listen to forte, he’s using you

"I'm not as dumb as people think I am.  Whenever he wants something, Maestro Forte offers to write me a personal solo.  He's done this for years, of course I know it's not going to happen!  That's not why I follow him."

"I'm no good with numbers or letters, or even talkin' to people so they listen to me.  Music, that's the one thing I've got that makes sense.  I could be good at it!  When I was a kid, back before the Maestro stepped down into private music, I caught one of his performances.  The way his music felt... it changed my life!  That's what I want to do!"

"Everyone wants an apprentice who's a bright young guy with potential, and if not that, a rich guy with connections.  That's not me.  But Forte, he taught himself to be a musician way back when he was starting out.  And he had just enough of a soft spot to wanna give another nobody a chance to become somebody."

"So of course I can take him yelling at me, or making promises he doesn't mean.  He's already giving me something I'd never get anywhere else."

[ticenchantedtoc]

3 for the holiday fic stuff? Any characters you wanna use is fine :3

It had been Belle's idea. Something her family used to do when the roads were buried under snow and the award money never came.

In the castle, though, it was simply convenient. Belle had gathered everyone in the ballroom, which was still a mess in preparation for their usual, ostentatious Christmas gala. The tree sat empty, and the floor was littered with loose pine needles and golden glitter. Dusty boxes of ornaments and candles were piled anywhere there was room, in some method of "organization" that only made sense to Angelique. Belle made a seat for herself atop an old cedar trunk, sending another puff of dust onto the once-polished floor. She barely suppressed a giggle at the way Cogsworth's nose scrunched up.

The names were shuffled in an empty box for the garland, scraps of tinsel and evergreen tossed with them. Everyone walked out with a folded scrap of paper and the promise that someone had theirs in turn.

Everyone except Fife.

He hadn't come to the ballroom. In fact, Madame de Garderobe could not recall the last time she saw the boy at all.

"We should do something for him."

Her husband glanced up to her with a blink, as if he hadn't seen her at all. His pen had stilled so abruptly that a blot of ink bled into the page. A soft smile graced her face. "Apologies, mi amore, I did not mean to interrupt you."

In an instant, and for no discernable reason, Cadenza suddenly noticed the growing dot of ink beneath his hand. He frantically tried to smudge it out with his thumb, which only made the mess worse. His face fell into his hands. "Yes, mi stella?"

Garderobe pulled a handkerchief from his coat pocket to dry the black stain now on his cheek. With a cheeky grin, she whispered, "My sincerest apologies for disrupting a genius at work."

He crumpled up the paper with a huff. "Nonsense, all I've written is nonsense!"

"I'm sure that's not true."

"How am I supposed to appeal to the prince? He has been famously been difficult all his life, and if that wasn't challenging enough, now he's a different man entirely!"

"And I'm certain the most talented composer in all of Europe can make something perfect for him."

Cadenza tossed the paper ball into a corner, the newest addition to a white, crinkly mountain of ideas that would certainly be brilliant to anyone else. But not Cadenza. Temperamental, perfectionist Cadenza with too many ideas and too little patience.

Garderobe chuckled more as she leaned down to kiss his cheek. "Now that I have your attention, I have a little request. The little flautist, we should do something for him."

"Mi amore, we barely know him!"

"But we do!" she insisted brightly. "We share an art, darling; that is more than enough!"

Cadenza shook his head. "Oh, if you insist."

So their search began. Cadenza asked as much of the staff as he could, but not even Lumiere knew a thing about the boy.

"He is— Well, you know, he keeps to himself."

"He rarely spoke to anyone but the Maestro. Quite flighty, as it were."

"He's an odd little tyke. I've tried talking to him some, but he always avoids us."

None of it sat well with the diva. Especially when she knew—or rather, had known—Maestro Forte many years ago. He had always been a bitter, reclusive man, and she could not bear to see sweet Fife become the same.

It didn't matter that she didn't know him. Madame de Garderobe had never been the type for small things. On the stage and in her behind-the-scenes life, she would love with her whole heart, sing until her throat was raw, throw herself into anything if passion swayed her so.

And suddenly, she knew what to do.

"Mi amore, what was the name of that carpenter in Villeneuve?"

"Firmin, I believe."

"Thank you, dear!"

Cadenza shook his head as she disappeared out the door, her thick skirts following a few seconds later. There was no use arguing with his wife when she set her mind to something, but that was also one of the things he loved about her.

She poked her head back into the room. "And the seamstress?"

"I don't know," he chuckled. "Why don't you ask Belle?"

"That's brilliant! Thank you, love!"

She was gone again before he could answer, and thus Cadenza remained tucked away with only his harpsichord as company. Hours slipped between the keys as he wrote and rewrote and wrote and rewrote... His hands seemed to move on their own as his mind followed the road through the forest, all but invisible beneath the snow. He thought of Garderobe in Villeneuve, shining like a Christmas star in all her jewels and silks and beauty. And above all else... her joy.

Cadenza looked back to his sheet music with a smile. He had nothing to worry about. Tomorrow, the gifts would be exchanged, and there would be laughter in the ballroom, and none of his stresses mattered because there would be joy.

[thefife01]

Hello Fife!! For the fe3h ask game how about 3, 10, 11, 17, and/or 9 💗💙💜💛

Woohoo!!!!! Here we go!!!!!!

3: Unit you always recruit? Besides Mercie, I always recruit Lysithea for sure, because I'm bad at the game and need a fail-safe magic nuke!

9: Favorite faculty member? Manuela ;) She's a physician, a songstress, AND she's available?1??! She's the whole package!!!! The time she dropped a sandwich on the floor and said "5 second rule?" Yeah

10: Favorite support conversation? OK, so besides the giant list I gave last time (lol), I also love supports that dig into characters' backstories! So Yuri and Dorothea's, or Jeritza and Mercedes's are huge faves for me (even if they make my heart hurt)

11: Favorite song? I like God Shattering Star :)

17: Character you relate to? Annette lolol! She's cute and clumsy and has undiagnosed anxiety, and girl same!!!! But also Linhardt because I can't bring myself to put effort into anything that I'm not feeling ahahaha

3H Questions: https://www.tumblr.com/thefife01/729807578132070400?source=share

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Some Magic-Related Vocabulary

for your next poem/story

Amulet: An object worn, carried or placed to guard against negativity or other vibrations. A protective object.

Astral Projection: The practice of separating the consciousness from the physical body so that the former may move about unhindered by time, space or gravity.

Bane: A poison; that which destroys life. "Henbane" is poisonous to hens.

Banish: To drive away evil, negativity or spirits.

Beltane: An ancient folk-festival day observed by Witches that celebrates the fully blossomed spring. April 30 or May 1.

Censer: A vessel of metal or earthenware in which incense is burned. An incense burner.

Chaplet: A garland or wreath of flowers or leaves worn on the head, as in the chaplets given to classical Greek heroes as symbols of honor.

Clairvoyance: Literally "clear seeing." The ability to perceive facts, events and other data by other than the five "normal" senses, unaided by tools.

Curse: A concentration of negative and destructive energy, deliberately formed and directed toward a person, place or thing.

Divination: The art of finding things out through means other than the five senses, using tools such as tarot cards, crystal balls, and so on.

Enchant: "Sing to." Magically speaking, a procedure whereby herbs are aligned with your magical need prior to their use.

Evil Eye, The: Supposed glance capable of causing great harm or fear, once almost universally feared.

Fascination: The art of placing other people under one's power through sounds, gazes, colors, etc.

Hex: An evil spell; a curse.

Incubus: A male demon or spirit which was believed to sexually tempt and abuse women; the succubus was the corresponding female demon.

Infusion: An herbal tea.

Lughnasadh: An old harvest festival celebrated on August 1st or 2nd in Europe, reverencing the abundant (harvested) fruits of the Earth. It is still observed by Wicca.

Magic: The practice of causing needed change through the use of powers as yet undefined and unaccepted by science.

Magic Circle: A ritually-created circle (or sphere) that offers protection to the magician during magical rites.

Magician: A person of either sex who practices magic.

Magus: A magician.

Midsummer: The Summer Solstice, usually on or near June 21st, one of the Wiccan festival days and an excellent time to practice magic.

Pendulum: A tool of divination which consists of a heavy object suspended from a string or cord. The end of the cord is held between the thumb and forefinger; questions are asked and their answers divided by the movements of the pendulum.

Pentagram: A five-pointed star which has been used in magic for centuries. Highly symbolic, it is also a protective device.

Poppet: A small doll made of various substances to influence a person's fife. In herb magic, either a carved root or a cloth image stuffed with herbs. The use of poppets is known as "image magic."

Power Hand, The: The hand you write with; the dominant hand. This is a magically potent hand.

Samhain: An ancient festival day marking the beginning of winter. Also known as "Halloween" and All Hallows Eve. It is observed by Wicca with religious ceremonies.

Scry: To gaze into a pool of ink, fire, crystal ball, etc. to awaken and summon psychic powers.

Spell: A magical rite.

Talisman: An object worn or carried to attract a specific influence, such as love, luck, money, health; as opposed to an amulet which keeps forces from its bearer.

Wicca: A contemporary religion with spiritual roots in prehistory that worships the life-force of the universe as personified as a God and Goddess. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as "witchcraft."

Witch Bottle: A bottle or jar containing herbs, pins, shards of glass and other objects, designed to protect a person or area from evil and curses. Usually buried or placed in a window.

Witchcraft: The practice of natural magic, as that of herbs, stones, and candles. Spell-casting. Still used by some to refer to the religion of Wicca.

Wort: An old word meaning "herb." Mugwort preserves the term.

Excerpt from Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs More: Word Lists ⚜ Esoteric Vocabulary ⚜ On Magic

[queenalexandraofdenmark]

who was Queen Alexandra's favorite son and daughter?

She didn't really have a favourite son since she was known for being incredibly close with both of them way more than her daughters, but I do know that her favourite daughter was Princess Louise! ☺

[shinysobi]

"it was awkward to see colin flirt and behave like a rake" "he gave me the ick" yes ! that is the fucking point!! congratulations! you have the media literacy skills of a fucking monkey because my 4-year old niece could understand it better than you do.

we are supposed to find colin cringey and annoying and get the ick because that is not who he is. he is not anthony, or simon, or even benedict. colin (apart from gregory) is the sweetest of all bridgerton brothers (i'm going by book canon) and his most identifiable character trait is the fact that he values an emotional connection above everything. he runs away to the continent because he wants to feel that emotional connection. he has meaningless sex in brothels because that is the example he has seen growing up, that is the norm. he tries so hard to fit into the norm. he goes out drinking, adopts an entirely new personality, learns flirtations because that is how he thinks he will fit in. he's got armour on, as violet said. he puts everyone's needs above his own, he stops rambling on and boring his family with details of his trip because he knows no one cares. he doesn't talk to anthony or benedict about his heartaches because he knows they still, somewhere in their heart of hearts, view him as the annoying younger brother. he's so devastated by his closest friend not responding to him that he adopts a new personality in the hopes that it might mask the hurt better. he runs after penelope in episode one because he is so attuned to her emotions that he knows she's hurting, and tries to comfort her even when she's spiraling and lashes out. he must have been hurt by her words in the "good night mr bridgerton" scene but he puts it aside to genuinely apologise to her when literally no one else in that family would do that. colin, instead of brooding over his own feelings, goes and corners penelope in her family's garden and apologises to her, disregarding his own hurt at being cruelly dismissed by his close friend.

penelope asking colin to kiss her is not a mark of how "pathetic" she is. she has written and shamed herself in a manner that is almost entirely unsalvageable. she is at her lowest point, and then portia comes in and reminds her of how undesirable she is, and she sinks even lower. she asks colin to kiss her because she sees it as a final act, after which she can quietly wave goodbye to her dreams of ever getting married and leaving her mother's home. colin kisses her because he is also keenly aware of how she's feeling. he knows how hurt she is, he wants to do anything to alleviate that. be it cracking a joke, or kissing her. he is gentle, because he wants it to be something she can dream of when she's by herself. penelope, at this moment, has no hope for herself, and their kiss is an act of letting go for her. no, it's not a pity kiss, no he did not like her after her glow up, he has always loved her. him being struck dumb is a reaction to her physical transformation, nothing more. he does not flirt with her in that ballroom scene, he only approaches her when she's in distress. he's not flirting with her. i can assure you penelope could wear the frumpiest most neon yellow gown of all time and colin would still go "<333 my pen" for her.

colin jumps to catch the balloon's ropes because he sees that penelope is in danger, he does not give a shit about anyone else lmao. he feels temporary relief when he sees eloise run to safety, but the moment he sees penelope in immediate danger, he rushes to take action. afterwards, when he sees that she's being comforted by debling (all my homies hate debling, even if he is aro/ace coded i do NOT claim him) he does not approach her. it would be easy for him to do so, but he does not, because he respects her boundaries. colin bridgerton is the only man in the ton who respects women (the featherington sons-in-laws are too pretty to have a thought) he calls out fife and his friends for treating women like objects and calls them cavalier. the only way he would have been more explicit about his demisexuality was if he tap danced on the club table (entertaining thought, luke newton please)

colin also rapidly takes action, something which no one in the show has done so far. simon would have died instead of accepting his feelings for daphne, daphne would have been content with a loveless marriage forever instead of asking for help. kate would have pushed edwina down the aisle and gone off to india instead of confronting her own feelings, and anthony would have married edwina if she hadn't been brave enough for the three of them to run from the altar and ruin herself. penelope stood on the sidelines for years and loved him quietly because she had no hope of him loving her back. colin, the moment he is assured of his feelings, runs to penelope, almost kisses her in the middle of a ballroom. when he hears that debling is about to propose, he goes to the ball, just to dissuade penelope one more time. he cuts into their dance because he's desperate. when he runs after her carriage, he asks her if she has been proposed to, because he would not have touched her otherwise. he confesses his feelings to her only when he knows that she hasn't gotten engaged to debling, and when she says "but we are friends" he moves away. nothing more. he would have let her go, if she did not return his feelings.

idk whether i should be flattered or offended at people misunderstanding this season because on one hand it is offensive, but on the other hand, it means only smart people get polin. seriously. your minds have been rotted by insta-love and enemies to lovers that you can't even appreciate the innate beauty of friends to lovers. being friends with someone and then holding all those feelings for them. the trepidation of possible rejection. the fulfillment of being loved by the person who knows you the best of them all. the privilege of loving someone whose feelings you know better than your own. love is gentle and kind and yes it is a violent, uprooting force but above all, love does not hurt anyone. it does not hurt you. i could love someone quietly for years and it wouldn't bother me if their feelings were requited or not because my feelings are none of their business and i consider it a privilege to love and be loved by them, even if it is not in the way i would want it to be. polin are privileged in the highest sense. they know each other better than anyone else, they know how to love each other better than anyone else. to think they are rushed or they dont deserve each other is a disservice to both of them. they would be miserable with anyone else.

in other matters, if i see one more person talking smack about luke or nicola behind the safety of their screens i will personally get a bazooka.

[dollypopup]

I get why people would think it but

Colin is NOT a rake. Colin is a young man trying to figure out his identity and what he likes sexually and trying to understand what the men of his society talk about and do. He's not out here messing around with women just to string them along and then leave them. He's trying to fit in and has been made fun of for being a virgin so yeah, he rectifies that by having sex, but just because he slept with a few women, that doesn't make him a rake? You wanna know who an actual rake in the series is?

Fife.

Because what the fuck happened to Miss Goring? I think about her sometimes and my heart aches for her. Her first season out, she's an 18 year old woman, and an older, titled man of her society who she assumes to be a proper gentleman makes her believe their relationship can actually be something, messes around with her the entire season, and then fucks her in a linen closet at a ball only to....what? Come back the next year with absolutely no mention of her whatsoever. Did she get pregnant? Was sent off in disgrace? Have to marry someone else?

Fife is a 30 year old man who has a bad habit of hounding after young, vulnerable women in his society. He fucks them and leaves them. He's a rake. Colin? Colin is not even close to that. Say what you will about the brothel scenes, but that IS the responsible place for a man of his time to go to for sex. Please stop demonizing sex work. Yes, many of these women are in that line of work because of less than savory reasons, but Colin is not taking advantage of them. He is paying for a service and they are providing that service. It is transactional, and he is the LEAST of their concerns in terms of clientele. A kind, handsome man who pays well and is discrete? Yeah, they're fine with him.

Colin has a history of respecting women. He respected Marina all throughout their courtship, and even after. I know some people sneer at him coming to see Marina, but please keep in mind she is a woman on her own who married a stranger far away from ANYONE who knew her. Colin was worried about Daphne when she came to him, asking if anything happened when she was away and clearly ready to fight for her, so of course he's worried about Marina. Partly he visits her for his own closure, but also like....y'all that's a WELLNESS visit. He's concerned that she's unhappy, but ultimately leaves because she's not hurt and that she tells him to. Colin listens to 'no' from the women around him. He asks for permission from them. He waited for Penelope's consent sexually, but he also didn't even get into the carriage until she allowed him. He even asks "Please, let me in".

Colin lives in a time when women do not have many rights, and he listens to the women around him even more than the men. He is the only one of his siblings to ask for his mum's advice and immediately takes it and takes action. He brings Eloise back a feminist text from his travels, even after she's besmirched as a radical, because he supports her pursuits. In season 2, he also knew of her going to the printers and didn't say anything. He has always respected and cared for Penelope. He hasn't insulted a single woman in his vicinity. He doesn't make the women he flirts with feel bad about themselves, or feel less, but compliments them, all whilst keeping respectable distance so as not to make them think he's interested in marrying them. He doesn't dance with any woman but Penelope in that season.

Colin isn't a rake. He's not a fuckboy. He's trying to act like he is, emulating the circle of his society, but that doesn't mean he is. I swear people just WANT to misinterpret him because that's the easiest way, but Colin is a character who doesn't lend well to surface level readings. He's a nuanced, gentle hearted character who has been looked down on for his sensitivity. He's a deeply relatable person because who of us haven't pretended to be accepted? Especially if we've been bullied or excluded. I know I have. Put on a persona for the sake of survival. And he does so for what? A few weeks? That does not a fuckboy make.

Just say you don't want to understand him and move along because those of us who get him GET HIM. And I'm grateful for a character like Colin.

He's the best man in the series by an entire mile and you can't change my mind about that.

[nia1sworld]

Barbara. Are you a bank loan? Cause you have my interest~ 😏 ( oh god, I think I did it too far. Please don’t freak out cause I love you O///o )

Ask the ink chronicles #137

Sometimes a 1940 animatronic is always the same with a 1920's animatronic fusion

[yellowdressesandyearning]

We have Colin ‘my wife’ Bridgerton. But I want Colin ‘my child’ Bridgerton, too.

Everyone just accepts where Colin goes, baby Polin goes with him. He takes his son to the bank. He takes his son to the club for afternoon drinks and yells at anyone who smokes too close to them.

One time Fife asked why Colin bothers to care for his son when he has a wife at home, and Colin threw a wooden rattle at his head.