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fischerfrey · 1 year ago

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A Christmas Prince; The Royal Wedding

Chapter 7: Something Old, Something New

Summary: The fate of Alderly hangs in the balance as Dawn, Quincey, Evander, and the others race to uncover the conspiracy behind The New Alderly Initiative.

A/N: Here it is; The final chapter of the second installment! I'm proud to have finished this, though I have to admit that it didn't turn out quite as I would have wanted it. I had to leave a lot of stuff out and I didn't have time to really dig into the potential this AU has. Regardless, I'm very fond of this universe and I'm excited for next Christmas's story already.

Thank you to everyone who's been reading this year! I appreciate your reactions, comments, and tags more than I could ever express.

And as always, a massive thank you goes to my partner in crime Annie (@potionboy3), without whom this story would never have seen the light of day. Thank you❤️

Words: 3.8k

Characters:

Dawn and Evan Harvelle, Rosa Yaxley, Evander Alderly, Maxim Raeburn, and Jimmy Crouch by @potionboy3

Quincey, Olympia, and Isabella Alderly, Tess Brandon

Rocky Weasley by @magicallymalted

Pandora Lovelace and Nymeria Lee by @gcldensnitch

Jupiter Durand by @cursed-herbalist

Diana Somerset by @endlessly-cursed

Mentioned:

Nova Hartley

Nate Mackade by @unfortunate-arrow

John Arthur by @potionboy3

Lainey Bell by @gcldensnitch

Gaia Alden by @cursed-herbalist

Beatrice Somerset by @camillejeaneshphm

Beginning | Previous Chapter

Want to read the first fic in the series, A Christmas Prince? Click here!

Chapter 7: Something Old, Something New

Dawn and Quincey rode back to the palace with haste. When they got to the room where Dawn had left Tess and Evander, everyone turned to look at them and Dawn felt a chill go down his spine at the expressions on their faces.

“What is it?” Dawn asked.

“We cracked the database,” said Evander. “And I’m afraid you’re not going to like what we found.”

“Tell me,” said Quincey.

Olympia walked up to them. She looked like she might have been crying, or maybe it was just the lack of sleep. She took Quincey’s hand.

“You’re scaring me now,” he told her.

“It’s mother. She’s been siphoning the country’s money for… I don’t know what purpose.”

Quincey blinked. He looked from Olympia to Evander, who nodded. Then he turned his gaze back to his sister.

“That can’t be,” he said. “What reason would she have to steal from herself?”

“Come see for yourself,” said Evander. Quincey walked over and Evander showed him the laptop. Dawn followed him and saw it on the screen, clear as day. Isabella Alderly was the CEO of Glockenspiel Consortium.

“Quince…,” said Dawn. This was not a turn of events he had been anticipating, no matter how much he might have disliked Isabella. He’d been half convinced the real culprit was Miss Pince, but despite all their animosity, Pince did love the crown more than anything, or so it seemed.

“I must speak with her,” Quincey said.

“We’re coming with you,” said Dawn.

“We should accompany you,” said Evander, almost at the same time. “And you should know, this information wasn’t obtained entirely… legally.”

“So, it won’t hold at court?” asked Quincey.

“I’m afraid not.”

“Then I’ll have to deal with this my way.”

When Dawn and the others located the queen, she was with most of the senior staff, Miss Yaxley, and Dawn’s dad.

“Dawn?” asked Evan. “Thank goodness you’re alright, I was worried.” Evan came to hug him but Dawn said: “Not now, dad, something’s happened.”

“What?” asked Evan.

“I’ll explain everything, I promise.”

“Good, you’re all here,” said Evander. “We might need an audience for this.”

“Is everything alright?” asked Isabella.

“No, no it isn’t,” said Quincey.

“If this is about the wedding,” started Isabella. “A little modernization won’t be a threat to the monarchy, as long as the memory of your dear father is respected.”

“We’ll get to that,” said Dawn. Isabella blinked at him in surprise, as if only now realizing he was even present. “There is a threat to the monarchy, but it’s not modernization.”

“What ever are you talking about?” asked Pince. Dawn didn’t take his eyes off Isabella.

“I’m sorry mother,” said Quincey. “But the jig, as they say, is up.”

“What?” asked Isabella, still feigning innocence.

“The New Alderly initiative has been failing,” started Quincey. “Because you've been siphoning off the money.”

Isabella looked aghast. “That's absurd.”

“People lost their jobs because of you,” said Dawn.

“And you lied to our faces,” added Olympia.

Everyone’s eyes now turned to the queen. Isabella didn’t look shaken, only annoyed. “How dare you imply such thing?” she asked. “My own children, no less.”

“We know, mother,” said Quincey. “All of us. We know.”

“I will not stand for this,” said Isabella. “This is slander.”

“As king, I hereby relieve you of your active role as a member of the royal family. You may keep your titles, a modest allowance, and your house in the county, and we’ll keep this under wraps. The monarchy’s fate is unsteady as it is. But that’s all you’ll get. Ever again,” said Quincey grimly.

“You can’t do this,” said Isabella. “You have no proof.”

“Then why do I hear the dulcet tones of a glockenspiel?” asked Evander. “As in Glockenspiel Consortium.”

Isabella glared at her nephew and Evander looked pleased with himself. Dawn, wanting to bring him down a peg, kicked his shin and said: “It’s not that clever.”

“Mr. Flitwick,” said Quincey. “Why don’t you escort the queen to her rooms, and make sure she stays there.”

“Yes, sir,” said Flitwick.

“Quentin, please, listen to me,” said Isabella and took a step closer to her son. “They’re trying to manipulate you against me. They’re deliberately driving a wedge between us, I–,”

“The only one manipulating me here has been you,” Quincey snapped. “And I may not be able to prove anything, but I know what you’ve done. I know it was you and you’ve been pretending to help me all this time, leading me down wrong paths to keep me off your tracks.”

Isabella just stared at Quincey, speechless, for the first time.

“You know this is actually treason, right?” asked Olympia.

The queen seemed to finally realize that there was nothing she could do. “All I’ve ever done is try to protect this family. This country.”

“By stealing from it?” asked Dawn.

“By making my son realize that bringing in dangerous variables is not good for the family,” she didn’t look at Dawn as she said it, but the implication was clear enough.

“I think I’ve heard enough,” said Quincey. “Take her away.”

Flitwick, along with two other members of the security team, escorted the queen away. Everyone was left in stunned silence and Dawn took Quincey’s hand discreetly.

When they had gone, Quincey took a deep breath, and said: “I’m so sorry. I should have seen this.”

“She did a damn good job keeping you in the dark,” said Evander. “And keeping Dawn and I out.”

Dawn looked at Evander. “Me?”

“You already had plenty of reason to dislike her so she wouldn’t have been able to fool you so easily,” Evander explained.

“And you went to business school,” finished Dawn. “I get it.”

“Still,” said Quincey. “We must try to get the money back. Maybe arrange some sort of Christmas bonuses to everyone who lost their jobs.”

“Can that be done?”

“I’ll put some people on it,” said Quincey.

“Put me on it,” said Evander.

Quincey looked at him for a moment and then said: “Not before you’ve had at least ten hours of sleep.”

Evander looked rather surprised. “Oh, alright, then.”

“And Miss Yaxley,” said Quincey. Rosa perked up, looking anxious at being addressed under the circumstances.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Do you think you’d still have time to make some changes to the wedding plans?” Quincey asked.

“What kind of changes?”

Quincey looked at Dawn, who shrugged. “Well, I’d prefer it if it was just a lot… less.”

“I think I might be able to manage that,” said Rosa. “I assume this also includes your outfit, Mr. Harvelle?”

“Oh yes, yes it does.”

Rosa looked almost relieved. Miss Pince’s face was unreadable, but she remained silent.

“Alright, I’ll see what can be done.”

“Thank you,” said Quincey. “Now everyone should get back to the preparations. We don’t have all that much time.”

As the staff dispersed, Dawn went to his dad. “I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“What matters is that you’re alright,” said Evan. “Are you alright?”

“I think I will be,” Dawn said.

“Loyal Alderlians, I'm happy to announce that I am able to tear up the script that I was given for tonight's speech, one which glossed over the hardships that I know a lot of you have been facing. I can instead announce, thanks to the Mr. Dawn Harvelle and my cousin, Count Evander, that severe corruption is responsible for our recent hardships. It has been discovered and eliminated. The funds have been recovered, and every one of you will be paid the wages you are owed, along with a Christmas bonus for every hard-working person in Alderly,” Quincey spoke into the mic.

The speech was held in the courtyard, in front of the tree Dawn and Quincey had chosen. It was shown on live television so everyone in Alderly could tune in. A lot hinged on the speech. They’d concluded that Isabella’s corruption could not be revealed to the world. Dawn didn’t exactly agree but he could see why it might be the final spark to ignite the powder keg that was Alderly. Isabella was to attend the Christmas festivities and the wedding as normal and after that she was to depart, either for her country estate or for Monaco, Quincey had said he didn’t much care which, as long as he didn’t have to lay eyes on her. Maybe after Christmas there could be opportunity to examine how this kind of corruption had been allowed to happen in the first place but for now, he prepared himself for what Quincey had to say next.

“On behalf of the entire royal family… Queen Isabella, Princess Olympia, Count Evander, Prince-Consort-to-be Dawn, and the newly minted Count Evan Harvelle, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Let's celebrate with the lighting of the royal Christmas tree!”

“Three, two, one!”

The tree was lit with white and gold, just as Pince had planned but it made Dawn very happy that the tree currently displayed on many screens across the country was the one he had chosen. The cameras shut down and Quincey walked to them from the spotlight.

“How did that go?” he asked.

“Not too bad,” said Evander.

Quincey gave him a look. “Evander,” he started. “I believe I owe you a great deal.”

“No, not at all,” said Evander but then added: “But, now that I've proven my mettle, and there being an open seat on your Advisory Council…”

Quincey laughed and said: “Don't push your luck.”

“Fair enough.”

“But I think I’m ready to bury the hatchet,” said Quincey and extended a hand to Evander. He shook it and nodded. Next to Dawn, Olympia eyed them, warily.

“You did us all a great service,” she said. “And I’m grateful. However, if you try any shit–,”

“Dawn already gave me this speech, dear cousin,” said Evander. “Consider me warned.”

The next morning the guest began to arrive, first among them Jimmy, Maxim, Jupiter, and Nymeria. Dawn, Rocky, and Pandora met them happily outside the palace doors. Dawn, glad to see all his friends, hugged them all in turn.

“Woah, there,” said Jimmy when it was his turn. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Mate, you would not believe the shit that’s been going on here these last few days,” said Rocky.

“I expect you three are going to tell us,” said Maxim.

“You had better,” added Nymeria.

“We better get inside,” said Dawn. “And get some glühwein.”

“Hell yes to that,” said Pandora.

Back inside, in what Dawn had begun to think of in his mind as the living room, but which really was one of multiple sitting rooms, Dawn, Rocky and Pandora explained in detail everything that had happened in Alderly, from the strikes and the missing funds to their investigations to finding out Isabella had been behind it all. To say they were surprised would be an exaggeration.

“Dawn, your life is like some kind of soap opera,” said Jupiter, sipping her glühwein.

“You’re telling me,” said Dawn. “Oh, and did I mention; I didn’t even get a proper bachelor party.”

“We have to remedy this, immediately,” Maxim declared.

“Boy’s night out?” asked Rocky.

“Boy’s night out,” agreed Maxim.

“What are we supposed to do?” asked Nymeria.

“Oh, I think I can help with that…,” said Pandora.

There was a knock on the door, and Quincey stepped in. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” he asked.

“Oh, not at all,” said Jupiter. “Dawn was just planning to ditch us to go party with the lads.”

Quincey laughed. “Well, that’s just rude.”

“Hey, I didn’t get a proper stag night because the country was falling apart.”

“Hmm,” begun Quincey. “Neither did I.”

“You’re welcome to tag along with us,” said Pandora.

“Really?” asked Quincey.

“It would be an honour,” said Pandora with mock-deference. Quincey smiled.

“Alright, since you so cordially invited me. Can I bring a few guests?”

“For sure,” said Nymeria. “Wait, it’s not your mum, is it?”

“Oh no,” said Quincey. “Just Lainey and Olympia.”

“Then it’s settled.”

“Wait,” said Dawn. “There’s something I forgot.”

He dug out his phone from his pocket as everyone’s eyes turned to him. “An important ceremony, of sorts…”

“What?” asked Jimmy.

“I hereby propose King Quentin of Aldelry to be added to the bristol squad group chat,” Dawn started. “Those in favour?”

His friends repeated: hear, hear, and raised their hands. Quincey shook his head, amused.

Dawn added him to the chat. “Oh, I’ve just realized we can’t be the bristol squad anymore…”

“Why’s that?” asked Maxim.

“Well, Quincey and I live in Alderly now…”

“Dawn,” said Pandora. “I love you, but you’re an idiot. Most of us haven’t lived in Bristol in a while, or like, ever.”

Dawn blinked at her. “Well, yeah, but now it’s different.”

“How is it different?” asked Jupiter but Dawn was too busy coming up with an incredible idea.

“I’ve got it!” he announced. “From this day henceforth, we shall be known as alderlies assemble!”

He typed in the new name as his friends laughed.

“Mate,” said Rocky. “I didn’t know we were all marrying Quincey.”

“I think my cabinet may draw the line at polygamy…” Quincey pondered.

“Boo,” said Dawn. “It’s a great name.”

“It is,” said Pandora. “I like it.”

The next few days were a blur. Christmas Eve spent with his family and Quincey’s, all his friends present and actually getting to plan the wedding with Rosa and Quincey. The ceremony obviously still had to have the elegance of a royal wedding, but they toned it down substantially with Quincey’s full support.

“I don’t think a grand ceremony is what the country wants to see right now,” said Quincey while they were planning the seating arrangement.

“Not unless your goal is to get us both guillotined,” said Dawn.

“I think I’d prefer to keep my head, where it is.”

“I prefer it there as well,” said Dawn. They hadn’t really talked about the past week since the cabin and a lot of Dawn’s anger had subsided since then, but he still felt hurt, he couldn’t help it. “But you could do with a little modernization initiative yourself.”

“I know I acted foolishly,” said Quincey. “You’d think I’d have learned my lesson since last year, but I suddenly got so scared. I’m going against hundreds of years of tradition just by being openly myself and mother managed to convince me that I must balance it out by being otherwise as conventional as I can. By following every rule and doing everything by the book.”

“You could have talked to me about it.”

“I felt like a coward.”

“I don’t think you’re a coward,” said Dawn.

“I let you down.”

“Well,” said Dawn. “I guess it is daunting to be the first of anything. Especially being the first openly gay king of your country, marrying his boyfriend.”

“You could say that.”

“But I want us to be there for each other and it doesn’t work if you keep things from me,” Dawn said.

“Nor if you keep things from me,” Quincey countered.

“I don’t want to.”

“I don’t either.”

Dawn sighed. “Good. Communication is the key.”

“Speaking of,” Quincey said. “Tess told me about the necklace. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize what it was when Pince told you to take it off. I’d love it if you wore it for the wedding.”

Dawn smiled. “Alright.”

Quincey gave him a small smile in return. “If we work together, we can do this.”

“Alright, best give it a shot, then.”

In the end, Rosa had put together beautiful decorations for the ceremony and reception. Wild Alderlian winter flowers along with fairy lights, candles, and red and green. To Dawn, it felt a little bit like walking through a fairy forest Christmas party. If fairies celebrated Christmas. His outfit had been changed from the traditional costume to a more toned-down suit that was definitely not anything to write home about, but it was sleek and stylish. Quincey was dressed in a similar fashion and the entire ceremony was kept as low key as royal protocol allowed. Not that it wasn’t beautiful, still. The grand throne room had been converted into a wedding venue, complete with an aisle decorated with flowers. After the actual ceremony, the guests gathered into the slightly smaller but no less impressive ball room for food, drinks, and dancing. All things considered, it was a small wedding, though the thought did make Dawn chuckle. A year ago, this would have been one of the biggest weddings he could imagine.

After cutting cake and the first dance, Dawn searched for his friends. He spotted Nymeria and Maxim on the dance floor, as well as Olympia who was dancing with Gaia Alden. Dawn grinned to himself like some sort of crazy person. He didn’t spot Jimmy or Jupiter but finally he saw Rocky by the drinks, talking to a familiar face.

“So, you’re also from Bristol?” asked Rosa.

“I live there, yeah,” Rocky said and leaned against the table in a cool and aloof manner.

“Hi guys,” said Dawn, interrupting. Both turned to look at him.

“Congratulations, your highness,” said Rosa with something that could have been a genuine smile.

“Thank you,” said Dawn. “Really. Thank you, for all this. I don’t know how you pulled it off but it’s all so beautiful.”

“It was definitely a challenge,” said Rosa and took a sip of her champagne.

“It’s impressive,” said Rocky and Rosa might have blushed or maybe she’d just had more glasses of champagne, that was anybody’s guess. Dawn took a glass himself. “He’s right. I can’t say I ever much thought about what my wedding would look like, but this is probably better than anything I would’ve come up with.”

“Thanks,” said Rosa. Dawn nodded to them as he spotted Quincey coming his way. He excused himself and walked up to him.

“Husband,” said Dawn.

Quincey laughed. “Husband,” he echoed.

“Is everything to your liking?” Dawn asked.

“Yes,” said Quincey. “It’s perfect.”

“Well, not perfect,” said Evander who had suddenly materialized from the crowd. “But it’s not all too bad.”

“Hello, Evander,” said Quincey.

“I thought you should know,” Evander continued. “Your mother’s trying to weasel her way into the good graces of some foreign dignitaries. I made Flitwick keep an eye on her.”

“Good call,” said Quincey.

“Quincey, Dawn!” came a voice from behind Dawn, and as Dawn turned, Diana Somerset, Quincey’s distant cousin slash Isabella’s dream daughter-in-law walked to them.

“Hey!” exclaimed Quincey and hugged her. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“It was a beautiful ceremony,” she said and only then seemed to acknowledge the existence of Evander. “Hello,” she said, rather coldly.

“Diana,” said Evander. “It’s good to see you.”

Dawn eyed them both and Quincey seemed ready to start putting out fires.

Evander cleared his throat and said: “Actually, I wanted to talk to you.”

“You did?”

He nodded. “I wanted to apologize. For last year. I should never have done what I did, and I shouldn’t have tried to rope you into it.”

Diana looked at him a little warily. She looked to Quincey, probably to see his reaction, and then back to Evander. “It was pretty slimy,” she said. “But I hear you helped the country a great deal in recent days.”

“Well, I might have contributed,” said Evander. “A little.”

“Truce?” suggested Diana and offered her hand. Evander shook it and said: “Truce.”

Dawn and Quincey talked to many guests throughout the evening. Dawn’s old friend from school, John Arthur, had brought his new boyfriend as a date, which surprised Dawn almost more than anything else that had happened that day. Quincey was glad to meet more of Dawn's friends, and Dawn got to meet some of Quincey's. Aside from Lainey, they also chatted a while with Nate Mackade, Quincey's old dormmate from boarding school. He was attending with his girlfriend Nova. Dawn danced with Pandora, Tess and his dad, while Quincey danced with Olympia and Diana, as well as Diana’s twin sister Beatrice. Eventually Dawn's feet hurt so much he had to go find a seat. Tess sat next to him.

“Hi, your highness,” she said with a little laugh.

“Oh, come on.”

“What?” she asked innocently.

“I think they ought to make you a countess, or something, for all the work you’ve done for this country,” said Dawn.

“I didn’t even do anything.”

“You made a lot of coffee,” said Dawn. “For Evander.”

“He isn’t all that bad,” Tess said, and she was about to continue her explanation as to why on Earth she would think that, when she was interrupted.

“Who isn’t that bad?” asked Evander.

“Oh,” said Tess. “Hi, you.”

Dawn studied Evander’s expression which betrayed nothing.

“What is it? Did the queen turn into a lizard monster and is now eating the guests?” asked Dawn.

Evander rolled his eyes at him and then looked back to Tess, pretending like Dawn wasn't even there.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked her.

To Dawn’s surprise, a bright smile appeared on Tess’s face.

“Yeah,” she said. “I could dance.”

Dawn watched in some sort of shock, as Evander offered his hand and Tess took it, and he was still looking at them as they made their way to the dance floor.

“What the fuck…” he muttered to himself.

Half an hour later Dawn found Quincey in the courtyard. From his smile, he deduced he’d been expecting Dawn to show up.

“Hi,” Quincey said as Dawn walked closer.

“Hey,” replied Dawn.

“Are you having fun?”

Dawn nodded. “Although, I should tell you that Evander asked Tess to dance.”

“He did?”

“Yes, and she seemed happy about it.”

“Well, I’ll be…”

“He better not be plotting or scheming,” Dawn grumbled.

Quincey laughed, merrily.

“This is not a laughing matter, Quentin.”

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry…” said Quincey and raised both his hands in the air. “I’ll be sure to not grant my permission as a monarch for him to wed if it comes to that.”

Dawn stared at him. “It won’t come to that.”

He could not handle Evander as an uncle. That would be too much for anyone to handle.

“Did you see your friends?” asked Quincey, changing the subject.

“Yes, they all seem to be having fun.”

“Glad to hear it,” said Quincey.

“Yeah…”

Dawn looked at Quincey for a moment. Everything had happened so fast that he struggled to wrap his mind around the fact that they’d actually made it here, to this day. Overcome by some kind of sappy romance novel spirit, he grabbed Quincey’s face in both his hands and kissed him. Quincey smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Dawn.

When they pulled apart, he said: “Thank you for making this the best Christmas ever. I don't think we'll ever be able to top this one.”

Dawn laughed.

“Well, you never know,” he said. “Maybe next year the country won’t be in a crisis.”

“Well yes,” said Quincey. “Next year might be better.”

“I'm willing to try if you are,” said Dawn.

“Yes,” said Quincey and kissed him again.

He was fairly certain that whatever next year had in store, it couldn't possibly hold a candle to the last two. He certainly hoped it would be peaceful and uneventful.

tag list: @lifeofkaze, @gcldensnitch, @endlessly-cursed, @cursed-herbalist, @magicallymalted

(ask if you want to be included or removed)

#fic: the royal wedding #a christmas prince au #dawn harvelle #dawncey #quincey alderly #*my writing #*mine #some of you might be wondering why you're tagged into this and that's because your oc was mentioned being present at the wedding #dawn: i'm sure next year will be normal and not unhinged!#next year: when the treaty VANISHES peace is JEOPARDIZED and an ANCIENT CURSE threatens the family!!!!#i sincerely hope i got all the characters #if i didn't tag your oc feel free to let me know

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opulcnccs · 10 months ago

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♙ ⸻ · 。… [ natalie dormer + 35 + cis female + she/her ] the city of new york welcomes agnes seymour to the social season of 1887, the fiancée of alistair arundel. known to be sophisticated and shrewd, their rumored self-important and temporal tendencies might prove to be their unmaking. the street musicians often string along a tune that sounds like red wine supernova by chappell roan whenever they are near, hoping for a coin or two as a reward. unbeknown to their peers, agnes views the social season as something akin to circe's eternal exile but when holding a secret such as having been caught in a scandalous affair with another aristocratic lady, resulting in her hasty engagement to a lesser noble and banishment to america , it would be best to keep their opinions to themselves. ⸻ [ xan + 24 + est + n/a ]

basic statistics :

full name : agnes josephine seymour

nicknames or aliases : she was once tenderly called 'aggie' by her father, who is now too old and too scorned to remember her

age : thirty - five

date of birth : 7 january 1852

position : lady seymour, daughter of the duke of somerset

parents : father : edward adolphus seymour, 12th duke of somerset (b. 1804) prev. m. susan margaret seymour, duchess of somerset (b. 1808 d. 1850) mother : jane georgiana seymour, duchess of somerset (b. 1824 d. 1859)

siblings : lady margaret helen seymour (elder half-sister, b. 1831 d. 1850) angus ferdinand seymour, earl of st. maur (twin brother, b. 1852) margery beatrice paulet (née seymour), marchioness of winchester (younger sister, b. 1854) lord edward percy seymour (younger brother, b. 1856) eleanor guendolen kearley (née seymour), viscountess devonport (younger sister, b. 1859)

marital status : betrothed to alistair arundel

sexuality : homosexual

the secret :

he was not the one to discover them, but the duke of somerset could picture the scene. his most favored daughter entangled in lavender sheets, exposed milky skin reddened not with shame but pleasure. he now saw that agnes had played him for a fool. she'd dodged suitors for years, all in the name of the love of a woman. what's worse, he'd been blinded by his favor for her and allowed it. her lover's family threatened to cry scandal; the lady's advantageous engagement now seemed precarious. somerset scrambled to find the nearest man in need of a wife, and offered agnes alongside a thousand pounds. and while alistair arundel was not a british peer, as a rather wealthy member of the gentry it was appropriate enough to not stir too much suspicion. the family's venture to new york city sweetened the deal all the more. had the cost of his intact reputation been worth it? he could not say.

thoughts on high society :

agnes had once reveled in society. the season delighted her with its parties and its drama— she'd happily participate in the former, but never the latter. she delighted in fashion, and wielded her feminine wiles to leave many cards opponents with empty pockets. but such a world was gone now. new york society came with a new hierarchy, one she hadn't been born into, one she hadn't had centuries of ancestors' shoulders to stand upon. she is determined, however, to rise from the ashes. even if that means gritting her teeth and dragging her lead-filled feet down the aisle.

introduction (tw: death //// tldr: gay nepo baby!):

"i am the descendant of edward seymour, first duke of somerset and brother to jane seymour, queen of england, lord protector for his nephew, king edward vi. are you familiar with him— no?" agnes's eyes rolled over them once, unsurprised at their ignorance. "all you need to know is that he reveled in power and influence; and just as quickly do the mighty rise do they fall." the apple does not fall far from the ancestral tree, she thought grimly. "i will not bore you with accounts of my upbringing, as it is nearly identical to my peers. nor do you need to know the logic behind grape scissors or the science of calling cards. the bright spots of my childhood were perhaps my father teaching me to play cards at an age at which i should not have been playing cards...emptying my brother's pocket of sweets at said game of cards...learning to ride horses...and perhaps any time i was with all of my siblings." "you see, the duke and his second wife, my mother, were quite...prolific. let's see: my twin brother and i are the oldest. agnus is the earl of st. maur, and my father's heir." for the first time in this conversation, her voice falters. "then there is margery, now the marchioness of winchester. then edward, who last year was married to the daughter of the 2nd baron methuen. and last, my most dearest, is eleanor, now the newly minted viscountess devonport. you'll notice that all of my siblings are in marriages so advantageous and respectable it is almost vulgar." she almost makes a remark upon her own upcoming nuptials, but as soon as her mouth opens it shuts once more. "shortly before my debut in society, i traveled to the continent with the dowager duchess of northumberland. i and the daughter of a welsh earl were to accompany her travels, and expand our knowledge of art history, architecture, fashion...essentially all of the things well-bred ladies ought to be an expert in. she became my best friend in that short year," agnes said, her breath choking on her memory. she would not allow her countenance to betray her... "a bond made over greek poets, french philosophers, italian wine and dealing with the duchess' snoring is quite an unbreakable one." ...and yet her eyes trembled with longing. "we, of course, kept in touch after. but her father adores the country while i was practically raised in london, so we only ever saw each other during the season." she omitted how in between she'd practically exhausted nearly all of sappho's known fragments in her letters, and sealed each missive with a lavender sprig. "in the years that transpired after my coming out, i was miraculously able to avoid immediate marriage," she continues nonchalantly, taking a sip of her whiskey. she nearly chokes on it at the sound of the scandalized gasp that escapes her counterpart. "indeed, i hold quite controversial opinions about many things, but especially marriage. i cannot elaborate now, for while this is america, i must retain some sense of propriety. admittedly, i also have the privilege of my status in addition to my beautiful — docile — younger sisters who are more than willing to go to the altar and what's more, there's no relentless mama spending her life trying to force me down the aisle. my papa also once believed that no man was a match for me." "but you are now engaged to alastair arundel, are you not?" "an astute observation." she glances across the room at her intended. agnes was sure that she was as perplexing to him as he was to her. while untitled, the arundel's vast wealth rivaled that of any aristocrat. it was rumored that royal norwegian blood flowed through their veins, but officially, they were but landed gentry. he was not unattractive — strictly objectively speaking — and he seemed well-mannered. why had he not yet married? she did not know. she did, however, know this: he would have his secrets, and so would she.

connections :

old money adversaries / new money allies : any newcomer that threatens the delicate ecosystem of new york high society is bound to garner attention, both positive and negative. agnes herself is acquainted with longstanding families, their daughters having been unceremoniously thrown at her brother last season. she's unsure of how they'll react to her fall from grace, the details however obscured. but it's from the newcomers that she finds inspiration, her ambitions renewed.

infatuation : agnes still has not yet moved on from her first love, but she can't deny that someone has caught her eye. usually bold in her actions, her scandalous past has made her timid. very much so_hot_you're_hurting_my_feelings_ by_caroline_polachek.mp3

fellow londoners : hailing from an influential family, agnes knows positively everyone in london town. her opinions of them? likely less than sunny, but who knows?

can u guys tell my brain is fried from writing that mammoth intro lol tbh i'm better at one on one plotting than putting out wanted connections, so hmu <3

#i had this really slay idea to write her intro in first person #i fear i may have slayed too close to the sun #gildedintro #by xan.#(gifs by me lolz)

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underachievers-please-try-harder · 1 year ago

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Review // Beabadoobee - Somerset House - 12 July 2023

Appeared in the Evening Standard. Read online.

This year is shaping up to be something of a rollercoaster for Beatrice “Beabadoobee” Laus. Peaks have included scoring a viral hit with February’s single Glue Song and spending much of March and April touring the US as the opening act on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

On the flipside, the Filipino-English singer-songwriter was recently forced to cancel an EU tour due to lingering illness. And then there’s the ongoing controversies at Bea’s record label, Dirty Hit, where label-mate Rina Sawayama is publicly feuding with Matty Healy of The 1975 over culturally insensitive comments made on a podcast.

If any of this drama is weighing on Bea, there were no visible signs at Somerset House, where the 23-year-old was headlining as part of the annual Summer Series. Quietly nonchalant behind a Kermit-green Telecaster, she and her three-piece band strode onstage and ripped through the barbed guitar-pop of Talk from last year’s acclaimed LP Beatopia, before launching straight into 2019’s Apple Cider.

Concision was the watchword throughout, with Bea and her band packing in an impressive 18 songs in just under an hour. Between-song interaction was kept to a minimum too, beyond air kisses and regular declarations of love for her fans. That affection was reciprocated and then some by the youthful, largely female audience, who shrieked wildly during guitar solos and bellowed back every lyric.

On the strength of performances like this, it’s not difficult to see why Bea continues to strike such a chord with Gen Z. Putting a TikTok-friendly twist on Nineties grunge, she proved her guitar hero credentials during Charlie Brown and Care from 2020 debut Fake It Flowers, which balanced sugary vocals with thrillingly serrated guitar distortion. She Plays Bass saw Bea dueling with her bassist during the middle eight, and was briefly reprised at the end to allow the audience to mosh en masse.

Interestingly, the set’s gentler moments were arguably stronger, serving to reinforce Bea’s bedroom-pop roots. The acoustic tropicalia of The Perfect Pair proved especially gorgeous, as did Glue Song’s string-embellished, lullaby-like sweetness, which was cheekily dedicated to “that one sexy motherf**ker out there.”

Stepping out on stage alone at the start of the encore, Bea delivered a dreamy acoustic one-two of forthcoming single The Way Things Go and breakout hit Coffee – as sampled on Powfu’s 2020-smash Death Bed (Coffee For Your Head). Though not due to be released for another week, the breezy guitar-pop of the former elicited a word-perfect singalong.

It all augurs extremely well for album number three – which is reportedly “in the works” – and by extension the rest of the year. Because, after a bumpy few months, there’s no denying that last night Bea got 2023 back on course.

#tearsheet #tearsheets #beabadoobee #dirty hit #evening standard #the evening standard #live review #live reviews #review #reviews #live

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firstprince-ao3feed · 1 year ago

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Noble Blood

Noble Blood https://ift.tt/Ps86Mcn by OrchidScript Henry breathed slowly, willing himself not to be intimidated, but it was a task. He never liked attracting attention, being at the very center of a spectacle. That was all court seemed to be for the moment – a spectacle; men and women clustered and dressed in rigid finery, to play at being Titania and Oberon for a night. And when one was gazing through the haze of candlelight and midnight, who was to see the gaps that made the truth of them? ________________________ November 1609: Arthur Fox has passed unexpectedly, leaving his two youngest children without plans for the future. On orders of their grandmother, Bea is sent to the court of James I of England, a seventeen-year-old Henry her escort. After catching the eye of the king, Henry becomes a court favorite, playing advisor, poet, companion, and lover to James. Years later, when a Spanish entourage arrives to negotiate the betrothal of the English prince to the Spanish infanta, Henry meets Alexander Claremont-Diaz. Faced with the realities of both their positions, will Alex be able to see past Henry's title as The Favorite and love the man underneath, or is their affair doomed from the start? Words: 5591, Chapters: 1/12, Language: English Fandoms: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M Characters: Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Alex Claremont-Diaz, Beatrice Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Percy "Pez" Okonjo, June Claremont-Diaz, Queen Mary (Red White & Royal Blue), Philip Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Martha Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Catherine Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Arthur Fox, Historical Figures - Character, James VI and I of Scotland and England, Robert Carr 1st Earl of Somerset, Lady Elizabeth Hatton, George Villiers 1st Duke of Buckingham Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor/Original Male Character(s) Additional Tags: You think I'm kidding but no I am not, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Historic Setting, Stuart England, "The King's Assassin" AU, Mary & George AU, Court Favorites, Royalty, Canonical Character Death, Explicit Sexual Content, Explicit Language, Power Dynamics, Power Imbalance, tags will change via AO3 works tagged 'Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor' https://ift.tt/XzmAyLY November 21, 2023 at 03:39PM

#IFTTT #ao3feed #red white and royal blue #rwrb #firstprince #OrchidScript

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literateish · 2 years ago

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books i’ve read in 2023

astrid parker doesn’t fail by ashley herring blake

anxious people by fredrik backman

shadow & bone by leigh bardugo

lessons in chemistry by bonnie garmus

siege & storm by leigh bardugo

red dragon by thomas harris

ruin & rising by leigh bardugo

romeo and juliet by william shakespeare

convenience store woman by sayaka murata

small things like these by claire keegan

alice’s adventures in wonderland by lewis carroll

black widow: shield’s most wanted

black widow: the name of the rose

the history of mary prince by mary prince

brighton rock by graham greene

hook, line, and sinker by tessa bailey

five survive by holly jackson

ethel and ernest by raymond briggs

the midnight library by matt haig

all of you every single one by beatrice hitchman

hamlet by william shakespeare

set on you by amy lea

if we were villains by m. l. rio

the woman in white by wilkie collins

the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society by annie barrows and mary ann shaffer

i’m glad my mom died by jennette mccurdy

the interesting narrative and other writings by olaudah equiano

vicious by v. e. schwab

confessions of an english opium eater by thomas de quincey

november 9 by colleen hoover

a thousand ships by natalie haynes

open water by caleb azumah nelson

the necessity of stars by e. catherine tobler

exes and o’s by amy lea

alice in wonderland by lewis carroll (reread)

on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong

the little prince by antoine de saint-exupery

the bell jar by sylvia plath

the web of black widow

black widow: deadly origin

up at the villa by w. somerset maugham

black widow: the ties that bind

black widow: i am black widow

black widow: die by the blade

the death of captain america

black widow: welcome to the game

the death of captain america 2

winter soldier: the longest winter

the death of captain america 3

winter soldier: broken arrow

winter soldier: black widow hunt

winter soldier: electric ghost

black widow: the name of the rose

frankenstein by mary shelley

black widow: kiss or kill

black widow: itsy bitsy spider

young avengers: complete collection

twelfth night by william shakespeare

romeo and juliet by william shakespeare

drunk on love by jasmine guillory

trespasses by louise kennedy

fahrenheit 451 by ray bradbury

icebreaker by hannah grace

captain america: symbol of truth

captain america: sentinel of liberty

northanger abbey by jane austen

the wrongs of woman by mary wollstonecraft

the history of mary prince by mary prince

swimming in the dark by tomasz jedrowski

brokeback mountain by annie proulx

fourth wing by rebecca yarros

arthur and teddy are coming out by ryan love

black widow: the finely woven thread

black widow: the tightly tangled web

zodiac academy 1 by caroline peckham

black widow: last days

zodiac academy 2 by caroline peckham

carrie soto is back by taylor jenkins reid

zodiac academy 3 by caroline peckham

zodiac academy 4 by caroline peckham

zodiac academy 5 by caroline peckham

zodiac academy 6 by caroline peckham

athena’s child by hannah lynn

legends and lattes by travis baldtree

the burning chambers by kate mosse

jeoffrey the poets cat by oliver soden

the retreat by sarah pearse

zodiac academy 7 by caroline peckham

twisted love by ana huang

medusa by jessie burton

the housekeeper and the professor by yōko ogawa

the hike by lucy clarke

beautiful world where are you by sally rooney

fix her up by tessa bailey

love theoretically by ali hazelwood

the american roommate experiment by elena armas

hester by laurie lico albanese

the definitive black widow by stan lee

sense and sensibility by jane austen

civil war by mark millar

transcendent kingdom by yaa gyasi

hamnet by maggie o’farrell

wuthering heights by emily brönte

a room of one’s own by virginia woolf

northanger abbey by jane austen

the grasmere journals by dorothy wordsworth

things fall apart by chinua achebe

the adoption papers by jackie kay

sense and sensibility by jane austen

just like home by sarah gailey

pride and prejudice by jane austen

chéri by colette

zodiac academy 8 by caroline peckham

nervous conditions by tsitsi dangarembga

persuasion by jane austen

new animal by ella baxter

mansfield park by jane austen

the night watch by sarah waters

zong by marlene nourbese philip

chronicle of youth by vera brittain

faces in the water by janet frame

iron flame by rebecca yarros

beloved by toni morrison

fen by daisy johnson

regeneration by pat barker

#each book has a link to the review that i’ve posted about it on here!#this will be updated every time i finish a book #like i did last year #han reads books

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honeydahlia · 9 months ago

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HELLO! i'm dahlia & i'm 22 (no minors). this is an independent, private, semi-selective blog. i focus on mystery, historical, fantasy, & horror plots. i am in the mountain timezone (GMT-6) & i write 1-2 paragraphs without formatting, with biweekly activity. no smut & tumblr only.

guidelines ◇ muses (under construction) ◇ navigation (under construction) ◇ starters

i am waiting for javascript permissions for my pages but for now — i look forward to writing!

THEODORA MARSH | theda, theo, dodie

35–45 years old

5'7" | born 2 february

archaeologist, historian, visiting professor

In her main verse, Theodora is a Deep One hybrid and the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Obed Marsh, a character featured in H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow over Innsmouth. Her arc focuses on discovering this connection and exploring mythos lore. Otherwise, she is a medievalist and a studier of material culture who graduated from Miskatonic University with a doctorate in history and archaeology. In a non-Lovecraft verse, she graduated from Harvard, and is generally interested in the occult.

tag. pinterest.

BEATRICE HUNNISETT | bea, birdie

20–25 years old

5'4" | born 18 october

beekeeper

Beatrice is a Regency era (1795–1820) muse. She reads, writes, and keeps bees in Somerset, and loves bugs of all kinds. A protective friend and someone you can count on to speak up and do the right thing, she always longs for more friends and perhaps something more.

tag. pinterest.

LADY CHARLOTTA WILDEGRAVE OF PESTILENTIA PEAK | lottie

23–30 years old

5'11" | born 7 november

aristocrat

Charlotta is a Swedish aristocrat who can be played between the 1830s and 1890s (slightly alternate history) in any northern/western European country or the United States. Her bloodline is haunted, and she attracts ghosts and other paranormal entities. She is of dubious morality, dabbling in the occult and being concerned only with her own desires. My most wanted plot for her is a doomed romance with a ghost or a werewolf.

tag. pinterest.

DAPHNE HIGHTOWER

21–27 years old

5'3" | born 21 august

chambermaid, thief

Daphne is a chambermaid for a large, fancy hotel. Verses can place her anywhere between 1920 and 1939, in either the United States or England. She steals jewels from those who stay at the hotel, often orchestrating the situation so that the blame falls on other maids. She works with a fence and a jeweler who help her launder the pieces in order to sell them without being caught. She is cunning and detached.

tag. pinterest.

MARGOT CHERRYMAN

25–76 years old

5'5" | born 1 march

malkavian | 10th generation

roadside killer | dementation | obfuscate

Margot is a quirky Malkavian who can communicate with her past lives, and with enough rapport, other people's, too. She can be played anywhere between 1968, when she was Embraced, and modern day (2019).

tag.

WYSTERIA BLUMENTHAL

173 years old

5'10" | born 24 february

moon elf | wizard, school of divination

lawful neutral | noble, duchess

Wysteria is a Forgotten Realms (Dungeons & Dragons) muse who can also be used in a generic fantasy setting. She is a noble from Leuthilspar, Evermeet, and is the eldest of thirteen. Around ten years before present, her father, a member of the Council of Evermeet, died from a mysterious illness, leaving Wysteria to take his seat. Though shocked, she was well-prepared for this role and saw to it that her siblings' positions were well-cared for once she took on the title, and that her mother lived out her remaining some hundred years in luxury.

Some months ago, however, her mother disappeared along with one of her brothers, and no trace of them has been found. Leaving another brother, Ipheion, in charge of their estate, Wysteria took it upon herself to don the identity of her youngest sister Lunaria and leave her city to find out what happened to her mother and brother. On her journey she wishes to also perhaps uncover the truth behind the mysterious disease that took her father's life. No one knows about Wysteria's absence except those inside the family and those close to it, and only the 13 Blumenthal siblings know the truth of it. Everyone else was informed by Ipheion that Wysteria was entering a period of dedicated wizardry training, while they had several "experts" on the case of the disappearances.

tag. pinterest.

image

LYRA APOSTOLOV

22–27 years old

5'6" | born 9 april

ttrpg writer, game & book store worker

bio

tag. pinterest.

MORE MUSES TO COME.

#personal.#indie rp #indie rp intro #indie fantasy rp #indie historical rp #indie period rp #indie horror rp #indie mystery rp #indie lovecraft rp #indie vtm rp #indie dnd rp #indie bg3 rp

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the-hydrangea-witch · 10 months ago

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characters that have a presence in all 3 Tales from Under the Bay books because i love recurring characters even though most of them are only really subtly implied to be the same character (that have yet to be written but theyre PLANNED I SWEAR)

Ronnie Perfect: In the Strange Cases of Dusty Grove Road, which is the prequel, she's the girlfriend of Artie Kelley, the brother of the mc Alice Kelley. She was the last one to see Artie alive and is also the mother of Adelaide Perfect in the first book. im like 90% sure she dies at some point and Alice raises her but who knows, certainly not i.

Gladys: She's part of the main trio in the first book, but I'm considering giving her a minor role in the Strange Cases of Dusty Grove Road because of the timeline. and by considering i mean its canon already in my mind but im not sure HOW yet

Andie Somerset: Like Gladys, its really just the timelines between the first book and SCoDGR lining up. shes the mother of Celia, the main character of the first book.

Vincent Victoria: man i kinda talk about this man a lot on this blog, huh. hes obviously the father of Celia (((before Andie killed him lmao deserved))) but then somehow becomes part of the Hat Man who is in all 3 books as sort of an omnipresent EvilTM that kinda represents every spooky reality breaking thing. i may also give Vincent as a human a minor role in SCoDGR because again, the timeline matches up.

Beatrice, Ruth, and George: so theyre like really only here because TECHNICALLY,,, theyre mentioned in the first book but their stories take place right before The Pin, which is the sequel after like 600 or whatever years have passed since the first book idk

The Internet: just based on how i have the story set up, its technically present in all 3 books, but its really only talked about in the first book but is present in SCoDGR when it was born, and its death eventually results in The Pin.

Phthisis V "Hope": probably the only one thats actually imporant in all 3 books. shes first mentioned in book 1, but we see her story again in SCoDGR plus what happened right before and after her transformation. shes also important in The Pin, but i havent fully decided how yet other than that the timeline lines up again. i may have her have a full on epic reality shattering god battle against the Hat Man in The Pin.

Joseph Wood: hes mainly in SCoDGR as the roommate of Artie Kelley and Ronnie Perfect. im pretty sure everyone in that house succumbs to the North Rot, but Joseph survives at least 20 years in like alaska somewhere and has a small role in the first book helping Celia reach the Echoing Isles.

#creative writing #writeblr #writers of tumblr #writing #writing community #writers on tumblr #ocs #tales from under the bay

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camillejeaneshphm · 2 years ago

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Beatrice Sage Somerset

ravenclaw | hopeless romantic | perfectionist

#persie speaks #my edits #hello hello she’s finally here!#she’s a hpma oc #twin to noe’s diana #also an absolute sweetheart angel #beatrice somerset

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endlessly-cursed · 2 years ago

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𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙩

"𝘼 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩."

BASICS

Name: Charles Vincent Somerset

Birthday: 15th of March, 1953

Zodiac sign: Pisces

Weight: 88kg

Height: 1.82m

Religion: Anglican Church

Eye colour: Blue

Hair colour: Blonde

Faceclaim: Jamie Campbell-Bower

FAMILY

Mother: Millicent Daniela Abbott

Beautiful as she was smart, Millicent was from a minor pureblood family, and was the perfect post-war lady. She charmed everyone in Winbourne and Lawrence Somerset was soon in love with her, proposing after the war was over. They married and had three children: Charles, Tatiana Primrose and Meghan.

Father: Lawrence Noah Somerset

Grandson of the magnificent Primrose Gray and thus the future viscount, he was a rather typical and stoic man of the era, reserved and dutiful. He fell in love with Millicent Abbott and married her as soon as the war was over. He was happy to be in his grandmother’s shadow and assist his aging father, Vincent, until he retired in 1969, a year after Primrose’s death. That year, Charles would meet the love of his life.

Other relatives: Primrose Gray, great-grandmother, Margaret Taylor, grandmother ( @camillejeaneshphm ) etc

Charles had grown up admiring his great-grandmother, possibly the most powerful woman in the entire history of the family. She died when Charles was fifteen, and left him the right to claim the viscountcy when he was of age, a large sum of money and her blessing to marry outside the peerage and pureblood families, seeing its fall and decadence. Thanks to this, he was able to marry a woman that not everyone approved of...

Tatiana Primrose Somerset (sister)

A tomboy since infancy, Charles and Tatiana are closer in age and he relates to her easily. He is the first one to know that she is a lesbian and he accepts her. However, when he discovers who her girlfriend truly is, he has no option save exile her from Winbourne to avoid further scandal...

Meghan Marie Somerset (youngest sister)

The baby of the family, she grew up sheltered from the scandals and oingoings of Winbourne, for she was a bit innocent and clueless. She never once knew of anything that would break that sweet innocence. She married young, in 1972, to the Ollivander family. She found out too little too late of all that her siblings and parents hid from her.

Friends: TBD

Significant Other: Ismene Halime Somerset

Ismene was not certainly impressive as a wife of a future viscount: she spoke little of the language, she was estranged with her family, was a foreigner of a country that they weren’t friendly with and was Muslim... but the moment Charles saw Ismene in the streets as he headed out to the pub, he fell for her beauty and sweet demeanour. And when she talked, he knew he wanted her. For months, they went on dates and he declared his love for her in New Year’s Eve. Two months later, he brought her home and declared that this was the woman he’d marry and become his viscountess.

His mother was reluctant, and interrogated her, to find out that the girl was too innocent to try catch his fortune. She approved of her and soon took her under her wing, training her to become her worthy successor, and while she was shy and reserved, she had a talent of swaying the press and modernised further Winbourne, cleaning its image completely and being a much closer mother to their daughter, Valentina, who was born in 1973. Their close relationship made the public fall in love with the successor of Viscountess Millicent.

In 1997, Viscountess Millicent had a car accident, in which she was killed by a drunk truck driver and Charles was devastated. He soon hunted down the man, who died under suspicious circumstances... meaning he had someone give him a letal poison that seemed like a rare illness. Ismene soon found out and confronted Charles, telling him that jail was punishment enough, in which Charles replied “Murderers don’t get to live to tell the tale.” This caused a fight between them, and were apart for most of the year, until February 12th of 1998, their granddaughters were born. They decided to try make their marriage work for the girls’ sake, and helping Valentina and her husband raise them mended their relationship.

In 2010, Lawrence Somerset passed away and Charles officially became viscount, with Ismene by his side. They were now quite old, but very much experienced and devoted themselves to train Valentina and Diana. Ismene preferred to spoil rotten her youngest, Beatrice ( @camillejeaneshphm ) and let her know that she was loved despite all the attention going normally to Diana.

In 2016, Diana was caught in a scandal with a relative of the Alderly family, and Ismene once again saved and cleaned their image while Diana healed. By 2018, Charles and Ismene were old and tired, and decided to give the ropes to Diana, who had just turned 20. She remains viscountess to this day and has not married yet, and Charles understands why his daughter wouldn’t make a choice yet. By the time she is 30, she decides to finally pursue a marriage for Winbourne’s sake and leave the matter behind.

Ismene and Charles are still alive and happily living in their house in Madeira, in which they are redecorating with their own money.

PERSONALITY

Overall personality: Quiet, a tad rebellious, he is a hopeless romantic and someone who is usually charismatic and loves talking to people, like his mother. He is loyal to the end and has inhereted his great-grandfather’s sense of humour.

Positive traits: Charismatic, funny, people’s person and charming

Negative traits: Quiet, rebellious and stubborn

Guilty pleasure: Forbidden books

HOMETOWN

Winbourne Estate, Leeds, England (1953-Today)

BACKSTORY

Charles grew up into the last years of the golden era of Winbourne, and has few but fond memories of his great-grandmother, Primrose Gray. When it was announced that there was no need for him to marry someone of status or wealth, he was relieved. He grew up with two sisters, Tatiana and Meghan, and in 1969, his grandfather Vincent retired as viscount, leaving room for Lawrence, and Charles then became Lord Somerset. Days later, he stumbled upon a beautiful woman who spoke little of English and had a shy and sweet demeanour. Her name? Ismene Fazilet.

MISC

Charles is an avid horse rider and has a horse, descendant of Primrose’s horse, named Thunder, for he is a tempestuous mare that only Charles can ride

He also was instructed in music and enjoys playing the flute and knows of several court dances, though, like his great-grandfather, he is not the best dancer...

Charles is a reserved guy and was the first one not to have a lifestyle open to the public

He supported Ismene into modernising Winbourne and was always her rock

He spoiled Valentina rotten, and trained her himself

Ismene and Charles tried to have more children, but they all resulted into miscarriage, and by 1980, they gave up

He also donated most of Primrose’s clothes to the Victoria and Albert museum, and made a touristic attraction the chapel in which she married forbidden matches of the era

He also opted for staying away from politics, keeping it private and neutral in the House of Lords

He is still alive to this day, and living in Madeira with his beloved wife

#possible riddle era oc #hphm family #hogwarts mystery #charles somerset #ismene fazilet #tatiana somerset #meghan somerset #charmene #oc: valentina somerset #oc: lawrence somerset #millicent abbott #oc: diana somerset #beatrice somerset #side character #oc profile

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tamtam-go92 · 3 years ago

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Sim ages at the start of my Uberhood

I'm using a 2 days = 1 year age mod to play this new Uberhood I'm panning (and actually already started to play when I need pause from the Somersets) and with a really difficult algorithm I have calculated each Sim's age with the default aging system and translated it into their age with the mod, all with the help of SimPE (I have quite a lot of free time currently xD). So to keep track of everyone's start age, here's my masterpost, it's simply for my own convenience. I plan to make every name a link that leads you to the chronological tag (that didn't work, there seems to be a link-limit?).

If you didn't notice: there is now a Masterpost with all families (might contain mild spoilers): click!

87: Luis Aspir 84: Carlos Contender 63: Olive Specter, Patrizio Monty 59: Dora Ottomas 58: Mortimer Goth 57: Herb Oldie 56: Consort Capp 55: Coral Oldie, Betty Goldstein, PT9 Smith, Isabella Monty 54: Denise Jacquet, Herbert Goodie, Faith Goodie, Catherine Viejo 49: Daniel Pleasant 47: Mary-Sue Pleasant 44: Jason Cleveland 43: Marissa Cleveland, Edward Contrary 42: Benjamin Baldwin, Albany Capp 41: Vivian Cho, Stephen Tinker, Morty Roth 39: Isabel Baldwin, Wanda Tinker, Opal Contrary, Marcel Jocque, Sophia Jocque, Stella Roth 36: Gilbert Jacquet, Darren Dreamer, Buzz Grunt 35: Leod McGreggor 34: Checo Ramirez 33: Florence Delarosa, Antonio Monty 32: Lisa Ramirez, Pascal Curious 31: Timothy Riley, Loki Beaker, Lola Curious, Cornwall Capp 30: Elizabeth Aspir, Issac Bell, Hannah Bell, John Burb, Jason Greenman, Goneril Capp, Peter Ottomas 29: Armand DeBateau, Jessica Peterson, Victor Aspir, Brandi Broke, Rose Greenman, Samantha Ottomas 28: Circe Beaker, Vidcund Curious, Ajay Loner, Erin Beaker, Bianca Monty 27: Sanjay Ramaswami, Priya Ramaswami 26: Ramir Patel, Jennifer Burb, Gabe O'Mackey, Alexandra O'Mackey 25: Gabriel Green, Ana Patel, Cassandra Goth, Patricia Wan, Kristen Loste, Regan Capp 24: Chastity Gere, Matthew Picaso, Andrew Martin, Nervous Subject, Oberon Summerdream 23: Geoff Rutherford, Sharon Wirth, Jessica Picaso, Dina Caliente, Nina Caliente, Don Lothario, Lazlo Curious, Chloe Curious, Titania Summerdream, Kent Capp 22: Samantha Cordial, Kimberly Cordial, Connor Weir, Malcolm Landgraab IV, Chester Gieke, Jason Larson, Jodie Larson, John Mole, Natasha Una, Trent Traveller, Trisha Traveller, Julien Cooke, Nathan Gavigan, Mary Gavigan, Cyd Roseland, Robert Kim, Cynthia Kim, Tara Kat, Cleo Shikibu 20: Gunnar Roque, Jane Stacks 19: Roxie Sharpe, Jonah Powers, Guy Wrightley, Mickey Dosser, Monica Bratford, Ashley Pitts, Brittany Upsnott 18: Mitch Indie, Max Flexor, Delilah O'Feefe, Edwin Sharpe, Marla Biggs, Phineaus Furley, Ellen Frost, Chaz Whippler, Emily Lee, Tom Freshe, Matthew Hart, DJ Verse, Sarah Love, Jessie Pilferson, Jasmine Rai, Zoe Zimmerman, Frances J. Worthington III, Aldric Davis, Almeric Davis, William Williamson, Blossom Moonbeam, Klara Vonderstein, Martin Ruben, Allegra Gorey, Joshua Ruben, Kevin Beare, Castor Nova, Tiffany Sampson, Heather Huffington, Sam Thomas, Jared Starchild, Ty Bubbler, Jimmy Phoenix, Erik Swain 17: Johnny Smith, Ophelia Nigmos, 15: Tank Grunt, Tybalt Capp 14: Mercutio Monty 13: Ripp Grunt, Juliette Capp, Romeo Monty, David Ottomas 12: Justin Cleveland, Angela Pleasant, Lilith Pleasant, Sandra Roth, Jacob Martin, Puck Summerdream 11: Rick Contrary, Violet Jocque, Dustin Broke, Dirk Dreamer, Jules O'Mackey, Hermia Capp, Miranda Capp 10: Tara DeBateau, Melody Tinker, Gavin Newson, Ginger Newson 08: Alexander Goth, Buck Grunt, Hal Capp, Beatrice Monty, Benedick Monty 07: Sofia Baldwin, Daniel Bell, Jill Smith, Bottom Summerdream, Desdemonda Capp, Sharla Ottomas 06: Sally Riley, Tessa Ramirez, Tina Traveller, Isaiah Gavigan, Gabrielle Newson, Gallagher Newson, Justin Kim, Xander Roth 03: Beau Broke 02: Markus Baldwin, Etsu Cho 01: Pauline Aspir, Garrett Newson, Georgia Newson, Daisy Greenman, Ariel Capp, Tommy Ottomas

#masterpost #the sims 2 #new uberhood #sims 2 uberhood #when you realize that the university sims are the boomers of simvalley...#sims 2 masterpost #the sims 2 masterpost #the sims 2 uberhood

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derangedrhythms · 3 years ago

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Sun compilation for @themoonandthewanderer

"The sun hardly touches me. / Sometimes I see it in early spring, rising very far away. / Then leaves grow over it, completely hiding it. I feel it / glinting through the leaves, erratic, / like someone hitting the side of a glass with a metal spoon. / Living things don’t all require / light in the same degree. Some of us / make our own light: a silver leaf / like a path no one can use, a shallow / lake of silver in the darkness under the great maples."

— Louise Glück, The Wild Iris; ‘Lamium’

"But this night of mine can’t be killed by any sun."

— Alejandra Pizarnik, The Shadow Texts; from ‘The Green Table’, tr: Yvette Siegert

"…threaten the Sun, in the Moon’s name, with being engulfed by perpetual night."

— Robert Graves, The Greek Myths: The Complete and Definitive Edition

"We'll celebrate the dead sun's dying light."

— Charles Baudelaire, Complete Poems; 'Spleen et Idéal' from 'Black Bile (Millenium of memories...)', tr. Walter Martin

"Then the sun again / Waking like a torn-out eye."

— Ted Hughes, Moortown Diary; from 'Coming down through Somerset'

"…that old villain the Sun"

— Aristophanes, quoted by Robert Graves in 'The Greek Myths: The Complete and Definitive Edition'

"Close out the sun, for I would have it dark / That I may feel how black the grave will be."

— Sara Teasdale, Helen of Troy and Other Poems; from ‘Beatrice’

"furious anger in spring sunshine,"

— Margaret Atwood, Selected Poems II: Poems Selected & New: 1976-1986; from ‘Not the Moon’

"Black, but still a sun, / Like the Sun's negative."

— Ted Hughes, Collected Poems: Uncollected (1983-86); from 'Sacrificed Head'

"...the sky where the sun was already rising like a hot white bitch."

— Toni Morrison, from 'Sula'

"The sun is dressed in black."

— Charles Baudelaire, Complete Poems; 'Spleen et Idéal' from 'Possessed', tr. Walter Martin

"The sun doesn't forgive, / it looks and keeps going."

— Margaret Atwood, from ‘Power Politics’

"Who would not blot out the sun sometimes?"

— Susanna Clarke, from 'Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell'

"And so for days Magdalena obsessively barricaded the windows of her room against the gusty sunshine and tumult of spring."

— Joyce Carol Oates, Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror; from ‘Shadows of the Evening’

"I'm reminded of the sun of my childhood. Infused with death,"

— Alejandra Pizarnik, The Shadow Texts; from ‘The Green Table’, tr: Yvette Siegert

"I feel more vulnerable in the spring than in the fall. That’s why I’m so damp. This isn’t sweat. It’s something the sun has wrung from my heart."

— Izumi Kyoka, Japanese Gothic Tales; ‘One Day in Spring’, tr. Charles Shiro Inouye

"Drowned in a pool of blood the sun lies slain."

— Charles Baudelaire, Complete Poems; 'Spleen et Idéal' from 'Evening Harmony', tr. Walter Martin

"Outside the sun shines. / I dress up in ashes."

— Alejandra Pizarnik, from ‘The Lost Adventures’; untitled, tr: Cecilia Rossi

"If I were God, I'd call on the angels one night / to release the round sun into the darkness's furnace,"

— Forugh Farrokhzad, Osyan (Rebellion); from ‘Rebellious God’, tr. Sholeh Wolpé

"I hope for no good of this letter because today the sun opposes a conjunction of Saturn and the moon, and Mars opposes Jupiter which is back on my sun. Defy these stars."

— Ted Hughes, Letters of Ted Hughes; from a letter to Olwyn Hughes, 22nd May 1956

"Don’t speak to me of the sun or I’ll die."

— Alejandra Pizarnik, from ‘Extracting the Stone of Madness’, tr. Yvette Siegert

"She hated the sun too because it was treacherous."

— Sylvia Plath, Johnny Panic and The Bible of Dreams; from ‘Tongues of Stone’

"Doom on the sun!"

— Dylan Thomas, The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas: The New Centenary Edition; from ‘Find meat on bones’

"What’s deadlier than the sun?"

— Jean-Paul Sartre, from 'The Flies', tr. Stuart Gilbert

"The sun will never rise again on anyone. / Never. Never more. At last."

— Marguerite Duras, from 'Hiroshima Mon Amour', tr. Richard Seaver

"…the dark glasses interfere with my ability to recognize obstacles. I can’t take them off, the sunny weather ruins my mood, and they help mask all this sunniness. With them I can even pretend that the sky is overcast instead of bright blue, so I have been wearing them continuously for the last week, eager to deceive myself, and getting into accidents, but better a couple of accidents than the depression that will inevitably follow if I’m forced to live under the cloudless sky."

— Mariam Petrosyan, from 'The Gray House', tr. Yuri Machkasov

"Or the funeral of the sun;"

— Dylan Thomas, The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas: The New Centenary Edition; from ‘Here in this spring’

"My painful moon-eyes wait and brood / To view the sun's demise."

— Gertrud Kolmar, Dark Soliloquy: The Selected Poems of Gertrud Kolmar; from 'The Toad', tr. Henry A. Smith

"The sun was like a feverish eye."

— Sadeq Hedayat, The Blind Owl and Other Stories; from 'The Blind Owl', tr. D. P. Costello

"You might think a total solar eclipse would have no colour. The word “eclipse” comes from ancient Greek ekleipsis, “a forsaking, quitting, abandonment.” The sun quits us, we are forsaken by light. Yet people who experience total eclipse are moved to such strong descriptions of its vacancy and void that this itself begins to take on colour. What after all is a colour? Something not no colour. Can you make a double negative of light? Would that be like waking from a dream in the wrong direction and finding yourself on the back side of your own mind? There is a moment of reversal within totality."

— Anne Carson, Decreation: Poetry, Essays, Opera; from ‘Totality: The Colour of Eclipse’

#compilations #that old villain the sun #long post

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