#been rereading some books lately

[ll-but-its-random]

I fixed the title :D

[camellia-thea]

okay. just rambling here, but, i think armand took more than just the end of the interview away from daniel.

we got that little moment about that night, saying 'you asked me to' to louis. 'you asked me to take this from you, you could not live with it,' leading into, 'i look after you when you cannot look after yourself, i make those choices for you.'

we know that during the chase and devil's minion era, daniel was an addict, who was, by his own admission, slowly killing himself. he was also addicted to blood.

it's really not too far to make the jump, if devil's minion occurred, that armand made the choice to step in, in his own mind, for daniel's best interests. i know this isn't a unique jump to make, but; again with armand's "i look after him when he cannot look after himself" continual reiteration, i think it's a fair assumption.

he can also replace and blur memories, which makes the discussion of alice and paris -- why the dessert from that night? -- and how immediate and sincere his answer of "she wanted to say yes, but she didn't trust you. you hadn't given her a reason to." this could be the night he took them away, replaced himself with alice, planted something similar for her to start the relationship, then step back and watch it fall. and i think the thing that stands out there is just how tender he is while saying it. there's an undercurrent of something else entirely underneath, it isn't a dig at daniel in the moment, despite the pushing earlier in the scene.

and then in s1, when louis say to daniel, "i'd give it to you now." and the cut to armand, still in disguise, and his micro-expression of horror, the way he stiffens and looks away... and the little moment of what i read as conflict when daniel says no. his jump to "may i be excused?" i can't tell in the moment, if he's horrified about the offer itself, the fact that it is louis offering to turn daniel rather than himself, or the fact that daniel denies it. because i don't think armand could actually let daniel die if this was the case.

the disguise itself-- why pretend to be rashid? i think part of it is to try and hide behind a human persona to keep those memories at bay; especially given the little moments of flashback that got triggered by little mannerisms. i can't decide whether they're intentional pushes or not, whether armand wanted/wants daniel to remember on his own, or wants to keep it under wraps. i think, even if he believes he doesn't want it to come forward, he truly does deep down.

and once he's revealed himself as armand, the way he gazes at daniel, his beautiful boy. the continued "our boy", from both he and louis, the "he's still in there, somewhere..."

and i think "our boy" is also really interesting, because why would daniel be armand's boy, based solely on the moments that louis initially remembered? armand didn't really have any emotional connection to daniel that night, sure, he saved him, but that doesn't really mean anything; he saved daniel for louis, not for daniel's sake.

and, jumping back "our boy,[...] he's still in there somewhere"... there's implication that louis might know about it? again, i don't think this is related to the original interview, or at least, limited to it? i don't have anything concrete here, just vibes, but again, why is armand's boy still in there somewhere?

and sure, some of these are reaches and i don't think i'm necessarily right, but god it would be deliciously awful if i was.

[thelastspeecher]

Anyways the other day I got this idea of Olympian Falls AU Stan teaching Angie a bit of hand-to-hand combat. And that turned into...this.

(As a frame of reference, Ford, Stan, and Angie are about twelve in this.)

——————————————————————————————

              In hindsight, Stan should’ve asked Angie why she wanted him to teach her how to throw a punch.  Not that he would’ve refused to show her.  Unless she wanted to punch him.  But it would have been good to have a heads-up for what she had planned.

              The Hermes cabin was doing arts and crafts when the commotion started.  Lewis, their head counselor, tried to tell them to disregard the noise coming from near the basketball court.  Stan and Ford ignored their older half-brother, immediately jumping from their seats.  A few of the other cabin members followed.

              By the time Stan and Ford got there, a small crowd had gathered.  Stan stood on his tiptoes in a futile attempt to see what was going on.  Ford, however, tapped the shoulder of Arlo Gustafsen, one of his friends in the Athena cabin.  Arlo looked over.

              “What’s going on?” Ford asked.  Arlo grinned.

              “McGucket punched someone and it turned into a full brawl,” he said.  Stan and Ford’s jaws dropped.

              “Angie McGucket?” Ford clarified.  Arlo raised an eyebrow.

              “Is there any other McGucket at camp?” he asked.  Stan let loose a string of colorful swears in Ancient Greek.

              “We can’t just stay at the back,” he said to Ford.  Ford nodded.  Together, the two pushed through the crowd.  They reached the front just in time to see Angie, already sporting a black eye, slam a fist into a teenage boy’s gut.  The crowd let out a collective “ooh” as Angie’s opponent stumbled backwards.  Ford turned to Stan, frowning.

              “I recognize that fighting style,” he said sternly.  Stan held up his hands.

              “She wanted to learn how to throw a halfway decent punch!” he said defensively.  “That’s important for a demigod to know!”

              “She’s best at ranged warfare,” Ford said.  “She even says so herself!”

              “Which makes it extra important for her to learn how to fight if she gets backed into a corner.”  Stan scratched his cheek.  “It’s not like I gave her boxing lessons!  I just showed her how to not break her hand and, uh, gave her tips on how to hold her own against someone bigger than her.”

              “Stan!”

              “Hey, I didn’t think she’d use it for evil!” Stan said.  He squinted at the boy Angie was fighting with.  The boy slammed Angie into the ground.  “Hang on.  Oh, that’s Tim.  Okay, so she’s not using it for evil.”

              “Ugh.”  Ford frowned at the fight in front of them.  Angie was getting to her feet, dirt, grass, and blood on her knuckles.  “What in Hades could have provoked Angie into getting into a round of fisticuffs?”

              “Fisticuffs?  Really?  Just call it a fight,” Stan scoffed.  Ford elbowed him.

Angie’s ankle suddenly buckled under her, sending her back to the ground.  Tim advanced on her.  A quiet gasp sounded from some of the audience.  Stan clenched his hands into fists.  Ford quickly put his hand on his twin’s shoulder.

              “Don’t get involved,” he whispered in Stan’s ear.  Stan grit his teeth.

              “Tim’s a son of Ares, Sixer.  Do you know what he could do to her?” he snapped.  Ford gripped Stan’s shoulder tighter.

              “I guess we’ll just have to hope you did a sufficient job teaching.”

              “She’s so tiny, though,” Stan mumbled.  He frowned.  Something seemed a bit off about Angie’s behavior.  She wasn’t even trying to get up.

              She’s like me.  She doesn’t know when to quit.  Why’s she just laying there?  Stan’s eyes widened.  Angie had gotten more than just good aim from her godly parent.  She had also gotten a knack for performing.  This is a performance.  But what’s her plan?

              Stan’s question was answered when Tim took another step towards Angie.  Lightning-fast, Angie’s hand shot out, wrapping around his ankle.  She yanked his leg.  Tim let out a shocked yelp as he fell.  Angie sprang up and straddled Tim, pinning him to the ground.  The knife she’d chosen from the armory rested right next to his jugular.  Tim swallowed nervously.  Angie’s blue eyes were steely as she held the dagger steady on his neck.

              “Don’t ever talk about my father like that again,” she spat.  The acid in her voice could have melted through concrete.

              “Okay,” Tim mumbled.  Hoofbeats sounded.  The crowd parted to let Chiron through.

              “Angie?” Chiron said, sounding surprised.  Angie looked over.  Her eyes widened.  She jumped to her feet.

              “M-Mr. Chiron,” she stammered.  “I- I was just-”  Tim got to his feet.  Blood flowed from his visibly broken nose.

              “We were having a friendly spar, that’s all,” he said.  Chiron frowned.  “It got a bit out of hand.”

              “Clearly,” Chiron said.  He cleared his throat.  “Well, if neither of you wish to complain about the other…”  Angie and Tim shook their heads.  “All right.”  Chiron looked at the gathered demigods.  “Get back to your regular activities, please.”

              The demigods dispersed, muttering amongst themselves.  Stan and Ford stayed, however.  Tim turned to Angie.

              “Good fight,” he said.  He held out his hand.  Angie eyed it, but didn’t shake it.  Tim grinned.  “Smart girl.”  He retracted his hand.  “You beat me fair and square, kid.  I’ll drop the stuff about your dad.  And, uh, if you ever wanna learn how to fight good enough that you don’t need to play tricks, well.  You know where I live.”  Angie nodded jerkily.

              “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said in a weak voice.  Tim stuffed his hands into his back pockets and walked away, whistling.  Angie sighed.  Stan let out a whoop, startling her.  She spun around, finally catching sight of Stan and Ford.

              “Angie, that was awesome!” Stan gushed.  Angie blushed cutely.  “Tim’s like, fifteen!  And you took him down!”

              “I did play a bit dirty,” Angie mumbled.

              “It was still a valid win,” Ford said.  “Tim acknowledged as such.”  Angie shrugged.  She looked down at the ground and kicked a small clump of dirt that had been dislodged during her tussle with Tim.  “But why did you pick a fight with him anyways?”

              “He said something about your dad?” Stan asked.  Angie winced.  “Why would he insult Apollo?  Isn’t he dating your half-sister?”

              “He didn’t insult Apollo,” she said quietly.  “He- he went after my Pa.”

              “Your mortal parent?” Ford asked.  Angie nodded.  “Why- oh.”

              “I guess word finally got out ‘bout how my Pa ain’t my stepdad and my Ma ain’t my biological mother,” Angie said.  After a couple years at camp, the southern accent she’d arrived with was beginning to fade, but it still came out when she was emotional.  Stan and Ford grimaced.  “Tim…he’s been runnin’ his mouth ‘bout me havin’ two biological fathers.  And he’s- he’s been sayin’ awful stuff ‘bout Pa.”  Angie screwed her eyes shut.  “Pa don’t- he don’t deserve that!”

              “You decided to take things into your own hands?” Ford asked.  He gestured towards Stan.  “When the best prankster at camp is one of your closest friends?  Stan could have gotten back at Tim for you!”  Angie opened her eyes to glare at Ford.

              “I have to fight my own battles,” she said firmly.

              “I’m glad that you listened to my tips and tricks, though,” Stan said.  Angie managed a smile.  “That last bit, where you grabbed his ankle?  Genius.”  Angie’s smile broadened.

              “Well, you did tell me that since I’m small, I have to make my opponent’s bigger size work against ‘em,” she said.  Stan nodded.

              “You definitely did that.”  He walked up to Angie and brushed some grass off her T-shirt.  “And if he really was saying bad stuff about your dad, he deserved a broken nose.”  Mr. McGucket visited every year for Angie’s birthday, and insisted on taking her, Stan, and Ford into the city to get lunch.  He was a genuinely kind-hearted and warm person.  Stan would be lying if he said he didn’t wish Filbrick was a bit more like Mr. McGucket.

              “Maybe it’ll even heal crooked,” Angie said under her breath.  Stan snorted, eliciting a grin from his friend.

              “One can only hope,” Ford said dryly.  Angie and Stan snickered.  “You should go get cleaned up.”  Angie looked down at herself.  In addition to her black eye, she had grass stains, dirt, and scratches all over, as well as a few smears of blood.  Whether it was Tim’s or her own was unclear.

              “Yeah, probably,” Angie sighed.

              “And then…”  Ford met Stan’s eyes.  Stan grinned viciously.  “We can plot sweet revenge against Tim.”

              “Wh- you don’t need to.  I got it out,” Angie said.  Stan shook his head.

              “You might be feeling better, but we like your dad, too,” he said.  He cracked his knuckles.  “I’ve already got some ideas.”

[hopecomesbacktolife]

thinking of rereading the entirety of HoME again. for my health

[monstersinthecosmos]

i feel like slightly younger than marius mael is the best just for flavor reasons lol. reeaally curious to know what you think

I think I usually land on slightly younger but not like a baby. Like early 30s maybe. BUT I'LL TELL YOU SOME THOUGHTS OF WHY I LIKE EACH OR WHY EACH COULD WORK:

Under 30: First of all because of Jesse's chapter in QOTD--Maharet was turned around age 20 I think? And for Jesse, I'm sure there's that sort of uncanny thing where your mind fills in blanks and makes excuses, like, her "aunt" has been around her whole life so like gee golly I guess she just looks young for her age! Except that there's like the vampire uncanniness too, so whatever you judge as an age doesn't super matter. So like, Mael blending in as one of her guy friends in his early 20s would make sense. Jesse DOES also clock him as not being human, so again I think the uncanniness might not make her peg either of them as a certain age.

I do worry if this clashes with the idea that he could properly be a priest? Caesar said that it takes 20 years to train a priest, but A) A lot of what Caesar said is like anti-Keltoi propaganda and might not be accurate since the Druids famously never left anything in writing, so there's very little first hand information about them. B) MAYBE IT'S OKAY BECUASE IN VC-VERSE TESKHAMEN IS REAL AND MAEL WAS REALLY COMMUNING WITH HIM SO IF THERE WAS LIKE MAGIC AFOOT IN THE COMMUNITY MAYBE HE GOT FAST TRACKED OR RESPECTED AS BEING SPECIAL IDK. I can work with it and make excuses lol.

I LOVE the idea of him being like a young man because of how much madder that would make Marius, plus the way he likes to mentor young blonde men lol. But it might like hurt him even worse if the author of all his misfortunate is like SOME KID.

In his 30s: Personally I usually land here because I DO wonder how long it takes him to gain status in his community and become a priest (in his 30s is still fast tracking it but maybe feels more plausible LOL) and I enjoy the idea of he and Marius being sort of similar to each other. Like, Marius often gets used as the example of Turning an Older Guy and what it means for his temperament and the way it translates to his immortality. I like imagining Mael as around Marius's age for that reason, like I want to remove all his excuses why Mael is a young stupid kid or even an old salty jerk--it forces Marius to confront that Mael is ALSO someone who is chill and smart and has had enough life experience. BUT WHILE THERE'S A WINDOW WHERE THEY COULD BE SIMILAR IN AGE, OR MAEL COULD BE A TAD OLDER, I ALSO STILL ENJOY MARIUS BEING LIKE "HE'S YOUNGER THAN ME I HATE THIS!" BECAUSE HIS AGE AND SELF-PERCEIVED WISDOM & EXPERIENCE ARE IMPORTANT TO HIS IDENTITY AND HE FEELS BELITTED LOL.

In his 40s: Makes sense for the above reason! But I like to skew younger personally just for the Marius ageism dynamic lol. Also there's something about him being a foil to Marius where like, if they're very similar in other ways it can kind of emphasize how their atheism/religion contrasts each other and affects them as people.

Over 50: ALSO POSSIBLE and it's hilarious bc in the audiobook the narrator reads him like such a grouchy old man lmao. I could see this causing a lot of resentment because Marius likes to be the oldest and wisest in the room. I could see him also being younger because Marius insults him every chance he gets and I just think he would've told us that Mael is like an old hag if it were true lol. Anyway wondering how this effects Marius's barbarian kink and how he submits to men.

[tothelasthoursofmylife]

Character Profiles: Main and some extras

Index: Cloudia, Cedric, Milton, Kamden, Newman, Lisa, Cecelia, Barrington, Oscar, Trudy, Simon, Penelope

(All character ages are as of the latest chapter, or when they died. All information as of the latest chapter too.)

Navigation: Main and extras | Cloudia's grandparents and maternal extended family | Cloudia's paternal extended family (and Florentin) | Other servants and employees | Antagonists | Scotland Yard and misc.

(The original illustrated character sheets)

Name: Cloudia Phantomhive

Nickname(s): Dia, Clou, Cloudie, Lulu, Claudette, Aunt Lou

Birthday: April 5, 1830

Age: 18

Physical description: black/dark blue hair, dark blue eyes (with some faint specks of green)

Affiliation: Phantomhive family; Aristocrats of Evil; Miss Peregrine’s School for Fine Ladies (former)

Occupation: Countess of Phantomhive; Watchdog to Queen Victoria

Base of Operations: Phantomhive Manor; Phantomhive townhouse

Favourite Colour: blue

Favourite Flower: lily (particularly white ones)

Favourite Dessert: small cakes, biscuits

What is in her bag? a book (usually Dickens), dagger + sheath, skeleton key, perfume bottle, notebook, pencil, hairpins, pistol, necklace

Random fact(s):

Much to her chagrin, she can neither sing nor draw; she has, however, mastered playing a musical instrument and has exceptionally lovely handwriting.

Cloudia, as her son will be, doesn’t have the best naming sense. (She named Cedric and Newman.) Still, she will be the one who names her children (with some input though).

That’s why, while she possesses acting prowess, she cannot come up with any good fake names. (Like “Lady Varanda” in the “Mistletoes and Misfits” bonus, but that was also a reference to Winx Club.)

Background info: I considered giving her a middle name (after her grandmother Genevieve), but decided against it, as she does not seem to have one in canon. (Otherwise, I guess, she might have been listed with an initial like Cedric.)

First appearance: The Countess, Encounter (Chapter 1)

----

Name: Cedric K. Rossdale

Nickname(s): Ced, Ceddie, Undertaker, Kris, Not-Kristopher, Uncle Rapunzel

Birthday: March 25, 1???

Age: ??

Physical description: unwashed grey hair, phosphorescent chartreuse eyes, glasses

Affiliation: Grim Reaper Dispatch; Cloudia Phantomhive

Occupation: Grim Reaper; Duke of Underwood (disguise only)

Base of Operations: Grim Reaper Dispatch; Underwood Manor

Favourite Colour: cyan

Favourite Flower: bluebell, Sterling Silver Ros

Favourite Dessert: all of them! (even fruitcake)

What is in his bag? sack of sweets (biscuits!), biscuit cutters, destroyed earphones that shouldn’t be here, sometimes a banana (with disastrous results!), loose change, emergency 2nd bag of sweets, mourning hair lockets chain

Random fact(s):

He is rather clever with his hands and learned pottery and basketry; his favourite childhood game was cat’s cradle.

Now that he is the owner of a huge manor by the seaside, he’s been considering redecorating it.

He does not like fairy tales much because they remind him of someone. He cannot stop thinking about them for the same reason.

Background info: I picked “Kristopher” at random (it was the first name that came to my mind) and “Underwood” without much extra thought except that it’s sort of “similar” to “Undertaker.” I later thought that Cloudia might have rather given him “Sowerberry” as a surname because that’s the name of the undertaker in Oliver Twist. Now, I’m happy with my choices because they worked out decently in the end for various reasons.

First appearance: The Reaper, Encounter (Chapter 2)

----

Name: Milton Salisbury

Nickname(s): Mil, Milt, Millie, Sonshine, Sonny, Mor

Birthday: June 27, 1823

Age: 24

Physical description: gold-blond hair, hazel eyes (they are a bit more green than brown)

Affiliation: Salisbury family

Occupation: Baron of Salisbury; Director of Salisbury Trading

Base of Operations: Salisbury Villa (former); lives here and there due to his frequent travels but has an apartment somewhere in London too; he owns Salisbury Manor too but does not and has never stayed there

Favourite Colour: loves them all

Favourite Flower: chrysanthemum

Favourite Dessert: apple cake

What is in his bag? tinderbox, shawl, armband, gloves, flask with water, key, pencil, notebook, letter opener

Random fact(s):

Perpetually bored and severely insomniac, he learned various skills to pass his time, but he is too humble to say that he has mastered most of them.

He has a hyphenated surname as his mother was a rich heiress. He does not use it but wishes he could or could, at least, only use his mother’s surname.

He sleeps only four hours a day in two-hour stretches. (He cannot sleep longer because of his nightmares.) Wentworth also has to persuade him to sleep at all.

Background info: I regret a bit giving him “Salisbury” as a surname because “Earl of Salisbury” and “Marquess of Salisbury” are actual titles.

First appearance: The Countess, Scary (Chapter 5)

----

Name: Kamden Sainteclare (born Kamden Emyr Llywelyn-Bonham)

Nickname(s): Kam, Kammie, Bookstore Boy; he also goes by Emyr Bonham on occasion

Birthday: April 5, 1830

Age: 18

Physical description: messy black hair, dark blue eyes (although he looks just like a male version of Cloudia, his eyes lack the specks of green)

Affiliation: Cloudia Phantomhive; Weston College (former)

Occupation: Bookseller

Base of Operations: Sainteclare Bookstore

Favourite Colour: yellow

Favourite Flower: passionflower, begonia

Favourite Dessert: Charlotte russe

What is in his bag? book (usually a handbook), handkerchief, pocket knife, all the scary medical tools (why though), a sack of bonbons, first-aid kit (how does it even fit???)

Random fact(s):

Cloudia’s opposite in almost every way, he can sing and draw, though he seldom draws and only ever hums to himself while working; on the other hand, his handwriting is awful.

He had many crushes throughout his life but has never acted on them and never kissed anyone either yet. He’s set to have a terrible first kiss with someone he likes.

Kamden was in Weston College’s Blue House. Barrington was a bit disappointed that he could not get into Green House. He was also someone’s fag at Weston.

Background info:

He is based on the “astrological twins” concept mentioned in Erich Kästner’s Lisa and Lottie (Das doppelte Lottchen).

His surname was picked as a “opposite” to “Phantomhive,” and taken from Melancholia St. Clair from Skulduggery Pleasant. (The same applies to his birth surname “Bonham,” though I got that one from Behind the Name.)

His adopted parents’ names (Phyllis and Frederick) are taken from a Skulduggery Pleasant fanfic I wrote a long time ago (they were the fake names I gave to two canon characters). His biological parents’ names (Linette and Edmund) come from The Infernal Devices. Linette Herondale in that series is Welsh, as was Kamden’s mother.

Kamden’s birth surname was “Glendower-Bunker” (“Glyndwr-Bunker”) for a while before I changed it. I thought giving someone the surname “Glendower” was just too much, but “Llywelyn” is also a regal name.

First appearance: The Lady, Bonding (Chapter 12); The Countess, Restless (Chapter 15; present)

----

Name: Alfred Newman

Nickname(s): Al, Alfie

Birthday: 1818

Age: 30

Physical description: dark blond hair, light blue eyes, very tall and broad-shouldered

Affiliation: Phantomhive family; Miss Peregrine’s School for Fine Ladies (former)

Occupation: Butler

Base of Operations: Phantomhive Manor; Phantomhive townhouse

Favourite Colour: green

Favourite Flower: camellia

Favourite Dessert: blancmange (especially with berries!)

What is in his bag? bag with bird food, hair ribbon, dagger + sheath, pocket watch, muff pistol, light read for breaks (Gamiani; his fondness for such literature stems from sentimentality)

Random fact(s):

Aficionado of romance novels; used to live in an abandoned part of a mysterious all-girls school after fleeing from a workhouse.

He does not know how he ended up at the workhouse or what his real name and background are.

Because he lived in hiding for years, he learned to move around very quietly despite his large physique.

Background info: He was originally called Albert; his name was changed to avoid an overlap with Prince Albert’s. He was instead named after Alfred Pennyworth (though he still overlaps name-wise with a member of the BRF: one of Victoria and Albert’s children, Prince Alfred).

First appearance: The Countess, Fearsome (Chapter 4; in italics text); The Countess, Frightening (Chapter 6)

----

Name: Lisa Greene

Nickname(s): Li (only one person is allowed to call her that though)

Birthday: January 13, 1829

Age: 19

Physical description: light brown hair, dark green eyes

Affiliation: Phantomhive family

Occupation: Maid

Base of Operations: Phantomhive Manor; Phantomhive townhouse

Favourite Colour: grey

Favourite Flower: anemone

Favourite Dessert: bread and butter pudding

What is in her bag? sack of herbs (sewn by Newman!), toy soldier, poison-laced hairpins (of course, usually wrapped in a cloth!), roll-up sewing kit, deck of playing cards

Random fact(s):

Besides squeezing Thomas’ money out of his pockets at their weekly game nights, she loves to sew by a window on a lazy rainy day.

Lisa generally dislikes and mistrusts all boys and men. She only likes/tolerates three: Newman, Kamden, and someone else but that one is dead.

She likes borrowing Newman’s romance books. It horrifies him a bit, but he still lends them to her.

Background info:

Lisa was set to be a talented pianist, but I forgot about that aspect early on. Maybe this will find its way back into the story one day?

I wished I had made her a bit older. (But not too old, as I wanted her to be close-ish in age to Cloudia.)

First appearance: The Countess, Celebrating (Chapter 7)

----

Name: Cecelia Williams

Nickname(s): prefers to be called by her full first name

Birthday: August 24, 1817

Age: 30

Physical description: wavy honey-blonde hair, dark brown eyes; she has a rather “angelic” appearance; since her husband Michael’s death, she only wears black clothes

Affiliation: Williams family; Aristocrats of Evil

Occupation: Dowager Marchioness of Williams; Aristocrat of Evil

Base of Operations: Williams guest house (by the Williams townhouse)

Favourite Colour: violet

Favourite Flower: heliotrope, centaury

Favourite Dessert: soda bread pudding

What is in her bag? fan, handkerchief, a few letters and notes, sleeping draught, purse, smelling salt, little booklet with a pressed flower

Random fact(s):

Generally, she dislikes every form of physical exertion, but, when she was younger, she enjoyed walking through fields for hours whenever her father wanted something from her.

Her mother died not long after giving birth to her. Her father began considering remarrying a few years later; however, Cecelia shooed everyone away, and he eventually gave up.

Michael liked spending a lot of time outdoors, and for the few years they were married, Cecelia did as well. Michael’s clumsiness and unluckiness often resulted in some minor disasters which sometimes rendered him injured and forced them back indoors anyway.

Background info:

I wished I had given her and Michael either a better surname or a proper title. “Marquess/Marchioness of Williams” just seems oddly casual.

I considered making her a fat character but scrapped the idea because it did not work with her backstory. (I also wanted to avoid the “of course, the character that doesn’t like exercising/moving is fat”-thing.)

First appearance: The Countess, Captured (Chapter 16)

----

Name: Barrington Weaselton

Nickname(s): Barry

Birthday: March 31, 1804

Age: 44

Physical description: greying brown hair, light green eyes; has a moustache

Affiliation: Weaselton family; Aristocrats of Evil; Order of the Garter (former); Weston College (former)

Occupation: Aristocrat of Evil; Head of the British Knights (former); Prefect of Green Lion (former)

Base of Operations: Weaselton Manor (his mother is still alive and lives there; Barrington owns the place, but seldom stays over; he has another manor house elsewhere)

Favourite Colour: blue

Favourite Flower: edelweiss

Favourite Dessert: tarts (particularly lemon)

What is in his bag? sword, ring on a string, metal box with candy, kaleidoscope, paintbrush, comb

Random fact(s):

His middle name is quite embarrassingly “Arnfried” as his mother is German (he does not speak German though).

Simon’s mother Genevieve set up a “playdate” between Simon and Barrington after Simon beat Barrington in a fencing tournament. While Barrington’s mother Wilhelmine agreed to the get-together, she later regretted her decision because she thought Simon was too much trouble. (And he and Barrington did get into a lot of trouble, even before Simon became Watchdog.)

Barrington and Samantha were an oddly matched couple as they are complete opposites. (They did, however, have a very happy marriage.)

Background info:

He was named after two villainous characters (Barrington Whelk from The Raven Boys and the Duke of Weselton) simply because I liked the names.

Barrington is a secretive character, and one I haven’t fully cracked yet.

First appearance: The Lady, First Training (Chapter 10); The Countess, Captured (Chapter 16; present)

----

Name: Oscar Livingstone

Nickname(s): don’t even think about it (though that did not stop Trudy’s best friend)

Birthday: December 24, 1798

Age: 49

Physical description: greying black/grey hair, pale blue eyes; has a beard

Affiliation: Livingstone family; Aristocrats of Evil; Scotland Yard (former)

Occupation: Lord/Laird; Captain; Inspector/Detective (former)

Base of Operations: Livingstone Manor (former); his officially sanctioned house

Favourite Colour: gold, blue

Favourite Flower: rose

Favourite Dessert: cranachan, honey cake

What is in his bag? pistol, dagger, knife, piece of wood, flask of water, a book (usually Paradise Lost)

Random fact(s):

He does not mind if someone keeps him company when he is reading; he only wishes for silence.

It is a Livingstone family tradition that the first son is given his father’s name as his middle name. His grandparents wanted Oscar to have his legal father’s name as his middle name (Ranald) because of that, but his mother protested. Oscar ended up without a middle name as a result.

Oscar used to have auburn hair as a child, but it darkened to black as he grew older.

Background info:

Very early on, Oscar was set to be 70 years old, a former police commissioner, and missing a few fingers.

I considered Charles Rowan’s military career while settling on Oscar’s.

Oscar was named after Oscar from Sesame Street (whose German name translates to “Oscar from the Trash Can.”)

First appearance: The Countess, Captured (Chapter 16)

----

Name: Trudy Ashdown

Nickname(s): /; she was known socially as “Trudy Livingstone” though she never legally took Oscar’s surname

Birthday: /

Age: /

Physical description: she had the appearance of a true “English rose”

Affiliation: Livingstone family; Ashdown family

Occupation: Lady

Base of Operations: Livingstone Manor

Favourite Colour: red, orange

Favourite Flower: rose

Favourite Dessert: apple cake, strawberry cake

What is in her bag? /

Random fact(s):

While Oscar is inwardly very restless and outwardly quiet, Trudy was inwardly very calm and outwardly lively.

She liked disguising herself and introducing herself by false names. (In part to conceal her relationship with Oscar.) For that reason, Barrington does not realise he met Trudy; he knew her by another name and was unaware that she was Oscar’s wife.

Trudy and her best friend instantly became friends upon their first encounter. Many thought they would get married, but they never had any romantic interest in each other.

Background info: /

First appearance: Mentioned only (first: The Countess, Clockmaker – Part 4; Chapter 24)

----

Name: Simon Phantomhive

Nickname(s): Si, Sissi

Birthday: August 15, 1804

Age: 29 (at time of death; April 10, 1834)

Physical description: messy/unruly black/dark blue hair, emerald green eyes

Affiliation: Phantomhive family; Aristocrats of Evil; Weston College (former)

Occupation: Earl of Phantomhive; Watchdog to King George IV and King William IV (1823-1834)

Base of Operations: Phantomhive Manor; Phantomhive townhouse

Favourite Colour: storm grey, sea green

Favourite Flower: forget-me-not

Favourite Dessert: had no sweet tooth

What is in his bag? notebook, pen, paintbrush, more pens, pencils, random papers, old bread, a diary that wasn’t his, cat treats, his dagger

Random fact(s):

Simon was close to his uncle, the Marquis. The Marquis was never fond of Simon’s father Percival, so Simon was his favourite Phantomhive.

He was the fag of Sapphire Owl’s prefect, but never succeeded him as dormitory leader. (He made sure that his upperclassman would drop him as his fag when he became prefect to prevent becoming prefect himself. Barrington wondered why Simon didn’t just decline to be the dorm leader when it was time.)

He had the tendency not to carry around any umbrellas, even if it was very clear it would rain, or when it was raining. (And they do live in England too.) It frustrated both his mother and Barrington. (Penelope was taken aback by that bad habit, but Simon did always carry an umbrella with him when she was around.)

Background info:

He was named after Simon Harley-Dickinson from The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place (he is the love interest of the protagonist Penelope Lumley after whom Penelope was named).

Simon is an artist because of Simon from The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. (Simon Harley-Dickinson is also an artsy character, but he’s a playwright, not a painter.)

I wished I had written him better in “Festivity and Fear”; I hope I can rectify this one day.

First appearance: Three Times Christmas (Part 1): Festivity and Fear

----

Name: Penelope Phantomhive (née Houghton)

Nickname(s): Penny, Lopey

Birthday: October 10, 1810

Age: 37

Physical description: long blonde hair, dark blue eyes; she looks just like a blonde version of her daughter and has a cowlick like her future granddaughter

Affiliation: Phantomhive family; Houghton family; Theatre Royal, Covent Garden (former)

Occupation: Dowager Countess of Phantomhive; Actress/opera singer (former)

Base of Operations: Phantomhive Manor (she has not left it since Cloudia became the Watchdog)

Favourite Colour: silver, blue

Favourite Flower: yellow carnation

Favourite Dessert: biscuits

What is in her bag? She doesn’t leave the house; why does she need a bag?

Random fact(s):

She was very close to her father before he passed away when she was a child. On the other hand, she has a very strained relationship with her mother, and by extension with her sisters too.

Penelope was friends with Trudy. (Unlike Barrington, Penelope knew about Trudy.) They hoped their children would become friends too.

Animals like her, and she likes animals. She currently does not keep any pets though and also did not have any growing up.

Background info:

She was named after Penelope Lumley, the protagonist from The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place.

Her parents’ names (Hortense and Edward) were taken from that series too; they are the names of her namesake’s employer’s parents. Unlike Hortense Houghton, Hortense Ashton is a nice person though, and Edward Ashton decidedly is not, whereas Edward Houghton was.

First appearance: The Lady, Invited (Chapter 11); has not appeared in the present yet

[britneyshakespeare]

Being then in a pleasant frame of mind (from which I infer that poisoning is not always disagreeable in some stages of the process), I resolved to go to the play. It was Covent Garden Theatre that I chose; and there, from the back of a centre box, I saw Julius Caesar and the new Pantomime. To have all those noble Romans alive before me, and walking in and out for my entertainment, instead of being the stern taskmasters they had been at school, was a most novel and delightful effect. But the mingled reality and mystery of the whole show, the influence upon me of the poetry, the lights, the music, the company, the smooth stupendous changes of glittering and brilliant scenery, were so dazzling, and opened up such illimitable regions of delight, that when I came out into the rainy street, at twelve o'clock at night, I felt as if I had come from the clouds, where I had been leading a romantic life for ages, to a bawling, splashing, link-lighted, umbrella-struggling, hackney-coach-jostling, patten-clinking, muddy, miserable world.

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, "Chapter 19: I Look About Me, and Make a Discovery"

[jaqobis]

it just seems like an incredibly weird adaptational choice to not only create but linger on the question of why wasn't anyone else the dragon reborn because it misses the fundamental point of the dragon reborn. any poor schmuck who is the dragon reborn will have their identity, agency, and will crushed and overwritten. wielder of saidin or saidar, they will be reviled and feared. all their wishes and desires are irrelevant to the pattern. their bodily autonomy is irrelevant to the pattern. the dragon reborn is horror. rand was starting to exhibit suicidality about it even before he knew he was destined to die. which would be interesting if that were part of the question, of how would anyone else respond, but suggesting anyone else might be a "better" dragon is missing the narrative. there is no better or worse dragon; the pattern is here to grind whomever it needs down to fit the specific role it needs so that reality can continue. stripping out these elements to focus on the above question is a removal of some of the things that make wot distinct from any other fantasy.

[byanyan]

the amount I've been hoarding away some of the memes I've seen on the dash over the last week or so is so not okay for someone with as many drafts as me ashfjdh

[unproduciblesmackdown]

similar to the greentext stuff - i was visiting with my neighbors and their grandkids were around, and I said to this eight year old, "Hey, you wanna know something cool? I was playing the game when the Endermen came out." and his eyes went wide, like this kid looked like i told him i landed on the moon. His grandma thought it was really funny, and she said she has no idea what i'm talking about, but her grandbabies do, and that's incredible to her.

oh that's fun lmao, when minecraft & that update's existed for more than your whole life, and yknow being that young and like Next Year fr is this huge time scale away, a couple of years is a quarter of your life thus far and like maybe nigh half of the part of your life you actually have longterm memories for....i was checking out this dev's blog's archives about a:tdd's release in 2010 & in one entry they compared the implicitly Roughly concurrent release of Minecraft and i was like hey whoah. forever primarily being a game i've Heard Of more than any more direct exposure so i had no precise sense of [before minecraft release] [after minecraft release] Year 0 there but it's like for sure back in thee day when minecraft was a new thing, huh

[ghostbustermelanieking]

ok seriously ask me about books and/or authors. like pretend this is an ask meme, i have been reading SO much and i have things i want to Talk about, and also i love talking books!

[badboysupr]

quietly perceives this blog

[jurassicpark1990]

i really need to make a dent in the books i own but haven't read in 2023. currently those books are split into 13 groups/shelves so my plan is to read at least one from each section so here is my list:

boxsets: the magician's nephew by c.s lewis

adult fantasy: piranesi by susanna clark

classics #1: sense and sensibility by jane austen

ya: we hunt the flame by hafsa faizal

adult contemporary/historical/literary: with teeth by kristen arnett

adult scifi: light from uncommon stars by ryka aoki

books that didn't fit anywhere else: fool's errand by robin hobb

classics #2: the three muskateers by alexander dumas

nonfic: another day in the colony by chelsea watego

books i've already started/borrowed: the beautiful ones by silvia moreno-garcia

books i'm gonna love: bloodmarked by tracy deonn

star wars books: revenge of the sith by matthew stover

series where i own all the books but need to read/reread: frosbite by richelle mead

here's hoping this list will keep me accountable!!

[mossiestpiglet]

tokyopop just a crumb of on or off vol 5 release date please i am begging

[artemismatchalatte]

I have no idea what I'm going to do for NaNoWriMo this year. I feel very uninspired lately.

I just want to do well in my class and my energy has been low lately (season change on my new medicine, I'm guessing???). I need some energy because it's Shakespeare and I need to keep my grades up to stay in the honors society (no pressure lol).

Much More in the tags as per usual... :P

[autumnrory]

finally did a little of the organizing i’ve been meaning to do for ages and of course it wasn’t even that bad other than how hot it is in the attic, it didn’t take much time and i was able to make some floorspace though of course i still have all the legos i need to deal with and i pulled out a couple more things to go through/get rid of BUT it looks slightly less horrible in my room so i’m pleased

plus i have had some other ideas recently about switching some drawers around, it would just be a whole thing to do that so i really wanna think on how best to go about it before i start making that mess