#confession 1723

[sevenish-spheres]

01/10/24- ‘Distraught’

Taken from the diary of one Samara Teggart

12th Emir 1723

I think I first heard of the Mourning Plague little over a month ago. Talks of entire funerals that were so overcome with such grief that some flung themselves into the open grave while others had to be tied to beds, so fierce were their wailing convulsions. I believe the first case was one Lila Abernathy, a doctor, if I recall correctly, of some renown. Her death, which was, I am told, caused by a growth within her corticobulbar tract, came as a shock to many, although I confess to be surprised at how devastated people seemed to be. The next death, one Barnabas Fry, was apparently from suicide, and after that more and more kept appearing across the city. It seems that the disease spreads from contact with the body of a person who died whilst infected with it, and is characterised by an extreme degree of mourning directed towards the previous vector. Its incubation time varies wildly, with some manifesting it in minutes, whilst others take days to display any symptoms. It is a curious thing indeed. On another note, I finished the Case of Hector’s Tear today. Janice suggested it as the book club book for this turn. I thought it was a bit dry, but the reveal at the end was superb.

13th Emir 1723

Thomas tells me his daughter has contracted the flu. I hope she recovers, although its hardly the most severe disease about at present. I need to remember to buy soup for the poor girl, she’s quite fond of it.

14th Emir 1723

I saw a woman collapse in the street, crying today. By the time I got to her, her pulse had stopped. I never found out her name. I wish I could’ve helped her. In better news, book club is tomorrow!

15th Emir 1723

I attended the book club today. I tried to engage, but I couldn’t stop thinking about that woman. Tomorrow I shall see if I can at least find her name.

17th Emir 1723

I found the woman’s name in the public archive today! She was called Rachel Rowcliffe, which I believe would make her a cousin of Lila Abernathy! I believe she was a writer, although I can’t say I’m familiar with her work.

23rd Emir 1723

Sorry for not writing lately, I have been caught in the throes of a malaise of late, but today I plucked up the resolve to write. Thomas visited today. He asked when I last ate. I told him I couldn’t remember

27th Emir 1723

Idiot Thomas. He means well, but I can’t see why he cares so much about my wellbeing when I just let that woman die like that! Tomorrow is her funeral. I’m going to try attend.

28th Emir 1723

I attended her funeral. It rained. Everyone’s eulogy’s were beautiful- even the people who didn’t know her! I remember getting up to speak and being filled with such sorrow I doubt my words were comprehensible. I ran home crying, and I think I heard a pistol shot as I did. Grief is so hard to bear, I can understand why some couldn’t hold back any more.

12th Calsir 1723

I spent the past two weeks (I think) in bed. Why would I bother to move? The sheets are dripping with tears now, and I’ve heard Thomas and others shouting at the door periodically for days now. They wouldn’t care so much if they knew how I left Rachel to die.

13th Calsir 1723

I felt a bit better today, so I went to find some food. However, I found that most of my food had gone rotten! I fear this must be punishment for- gods above I’m horrible. I don’t deserve this food anyway with what I’ve done. I’m going to go back to bed

27th? Calsir 1723

I woke up again. Someone changed my sheets whilst I was asleep. Was I always in a room like this? The lights are so bright and there’s so many cards at my bedside. They had me hooked up to some kind of nutrient drip. I tore it out. If I didn’t offer Rachel help in her hour of need, why should these people help me?

I don’t know. Forgive me.

My stomach stopped hurting. I think I saw people visiting me earlier. The doctor sounded so disappointed and sad. I would despise me too, with what I’ve done. I think i

?

I don’t even deserve this paper

?

I wonder did Rachel keep a diary

?

I feel like I’m drowning. Is this how she felt?

?

I think Thomas visited, but I couldn’t remember who he was, and even if I did I wouldn’t have seen him. My eyes are so puffy now, and my voice is so hoarse.

?

Why her?

?

Why me? selfishselfishselfish

?

I stopped crying. Its just blood now

?

I woke up and I’m so scared. Why did she I do this?

?

I think I’m going to sleep now. Even my dreams are full of tears. I’m sorry.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Scarecrow's Beloved

by CriFree_FTW He had fallen in love with her, but her obsession with the abusive Clown Prince of Crime is the last straw. To break that unhealthy compulsion and protect her was to take her away and make her his forever. Words: 1723, Chapters: 1/10, Language: English Fandoms: Batman: The Animated Series Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Jonathan Crane, Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley, Joker (DCU), Edward Nygma, Jervis Tetch, Bruce Wayne, Joan Leland Relationships: Jonathan Crane/Harleen Quinzel, Joker (DCU)/Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley & Harleen Quinzel, Jonathan Crane & Edward Nygma & Jervis Tetch, Jonathan Crane & Joker (DCU) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Rape/Non-con Elements, Graphic Description, Drama & Romance, Do NOT copy to another website, Episode: s02e11 Harley's Holiday (Batman: The Animated Series), Love Confessions, Gang Rape, no reposting, Triggers, Don't Like Don't Read, Pubic Hair, Honeymoon, Humor, Feels, Redemption, Harleen Quinzel Needs a Hug, Protective Jonathan Crane, BAMF Pamela Isley, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Wedding Fluff, Older Man/Younger Woman, Will update tags, Absolutely no offense to SA victims and survivors via https://ift.tt/tVqiAW5

[rabbitcruiser]

Benjamin Franklin Day

Founding Father Benjamin Franklin was born on this day in 1706, in  Boston, making today Ben Franklin Day. He was a polymath, or expert in  many subjects. Some of the titles that could be given to him are  inventor, scientist, politician, diplomat, civic activist, printer,  author, postmaster, and mapmaker. He also founded or was a part of many  organizations and groups.

Franklin was the tenth and youngest son of a soap and candle maker,  Josiah Franklin, and Josiah's second wife, Abiah Folger. The elder  Franklin wanted his son to follow the path of a preacher, but did not  have the money to send him to school. Benjamin only attended school up  until the age of ten, when he began working full-time in his father's  shop. At the age of twelve he was sent to apprentice his older brother  James, who was a printer. James started The New England Courant  in Boston when Benjamin was fifteen. Benjamin wanted to be printed in  the paper, but James would not allow it. So, he wrote letters under name  of Silence Dogood, a fictional widow, and slid them under the print  shop door at night. The fourteen letters he wrote were published; they  gave advice and were filled with critical observations of the world.  Benjamin eventually confessed to writing them, and James was not happy.  Later, after harassment and beating at the hands of his brother,  Benjamin ended up running away to New York, and then ended up in  Philadelphia in 1723.

In Philadelphia, Franklin found work as an apprentice printer. He  then went to England for several months of print work. He came back to  Philadelphia and helped out a printer, but eventually borrowed money and  set up his own printing business a few years later. Franklin bought the  Pennsylvania Gazette in 1729, which became the most widely read newspaper in the colonies. He printed it and contributed pieces under aliases.

In 1728, Franklin had a son, William; it is not known who the mother  was. In 1730, he married Deborah Read; it was a common-law marriage, as  Read's first husband had deserted her. The Franklin's had two children:  Francis, born in 1732, died at the age of four from smallpox. Sarah was  born in 1743.

The Library Company, the nation's first subscription library, was founded by Franklin in 1731. He started publishing Poor Richard's Almanack  in 1733, under the pseudonym of "Richard Saunders." Its lively writing  and witty aphorisms separated it from other Almanacs of the day, and it  was printed for twenty-five years. The first fire department of  Philadelphia, the Union Fire Company, was organized by Franklin in 1736.  Franklin also worked for environmental cleanup in the city, and  launched projects and advocated for paved and lit streets. The first  learned society in the country, the American Philosophical Society, was  launched with the help of Franklin. In 1751, he brought together another  group of people to form the Pennsylvania Hospital.

Franklin's bright mind came up with many inventions. His 1752 kite  and key experiment demonstrated that lightning was electricity, and he  also invented the lightning rod. He came up with other electricity  related terms that we still use today, such as "battery." He invented a  fireplace that became known as the "Franklin stove." Compared to the  popular fireplaces of its time, it gave off more heat and used less  fuel. Franklin refused to patent it, and wanted his invention to serve  others freely. Franklin invented bifocals, which could be used for both  distance and reading. He even invented a musical instrument, the  armonica, which Beethoven and Mozart wrote music for. He charted the  Gulf Stream and gave it its name, and suggested the idea for, and helped  design the first penny in the United States.

In 1757, Franklin went to England to represent the Penn family over  who should represent the colony. Until 1775 most of his time was spent  in England. He served as a Colonial representative for Pennsylvania,  Georgia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. His wife Deborah died in 1774,  while he was still in London.

Franklin was originally a loyalist, but after the 1765 Stamp Act his  views shifted. He testified before Parliament, helping persuade members  of that body to repeal the law. He later became embroiled in what became  known as the "Hutchinson Affair." Thomas Hutchinson, an English  appointed governor, had written letters that had called for the  lessening of liberties of colonists. Franklin got ahold of the letters  and sent them to America. He was condemned publicly, and soon came back  home.

He was elected to the Second Continental Congress, and was part of  the committee of five that drafted the Declaration of Independence. He  also was a signer of the Declaration. He was the first Postmaster  General of the United States; long after his death he was honored by  being put on the first US postage stamp.

He left America to become the first Ambassador to France. During this  time he helped secure a treaty with them in 1778. He also helped to  secure loans during the war. When the guns fell silent, he was present  at signing of Treaty of Paris in 1783, which formally ended the war.

Franklin returned to his home country, and became a delegate at the  Constitutional Convention; he signed the Constitution, being the oldest  person to do so. Although Franklin owned slaves early in his life, his  views changed over time, and in his last years he worked for the  abolition of slavery. After suffering from gout and other ailments, he  died on April 17, 1790, at his daughter Sarah's home. His funeral was  attended by 20,000 people.

It is fitting a day would be dedicated to Benjamin Franklin, as he is  so much more than just the man on the $100 bill. The breadth and scope  of his achievements are almost unparalleled, not only in his political  contributions to a fledgling country, but in his many other pursuits as  well.

Here are just some of his accomplishments and activities: As writer/printer/publisher:

wrote as Silence Dogood in The New England Courant

published Poor Richard's Almanack for twenty-five years

owned the Pennsylvania Gazette

wrote an acclaimed autobiography

As an inventor:

"Franklin stove"

proved lightning is electricity and invented the lightning rod

bifocals

swim fins

carriage odometer

armonica

flexible catheter

As a founder:

The Library Company—the country's first subscription library

Union Fire Company of Philadelphia—the first fire department of Pennsylvania

American Philosophical Society

Pennsylvania Hospital

As a politician:

Colonial representative in England

member of Second Continental Congress

first Postmaster General of the United States

helped draft the Declaration of Independence and signed it

first ambassador to France

present at signing of Treaty of Paris

delegate to Constitutional Convention and signed Constitution

How to Observe

One way to celebrate the day is to follow the example he left of living a full life. Maybe you can start to do this by following his daily schedule.  Learning more about the man may be a good way to celebrate his birthday  and life as well. Why not read the man's own words in his Autobiography? You could also read his Silence Dogood letters, or some of Poor Richard's Almanack. Besides reading his own words, you could read books about him, or explore resources at the Library of Congress. Once you tire of reading you could find and watch the PBS mini-series on Franklin. Finally, you could plan a trip to visit his grave and the Benjamin Franklin Museum in Philadelphia.

Source

Benjamin Franklin, an American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was born on January 17, 1706.

[wickednesse-comic]

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A NOTE ON EROTIC LITERATURE IN 17th CENTURY NEW ENGLAND,

by P. Walter Jaffey, Exegetist

To those familiar with the well-documented correlation between social conservatism and sexual dysfunction, it should come as no surprise that a culture now synonymous with strict moral order was absolutely rife with out-of-control masturbators.

Don’t take my word for it. The only thing the Puritans seem to have indulged in more than avid "self-pollution” was confessing this sin in writing, through the fastidious journal-keeping that characterized their milieu. The museum basements of New England are veritably carpeted with 17th century masturbation diaries, each recounting a different man’s struggle with temptation (the inevitable capitulation, the sticky-handed prayer for absolution, great night’s sleep, etc.) By their own varied accounts, this cycle of self-abuse and self-recrimination seems to have been vicious indeed, and suffered widely*.

The war against basic human sexuality was such a cause célèbre in the colonial period that sermons on the subject were widely disseminated in print and were popular to such a bizarre degree that it reminds one of nothing so much as our own modern era, with its 12 Rules for Lifes and No-Fap Novembers. To wit, Cotton Mather’s The Pure Nazarite, Concerning an Impiety and Impurity Not Easily to be Spoken of (1723) was probably the best selling book of the late 17th and early 18th centuries**.

“I am told that it is an essay which there is more than a little occasion for.”

-John Phillips, Publisher of The Pure Nazarene and man whose stockings are only so stiff from kneeling in church.

Ironically (and perhaps predictably, since it relates to man’s favorite compulsion), tracts like Nazarite weren’t read solely for their didactic value. The latter belongs to an expansive historiographic metagenre: that which, by design or otherwise, was read for the purpose of sexual titillation. For those under the priggish heel of Calvinism, this was an expansive set. Everything from scientific treatises to geographical surveys could be mined by the Puritan for erotic energy.

By way of proof, the most popular book of this type was called Aristotle’s Masterpiece, and reads like [as it, in fact, is] a medical manual for midwives. The modern peruser would be hard-pressed to find anything at all arousing in the text, unless, of course, a dry—yet somehow moralizing—description of a man’s flayed seminal vesicle is to their taste.*** The so-called “captivity narrative” was another popular motif, in which an innocent (read white) woman is captured by “savages”—usually American Indians or Barbary pirates—and subjected to strange (read imaginary) moral frameworks outside the bounds and strictures of her own. Then there was a marginally more explicit undercurrent, evoked in the following real 17th century titles: The School of Venus, La retorica delle puttane (The Whore’s Rhetoric), Letters of a Portuguese Nun, A Ramble in St. James's Park, and the author’s favorite, for obvious reasons: Signior Dildo.

Such was the smut that would have populated the private bookshelf of the Puritan pervert, and a meager indulgence though it may seem, context reveals it for a blessing. As long as the Puritan was attending to his own tortured “yard” (as Aristotle’s Masterpiece insists on referring to the male sex organ), at least he wasn’t buggering his own livestock. There’s more than enough mention of that charming recreation in court records, a fact which Puritan thought leaders justified thusly (once more via Puritans at Play): that “the Devil [only] worked [so] unusually hard to snare sinners from among God's chosen people because he knew what a great victory it was to do so."

-PWJ

*It is possible that even women experience sexual gratification, though the author has never found evidence of such (in spite of much probation).

**Daniels, Bruce Colin. Puritans at Play: Leisure and Recreation in Colonial New England. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.

***If it is, the Masterpiece’s single sentence acknowledging the fact of female pleasure is sure to send them right over the edge. 

[ao3feed-harleyquinn]

Scarecrow's Beloved

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/8XlCqf1 by CriFree_FTW He had fallen in love with her, but her obsession with the abusive Clown Prince of Crime is the last straw. To break that unhealthy compulsion and protect her was to take her away and make her his forever. Words: 1723, Chapters: 1/10, Language: English Fandoms: Batman: The Animated Series Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Jonathan Crane, Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley, Joker (DCU), Edward Nygma, Jervis Tetch, Bruce Wayne, Joan Leland Relationships: Jonathan Crane/Harleen Quinzel, Joker (DCU)/Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley & Harleen Quinzel, Jonathan Crane & Edward Nygma & Jervis Tetch, Jonathan Crane & Joker (DCU) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Rape/Non-con Elements, Graphic Description, Drama & Romance, Do NOT copy to another website, Episode: s02e11 Harley's Holiday (Batman: The Animated Series), Love Confessions, Gang Rape, no reposting, Triggers, Don't Like Don't Read, Pubic Hair, Honeymoon, Humor, Feels, Redemption, Harleen Quinzel Needs a Hug, Protective Jonathan Crane, BAMF Pamela Isley, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Wedding Fluff, Older Man/Younger Woman, Will update tags, Absolutely no offense to SA victims and survivors read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/8XlCqf1

[ao3feed-destiel-02]

Here Next to You

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/DbHxEn3 by iamharryhale "Don’t you think your girlfriend would be upset if she knew you are holding your ex-husband like this?" Castiel asked to distract himself from those thoughts. "Well, she's not my girlfriend anymore, so I don’t think she'll mind." Castiel exhaled a short, amused sound; used to not lying to himself anymore, he recognized that the news put him in a good mood. "What did you do now, Dean?" "Don't ask, sweetheart." "Oh no, of course I'm going to ask. Tell me what you did, Dean Michael." "Do you really want to know, Cas?" "Wasn't it clear that I do…?" Or ex-husbands Castiel and Dean have to share the couch while their kids sleep in the room in a cabin in the middle of the woods. A confession is made that changes everything. Words: 1723, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Castiel (Supernatural), Dean Winchester, Claire Novak, Jack Kline Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Castiel & Dean Winchester Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Human, Jack Kline and Claire Novak are Siblings, Castiel is Jack Kline's Parent, Dean Winchester is Jack Kline's Parent, Castiel is Claire Novak's Parent, Dean Winchester is Claire Novak's Parent, dadstiel, Married Castiel/Dean Winchester, Divorce, Getting Back Together, Happy Ending, Russian Castiel (Supernatural), Sharing a Bed, but it is a couch actually, Not Beta Read read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/DbHxEn3

[beardedmrbean]

BERLIN — A German court convicted five men Tuesday of breaking into a Dresden museum and stealing 21 pieces of jewelry containing more than 4,300 diamonds.

The men, ages 24 to 29, received prison sentences ranging from four years and four months to six years and three months, German news agency dpa reported. One defendant was acquitted.

The Dresden state court ruled that the five were responsible for the theft of the 18th-century jewelry from the Green Vault Museum on Nov. 25, 2019. Officials said at the time that the stolen items included a large diamond brooch and a diamond epaulet.

The crime was considered one of Germany's most spectacular jewelry heists in recent history. The pieces taken had a total insured value of at least $129 million.

The men were accused of starting a fire just before the break-in to cut the power supply to street lights outside the museum, and also setting fire to a car in a nearby garage before fleeing to Berlin. They were caught several months later during raids in Germany's capital.

The court convicted them of particularly aggravated arson in combination with dangerous bodily injury, theft with weapons, damage to property and intentional arson.

The judges who heard the case observed that some of the men had acted with "considerable criminal energy," dpa reported. The aim was "to get rich," the judges said.

More than 100 witnesses and 11 experts gave testimony during the trial's main proceedings, according to the news agency.

The Green Vault is one of the world's oldest museums. It was established in 1723 and contains the treasury of Augustus the Strong of Saxony, comprising around 4,000 objects of gold, precious stones and other materials.

In January, the defense, prosecution and court reached a plea bargain after most of the stolen jewels were returned. However, some of the most important pieces featuring large diamonds remain missing, according to dpa.

Four defendants who agreed to the plea bargain subsequently admitted their involvement in the crime through their lawyers. The fifth defendant also confessed, but only to helping to procure objects such as the axes used to make holes in the museum display case, dpa reported.

The returned pieces do not erase the fact that the museum's collection of complete jewelry sets "is probably destroyed forever," Presiding Judge Andreas Ziegel Ziegel said.

The state of Saxony, where Dresden is located, claimed damages of almost 89 million euros to cover the cost of pieces that were returned damaged, the missing jewelry and repairs to the destroyed display cases and the museum building.

In his remarks Tuesday, Ziegel directly addressed the defendants, saying it is up to them to decide whether to continue committing crimes.

"There are things in your life that are worth living a different life for," the judge said, according to dpa. "It's your choice what you do with your life."

[our-flag-means-death-ao3feed]

One Night In Nassau

by sophiecee

It doesn't take long for Edward Teach to realise that he is in love with Stede Bonnet. He's been doing a good job at hiding it until Stede suggests a night off in Nassau, the Republic of Pirates. Drunken shenanigans ensue and suddenly those feelings become so much harder to hide. With both of their inhibitions lowered, and lost in a night of fun and good times, true emotions bubble to the surface.

What regrets will the two have in the morning, if any at all?

Words: 1723, Chapters: 1/3, Language: English

Fandoms: Our Flag Means Death (TV)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Blackbeard | Edward Teach, Stede Bonnet

Relationships: Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Getting Together, Drunken Shenanigans, Love Confessions, First Kiss, First Time

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/45719488

[ao3feed-oiyama]

(bed) sharing is caring

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/HXoOhYg

by MissCitronVert

Yamaguchi and Oikawa booked a room at a hotel. The number of bed(s) in the room is absolutely normal.

Words: 1723, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Haikyuu!!

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Yamaguchi Tadashi, Oikawa Tooru

Relationships: Oikawa Tooru/Yamaguchi Tadashi

Additional Tags: Fluff, Humor, Love Confessions, There Was Only One Bed

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/HXoOhYg

[western-magical-girl-confessions]

“People overdid ALOT when saying that PPGZ "changed Powerpuff too much". To me, it's both the same and different. They may be Magical Girls with Non-PPG villains, BUT they are still our Cartoon Network fighting girls with their color schemes! Oh, and at least it stayed a little faithful to the source material, which can't be said about the leaked dumpster fire script which even contained lines which were actually dissing the 90s source material for no reason.”

[miraculousladybug-confessions]

“I hope Luka is in more episodes in the future. I feel like he should be because of the emphasis they put on Marinette and Luka blushing around each other.” 

[vyn-ugh]

"Wine and fries"

recent parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

charachter: luke pearce

words count: 1723

warnings: mention of alcohol, luke being a cutie

notes: here's luke, that I must admit, has always been the least favorite of mine. I was actually lying to myself because I didn't want to get too attached to this baby T^T the original chapter was longer and had A LOT of spicy, but readig it again later made me realize that I don't want to push things too hard in the beginning. sooo I hope you still like it, enjoy your weekend!

You were standing in front of the empty kitchen, deciding what to have for dinner. You felt a little sorry for your neighbors, as “Only love can hurt like this” was blasting through the speakers. Even though the thing that was most intolerable for them, was probably you screaming along the music. You felt crazy feeling so shuttered for something that wasn’t even real, or that didn’t even have a starting point. It was all based through your hidden feelings, a confession from Celestine, but nothing was important if Artem didn’t want it. They were all wasted words. You poured another glass of fruit juice, the thing that most resembled wine in that moment: not for the taste, but at least for the color. You sighed out loud, while the song started once again in a loop that was lasting more than you intended to. You were just waiting for the tears to come, but you only felt emptiness in your heart. It would’ve been easier to start crying, instead of standing hopelessly in the middle of the kitchen, your working clothes still on. The high heels abandoned in front of the entrance.

“This song is not working, I need to cry”.

You looked so pathetic, going for the remote control to change the song. Through the silence, that’s when you heard knocking on the door. It was a loud banging. “Shit shit shit” you mumbled, leaving the glass on the coffee table in front of the couch. The neighbors probably had enough.

“Surprise!”

You jumped a little, taken aback from what was happening: Luke was standing on the door, arms thrown in the air with a lot of takeout and a plastic bag with…wine?

“That’s not a surprise, I invited you, isn’t it?” you said, inviting him in.

He laughed, handing you the bag: “The wine is a surprise, though”

“I thought we would’ve cooked something at home” you confessed, accepting the wine.

Luke went for the coffee table, pulling out of the bags all the food that he brought. There were fries, big, oily hamburgers and two big cups of ice cream.

“Hear me out, it’s Friday. Who cooks on a Friday night?”

“Me, usually?” you said, bringing two glasses to the table. He was already sitting on the floor, clearly eager to devour the food in front of him.

“Not with me around”, he replied, before pointing at the space on the floor next to him “Come eat, I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten all day”.

You sighed. You invited him over because you felt like you needed his energy around, but now that he was here you felt sorry for not being able to reciprocate. You sat on the carpet, crossing your legs and pouring wine for the both of you.

“So fancy, hamburgers with wine” you joked, handing him one of the full glasses.

He tried to speak, as he was biting in the biggest chunk of fries he could take. “Thank you” Luke mumbled, his mouth full of food. You shook your head, grabbing the ice cream. You were craving something sweet, especially that one ice cream full of chocolate in front of you. “You asked for more topping?”, you questioned, taking a bite. He nodded, showing you a smirk: “I know what you like”. And he also knew why you were starting with ice cream, instead of any other thing that was on the table.

“Thank you”, you simply said. Thank you for the dinner, for the company, for always being here. Now you felt the tears filling your eyes. Why now? Maybe you felt too comfortable around Luke. “What’s that face?”, he asked. He wiped his hands on the tissues he found around, before crawling closer to you. The way he did it, made you burst out in a laugh. You were so grateful to have him in your life. Shrugging, you put your head on his shoulder: “I guess I’m too stressed”, you lied.

Luke sighed, caressing your hair. He was breathing a little heavier than before, perhaps smelling your lies from a mile away. “If you don’t want to tell me, it’s okay. I just want you to feel better”. You nodded, sinking more against his chest. You let the ice cream on the table, and the both of you were staring in front of you. You felt the tiredness from the day coming into your body all at once. It felt like a rock hit you on the head.

“Were you listening to sad songs, again?” the accusation from Luke, who stopped caressing you to look you in the eyes, made you sit up straight.

“I needed to cry, you know I’m no good with these feelings”

“You always cry when we watch those movies together”

“Yea, that’s because I don’t know how to properly explain my feelings out loud. I have to cry in a way or another, Luke”

He laughed, taking the remote control in his hands and standing up. “What are you doing?” you sighed, already tired of whatever was in his plans. You looked at the television, as the word “Promiscuous” was being written in search bar. “No, Luke, please. I’m not in the mood for this”, you begged him, resting your head against the couch behind you. You were regretting asking him to come over. It was a bad bad idea. You should’ve known that he would’ve done anything in his possibilities to make you smile and laugh, as you rarely opened up about your feelings.

“As you said, one way or another we’re getting this sadness out of your body. Come on” he screamed. He was offering his hand to you, already jumping around to the music blasting at a high level. You sighed, drinking in one go the whole glass of wine. “They’ll kick me out and you’ll have to take me in like a refugee”. Luke looked at you with a smile on, as you stood up, surrendering to his energy. Your hands were intertwined, while he couldn’t stop moving around. “I’m not dancing”, you stated. He was looking at you, mimicking the lyrics: “Oh yes, you’re gonna do it”. You got pulled against his chest in an embrace, forcing you to move your body a little. Your face was literally crushed on him, annoyed at his ways.

You moved your head from his chest, to look at him in the eyes: “You’re not convincing me”. “But look at you” he laughed, “You’re already moving”.

“Luke…” you whispered, while he invited you in a twirl. His arm up on your head, his hand making you circle. But you weren’t actually dancing, you looked a lot more like some kind of humanoid making its first steps. That’s when Luke grabbed you by your waist, spinning around: “I’m not letting you go until you give me a smile”.

“What? That’s ridiculous” you complained, slapping his back trying to convince him to let you go. The room was swirling, sucking the both of you in a blurred mess: you could only see clearly Luke’s face, his eyes fixated on yours. “I know you can do it” he begged, carrying you around the house like a bag of potatoes. You faked a smile, as a laugh escaped his lips.

“You can do better than that”

“I can’t”

He shook his head, letting you go on the couch: “If I remember correctly…” he started, getting closer and closer to you. Your noses were a few centimeters away, and you felt your heart skipping a beat. “Someone here doesn’t really like being tickled”. Your eyes were wide open, trying to find a way to escape that brutality. “You wouldn’t dare” you said, placing your hands on his chest to keep him away from you.

“Bet?”

With his arms around you and the hands placed on the couch, he trapped you in a cage. Being this close to him reminded you of so many emotions, and when you looked him in the eyes you felt like they were burning just like yours. Luke was your first kiss. It started as a prank, you were two teenagers who never got any other attention other than each other’s. Maybe because, as your friends said, you were both keeping the opposite sex from getting nearer to any of you two. It wasn’t intentional, but people often saw you as a couple rather than a pair of best friends.

Biting your lips, you grabbed Luke by his loyal necklace that was hanging from his neck, as he was towering on you. “What are you…” you didn’t let him finish, and pulled him even closer. Your noses were now touching, your eyes not being able to move from looking at your friend’s lips. You could hear his heartbeat going faster, while you were twisting the necklace around your fingers to keep him hostage.

“Do not challenge me, Pearce”

“You wouldn’t dare” he said this time.

“Bet?” you asked, brushing your lips against his.

You could see his cheeks turning red, but he didn’t move from your hold. You were both breathing faster, a single movement away from a kiss. Even if someone of you two dared to speak in that moment, it was enough to let your lips crash.

“Who’s gonna let go first?”

“Not me” you exclaimed, shaking your head slightly.

“And I never surrender” he whispered. You could feel his breath reaching your lips. “You still owe me a smile”.

At that point, you couldn’t hold back your laughter anymore. You threw your head back laughing, maybe because of the tension you created with that action. But you still didn���t let go of Luke, who was finally relaxing and getting a moment to breathe slower. “You’re gonna give me a heart attack, sooner or later” he said, admitting defeat. Well, to be fair both of you were losing. You gave up with a laugh, and he backed up as far as he could still in your hold. “I feel like a dog on a leash, could you please let me go?” he begged, trying to get away from your grip. He was pulling helplessly, praying that you would let him loose.

You pulled him closer once again, only to place a swift kiss on his cheek: “Here you go”, you said, letting his necklace go.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Scarecrow's Beloved

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/tVqiAW5 by CriFree_FTW He had fallen in love with her, but her obsession with the abusive Clown Prince of Crime is the last straw. To break that unhealthy compulsion and protect her was to take her away and make her his forever. Words: 1723, Chapters: 1/10, Language: English Fandoms: Batman: The Animated Series Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Jonathan Crane, Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley, Joker (DCU), Edward Nygma, Jervis Tetch, Bruce Wayne, Joan Leland Relationships: Jonathan Crane/Harleen Quinzel, Joker (DCU)/Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley & Harleen Quinzel, Jonathan Crane & Edward Nygma & Jervis Tetch, Jonathan Crane & Joker (DCU) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Rape/Non-con Elements, Graphic Description, Drama & Romance, Do NOT copy to another website, Episode: s02e11 Harley's Holiday (Batman: The Animated Series), Love Confessions, Gang Rape, no reposting, Triggers, Don't Like Don't Read, Pubic Hair, Honeymoon, Humor, Feels, Redemption, Harleen Quinzel Needs a Hug, Protective Jonathan Crane, BAMF Pamela Isley, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Wedding Fluff, Older Man/Younger Woman, Will update tags, Absolutely no offense to SA victims and survivors read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/tVqiAW5

[rabbitcruiser]

Benjamin Franklin Day

Founding Father Benjamin Franklin was born on this day in 1706, in  Boston, making today Ben Franklin Day. He was a polymath, or expert in  many subjects. Some of the titles that could be given to him are  inventor, scientist, politician, diplomat, civic activist, printer,  author, postmaster, and mapmaker. He also founded or was a part of many  organizations and groups.

Franklin was the tenth and youngest son of a soap and candle maker,  Josiah Franklin, and Josiah's second wife, Abiah Folger. The elder  Franklin wanted his son to follow the path of a preacher, but did not  have the money to send him to school. Benjamin only attended school up  until the age of ten, when he began working full-time in his father's  shop. At the age of twelve he was sent to apprentice his older brother  James, who was a printer. James started The New England Courant  in Boston when Benjamin was fifteen. Benjamin wanted to be printed in  the paper, but James would not allow it. So, he wrote letters under name  of Silence Dogood, a fictional widow, and slid them under the print  shop door at night. The fourteen letters he wrote were published; they  gave advice and were filled with critical observations of the world.  Benjamin eventually confessed to writing them, and James was not happy.  Later, after harassment and beating at the hands of his brother,  Benjamin ended up running away to New York, and then ended up in  Philadelphia in 1723.

In Philadelphia, Franklin found work as an apprentice printer. He  then went to England for several months of print work. He came back to  Philadelphia and helped out a printer, but eventually borrowed money and  set up his own printing business a few years later. Franklin bought the  Pennsylvania Gazette in 1729, which became the most widely read newspaper in the colonies. He printed it and contributed pieces under aliases.

In 1728, Franklin had a son, William; it is not known who the mother  was. In 1730, he married Deborah Read; it was a common-law marriage, as  Read's first husband had deserted her. The Franklin's had two children:  Francis, born in 1732, died at the age of four from smallpox. Sarah was  born in 1743.

The Library Company, the nation's first subscription library, was founded by Franklin in 1731. He started publishing Poor Richard's Almanack  in 1733, under the pseudonym of "Richard Saunders." Its lively writing  and witty aphorisms separated it from other Almanacs of the day, and it  was printed for twenty-five years. The first fire department of  Philadelphia, the Union Fire Company, was organized by Franklin in 1736.  Franklin also worked for environmental cleanup in the city, and  launched projects and advocated for paved and lit streets. The first  learned society in the country, the American Philosophical Society, was  launched with the help of Franklin. In 1751, he brought together another  group of people to form the Pennsylvania Hospital.

Franklin's bright mind came up with many inventions. His 1752 kite  and key experiment demonstrated that lightning was electricity, and he  also invented the lightning rod. He came up with other electricity  related terms that we still use today, such as "battery." He invented a  fireplace that became known as the "Franklin stove." Compared to the  popular fireplaces of its time, it gave off more heat and used less  fuel. Franklin refused to patent it, and wanted his invention to serve  others freely. Franklin invented bifocals, which could be used for both  distance and reading. He even invented a musical instrument, the  armonica, which Beethoven and Mozart wrote music for. He charted the  Gulf Stream and gave it its name, and suggested the idea for, and helped  design the first penny in the United States.

In 1757, Franklin went to England to represent the Penn family over  who should represent the colony. Until 1775 most of his time was spent  in England. He served as a Colonial representative for Pennsylvania,  Georgia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. His wife Deborah died in 1774,  while he was still in London.

Franklin was originally a loyalist, but after the 1765 Stamp Act his  views shifted. He testified before Parliament, helping persuade members  of that body to repeal the law. He later became embroiled in what became  known as the "Hutchinson Affair." Thomas Hutchinson, an English  appointed governor, had written letters that had called for the  lessening of liberties of colonists. Franklin got ahold of the letters  and sent them to America. He was condemned publicly, and soon came back  home.

He was elected to the Second Continental Congress, and was part of  the committee of five that drafted the Declaration of Independence. He  also was a signer of the Declaration. He was the first Postmaster  General of the United States; long after his death he was honored by  being put on the first US postage stamp.

He left America to become the first Ambassador to France. During this  time he helped secure a treaty with them in 1778. He also helped to  secure loans during the war. When the guns fell silent, he was present  at signing of Treaty of Paris in 1783, which formally ended the war.

Franklin returned to his home country, and became a delegate at the  Constitutional Convention; he signed the Constitution, being the oldest  person to do so. Although Franklin owned slaves early in his life, his  views changed over time, and in his last years he worked for the  abolition of slavery. After suffering from gout and other ailments, he  died on April 17, 1790, at his daughter Sarah's home. His funeral was  attended by 20,000 people.

It is fitting a day would be dedicated to Benjamin Franklin, as he is  so much more than just the man on the $100 bill. The breadth and scope  of his achievements are almost unparalleled, not only in his political  contributions to a fledgling country, but in his many other pursuits as  well.

Here are just some of his accomplishments and activities: As writer/printer/publisher:

wrote as Silence Dogood in The New England Courant

published Poor Richard's Almanack for twenty-five years

owned the Pennsylvania Gazette

wrote an acclaimed autobiography

As an inventor:

"Franklin stove"

proved lightning is electricity and invented the lightning rod

bifocals

swim fins

carriage odometer

armonica

flexible catheter

As a founder:

The Library Company—the country's first subscription library

Union Fire Company of Philadelphia—the first fire department of Pennsylvania

American Philosophical Society

Pennsylvania Hospital

As a politician:

Colonial representative in England

member of Second Continental Congress

first Postmaster General of the United States

helped draft the Declaration of Independence and signed it

first ambassador to France

present at signing of Treaty of Paris

delegate to Constitutional Convention and signed Constitution

How to Observe

One way to celebrate the day is to follow the example he left of living a full life. Maybe you can start to do this by following his daily schedule.  Learning more about the man may be a good way to celebrate his birthday  and life as well. Why not read the man's own words in his Autobiography? You could also read his Silence Dogood letters, or some of Poor Richard's Almanack. Besides reading his own words, you could read books about him, or explore resources at the Library of Congress. Once you tire of reading you could find and watch the PBS mini-series on Franklin. Finally, you could plan a trip to visit his grave and the Benjamin Franklin Museum in Philadelphia.

Source

Benjamin Franklin, an American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was born on January 17, 1706.

[ltwilliammowett]

Philip Roche the Irish Pirate

Philip Roche (1693-1723) , according to the General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, which appeared in print in London the year after his execution, was an Irish priate who roamed northern Europe from 1721-23. The author, Captain Charles Johnson, implies that Philip Roche committed many other crimes, but can only report the acts for which he was convicted and hanged.

Page from the Newgate calendar. The pirate Philip Roche murdering the crew of a ship, throwing them overboard 18th Century (x)

He is said to have been a man who did not show his black soul. He enriched himself through insurance fraud, piracy and robbery-murder. Roche and his gang - a fisherman named Neal, Pierce Cullen and his brother, and Francis Wife, the first two of whom are reported to have come from Cork - embarked at Cork in Ireland in November 1721 to be ferried as passengers to Nantes in France aboard a French Schnau. The small ship had only a small crew. Because of Roche's navigational skills, the French captain Pierre Tartou put him in charge of the ship when the captain and mate went to rest. One night, when the captain and mate were asleep, Roche ordered the four Frenchmen of the crew into the sails. When the first two climbed back down, Roche and his gang knocked them down and threw them overboard; the other two, including the ship's boy, fled to the topmast. Cullen climbed up, caught the ship's boy by the arm and threw him into the sea, the last Frenchman he drove down, where the others smashed his head in and threw him into the sea as well. Captain and mate were captured and tied back to back. They pleaded in vain for mercy and were likewise thrown overboard. The new captain Roche landed at Dartmouth, had the ship repainted and refitted, and renamed it Mary. He rewrote the bills of lading in the name of Pierre Tartou in the name of Pierre Roche. He then sailed via Ostend to Rotterdam, sold the cargo of beef and took a fresh cargo on board, along with the owner of the cargo, Mr Annesly. On the first night out of port, they threw Mr. Annesly overboard. The latter swam alongside for some time, pleading in vain for his life. When Roche Havre de Grace docked and heard that the authorities were searching for Captain Tartou's ship, crew and cargo, he abandoned ship. The crew took the ship to Scotland, landed there and disappeared. The ship was seized and taken to the Thames.

Later Roche, who was committing frauds in London under the assumed name of John Eustace, was arrested. He gave himself away as Philip Roche by a letter he had in his pocket, addressed to Philip Roche. Confronted by a captain who knew Philip Roche well, he was identified beyond doubt and committed to Newgate Prison on urgent suspicion, eventually confessed and was found guilty of piracy and hanged at Execution Dock in London on 5 August 1723, aged 30.

[ao3feed-harleyquinn]

Scarecrow's Beloved

by CriFree_FTW He had fallen in love with her, but her obsession with the abusive Clown Prince of Crime is the last straw. To break that unhealthy compulsion and protect her was to take her away and make her his forever. Words: 1723, Chapters: 1/10, Language: English Fandoms: Batman: The Animated Series Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Jonathan Crane, Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley, Joker (DCU), Edward Nygma, Jervis Tetch, Bruce Wayne, Joan Leland Relationships: Jonathan Crane/Harleen Quinzel, Joker (DCU)/Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley & Harleen Quinzel, Jonathan Crane & Edward Nygma & Jervis Tetch, Jonathan Crane & Joker (DCU) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Rape/Non-con Elements, Graphic Description, Drama & Romance, Do NOT copy to another website, Episode: s02e11 Harley's Holiday (Batman: The Animated Series), Love Confessions, Gang Rape, no reposting, Triggers, Don't Like Don't Read, Pubic Hair, Honeymoon, Humor, Feels, Redemption, Harleen Quinzel Needs a Hug, Protective Jonathan Crane, BAMF Pamela Isley, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Wedding Fluff, Older Man/Younger Woman, Will update tags, Absolutely no offense to SA victims and survivors via https://ift.tt/8XlCqf1