#from an upper middle class to well off background and has been to like horse camp or horseriding lessons or something in his childhood

[designernishiki]

okay but. why does it seem like 24 year old majima’s ridden a horse before. why does he talk like he has Experience. what is this lost lore

[hcartachesx]

if you’re hearing RUNNER UP by BAILEY SPINN playing, you have to know KENDRA CRANE (SHE/HER; FEMALE) is near by! the 31 year old 911 OPERATOR has been in denver for, like, 1 YEAR. they’re known to be quite PESSIMISTIC, but being HARDWORKING seems to balance that out. or maybe it’s the fact that they resemble KAT GRAHAM. personally, i’d love to know more about them seeing as how they’ve got those RAINBOW BOOKSHELVES, HALF DRAWN SKETCHES CRUMBLED IN THE TRASH, AND STAYING UP ALL NIGHT MAKING SOMETHING FOR OTHERS vibes. and maybe i’ll get my chance if i hang out around the CHERRY CREEK long enough!

This is probably going to be really long I am sorry. There are some wanted connections at the bottom as well as on my page!

Basic Info

Full Name: Kendra Anne Crane

Nicknames: Ken, Kenny

Age: 31

Birthday: January 18th, 1992

Zodiac: Aquarius

Occupation: 911 Operator

Schooling: Parsons School for Design

Hometown: New York City, New York

Ethnicity: Americo-Liberian, Ashkenazi Jewish

Languages Spoken: English, ASL, Hebrew, French

Gender: Cisfemale

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Relationship Status: Single

Living in: Cherry Creek District (Owen’s Crescent)

Family Info

Maternal Grandparents: Alan and Bertie Cohen lived in Denver most of their lives. Alan was a business owner and mayor for ten years before retiring while Bertie was a teacher. They left their home in Cherry Creek to their granddaughter Kendra.

Parents: Neil and Amelia Crane are well known Manhattanites who participate in many charitable functions within New York. Neil is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company and Amelia is a former fashion editor and socialite, sitting on the board of many charity groups.

Siblings: Mitchell Crane, the oldest of the Crane children, is a Yale School of Law graduate and a district attorney, on his way to becoming a judge and beginning his political career. Alana Crane, the youngest of the Crane children, is a socialite and social media influencer, having a hand in everything from modeling, travel, and small acting parts.

Pets: Mushu (ball python), Magnus Bane (cat), Oz (pitbull), Rowan and Aelin (lovebirds), Pax (horse)

Physical Info

Hair color: Black

Eye color: Green 

Height: 5’2”

Tattoos: ‘Love’ in Hebrew along her back below her shoulder blade, ‘Hic Sunt Leones’ on her left wrist

Piercings: Two in each lobe

Character Inspo: Monica Gellar (Friends), Brooke Davis (One Tree Hill), Jen Lindley (Dawson’s Creek), Feyre Archeron (ACOTAR), Grace Ryder (911: Lone Star), May Grant (911), Amanda Rollins (Law & Order SVU), Olive Smith (The Love Hypothesis)

Background

Kendra was the middle child of the Crane family, an upper class family from old money and history. The Cranes have been in politics, the stock market, car manufacturing… You name it, someone from their family was probably involved in it. While her mother came from a more simple background, she was still pretty well off as well. She has an older brother, Mitchell, who is following in their grandfather’s footsteps and getting into politics, gunning for Congress eventually, while her younger sister is more of a free spirit. 

Kendra was always the middle child, the scapegoat of the family. She was either ignored or being blamed for her sister’s problems, like somehow she was the reason her sister got super drunk at a party Kendra didn’t even attend. Alana had a lot of medical issues when she was born and almost didn’t make it, so she could do no wrong in her parent’s eyes. She got everything she ever wanted and the slightest accomplishment was ten times better than anything Kendra worked hard for. Sure, Kendra got straight As and an award in science, but Alana got homecoming queen.

Needless to say, there was always a bit of a competition between the two. Alana got all the praise, love, and attention, but she couldn’t match Kendra’s brilliance and talent. Kendra was super smart and talented in art. She got into Parsons School of Design easily while Alana decided to put college off and travel the world and finding herself (note: ten years later and she’s still ‘finding herself’).

Despite not getting much attention from her parents, she had the support of friends, grandparents, and professors who saw her talent and encouraged it. After graduating from Parsons, she started her own line of wedding dresses and became a huge hit very quickly. Her parents weren’t that impressed but at least other people saw her potential. 

Kendra met Daniel Trent at a party, which she was attending to meet people who may fund her next collection. He was charming, sweet, and made her feel like the only girl in the room. He was a hedge fund manager, making a stupid amount of money for stuff she didn’t quite understand, but he was supportive of her own passions and job and it was a great love story. They dated for years before getting engaged. But things all crashed weeks before the wedding.

That was when she walked in on her fiance sleeping with her sister. Turns out, they had been sneaking around behind her back for two years of their four year relationship. He admitted that he was in love with Alana and wanted to end their engagement. 

This wasn’t exactly new to Kendra. Alana had a history of stealing her friends, crushes, and boyfriends before. But she had thought that Daniel wouldn’t do that to her, that he only wanted her. She had seen her sister try to flirt with him when she first introduced him to her family, but he had ignored her. Apparently not as much as she had thought.

She had enough of her sister and yelled at her, really telling her what she thought of her. And wouldn’t you know it, her parents took her sister’s side, saying that there was nothing they could do and they should just let the lovebirds be. And Kendra had enough. She blew up at her parents as well, telling them they always took Alana’s side and didn’t care about her. Even her older brother was taking their side. So that was the last straw of being ignored by her family. She left.

The one family member that had always been on her side was her Bubbe Bertie. Spending time in Denver with her mother’s mother was a time when she didn’t have to compete for attention, it was just given freely as well as love. And a few years ago when her bubbe died, she had left Kendra her house in Denver, Colorado. Her maternal grandparents Alan and Bertie Cohen had lived in Denver most of their lives and Alan was even the mayor for several years. She had always been happy at their house, so she decided to go and live in the inherited house. She hadn’t been to Denver much in the few years, but it was far away from her family and that is what was important. 

Kendra couldn’t stand her own job though. Designing wedding dresses was just breaking her already fractured heart even more. She had worked months on designing and making her own wedding dress for the wedding that didn’t happen. She had plenty of money so she didn’t have to work, but she needed something to do to get her mind off things. Back in high school, she had done a volunteer program at a mental health crisis hotline, which then led her to helping out at a 911 call center later on. She had enjoyed being able to help people and was good at it, even though it was stressful. So she decided to do that again. 

Kendra has been settled in Denver for 6 months now, trying to rebuild her life and forget about her heartbreak from both her fiance and her family. She is focusing on her job, her books, and her pets. 

She is very dedicated to her pets and puts in a lot of effort researching all they need before adopting them. She also extensively trains them when needed. Kendra is a huge fan of books and has a huge library in her new home. She also enjoys cooking, especially sweets, and crafts like crocheting, knitting, and the like.

Kendra is stubborn through and through. When she made up her mind to cut off her family, she refuses to change it. She can hold a grudge when she feels it is justified. She is hard working and dedicated to whatever she decides to do. She is loyal where no one has ever been loyal to her. She is intelligent and loves puzzles and anything that makes her think. She is a huge animal lover and will gladly donate her money to animals in need. She is the type to sacrifice herself for others. She is very artistic but hasn’t drawn or sewn anything since the breakup. She is more guarded with her heart, not trusting that people will stay with her.

Wanted Connections

Childhood friends: Kendra spent a lot of summers, winter holidays, and spring breaks in Denver, so maybe your muse and hers were friends during that time

First Kiss/Crush/BF: It would be so cute if during those times she was in Denver, she had a little crush or something and they would send each other letters and emails and everything until it kind of just fizzled into friendship because long distance is hard

Coworkers: If your muse would work within emergency services, maybe they would know each other! They could grab drinks together after particularly bad days

Fan: Kendra was pretty well known and popular in the bridal fashion world, so maybe your muse is a huge fan of hers and doesn’t get why she’s not doing it any more. Maybe they even encourage her to design again

Knew Her Grandparents: Kendra’s grandparents were very involved in the social scene in Denver, so perhaps your muse knew them or heard of them before!

[riallasheng]

TOS villa feels very lived in and middle class to upper middle class. Honestly I suspect that it was based on the homes of the cast and crew of Anderson Entertainment, and msot of them were middle class. While the 04 villa had a 'catelogue' feel, it did feel more lived in than TaG to me... maybe it's the clutter, the silly knick-knacks and bric-a-brac, the fact that we see the 04 cahracters hanging out and being casual in the space (the lunch scene, Scott and Gordon chilling by the pool at the red alert (and virgil showing up with bedhead and in pjs as they head for 3), the moments before Penny leaves where she and Jeff are just chilling on the patio, the cluttered and fun time at the pool at the end...) where-as TaG has no clutter, no knick-knacks or bric-a-brac, we never really see them just chilling or hanging out, just them finishing a meal and heading off, or arriving to the sunken lounge when John calls in.

the TaG timeline confuses me too. Honestly I think they kinda made it up as they went and didn't really think about the implications of things like 'jeff gone 8 years' or 'iR has been running for 'a few years' or 'we converted our mother's family ranch into a training ground and gutted out acres of land for hidden hangers' or 'Kayo grew up on the island'. My general 'fix it', is that Jeff bought the island and moved the family out there when he made it rich / when his wife died (which would be when Alan was 2 or so since he has no recall of her). Kyrano was already a family friend at this point and moved out there (with Tanusha, who would be... hold on must do math... ... 10 or so), possibly to avoid the Hood / to try and get Tanusha away from the Hood's influence. Heck, I could totally see Lee living out there with them too, the boys all seem to know him on sight and call him 'Uncle Lee' .... Dang now I'm imagining that Lee is LUCILLE'S BROTHER who became besties with his wife's husband / brother in law. Honestly, given how we both kinda agree that Sally didn't fully like Lucille for whisking her son, then her grandsons away, not letting her cook, etc... I kind fo headcanon that turning the Taylor Family Ranch into a training faclity was Sally's call and it might have been a surprise to the boys - maybe done while Scott was Serving or even while he was a POW. While the boys say it's a place they've trained at, they don't seem to know it as well as they do the Villa / Island. John seems off guard about the horses being gone, they don't know the surrounding area as well, etc. The tagTracys definitly have a more 'designer' vibe to them. They're willing to get their hands dirty, but none of them are engineers / we don't see them working on matainence or repairs or working in the lab with Brains like we saw the tosTracys doing (and tosVirgil and tosScott actually have engineering backgrounds) TOS clothes can look oddly formal to us, but for the 60s that was fairly middle class to blue-collar clothing. Much too warm for the tropics, but a limitation of the puppetry is you needed high collars and long sleeves, so I tend to give it more leeway, esp as they tended to dress more for the weather in the comics (while still wearing casual-for-the-time clothing It's not a bad thing that the tagTracys seem to have been more upper class in lifestyle and likely were earlier than the tosTracys, they're GOOD PEOPLE who work hard to help everyone around them and no mistake. I think it just might explain why they're more lackadaisical about items, buildings, etc being damaged or destroyed (and possibly why they seem to want recognition more than the tosBoyos, though that could just be culture shift / target audience shift )

honestly the idea that Lucille's ranch being turned into something that is a thin veneer over the Tracy / iR legacy occurring not from Jeff but from SALLY to me is a really interesting concept, and fits with the 'Sally subciousiouly resented Lucille 'stealing' her son /grandsons away and then stealing his HEART away in a way she could never fix when she died, and her turning Lucille's family ranch into a legacy to her son after HE 'died'... just seems really fascinating to me ^^

Hmmm, Casey being a woman honestly wouldn't be too big of a factor, really. Even today women tend to be treated much the same as men in teh service, by the 2050s I figure it'll be even less of a factor. But I could see Lee 100% taking the fall for her, not because she's a woman n the service, but becasue CASEY WANTS TO KEEP SERVING and Lee seems to want to leave. Casey I think sees that the GDF is more good than bad and wants to improve things from within (which, hey, the GDF is overall a force for good in TaG)... she can't do that if she's courtmartialled and discharged. So Lee takes the fall, gets dishonorably discharged, then just goes to the Moon to keep Alphie running as long as he can... I can see him totally knowing that going to save Scott is going to cost him what little funding/supplies he's managed to scrounge up fromthe GDF for Alphie, as well as his career... but doing it none the less to save Scott. He does seem to legitimatly care about the boys (even if he has horrific name retention and recall issues. I wonder if he ever managed to have recall issues on his own name)

@edutainer2022 , the original post was so long it was causing issues on my phone for some reason, so I'm copying your last post and starting a new 'thread' (so long as that is alright with you. If you so wish I'll copy my reply and put it on your thread ^^;; )

Of IR is obviously a cash sinkhole. They also tend to wreck quite a lot of property through the rescues. Zero-XL trial and error construction alone seems to have cost a budget of a sizable country. Also... the way IR policy is about not saving equipment and John merrily suggesting Global One worth billions of hard fought for tooth and nail funding be abandoned - they boys probably never had to file a grant proposal in their life. In their life equipment the caliber and expense of a space station is replaceable on demand. Unless it has sentimental value.

I LOVE the idea Mom's heirloom money was a major contribution. Although, the old residence of the Gran Roca doesn't appear opulent - we don't know the extent of the estate (and horses? Where did the horses go?). Maybe smart investments, patents, not just aeronatic business. Mom is canonically old southern money (but still no name).

Oh, the Bereznik thing WITHOUT Jeff in the picture would have been a glorious mess. Scott is a) respectfully, a fairy nobody at that point (well, Daddy's boy, but no political and little economic leverage); b) all but a liability for GDF if they want to go ahead with IR - Scott is one foot out and vocal about his brothers being no foot in, the IR branching AWAY into Thunderbirds is afoot, and while it's not a problem to train GDF officers into operatives, the hitch is probably in the rights and specs for the tech (and Brains) - the Tracies are out, IR is out of GDF clutch. So yeah... Scotty MIA is more convenient... than not. So quite likely the Old Guard pooled up for an extraction that "never happened" under conditions that Scott's imprisonment "never happened" to anyone who should ask. Yeah, Scott doesn't like or wants anything to do with GDF law inforcement angle. Maybe IR is later greenlit under STRICT conditions they will only identify as civilians. Scott is so worried Kayo was breaking that rule as if their license depended on it. Maybe it did. He's worried as late as Chain Reaction (all the while aiding and abating an escape of a terrorist out of pure unironic goodness of his heart).

I agree, much as the idea of Military bros is appealing - Gordon indicates no exposure to that structure. Scott does, but, like you said, not in the manner that would suggest he thrived or wanted to do it for life. Semi-canonical "interview" with "Scott" has him flounder on a question what he would do, if not IR. The military service doesn't even come up. Something something about charity and philanthropy.

I wonder how much of Zero-X was built with Jeff and Lee in mind. Calypso was a two pilot mission. There wasn't much OUT THERE at the time to warrant T-drive powered rescues. No Marcian colony, nothing. Maybe Jeff and Lee felt stir crazy, "moored" on Earth and kinda expected to space-the-final-frontier it in their autumn days.

Yeah, TaG tends to be as hard on their equipment (and locations) as TOS was, but you have to factor that by the number of rescues... and with TaG being known, that means that people can 'contact' them for reimbursement for damages and harm and the like. Hck, protection from THAT might be part of the reason Jeff could ahve gone with a branch of the GDF initially. (actually, question... where does the Kyrano was a bad-ass ninja warrior come from? It's never said or even implied in the show that I recall. Is it just because Kayo is a kick-ass warrior? I ask because imagine if Kyrano was originally more of the lawyer type, or engineer who was helping Brains or the like). The Tracys, Brains, and Kayo are REALLY lackadaisical about objects and finances. Sometimes I get it, like when the choice is save a person OR save a thing... but they seem to be richer than even the TOS Tracys, and there are times where their lack of care of items is grating. Teh high-rise fire episode in example, where they took delight and went out of their way to damage the building / cut the top off of it - it legit would have been easier and safer to break the glass and lower the seats down, and the smugness to the building owner after bordered on them being asses. And in another example... yeah, Global One. O'Bannon was RIGHT in her call to try and save the station, that is a MASSIVE investment (and would have been a LOT OF DEADLY DEBRIS RAINING DOWN) and I frankly side with her on it. Like TOS tends to place people above the items too, but they do try to limit damage they cause, in the comics actually do their best to salvage /save items when possible (The ocean liner The President in example) and John and Scott even directly discuss how the Ocean Pioneer was a significant investment for the people involved and they should have tried saving it. Scott AGREES with John on that, but points out that they likely couldn't have done so before it blew up / they might not have been able to. In the comics (and novels to a degree) they HAVE made the call to save the objects as well on occasion.

On the Ranch not looking opulent... sometimes people with a lot of money don't spend it on mansions or the like, but instead on other things... and it's possible that the Mom's family prefered simply, homely, comforts and disliked ostentatious shows of wealth. (In an example... Tracy Island in TOS and TaG is like this. The interior is comfortable and not very showy... yes they're on a private island, but the home itself looks like a upper middle class home of the era. There's Virgil's piano, but it's a baby grand rather than a grand, and white pianos actually cost markidly less than black pianos. The game room has a pool table, but (esp in the 60s) Pool tables weren't that expensive unless you went all in, and even people on the lower end of middle class could possibly have one. The same is true for what we see in the TaG house. Upper end of middle class overall. One or two showy things, but not opulent. Not Southern money, Western money / South-Western money. Southern refers to the states in the south east and tends to come from foresty or farms, where-as western and south western are from ranches or oil/natural gas. (The USA is not so much one country as it is 50 countries in a trenchcoat XD The Mom's home is in the western states, which are about as different culturally from the 'southern' states as... hmm... Ukraine is from France. There are many simularities, but there are also many differences). Bad area for horses though, very rocky with little to no grass or open areas. Not good for cattle ranching either. Most likely it was oil or natural gas (despite teh show lambasting it, oil is vital for a HECK of a lot more than just fuel, and would still be required in the 'modern day' of the show)

Yeah, Jeff being gone when Scott was a POW would make for an interesting situation. a) Scott likely was at minimum a Captain, and the Tracy name would have been well known from how big the company was to Jeff's heroic 'death', so Scott would be in the very bad position of being a 'nobody'... related to several 'somebodies' who could be levereged for ransom and Scott himself would likely be tortured for information on Tracy Industries, the (at that point) shut down iR 'branch', the GDF in general... It wouldn't be a good time for him in the slightest b) Scott being a POW would, terrifyingly, be a 'good' situation for the GDF. He wouldn't have any information they would need to worry about, it keeps him out of the way and out of trouble, he doesn't have teh threat of leaving the GDF which means as long as he's a POW they have access to Brains and the funding from Tracy Industries, they might be able to get Virgil or John to join up (Gordon would still be too young to enlist, as he'd only be 16 or 17)... Horrifyingly, they'd have every reason to both make sure that Scott stayed alive... and stayed a POW. And Scott would KNOW THAT. Which would go a VERY LONG way to explaining his apparent SEVERE lack of trust (and at times apparent near hatred) for the GDF. He likes and trusts Casey and Lee, but the GDF as a whole? Odds are Casey was very much bending or even breaking orders to get even slightly involved in the rescue. Heck, just her HIDING the fact that others were planning a rescue might have been all she was able to do, it might have been almost entirely Penny's dad via his connections and possibly sending Parker in, and quite likely Lee finding a way off the Moon (oddly, despite my earlier statement... I do't think Kyrano would be involved in this rescue. There's no indication that he ever left whatever bolthole he fled to, and if he didn't show up to help when the Hood returned or when they started finding evidence that Jeff was alive... he isn't going to show up to save Scott. Which means the rescue party was likely Parker, Lee, and possibly Penny's dad... who I totally imagine to basically be a 1:to:1 for Sir Jeremy Hodge from TOS. Odds are all the POWs were rescued, not just Scott.

Scott leaving the GDF likely the SECOND he was recovered enough to be coherent / lucid likely was a blow to the GDF, as that means Brains and the Tracy income would now be gone. I could totally see them putting a 'if you become a military organization, we will be 'forced' to have iR become part of the GDF again... it explains the total lack of weapons on the Thunderbirds or Tracys (I'm sorry, weapons for self defense or defense of others is a good thing overall) and why Scott is SO INTENSE about Kayo getting into combat situations... but also why he doesn't really get snarly until Kayo WORKS WITH THE GDF. He sacrificed a HELL of a lot to make sure that never happened, and he likely sees it as the GDF getting one MASSIVE foot in the door to them taking over iR 'again'.

TOS Scott and Gordon show a lot of evidence of not only havng been in the military, but having thrived in it. And some people DO do well in the military, quite often very good people. But Gordon is only 18-20 by the tme of the Pilot, so there honestly is no way for him to have served while still having his lines indicating that he's been a full-time member of iR for a few years prior to the pilot apply on top of the fact that he shows NO behaviors or actions that fit with a former member of the military. tagScott DOES show behaviors and actions that match up with a former member of the military... but they match up with the behaviors of those who just did NOT thrive / work / mesh with the military life. He very much seems to be a 'I served and by God do I regret it' type (which hey, fair, some people just aren't right for it)

you know, oddly, I don't think Jeff or Lee (or iR) were in mind at all with the Zero X. The GDF wouldn't really want either to go out exploring the far edges of the solar system, and with iR up and running (and plans to go independent with it) I actually doubt that Jeff or Lee would have wanted to go do so. Lee AFTER Jeff's 'death' might have been interested in that sort of thing as we see with him staying on the Mars Colony... but not before, I don't think. Look at how happy he was to stay on the Moon Base. He had nodesire or drive to go out exploring, he was happy to stay at Alphie and only left when he had no choice.

[writinglizards]

There isn’t, Actually

Summary: Yennefer and Geralt start dating. Jaskier...doesn't deal well.

Warnings: No real warnings, but there is no happy ending! Don’t @ me about it, you’ve been warned.

Read on Ao3

"Really wish you didn't do this to yourself, love," Priscilla says. She's seated at the breakfast bar in his kitchen, a mug of warm tea in her hands. She gazes down at where Jaskier's curled up on the floor, his back to a cabinet, head in his hands.

"Yeah," his reply is muffled by his knees, "I know."

"It's not healthy," she points out needlessly.

"I know." And he does. That's part of why it's so fucking frustrating. He should just...get over it. They're friends. They're just friends and he's...glad they're friends. He is. The rest of it shouldn't matter. Geralt dating anyone, even Yennefer, shouldn't matter.

"Darling, you'll be over it in a week," she says, gulping down the last of her tea and rising. She combs her fingers lightly back through his hair as she passes him on her way to the sink to rinse out the mug.

"I hope you're right, Pri."

* * * *

He's not over it in a week.

He tries not to let it bother him, tries to leave the thoughts alone so they'll heal. It feels like an open sore, aches like a bad tooth, a knife through the ribs. He's okay at ignoring it when he's distracted but at night, alone, with nothing else to focus on--

"Jask, are you coming tonight or not?" He bares his teeth at the phone and imagines he looks fierce and angry instead of like he's in pain.

"I think...probably not. I've got a lot of work to do over here, you know. Teaching...things..." It's a weak excuse.

"You can just say you don't want to go out. It's fine," Geralt says, voice tight and a little angry, "I'm sure this has nothing to do with Yen being there, hm?" The knife in the ribs twists, breathtakingly painful.

"No," he says, voice weak, "No, Geralt, I'm just. Busy."

"Sure. Well, let me know when you're not...busy." He doesn't even say goodbye when he hangs up. Jaskier tosses his phone on the couch and crouches down in the middle of the living room, presses his palms to his eyes, and wills himself not to cry.

* * * *

He goes the next time Geralt invites him out, against his better judgment. He's trying to prove to Geralt he's fine, that he doesn't have a problem with Yen, that he can be an adult about this. He only hopes that's true.

They meet at the little brunch place he and Geralt have been frequenting since just after they'd met, and Jaskier's cautiously hopeful. It's just brunch. He can survive a single brunch with them, with her. It's. It can't be that bad.

He is, of course, wrong.

They're both late, a little rumpled, and Jaskier can see the edge of a fresh hickey peaking from the collar of Geralt's shirt. His hair looks like it's had fingers run through it. Yen's outfit is prim, but her makeup's a little smudged. Jaskier tries not to dwell on any of it.

"Sorry," Geralt says as he takes his seat across from Jaskier. Yen slides into the booth beside him and he tugs her closer, and arm over her shoulder, "got a little, uh, carried away." His grin is apologetic, a little conspiratorial. What can you do? it asks Jaskier.

"Mm." It's all he can manage with the sick, unpleasant feeling churning in his gut, green-eyed and vicious. He pretends to be engrossed in the menu, despite knowing it like the back of his hand. He's. Not sure what he might do otherwise. Something embarrassing, probably.

They order in a stilted kind of way. Geralt makes small talk, as they wait for their food, catching Jaskier up on the goings-on of the ranch he works at, which is more than three quarters a report about the horses and only about one quarter actually things his coworkers have done. He asks about Jaskier's classes, the grading, how he's doing.

He almost expects Yen to butt in, insert herself, but she just sits placidly at his side, smile fond. He wishes she'd give him a reason to hate her, a real reason and not the painfully twisting one in his chest. That's not fair to her. Of course she loves Geralt. Who wouldn't?

He miraculously makes his way through the meal contributing very little to the conversation except when pointedly asked. If he were thinking straight, he'd know how suspicious that was, but as it is he just wants to escape, wants to curl up in his bed at home and pretend very not to cry. He wants to feel numb again, like he did when Geralt told him he'd started sleeping with her, the way he had when they'd decided to try and make this thing work.

They say a weak goodbye afterward and it's...lacking. Jaskier can feel it, like static in the air, like a looming thunderstorm. Geralt doesn't look like he's noticed at all.

"I'll see you later?" he asks, and he's not even looking at him, eyes glued on Yen where she's leaning against the hood of his beat-up truck.

"Yeah," he says, "of course." Geralt nods, as if that settles it. Only then do his eyes slide back over to Jaskier.

"Thank you. For today. I know you don't care for Yen, but it means a lot to me, you two getting along." Jaskier doesn't trust his voice, so he just nods. The knife twists, sinks a little deeper.

Geralt claps him on the shoulder before he turns back to the truck and Yennefer. Jaskier doesn't stay to watch him open her door for her, doesn't stay to watch them drive away, just starts walking. Once, Geralt would have driven him home. Now, he takes the bus.

* * * *

Anyone with eyes can see your pining. You're lucky Geralt's an idiot.

Figure it out.

The texts are from an unknown number, but Jaskier's not an idiot.

Mind your own business, witch.

He rolls over in bed and tugs the covers up above his head and doesn't check his phone when it pings again.

* * * *

"You can't just shut everyone out," Essi says where she's reclined back beside him on the bed. He's tucked under the covers, hiding his head beneath the sheets.

"Ah, but I can, Essi darling," he says, not moving an inch. She shifts to drape her upper body dramatically over the lump of him.

"It's pathetic, Jaskier."

"I'm pathetic," he snaps back, "if you hadn't noticed."

She shifts off him, taking the extra sheets covering his head with her. He scowls at her as she settles down beside him again, now face to face, her head on the second pillow. "I don't understand why you didn't say something sooner. I understand why you can't now, but--"

"He's my friend, Essi," he says, and that's true even now, even when he's missed the last four calls and ignored every text since the brunch. He can't face him right now, not when the hurt pulses hot in his chest, makes his eyes burn to think about it, "and he loves her."

"So?"

"So?" he echos, "so he loves her, Essi. And she cares about him it's--Geralt doesn't let himself have what he wants. He deserves this."

"And what do you deserve, Jaskier?"

His eyes burn. "I don't know."

* * * *

Essi doesn't leave him until he gets out of bed, but it just means he moves the pile of blankets to the couch. A slightly improved environment, he begrudgingly admits. At least now he can nurse his heartache with the tv on in the background.

He doses off at some point, exhausted in the overwhelming way that's exclusive to emotional turmoil and wakes slowly to the sound of someone in his kitchen. He's been out of it enough lately he just assumes it's Pri over to make sure he doesn't starve himself to death. She’s. A good friend. His best friend, really, not counting Geralt. If only he could be in love with her. He rolls to face the back of the couch and yanks the blankets a little higher when he hears the footsteps exit the kitchen, as if he can hide from her scrutiny that way. Except it's not Pri.

"So who broke your heart this time?"

"What are you doing here?" Jaskier hisses but very carefully doesn't move. He doesn't want to be having this conversation at all, but especially not face to face.

"You quit answering your phone and Pricilla told me you were sulking when I called her." He shoves Jaskier's feet to the floor and sits at the end of the couch. He sets a mug of something on the coffee table in front of Jaskier and curls the other mug close to his chest. Jaskier can just see him over the edge of the blanket. "So. Who broke your heart this time?"

"Who says anyone broke my heart?"

Geralt just sighs. "You haven't done this since Valdo left," he says, and that's not a reminder he wants right now or ever, thank you.

"Yes, well--" he clears his throat, sits upright (there's something terrifyingly vulnerable about laying there with Geralt at his feet). He snatches the mug off the table and curls it close to himself, burrows as deeply as he can between the arm and the back of the couch, knees tucked to his chest. "--it's--" nothing, he wants to say, but this is Geralt. "I'm getting over it."

"What happened?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it does," he says, eyes too solemn, too concerned, "it always does, Jaskier." His chest aches. The knife twists, always a little deeper. He's bleeding out so, so slowly.

"He, uh," he clears his throat, "he's started seeing someone else. We're. Um. Kind of done." It's a partial truth. They'd never been seeing each other in the first place.

Geralt's quiet for a beat. "You really liked him," he says, and Jaskier's eyes are burning.

"Yeah," he admits quietly. It's so close to the conversation he wants to be having, the one he won't let himself. Geralt deserves to be happy. He's not going to ruin that. "It's okay though. We, uh. We didn't work very well together, really. I don't think--" he cuts himself off, tears in the back of his throat. "I don't think it would have ever meant to him what it meant to me anyway."

"Jask," Geralt sighs, sets his mug down, and before he can parse what's happening, Geralt's pried the mug of tea out of his hands and tugged him into his arms. He freezes, panic swelling in his chest, but Geralt hums softly, runs a hand down his back, and that's all it takes for him to burst into tears. "Ssh, Jask, it's okay." It's not okay, nothing's okay, but he just clings and cries and tries not to get snot on Geralt's shirt.

Geralt lets him cry himself out, tucked against his chest. Afterward, he hands him back his tea and a box of tissues, miraculously produced from god knows where, and sits silently by as Jaskier sniffles and finishes his drink. He can't help but compare this to last time, when Valdo had broken his heart, when Geralt had sat up with him for hours before tucking him into bed. He'd known even then he was a little in love with him. He'd mourned the time he'd lost when he'd lost Valdo, the things that had, at one point, made him so fond of him. This is...different. Mourning the time that could have been and never was. The little things he still loves and will never be able to have. Like losing a limb. Like losing something vital.

"What do you need, Jask?"

You.

"To sleep for a week," he says instead, voice rough, eyes stinging again. Geralt makes a soft, sympathetic noise.

"Will you be okay? Want me to tuck you in?" It's a little teasing, but there's an underlying tension there, suddenly.

"You have to go." It’s not a question.

"I've got to pick Yen up from work in about fifteen minutes, yeah," he admits, and something in his chest gives. The knife slips that last little bit forward to puncture his lungs.

"Okay."

"You sure?" Geralt doesn't look totally convinced, but he's also fishing for his keys already.

"Yeah." If he says more than a single word, he'll cry again. Can't have Geralt being late over him.

He rises from his spot on the couch and dips down as if to hug him. Instead, he presses his lips to his forehead, brief and light. "There's someone out there who will love you, Jaskier. You'll be fine."

Geralt leaves after that, key turning in the lock as he sets the deadbolt behind him.

No, he thinks, sitting in the middle of a murder scene, the metaphorical knife yanked from the wound with the brush of a kiss. Blood seeps from that wound, a wound he can't see or touch but can certainly fucking feel, sharp and painful, there isn't, actually.

[one-leaf-grimoire]

Medieval AU

Hi I decided to write a little something based off that knight x king au I came up with for JuLisa!

Some background: the Clover Kingdom is mostly the same, but no one has magic. It is ruled by the double monarchy as well. In a less technologically progressive society, members of all classes are able to join the Knights Squads, which are the same as in canon. However, nobles are automatically given higher ranks while commoners and peasants are seen as pawns that are often sent into battle to die. However, there is a new King who is trying to change all that, but he doesn’t expect to meet someone interesting at the annual jousting tournament...

"LISA! I DEMAND YOU STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS AT ONCE!"

The young woman looked up in surprise, her hands still running through the mane of a large horse she was preparing to climb onto. The source of the anger directed her way was none other than her captain, Fuegoleon Vermillion. The knight was almost as red in the face as his flaming locks, and he looked like he was about to pop a vein in his temple. Uh oh- she thought, already steeling herself for what was about to happen. "H-Hi, Captain. What brings you to the stables-"

"You know bloody well why I'm here!" Fuegoleon stormed over before stopping before her. He huffed through his nose, not unlike the steed Lisa was grooming. "I cannot allow you to do this."

"Do what? Participate? Sir, it'll be fine." Lisa smiled happily to herself, unfazed, before turning back to her horse to check the armor on its head. "Randall got sick, and asked for a volunteer to take his place in the joust! So, here I am."

This answer did not satisfy Fuegoleon. "Lisa... you're one of our newest members. The jousting tournament is meant for only the most experienced knights." His anger faded slightly, his voice softening with concern. "There's a real chance that... well... y-you-"

"I could die?" Lisa finished, her hands stalling for just a moment as they adjusted the straps.

"... yes. You're far too young to die," Fuegoleon agreed, pursing his lips together for a moment.

"... I disagree. Many people in this country die far younger than I am now." Despite the grim thought, Lisa smiled brightly up at her captain. "Plus, I'm not gonna die!"

Her blind enthusiasm was refreshing but still worrying to the older knight. Fuegoleon prided his squad, the Crimson Lions, and cared immensely for even the newest members like Lisa. "You've never even jousted before."

Lisa shrugged. "So? The Lance is just a bigger version of my Rapier! You poke with both of them after all." To punctuate her point, Lisa poked at the air with an invisible sword. "I'll be fine! Promise."

Fuegoleon still wasn't satisfied, but he didn't get a chance to object again.

"Fuego! Leave her alone and come over here."

Fuegoleon turned to see Sei, his vice-captain and husband, walking over. He looked a bit annoyed, as if he had been searching the whole venue for a while. "They're selling big turkey legs out there, come buy me one."

"Oh? That sounds good!" Fuegoleon was distracted enough for Sei to grab his hand and start dragging him away.

Sei glanced back at Lisa as they left. "Good luck out there. Don't die."

"You knew?!" Fuegoleon asked, having no choice but to leave Lisa to her fate at this point.

"Of course I did." Sei let out a long sigh as they stepped out of the stables and walked towards the loud stadium. Many people were already gathered there, excited for the spectacle to come. "I think she'll be fine. She won't die, anyway."

Fuegoleon wanted to believe Sei's words, so he just nodded and pushed the thought out of his mind, but he was not looking forward for the tournament to begin.

Not long after, Lisa slipped her helmet on over her head, the edge resting just below her brow. I wish they gave me a set that actually fit, she thought, trying to ignore the fact that her hands were shaking quite a bit. Despite her confident words, she couldn't help but take some of Fuegoleon's warnings to heart. People did die often at these things, especially younger knights just like her. But, if I win, I'll be rewarded money and status, she reminded herself, taking a deep breath as she fidgeted in the saddle, waiting for one of the stable hands to give her the go-ahead. And if I die... well, at least I got to experience everything.

“Do I have to stay the whole time? I want to leave-”

“No! You are absolutely not going to leave early.”

Marx Francois, the royal advisor/babysitter, was already stressed out enough. But to his ire, the King himself, Julius Novachrono, was growing bored of the spectacle. Julius was strange for a monarch, having spent most of his life as a knight before becoming the head of one of the monarchy’s two ruling houses. He was eccentric, to put it simply. “I thought you’d like getting away from work for some fun, anyway.”

“Fun? This isn’t fun,” Julius grumbled. The tall man was slumped in his comfortable chair, the crown he hated wearing tilted upon his blonde hair. “It’s borderline barbaric.” He eyed the jousting strip as medics dragged off the last bout’s loser on a stretcher. “Honestly, I don’t understand why Kira has us continue this tradition… I’d rather be doing work.”

Marx sighed, not sure what to make of the man. “Well, you’re the one who hands out the awards at the end, so you have to stick around.”

Their conversation was cut short as the crowd cheered and the next two participants emerged from the stables. One was a member of the esteemed Silver Eagles, sitting proudly upon his horse in his fancy armor. And the other…

“Isn’t Randall supposed to be riding for the Crimson Lions?” Julius asked before Marx could. “That’s… definitely not Randall.”

He was right, the rider wearing the red cape was much smaller than Randall. Their face and figure was obscured by their armor, hiding their identity. “They must have substituted him… is that Seiros…” Marx’s voice trailed off as he looked to the stands beside them, immediately spotting Sei sitting next to Fuegoleon. “Never mind. Huh.” 

He turned back to the strip right as the referee started to yell.

“READY! SET! CHARGE!!!!”

The two riders raced at each other. In a moment, it was over. The Silver knight’s lance hit squarely in the middle of the small knight with a dangerous CRACK. But somehow, the Lion knight managed to stay upright as the opponents came to a stop at the ends of the strip.

“Yikes! I’m surprised they made it though,” Marx commented. “That wasn’t a light tap at all.”

The opponents were already gearing up to go again. Julius found himself holding his breath as they charged. The smaller knight was faster this time, and thrust their lance forward before they were in range. The feint caught their opponent off guard, planting in the middle of their shield. With a yell, the Silver Eagles knight slipped off the back of their horse and slammed into the sandy ground with a resounding clang.

The crowd erupted into cheers as the Crimson Lion knight did a victory lap before heading off into the stables again. Marx looked down, surprised to see Julius clapping more enthusiastically than he had before. “Oh? I see you like the underdog.”

“I wouldn’t call them an underdog, Marx.” Julius smiled to himself before letting his hands fall back to the arms of his chair. “It’s obvious to me… that knight is very, very strong.”

A couple matches later, it was time for the finals. Fuegoleon stormed back into the stables, his heart pounding. She made it to the finals! I didn’t expect this outcome, but now she has to face one more opponent… and I’m afraid it will be the last thing she does.

Lisa, already mounted on her horse again, grinned triumphantly as she spotted Fuegoleon. “Captain! What did I tell you?”

“I’m glad you’re doing well, but listen.” Fuegoleon came to a stop next to her horse. “Your final opponent… is Xerx Lugner of the Purple Orcas. Last year, he won the tournament, but he also-”

“He killed his opponent by accident, right?” Lisa finished. “I told you, don’t worry so much about that! I’m not going to die. And even if I do-” Her smile faded for just a moment, making Fuegoleon’s stomach lurch. Even SHE’s nervous… “I’ve already come in second place. Isn’t that good for the squad?”

Fuegoleon didn’t answer right away. He didn’t really understand what was beyond Lisa’s seemingly blind enthusiasm… no, her fatalistic enthusiasm. This was a girl who had something to prove, and she would go down in flames if it meant she could do that. 

“... no. Second place isn’t good enough.”

Fuegoleon smiled for the first time, catching Lisa off guard.

“Stay alive… because you have to win. Get first place, that’s an order!”

After a moment, Lisa matched his smile, and saluted. “Yes, sir!”

With that, she closed her helmet, and turned to enter the bright sunlight once again.

The crowd was cheering loudly, but she couldn’t hear it over the sound of her heart beating. It echoes around her armor. She glanced at the crowd, astounded that all of them were looking at her right now.

Before she knew it, the call to charge rung out, and she shot towards Xerx with her lance ahead of her.

She didn’t think about the crowd in that moment. Nor her squad. Nor her family. All Lisa could see was her opponent, above the tip of his lance.

With the same determination as earlier, Lisa thrust her lance forward. But unlike her last opponents, Xerx anticipated the move. He swung his lance around hers with perfect accuracy. Lisa’s eyes widened when she realized what was about to happen.

SHIT! NO-

CRACK

The lance slammed into Lisa’s upper arm, the one holding her own weapon, and the horses raced past each other.

Lisa’s vision spun, but somehow she remained on her horse. She skidded to a stop, and was immediately swarmed by medics.

“Are you alright?! Here-” one of them reached up and tried to take the lance out of her limp hand. 

However, Lisa suddenly straightened up, her grasp tightening. “No! I’m fine. Get out of the way, I’m about to go again!” she gave them a confident smile, and the medics scattered.

“Yikes… that looked nasty, but they’re not hurt!” Marx said, relieved as he watched with baited breath. He didn’t expect to get so attached, but here he was. “I’m surprised, Xerx must be losing his touch.”

Marx didn’t notice, but Julius’s smile had dropped.

No, Marx… that’s not what happened at all…

Lisa clenched her teeth so hard she thought they might shatter. Her arm was on fire, and it took everything in her to keep her lance up. This… this is nothing…

Julius’s grip tightened on the edge of his chair. This knight… she…

A broken arm is nothing! 

Lisa turned her horse towards Xerx once again. 

For some reason, Julius found himself smiling.

I don’t know why… I don’t know how… but…

“CHARGE!”

LIsa kicked her steed.

For my squad… and for me, I have to win!

Julius held his breath along with the rest of the audience.

Somehow…

Lisa thrust her lance once again with a cry of adrenaline.

I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life!!!!

Lisa was faster this time, and knew what Xerx would do. She countered his parry, leaving his chest wide open. With one last burst of speed, the lance planted right in the middle of his armor. With a strangled, frustrated yell, Xerx went flying off his horse and fell to the ground below.

The crowd burst into applause as Lisa slowed to a stop, but her mind wasn’t on her win. It was hot inside her armor, and her broken arm finally gave out. Her lance slipped to the ground as she reached up to take off her helmet.

Julius rose to his feet as he clapped, grinning. “You chose a good one to root for!” Marx told him happily.

“Of course I did! I’d like to think I have good taste!” Julius looked back out at the knight as they fumbled with their helmet. How exciting! I hope their arm is ok… I can’t wait to congratulate them person… personally…

Julius’s mind blanked on that last word, because the knight finally lifted off their helmet before dropping it to the ground. Short hair popped out from its confine, fluffing up to its usual shape. The knight reached up to smooth it back out of their face, revealing their identity to be a woman… 

She…

Julius was frozen in place, his mouth halfway open, as she opened her eyes, and gave a triumphant smile to the crowd.

She’s… so… beautiful.

He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Marx was saying something, but his voice was just a faint wah wah wah in Julius’s ears. 

It wasn’t just her face… it was the strength that radiated from her whole body. Despite being tired and injured, the knight continued to smile, the adrenaline of victory shining from every pore. She was stunning and terrifying at the same time, and it wasn’t until she rode off the strip again that Juilus came back to his senses.

“JULIUS! Wake up!”

Julius looked down at Marx, who was pulling at his sleeve. “Huh?”

“Don’t huh me!” Marx glared up at him. “Come on, we have to go get the awards ready.”

Julius quickly hurried off to prepare, even though his mind was spinning like a helicopter. 

Who knew… the knight I was rooting for this whole time… was such a cute girl!!!

Ten minutes later, she was in his presence again, this time standing alongside Xerx and Alecdora, the third place winner, on the podium. Her arm was in a sling, confirming Julius’s suspicion that she had broken it in the last bout. Amazing… I’ve never seen someone pull through that kind of thing before. Julius stepped up, and the three knights kneeled down before him. 

Julius quickly gave Xerx and Alecdora their medals before turning to the woman, his heart racing. Trying to keep a straight face, he smiled regally and held up her medal. “Congratulations… Sir Petalon.”

Lisa Petalon…

Lisa smiled up at him before bowing her head. Julius slipped the medal around her neck, his hand brushing against her hair for just a moment.

...s-soft…

Once it was in place, Julius stepped back, but left one of his hands outstretched, a purple ring shining upon it. It was traditional for the winner to kiss the monarch’s ring out of respect, especially after being honored in this way. Lisa reached up to take his hand, pulling the ring towards her face. But to Julius’s surprise, she missed the ring, her lips meeting the skin of his knuckle. 

...S-SOFT-

Julius felt his whole face heat up, and his smile faltered just a bit, shocked by the bold gesture. He didn’t know if it was on purpose or not, but Lisa’s gaze was meeting him from below her lashes. Then… she smiled at him, almost knowingly.

“Thank you… your majesty.”

He knew, in that very moment… he would never think of anything but her eyes again.

She was going to drive him mad.

Julius’s smile strengthened again, despite how hard his heart was pounding. Regretfully, his hand slipped out of her grasp, and he turned back to the crowd. The applause strengthened, many rising to their feet along with the winners.

Lisa grinned and waved at Fuegoleon and Sei in the crowd. Fuegoleon was clapping louder than anyone, tears almost forming in his eyes. She did so well! Who would have thought- But she still got her arm broken-

Julius didn’t dare look back as he walked off with Marx towards his carriage. He was ready for this hot, sweaty day to be over, but at the same time…

I’m glad I met someone interesting...

[thefandomlesbian]

Congrats on 1000 followers! What are some of your a) favorite and b) most cursed Hotch/Reid headcanons?

Thank you so much!

A.) Favorite Hotch/Reid headcanons?:

(Please note that some of these are mutually exclusive; these do not all necessarily exist in the same universe and therefor may contradict one another at times.)

-Both Aaron and Spencer are secretly touch-starved cuddlesluts. When in public, they remain entirely professional, but in private, they thrive on physical feedback. 

-Spencer, having basically raised himself, is not a very good cook, but Aaron teaches him his way around the kitchen and regularly cooks meals with him. Cooking together becomes some of their favorite time where it’s just them or them and Jack. 

-Spencer has his foibles, including a special pillow he prefers to sleep with and a weighted blanket that mitigates his anxiety. After too many nights during which he wakes up to Aaron having rolled to the other side of the bed with his weighted blanket, he buys them a much larger one to share. 

-Spencer lives with a chronic fear of Aaron developing heart disease, coronary artery disease, cardiac arrhythmias, or anything else in that vein, given that his father died of a heart attack and he lost both parents before they were fifty-five. Spencer nudges Aaron in the direction of more heart-healthy foods and convinces him to see a cardiologist yearly to ensure everything is in working order. 

-Aaron is insecure about his upper body from the scars Foyet left on him. He has sex with his shirt on almost exclusively unless they’re completely in the dark. Spencer, however, only has to catch a glimpse once to memorize the scars forever, and with that in mind, he designs a beautiful mural tattoo dedicated to Haley’s and Jack’s lives. Spencer is afraid to share this with him outright, feeling he betrayed Aaron’s trust by seeing his body without permission, but Aaron stumbles across it one day on Spencer’s desk and is incredibly moved by his thoughtfulness. They go together as Aaron gets the tattoo piece by piece, gradually covering every mark the monster left behind and replacing it with a memory. 

-After Maeve’s death, Aaron doesn’t let Spencer leave through the front of the building with the cops and the flashing lights and the journalists waiting like vultures. Instead, he takes Spencer through the back of the building, avoiding the crowds and the rest of the team on his way to the Suburban. When someone asks him where he’s going, Aaron says, “All of this? This is not what he needs right now.” Aaron is the only one who has been through it, who has seen someone he loved dearly murdered because of a stalker he failed to eradicate in time, and is the only one who understands. He takes Spencer home and stays with him for days, making sure he eats and bathes and not-so-subtly checking to see if he may relapse under the stress. 

-Spencer loves piano concertos and solos. On their days off, he gets up early in the mornings and brews Aaron’s favorite coffee in the kitchen while he cooks breakfast and puts on a CD of piano solos to play in the background. Though it is hackneyed, his favorite is Moonlight Sonata, specifically the first movement. Aaron will lie in bed and smell the food cooking and listen to the piano music, and then he’ll roll out of bed and watch Spencer cook. 

-Eventually, when Aaron thinks they have reached that point in their relationship, he secretly begins to take piano lessons. He times it very specifically where Spencer won’t notice his absence and he practices at Rossi’s house and at church while Spencer is out with Jack. About two years into this practice, he makes plans to see a piano soloist at a local heater with Spencer, but just an hour before, he texts Spencer that he’s running late, but he’ll be there soon. At the theater, Rossi escorts him in and leads him into an otherwise empty theater, nothing but a grand piano on stage and the rest of the BAU sitting in the balcony with Jack. Spencer sits in the front row, right in the middle, very confused and concerned, until Aaron walks on stage from behind the mahogany curtains wearing a three-piece suit. He sits at the piano and he plays the first movement of Moonlight Sonata. Then, he gets down on one knee and holds out a diamond ring and asks, “Spencer, will you marry me?” and Spencer is crying too hard to say anything, but he jumps onto the stage and kisses him again and again. 

B.) Cursed Hotch/Reid headcanons?: 

-Aaron is worried about Spencer not necessarily having physical prowess in hand-to-hand combat and encourages him to get more physically fit. Spencer reluctantly agrees to exercise with him in exchange for one thing: Aaron works one exercising his mind and makes more of an effort to learn new things. It seems well and good; Spencer holds up his end of the bargain with working out. Aaron tries with learning new things, but Spencer starts with math, and not even with easy introductory level math to remind him how he did math when he was in school, but higher level math (which to Spencer does not exist but to Aaron is mind boggling). Aaron spends one day pinching his temples over a worksheet, going, “Imaginary numbers? What the hell is an imaginary number? Numbers are real! What’s next, fucking unicorns?”

-Jack is learning about fractions in school. He raises his hand and says, “Miss Teacher, why are there lines between the numbers? What’s next? Fucking unicorns?” 

-After the very aggravated phone call home, Spencer concedes defeat in the way of math. He allows Aaron to settle with chemistry instead, citing, “Because math is quite literally ruining your life.”

-Jack will ask Spencer if he can do something if Aaron already said no. Spencer knows this and always says no. Emily, however, does not know this, and when Jack and Henry play together, she’s usually fairly dismissive and says, “Sure, boys, do whatever sounds fun.” When Jack and Henry are stuck in a tree, Aaron turns a furious eye to Spencer, who holds up his hands in surrender and says emphatically, “I told them no.” 

-Aaron loves to go on bike rides and buys them a tandem bike to ride together, since Spencer isn’t the best at cycling. Jack rides with them on his boy’s bike. Spencer waits until he thinks Aaron won’t notice and stops pedaling. Once, Aaron gets annoyed with this, and they ride home with Jack on the back of the tandem bike and Spencer pedaling on the little boy’s bike, his knees almost touching the handlebars and his face as red as the sunset. 

-Spencer will do almost anything Jack asks. This culminates when Jack asks to go horseback riding in Rock Creek Park. Spencer does it, but the Reid effect kicks in, the horse bolts out from under him, and Spencer gets tossed and dislocates his bad knee again, putting him on crutches for another six months. Aaron and Jack are both incredibly apologetic and spend weeks doting on him.

-Jack loves to learn things from Spencer. He’s several years ahead of his classmates in every subject. Unfortunately, this means he’s bored in school, and it starts to cause trouble with class disruptions. Eventually, Aaron sends Spencer to straighten it out, stating, “You’re the one who did this, so you can sleep in the bed you made.” This works out better than Aaron intends, since Spencer applies to have Jack skip a grade and join older students who are of his echelon. Aaron is infuriated by this, that he wasn’t consulted on the matter, but Spencer shrugs and says, “You told me to take care of it, so I did.” Aaron and Spencer agree they don’t want Jack to lead the life of a child prodigy, but as long as he loves learning, Spencer continues to teach him. 

-Neither Spencer nor Aaron had very normal childhoods. With Jack, they learn how to be the kids they never got to be. When it storms, Jack is afraid, so they flip all the furniture over to make a massive blanket tent in the living room and pretend they’re camping out in the wilderness, listening to the rain. 

[coppicefics]

Masked Omens: Prologue

Read the fic here!

[Image Description: Image 1 - A simple rendition of the Masked Singer UK logo, a golden mask with colourful fragments flying off of it. The mask has a golden halo and a golden devil tail protruding from either side. Below, gold text reads 'Masked Omens'.

Image 2 - A scrapbook with two newspaper cuttings pasted in. Each has a date handwritten by it; the first reads ‘Tadfield Gazette, 24th July 2009′. The second reads ‘Toffley Courier, 10th August, 2009′. Full text transcription below cut. End ID.]

Tadfield Gazette, 24th July 2009

HIDDEN GEM: O’LEARY’S LATEST STUNS CRITICS Masterful casting highlights themes of innocence and fear against a background of domestic drama. [”What do you care, David? Maybe I’d rather he dream of monsters than wake alone, like me.” ~ Jane Winsome, Act 2, Scene 3] RUMOURS OF Colleen O’Leary’s retirement have been greatly exaggerated. While it’s true that in recent years her name has been conspicuously absent from the glossy playbills and bright posters of the West End, the Dublin-born playwright still has plenty to say. Her latest offering, Hidden, is on the surface a simple domestic drama about an upper middle class family with a young son. It follows their trials and tribulations through a single fraught year as ten year old Matthew (played by the talented young team of Warlock Dowling, Gert Johnson and Adam Young in rotation) questions his relationship with his parents, his nightmares, and ultimately the world around him. Anita Lovett is both adoring and adorable in her role as Matthew's mother Jane, while Oscar Williams fulfils the role of a baffled, slightly distant father as David Winsome. The cast is rounded out by Anthony Crowley, making a return to acting in the role of Ashton Storeth, Matthew's babysitter. What might have been a fairly pedestrian premise – a child becomes unsettled as his parents fail to find time for him – is elevated to new and sinister levels by Crowley's double role as both minder and monster; Matthew is plagued by nightmares of a dark creature that dwells beneath his bed, a creature that seems to have a lot in common with the mysterious Storeth. As Matthew's nightmares increase in both frequency and severity, strange events unfolding in the household lead the audience to question just how much of what they're seeing on stage is real. The script seems to demand introspection of its audience; how much can we ever really know about the world we live in or the people we invite into our homes, even trusting them with our most precious treasures, our children? And yet, ultimately, Storeth and the Nightmare have more meaningful interactions with young Matthew than either of his parents. It's a thought-provoking piece with an ending that must be seen and not spoiled. All in all, a triumphant return to the stage for both O'Leary and Crowley, who seem to have come determined to prove themselves and done so admirably. Hidden is now booking until September 30th this year; for venue information and to book tickets, visit www.hiddenuktour.com.

Lots Donated To Charity Fundraiser WITH PREPARATIONS well underway for the Anna and Eve Foundation’s upcoming auction, it seems there are still more celebrities prepared to offer up their most prized possessions for a good cause. The latest announcement of items going under the hammer includes: The upright piano played in the drawing room scene in The Grasswater Affair, kindly donated by Celestireel A flaming sword used in the original magic act of The Amazing Mr Fell, as seen on last year's Royal Variety Performance, with personal instruction in its use from the magician himself A signed drumskin and drumsticks used by Queen drummer, Roger Taylor A Nike Total 90 Omni football signed by every member of this year’s league-topping Tadfield FC squad The stunning faux-diamond necklace worn by Angela Crowley in the 2003 film More than a Memory, contributed by Pace Productions (newspaper cuts off here)

An advert for the Four Horse Inn is also cut off at the bottom of the cutting.

Toffley Courier, 10th August 2009

Toffley Gate Protests Planned [Uriel Scrolle, Reporter] When Lawrence Richmond was elected as MP for Toffley South, it was partly on the strength of his campaign promise to invest in building affordable housing for local people. Sure enough, within a year of his election, his flagship development had been completed. Having opened its doors in 2006, Toffley Gate is a towering edifice of concrete and glass, boasting over 300 individual homes, most of which are luxury apartments – but many of them still stand empty. Now local housing campaigners are calling for lower rents to be imposed on these unoccupied units in a bid to open them up to local people who cannot afford the current rates. (Continued below.) [Image: A large, modern block of flats in yellowed black-and-white newsprint. End ID.] [Caption] The Toffley Gate development, pictured shortly after completion. Local housing activists say the affordable housing they were promised has never been provided. Photo: Daniel Brubaker on Unsplash. [End caption.]

Local Theatre Reports Record Sales for O'Leary's 'Hidden' Masterpiece: Former 'Kilcridhe' star steals show with moving performance [Citron Deux-Cheval, Arts Critic] Greater Deville’s Inferion Theatre has long struggled to fill seats as the rise of commuting in the town has left residents with far les [sic] time and money to spend on the town’s recreational offerings. It relies, therefore, on the continued patronage of those who are able to attend regularly, and on the rare piece of theatre that causes its audiences to insist friends and family go along and watch, too. This week, it reported its highest ticket sales for a single show in over ten years for the Saturday night showing of Hidden, a new play from veteran playwright Colleen O’Leary. Naturally, I had to go along and see what all the fuss was about, and I was glad I did. Hidden is a deep, dark exploration of the psyche masquarading [sic] as a simple drama about two unhappily married parents and their neglected child. While the story of David and Jane Winsome (Oscar Williams and Anita Lovett respectively) and their strained marriage is compelling, with painful betrayals and soft, poignant moments aplenty, it’s their son Matthew who steals the show, along with his au pair, Ashton Storeth, played to perfection by Anthony Crowley (once a familiar face on our television screens as heart-throb Father Jacob MacCleod in Kilcridhe). On the night I attended, Matthew Winsome was portrayed by eleven year-old Gert Johnson, one of three children who take turns in the role. For such a young boy to take on such a complex role is a very tall order, but Johnson more than rose to the challenge, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the mix of fear and adoration with which Matthew regards Ashton. In scenes with his mother and father, Matthew is quiet and respectful, almost withdrwan - but opposite Crowley, who plays the double roles of Ashton and The Nightmare, he becomes expressive and unspoken, loud in his anger, his fear and, yes, his love. Crowley, too, gives an incredible double-edged performance as warm, gentle Ashton and the silent, sinister presence that lurks beneath his charge’s bed - perhaps drawing on his own inner demons to lend authenticity to the role. Hidden is a play that leaves much open to interpretation: whether The Nightmare is real or imagined, what, if anything, it has to do with Ashton, and what the surprising ending means for the family. It’s a play to get you thinking, and I highly recommend you go along. Hidden is playing at the Infernion until August 15th. Contact the Box Office on 01632 496055 to book.

[karkkidoeswriting]

Historical Ancient Norse Clothing vs. Pop Culture

I have a bone to pick with movie and TV costuming of vikings. It seems like pop culture has it own surprisingly consistent (but very wrong) idea of history. As someone who is really into historical clothing and also into Ancient Norse, it brings me physical agony. I’m going to explain with examples. I’ll use three recent shows, Vikings, Norsemen and Last Kingdom. Now keep in mind that I have only watched bit of Norsemen and I actually really liked it, so this has nothing to do with the overall quality of the shows, only the costuming. I picked these shows because they all seem to present themselves very “realistic”, which is why I leave movies like How To Train Your Dragon be, because clearly they are not attempting realism or historical accuracy.

Also, I’m not a historian, and even if I were, there is no way to know what people at that time were actually wearing. There is archaeological evidence and a little historical evidence too, but for some things even historians just have to give their best guess. I’ve done casual and no way academic research for my own projects. If you want to read more yourself, my best resource is Viking Answer Lady. The articles go very into detail and have a lot of historical and archaeological sources.

Okay let’s go. This is going to be long.

Gripe One: “We want to make our show seem gritty and realistic, so clearly we should make our vikings dirty and wear only back and muted colors so they look edgy”

Yes, those pesky vikings, who had bad personal hygiene, wore ripped clothing and hated colors with passion. They were, after all, Menly Men (in 21th century standards). Okay, jokes aside, maybe from my sarcastic tone you can tell that indeed Norse people had very high standards for personal hygiene. According to contemporary records, they washed their faces every morning and bathed regularly in their warmed bath houses. Every man and woman had a comb with them all the time and men also combed their beards and mustaches. Sewing was also a standard skill (especially for women but probably also for men) and people generally in most periods and places before industrialization, including Ancient Scandinavia, were very skilled at it. The wool they used was very high quality and tightly woven into sleek fabric. They also used linen and if they were rich they might have worn silk.

The picture is from The Last Kingdom. The person in the middle is a son of an earl (a local chieftain, so pretty important nobility). Nobles could afford high quality wool, dyes, embroidery and good armor (not yet, but we’ll talk about it soon), and of course nobility wore those things to distinguish themselves from other classes. Norse people wore actually quite a lot of colors, and very bright colors too, especially the richer ones. Probably only slaves didn’t have their fabrics dyed.

And another note about Norse people’s concept of masculinity. Their concept of manly man for example was a very talkative, social and funny guy, who was a good leader, laughed easily and had many friends, brooding dudes were not the ideal. Being fashionable and presentable was also very important for men. They trimmed their beards and mustaches to be neat. Some carvings have men with very dapper mustaches and goatees. Noble men had long hair. Though they would braid them somehow for battle.

The other two shows have same problems. This is from The Vikings and the guy in the middle is a son of a king* and he wears literal rags.

*Apparently Ragnar in the show is farmer rather than royal lineage like in sagas, but farmers dressed well too, though not as well as kings.

More dirty clothes without colors in Norsemen.

Gripe Two: Okay let’s talk about armor

Armor is certainly not only problem in historical shows about vikings, but in most historical shows and movies, period. Let’s start with what people really wore into battle back then. It would of course depend on their wealth and social standing so let’s start with the absolute minimum.

First they wore underclothing, usually linen tunics. Over that wool tunics. Linen is very easy to wash so it gathers all the sweat and the wool is preserved in better condition. Over that they would wear padded armor. It was armor made from cloth and padded thick with usually horse hair. It was actually very good armor and shielded well from cuts, though not so well from stabs.

Helmet and a hood under it was a must. Battle without helmet would have been a death sentence and helmet without hood did very little to actually shield head. The hood would also shield neck which was just as important. Also leather gloves. It would be hard to hold your weapon and defend yourself, if you’d get hit on fingers.

This would have probably been a basic armor for a peasant. Warrior class and nobility would have better armor though. Padded armor was used combined with other armor. Plate armor was not really a thing back then, but chain mail was probably the most used one. It was expensive to make so peasants couldn’t afford it, but it great against stabs and slashes, and on top of that was flexible and didn’t restrict movement. You couldn’t use it without enough padding under, just try to think about the iron rings sinking into your flesh... A chain mail hood also might have been used over the softer hood.

Other options for chain mail were lamellar, an armor stitched from small plates of metal, and leather armor. Lamellar gave great protection, but since it was a bit restrictive, it was probably only used as breast plate, so if a warrior was rich enough to get that, they would also get a chain mail under it. Leather armor was not very good alone, but combined with other types of armor it gave some extra protection. A really thick leather with fur (for example reindeer fur) would have been used like padded armor. Leather was probably made in the form of a tunic. Basically it would been only used alone if it was really thick or had fur too. Lastly they would have used a cloak or a coat depending on weather. 

Now, after seeing the couple of shots from the shows, you may start to see a problem.

I tend to forgive movies and shows the lack of helmets, since it makes it harder to know who is who and what is happening in a battle scene, which after all, is much more important for a story than historical accuracy. However, they have literally no excuse for the lady warrior to have ONLY a leather top (????) on. Norsemen is comedy, rather than historical drama, but the aesthetic is realistic, so I’m not going to let them of the hook. (And may I point out the dude behind the lady warrior? Is... is that supposed to be a chain mail? I’m confused.)

My dude, your hands will get chopped off... Please don’t wear a leather top or a t-shirt into a battle. Unarmored arms would really get lost. If you got a deep cut into your arm in that period, you had a really high change of loosing that arm.

This is from Vikings and I wanted to include it as a slightly positive example. He is wearing leather armor (which looks weird but let’s ignore that) over chain mail, so it’s actually very good protection!

Gripe Three: Women’s clothing is all over the place

I have yet to see a remotely accurate Ancient Norse women’ clothing on screen.

Most of these from Norsemen look like 12th or 13th century dresses, the way how they are very fitting on hands and upper body. Most bizarre is the girl on gray clothing on the background. What is it? Why it looks like weirdly ripped and like it’s sewn by someone who’s never before touched a needle?

Then Vikings. Let’s ignore the guy in the picture (he is a king but wears no colors and some weird looking leather armor, moving on). Both of these ladies are queens and they should have bright colors (also hair up, only unmarried young women and children wore hair down). The lady on the right has a little better outfit. The cloak looks actually really good, though not sure about the texture. The dress however is pretty bad. The lady on the left is just wrong. The neckline would have never been this low. Why is it brown? And what is that belt thing? Norse people used a lot of layers, and it was also kind of a status symbol to have a lot of layers of bright clothes. Let’s hope she has a very well hidden under-layer for her hygiene. And lastly the jewelry looks more from 16th century or something for both of them. Viking ladies used a lot of jewelry, and queens would have had very showy jewelry. Let’s look at a lot more historically accurate clothing.

This would have been something a noble lady could wear. They wore of course under-layer, then a dress long tunic over that, over that, a usually slightly shorter dress with shoulder straps and then a narrow apron which was attached into the shoulder straps with showy fasteners and between them was usually hanging some jewelry. The outfit might have had a long twined belt around the whole thing too. And as in the picture, a lot of embroidery for the rich people.

I know they think edgy black clothing is inherently cooler, but...

Really I think the accurate clothing is really cool and badass. Like let me show you some pictures of reenactors to prove it.

Bonus Non-Gripe

Also lastly I just want to say, this outfit from Vikings slaps. It’s gorgeous, it makes little sense, but I love it. Let’s pretend he has padded armor under the tunic, okay.

[rcbinpenn]

hey hey hey!! i’m jay (he/him), and i’m here live to bring robin penn to the scene. he’s your run of the mill uber progressive film bro whose interests include whole foods, organically-rolled joints, and being the wokest person in the room. more info below the cut, and feel free to message me if you wanna plot :))

( avan jogia, cis male, he/him ). hey, isn’t that [ ROBIN PENN ] walking down bennington street? i think the [ 25 ] YEAR OLD [ FILMMAKER ] is from [ CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, CO ]. i’ve heard some rumors down at ginger’s, saying that they're [ SELF-RIGHTEOUS AND GUARDED ], but then again they’re known to be [ CHARMING AND INNOVATIVE ].  either way, they seem to be interesting, hope they’ll stick around.

stats ; 

full name: robin chatura penn

place and dob: cherry hills village, co on november 23rd, 1994 (did i do that math right oh god) 

sexuality: pansexual

zodiac sign: sagittarius

hogwarts house: gryffindor

parallels: kyle scheible (lady bird), vanessa abrams (gossip girl), elliot alderson (mr. robot), miss grotke (recess), tyler durden (fight club), kate stratford (10 things i hate about you), diane nguyen (bojack horseman), jay gatsby (the great gatsby) 

background ; 

okay so! first thing to know about robin is that he’s hella disingenous about his background, so even though this is like ~ the truth ~ he’s definitely told your character something different (although he tries to mention his past as little as possible, mostly just sprinkles tidbits that he knows he can keep up) when they ask 

but with that being said !!! robin penn grows up in upper class suburbia and it’s the thing he hates the most about himself. he’s the third of five kids so he’s got huge middle child syndrome, but also since his parents had like four other kids to show off they were kind of content with him doing his own thing? so he becomes the black sheep of the penn family easily, and is also kind of the outcast of his entire neighborhood? but i mean, they looked down on him and at the same time he looked down on them from his high horse of progressivism, so it was all very mutual

but growing up without any tangible people to relate to isn’t all bad, because it’s how he discovers movies! he watched every classic there is pretty quickly and moved onto niche foreign films, which is why he’s now so well-versed in like absurdist french films from the late 80′s when nobody else gives a fuck

he makes his first film at fifteen and uploads it to youtube, where it does fairly well!! it by now means makes him a viral sensation or anything, but it’s successful enough to make him a god amongst the outcasts and artsy types at his high school. this is where a lot of his ego and confidence and “i’m woker than you” complex gets super intensified, because the kids he was surrounded by were all entitled rich preps who were like ~wow you know about the war in iran~ and loved to put him on a pedastal of knowing so much about the world and being such an activist when he’s really just another left-leaning anarcho-socialist

his parents try for like .2 secs to convince him that the film industry is unreliable and not the best to go into, but he obviously doesn’t listen so they cough up some money and send him off to usc

and finally!! he is free from his upbringing!! he can be whoever he wants!! so that’s exactly what he does. i’ll just insert this portion of my app in bc i think it encapsulates it pretty well: and this is where robin 2.0 begins. it’s not that he’s ashamed of where he comes from - except that, well, yes he is. he hates the idea of making all these pictures about oppression and class struggle only to come from the dictionary definition of affluent privilege. so he doesn’t lie, necessarily, but he does borrow some storylines from the thousands of movies he’s seen in his life. at freshman orientation he comes from a poor village in east india; at a party downtown he’s from the wrong side of the tracks in the bronx; and at a local art gallery, where he first meets raphael brooks, he’s from a broken home on the outskirts of san francisco. he is the writer of his own life, able to keep each storyline perfectly separate, and he doesn’t say a word to anyone when he goes back to his million-dollar estate in the hills of colorado

he does well at film school, he makes some pretty decent films and because of his charming and magnetic nature he gets a good bit of job offers that would have him staying in la BUT he’s like “fuck that, la is superficial and pretentious and i’m gonna go to new york and make REAL art”

so he does, kind of? i’m literally so tired asfjkaslj i’m sorry i’m just gonna copy and paste more from my app, fuck original wording all my homies hate original wording: new york is everything he imagined it to be and yet nothing like it at all. he’s a stranger in this city all over again, and while that excites him as far as being able to craft a new character for himself, it also means he’s starting from scratch. and while everyone in california is obsessed with the glitz and glamour of movies, it feels like robin’s style of grit and provocativeness is the status quo amongst new york filmmakers. he finds himself resorting back to that rich boy attitude buried deep within him, wanting to be worshipped for his artistry and originality without wanting to put in any of the work. it’s been months now since he’s been able to beat this lazy streak and start on a new project, and it’s left him relying on asking his parents for rent money while telling everyone he’s just raking in an income from old and new projects alike. still, now that he’s in this rut, he can’t help but pass the days and wonder: is this it for him? is he a one-hit wonder only capable of regurgitating what everyone around him has already produced, or is there still a story inside of him to tell?

that’s it, i think !! i’m sorry i’m functioning on so little sleep, feel free to message me with any questions or concerns or complaints or PLOTS very excited to get started, xoxoxo

[degasdigitaltravelblog]

Premier Entrée Journal De Voyage: Anées de 1860 à 1869 (First Travel Journal Entry: Years from 1860 to 1872)

I emancipated myself from the study of Law to pursue the arts when I was 21. My frequent trips to the Louvre paid off as my father gave immense approval and support for my passion to formally train as an artist.

In the 1850s, I travelled to different cities in Italy, copying the works of Renaissance masters in Rome, Florence, and Naples that influenced my early works. Some of my relatives reside in Florence. In 1858, my grandfather has just died, hence, the explanation for the black dresses of this painting. There is also a sense of domestic drama among each member of the Bellelli Family (1858-1867). It is the norm amongst middle and upper classes to acquire this nonsensical cult of domesticity that they call since the home is seen as the place for refuge, comfort, and nurture for husbands by these submissive women. 

During this time, different literature with domestic themes propagated in the West. One example is a guidebook entitled Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management by a lady named Isabella Beeton which caused women to take pride in their mundane little responsibilities in the household. 

Surprisingly, it sold even years after her death. Mon Dieu, these foolish women will believe anything.

In the 19th century, England’s horse racing became a popular sport in France. What used to be a sport only for the elite became widespread among all social classes. I believed it as a good subject I am able to use for movement and agitation. In 1866 and onwards, I painted a series of horse-racing paintings. This is entitled Gentlemen Jockeys before the Start (1862). 

I made the backgrounds of a dusky color to show the smoke in factories of this industrialized and modern city. France was behind England’s development. During this time, there were no ‘’disposable income’’, economic demand was nonexistent.

Government across Europe purchased defense weapons in a large scale but individual purchases were still rampant as well. After all, the French love their luxurious items...... The number of people in France grew as well, not as fast as the English. We also became less prosperous than before: cities like Bordeaux, Lyons, and Montpellier became quiet provinces when they were busy trade centers before. The good side of this is that, we had less social disruptions than the British and Germands (Backman 675).

Art exhibitions in Paris have been a tradition since the late seventeenth century. The French monarchy sponsored these events by the artists in Académie Royale but is now replaced by École des beaux-arts which made it public. The settings for these exhibitions are in The Salon Carré and some are in The Louvre; hence we call it as the Salon. I am aware of its namesake similarity of the gathering of the philosophes but this annual event is for visual arts that could make or break the name of l’artiste. I made my debut in the Salon in 1865 with this painting I call The Sufferings of the City of New Orleans (1865). It was not received warmly; I would even go to the extent and say that it was not given much attention. It is supposed to symbolize the sufferings of New Orleans, my late mother’s place of origin, during the Civil War. I thought it would be clever to incorporate the classical manner of painting as I this is the manner I have been trained and I admire the works of Raphael, Michelangelo, and other Masters.

I exhibited this painting Le Viol (1868-1869), mon tableau de genre, in Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris. The corset on the floor, the traces of blood on the bed, and the crouching pose of the woman indicates the aftermath of a sexual assault. Unfortunately, this male-female interaction is widely prominent in Paris. 

Prostitution is rampant, hence, the sewing box. This serves as a symbol of their occupation and so they could repair their clothing as they are often assaulted.

Women are left little to no choice on how to better themselves and the men are vicious enough to prolong this condition.

This painting At the Races in the Countryside (1872) also shows the race in the background but I focused the subject to my friend -- Paul Valpincon’s family. There is also a high-priced wet nurse with them even as the norm before is to take the infant to the nurse’s home. Nowadays, it is a common service among the affluent in the populated city of Paris to bring the nurse to their homes since some women are also working in Paris. It is also safer as infants often died of nutrition complications until physicians discovered breast milk is most beneficial. It also is heavily looked down upon a respectable woman feeding an infant in public.

                                                       Works Cited:

Backman, Clifford. Cultures of the West: A History, Volume 2, Second Edition. New York, Oxford University Press, 2016.

Clayson, Hollis and Sturgis, Alexander. Understanding Paintings: Themes in Art Explored and Explained. New York, Watson-Guptill Publications, 2000. 

Degas, Edgar. Bellelli Family. 1858-1867. Musée d’Orsay, Paris

Degas, Edgar. The Sufferings of the City of New Orleans. 1865. Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

Degas, Edgar. Gentlemen Jockeys before the Start. 1862. Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

Degas, Edgar. Interior (Le Viol). 1868-1869. Philadelphia Museum Art.

Degas, Edgar. At the Races in the Countryside. 1872. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Krämer, Felix. “'Mon Tableau De Genre': Degas's 'Le Viol' and Gavarni's 'Lorette'.” The Burlington Magazine, vol. 149, no. 1250, 2007, pp. 323–325. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20074827. Accessed 9 Aug. 2020.

Paris Salons (1673-present). Art Institute of Chicago.https://www.artic.edu/library/discover-our-collections/research-guides/paris-salons-1673present

Sussman, George D. ‘’The Wet-Nursing Business in Nineteenth-Century France.” French Historical Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, 1975, pp. 304–328. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/286130. Accessed 4 Aug. 2020

[igagliano]

                         “but most miserable is the desire that's glorious: blest be those,                                       how mean soe’er, that have their honest wills,                                                      which seasons comfort.”

                                                                                                         -- IMOGEN                                                                                     cymbaline: act i, scene 6

                                          basic information.

FULL NAME: Isabella Elena Gagliano PRONUNCIATION:  ‎iz-ah-BEHL-ah  eh-LAY-nah gAHg-lee-ah-no MEANING:

ISABELLA (circa. Spain) -- pledged to God; God is bountiful

“Qué linda, qué hermosa--nuestro amor. Gracias a Dio.” These are some of the earliest phrases that she can remember coming from Candela and Emilio Gagliano throughout her childhood. Affectionately nicknamed Bella from an early age, the Gagliano child has never been a stranger to beloved adoration. Every morning, her parents would shower the beautiful babe with kisses; every night, they would get on their knees and pray at the side of the crib, thanking God for the gift He deigned to give them. 

ELENA (circa. Greece) -- shining light; the bright one

Candela Gagliano knew what she was doing when she looked down at her darling baby and decided to gift her with a middle name full of light and brightness. That is what Isabella was to the Gagliano family: a bundle of light that, when cultivated as sweetly as she’d been, would one day righteously burn anyone who dared to try to snuff her out. 

GAGLIANO (circa. Italy/Germany) -- joyous; brave

There’s bravery in looking the hurricane in the eye and now cowering, but winking. There’s bravery in relying on words and ink rather than guns and bullets--this ideology has been absorbed by the little canary who prefers to sing her truths rather than fight battles that she knows she’s ill-equipped for. She takes immense joy in dealing justice--a rarity, especially in a place such as Verona.

NICKNAME(S): Isa, Izzy, Bella, Bells, Bell, Imogen PREFERRED NAME(S): Isa, Izzy, Isabella BIRTH DATE: October 11, 1994 AGE: 24 ZODIAC: Libra GENDER: Female PRONOUNS: She / her(s) / they / them / theirs ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Panromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Pansexual CURRENT LOCATION: Verona, Italy LIVING CONDITIONS: Comfortable and modest. La justicia is far from rich, though they are not poor. TITLE(S): the justice, la justicia, il giornalista, editor 

                                                background.

BIRTH PLACE: Salamanca, Spain SOCIAL CLASS: Upper-middle class EDUCATION LEVEL: BA in Literature and Journalism FATHER: Emilio Gagliano -- It’s no surprise that Emilio Gagliano’s works have earned him the gilded favor of those in positions of power. He was a man that stood for justice and refused to crack under pressure; he was a man who called for morality and improvements far louder than those vying for its death and decay. MOTHER: Candela (neé Russo) Gagliano -- Conversely, Candela was the champion of the underdogs, the one that was beloved by the outcasts of society. She wrote for the downtrodden, those who were left to bear the weight thrust upon them by those far more fortunate.  SIBLING(S): n/a BIRTH ORDER: n/a CHILDREN: n/a PET(S): One -- A female Dalmatian named Themis. (x) OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES: n/a PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: There’s a handful of carefully-restitched hearts left in their wake--that Isabella Gagliano who could never find anything or anyone worth enough to keep them in one place.  ARRESTS/PRISON TIME?: n/a

                                      occupation & income.

PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME: il Giornale di Verona. Isa works for Verona’s main newspaper outlet, and has since climbed the ranks with vigor (and, in climbing ranks, has increased their own salary). SECONDARY SOURCE OF INCOME: Freelance writing. You’d be remiss to think that la justicia works for Verona and Verona alone--after all, she is a Gagliano. Anything published through this means, however, are claimed by an IMOGEN.  TERTIARY SOURCE(S) OF INCOME: [REDACTED] CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?: Isabella Gagliano is incredibly pleased with her occupation, especially since il giornale tends to turn a blind eye to her methods of getting information that was once closed off to the common Veronan--and those hungry for the truth know better than to look a gift horse in its mouth. PAST JOB(S): Waitress (multiple times in multiple places) SPENDING HABITS: Unlikely to splurge unless it’s something that really moves them, or it’s for someone they love. Other than that, Isabella has moderate spending habits; sure, there are some superfluous purchases (yet another dog toy for Themis, another set of multi-colored ink pens for themselves, etc.) but they make sure necessities are taken care of, first. MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: A golden heart-shaped locket (x) given to her by Celeste Duval. Inside, there is a faded-but-well-preserved picture of the two of them together--unabashedly happy and unapologetically in love.

                                          skills & abilities.

LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: Spanish, Italian, conversational Russian, English DRIVE?: Yes JUMP-STAR A CAR?: Yes. CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: No. RIDE A BICYCLE?: Yes. SWIM?: Yes. PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: No. PLAY CHESS?: No. BRAID HAIR?: Yes. TIE A TIE?: Yes. PICK A LOCK?: Yes.

                 physical appearance & characteristics.

FACE CLAIM: Brittany O’Grady (x, x, x) EYE COLOR: Brown HAIR COLOR: Deepest brunette - the darkest brown, which can be a very dark chestnut; sometimes appears to be off black at a distance. HAIR TYPE/STYLE: 3A/B - or curly with well-defined and springy coils that have a loopy, “S” shaped pattern.  GLASSES/CONTACTS?: Reading glasses, used sparingly at night (and usually worn at home) when going through soon-to-be-published works with a fine-toothed come.  DOMINANT HAND: Right TATTOOS: One - a scripted-font ‘C’ behind her left ear for Celeste PIERCINGS: Three - lobe piercings and a tragus piercing on her right ear. MARKS/SCARS:  NOTABLE FEATURES: Well-defined and thick eyebrows. USUAL EXPRESSION: Inquisitive, guarded. ALLERGIES: Seasonal allergies.

                                               psychology.

JUNG TYPE: ENTP (”The Debater”) - The Debater personality type is the ultimate devil’s advocate, thriving on the process of shredding arguments and beliefs and letting the ribbons drift in the wind for all to see. This tactic shouldn’t be confused with the sort of mutual understanding Diplomat personalities seek – Debaters, like all Analyst personality types, are on a constant quest for knowledge, and what better way to gain it than to attack and defend an idea, from every angle, from every side? (x) MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good - A chaotic good character acts as their conscience directs them with little regard for what others expect of them. They make their own way, but are kind and benevolent. They hate it when people try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. They follow their own moral compass, which, although (subjectively) good, may not agree with that of society. (x) TEMPERAMENT: Choleric-Melancholic - The Choleric-Melancholy combination is driven by two needs. Their primary need is to get results. The secondary need is to do things right. Either need may dominate their behavior depending on the requirements of the situation. When the Choleric and the Melancholy tendencies are combined, it produces a result-oriented, detailed person, who plans and pushes their way through life. (x) ELEMENT: Fire. PRIMARY INTELLIGENCE TYPE: Linguistic - People who develop linguistic intelligence tend to demonstrate a greater ability to express themselves well both verbally and in writing. This type of person has very strong awareness and an ability to easily understand the viewpoint of others. Associated with the left side of the brain. (x) SOCIABILITY: Depends on who you ask. They’re sociable and enjoyable to be around, so long as you aren’t under their scrutiny. COMPULSION(S): Checking the locks in their home before going to bed. PHOBIA(S): Claustrophobia. DRUG USE: No. ALCOHOL USE: Occasionally. PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: Only in self-defense.

                                                 mannerisms. 

NERVOUS TICKS: Taking note of all possible exits around, the fear settling heavily in their stomach, the tightening of jaws, the miniscule-flaring of nostrils, the shifting of weight from one side to the other. DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: To bring the elite of the bloodied city to their knees and have them answer for their crimes, to write as their mother taught them, to remain as unyielding as her father, to fulfill the promise made between her and her benefactor. Additionally, love. FEARS: Losing Celeste, losing the ability to write, defamation of their character POSITIVE TRAITS: Headstrong, resourceful, creative NEGATIVE TRAITS: Argumentative, insensitive, impractical DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: Not unless spurred by unchecked emotions. 

                                                     attitudes.

GREATEST DREAM: To be the catalyst in what dismantles Verona’s hideous war; to write enough that, maybe someday, someone will be able to do more than she GREATEST FEAR: Receiving punishment for the means in which she gets information for il Giornale MOST AT EASE WHEN: Home, with Celeste Duval. Home, curled on her couch with Themis by her side and her computer on her lap--writing, of course. LEAST AT EASE WHEN: At unexpected gatherings called for and/or sponsored by the Capulets or Montagues. WORST POSSIBLE THING THAT COULD HAPPEN: Being accused of being in la mafia. BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Becoming an editor at il Giornale di Verona. BIGGEST REGRET: Waiting too long and missing the chance to ask Celeste to marry her. Not coming to Verona sooner. BIGGEST SECRET: [REDACTED] TOP PRIORITIES: Exposing the mobs, keeping loved ones safe and helping them, staying alive

[oliverphisher]

Cathryn Hein

Cathryn Hein is a best-selling author of rural romance and romantic adventure novels, a Romance Writers of Australia Romantic Book of the Year finalist, and a regular Australian Romance Reader Awards finalist.

A South Australian country girl by birth, she loves nothing more than a rugged rural hero who’s as good with his heart as he is with his hands, which is probably why she writes them! Her romances are warm and emotional, and feature themes that don’t flinch from the tougher side of life but are often happily tempered by the antics of naughty animals. Her aim is to make you smile, sigh, and perhaps sniffle a little, but most of all feel wonderful.

Rocking Horse Hill (A Levenham Love Story Book 1) By Cathryn Hein Buy on Amazon

Cathryn lives Newcastle, Australia with her partner of many years, Jim. When she’s not writing, she plays golf (ineptly), cooks (well), and in football season barracks (rowdily) for her beloved Sydney Swans AFL team.

Cathryn’s latest release is EDDIE AND THE SHOW QUEEN, book five in her popular Levenham Love Story series.

What are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?

Riders By Jilly Cooper OBE

Riders by Jilly Cooper

What an eye-opener this book was. All those horses! All that upper-class naughtiness! That promiscuous but oh-so-sexy cad Rupert Campbell-Black! It was Riders and Cooper’s other early books that had me on a desperate hunt for Australian equivalents but, sadly, I could find none. I knew then that I would have to write my own, so it was a bit of a shock to discover my stories turned out nothing like Cooper’s.

A Place In The Hills By Michelle Paver

A Place in the Hills by Michelle Paver

It was probably more a combination of reads (see above), but I suspect this book is the one that cemented my desire to write romance. Everything about it is romantic, from the opening line, “It was noon on the Day of Blood when he first saw her” to the south of France setting, the forbidden love of both the historical and contemporary characters, and the kántharos - or chalice, that binds them all.

What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?

I signed up for Dragon Anywhere, a dictation software that I can use on my phone or tablet and works as long as I have an internet connection. It’s $20 a month and such a handy thing. I can dictate at home or when I’m out and about, and it’s quicker than note-taking or typing. Once I’ve relayed the words, I just tell the app to email the document to me. Easy.

There is a learning curve with dictation but the more you do it the easier it becomes. My goal is to write the first draft of an entire novel with it. So far, I’ve only managed the occasional chapter, and notes and blog posts. I’ll get there though.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

It reminded me why I write – because it brings me joy.

One of the books I’m most proud of is Wayward Heart and I wrote that just for me. It wasn’t contracted and I was resigned that it was unlikely to appeal to a publisher if I did shop it, which meant there was absolutely no pressure during its creation. I could make it whatever I wanted. So I did.

I love that book. It was written with absolute delight and I think that shows in the finished story. Wayward Heart was picked up by Harlequin Harper Collins and is loved by readers too.

Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?

I’m going to go with an oft-quoted one, which I think belongs to Nora Roberts – you can’t edit a blank page. Because it’s true, you can’t. Even the worst day’s writing can be turned around.

My process is to edit as I go, which means I’m always rewriting. Some days getting that raw page down can be incredibly hard (other days it can pour out fast and near-perfect – if only there were more of those… sigh). The words will be awful and wrong and the doubt-demon on my shoulder will start sniggering and telling me how terrible I am, and I’ll wonder why I’m bothering. Then tomorrow will see me picking up those raw bones and rewriting them into something good.

I love that part of the process. Mind you, I’d love it even better if the words came out right the first time but you can’t have everything!

What is one of the best investments in a writing resource you’ve ever made?

My workstation. I love this desk, although in some ways it’s been a lot of trouble. I bought it when I was working on my second contracted book, Heart of the Valley. It’s a commercial corner workstation with loads of space that I can sprawl my stuff over and lets me keep important things like my notes and diary, and collection of fountain pens and books close at hand.

It’s been trouble because with my partner being in the military we moved house a lot and it’s not only big but an awkward shape, and not designed to be pulled apart. Getting it into its current position took some serious manoeuvring and resulted in a couple of wall dings. Worth it though.

What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?

I’m not sure this is particularly unusual, but I do like to have a theme song for each book. If I can find the right song, I’ll play it on a loop over and over, across the day until it fades into the background and I barely notice it.

What happens then is that the songbecomes so entrenched with writing the story that hearing it acts as a trigger. I hit ‘play’ and am immediately thrust into the story’s world again.

The biggest hassle is finding the right song, with the right feel.

In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life?

I walk a lot. Being a keen golfer, I tend to walk a fair bit anyway but about three or so years ago I developed an eye condition that stopped me driving and forced me to walk more. Walking time makes for fantastic thinking time.

Want to solve a plot problem? Go for a walk. Or have a shower. That works brilliantly too.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven aspiring author? What advice should they ignore?

I’ve never prescribed to the “write every day” school. I do write most days, but I don’t get het up if I don’t. That doesn’t mean I don’t think about writing or my storieson a daily basis. If I’m in the middle of a book, I’m thinking about that baby all the time, sometimes to the point of obsession. But writing every single day? Nah.

I treat writing like a job because it is my job, and take weekends off. Although I do tend to do admin type stuff and write blogs on weekend mornings.

As for what advice I’d give... Finish your stories.

Every book you write will teach you something – even if it’s not what to do. Don’t fret over those words being wasted because they won’t be. Some will go the high-jump, sure, but you’ll probably find yourself later mining those stories for gems. You might steal back a character, a dramatic scene, or a setting. Maybe you’ll recycle the premise but approach it in a different way.

I think I wrote six full-length novels before I was first contracted, and every one of those books have been raided and had parts of them recycled in some form since.

In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)?

I really want to say I’m better at limiting my time on social media but that would be a big fat fib. I’m trying though and I’m much better at scheduling now, which helps a lot.

Social media is an excellent way of keeping in touch with your readers and the writing community. It can also be a massive time suck and distraction from writing.

What marketing tactics should authors avoid?

I’m not sure I’d rule out anything specifically. Market according to your goals and target audience. Try things out. Make mistakes and learn from them. Although please, please do not be one of those people who friend or follow a person on social media, then once that person has friended or followed you back, you immediately reply with a ‘here’s my book’ message. Urgh. Even the thought makes me shudder. It’s stupid and rude and just about guarantees that person won’t touch your book.

What new realizations and/or approaches have helped you achieve your goals?

Readers don’t care who the publisher is. They just want your next book. Understanding that has allowed me to embrace self-publishing, in addition to releasing traditionally. Self-publishing means I can release more books for my readers in all sorts of lengths and formats. What fun!

When you feel overwhelmed or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?

Walk. Take a shower. Or go and do something completely different, preferably something mundane or mind-numbing, like doing the dishes. It clears your head and lets creativity flow again.

If it’s a particularly stubborn or difficult issue, I book a get-together with my writer buddies so we can talk the problem through. Writer buddies are gold. I don’t know what I’d do without them.

Any other tips?

Make friends with other writers. Loved ones can be supportive, of course, but only writers truly understand the quirks of this weird life. They can empathise when you’re in knots over horror revisions or the bad cover the publisher wants you to accept or the scene you’ve ground to a halt over. And they can cheer with you and know how truly amazing it is when you’ve achieved something magical, like finished a book or reached a best-seller list or solved a thorny plot problem.

________

Enjoyed this Q&A? Want to discuss in more depth? Join Community Writers. You'll get access to 100+ exclusive writing tips. Q&As with successful authors, an exclusive ebook on building an audience and much more. Sign-up for free as a community writer here

source https://www.thecommunitywriter.com/blog/cathryn-hein

[livrenucci]

Who could Psamtikpadineith be? (Part 1)

Now that it’s been some time that I am researching the jars, I now affectionally call him just “Psam”. We have to admit that it’s way easier and way more catchy. But he still remains a complete mystery to me.

I found nothing on the internet of this general personally. I know he is a general because the Oriental Museum told me so but there is no source about it. But if we base ourselves only on the jars, it would be difficult to know anything about this character.

For this post, I will only make assumptions as I cannot be 100% sure of my findings. But I thought it would be still fun and engaging to imagine what his life would have looked like. I will make a Part Two of this post, as I think the first one will be relatively long. 

What I do know is: 

He was a male. --> Research of the life condition of an adult male in Ancient Egypt Late Period.

He was a general at around 650 BCE to 550 BCE during the 26th Dynasty.--> Research of the Military Organization in Ancient Egypt + who did he serve? + what battles were fought at this period. 

Those next two points will be looked at in the Pary two of the post:

His name is Psamtikpadineith --> Does it have a special meaning? Why would he be named like that?

He received honours, as he was mummified properly. --> Was it common for generals to receive honours? Did he maybe make something notably incredible? 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LIFE CONDITIONS OF AN ADULT MALE IN ANCIENT EGYPT LATE PERIOD 

How did Psamtikpadineith occupy his days? What did he do, eat, study? 

Because we think Psam was a general, he most likely lived his life as a higher class adult male and beneficiated of all the privileges that come with it. 

Psam was most likely well educated, as his rank demands. Indeed, it was common for boys of richer families to be sent off to schools from the age of eight. The most important subjects taught at school were mathematics, reading, writing, arithmetic, geometry, geography, astronomy, medicine, and moral instruction, all subjects which can be seen as important topics in the Egyptian society of the time. After being instructed in various disciplines, it was common for boys to follow the line of trade of their fathers. Thus Psam’s father was most likely part of the military when he was an adult.

He most likely had access to good food, even when he was on the field at war. Indeed, while away, the ‘mainstream’ soldier only had access to a low-quality bread and the better quality food was given to higher-ranking officials.  On a more general basis, while the poor were limited to a diet of bread, fish, beans, onions and garlic washed down with a sweet, soupy beer, the elite most of the time dined off meat, fruit, vegetables, and honey-sweetened cakes enhanced by the finest of wines. 

MILITARY ORGANIZATION AND REIGNING PHARAOH AT THE TIME OF THE 26TH DYNASTY

Military organization

Egypt did not know many truces during its history. Countless neighbouring civilizations took their chance to invade Egypt, attempting to put the country under their grasp. But therefore, since the beginning of its history, Egypt organized a definite organization of defence in order to protect its richness.

Starting from the Old Kingdom, Egypt used specific military units, with military hierarchy appearing in the Middle Kingdom. By the New Kingdom, the Egyptian military was divided into three major branches: the infantry, the chariotry and the navy. 

Let’s have a look at those major branches:

We call “infantry”, an army of soldiers that are marching and fighting on foot. In Ancient Egypt, the infantry troops were partially conscripted, partially voluntary. The men that composed it were majorly native Egyptians but it was also very usual to enrol mercenaries, professional soldiers hired to serve in a foreign army. Noticeable mercenaries’ origins included Nubians, Sherdans, Lybians or Phoenicians. 

We call “chariotry” the regiment in which charioteers are working. Like the name implies, charioteers fought on chariots, a moving platform of combat that was usually pulled by two horses. Chariotry was the backbone of the Ancient Egyptian army. The members of the chariot corps formed their own aristocratic class known as the Maryannu (young heroes). The heroic symbolism can be seen in contemporary paintings in which the King is shown riding with the elites, shooting arrows at the enemies. This image became typical of royal power iconography in the New Kingdom. Also, because charioteers were much faster than foot-soldiers, they pursued and dispersed broken enemies to seal the victory. Usually, the Egyptian light chariots contained one driver and one warrior; both might be armed with bow and spear.

Finally, we call the “navy” the regiments of soldiers that were working on ships. The Ancient Egyptian navy has a very extensive history almost as old as the nation itself. The best sources of the type of ships that were used by Ancient Egyptians and their purposes come from the reliefs from the various religious temples that spread throughout the land. While the early ships that were used to sail the Nile were often made out of reeds, the ocean and seagoing ships were then made out of cedarwood, most probably from the woods of Byblos, in present-day Lebanon. The wood ships created the naval fleet and gave the Ancient Egyptian navy its fierce reputation. 

Each regiment in the Egyptian army could have been identified by the weapon they carried: archers, lancers, spearmen, and infantry. The lancers not only carried their long-range weapon, the lance, but also a dagger on their belt and a short-curved sword. Depicted in Egyptian art is a cane or a wand-type object that has been assigned to each fifth member in a group.

During the conquest or wars, the Pharaoh would divide his army into two parts, giving the command of the North and the South to two generals. Those two armies would then be further divided into four more armies named after the Egyptian god's Ra, Amen, Ptah, Sutekh (of all the armies the Pharaoh would align himself with Amen). From there he would pick a commander in chief, generally princes of the royal house who would then pick captains to enforce orders given down the chain of command. During war times, the commander in chief was given the job of selecting their captains, who were usually lower-ranking princes of the royal house. They generally achieved these positions using tools of bribery and appealing to the interest courts. Another major factor of choosing both officers and captains was the degree of education they received; most officials were oftentimes diplomatists with extensive educational backgrounds. Later, after receiving the official position, the divided armies would ally themselves with mercenaries who would be trained with them as one of their own but never a part of the native Egyptian military.

Reigning Pharaoh - Psamtik I? 

We established that Psam lived in the period between 650 BCE to 550 BCE. If we consider that his name is Psamtikpadineith, it would not be far fetched to believe that the Pharaoh that Psam served during his life is Psamtik I. 

Psamtik I reigned from 664  BCE to 610 BC. He was the first of six kings of that name of the Saite, also called the 26th Dynasty of Egypt. It was called the Saite dynasty as their chosen capital in Egypt was the city of Sais. 

Psamtik I is most well know to have united Egypt under one rule and to have expelled the Assyrians from the territory.

Figure 1: Psamtik I is the third king of the 26th Dynasty, which was also called the Saite Dynasty after the town of Sais in the eastern Delta. The long face, detailed modelling of muscles around the mouth, and careful carving of the eyes are transitional features between the austere art of Dynasty 25 and the refined elegance that was to develop later in Dynasty 26. When complete, the statue probably represented the king kneeling. The object can be found at The Metropolitan Museum, X.358. 

What does it all mean for Psam?

With regard to the meagre information that we have on him just looking at the jars, it is impossible to define to which branch of military Psam was serving. Looking at the time he lived in and at his name, he probably fought for the Pharaoh Psamtik I. 

We think we know he was a general. That could mean two things: he was a general of the North army or the South army, meaning he was a really important man and probably a close relative to the Pharaoh OR he was a commander in chief of the infantry or the chariotry or the navy. Whatever he was, it is nonetheless highly probable that he was part of the upper class or even aristocracy. 

We cannot know which exact battles Psam fought. But considering that he received the honour of a proper mummified burial, we could anyway assume that he fought some battles that lead to victory and that he was part of the high society. 

Sources: 

http://www.legendsandchronicles.com/ancient-civilizations/ancient-egypt/ancient-egyptian-education/

https://www.historyextra.com/period/ancient-egypt/history-extra-explains-what-did-people-eat-in-ancient-egypt

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Psamtik-I

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_navy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_ancient_Egypt#Late_Period_Armies_%E2%80%93_712-332_BC

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariotry_in_ancient_Egypt

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/X.358/ 

[gracelingdesolate]

1-50 noct HDSJHKDFHSDHS OKAY YOU DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE TO, JUST DO AS MUCH AS YOU WANT

1) Age?almost 16 rn

2) Gender?transmasc!

3) Romantic/Sexual Orientation?biromantic demisexual

4) Height?5′2

5) Race?cierran

6) What do they look like? (i.e, hair color, eye color, etc).black semi curly hair, dark brown skin, silver and light blue eyes

7) Any disabilities?uhhhhuhuh he’s a fucking mess of mental illness nfjdnjgk depression, anxiety, ptsd

8) Is there a meaning to their name?no it’s just a ripoff of night bc i am Creative

9) What makes them, them? his redemption arc

10) What do they want to be when they grow up/what do they want to do with their lives?he has given absolutely no thought to this bc he’s just been trying to survive for so long and has just assumed he’ll be dead before he has to decide on anything + being a desolate just tanked any chance he had of doing anything so he has no aspirations

11) Do they have parents? What are they like and how do they act with their child(ren)?he had parents until they were killedtense marriage bc they both knew noct was a desolate, father was not happy about it and was extremely stilted when it came to noct, mother loved him unconditionallyi’m gonna include dier bc dier was basically his father- dier loved him more than he loved himself and would do anything for him

12)   Do they have siblings? How do they interact with them? If not, do they wish they had siblings?no siblings! and no he doesn’t really wish he had any

13)   Extended family? Do they see them often?nope

14)   Do they like where they live? (Is it a safe place?)he likes living with the hunters as much as he can. in the beginning he feels suffocated by their ideals but as they start to impress them on him he feels more at home. it’s not safe there at all.

15)   Where do they live? Are they wealthy? Poor? Middle-Class?he was upper class until his parents died and then he went to the hunters and then on the run so he’s dirt poor

16)   Do they have a lot of expectations/pressure on them from family to do great?he has pressure to make the hunters look good. other than that tho he fails his own wish to preserve his mother’s expectations of him for a very long time.

17)   Do they have pets?nope

18)   Who do they look up to the most/are the closest to in their family?dier

19)   This there anything special about their family?his mother didn’t throw him out immediately upon seeing he was a desolate

20)   Do they wish they lived in a different family/household?no

21)   Best Friend(s)?hunters: mieron, alédesolates: konas, sarin

22)   Who was their first friend?probably alé since they became friends before noct’s parents were killed

23)   What is their friend group like?hunters: not good at all, very tense, very cruel, had to have certain idealsdesolates: way more relaxed (after he stops being a dick), easy, they’re much better for him

24)   Do they have a love/hate relationship with any of them?his relationship with alé gets really complicated when she joins the hunters bc she is super anti hunters and she sees the stuff he’s doing/believes and it’s Not Good

25)   Do they consider any of their friends to be like siblings?alé is like his sister

26)   Have they ever hurt a friend or lost one?oh yes. yes mieron was completely and absolutely betrayed when noct turned out to be a desolate. not a good scene.he was also a dick to both konas and sarin for awhile when he first got taken by the desolates so there was that

27)   Do they have a crush on any of their friends?//cut to him making heart eyes @ konas & sarin

28)   Do they share classes with good friends?classes mean training in this case so yeah all of them

29)   Whom do they go to the most when they need a shoulder to cry on?nobody with the hunters, both konas and sarin with the desolates

30)   What would this person do without their friends in their lives?well without konas and sarin he’d be dead so

31)   What grade are they in? If they aren’t in school, how come?not in traditional school bc hunters and all that shit

32)   Do/Did they like their teachers? Was there a good one? Bad one?dier was a fairly good mentor, noct liked him a lot and viewed him as a mentor and father figure

33)   Do/Did they listen to their teachers or are/where they goofing off a lot?yeah he listened you uh don’t get very far in the hunters by goofing off

34)   Are/Where they a good student grade wise?hell yes he’s the kid who is desperately acing everything bc he can’t handle failure

35)   Do/Did they need extra help?who doesn’t need help in the art of killing a man. he had some hurdles to get over before he was dead enough inside to kill without feeling anything

36)   What is/was their school like?authoritarian. you just do what you’re told and don’t step out of line. the hunters aren’t very forgiving.

37)   Do/Did they have bullies in school?of course, all schools have bullies. noct usually managed to avoid them (perks of being dier’s apprentice)

38)   Have they ever gotten into a fight at school?yeah you can’t be in training to be a hunter and not have gotten in a fight

39)   Have they ever done something stupid/embarrassing at school?who remembers the horse storyhe didn’t know how to ride a horse when he first got to the hunters but he was desperate to show that he was on the same level as the others so he hopped on a horse and it immediately took off with him screaming and not able to control it. dier had to save him and it was lowkey mortifying so many people saw

40)   How far do they plan to go with school? If they dropped out, do they want to go back?he dropped out and there’s no way in hell he can go back willingly at least bc hunters just really don’t like desolates

41)   Are they dating anyone? Do they want to date? Are the married? Divorced? hell no he isn’t dating anyone he is way too mentally fucked up to even be thinking about it

42)   What is their favorite hobby? Do they keep it a secret?carving on bones. he doesn’t keep it a secret as much as he doesn’t have anyone to really show it to

43)   If they could have one thing in life, what would it be?peace

44)   Do they work? If so, what is it? If not, are they looking for one or even want one?nope

45)   Do they use social media?nope

46)   Have they ever been in the hospital?no hospitals but he definitely sure as hell would have been a few times if there were!

47)   Do they believe in the supernatural, that there is more than the eye can see?yes he does souls and ghosts and wandering spirits, he believes in all that stuff

48)   What do they do when they get angry, stressed, or upset?he’s very openly angry if he’s pissed you will 100% know he’ll yell and storm and all that but he’s trying to do better and cool it

49)   Would they consider themselves as a good person, bad person, or morally grey?mostly bad but near the end maybe there’s a tiny possibility that he isn’t completely a horrible person

50)   Does this OC have any part of you in them? (I.e, personality traits, similar background, etc)well there’s the anger bit NJFKDLGJF i’m nowhere near as pissy as he is tho

[vacationsoup]

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20 Fab Things to Do in Utah - A helpful Video Guide

Utah may not be the first state to come to your mind when you think about holidays and vacations, but one trip to this state may knock your favorite travel destination off the top of your list.

Utah, the 45th state admitted to the U.S.A, is located in the western part of America and has a population of more than three million. It is popular for its natural diversity and it houses a range of terrains from arid deserts with astounding sand dunes to thriving pine forests in plateaus and mountain valleys.

When visiting this state, guests will find a handful of spectacular national parks, state parks, monuments, mountains , landmarks, lakes, and other natural areas to discover and explore. Utah’s towns and cities have arts and museums, home cooking and culinary surprises, charming wedding venues, drive-in theaters, and universities to see.

Free Things to See in Utah

1.Arches National Park

Arches National Park is located in the northern part of Moab in Utah. This national park is bordered by the Colorado River in the southeast. It is known as the site of more than two thousand natural sandstone arches, like the huge red colored Delicate Arch that lies in the eastern part of the site. Long and thin Landscape Arch is located in Devils Garden to the North. Other natural geological formations include Balanced Rock that towers over the desert landscape in the middle of the national park. This is one of the most famous and iconic natural structures that made Utah a top destination for hikers.

USE THIS GREAT HIKING APP FOR UTAH

A RECOMMENDED HIKE IN KANAB

Educational Things to See and Do in Utah

2. Natural History Museum of Utah

The Natural History Museum of Utah houses over than 1.5 million artifacts and relics. In the paleontology area, visitors can see exhibits with an emphasis on the Intermountain West, while the anthropology section is a home to specimens dating back to 11,500 BC. The vertebrate zoology section presents mammal, amphibian, bird, and reptile samples, while in the botany section, visitors can see frozen swatches preserved for DNA research.

Furthermore, the malacology area holds specimens from the six classes of marine mollusks, while the minerology department presents stunning minerals from all over the globe. Aside from exhibits, the Natural History Museum of Utah holds educational and recreational events for all ages.

Unique Things to See in Utah

3. Hill Aerospace Museum

The Hill Aerospace Museum's one-of-a-kind layout is shaped like an aircraft, which is fitting for a structure that operates as a field museum for the United States Air Force. Hill Aerospace Museum houses more than four thousand historical objects and artifacts from five eras, though at any given time only about twenty percent of the collection is on display.

The exhibit includes artworks, most of which is situated in the Lindquist Art Gallery, and the museum also conducts a Plane Talk lecture series, where speakers cover topics related to aerospace and defense. The iconic Utah Aviation Hall of Fame is also on site.

Adorable Things to See in Utah

4. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

The country’s biggest no-kill center, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary  houses an estimated 1,700 animals up for adoption. Stray animals like dogs and cats, bunnies and birds, horses and barn animals are sent here from all over America. Best Friends is likewise home to recovering wildlife and special needs animals.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary shelters animals in groups (Dogtown, Cat World, Horse Haven, Bunny House, Marshall’s Piggy Paradise, and Parrot Garden) to encourage exercise and socialization among the same species. In the visitors center, visitors can sign up for tours, learn more about the animals, and join in unique events such as bunny yoga, Paint Your Pet’s Portrait, and Thanksgiving dinner.

WHERE TO STAY IN SOUTHERN UTAH

Things to See and Do with Kids in Utah

5. Bean Life Science Museum

Situated on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum focuses in the science behind life forms on our planet. Presentations cover subjects such as how Earth's characteristics give life and how all life is interlinked, the factors on underlying extinction, the conceptual view that humanity is the planet's steward, and the predator-prey connection.

The Bean Life Science Museum also has a play station for toddlers, and two galleries, one with a collection of more than 100 bird species and one with astonishing wildlife art. Bean Life Science Museum’s schedule includes popular attractions such as in-house live shows (animal or reptile), Night at the Museum events, and lectures.

Stellar Things to See in Utah

6. Clark Planetarium

Clark Planetarium now is a far cry from the light and space shows of yesteryears and while the planetarium does hold cosmic light shows in the evenings from Thursday to Saturday, they utilize the latest technology. The planetarium’s Hansen Dome Theatre is similarly of the moment, taking advantage of 3D computer animations and digital projection to provide a 360-degree interactive experience.

The IMAX theatre shows 3D films on a humongous, five-story screen together with 14,000 watts of digital sound. Clark Planetarium also provides community programs to the public and conducts free astronomy presentations with models of the solar system and authentic NASA equipment as well as interactive elements.

Historic Things to See in Utah

7. Bluff Fort Historic Site

The Bluff Fort Historic Site gives guests the opportunity to learn about both the fort itself and the perilous Hole-in-the-Rock adventure. Cabins were constructed with their windows and doors facing inwards toward the fort’s square to provide protection from invading forces.

The Bluff City meeting house worked for all communal purposes and was once a school, church, and public meeting place, while the Bluff co-op vended food and staple supplies to residents. The fort was disassembled in 1883, but the entire community continued and switched from farming to ranching. In the 1890s, residents built Victorian-style houses, which have been renovated together with the fort. The site also includes a visitors’ center and a gift shop.

Musical Things to Do in Utah

8. Listen to Utah Symphony

The Utah Symphony is a huge internationally acclaimed American symphony and an essential part of the American West’s cultural identity. The symphony promotes and provides educational programming and holds tours all throughout the region to support the arts, especially music.

Along with stellar performances at Abravanel Hall, the Utah Symphony conducts summer concerts at Park City’s Deer Valley Music Festival. Utah Symphony records intensively and has been nominated for Grammy Awards a lot of times. Most of their concerts start at 8:00 pm, while pre-concert lectures for MasterWorks performances begin at 6:45 pm. Utah Symphony concerts run for 90 to 120 minutes.

Cultural Things to See in Utah

9. Gifford Homestead

The Gifford Homestead is situated right in the heart of the Fruita Valley and allows visitors to experience a Mormon community as it existed in the valley at the start of the 20th century. The homestead presents rock walls and includes a farmhouse as well as a smokehouse, garden, barn, and even a pasture.

The farmhouse is a simulation of the favored rugged austere design and has a front room where the kitchen is situated as well as two small bedrooms on the ground floor, while the two bedrooms in the upper floor are only accessible by an outdoor ladder. The homestead has a sales outlet, too, where guests can buy locally made goodies and replica pioneer artifacts.

Things to See on a Rainy Day in Utah

10. Beehive House

The Beehive House in Utah was once the home of the early Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints leader Brigham Young. The home’s overall design accommodated the large Young family, with Brigham’s wife, Mary Ann, choosing to live in the property’s White House while Lucy Ann, the first wife, acted as hostess in the Beehive House, where she also lived alongside her nine children. A suite of rooms in the Lion House, where Brigham Young’s offices and bedroom were situated, was connected to the Beehive House. The property likewise includes the Brigham Young Historic Park. The building underwent renovation between 1959 and 1960 and now operates as a museum and provides 30-minute tours.

Relaxing Things to See in Utah

11. Red Butte Garden and Arboretum

Utah's Red Butte Garden welcomes visitors all year round and provides different plants and events for each season. While summer and spring are the crowd’s favorite times to see the garden to enjoy flowers and trees blooming to life in a tapestry of vivid colors, autumn offers dazzling fall foliage and winter presents red buds against a sheer white background, ideal for hiking or snowshoeing. In the summer, the garden conducts performances and shows in the amphitheater.

Red Butte Garden includes themed gardens and private or group tours are available. The garden also has quiet resting areas and guests can use the chairs, tables, and umbrellas available in the Four Seasons Courtyard.

Things to See and Do with the Family in Utah

12. Utah's Hogle Zoo

Hogle Zoo covers an estimated 42 acres and houses more than 800 animals. The zoo’s animal residents represent different animal life from all over the globe and include species from every ecosphere on  Earth. As a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Hogle Zoo guarantees that animals have a species survival plan to uphold genetic diversity.

Guests can buy one-on-one animal encounter tours with a personal tour guide, and group tours are also available. Groups can opt from feedings (birds, rhinos, or tortoises), orangutan training sessions, bringing daily food to apes, or having an up-close and personal meeting with a giraffe through the VIP observation deck.

VISIT THE ZOO'S WEBSITE HERE

Luxurious Things to Do in Utah

13. Ski at Deer Valley Resort

A luxurious activity in Utah is definitely a posh skiing experience in Deer Valley. It is renowned for catering to wealthy customers, with premium services like ski valets as well as parking valets at no cost, and fine dining and designer shopping boutiques on site.

Apart from conducting International Ski Federation competitions and FIS World Cup events regularly, Deer Valley Resort was a 2002 Winter Olympics host for freestyle aerial, mogul, and alpine slalom events. Moreover, it has consistently ranked in the top three ski resorts in North America and also held the top spot every year from 2007 through 2011.

Things to Do with Marine Lovers in Utah

14. Loveland Living Planet Aquarium

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Utah has various wildlife species from all over the world situated in its 136,000 square feet, including areas on the Antarctic, Utah, the ocean, South America, birds, fish, invertebrates, and mammals. Visitors get to have an eye-to-eye contact with different sharks in the aquarium’s forty-foot underwater shark tunnel, see rainforest animals in the two-story rainforest gallery, or get to touch aquatic life in one of the aquarium’s two touch pools.

Apart from seeing marine animals during an aquarium visit, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is likewise available for corporate as well as private events. The facility can also hold both formal and informal functions, with a max of 450 guests for seated dinners and even up to a thousand guests for receptions.

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium website

Adventurous Things to Do in Utah

15. Monument Valley Safari

Monument Valley has safari adventures of 1.5 to 7 hours in length throughout different sections of Monument Valley. Both Lower Monument Valley and Mystery Valley safaris are dubbed scenic and cultural, while the company’s award-winning combo safaris offer visitors a chance to explore two areas in just one tour: Lower Monument Valley (three hours)/Mystery Valley (three hours) or Tear Drop Arch (two hours)/Mystery Valley (four hours).

Monument Valley’s specialty tours contain a seven-hour Sunset Photography Tour of Hunts Mesa (ideal for adventurers looking for an off-the-grid experience) and the three-hour Starlight or Full Moon tours of Monument Valley. There are also private tours available.

Things to See and Do with the Locals in Utah

16. Park Silly Sunday Market

Park Silly Sunday Market in Utah is an eco-friendly open air market in Park City, Utah, held for fourteen Sundays every year between early June and mid-September. The market, which was initially founded in 2006, is free for all to attend, drawing nearly 200,000 yearly guests and approximately 2,000 vendor booths all throughout the season.

Visitors can explore farmer's market stalls and choose from a variety of delectable pantry goods or browse antique and regional arts and crafts vendors for rare finds. A range of regional food trucks and vendors are on site for local dining choices. Live music performances are also presented throughout the season, together with strolling performers such as magicians, balloon artists, and stilt walkers.

Historic Things to See in Utah

17. Park City Museum

Park City Museum features the colorful history of Park City and its significant role in developing the West. In addition to exhibits in the Tozer Gallery, the Park City Museum also provides lectures, historical walking tours, and other living history presentations and events. There are also guided tours, exhibits, and historical presentations available on a reservation-only basis.

Walking tours are held Monday to Friday from Memorial Day through Labor Day (ages 13+). The yearly Historic Home Tour allows visitors explore a highlighted historic home, while the Hal Compton Research Library is utilized as an additional resource of knowledge about Park City’s history and its role in the city’s regional industry.

MORE DETAILS HERE

One-of-a-Kind Things to See in Utah

18. Utah Field House of Natural History State Park

The Utah Field House offers interactive exhibits and attractions mainly about prehistoric geological objects. Recent exhibits include the Uinta Fossil Journey, presenting a ninety-foot diplodocus skeleton and the Stories in Stone film. Meanwhile, at the Morrison Dig Site and Fossil Lab, visitors can uncover whether an article is an authentic fossil or just a debris on a simulated dig site before fully exploring the lab.

The Jurassic Hall exhibit presents three skeletons from 145 million years ago, shile the Eocene Gallery features objects and relics from that era, and the Rocks Revealed exhibit covers the four major eras in the planet’s history through fossils. Utah Field House also conducts programming and contains a children’s lab to entertain young guests, and a dinosaur garden with models.

Things to Do with Literature Fans in Utah

19. Utah Shakespeare Festival

Utah Shakespeare Festival is held annually at the Beverly Center for the Arts, from June 29 to October 21. The plays and events vary per season, but this season features nine plays as well as multiple events. Festival-goers can review about the performances in play seminars, which are always held in the morning.

Repertory Magic, where guests can ask questions, however, happens during Mondays and Fridays. Guests can also enjoy other privileges like backstage tours to see the props and other elements used in the amazing plays. Utah Shakespeare Festival also conducts free events: one of the three free Greenshows are conducted every night from June 29th to September, while costumes, props, and actor seminars are held on different days of the week.

FULL PROGRAMME DETAILS HERE

Historical Things to See in Utah

20. Cove Fort

Cove Fort Historic Site in Utah is the only remaining fortress constructed in the 1800s by the Latter-Day Saints and was built to provide water, food, and shelter to Latter-Day Saints traversing between Idaho and California. Cove Fort tours allow visitors to experience fort life in the 1800s.

In this site guests can see the kitchen or “big room”, where visitors were often fed and residents conducted religious services and meetings; the washing and weaving room, where all washing and bathing was done; and family and guest rooms, as well as the telegraph office, which also served as an overflow eating hall. Guests can likewise tour the stage and post office, prairie wagon, bunkhouse, blacksmith shop, and replica barn.

Eventhough Utah is not the top destination for holidays and vacations, the Beehive State certainly doesn’t disappoint and doesn’t fall short with millions of postcard-worthy things to explore there. From museums, to art centers, to natural wonders, Utah will have you coming back for more as it is nearly impossible to enjoy all the marvels it offers in just a few days of vacation.

[sweep-the-seconds]

Timeless Pieces of Time

There is something special when a watch design can stand the test of time. There are some testaments to this, the Rolex Datejust or Submariner and the Omega Speedmaster Professional just to name two that can be easily thought of. Probably just my own objective opinion, but two of the most timeless and iconic sports watches were designed by the same man, Gerald Genta. Crazg to think a renowned Swiss Jewelry designer easily created what has to be the most iconic designs in watchmaking ever. Both have been produced since the seventies, the Patek Philippe Nautilus and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. The Royal Oak having seen some change in size over the years with smaller and larger versions, but it is the same watch. The Patek is the same watch that has been produced since its release in 1976, a few years following his design for AP. I absolutely adore this model, the design, the case, the movement, the dimensions, everything comes together perfectly to create a highly sought after Patek. I want to break this watch down and explain why this easily makes my grail watch list, or why it could be on a list to make every other watch in a collection stay in its case.

I am most likely beating a dead horse with this one, but I promise if you have never really considered the Nautilus as a serious contender for your collection then I hope this sways your viewpoint. A little background of course. In 1972 Audemars Piguet released one of the most influential sports watches in history. Straight lines and hard angles, a tough and manly design, an unbelievably well-designed integrated bracelet, with enough class to be worn anywhere. The man behind the creation of this was none-other than Gerald Genta, who at the time was relatively unknown. Styling the watch after an octagonal submarine port hole, the Royal Oak was not well received within the upper echelon of watch collectors and owners. However, the watch exploded among the demographic of the younger generation for its sporty, rugged, manly look that indicated that the wearer was of a higher economic class. This watch wasn’t for the everyday middle-class worker. This market was essentially untapped having no elite class sports watches. Fifty years later, the Royal Oak is still in production and the popularity has only risen back to prominence after the end of the quartz crisis.

So where does Patek come in with this? Well they too wanted a design that took advantage of the high-class sports watch market. They hired none other than Genta to give them the watch that would break every rule that had seemingly been put in place by previous generations from the brand renowned for class and elegance.

The 3700 was designed with yet again a port hole in mind, but this time dropping off on the octagonal edges that would surround the dial. Instead, the rounded edges, crown guards, and styling on the side opposite of the crown mimic a ship’s windows with the handle and hinge, giving the impression that it is much wider than it is tall. Brushed stainless steel and another integrated bracelet show close parallel to the Royal Oak. Although the AP sports watch had a brushed stainless bracelet, the Patek differs with the connecting pieces between each link being polished, giving the watch a little more shine and elegance. With further inspection there is no mistaking that this is in fact a Patek interpretation of a sport watch by Mr. Genta. No hard angles can be found anywhere on the case, everything being beveled or rounded. Coming in at a forty-two-millimeter diameter and seven-and-a-half-millimeter height, the watch combines being sporty with the elegance that Patek is so known for.

Paired with a deep navy-blue dial that borders being so dark that it appears black. Applied polished silver indices sit on top of the horizontal groves that have become the iconic Nautilus design. A small, non-magnified date is located at 3 without pulling too much symmetry from the dial, keeping everything in balance. These were colors and design elements that were previously unknown to the Swiss Brand’s repute. Until you have seen one in person, you truly cannot appreciate why the same design has been used for almost fifty years.

The movement inside this beauty was sourced from none other than Jaeger-Lecoultre, the same brand who supplied movements for Swiss brands like Vacheron Constantin or Audemars Piguet. Coming in at a hair over three-millimeters, the caliber 920 is still the thinnest central rotor movement ever made. With a forty-hour power reserve it could easily be put on and never taken off again.

The changes that have been made to the current lineup of Nautilus models are extremely minor, like the movement being changed out to a 324 S C which is less than three-tenths of a millimeter thicker. A little lighter of a navy blue is used on the dial, and the bracelet is more rounded around the edges. Otherwise, the Nautilus has remained relatively unchanged after all these years. For myself, there is nothing more timeless and classic than a Patek that was pushing the boundaries of what it meant to have the name on that dial. The pedigree of owning a Patek wasn’t just for classy chronographs, grand complications, and dress watches. Now that same feeling could be bestowed upon your wrist by a stainless-steel sports watch.

With previous models being sold retail in the mid-twenty-thousands, the current retail price has doubled. The demand for these watches has stayed high and prices on the grey market have held value tremendously. Some used examples have sold higher than retail due to the rarity of being able to get a new one instantly by walking into an AD.

This watch could not get any better. A sports watch that has the pedigree and class to not feel out of place on any occasion. Whether with a suit and tie or jeans and a t-shirt this one doesn’t feel over or underdressed. It is truly the collection killer if the funds are available to you. Because I guarantee this is something that will never feel right every time you take it off.

Thanks everybody for reading. Check back for more reviews, opinions, or even just watch history.