#george has money and will be marrying into even more money soon !

[firinniee]

Okay, so I'd like to give my point here. Do I hate Molly and Arthur? Nope. But do I think they are good parents? Mmm, that's debatable.  My biggest point is that they are not very responsible, at least it seems that way to me. Recall that the First Wizarding War took place in the years 1970-1981 and these were exactly years when Molly gave birth to their SEVEN kids, probably because they wanted a daughter. Along the way, it turned out that they couldn't afford so many children, I understand that Molly had to stay at home but Arthur seems to earn terribly little and is still stuck in this job even though they can't afford basic items (a wand, for example). Weasley apparently couldn't afford new textbooks for school, but a trip to Romania? No problem. And as soon as they won some money in the Daily Prophet, they decided to go to Egypt. I understand they wanted to visit their sons but this is the wizarding world, there are other ways than spending money riiight? Besides, for someone who is supposedly poor, Molly doesn't see respect for money. She has no problem throwing away the things her sons bought with their last money. At the same time, when she has a little bit of money, instead of buying both children nice dress robes, Ginny gets something that is nice and fits, and Ron gets a robe that looks like his aunt's old pj. In addition, we know that Molly has taste because robe for Harry was a really fitting one. Also, Ron uses Charlie's wand and Percy gets new robes and an owl. I understand it's a gift for him becoming a Prefect, but I think the wand is a little bit more important? After all, we know that our child will go to school for about 11 years, couldn't they save money for something so important? But even aside from all that, their behavior, and Molly in particular, blows me away. The constant favoritism and injustice is there all the time. When Bill and Charlie finished Hogwarts, they literally ran as far away as possible. Molly constantly commented on Bill's appearance and his choices in love (poor Fleur), tried to arrange a romantic life for Charlie despite his objections (who, as we know, never married), together with Arthur literally rejected Percy (because he found a job in the same place how was his father? And finally felt appreciated for his work?), clipped Fred and George's wings at every lovable opportunity, put Harry above her own son Ron and literally not even remembering what color he doesn't like, and finally oddly favored Ginny and opposed her participation in Quidditch, for example.  There are a lot of moments in the book that both a bit make Molly care but she's not a good mother still and at the same time she's aggressive when things don't go her way. And Arthur takes her side. Also, for her it's okay to be rude to someone when they didn't do anything to her (again Fleur or Hermione in GoF). This is probably literally another example that the movie whitewashed a character, and the book excites it to the skies because it is from Harry's perspective.  Nah, I don't know, the Weasley family is more dysfunctional than it seems at first glance, and that's pretty much life in a strange way.

[sweetpandorabox]

Ron Weasley as a boyfriend ♟️🐀

⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨sweetpandorabox୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆

⋘ 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎…⋙

Warnings ⚠️: Slight mentioned of sexual themes and some spicy stuff.

Dating this adorable food-loving ginger could include:

🍗🧣🧑🏻‍🦰

He loves his food and would eat anything and everything if he could, but he likes sharing his food with you and loves to feed you his last bite of food to show how much he loves you.

Super cuddly and likes to lay on your lap but has to make sure that you play with his hair so he can fall asleep.

Studying at the library? Nah, more like making out at the library and getting caught by Madam Pince and getting kicked out.

Molly and Arthur loves you and encourages Ron to convince you to stay with them at the burrow for half of the summer or winter break.

You would probably fight like an old married couple, but that's what most people find adorable between the two of you.

He's definitely a praiser in bed and likes to compliment the hell out of you and tell you how good you feel or how beautiful you are, and he's just generally pretty dominant.

Makes you play wizards chess with him even though he wins every time, he just like seeing you get all worked up and annoyed because he thinks it's super sexy then pull you into an make-out after, making sure you feel better.

He calls you cute nicknames like darling, sweet stuff, cutie, or doll.

Carry your stuff for you and won't let you hold one thing, not even something light. He always makes sure your hands are free to hold his hand instead of carrying something.

Likes when you call him Ronald (only by you), sweetheart, bub, or baby.

His love language is probably physical touch because he just loves to cuddle or have his hand just touching you somewhere because honestly, he can't get enough of you.

You're definitely the first one to say I love you to him, but then he gets all flustered and doesn't know how to act because he's just out of this world excited.

You would, of course, tease him mercilessly (influenced by Fred, George, and Ginny) but always give him a quick kiss to reassure him that you are just joking after he pouts and cross his arms.

He doesn't have a lot of money, but he saves what he got to get you something you really want and like, not worrying about his own interest as he puts you first always.

He's the best at making the coziest, most warm blanket fort for the two of you to be in.

He likes to be involved whenever you're picking something to wear for the day, not because he's stylish but because he likes watching you change and checking you out (every boyfriend ever, I swear).

He compliments you a lot but asks for loads of kisses in return or payment.

Before both of you even got married, you talk about the future a lot with each other and pick out what names you'll be giving to each of your children.

He loves smelling you. His go-to is to kiss the top of your head. That way, he can get a wiff of of your gorgeous smelling shampoo, but if not, a little peck on the neck doesn't hurt because he knows your sprit some of your favorite perfume on that area too (left & right).

He has no tolerance for people being mean to you or those who pick on you. He's quite protective of you no matter what so he can come off as threatening when he finds out people are messing with you.

A/N: Hey guys so I meant to finish off and post a proper Ron Weasley fanfic today but then I realized that I have so much school work and assessments left and right set all at the same time, and that I haven't started most of them so I have to take the L and post more listing style imagines these coming weeks because I just can't write when I'm stressed over school work. But don't worry proper fanfics will be posted soon because I have about 4 more weeks left until term/semester 1 is over and that I'll have my 2 weeks holiday meaning more time to write so I hope you understand x.

Taglist :

@milivanili99 @igncrantbliss

[trash-soup]

Weird and fun and slightly unhinged (and SPOILER FILLED) Stardew Valley headcanons i have:

My cows are transmasc (like Otis from Barnyard) so every time I (the player character) see them i say "Gentlemen" and give them a nod

Maru and I share notes on things we've built in the past few days every time we see each other

M. Rasmodius had two kids with two different women in town (which is why the witch divorced his ass): Abigail (duh) and WAIT FOR IT...Sebastian. We know nothing about Sebastian's father, but Seb himself is very attuned to nature and has the same slight smugness at the beginning as the Wizard. Do Seb and Abigail know they're related? No. Will they ever? Who knows. Do they feel a strong connection between them? Yes. Has it been confused for a crush and will it dissapate into a sibling-like relationship eventually? Absolutely.

Marnie knows she deserved better than Lewis. That's why she's been considering Marlon.

Gil (the monster slayer rewards guy) is Jodi and Harvey's dad.

Lewis siphons money from the town's taxes into various "town _____ funds", most of which he keeps for himself. (gold for a solid gold statue is expensive) the only reason he doesn't keep the agriculture fund is because I moved into the farm.

Evelyn and Grandpa had a long and storied romance before she met George. They were middle school sweethearts all the way through high school, but when they graduated, she left for a job in the city, and he stayed behind on the farm. He eventually met our grandmother, who he married, and when evelyn came back she was a bit saddened but she kept in touch with both of them. Soon after she met George, and that was that.

Pam and Clint are cousins

Gunther is actually running a small smuggling ring with his wife, the Travelling Cart woman (I call her Maureen). They smuggle artifacts and supplies over enemy lines.

"Our beloved Mona" in the cemetery is actually Jas and Shane's Mom, Marnie's Sister. Shane had a rough relationship with her, opting to go with his dad in the divorce, but when dad turned out to be an abusive ass, he came back to mom's. He and Mona got along a bit better and he even started thriving in school. She would make him homemade Jalapeno bacon pepper poppers as a reward for good grades, and threw him a pizza party when he made the Varsity gridball team. After he graduated, she had Jas and named him her godfather on top of being her half brother. Then she had an awful accident about a year and a half later. Shane spiraled, latched on to the addictive tendencies given to him by his father's genes, and began drinking. He asked aunt Marnie if they could crash with her for a while. He's still reeling from his mom's sudden death 7 years later when we move in.

Demetrius is working on secret military projects but can't let his family know, so he wanders off (to the lakeside and to the fountain) to work on them.

Harvey has a shelf in his apartment full of ultra expensive and intricate model planes, half of which were gifts from Jodi

Kent and Harvey have a strained relationship due to Kent having seen the true horrors of war and Harvey glorifying service in the armed forces. They get along but only just.

Pierre's secret stash is not porn, but Money. He keeps a rather large sum of gold tucked away from his family "just in case".

Shane and Alex hang out and talk about gridball more than you would think. In fact, Alex is one of the very few people Shane likes.

Claire (the cashier from Joja) hates Morris. She hates working for Joja. She hates the fact that they're causing problems in the valley. She wishes she could just own her own business here some day. And she does. When the Junimos restore the Joja building into the movie theatre, she gets a mysterious letter in the mail that says "Come bak tu valley, muvee plase is yours" (Junimos had to ask hat mouse to write it)

I have a ton more but that's it for now.

[dysfunctional-family-fight]

Round Three

Big Mom Family (One Piece) VS the Ushiromiya family (Umineko When They Cry)

Big Mom Family

Members: Linlin “Big Mom” Charlotte, Katakuri, Pound, Cracker, Big Mom's 82 other children, and her 43 husbands

Propaganda:

"They are a giant family that is also a pirate group. Everyone is married and born to fulfill Big Mom’s desire to have a family. Basically all of them hate each other." "Big Mom...so first let me note that this woman marries a man for her poliical convenience, gets pregnant, then divorces him as soon as she has his kids. She maintains complete control over the destiny of her children. They will join her pirate crew, they will fight for her, they will marry as she asks, they will grow up to serve her. They won't know their dad, or anything else, and she will even kill them when she doesn't get like a food she asks for, for instance." Note: edited for length, full submission here

The Ushiromiya family

Members: Kinzo, Krauss, Eva, Rudolf, Rosa, Jessica, George, Battler, Ange, Maria, Natsuhi, Hideyoshi, Asumu, Kyrie

Propaganda:

"PEAK weird family drama. Fighting over the inheritance leads to multiple people dying in gruesome ways" "The whole plot of the game is that they all are so dysfunctional it would make sense for any of them to commit murder" "This family is dysfunctional and abusive on every levels. The parents are fighting for the inheritance, because the elder embezzled money. The grandfather, Kinzo, hides in his room and never shows up. Not unusual, he neglected his family his whole life. Seems that he preferred a mysterious mistress than his family. When he talked to his children, it was to scold them for being incompetents. The atmosphere is oppressive. The children of Kinzo were bully. Krauss bullied Eva, who bullied Rosa. Concerning the next generation: Battler is in conflict with his father because he cheated on his mother. Natsuhi is putting pressure on Jessica for her to become the heir of the family, and is losing contact with her daughter. Eva has deciced what the life of Georges is becoming, and that he will not marry a servant. As for the relationship between Rosa and Maria, this is just the best mother-daughter love-hate relationship ever. And everything ends in blood, for ever and ever." More propaganda here

[footprintsinthesxnd]

Young Love and Old Money

Summary: this series follows the story of Lewis Nixon and Josephine Wills and their trials, tribulation and love throughout WW2, including stories of their friends in between. Warnings: swearing, mentions of war, heartbreak.

Masterlist Moodboards

Aldbourne May 1944

Josie hadn’t been able to face watching the trucks leave. As soon as Lewis had told her of the 506 impending departure from Aldbourne she felt as though her life was over. Just a short five months ago she had been walking down a flower-lined altar to marry the love of her life and now she could be losing him forever. Time with Lewis had been few and far between, as the intelligence officer he was often away sorting out plans and ensuring that the invasion would go off as smoothly as possible considering the circumstances. Civilians weren’t meant to know the invasion plans but Lewis trusted Josie implicitly and she was sworn to secrecy. She felt as though if she knew what was to unfold it would make their parting easier but it didn’t. If anything it made the whole situation worse because she now knew that her husband would be throwing himself out of a situation plane over Normandy probably under fire from German artillery. What’s not to worry about?

The trucks had been rumbling by since the early hours when Josie still lay in bed, cold and alone as she stared at the bare ceiling. Lewis had stayed at the barracks that night so he was on hand and could depart with the others so he had said his goodbyes to her that afternoon. Even though they both knew it was coming, nothing could have made it easier. To Josie, this was the last straw. Jess had already been shipped overseas and was working at an aid station in France. Lewis, Dick, Eugene, George and Julian were all shopping off for the Normandy invasion. Will was off flying God knows where. All of a sudden Josie felt truly alone.

“I’ll be back in no time Josie. Sink has promised 3 days and nights of fighting and we will be relieved. I’ll be back in Aldbourne before you even have time to miss you,” Lewis reassured her, peppering her cheeks with sloppy kisses that caused a small smile to break upon her lips.

“But I already miss you, Lew and you haven’t even left,” Josie knew she sounded pathetic and whiny but she didn’t care. Her husband was leaving her for his potential impending doom, she had every reason to be upset.

“I know. I miss you too but you knew this was coming. We all did but I promise I’ll always find my way back to you,” Lewis chipped her cheek tenderly, his wedding band feeling cold and familiar against her skin. Josie could recall so many nights with their hands in twined, her fingers running over the gold band. It amazed her how something so simple could signify so much. She only hoped that over in Normandy her love could still protect him as if she still had him in her arms, tucked up in their bedroom in Aldbourne.

As for Lewis, he knew far more than he was letting on, the perks of being an intelligence officer one could suppose, but he wasn’t about to let Josie know that. He didn’t want to worry her, knowing that she had more than just him to worry about in this fight. For a start, he’d have to find a way to keep George and Julian as far away from any potential trouble as possible. As for Jess, Lewis had already contacted the field hospital she was at and asked the medical officer there to inform him of any planned movements or relocation of staff. Even if he couldn’t be there for his wife he was going to make damn sure he’d protect those she loved at all cost.

Normandy 6th June 1944

The Sherman lurched and cranked its way down the muddy farm track, its large caterpillar treads churning the mud beneath them, gouging deep into the ground. The incessant whistling and wiring was getting on Lewis’ nerves and he was beginning to regret his decision to hitch a ride with the 2nd Armoured Division straight off of Utah beach. Lewis felt his body rock back and forth and the tank trundled downwards towards the old farm buildings where the 506 had gathered. A familiar redhead appeared on the side of the road and he called out to the tank commander to stop the convoy. Lewis smiled down at Dick who was still sporting his blackened face from the D-Day drop.

“Going my way?” He called out, watching a small smirk appear on Dick’s lips.

“Sure.”

Lewis helped Dick climb up beside him, warning him not to hurt himself which caused Dick to shove him lightly and the pair laughed as the tank convoy continued down the track.

“So, how was your jump?” Lewis asked, watching as his friend thought over the previous night's escape.

“Can’t complain. Lost my M1 and my leg bag snapped so until I found the rest of Easy I was with a kid called Hall.” Nixon looked on sympathetically as Dick recalled taking the gun batteries at Brecourt Manor. Lewis enjoyed his job as Intelligence Officer but he sometimes felt as though he wasn’t really in the fight, although from the recollections of other soldiers, he was glad to be further from the front at times.

“How did you leave things with Josie?” Dick asked, as they clambered down from the Sherman and thanked the crew for their lift.

“She was upset. She didn’t come to watch the trucks leave but we said our goodbyes. I promised her it would only be three days and nights but I’m beginning to feel like that was just a moral boost.” Dick laughed in agreement. Neither of them could believe that they had dropped into Normandy just for the so-called ‘three days and nights of hard fighting’ to then be relieved.

London July 1944

Josie sighed, stepping quickly down the concrete steps of the Royal London Hospital, her heels tapping rhythmically as she hurried towards the bus stop. She had completed her final day of training with the Voluntary Aid Detachment. Seven long weeks of hard training in first aid, home nursing and medical hygiene had all led to this moment and having completed her final examination she was officially part of the VAD. Josie had signed up shortly after Lewis left, ‘well there was no point sitting at home and moping,’ she had thought as she posted her application the morning of Easy Company’s departure from Aldbourne.

Josie clutched her hand tightly around her handbag, ensuring it didn’t blow open as she hurried down the bustling London streets. The letter for Lewis and her call-up papers were neatly enclosed. She had written to Lewis the previous night explaining everything that had happened since he’d left for Normandy. The VAD normally required a trial of one month working in a hospital and then three months of ‘hard work’ before being offered a full-time position in a hospital. However, with the number of casualties in Normandy and the demand for more nurses, Josie had completed further practical training in a London teaching hospital alongside her VAD training and had been one of a handful of women who were selected to ship out to Normandy.

A car horn behind her caused Josie to jump, spinning on her heels to come face to face with the familiar Austin and a cheerful pilot behind the wheel.

“Will?” She called, approaching the window as it rolled down and revealed the familiar face.

“Hello Jojo, where are you heading in such a hurry?” He smirked, leaning casually against the steering wheel. His blue eyes shone in the afternoon sun and were radiating light, unlike the eyes of the men Josie had been treating those last few weeks.

“I need to catch the bus. I’m heading back to Aldbourne tonight and if I miss this one I have to wait an hour for the next one and I won’t get home before dark,” Josie explained hurriedly, conscious that every minute she wasted talking to William was another minute she would be late for her bus.

“What’s the rush, Josie? Surely we could spend the evening catching up. I haven’t seen you since your wedding,” William gave her a pleasing look, a look he knew that Josie had never been able to resist.

“Okay, fine,” she opened the car door and hopped in, her summer dress causing her to slip against the car's leather seats. “One drink okay and then we need to head back to Aldbourne.”

“You have my word.”

William had always been a man of his word but as the two friends reminisced and caught up one drink turned into two, turned into three and by midnight they were walking arm and arm along the road to a hotel. Josie snorted loudly at something William had said and the pair fell through the grand, silver door of an expensive hotel.

Following Will to their respective rooms, Josie wandered up the lavish corridors that were clad with red, leather wallpaper and mirrors that were spaced a meter apart from each other. When they reached their hotel rooms opposite each other Josie turned, pushing a key into the lock and turning it. The door swung backwards on its hinges and revealed the darkened room.

“Well, this is me. I had a really lovely time tonight, Will. Thank you for taking my mind off everything,” she gestured around her with a sigh. Between Lewis leaving, constant bad news from France and her VAD training Josie had barely had time to stop and breathe.

“I had a really splendid time too,” Will admitted, leaning closer to Josie against the doorframe. “A really good time.” Josie felt William leaning towards her and without a second thought, she pushed him backwards, sending him stumbling over the hallway rug.

“William, stop! What I’m God's name do you think you’re doing?” Josie gasped, looking in utter horror at the man she had once called a friend. “Will, I trusted you.” She could feel hot tears polling in her eyes and trickling down her red cheeks, her mascara running in dark black smudges.

“Josie, I’m so sorry…” William stepped towards her but Josie raised her hand to stop him.

“How could you, William? I’m married.”

“Yes, but to the wrong man. You were always meant to marry me, ever since we were children. It was written in the stars.” William pleaded, his hands clasped out in front of him but Josie stepped backwards into her room, pulling the door closed with her.

“Good night, William.” She knew her voice sounded colder than she would have liked. William had been her friend for many years and had stood by her despite her parents but this was a step too far. Josie didn’t bother to turn on the lights, she fumbled her way across the room to the large double bed. She knew the covers would be lavish, everything about the place was grand and in normal circumstances Josie would have been exploring all the amenities of the room but not tonight. She fell like a rag doll onto a bed, her tears falling faster and heavier now as she sobbed into the sheets. Josie had felt alone ever since Lewis and her friends left for France but now she felt even more alone because she had lost her only remaining friend.

“I miss you, Lewis,” she sobbed, bawling her hands into her eyes like a child. “Please come home.”

Tags: @georgieluz @iceman-kazansky @yeahcurrahhe-e @lieutenant-speirs @sharpshootershifty @liberteuniteegalite @msmercury84 @desert-fern @mayhem24-7forever @blvestxr @dustyjumpwjngs @theflyingfin @jump-wings @kafka-ohdear @kmc1989 @mads-weasley @docroesmorphine @liptonsbabe @hesbuckcompton-baby @sweetxvanixlla @ronsparky

[fibula-rasa]

Lost, but Not Forgotten: Prodigal Daughters (1923)

Direction: Sam Wood

Scenario: Monte M. Katterjohn

Original Novel: Joseph Hocking

Camera: Alfred Gilks

Studio: Paramount (production) & Famous Players-Lasky (distribution)

Performers: Gloria Swanson, Ralph Graves, Vera Reynolds, Theodore Roberts, Louise Dresser, Charles Clary, Robert Agnew, Maude Wayne, Jiquel Lanoe, George Fawcett, Eric Mayne

Flying Stunts: Leo Nomis

Premiere: 15 April 1923

Status: presumed entirely lost

Length: 6,216 feet, or roughly 70 minutes.*

Synopsis (synthesized from magazine summaries of the plot):

Elinor “Swiftie” Forbes (Gloria Swanson) and her sister Marjory (Vera Reynolds) are committed to living life on the “jazz route” at their comfy estate on Long Island. With their freshly bobbed hair, they attend the links on Sunday instead of church, party all night, smoke cigarettes, and drink. They live by the “Seven Deadly Whims:”

New Lips to Kiss. 

Freedom from Conventions. 

A New World for Women. 

No More Chaperons. 

Life with a Kick in It. 

The Single Moral Standard. 

Our Own Latchkeys.

Their mother (Louise Dresser) also thinks young and doesn’t try to restrict or discipline her daughters. The patriarch of the family is J.D. Forbes (Theodore Roberts), a locomotive magnate who became a millionaire off WWI. J.D. has been away on business in Europe for three years.

Back in New York around the Fourth of July, Stanley Garside (Charles Clary), who runs a gambling den, throws a party for Swiftie, which includes a firework display in her honor. On the radio, the crowd hears a lecture by a Doctor Marco Strong (Eric Mayne) decrying the moral degradation of the younger generation. Swiftie broadcasts her rebuttal from her own device.

Roger Corbin (Ralph Graves), an aviator who also happens to be an engineer at J.D.’s locomotive works, is flying nearby and hears Swiftie’s rebuttal. Corbin decides to make a landing at the party and invites Swiftie for a ride. She accepts, but bad weather forces them to land and they get waylaid overnight at a local inn. Swiftie’s friends pick her up in the morning and Corbin and Swiftie part without Swiftie knowing Corbin’s identity.

Meanwhile, Marjory is being pursued by songwriter Lester Hodges (Robert Agnew).

J.D. returns from Europe soon after with no one to meet him but his chauffeur. He’s horrified to see how the women in his family are living. They’ve even converted his billiard room into a dance parlor complete with buffet bar! J.D. bans smoking, drinking, parties, and Lester.

Theodore Roberts in Prodigal Daughters from Motion Picture Magazine, August 1923

Swiftie meets Corbin at her father’s house and learns he works for dad. Corbin proposes marriage to her, but she rejects him. The daughters rebel against their newly returned father and decide to make their own way in Greenwich Village. 

Marjory marries Lester and Swiftie gets to earning a living on her own. Garside persues Swiftie and she takes to gambling at his establishment. Marjory finds out that Lester was only interested in her for her dad’s money and they split. Swiftie escorts Marjory back to their parents house, but vows to stick to her new independent lifestyle. 

Unfortunately, Swiftie begins losing heavily at Garside’s. Garside agrees to a wager against Swiftie’s debt so that, if she loses again, he’ll clear her debt, but she has to marry him within 60 days. Swiftie loses.

On Christmas Eve, Swiftie and Garside are partying at a speakeasy when the joint gets raided by prohibition agents. Luckily for Swiftie, Corbin has been out looking for her and he finds her just in time to help her escape.

The climax features an accident with a newly designed locomotive and Swiftie and Garside in his automobile. Garside is killed, but Corbin is able to rescue Swiftie and they escape via airplane.

Swiftie and Corbin get together and she returns to her parent’s home, penitent.

Scenes from Prodigal Daughters from Motion Picture News, 29 December 1923

Additional Info:

There is a sequence in the film that depicts the operation of a high-tech beauty parlor, wherein Louise Dresser’s character gets a face lift. It takes place before her husband returns from abroad, but I’m not certain with any more detail than that where it fits chronologically in the summary above.

There appears to be two sequences or at least two parts to the climatic sequence where Garside dies and Swiftie is rescued by Corbin. I’m not sure based on the summaries available precisely how they fit together, so I just described both instead of hypothesizing with no data.

---

Points of Interest:

This movie was Swanson’s 9th film out of a total of 10 with director Sam Wood. 

The full list goes:

The Great Moment (1921, only a fragment survives at BFI),

Under the Lash (1921, presumed lost),

Don’t Tell Everything (1921, presumed lost),

Her Husband’s Trademark (1922, extant on 16mm at George Eastman House & Gosfilmofond),

Her Gilded Cage (1922, presumed lost), 

Beyond the Rocks (1922, extant at Nederlands Filmmuseum, and available on home video via Milestone Films.), 

The Impossible Mrs. Bellew (1922, presumed lost), 

My American Wife (1922, presumed lost),

Prodigal Daughters (1923, presumed lost),

Bluebeard’s 8th Wife (1923, presumed lost)

That is only a 20 percent survival rate! 

[Survival status checked via LOC’s Silent Feature Film Database, and re-checked at relevant archives when available]

If you happened to read my post profiling Racing Hearts (1923), you may remember that Theodore Roberts also plays a magnate who goes abroad to Europe and has a flapper daughter, with whom he doesn’t see eye to eye. These two films were released only two months apart, so I imagine it was pretty nice for Roberts to be able to take the “two birds, one stone” approach in preparing for his work. What a type to specialize in! 

*The film was edited by censors in various state markets, so the runtime of a print in NY wouldn’t be identical to a print in Kansas.

☕ Buy me a coffee! ☕

Transcribed Sources & Annotation over on the WMM Blog!

[townsenddecades]

1311 – Day 3

TW: Death of a newborn

TOVAR CHAPEL

In August, the small Tovar chapel bears witness to yet another Townsend wedding. It has taken some more convincing from her family and groom-to-be, but eventually, Edith agrees that her family will be fine without her help, and that she should indeed marry.

Her wedding is smaller than her sister’s had been, owing mainly to the impassible roads and the less distinguished family she is marrying into. Nevertheless, Benedict uses what time they have left before the ceremony to impart some final fatherly wisdom on her and to make sure that she hasn’t felt too pressured.

Edith has assured him that she wants this marriage, and is only sad that her sister can’t attend, owing to her pregnancy. And anyway, Mahlsberg isn’t that far away. She’ll still be able to visit regularly.

The cermeony itself is just as lovely as Anna’s wedding in the previous year. Edith is equally excited to be starting a new life, and grips William’s hands tightly when their vows are finally said and they are declared man and wife.

The Townsends are both happy and sad yet again, as is William’s family.

Two of the guests are Malika’s parents, Marley and Aimee Williams. With everyone in a joyful and – hopefully – marital mood, Benjamin gathers up his courage and approaches Marley once the ceremony is over.

Marley is a bit amused at his fumbling, but Malika has already told him all about her and Benjamin’s plans. He likes the Townsends – open secret about Robert’s paternity notwithstanding – and wishes for a future out of serfdom for his daughter, so he doesn’t hesitate to give his assent to the young lovers’ plans. He does, however, caution Benjamin that Malika and he a still too young to marry, which Benjamin doesn’t disagree with. They’d have to sort out a sleeping situation beforehand, anyway, and the Williams family still has to save up the requisite money.

WATMORE FARM

Soon after the wedding, the young couple moves out onto their new land – the Earl’s land, of course, but still land they’ll get to farm – and settle into their hut. It is as small as those of their families, and the farmyard is even smaller, but there is a shed outside they’ll surely put to good use, and until they have children to fill their home, it will do nicely for the two of them.

They are glad to finally be alone, and certainly find enjoyable ways to fill the long cold nights.

CRAWLEY RESIDENCE

Anna knows that something is wrong when a dreadful, sharp pain rends through her stomach at around the time of her sisters wedding, followed by a gush of water down her legs. It’s too early. It’s far too early. She shouldn’t give birth for many weeks yet, everyone has told her so. George’s parents aren’t even home, as no one had expected her to start her labours.

Nevertheless, her baby is coming, and George runs to get the midwife, while Caroline, who has become a good friend to her, stays with her for support.

After hours of agony, she gives birth to a tiny little girl, far too small to survive yet. They name her Matilda, and Anna clings to her daughter until she dies in her arms a day later. She and George are both devastated, and the worst part is that they can’t even bury her tiny body until spring. All they can do is put up a marker in the garden.

In the following weeks, the house is quiet. Even Mary, who is a constant critic, treats her with compassion.

Even so, it will be a long time before she gets over the guilt and pain.

Prev: 1311, Day 2 <--> Next: 1311, Day 4

[ohtobealady]

🌧️ 🌈

Yay! Thank you!

🌈 Share something soft/fluffy from your WIP:

From Ch2 of The Pleasure in a Secret or Of Days in Goodness Spent (working titles. IDK yet):

“Shall we find David?”

He watched as Cora’s smirk spread into a smile, and turning, he held out his hand to guide her through the gallery. 

It was as if the crowd made space for them as they finally approached it. A large group, following a stout little man holding a small yellow flag and speaking in a language that Robert could not understand, tumbled out through the giant arches just as Cora’s pink skirts rustled into the alcove where he stood. And Robert followed at her heels. 

“Oh,” he heard he sigh quietly as he, too, gazed upward at the sculpture. He looked at the feet, the knees, the lines of veins of his hand. 

“Oh,” he heard himself echo her, and he felt as Cora moved her gaze from the statue and to himself. 

He smiled before he looked back at her, and let his smile linger on as his eyes met hers. “Are you happy?”

The question felt strangely juvenile, especially because in looking at how her face was more alive than he’d ever seen it. Of course she was, and it delighted him.

She pushed away a tight grin, and moving nearer to him to allow an older woman to move closer — for the crowds had all returned in earnest — he felt her slender hand slip through the bend of his arm. 

🌧️Share something angsty from your WIP:

From Ch16 of Things Given to Tomorrow

“Sybil was always the good one. The sweet one. Edith was much more clever,” she met Sybbie’s eye, “Though I will deny I ever said that.”

Sybbie rolled her eyes and stepped in closer. 

“And I was the one who should’ve been a son.” She shrugged.

“Mama or Papa never said, of course. But I wanted to be. Looking back now I’m not sure; George is a much better future Earl than I would have ever been. He certainly makes better decisions.”

“You didn’t answer the question. Coco says that there was a letter…that you knew the angle the journalists–”

“--Yes.” Her aunt peered into her lap. “The article will be about their marriage.”

Sybbie looked around the room, looked at the little side table that held the dog-eared page, looked at Granny’s little glass bottles on her dressing table, at the golden chair Mary sat in. And then she looked at her aunt. 

“You’re upset, aren’t you?”

Aunt Mary’s breath shuddered. And she nodded. “Papa hates it. He hates it. Hates to be reminded of their beginnings. But what was I to do? They were only interested in the Cash for a Title angle, the way it was in those days. And I couldn’t put them off. And we need the money. Because soon —“

“— Death Duties. I know. George told me.”

“I suppose it’s a blessing he has no real grasp of the present. He won’t know that the last thing people will know of him is that he married her for her money.”

Sybbie tipped her head. “They’ll write that he loved her, too, Aunt Mary. Still loves her. That he still visits her.”

Mary laughed sardonically. “Yes. And that he sometimes doesn’t even recall that she’s dead.” Sybbie watched her aunt shut her eyes, and when she opened them she took in a deep breath.

[yr-obedt-cicero]

“My sister-in-law flying under the guillotine which has destroyed most of all her family, guilty of no other crime but of having married a man of nobility, has just landed in this Continent, but the ship which brought her in was unhappily cast away on the Eastern shores of New Jersey; her and her children’s life saved but her goods and even cloathes all lost—the news of her sister’s death overwhelmed her entirely.

I hastened her home, foreseeing that after so much trouble both of mind and body she would not be long without getting sick, and indeed two days after, feeling great pains in her body she was soon reduced so very low by the ague and spitting of blood that it is but since yesterday that we see some relaxations in her pains and in our uneasiness on her account; but alas! I fear that she keeps in her bosom the principle of the disease which has carried off the dear Madame de Tousard. I have given her the cloathes of her sister. She is not in want, but the three children are most naked and the rigorous season is coming very fast, my resources entirely exhausted in helping so many others exist no more—a circumstance which concerns me so nearly though I was far from foreseeing it.

In such a critical conjuncture for me, I have a mind to apply to Col. Hamilton and to deposit in his friendly heart all my anxieties and solicitudes, but being not yet certain of his return at home and knowing that there is not a sentiment in one of your hearts which is not felt by the others, I did not hesitate to apply to you, Madam, and recommend your sensibility those three unfortunate children. The two daughters are something more than Martine and Caroline, the son is seven years old. I wish I could send him to college and the two daughters to Mrs. Mitchell at Burlington, but it is out of my power to advance the necessary money for it. If any generous soul of your acquaintance could supply my deficiency at this moment, I hope that in a few years my sister-in-law would be able to return together with gratitude the money advanced to enable her children not to lose so precious a time for their education. I beg your pardon, Madam, for troubling you so often with the account of my countrymen’s misfortunes; but in the same time, I cannot but rejoice myself in having found a heart so compatient with them and your name will be for ever engraved in theirs.”

(source — The Intimate Life of Alexander Hamilton, by Allan McLane Hamilton)

In 1794, Count de Tousard - who was sparing the French aristocracy from guillotines - wrote to Elizabeth that his sister-in-law had escaped arrest and arrived in America with her three children. But their ship sank with all their stuff and she had caught ill — So, he basically asks her if she would take in these three kids; Martine, Caroline, and a seven year old boy.

There is no indication they actually took these kids in, but just imagine. Imagine if they took in these three extra kids on top of the three they had already taken in; Franny Antill, Georges de Lafayette, and Philip Bradstreet Schuyler. Making six in addition to their five children by 1795.

Because at this point I'm convinced the Hamiltons' were seen as the orphanage for unfortunate kids.

[blowflyfag]

WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION MAGAZINE : FEBRUARY 1999

DM BLONDE AMBITIONS Is everybody beneath Debra McMichael?

Transcript Below!!!

How many of us are Melrose Place fans? Heather Locklear, one of the stars of the show, portrays Amanda Woodward–the beautiful but dangerous blonde who has schemed and connived her way to the top. Several seasons ago, Amanda purchased the apartment complex Melrose Place and found it an unlimited source of lovers, enemies and potential clients for her advertising business. Amanda is extremely demanding and when anyone crosses her there’s hell to pay. 

Maybe the producers of the series were thinking of Debra McMichael when they created the character of Amanda Woodward. 

A native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Debra grew up with three brothers and a sister in what she calls an average family. Her mother was a nurse and her father worked in a foundry and in her free time the high school cheerleader liked to ride horses on their 10-acre spread. But she dreamed of a career in television and movies. 

“Growing up, my parents were very protective, and they didn’t even want me to become a cheerleader,” Debra revealed on a telephone interview. “But I snuck out and did it anyway, and there wasn’t much they could do about itt. From there, I got involved in beauty pageants because I thought it would be fun to dress up in beautiful gowns.”

Debra went on to become Miss Illinois America and Miss Texas USA. In 1985 while on a Chicago flight Debra met the mother of her future husband, then-Chicago Bears football star Steve McMichael. After meeting on a blind date, the two hit it off and eventually married. It must have been like winning the lottery for the Southern belle. In her own words, their lifestyle was like “the Super Bowl every year.” Money May not buy happiness, but it certainly helped Debra open a few doors. 

The beauty made certain that wherever Steve went, she was a star as well. As a result of their marriage, Debra was featured on ESPN and HBO, numerous sports talk  programs and Oprah Winfrey’s show on two occasions. In addition, Debra appeared in half a dozen television commercials, two of country singing star George Strait’s music videos and landed roles in films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre IV.

“My second appearance on Oprah was the best,” Debra recalls. “The topic was ‘How do you handle your mate being a sex symbol.’ Well, Steve was the NFL star, but I was the one who was the sex symbol on the show.” 

When Steve entered World Championship Wrestling, it wasn’t long before Debra accompanied him. The woman who came from Tuscaloosa with the dream of making it in show business must have fallen in love with the bright lights and the big city. After all, she was turning more heads than her husband. 

In the South is where Debra also first met Jeff Jarrett. Without much hesitation, McMichael quickly cast aside her husband for a successful business relationship with Jarrett. Her marriage to Steve deteriorated and they soon divorced. Debra followed her protege to the World Wrestling Federation within a year. 

After debuting on RAW, McMichael quickly asserted her power. Proving she was adobe the gyrations of Val Venis when she resisted his advances–something other “ladies” would jump at–Debra turned the table and played Val! While the former beauty queen pretended to be interested in him, Venus left himself wide open to an attack by Jarrett. Other women superstars are no threat to Debra either. After Terri Runnels confronted McMichael over what she had done, the business woman simply shrugged it off like a fly. Once McMichael gets a reaction out of someone–male or female–they’re little more than pawns in her game. In the big picture, the beauty knows that all who cross her will have to pay a price down the road. 

Jarrett’s recent battle with Al Snow is another example of how Debra combines intelligence and beauty. After learning that Head had an eye for the ladies–and Debra in particular–McMichael did everything to take advantage of the situation. Soon Head was completely out of the fight, thanks to a shrewd strategy and her provocative attire. Debra knows what men want and using that to her advantage is just one of her many skills. 

McMichael is equally clever in her business dealings. According to sources, proper to signing a contract with the Federation Debra made it clear that she would be the only one controlling her business dealings. Thanks to her connections in both entertainment and business, she seems to have dirt on anyone who dares to challenge her. But one wonders what might happen if this beauty queen ever hinges for more. Would she cast aside Jarrett, like her former husband, to further her own career?

After all, Amanda has no problem deceiving her long-time clients for the prospect of power and wealth on Melrose Place. Why would Debra do Otherwise?

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Debra McMichael debuted alongside long-time client Jeff Jarrett on the October 19 RAW from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During Harrett’s bout with Steve Blackman, Al Snow attempted to attack the former Intercontinental Champion, but McMichael served as a beautiful distraction! With Snow and Head completely out of the fight, Debra’s protege was free to lay Al out with his guitar!

On the November 1 Sunday Night HEAT from Austin, Texas, the former beauty pageant winner turned the tables on Val Venis–feigning interest in the adult film star’s gyrations, but actually leaving him wide open to an attack by Jarrett! When Terri Runnels confronted Debra about her actions, the business woman could not have cared less about what Terri had to say! This beauty uses everyone, male and female, to get what she wants! Debra once again showed her lethal mix of brains and beauty on the November 9 RAW from Dallas, Texas during Al Snow’s match. Originally slated to be Snow vs. Tiger Ali, The rich Indian offered up Babu as Al’s opponent instead! During the bout, McMichael appeared at ringside and held Head in her arms, playing up to “their” interest in  beautiful women. Once again, with Head out of the match, Tiger Ali took advantage of the situation, sneaking back into the ring and scoring the win over the J.O.B. Squad leader.

[hatterhare]

More Pauline Backstory stuff because inspiration strikes randomly and hard

Content Warning:

Abuse (general) / Misogyny / Murder (blunt force + beheading) / Death / Adultery

Pauline Margaret Tailor - later Pauline Margaret Dekker after marriage - was born on December 11th, 1942 to her parents Dolly Tailor (Mother) and Joseph Tailor (Father). She had an older brother - Daniel Tailor - and a younger sister - Juliet Tailor - whom she got along with well.

Joseph Tailor was not a kind man and would often enact strict rules on his wife and children - particularly Pauline and Juliet. This led to Pauline having an extremely close relationship with her mother. Her mother, being a seamstress, would teach her daughters how to sew and create things from bits of fabric left over from her projects. Pauline immediately fell in love with the idea of creation and especially all the different colors things could be made from. She heavily associated different colors with different emotions and would color code everything in her life accordingly - including her diary.

As Pauline grew older, her childhood fascination with color and emotion grew more intense. She would spend hours detailing how different colors made people react - in a multitude of contexts. Writing all of her observations down in notebooks she kept under the boxspring of her bed. She wasn't very popular in school due to her bookish nature and she didn't have much interest in dating. She kissed a boy on a dare, but she either didn't notice when people liked her or outright ignored them.

Unfortunately, when she was in her senior year of high school, Pauline's brother got killed in a hunting accident. Their father brought him home wrapped in a quilt their mother had made and he was buried in the backyard. When washing the quilt, Pauline had what seemed to be a mental break at the time as she began to panic and describe in detail exactly what her brother felt in his final moments. She clung to the quilt as she was carted to the hospital, as even though it caused her distress, it was also somehow keeping her close to Daniel. Since then, Pauline has been fixated on the idea of quilts and quilting and began making blankets as a way to ease her mind when she begins to miss her brother or other things upset her.

Eventually, Pauline tried to apply for college, but found it difficult to get in as a woman in her time. She eventually brought all of her research on psychology and color to the Dean's office - who promptly laughed in her face. Saying, quote, "Doll, with a pretty face like yours, you shouldn't be writing about this sciencey stuff. Why don't you go home and worry about what's for dinner instead, hm?" Pauline left in a hurry, bursting into tears behind the head office. There she met George Dekker, a clean dressed man who offered her a hankerchief and asked her what the trouble was. The two immediately hit it off, despite some of George's odd behaviors. Eventually after a lengthy courting process, the two of them got married and moved to Gotham City.

George claimed the move was for work when Pauline questioned him why they were so close to so much crime. She felt uneasy, but accepted it as an answer. For a while she and George were happy, she was a homebody who was happy to be so and George brought home enough money to be comfortable and spoil his wife. But, as the years went by, George grew increasingly distant. He became cold to his wife, working extremely long hours at work only to come home in such a bad sorts that he barely acknowledged Pauline outside of barking at her to fetch his dinner. The money too was starting to inexplicably drain from their funds.

In such stressful circumstances, Pauline took up her old hobby of sewing quilts and soon the living room became a mess of random scraps of fabric and various pins stuck in the furniture. One day, George accidentally pricked himself on one of Pauline's thick needles. He used her current project to stop the bleeding. Proceeding to berate his wife, screaming at her and throwing her sewing supplies at her and into the walls. Eventually slamming the door as he left in his anger. Pauline cried as she picked up her supplies, eventually picking up the quilt her husband had bled all over. She was struck with the same kind of vision she had when she was cleaning her brother's quilt. A vivid play by play of George's memories. This time she stood strong as she watched the apparition of her husband - who had been secretely leading an underground mob and sleeping around with various women in the city.

Pauline became so blinded by rage that when her husband finally came home from work - she bashed his head in with a cast iron skillet. Proceeding to cut off his head and carrying it in her tote bag to where she saw the mob hanging out. She plopped it in front of the members, using it as intimidation to get them to follow her orders - which after some apprehension they eventually did. With the help of the gang, she avoided time in jail. Going to her husband's funeral stone faced under a black veil - it would be the only time wearing no color was enjoyable to her.

She continued to lead the mob for 40 more years. Using her men to do what she always dreamed of doing and amassing wealth and a reputation along the way. She learned to be a sharp shooter, getting scarily accurate with a pistol. She also found creative ways to use her memory seeing ability to dig up dirt on her enemies in a way few would detect. She also discovered that she could pull pieces of soul onto her needle if she pulled it all the way through someones skin - and she could trap them within her blankets if she used it to quilt with.

During her 40s, she met and fell in love with a lounge singer named Pearl Darling. The two had a secret affair. Pauline used her men to keep it private, silencing anyone who dared to try and out her. The two remained happily together until Pearl passed at the age of 68. Some of her soul now resides in a small felt doll Pauline keeps on her nightstand.

As Pauline has gotten older, her vision has started to decrease, meaning she can no longer see colors as vibrantly as before. She has become obsessed with the idea of becoming younger, kidnapping random citizens to steal souls as she researches the key to immortality.

[ofmythsandfables]

C.onstance H.atchaway

starter call | open starters | aesthetics | headcanons | photos

SYNOPSIS

Growing up on a farm wasn’t easy for a spoiled rotten Constance. Heiress to a small fortune within her town, Constance expected everything handed to her on a silver platter without a fuss. When she didn’t get her way though, which came more often than not, Constance became bratty and devilish and it continued until she bloomed into a beautiful young woman. Her beauty and charming personality caught the eyes of many, but none more-so than Ambrose Harper, the son of a successful farmer. The two fell madly in love, and were soon married. The honeymoon stage seemed to last a long time for the two lovebirds. always found with their arms linked and whispering sweet nothings to each other, it seemed like a match made in heaven. But what the public, and Ambrose, didn’t see was the constant internal struggle Constance went through. Her lust for money was turning out to be far greater than her love for the sweet and innocent Ambrose. He couldn’t keep up with his bride’s expensive tastes, and it slowly began to take a toll on their relationship. Constance’s greed became too great one evening, and so were the slashes in poor Ambrose’ neck. He was nearly decapitated in the bed he shared with his bride. When word got out, no one ever suspected Constance to be the killer. How could they? The couple was so in love; everyone saw it. just as they saw her grieving hysterically and shaking violently from the murderous act. Unfortunately, “the killer’’ was never found, but Constance was now heiress of her late husband’s small fortune. and well, things just took off from there… Two years later, she was married again. And then another three times after that. All of them ended tragically. Each husband had been decapitated, and “poor Constance” was ever the most grieving of widows. She was known in town as “the cursed bride” or “the black widow bride” – for she was always dressed in black, in mourning for her late husbands. Death seemed to follow her everywhere. And now, having acquired all the fortune she could want and never getting caught for her evil acts, she lives comfortably within the mansion she inherited from her latest victim husband. But do beware of her. one never knows when she’ll break out the hatchet again for her next killing…

VERSES

In sickness and in…wealth (aged 27 ; FC - Florence Pugh):

Constance is newly widowed after her fifth husband’s tragic death and living quite comfortably in her mansion. she parades around town dressed in black, in mourning naturally, but she isn’t one to shy away from throwing parties at her manor. after all, one can’t live a grim life forever…

Till death do us part (deceased, but looks 27 ; FC - Florence Pugh):

Though Constance has since passed on after many years of living, she still remains at the mansion. Constance haunts the many halls and rooms, dressed in a bridal gown and carrying around a hatchet, searching for her next victim who walks through the mansion’s doors. this can take place at any point starting from the 1920s and on.

Hurry back… (aged 30 ; modern/main ; FC - Florence Pugh):

Modern verse. Connie Barnes has given up her life on a ranch and just moved to the Hudson River Valley after learning she has inherited an old mansion passed down to her through her grandmother, a distant relation of George Hightower, who once owned the mansion and died tragically not too long after marrying. Connie bartends in town to help pay off college while writing her book on anthropology, but after settling into the large home, she realized she wasn't the only one living within its walls...

[ofmythsandfablesaa]

Constance Hatchaway

SYNOPSIS

Growing up on a farm wasn’t easy for a spoiled rotten Constance. Heiress to a small fortune within her town, Constance expected everything handed to her on a silver platter without a fuss. When she didn’t get her way though, which came more often than not, Constance became bratty and devilish and it continued until she bloomed into a beautiful young woman. Her beauty and charming personality caught the eyes of many, but none more-so than Ambrose Harper, the son of a successful farmer. The two fell madly in love, and were soon married.

The honeymoon stage seemed to last a long time for the two lovebirds. always found with their arms linked and whispering sweet nothings to each other, it seemed like a match made in heaven. But what the public, and Ambrose, didn’t see was the constant internal struggle Constance went through. Her lust for money was turning out to be far greater than her love for the sweet and innocent Ambrose. He couldn’t keep up with his bride’s expensive tastes, and it slowly began to take a toll on their relationship. Constance’s greed became too great one evening, and so were the slashes in poor Ambrose’ neck. He was nearly decapitated in the bed he shared with his bride. When word got out, no one ever suspected Constance to be the killer. How could they? The couple was so in love; everyone saw it. just as they saw her grieving hysterically and shaking violently from the murderous act. Unfortunately, “the killer’’ was never found, but Constance was now heiress of her late husband’s small fortune. and well, things just took off from there…

Two years later, she was married again. And then another three times after that. All of them ended tragically. Each husband had been decapitated, and “poor Constance” was ever the most grieving of widows. She was known in town as “the cursed bride” or “the black widow bride” – for she was always dressed in black, in mourning for her late husbands. Death seemed to follow her everywhere. And now, having acquired all the fortune she could want and never getting caught for her evil acts, she lives comfortably within the mansion she inherited from her latest victim husband.

But do beware of her. one never knows when she’ll break out the hatchet again for her next killing…

VERSES

In sickness and in…wealth (aged 27 ; fc- Florence Pugh):

Constance is newly widowed after her fifth husband’s tragic death and living quite comfortably in her mansion. she parades around town dressed in black, in mourning naturally, but she isn’t one to shy away from throwing parties at her manor. after all, one can’t live a grim life forever…

Till death do us part (deceased, but looks 27 ; FC - Florence Pugh):

though Constance has since passed on after many years of living, she still remains at the mansion. Constance haunts the many halls and rooms, dressed in a bridal gown and carrying around a hatchet, searching for her next victim who walks through the mansion’s doors. this can take place at any point starting from the 1920s and on.

Hurry back… (aged 30 ; modern/main ; FC - Florence Pugh):

Modern day. Connie Barnes has given up her life on a ranch and just moved to the Hudson River Valley after learning she has inherited an old mansion passed down to her through her grandmother, a distant relation of George Hightower, who once owned the mansion and died tragically not too long after marrying. Connie tries to settle into the large and empty home, but every so often, the home doesn’t feel so…empty…and Connie suspects someone’s watching her every move.

[pollywiltse]

You know, I was very careful to say "any prior version" when talking about Ann Rinaldi's creepy, over-sexed version of André because The Traitor's Wife by Alison Pataki is basically an R-rated, worse-written version of Finishing Becca where the heroine is named after a cow, but either one part of this interview is weirdly phrased or Donna Thorland went even harder in Turncoat with André the sexual predator and has him molesting John Cope, who she inexplicably keeps referring to as Caleb. (Caleb was the father. John was the kid. Also André was trying to get Caleb Cope to send John to him in Carlisle, not New York. As soon as André got exchanged, he seems to have completely lost interest in cultivating John Cope's artistic genius. There's no reason to think he ever asked them send him to New York. I think she's either using Thomas Cope's diary or someone who cites Thomas Cope's diary, because Thomas Cope makes it sound like André was in Lancaster until he was exchanged. Note that Thomas Cope was like seven or eight when this was going on and he was writing I think twenty-seven years later after John Cope had just died of something that was probably alcohol-related, so there's stuff he's clearly not remembering correctly.)

Under the cut, I hope, because some people think that humans are way more sex-obsessed than they actually are, and some of those people have somehow managed to get book deals.

I couldn't find "Caleb" or "Cope" (which I had to put in quotes because Google was showing me snippets with the word "deal" in them thanks Google) when I tried searching inside the book, but he has to be in there, otherwise why would she talk about it? I may have to see if the library has a copy because I'm not giving this woman money, but it might piss me off so much that it would be excessively cruel to my mother to read it because then she'll have to listen to me complain for days.

What's particularly unpleasant is that even if he isn't a child-molester, it looks like she went hard on the whole Evil Gay (Depraved Bisexual?) trope, and several reviewers are claiming this is a more realistic portrayal than the older romanticized versions/"how I think of him has completely changed". Um, based on excerpts and reviews, he's seems to be an over-the-top evil secretly gay spymaster in Philadelphia who tries to murder the heroine by drugging her and leaving her in an ice house. Honestly the gay bit is the least unrealistic part here because that's something normal humans do, and it's still wrong.

A lot of the negative reviews are complaining about how rapey this book is, and it's making me think of the terrible Israel Potter novel I did read, which was basically "if James Bond lived during the American Revolution and was written by misogynist porn-addicted incels". (Gone Over? Or maybe that was the first book? Unfortunately there were two of them.) And if you're going "isn't that just James Bond during the American Revolution?", I have read James Bond, and I can tell you, it's not. I actually kind of enjoyed James Bond. These books were awful. By the time André showed up, I was trying to guess whether he would be a depraved pervert like every other male in the book, or gay. I forgot "both" was an option. Fortunately the authors didn't spend unnecessary amounts of time following him to increasingly recherché brothels, like they did with another character who was actually only separated from his wife and kids for like three months before they followed him to Paris in real life, but in this stupid book he's away from them for years because he's too busy watching fake nuns having sex with donkeys.

I don't even remember most of the characters' names. There was Gary Stu; King George III; John André; Depraved Perverts 1-270; Gary Stu's Depraved Pervert Mentor Who Secretly Slept With Gary Stu's Future Faithful Wife; Gary Stu's Convenient Casual Sex Girlfriends Who Get Conveniently Married Off So They Stop Being His Problem; Gary Stu's Lobotomized Faithful Wife Who Forgives Him For Being A Massive Hypocrite About The Fact That She Wasn't A Virgin; Two Million Assorted Whores, Some In Nuns' Costumes; and Squirting Peggy Shippen.

We do get a moment where Gary Stu shows up at Joshua Hett Smith's house and, when André points out the window, there's a bit of narration about how Clinton loves that hand because that's the hand André gives him handjobs with, because this is a completely normal thing to think when you're trying to figure out how to get the plans Benedict Arnold gave André back to New York so the British can capture West Point and win the war. Also, when I say Gary Stu shows up at Joshua Hett Smith's house, I mean he shows up at his house with a boat that he then uses to row himself back to the Vulture, and for some inexplicable reason André still goes back by land with the incriminating papers and gets caught and hanged. I say "some inexplicable reason", but actually I assume it's because André was trying to get himself executed because it was the most effective way of escaping from that horrible book. Sometimes your characters get away from you like that.

Anyway I'm wondering if there's a correlation between authors who think historical realism means straight men were having not-that-consensual sex with women constantly and authors who look at André and think, "Manipulative Bisexual". (Or "Manipulative Homosexual"; six-of-one, half a dozen of the other.) This is partly because I know there was a thing in the mid-20th century about "haha dumb bitch, you think the reason that guy doesn't sexually harass you is because he's gentlemanly and chivalrous, but actually it's because he's gay" and we are really not as far from skeevy early-mid 20th century beliefs about human sexuality as we think we are, and I mean you too, intersectional queer representation tumblr people.

[calvinhobbs27]

Final Chapter: Free Love

Mr. George H. Himes, assistant secretary of the Oregon Historical Society, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the pioneer history of Oregon, says it is an unquestioned fact that no other one importation of pioneer days did so much to add to the income and wealth of the people of Oregon as Henderson Luelling's traveling nursery.

Now he was taking it to California. In 1853, taking advantage of the Gold Rush, Lewelling moved to California, established a nursery and founded the community of Fruitvale. Today, Lewelling is known as the Father of the Pacific Fruit Industry. Again the business was a rousing success. But Lewelling was a restless soul. His first wife had died in Milwaukie in childbirth. He had married two more times, and became a widower both times. He remarried for a fourth time.

After these achievements, and having acquired for himself both wealth and an enviable reputation, he seemed to have reached the limitations of his work on the Pacific Coast. But he could not be content to stand still, and look back upon past achievements. He must still press forward, and be a leader among men.

A vision came to Henderson Luelling around the age of 55. Final ambition. His Grand finale was to establish a utopian community. He called it The Harmonial Brotherhood. It had grown and gained adherents, but there were problems for Luelling’s happy band. The biggest of these was the inconvenient fact that California society just wasn’t hospitable to their vision of the world — most Californians liked their social customs and institutions of monogamy, courtship, and marriage, thank you very much, and regarded anyone advocating a throwing-off of that yoke as a serious threat to the social order. Luelling decided he needed to lead his flock into a wilderness somewhere, where they might create a whole new society, a society founded on their own principles. In such a place, the Harmonial Brotherhood could demonstrate the soundness of its philosophy without interference and judgment from a prim, preachy, overdressed mainstream society.

Many of the early participants in Spiritualism were radical Quakers and others caught up in the reforming movement of the mid-nineteenth century. These reformers were uncomfortable with established churches because those churches did little to fight slavery and even less to advance women's rights. Women were particularly attracted to the movement, because it gave them important roles as mediums and trance lecturers. In fact Spiritualism provided one of the first forums in which American women could address mixed public audiences.

So Luelling sold his beautiful farm and, taking all the money, invested it in a schooner — the Santiago.

He knew that society would not succeed in the East Bay, so he looked to Central America. Luelling sold Fruit Vale to the governor of California, John B. Weller, in 1859. He organized a few eager families and along with his sons Eli and Albert purchased a ship called the Santiago. He knew that society would not succeed in the East Bay, so he looked to Central America.

BY THE STATE TELEGRAPH LINE. San Francisco, October 7th. An association of Free Lovers, known as the Harmonial Brotherhood, sailed for San Salvador this afternoon, in the schooner San Diego [Santiago]. They number about twenty-five persons, male and female. and are under the guidance of Dr. Tyler. They propose to settle in the interior of Honduras."

Things did not go well for the Harmonial Brotherhood.

Telegraph from Honduras. We extract the following from a recent letter to the [San Francisco?] Bulletin, dated at Tegucigalpa, Honduras, July 28th: I have just heard that the horde of Free Lovers, who left California some time before I did, have settled on the Pacific side, and are dying off rapidly. The coast where they are is very unhealthy, and the Government looks upon them with much suspicion. Poor, deluded wretches! the priests will finish them soon."

The journey appears to have been dogged with several major issues. The first was a question of leadership. Luelling was the group’s leader, but another fellow - referred to in the newspaper as “Dr. T,” a onetime circus performer who was now a preacher and spiritualist (hence the “Dr.” title) - thought he himself ought to be the alpha, and lost no time in initiating a remarkably unbrotherly and unharmonious feud with Luelling over who would be top banana. They all agreed to head back to California after realizing their dreams of a new community in an environment they were not prepared for. to this, Lewelling had been successful in his every undertaking, but in this project he met defeat. The enterprise was a disastrous failure. He was the principal capitalist in the scheme and he lost heavily. Returning to California, he engaged in the fruit business again; but by this time he had lost his former vigor, and he never regained his former financial standing. More bad news was ahead for Luelling. He only asset left that had any value was his boat the Santiago.

San Francisco News.- The following dispatch was in the Bee[?], yesterday: The schooner Santiago, belonging to the Harmonial Brotherhood, was completely wrecked at Mazatlan, on July 31st."

.He returned to California to live with in-laws near San Jose.  On December 28th, 1878, while burning debris and clearing land to plant yet another orchard, he died of a heart attack. His brother in law found him dead in the prone position, partially burn and his beard singed. He was 69.

An epic life and somber way to die.

[the-firebird69]

In a couple other things to announce

-it's a huge call for people to check into what's happening here all over the world they don't like it they hear what's happening. We're submitting our papers with foreigners today

-huge attacks are going on against the empire basis and the shield manufacturing facilities and they're preparing to attack the shields and it's going on fairly soon.

-there's other things happening this giant number of people who don't have anything to do and it's true they don't know what to do and people are coming up with ideas very quickly today and it's on you have to

-we have a few people here on miscreants and our control but otherwise it seems to be tame and under control of themselves which is good.

-the other thing is we have a lot of people trying to cross the border of course but really driving and it's not going so good and my husband's situation is not good he needs funding and hasn't changed at all so we have to do something

I hear rumblings but no I see it started it started up and it's going to go forwards and I think that either during the freeze out or when it gets married with sand it is going to they're going to send some money and that's what I think is happening

Hera

It's actually true that is starting up and it is because Trump is blown out from bridge more or less and almost killed and he figures out who and why and he does blame the max and they planned it he says it hasn't happened yet but it's coming up and we believe this weekend then he gets hell bent on doing it and The sopranos begins personally because of that the other reason is that he is securing things in order to do it one of them is the USS Kansas City that's a way and and there's other things like that and he's actually trying for the ship and it's a 500 and there's probably 20,000 of those I'm still up and supposedly not special but no the armor on it is different and The shield is different and people say it the growth of the stone is humongous it's probably 10 to 20 times the normal power of chills of the most powerful black ship it has some of our son's new tech or it absorbs his and the doom ship does too and did very well and by comparison and I think this is even better it was built by George senior yes he left in 2018 it's not too long ago

Olympus

Actually it's me announcing at the top and Thor at the bottom

Freya

For Olympus

Thor