#helena cambridge

[tiny-librarian]

Royal Birthdays for today, October 23rd:

Charlotte of Valois, French Princess, 1516

Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden, 1636

Peter II, Tsar of Russia, 1715

Helena Cambridge, Lady Gibbs, 1899

Masako Sen, Japanese Royal, 1951

Mako Komuro, Japanese Royal, 1991

[dogandcatcomics]

#repost @helenawurzel Helena Wurzel (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, 1980-). I recently became aware of Wurzel's work, including this instance of canine representation, through the collecting activity of @pamelahornik . First image is Iggy Takes a Ride, 2022, oil on canvas, 14 x 16 inches. Second image is Walk and Talk, 2021, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 in. @praise.shadows.art

[eueclid]

Character bios of Laila Nadar, Emma Davies, and Caleb Walker below the cut:

Laila Nadar was born to Indian immigrants who moved to London ten years before she was born. Growing up, Laila always had an interest in literature, which led her to major in it at Cambridge University. While there, she met Emma Davis, her first year roommate. The girls would live together through all their years of school and into their postgraduate masters programs. Halfway through her undergraduate, Laila meets Caleb and introduces him to Emma. From there, an unbreakable friendship was formed between the three of them. They all received their masters degrees together and by some stroke of luck, had the opportunity to work at the same library in Exeter, a building called Mistwooden. However, after the three get settled in there, it's apparent the library is not what it seems.

Emma Davies was born in London through surrogacy to two doctors. Growing up, she always felt her mothers wanted her to follow in their footsteps, but she never wanted it. Instead, she was drawn to the classics and wanted to become an author herself. Her resolve only strengthened once she met her freshman roommate, Laila, and became friends with Caleb later on. As much as she wanted writing to be her career, it was pushed on the backburner as she was offered a job she just couldn't refuse. She packed her bags and moved to Exeter with Laila and Caleb, starting to work in the same place. The mysterious Mistwooden contained more than meets the eye, and with the help of her friends, she was determined to find whatever haunts the library she has come to consider home.

Caleb Walker was born in London to an actor and a musician, both of which graced London's West End multiple times before he was born. However, no matter how much he tried, acting wasn't for him, and neither was singing publicly. He did have some interest in being a playwright, which led him to start studying English at Cambridge. He met Laila in one of their classes which led him to meeting Emma as well, which created the bond that would bring the three of them to Exeter following them receiving their master's degrees. He is the one who found the jobs at Mistwooden, unaware of what awaited them there. However, once he learned what lurks beneath the surface, Caleb made it his personal mission to solve it once and for all.

Some facts that apply to everyone in the story:

Mistwooden is somewhat inspired by media like Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. It is haunted by a variety of ghosts and other supernatural entities that were experimented on by a man named Doctor Hughes during some point in the 1800s. There are four specific ones that need helping, which are listed below.

Helena Davies, an ancestor of Emma. She was experimented on by Doctor Hughes who claimed he could cure her anemia. She was bled out and her body was never found. Played by Alycia Debnam - Carey.

Frank Jones, a newspaper boy. He was kidnapped by Doctor Hughes as a means to test out a new toxin. Frank died, of course, with his body being left on the streets. His parents were wrongfully blamed and prosecuted for his death. Played by Elliot Grihault.

Agatha Baker, a socialite. She went to Doctor Hughes for what she assumed was a pregnancy — however, there was no baby, and the abortion performed made her bleed out. Her death was attributed to another killer. Played by Lily Dodsworth - Evans.

Arthur Thomas, another doctor. Doctor Hughes was jealous of him, and killed him in cold blood. He made it look like a suicide. Played by Henry Golding.

At some point while solving all these cases, Laila and Emma start dating. By the fourth case being solved, they are engaged and have a date set for a wedding.

After each of the cases are solved, Caleb meets a marine biologist named Samuel Wright ( played by Jacob Collins - Levy ). They don't get married, but rather become life partners.

The three live within a mile radius of each other for the rest of their lives, choosing to remain in Exeter. Emma is able to become an author, Caleb goes on to teach at a local university after receiving his doctorate, and Laila becomes a book critic.

[totowlff]

extra — you asked for this

➝ who the hell is in your bed, cassandra?

➝ word count: 3,3k

➝ warnings: cursing, mentions to hitler, homophobia, allusions to domestic violence, cheating, emotional abuse, stalking and comparisons between horses and people

➝ author’s note: my boss is being a real bitch today, so keep this adorable extra in tribute to her

Looking at the picture frame on the table, Albert Aldersey pressed his lips into a thin line. In the image, he was holding a newborn Helena, with a restrained expression, without showing any emotion. Beside him were his two eldest children; on the left, Jason looked at the camera seriously, while on the right, Cassandra was smiling widely, clearly excited about the new addition to the family.

“You never get tired of being a thorn in my side, do you?”, he thought to himself, looking away from the documents that Henry had left at Stansted House, at his request. And given the amount of paper inside, the man had worked hard over the past few weeks looking for information.

Upon opening the folder, Albert came across a large photo of a man. He had a smile on his face, his gaze directed somewhere to the left of the camera. Dark hair, brown eyes, white shirt with the first two buttons open. The logos embroidered on his shirt were all too familiar. 

— Torger Wolff — he murmured, reading what was written just below the image, along with the photo credits. Nothing like the name Andromeda had told him when she spoke about her meeting with Cassandra at their youngest daughter's house.

He had realized something was unusual with his wife as soon as he heard her come into the foyer. He heard her telling John, the household’s head butler, that the things she had bought on Savile Row were in the boot of the car and should be taken to Albert's closet. He could hear Andromeda running quickly up the stairs, the sound of her heeled shoes echoing through the corridor.

— Andromeda — he shouted from the drawing room. The clicking of shoes stopped momentarily, as if the woman had hesitated for a few seconds before changing direction and heading towards him. As soon as she appeared at the door, Albert looked up from the newspaper and saw that there was, in fact, something wrong with her.

— Yes, Albert — she said in a low voice.

— Is everything okay? — Albert asked her, lowering the edition of the Daily Mail onto his lap.

— Yes — Andromeda replied, her voice tense. The navy blue dress she was wearing had a dark stain.

— Did you have any problems getting my suit?

— No, it was ready. John is taking it to your closet.

An uncomfortable silence stretched between them.

— What is that stain on your dress?

Looking down, Andromeda pursed her lips.

— I spilled tea on it.

— Where did you go for tea?

— I went to Pimlico to visit Helena. Jack is in Switzerland, she is alone with Tommy and I thought it would be nice to stop by, see how they were doing — she snorted, putting her hand to her forehead — But Cassandra was there...

Albert felt his muscles tense and his nostrils flare when he heard that name. “Damn it”, he thought, dropping the newspaper on the armchair and jumping to his feet.

It was a name he hadn’t heard in a while, and sooner hoped to forget; the greatest mistake he ever made, if he had any hand in her making, which was still an uncertainty to this day.

— And what did that bint say this time?

— Albert — his wife said, a reproachful edge to her voice.

— What, Andromeda? 

— Please…

Albert couldn’t help himself. Any time his daughter was brought up in private company, he couldn’t help but talk about how she’d wronged him. 

His daughter — if she was his, mind you — had always had a rebellious streak, thinking that she was too good to be just a wife and mother and had to make her own way in the world. She was an ungrateful aberration that spat in the face of the traditions and ideals that the family had held for centuries.

Albert had sent her to Cambridge to get a classical education and to meet an appropriate suitor, but instead, she decided to change her course without telling him or Andromeda, and ended up doing marketing, or some hogwash, for a motorsport team in Northampton. Even worse, the team she worked for was owned by the Germans! His grandfather, who was a Royal Navy officer in both World Wars, was likely turning in his grave, knowing his great-granddaughter was working for the company that made Hitler’s limousine. It would have been less awful if she’d worked for McLaren in Woking, at least they had a respectable English heritage.

— You know she is, there's no point in denying it. You try and bring a daughter up right by sending her to good schools, send her to university to get an education, try set her up with someone respectable, but she dates men without a pound to their name and takes some ridiculous job — he shouted — If she thinks we're going to take her back just because she finally realized that we were right all along…

— She found someone, Albert — Andromeda said, suddenly.

He couldn't hold back a laugh.

— Are you telling me that she found someone capable of putting up with her? — Albert said, mockingly — Because you'd have to be crazy to stand being around her for more than five minutes...

— It's worse than that — his wife murmured, running a hand over her face.

— And what could be worse than that?

— She's pregnant — Andromeda shouted, suddenly.

He felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. After hearing so many times from Cassandra herself that she wouldn't marry or have children because she wouldn’t give her parents the satisfaction, the news seemed unbelievable and infuriating in equal measure. Albert shot his wife a skeptical look.

— Are you telling me that Cassandra found a man witless enough to not only be around her for more than five minutes, but crazy enough to breed her?

— Albert, she's not one of your mares — Andromeda murmured.

— Even if she were, she’d have gone to auction straight away  — he said — Too willful. Plus, my mares have a good lineage, good blood running through their veins, unlike that tart. And you know who's to blame, don't you?

That was the other effect hearing the name of his estranged daughter had on him — it reminded him of Andromeda’s possible indiscretion with one of his trainers some thirty-five years ago. His name was Seamus Doyle. Normally, Albert made a habit of not trusting the Irish, but his father had hired him when he was in charge of the stables. Albert kept him around after he took over because the man was as talented with horses as Albert had ever seen, like he practically spoke their language. However, when Cassandra started growing hair the same shade of red as Seamus’, he became suspicious. Nobody in his family or his wife’s family, to his knowledge, had had red hair, so it had to come from somewhere.

Andromeda denied it to this day, but Albert knew better.

Nevertheless, he knew people would talk if he treated Cassandra like the bastard he knew she was; it would reflect poorly on him and his wife both if word of Andromeda’s missteps came to light, so he had no choice but to raise Cassandra as if she was his own, but that didn’t mean he had to treat her like she was his daughter behind closed doors.

His strategy most of the time when she was growing up, was to simply ignore her, and it wasn’t surprising to him when their disdain for each other became mutual. It was easy enough to simply send her to boarding school and forget about her most of the time. He was too busy with the stables anyway, so he let Andromeda and the household staff handle things related to the children and simply signed the checks for the school bills. 

Andromeda's eyes glistened with tears. “She knows what she did. It must be the guilt eating her up inside”, he thought, turning to the armchair and taking the newspaper he was reading in his hand. Albert was already near the door when he heard his wife call his name.

— What? — he grunted, without looking back.

— She said the baby's father is named Christian. He works in finance — Andromeda murmured.

A small smile appeared on his face. “That’s all I need”, Albert thought.

The next day, he contacted Henry, a private detective he had on retainer for certain occasions. He liked to be sure about certain things, like business dealings and the people interested in his children. He’d used Henry’s services when Jason told him that he intended to marry Rose, the girl he’d met at Cambridge and had been courting for a while, something he agreed on after an extensive investigation into the girl's background and family. They held no peerages or titles that he could find, but their family had long been in the jewellery business. They even made the medals and badges by the armed forces, and used in official investitures, which is why Albert gave his blessing to the union, despite Rose giving him nothing but three granddaughters and an enormous amount of headache.

Helena's boyfriend received the same sort of investigation, but, fortunately, the youngest had made a sensible choice. Jack was a relative of the Marquess of Normanby, and his parents had important ties with the royal family; the fact that he was, according to Henry’s dossier, the godson of the Duke of York, made him a perfect choice.

Cassandra, on the other hand, was the real problem. This was something he realized when she told him, in front of the then-Lord Glamis, during a dinner planned by Albert to introduce him to Cassandra in hopes of making a suitable match, insisting that she was not a broodmare to be auctioned off. Later, in his office, she defiantly repeated herself, telling him that she would never give him the satisfaction of her getting married or having children, which earned her a slap that left her face redder than her hair. Incensed, Albert told her that she made it incredibly difficult to put up with her, let alone love her, and she would end up an old spinster like her aunt. 

However, that episode did not discourage her antics. After that, Albert had the impression that her determination to challenge his authority became even greater. The men she started to have relationships with were absolutely inadequate. 

All the same, it made the man in the photo he was holding even more intriguing.

From what Henry had gathered, Christian was the man’s middle name. He’d included several photos of him; accompanying her to doctor’s appointments, and standing in the doorway of the dreary matchbox-sized townhome she’d lived in — that Andromeda had insisted on buying for her, for some reason, like she couldn’t afford to rent her own place.

 His real name was Torger and he was born in Vienna, the son of an anesthetist and an art transport specialist, who died from cancer in the 1980’s. From what this “Torger” had said in interviews that were included in the dossier Henry prepared, he made his fortune in investing, especially in technology companies.

His involvement with motorsport came later, when he bought shares in the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 team, becoming the team's CEO, which made him Cassandra’s boss. He didn’t want to even think about how his daughter managed to end up pregnant by her boss. 

However, Cassandra’s choice still seemed strange to Albert, as this “Torger” did not have the profile of the man his daughter has had relationships with before. To his knowledge, she usually went for the brainy, academic sort. The one serious boyfriend he knew of — Callum, from what Helena had told him — was someone that she’d met at Cambridge, and had reconnected with when he was working on his doctorate at Oxford. He had no ambitions beyond his research, apparently, not even wanting to teach full-time. Typical.  

Albert didn’t think there was anything wrong with getting an education, he was a Cambridge man himself, as was most of his family, for many generations, but he firmly believed that staying in school and collecting degrees was useless; one had to join the real world eventually and apply that knowledge somehow. 

According to Henry’s dossier, this Torger person hadn’t even finished university.

— Mr. Aldersey? — a voice broke him out of his own thoughts. He looked up to see John standing in the doorway with a somber expression on his face.

— What now?

— Mrs. Aldersey is waiting for you to go to Lady Sybil's exhibition.

Albert snorted.

— Do I have a choice?

— I don't think so, sir — he replied with the shadow of a smile on his lips.

Letting out a sigh, he got up from the armchair and headed to the door, where John was standing, holding the tweed jacket that matched the waistcoat and trousers Albert was wearing. Albert threw it on as he headed downstairs.

When he arrived in the foyer, he found Andromeda standing near the door, adjusting her Cartier watch on her wrist. Hearing his footsteps, the woman looked up at him.

— I already told Sybil that we're on our way — she said.

Albert ignored his wife, straightening his lapels and adjusting his lapis cufflinks before heading out of the entrance of the house, where John had the Land Rover waiting. As he took his place at the wheel of the vehicle, Andromeda's voice was a mere whisper.

His mind was elsewhere, specifically on the gaps in Henry’s dossier. He had gathered a large amount of information about Torger, there was nothing relevant about his family other than the fact that his parents were immigrants. Albert hated it when Henry's reports didn't give a clear and objective view of those being investigated, especially their relatives. He could not imagine having the Aldersey name involved with people who did not live up to the importance and relevance of that family.

Aside from that, Cassandra was proving to him that she had made the first right choice in her life. The man was tall and fairly handsome, and had money. The fact that he was a bit older than his daughter was of no object, either, but it made him wonder if the poor bloke wasn’t desperate, divorced, or both.

After parking the car near the entrance to Sybil's gallery, Albert and Andromeda walked the few meters to the entrance in practically silence. At the door, in addition to a security guard, there was a woman dressed in a dark blazer, her blond hair carefully arranged in a low bun.

— Good evening, sir, madam — the woman smiled — Could you come with me?

The path to the room where the exhibition opening was taking place was a blur of color. Albert hated going to Sybil's gallery. He hated the clean, bright white walls and lighting, he hated the people that hung around the gallery, gawking at ridiculous-looking paintings and sculptures, he hated the vegan canapés she always served at the events she held.

But what Albert hated most was having to interact with Sybil's circle of friends. To him, not a single decent person would be caught dead there, just the artsy, continental pillow biters and muff divers like his sister-in-law. Andromeda could deny it all she wanted, but Albert’s suspicions were not unfounded. He had long suspected that Sabine, the French woman that was always with Sybil, wasn’t her housekeeper.

Upon entering the exhibition hall, he came across what seemed like a crowd milling about. The conversations filled Albert's ears, and he felt irritated by the sound of laughter and the clinking of champagne glasses.

  — Romy! — Sybil's shrill voice sounded somewhere to his left. Turning his face, he saw his sister-in-law approaching with a wide smile and her hair down in gray waves. “Why doesn’t she color her hair? She looks so old and haggard”, Albert thought to himself — I’m glad you came!

— I would never miss an exhibition of yours, and you know I love porcelain.

Albert rolled his eyes.

— And that's exactly why I called you — she replied, before looking at her brother-in-law with a certain disdain — I'm surprised to see you here, Bertie.

Albert swallowed hard, grimacing at the stupid nickname. It was what his mother called him, but his dreadful sister-in-law found out once and never called him anything else. 

— Why do you say that, my dear sister-in-law?

— As far as I’m aware, you’d rather look at horse’s fannies all day than at art.

— Sybil, please — Andromeda whispered, placing a hand on her sister's arm — Albert was very kind to accompany me here today.

The woman looked at him suspiciously.

— Bertie has never been kind to you, Romy.

— There's always a first time, isn't there? — Albert replied — Besides, what kind of husband would I be if I didn't protect my wife from the influence of the disgusting company you keep?

Sybil stepped forward, her eyes filled with anger.

— If you cared about protecting my sister, you wouldn’t put your filthy hands on her so much — she whispered, before putting a fake smile on her face and turning to her sister — Want me to show you what’s on display, Romy? There's a Hungarian vase that I'm sure you'll love.

With his nostrils flared and his face red with anger, Albert wanted to take his wife and leave immediately, and give his sister-in-law a piece of his mind on the way out. However, he knew that doing that, in addition to causing a scandal, would only give Sybil the reaction she wanted. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.

He picked up a glass of champagne from a tray carried by a passing waiter, trying to focus on something other than the terrible music booming through the gallery, or the cynical commentary of the people around him. He stepped toward one of the windows and glanced at his watch, praying that time would pass faster and that he could finally leave.

Albert was in the middle of his fourth slice of pesto and tomato toast when he noticed that Sybil and Andromeda were looking at the piece that was right next to him. 

— Ah, Romy, this one was a real find — his sister-in-law said, pointing to the small figure protected by the acrylic — It's a figure of a pantalone made in Vienna around 1745. It was in a private collection for a long time before being sold to an Austrian antiques house. You know how I found it?

— How?

Albert glanced at the figure, but unimpressed. It was of an older bearded man in glasses. It looked like a clown to him, the kind of thing one would find in a charity shop and not a high-end gallery exhibition.

— I was studying to put together this exhibition and found a very interesting book about Austrian porcelain. It was written by one of the greatest experts in the field, Elisabeth Bednarczyk…

Albert's heart skipped a beat. It wasn't possible...

— Did you say Bednarczyk?

His sister-in-law raised an eyebrow.

— Yes, Bednarczyk. Elisabeth Sturm Bednarczyk, actually, she is a very well-known scholar and collector in Vienna.

That woman couldn't have the same surname as Torger's mother by mere chance. It couldn't be a coincidence, especially because Torger was from Vienna, and Albert couldn’t imagine that “Bednarczyk” was a common surname in Austria…

— Do you know if this Elisabeth has a sister?

Sybil raised an eyebrow.

— I only contacted her to buy the piece for the exhibition, Bertie. I don’t generally interrogate business contacts about their personal lives or hire private detectives to stalk them, unlike you. It’s almost like you don’t have enough personal issues of your own, isn’t it?

— Just doing my due diligence, Sybil — Albert simply replied, as he looked at the piece of porcelain. “And because of that, I know that this family just became my problem too”, he thought to himself, as he read Elisabeth Bednarczyk’s name on the base of the acrylic.

[fideidefenswhore]

Through the prominence of the imperial crown, Anne is linked directly to the genealogy claimed for imperial majesty in England. It is also appropriate that the imperial descent is annexed by a woman: it was through his mother, Margaret Beaufort, that Henry VII traced his right to the throne back to Henry V, and from there to Arthur and Constantine whose union of English imperialism was claimed through his English mother, Helena. Anne Boleyn here, as another mother, will continue the legitimate descent of the English monarchy’s imperial claim. The pageantry and the verses together emphasise that this imperial claim is God-given through the imperial crown’s descent from heaven. Both Anne’s right to be queen ('she is heaven-sent') and the concept of imperial monarchy are legitimised through divine ordination.

Hunt, Alice. The Drama of Coronation: Medieval Ceremony in Early Modern England. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.

[citizenscreen]

Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Lady Hardwicke (Helena Pickard) rehearsing the play “Return to Sanity” at the Cambridge Theatre, June 1937

[kiki-de-la-petite-flaque]

An eccentric pair of Londoners out and about in Islington recently have an interesting history.

Elena Propper de Callejón Bonham Carter is the mother of Helena Bonham Carter and has spent most of her life in North London, married to Bank of England Director, Raymond Bonham Carter, working as a psychotherapist.

Elena is the daughter of Eduardo Propper de Callejón, a Spanish Jewish Diplomat to France who saved 30,000 Jewish lives from the Holocaust during WWII.

Helena is a well known actor born in Islington … but what is not so well known is that she received no formal drama training. When she failed to get into Kings College Cambridge Helena entered herself in the actors directory Spotlight with some photographs taken by her father in their back garden in Golders Green, landing a role in TV commercial for stereo equipment aged 16 in 1982…. after taking the leading role of Room With a View in 1985 she has never looked back.

[lboogie1906]

Lincoln Kilpatrick (February 12, 1931 – May 18, 2004) was a film, television, and stage actor.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he attended Lincoln University and earned a BA in Drama before he began acting. Encouraged by Billie Holiday, he began his career in 1959 in the Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun. In the 1960s, he mainly guest-starred in television roles and bit parts in movies. His primary acting talents were showcased in stage and theater work, which he remained active in until his death. He was co-founder of the Kilpatrick-Cambridge Theatre Arts School in Hollywood. He was the first African-American member of the Lincoln Center Repertory Company.

He was married to singer and stage performer Helena Ferguson (1957-2004). They had five children: actor and composer Lincoln Kilpatrick Jr.; writer, director, and actor DaCarla Kilpatrick; actor and director Erik Kilpatrick; actor Jozella Reed; and producer Marjorie L. Kilpatrick. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[taletheoldcrowtold]

Pride 2024 - Day 27

Movie: Maurice

Made in: 1987 – Set in: 1909 – 1913

Starring: James Wilby, Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves, Ben Kingsley, Mark Tandy, Denholm Elliott, Helena Michell, Billie Whitelaw, Judy Parfitt, Phoebe Nicholls

Rated R for: brief language, nudity (buns and willy)

Based on the book by E.M. Forster, it follows Maurice Hall as he enters Cambridge and befriends fellow student, Clive Durham. Their friendship soon blooms into love, but the scrutiny against homosexuality keeps the two from going too far in their relationship. After the arrest of a fellow student for homosexuality, Clive ends their romance and marries a young girl named Anne while still trying to keep a friendship with Maurice.

It’s a character driven romantic drama that shows the hardships of being homosexual during the early 1900s and showcases two types of people: one who values happiness and love over reputation and security and the other who is willing to ignore his true self to keep his place in society.

Spoilers under Keep Reading Line

No one dies in the end and Maurice and Alec get together.

I liked this movie pretty well, even more so with Maurice and Alec getting together in the end. I half expected it to end unhappy just going by the time it is set and when it was made, but was happy to see that didn’t happen. I can understand why Clive breaks up with Maurice, as it’s really easy to lose everything if someone saw them together. But it was clear he wasn’t completely happy in his marriage with Anne but it was his choice to marry her, so I guess he just had to lay in the bed he made. Maurice didn’t seem to even really consider what would happen if they were caught as he didn’t try all that hard to hide it. I think he was a better fit for Alec and though I would have liked to see what they did with their life after getting together, I like the ending with Clive. It really shows a moment of him wondering what could have been and perhaps feeling regret that he wasn’t able to take that chance with Maurice. It was a little dickish that he invited Maurice to his wedding, though. I had only seen Rupert Graves in newer things so it was a bit of a surprise to see him so young and baby-faced XD

Mom’s Thoughts: This film could be considered a historical, since it takes place during the early twentieth century (most of it takes place around 1910-1913). At the time being a homosexual was illegal and one could be arrested, flogged and sent to prison to do hard labor for even a minor thing as a man kissing another man on the mouth. Clive learns this happens to one of his former classmates and is scared to continue a love relationship with Maurice telling him they will now be platonic friends. Clive goes on to marry Anne and live as a heterosexual. Maurice is heartbroken but finds a new partner with Alec Scudder, the gamekeeper at Clive’s country estate. It’s an interesting story that has no real violence and no one is killed during the movie. The movie ends with Maurice still with Alec. I wouldn’t mind watching it again sometime.

[scotianostra]

March 14th 1900 saw the birth of Scottish lawyer, Dame Margaret Kidd in Bo’ness. 

Today, there are around 130 practising female advocates in Scotland. Before 1923 there had been none; then along came Margaret Henderson Kidd.  

Margaret was brought up in Carriden, and that over the decade the Kidd family grew.; Margaret lived with her parents and now had five brothers and three sisters.

She educated at Linlithgow Academy, Kidd later studied law at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with an MA and LLB in 1922. Her early training was conducted with Mitchell and Baxter, writers to the signet, in Edinburgh. Although her first choice of career was the Foreign Office, the then Permanent Secretary, Mr Eyre Crowe, ‘was opposed to women’, so instead Kidd decided to follow her father and go into law. 

In 1923, Kidd was called to the Faculty of Advocates and became the first female with the right to plead in the Court of Session, the highest civil court in Scotland. The event attracted great interest from members of the faculty and the legal profession, as well as the media. The Scotsman newspaper, as was typical of press coverage of women in the news, took special interest in Margaret’s outfit, reporting that she wore a ‘coat frock of black crepe morocain, a soft white collar with a narrow white bow tie, and a straw hat trimmed with velvet.’ Later in the day she donned the wig and gown as she formally entered her new role.

Between 1923 and 1948 she remained the only lady advocate. Kidd was the first lady advocate to appear before the House of Lords and before a parliamentary select committee. Kidd also had the distinction of becoming the first woman KC in Britain, preceding Helena Normanton and Rose Helibron who were appointed KC in England and Wales in 1949.

While Kidd appears to have downplayed the significance of her role and career in interviews – “I don’t know what they made all the fuss about” - it is clear that others, including her alma mater, were aware of and followed her progress. In the University of Edinburgh’s records of graduations, Kidd’s entry includes several newspaper clippings tracking parts of her career and life.

In 1930 Margaret married Donald Somerled MacDonald in Carriden Parish Church. Donald was a Writer to the Signet and member of the firm Scott and Glover, Hill Street, Edinburgh. . The couple went on to have one daughter, Anne.

During the Second World War, Margaret played a prominent part in organising Christmas treats and functions for the wives and dependants of men serving with the 14th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, and particularly the 39th Battery, of which her brother Col. J. T. Kidd was then in command.

Margaret’s professional life also led her to sit on the committee of Representatives of Poor Persons in Scotland as a referee under the Widows and Orphans and Old Age Contributions Pensions Act, and to undertake the Assistantship in the class of Public Law at Edinburgh University.

Margaret Kidd spent much of her life in India Street, Edinburgh. Donald had died in 1957, leaving Margaret a widow for over 30 years until her death on 22 March 1989 in Cambridge. A funeral service was held at the Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh. A eulogy by Lord Hope of Craighead echoed what had been printed about her 41 years earlier by the Scotsman:

‘Her success was won by strength of character, courage and integrity and is a mark of her true qualities that, despite what might seem to be the revolutionary nature of her achievements, she always held the affection and respect of others.’ 

[loiladadiani]

A Brief History of the Vladimir Tiara (and a little survey about who has worn it best)

The "Vladimir Tiara" was commissioned by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich (younger brother of Alexander III) from Bolin (Romanov's court jeweler) around the time of his wedding to his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the elder (also known as Grand Duchess Vladimir.) Vladimir and Miechen, as she was known, was a formidable couple who ran a rival court to that of Nicholas II.

When the end came and the Grand Duchess had to flee Saint Petersburg, the tiara was left in a safe well hidden in her Moorish boudoir in her palace in Saint Petersburg. It was later smuggled out of the palace by her son Boris and a British art dealer (that in itself is a whole saga,) taken out of Russia and deposited in a bank in England. The Vladimir Tiara was inherited by Miechen's only daughter, Grand Duchess Helena Vladimirovna (Princess of Greece through marriage.) When Helena was ready to sell it, Queen Mary of the United Kingdom was ready to buy it. The jewel needed repairs which its new owner quickly executed. When Queen Mary died, her grandaughter, Elizabeth II of England, inherited the piece. To judge by the many times she has worn it, it was one of her favorites.

Grand Duchess Helena, Princess of Greece, does not seem to have worn her mother's famous tiara. I have not found any photographs of the Queen Mother, Princess Diana of Wales, the Duchess of Cambridge, or Camilla, Queen Consort, wearing the Vladimir Tiara. The tiara that I have seen on Diana, Cate, and Camilla, which is somewhat similar, is the "Lovers Knot" (I made an error and described Diana wearing the Vladimir, when she was, in fact, wearing the Lover's Knot, and had to correct this note.) Let's see in whose head this beautiful tiara alights next!

Thank you so much for answering the following survey (entirely for fun.)

[holybookslibrary]

Echoes From the Gnosis - The Gnosis of the Mind - All Volumes

Echoes From the Gnosis Echoes From the Gnosis - The Gnosis of The Mind is written by G. R. S. Mead the first modern scholar of Gnostic tradition. G. R. S. Mead was the secretary of H. P. Blavatsky and in 1906 he published the first volume of eleven in the series Echoes From the Gnosis. The works are a combination of translations and interpretations of ancient Gnostic writings. Long before the discovery of the Nag Hammadi Library, Mead translated these esoteric texts of various origins such as Christian and Roman. Unfortunately, I have only been able to find six of the eleven volumes, download Echoes From the Gnosis here:

 The Gnosis of The Mind (Echoes from the Gnosis Vol. I) The Hymns of Hermes (Echoes from the Gnosis Vol.II) The Hymn of Jesus (Echoes from the GnosisVol. IV) A Mithriac Ritual (Echoes from the Gnosis Vol. VI) The Gnostic Crucifixion (Echoes from the Gnosis Vol. VII) The Hymn of the Robe of Glory (Echoes from the Gnosis Vol. X)  

Who was G. R. S. Mead?

George Robert Stow Mead was born in 1863 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge, where he studied mathematics and classics. His intellectual prowess was evident from a young age, and his academic journey set the stage for his later work in philosophy, religion, and mysticism. Involvement with Theosophy In 1889, Mead became a member of the Theosophical Society, a group dedicated to exploring esoteric knowledge and advancing a synthesis of science, religion, and philosophy. He was particularly influenced by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, the society's co-founder, becoming her secretary and developing a strong interest in the esoteric and occult that would define his life's work. Contributions to Esoteric Studies Mead is perhaps best remembered for his comprehensive studies on Hermeticism, Gnosticism, and other ancient religions and philosophies. Unlike many scholars of his time, he approached these subjects with a sense of spiritual respect and scholarly rigor, helping to revive interest in religious traditions outside of mainstream Christianity. Notable Works Throughout his career, G.R.S. Mead produced an impressive array of books and papers that explored a wide range of topics in religion, philosophy, and the esoteric. Some of his most influential works include: - Fragments of a Faith Forgotten (1900): A detailed exposition of early Christian Gnosticism, exploring texts and beliefs that were suppressed or marginalized by orthodox Christianity. - Thrice-Greatest Hermes (1906): A comprehensive study of Hermeticism, focused on texts attributed to Hermes Trismegistus and their significance in the broader context of Mediterranean spirituality and philosophy. - Pistis Sophia (1921): An important Gnostic text translated and commented upon by Mead, providing unique insights into early Gnostic teachings and cosmology. - Gnostic John the Baptizer (1924): This work comprises selections from Mandaean texts, offering insights into an early religion that revered John the Baptist as a central figure. - The Doctrine of the Subtle Body in Western Tradition (1919): An exploration of the concept of the 'subtle body' in Western spiritual traditions, discussing ideas of astral travel, aura, and other esoteric concepts related to human consciousness. - Apollonius of Tyana (1901): A historical investigation of the life of Apollonius of Tyana, a philosopher and miracle-worker in 1st-century Roman Empire, often compared to Jesus of Nazareth. Legacy G.R.S. Mead died in 1933, but his influence endures. He is credited with making esoteric and Gnostic studies more accessible to a broader audience outside of the academic sphere, and his works continue to be referenced and valued for their insight and historical significance in the study of Western esotericism. Despite the passage of time and the evolution of scholarly standards, Mead's passionate pursuit of ancient wisdom helps keep these discussions alive in contemporary spiritual and philosophical debates. Read the full article

[vampire207343]

Rosa Vasilakis

what if... Bella Swan has older twin sister Rosabelle Helena Swan

I have always been jealous of my older twin sister Rosabelle Swan she's more Athletic, Intelligence, Beautiful and Graceful than I'll ever be. She always get everything she ever wanted even when we were children I was always over shadow by twin who did everything she did perfect. She's great at ballet while I suck at it that I drop the class while she continue which made her more graceful than she already was. She also did aerial gymnastic, and one of her male bestfriend Adrian who also do aerial gymnastic perform infront of everyone at Kids got talent.

(Let's pretend the girl is Rosabelle,Start at 2:13 -5:22)

which they were both very good at it and everyone who saw was all speechless which I couldn't blame they were great. While I on the other hand can't even do Ballet so their's no way I could aerial gymnastic like my sister not get injured multiple times. She perform infront of many people multiple times that she was bound to learn other languages since she pergorm in other country which our parents are always proud of her especially our grandparents who loves her very much then they did her. She is also a great singer and painter. She is also a master in Akido, Kung Fu, and Karate. And she also a great Ice skater and perform a couple time and earning alot of money from beging Ballet dancer, aerial gymnastic, Ice skater and she sometimes sold some if her painting so she's richer than our parents.

(Rosabelle Swan at 14 years old )

By the time we were 14 years old she already start Collage at Harvard University at Cambridge, Massachusetts which both our parents allow since we are both very independant girls growing up. While I stop visit our dad in Forks since the town he lived in rain so much that the sun hardly comeout at all. After we were 17 years old our mom Renee remarried to a guy younger than she is by the name of Phil Dwyer who is Minor league baseball player, so he tend to travel alot but with bella their she had to stay home instead of travel with her new husband like she wanted so I did the hardest thing I could ever do in order for mom to be happy and allow her to travel with Phil. While i don't like mom getting re-married his's an ikay guy. So I chose to lived with our dad Charlie Swan in Forks Washington the Rains town.

In forks is where I meet someone by the name of Edward Cullen I fell in love with him. And since he never meet my sister or know her I wasn't secound best to her like I'm to our parents. But I soon found out that he isn't a human but he is creature known as a Cold one who are undead who are alot faster, Stronger than normal humans theupy also have cold skin. They are immortal creature who drinks blood. Which should have scared her after finding out what they were but it didn't I still cared about I don't care if he's human or Vampire but all I know is that I love him.

One time Edward took me to his family's bonding time when they all play baseball during a storm but something went wrong three vampire show now one is her tracting her down to drain her of all her blood that Edward have to saved her. After James the tracker attack her. Where Edward and James fought.

and James bite her in order to change her but the other Cullens arrived and destroy James and Edward suck out all the Vampire venom in order to prevent her from becoming a vampire since Edward dosen't want to conden her soul no matter how much she beg to allow her to be turn.

They attend prom together even when one Bella's leg is broken.

But with James dead the Cullen forgot one thing they didn't kill his mate now James's mate Victoria want Bella dead for the death of her mate. Because the way she see it Edward kill her now she want to kill his mate Bella, which unknown to the Cullens Victoria was watching Edward & Bella dance in prom.

1 year later...

Edward left her after the accident with Jasper during her 18th birthday but then my sister Rosabelle us already on her last year on Harverd. While I become depress and waiting for Edward to return to me.

In Cambridge, Massachusetts

Demetri the former Tracker of the Volturi who ask the king to allow to leave the coven and create his own and allow him to find his mate who he has been searching for many many years which Marcus Volturi allow.

Which Lead Demetri to Cambridge, Massachusetts meet the beautiful and Talented Rosabelle Swan. Who he quickly know is his true mate after he saw her and her scent alone allow him to known she is his mate. Since Every male vampire knows the unique scent of their mate and when they find them if they are still human the male would be protective of their mate, the moment they meet each other.

Demetri saved his mate Rosabelle Swan from beging rape one day and he saw him use his speed. Which allow her to find out what he is a vampire and the reason why he protected her from beging rape is because she is is one and only mate he been search for quite sometime. Which Demetri decided to stay in Cambridge, Massachusetts to get to know his mate. It only took a month before Rosabelle start dating Demetri.

Demetri also saw one of her Ballet dance perform which amazed him and he saw that Rosabelle is very flexible during performace but he didn't just saw her Ballet dance he also her doing aerial gymnastic recital and he got scared that his mate might fall midair get herself injured luckly her friend and partner trust each other so well they would never allow each other to fall to their death. Which amzed by what he saw and it also allow him to know that his mate is very good dancer.

After aerial gymnastic recital he meet her partner who happen to be closet friend and her big brother figure Adrian Auclair they been dance partner since they were kids. Demetri got along with him well. He help his mate Rosa Swan get better at fighting since he want her well protected andveven as a human his mate is already showing sign of having a powerful gift that when she get alittle emotional the wheather change so her gift might have something to the wheather and he she might havd more than one gift.

During the end of the year Rosa finally graduated Harverd top of her year her mother Renee and step father Phil was their but her dad Charlie couldn't make it since he's so worried that Bella would do something dangerous while he was away so he could attend her graduation which Rosa understand every since Bella's ex-boyfriend broke up with her after his family left town a week after they both turn 18 years old she hasn't been the same dad said Bella use to just sit on her room and doing but wait for the Cullen boy to return to her and every night she has nightmares that he could betly sleep a night since Bella always wake him from screaming because of a nightmare but every since she began hungging out with Jacob Black the younger brother of Rachel and Rebecca black she began getting better but she's doing dangerous stuff just to see hallucination of her ex so that she dosen't forget what he look like. So she understand why her dad couldn't make it to her graduation.

It's bad enough that Bella has to repeat her senior year of high school because after her ex left her she enter immense depression that she wouldn't participate in any of her class that she has repeat the year. But atless she's getting better but she still has nightmares at night.

Demetri meet my mom Renee and step father Phil. Mom like him more than she ever did Edward the one time she meet when bella end up in the Hospital of Phoenix and run away that Edward have go after her and fell off a couple flight of stairs which supposely broke her leg of because of Bella's clumsiness but not even Bella is that Clumsy that she would end up breaking her leg and down a flight of stairs.

So when Demetri told her that the Cullen family are a coven of Vampires so when Bella run away from forks she most likely running a nomad Vampire who catch up with her broke her legging the Cullens protected her so Bella willingly got involved with Edward knowing his a Vampire like I am to Demetri let's hope that she's Edward Cullen true mate and not his blood singer because if she end up to be his blood singer Bella life would most likely end up unhappy tragedy if he return to her and marry her but should he ever find his true mate he would most likely to leave her alone if that ever happen.

Bella Swan began dating Jacob after she turn 19 years old just so she dosen't lose him like she did with Edward even though she knew tgat she still Edward, but she decided to date Bella because she dosen't want to lose him by then Demetri propose to Rosa Swan on her 19 birthday by then they already been together for 1½ year together and they got married on December 7, 2007 and by then Adrian Auclair was already changed to a vampire.

And he has the gift of Teleportation which allow Adrian to be moving instantaneously from one location to another without physically occupying the space in between or transfer matter (beings/objects, including themselves) or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. This can be achieved by various means, including causing the atoms/molecules to travel at light-speed, warping the space, or use quantum superposition, in which the user teleports by spatially rearranging the subatomic contents of a system.

While teleportation may seem like it is simply for travel, it can be a valuable ability as it can be used offensively (and quite powerful, as a spatial attack) while offering superiority regarding movement speed and distance coverage. A skilled combatant or strategist can use it for many innovative manners. And Demetri has been helping Adrian master his gifts since he was changed.

After the wedding Demetri and adrian fake his death about crashing his car died on impack and found homeless dead body who look similier to Adrian himself.

(Rosabelle 19 years old)

It wasn't long before Demetri and Rosa Vasilakis, Faked their own death on their way to their honeymoon and their body was found at the bottom of the sea which were presume their body was eaten by wild animal which devested Renee and Charlie on the death of their oldest daughter. But Bella know better the moment she saw Demetri's red eyes on the Wedding she know what he was a vampire and that Rosa is still very much alived probably changed to a vampire by now like her new husband but if he could find them then maybe they wiuld change her after all the Vampire race has Law about a human knowning the existence of Vampires. She didn't find Demetri & Rosa but she did find the Vampire Adrian Auclair who she beg to change her which she did after she know about Vampire.

Adrian has to take bella to Demetri during her changed where she taught her everything about the Vampire race that not even the cullen know and she find out that she's not Edward's mate but his blood singer if she had been his mate he would be unable to leave her like he did last year after she turn 18 years old, she was furious that Edward dared trick her into believing that she was his mate. And remainding feelings she might still had for Edward disappear the moment Bella found out the true the one she want to spend the rest of her life is her mate not someone else she will wait until she found her mate.

How could I ever be stupid enought to believe that Edward was ever my mate when He craves my blood more than any other humans. How exactly can a human be a mate to the vampire their blood sings too? So feelings for him disappear it took a week since I mourn his leaving long enough especially after hearing the song that Rosa written just for me.

It help alot when Rosa sing her this song. Even thought they couldn't eat Ice cream since their Vampires but thougt still count. But I decided against hunting animaks just to feed so I may distance my self from the Cullens.

Like Adrian, and Demetri, Bella is a gifted vampire having mental and and physical shield and it allow her read anyones mind those under her shield.

It was long before Rosa is changed as a vampire by her mate demetri and it wasn't hard to tell that she has any gifts since the moment Demetri bite her neck with his venom a big storm began and it dosen't look like it's going to stop any time soon and even several trees are a uprooted from the ground at how strong the storm is and no human is stupid enough to be outside this kind of Weather. While inside the house where Rosa is changing alot of items are floating around her which makes the others presume that Rosa has more than one gift.

It's been 3 days we we all thought that Rosa's done with transition to a vampire by now but they were wrong she is still in transition and the storm outside is showing no sign of stoping or slowling down anytime soon. They all waited 3 more days before the storm outside slow down and even then waited 1 more day before Rosa's transition was finish and her heart stop beating on her chest and she open her eyes for the first time as a vampire the first one she saw was when she open her eyes is her mate Demetri which she quickly gaved him a hug but made sure she dosen't crush him with her newborn strength.

1 week later...

Rosa discover her gift she has three her first gift is

Storm Manipulation to have the power to manipulate storms, and Variation of Weather Manipulation.

which allow her to sense, create, shape and manipulate storms, including strong wind, hail, thunder and/or lightning (a thunderstorm), heavy precipitation (snowstorm, rainstorm), heavy freezing rain (ice storm), strong winds (tropical cyclone, windstorm), or wind transporting substance through the atmosphere as in a dust storm, blizzard, sandstorm, etc.

Before her secound gift show it self she finish has master her Storm manipulation which took her 3 years to master gift over Storm. Before her secound gift appear.

Telekinesis to have the power to move, manipulate or otherwise interact with objects/matter without physical means.

which allow her  the ability to manipulate or otherwise interact with matter or another aspect of a physical system through non-physical means. Commonly, its most fundamental trait is to move and control objects (or to generate and apply physical force on a target, or potentially, an area) without physical contact.

The most common form of telekinesis which is psychokinesis and the terms are often used interchangeably as the former is often still linked to the user's mind to some degree, commonly with some outside force acting as an interface or Medium Manipulation for the user's mind to interact externally through, often with additional guidance through the use of gestures and general bodily motion.

Such mediums typically manifest as some kind of field composed of manipulated energy, pure physical forces such as kinetic energy, or even some form of matter. Wether centered on or extending beyond the user’s position, these fields function as an extension of the user and are capable of interacting with a target, allowing the user to mentally influence it with varying degrees of accuracy and precision depending on their control over their field.

In extreme examples, the power can be so extensive as to allow for her to passively influence matter and affect their environment with her Presence alone. However, strictly speaking Psychokinesis refers to Telekinesis achieved with psionic/psychic power.

Telekinesis can refer to a variety of different means of influencing matter or energy from a distance. For example, a magical spell that lets someone control and otherwise affect objects at a range is a non-psychic form of Telekinesis. For a more science fictional example, devices that bend gravity to remotely move matter around could be considered to grant telekinesis. Any power that allows for the distant movement, control or interaction of something, regardless of how far that distance is or the exact means by which it is accomplished can be considered a form of the ability.

Telekinesis is the basis of many superpowers based on "controlling/manipulating" subjects. It may evolve to the point that a telekinetic can control things on a subatomic level. Extreme cases could see users who can use their telekinesis to move planets or stars. At the furthest extremes, its influence can expand to affect facets of reality other than matter or energy, such as space and time.

I train my gift on Telekinesis for another 3 years to master it and use my gift it's a secound nature to me. Before my last gift appear which is one of her strongest gift.

Unreality Manipulation has the power to manipulate what is not real and bring it into reality. 

I can manipulate unreality and everything that isn't real, which includes things such as lies, falseness, illusions, dreams, fiction, fantasy, imagination, etc. The difference between reality and unreality is that reality includes all that is real, such as all that exists in it, events, the current state of reality, and so on, while unreality, of course, includes everything that is not real at all, like what is in fiction. The user can use this power to manipulate imaginative/illusional/fictional/dream worlds and the like, and bring things that are unreal into reality.

This gift is the precious of all my gift after training another 3 years and mastering I use this gift to see if I could possible make myself pregnant with my mate's child but with permission of Demetri of couse which work it only took a week before I find myself pregnant so I concluded that i could make other female Vampires pregnant if i wanted. But the pregnancy is alot faster than normal human pregnancy than a vampire pregnancy which only took 1 month before I gaved birth to a beautiful daughter by the name Diana Splendora Vasilakis.

And I only been a vampire for 9 years and Bella has left the Cullens to her past along with jacob Black who she left behind when she was turn to a vampire after dating him for 1 year but she love him like he wanted her to while she love him as a bestfriend she could never give him more than that.

Diana Vasilakis grew up fast that by time she turn 1 years old she already look 7 years old child already.

She look so much like her mother except for eyes she has her father Demetri's human eyes which is green. And if she is anything like her father she be heartbreak like he once was when he was a casanova during his time at the Volturi before Marcus Volturi allow him leave the coven to find his mate he been searching for many centuries and create a coven of his own since they recently aquired a new tracker to join the coven so he dosen't really need to stay if he dose not want to remain which Caius and Aro Volturi agree.

It wasn't long after Diana turn 1 years old did she discover that she has a gift and like her mother she has more than one gift. And a powerful one at that.

Death Illusion has power to create illusions that can kill one’s targets. Which Diana can kill her target through illusions. If the illusion is powerful enough, it can literally convince the brain to copy anything that happens to the victim within the illusion, making it possible to kill the target with illusions. If the illusion is an illusion of death, target will think they’re being killed over and over again.

Which is why Rosa & Demetri train her how control so that she can never lose control of her ability since it would be dangerous if that were to happen many life could be lost. It's why I train myself hard to control my ability over Death Illusion for 3 years to master it that it became like secound nature.

Shield Construction has the power to create shields and shield-like objects. Which allow Diana to construct shields and shield-like objects to defend herself and others, which can be composed of anything/everything, including matter/energy, power, concepts. This also have the power to render herself invisible and others if she is touching them she could make them invisible as well. She train this power for 4 years.

Her parents and her Uncle & Aunt were worried that I'm growing to fast but luckly by the time I turn 7 years old I stop aging altogether so we assume that I stop aging and that I would stay same age I am now physically which 18 years old

(Diana Splendora Vasilakis 7 years old but physically and mentally 8 years old)

both Rosa Vasilakis and Bella Swan are now 35 years old but physically still 19 years old heard the news that Edward Cullen taken another human as a girlfriend but this time it's his real mate who's name is Olivia Clair but like what happen with bella wanted to be change Edward refuse to change his mate dince he dosen't want condem Olivia's soul to hell as he believed humans who are turn into Vampire are condem to hell so he dosen't want that for her but unfortunley for edward his mate Olivia dead set get turn to a Vampire.

But with the volturi knowing her existen they are forcing the Cullens to either turn Olivia Clair to a Vampire or kill her was the choice they were all given. But Olivia wanted to be married before getting turn to a vampire. They were supose to turn the human to a Vampire but they push her change once more which slowly made Caius Volturi furious at how many times the Cullen push more time for Olivia to be Change to a Vampire. They both had a small wedding before she get turn.

After Olivia and Edward Cullen got married they only been a week of their Honeymoon when they both discover Edward somehow manged to get Olivia pregnant while she's still human but her pregnacy is slowly killing from the inside the longer the pregnacy progress.

But carslie Cullen found the solution it seem the baby was thirsty so it's been feeding on olivia's life blood so they been making Olivia feeding her human blood more than Human food to sustain her pregnancy, and edward is no where ready to change olivia to a Vampire but he was given no choice unless he want to lose his mate since Carlisle believed that Olivia might not make it giving birth half Vampire child while she's still human she would most likely die.

Olivia cullen gived birth to a daughter named Elizabeth Rosemary Cullen just as her eyes started to close Edward quickly made a decison he inject his venom quickly in her heart and took a bite on her beck and arm place to make sure she change to a Vampire.

(Olivia Cullen with Red eyes)

olivia open her eyes as a vampire after three days but when she woke up her daughter Elizabeth Rosemary Cullen dosen't look like a 3 days baby instead she look about a month old and it worried her that she grow up to fast that they might lose Elizabeth.

When Irina Denali decided to visit the Cullens she saw Olivia Cullen watching Elizabeth catching snowflake that she thought that Elizabeth was an immirtal child and she went to the Volturi to report the so call crime the Cullens creating an immortal child which put Elizabeth's life in danger.

In order to keep the Youngest Cullen member safe Edward & Olivia ask some of Carslie's friends to witness that their daughter isn't an immortal child.

Bella Swan meet her real mate who happen to be member of the Egyptian Coven, Benjamin who is Demetri's venom brother since they where both turn by the same sire, Amun. Which Bella join Egyptian coven to be with her mate which the rest of her coven didn't mine. But she wasn't the only one who found their mate so from Egyptian Coven Tia found her real mate in Adrian Auclair

(Adrian Auclair with red eyes)

Tia descided to join the Vasilakis coven in order to be with her mate which her former coven understand. But the two coven had regular contact with each other.

The Egyptian Coven deny to be witness gor the Cullens so they haven't see bella again after all these time. But Alice manged to find someone like Elizabeth Cullen other than Diana Splendora Vasilakis, Alice found Nahuel and his aunt Huilen in South America. When ir was proven that Edward and his mate Olivia along with the Olympic Coven never created an Immortal child the Volturi left and the Cullens survive.

10 years later...

Diana Splendora Vasilakis, is now 18 years old when she found her true mate to a vampire by the name

Henry Laurence he was born in the year of 1437 and he was changed into a vampire in 1455 by unknown vampire that he never bother to find out who turn him and their reason of turning him. Because it lead him to meet his mate which us why he never regret becoming a vampire even if it took him a couple centuries just to neet her, but he has no regret of ever becoming a Vampire.

He was once a noble of england before he was changed into a Vampire at the age of 18 years old and beging young when he changed he never had the Chance to married as a human so his family line ended with him after he turn to a Vampire.

He never thought that he would ever find his mate until he meet his beautiful Diana the powerful Hybrid Vampire daughter of Rosabelle & Demetri Vasilakis. It was also miracle he even meet her since he has never stayed in one place since he love traveling even as a human.

A year after Diana Vasilakis meet Henry Laurence who join the Vasilakis coven they heard the ambush of the Romanian Coven which almost all the eliet guards where killed and after whatever remainding hold chelsea's gift has left on Demetri when he left the Volturi broke completely with her death. By then Demetri put his past with the Volturi all behind him.

(Bella swan 45 years old)

Bella swan married her mate Benjamin by then and Rosa gaved her sister the ability to have children with her gift Unreality Manipulation which is the gift she use to get herself pregnant with her daughter Diana.

A year after she got married with Benjamin she gaved birth to a beautiful daughter by the name Mackenzie Annabelle Swan is born and like Diana her daughter grew up fast that by time time 7years come to pass Mackenzie Swan stop aging at the age of 15 years old physically, she matured alot younger than her cousin Diana along with her new cousin Anastasius Xander Vasilakis. And It took another 10 years after she full matured in order to meet her mate who was one of the high ranking elite guard which is non other than Alec Volturi

(Alec & Mackenzie)

Who manged to escape when the Romanian destroyed his coven and only few survived the ambush of romanian coven. And with chelsea dead the loyalty that Alec & Jane once had with Aro disappear with chelsea's gift no longer holding them and they both meet their mate at the same time.

Jane's male is non other than Anastasius Xander Vasilakis the only son of Rosa and Demetri Vasilakis.

( Anastasius Xander Vasilakis 17 years old)

By then Diana Vasilakis is 37 years old and now married her mate Henry after knowing each other for 20 years.

The Cullens never expect to see bella again especially not as a human drinking vampire who married one of Egyptian Coven and she also has a daughter younger than Elizabeth while she look only 2-3 years older than the last time they saw her who is the mate of alec Volturi. And it turn out Bella as older sister by the name of Rosabelle who was Demetri's mate they have two children together their first born is a daughter by the name of Diana who is mated to a vampire named Henry Laurence and their son Anastasius who is mated to non other than Jane. But Anastasius isn't a Vampire to anger having the gift of manipulate fantasy, which allow him to bring fantasies to reality and he also has the ability to create, shape and manipulate the fantasy of themselves, people, animals and other creatures.  He had another gift so similier to his first gift called Subjective Reality having the power to manipulate the boundary between fantasy and reality. He can manipulate the boundary between fantasy and reality (what is and what isn't), turning one into the other and blurring the border between them. It allows him to bring anything into existence, including impossible things - especially impossible things, as fantasies and he care little about reality's limitations.

Fantasies can be brought to life as independent existences or infused into reality in more subtle ways. He can also turn aspects of reality into fantasies, making them vanish as having never existed. By combining these two aspects, he can remodel existing things to his liking, or replace them with something entirely new.

Most he possess control and choice over which fantasy to fulfill and which not to fulfill, which can avoid many possible side effects. From big changes to small changes, from those that affect the whole reality to those that affect only the close space, etc., all kinds of changes will be shaped by the desires and fantasies of the user (though this may lead to alterations based more on unconscious desire than conscious choice).

When using these capabilities at full power, the border between fantasy and reality becomes so thin that it might as well not exist. The affected area is no longer bound to reality and instead becomes an extension of the Anastasius's soul, a place where fantasy and reality are one and the same. In this impossible realm, unbounded by any rule, anything is possible, and things like "Heaven" and "Hell" are no longer just metaphysical concepts. So Cullens tend to avoid him not wanting to anger Anastasius that he could possibly change their coven's reality of possiblily of never meeting each other espevially edward and Olivia who has more to lose.

[rappaccini]

... i'm gonna ramble about orphan black and eugenics for a sec because oh man did these writers know exactly what the fuck they were cooking with when they wrote this show.

so first of all, neolution is essentially a cult revolving around advancing eugenics started by a crazy old rich british racist who thought poverty was genetic, wrote a bigass book all about it, and got his ass killed in the jungle because he wanted to play great white hunter there. it was revived by a bunch of rich white science students at cambridge and is spearheaded by a texan billionaire grifter who cosplays as an 1800s lord on his private island full of test subjects and uses experimental therapies to enhance his health, who fooled them and some of the most powerful people in the world so well that they invested billions into him and his eugenics experiments (... like inserting tech into people's brains).

just look at the material.

mathieson, the figurehead of neolution, fetishizes the 1800s so much that he makes his houseguests dress up in victorian outfits, surrounds himself with women he plays against each other, plays wagner on repeat (you know, the composer whose work was the third reich's soundtrack and was literally played in concentration camps? whose daughter married a racialist?), and encourages his followers to study up on "managing reproduction in feeble-minded populations."

he uses aicha's illness to make a lab rat of her and lies about healing her as his scientists slowly watch her die and harvest her genetic material. tuskeegee anyone?

yanis's developmental issues are used to demonize him into a literal 'monster' who is locked up, hunted on the island, and shot to death like old yeller.

major neolutionist aldous leekie is a german man whose ideal human has white hair and a single white eye. so... light hair and light eyes. hm.

neolution is largely made up of white scientists and foot soldiers and employs poc but never lets them into leadership positions

neolution very quickly disposes of evie cho and marian bowles, the only women of color of significance within the organization.

henrik johanssen's prolethean offshoot of neolution straight-up allies itself with white supremecists like his old militia buddy and splits off right during the conservative christian attacks on reproductive tech

the neolution split consisting of whether to expand further into biology or big tech.

germline editing in infants is neolution's new big push, and babies with deformities at brightborn are euthanized

the use of women of color as naive surrogates to carry both brightborn babies and sarah and helena. they have no idea what they're pregnant with, are constantly prodded by scientists, and have no legal right to the children.

sarah and helena's mother in particular was sourced from apartheid south africa.

"brightborn" is basically a literal translation of the word "eugenics"

the cold river institute where ethan duncan worked after the explosion is devoted to creating the 'most perfect baby', and clearly based on the cold springs harbor eugenics office

the control of women's reproductive freedom:

->the clones are intentionally prevented from reproducing because of fears about not being able to control the outcome (... and yet rachel grows up with a complex about infertility because it's still being held against her).

->helena's eggs are harvested against her will and she's coerced into agreeing to pregnancy by henrik.

->sarah is threatened with an oophorectomy and a new unwanted pregnancy when she's being held by dyad.

->the brightborn women have no idea what they're actually signing onto, have no legal right to their embryos, if their babies are born less than perfect, they'll be euthanized, and a pregnant woman who escapes is lynched by brightborn agents so it has nothing to do with Protecting The Children.

->and kira, who hasn't even had a period yet and is only eight years old, is being plied with hormones so her eggs can be implanted into surrogates who have no idea what their fetuses are being used for.

->most of the clones' own mothers don't even know their ivf is being tampered with.

->the castor boys only exist to strip reproductive freedom from women.

... even the incest is a part of it: the way susan duncan sexually abuses ira, who is basically her son. how henrik johanssen inseminates his daughter with one of his embryos. how seth and rudy like to rape women together, assault krystal and attempt to do the same to sarah and helena, their biological twin sisters. how rachel duncan keeps getting drawn to predatory father figures (including ferdinand, who plays daddy kink with her, and mathieson, who feels like he's about to do something gross to her every time they're in the same room, and has watched her touch herself in the shower). how the new stem cell line for the ledas is created through fertilizing rachel's egg with ira's sperm.

delphine is quickly revealed to be sleeping with eugenicist leekie in s1, explicitly calls herself a eugenicist and confirms she's proud of it in season 2, climbs the ladder in season 3, and is actively working with mathieson on his life extension treatments in 5. cosima is constantly being tempted into joining neolution through their intimate relationship. each woman is literally in bed with the idea that eugenics could benefit her and has to pull away. delphine's attempt to be the Good Eugenicist Who Protects Her Subjects immediately backfires when it leads to her using her power for petty revenge, a total breakdown of trust between her and cosima, being disposed of the second she's not useful anymore, and essentially being held captive and forced to dress up as a bride and stroke mathieson's ego for her own survival. (... much like rachel). it's a giant metaphor for white women's flirtation with eugenics. girls get up.

it's eugenics.

when it comes to the clones themselves it is not a coincidence that neolution's pathway to 'creating a better human being' through manipulating the lin28a gene to produce enhanced healing and disease/aging resistance only bothered to focus on cloning white people. eugenics doesn't want to save and genetically enhance the human race, it wants to save and genetically enhance wealthy, able-bodied white people.

and the clones are the way they intend to do it.

the end goal of the castor boys is creating a bioweapon used to eliminate 'undesirable' genetic stock from the population through being inserted into society to spread a sexually transmitted infection that renders women infertile at best (and may eventually become the respiratory illness that kills the clones). so, a way to commit genocide by forcibly sterilizing the women in a chosen population through using rape as a weapon of war. it's a way to terrorize and trigger an internal collapse within their communities, because on top of causing an infertility crisis, you have to add onto that the internal trauma and external stigma of being a rape victim that would sow even further discord.

the leda girls went through a greater evolution in purpose. they probably started as the extra clones that were proof of concept of human cloning's viability for female subjects, but especially of the sti the males carry-- which the ledas were intentionally given and never treated for. (yes ethan duncan says they didn't want a reproducing prototype, but given that virginia coady was participating in the research at this time since castor and leda hadn't split yet, i get the sense that another idea was in the mix-- and it was allowing the disease to propagate to observe how it'd affect women before the castors were old enough to spread it themselves.) in the meantime the ledas were repurposed as a study on human behavior under variation.*

*but only the behavior of mostly-western white women born into families wealthy enough to afford ivf treatments or expensive adoptions (with the occasional exception for poor women, like miriam johnson, who was implanted in a known alcoholic, probably not-so-coincidentally ended up on the street, and was murdered for dissection). the behavior study is extremely flawed... unless you consider it's of the behavior of the kind of people eugenics wants to prioritize. poc and non-western nations are excluded by design. wealthy women and poor women are used as lab rats are prioritized by design.

then, following the discovery of helena and sarah's fertility, and the excitement about forcibly impregnating them to study their offspring, the purpose of the new proposed leda generation evolved to using them as vessels to observe illness and infection and test experimental medicines and treatments, and to use advanced technology to better administer these medicines and monitor the subjects. no more illusion of freedom, as rachel duncan put it, because eugenics has nothing to do with setting women free and it always views them as vessels. the leda women's purpose is the next step in the eugenics master plan: once the 'undesirables' are eliminated or sterilized, you go about extending the lives of the 'chosen' people-- by creating more generations of them, and by enhancing the quality of life of those who already exist through exploiting the bodies of fertile white women.

(and you even use technology to better surveil those vessels, like mathieson observing rachel through her glass eye. no more human monitors, but only because you can watch her far more efficiently through your computer monitor. no more illusion of freedom, because now the infrastructure's in place to control them without needing to trick them into consenting to it. neolution would indeed, never let a clone have any true autonomy over her treatment, and rachel's 'special vantage point' in the end does not make her exempt from the experiment in the ways she thinks it does. rachel, like cosima and delphine-- like any white women in a white supremecist movement-- has a place in the structure, but no actual power and the special treatment is only an illusion to keep her compliant.)

and finally, with kira manning (and the twins), the offspring of a fecund clone whose lin28a gene is working as hoped, they arrive at their end goal: a limitless source of stem cells which can be continually harvested and donated to people who need or want them. the total lack of concern about the ethics of keeping a child in a laboratory, harvesting an eight-year-old girl's eggs and using them to impregnate 1300ish naive surrogates to create that supply of stem cells for their top brass's use, and then using that eight-year-old girl to study deep tissue recovery (aka: they're going to carve up a child's body to watch her heal. or not.) should be expected. they might be calling her their 'new eve' but she's meat, just like her aunts and uncles.

(... honestly i think ob misstepped by not making kira biracial. the show's lack of diversity in its main cast is maybe its one great shortcoming considering just how light years ahead it was in all its other writing. though the clones all had to be white because they're a eugenics experiment, and so did many supporting characters given their associations with institutions implicitly tied to racial hierarchy, kira, cal and probably felix all definitely should've been poc to balance that out a bit more, and especially to open a discussion on the mistreatment of women of color during the construction of eugenics and medical science-- like anarcha and henrietta lacks.)

[mocktortis]

Some of my favorite quotes from Helena Pycior's "At the Intersection of Mathematics and Humor"

"Who, the critics challenged, could conceive of a 'quantity less than nothing'?"

"In short, with the symbolical approach, the traditional image of mathematics as a science of meaningful terms, self-evident principles and absolute truths began to crumble."

"...three major Victorians who combined humor and algebraic themes..."

"The intent of the letter to the Vice-Chancellor was incongruous with Frend’s position in regard to Cambridge: Frend wrote to apply for the Lucasian professorship, even though five years earlier (in 1793) he had been banished from the University."

"Unlike the play, the essay was imitative and did not sufficiently exploit the mathematically ridiculous."

"Neither Dodgson nor Frend, for example, would read a page of a mathematical textbook beyond what he understood."

"De Morgan proved that humor could be turned against mathematical quackery and also employed by a (sometimes lukewarm) symbolical algebraist to promote understanding of the new algebra and related developments."

"Dodgson himself attacked circle-squaring as a "delusive phantom""

"Christ’s Church, Oxford (which was sorely deficient in mathematics and science)"

"with visions of lines multiplied by lines, quantities less than nothing, and symbolical algebra dancing in his head"

"[Alice], apparently having acquired some mathematical subtlety between the first and second Alices, objects to what she now sees as impossible subtraction."

"Alice finds that mathematics is no mainstay of truth and certainty, and cannot save her from the madness of the underground world."

"Put succinctly, the symbolical algebraists sought formulas relating symbols which, although originally meaningless, could eventually be interpreted as representatives of many different mathematical phenomena."

"the card people, who are realizations of the worst fears of the opponents of the symbolical approach."

[agentreynard]

Couple weeks ago I posted a little Red White and Royal Blue fic, and the other day I made a royal family family tree with, yes, the extra members I referred to in it, but also (obvs) those who appear in the book and the movie, and I think it can be made to comply with either canon with only a small number of slight adjustments.

Readers who are not interested in my fic will disregard everyone on the right side of the diagram, beginning with Princess Louise b. 1964 and all the way to the edge of the page. But otherwise, reading from the bottom up, check it out:

The film calls Philip Duke of Cambridge, but the book seems to suggest Cambridge is what Henry will be created duke of when he marries, so I gave Philip the dukedom of Kendal instead. (The film also makes Henry the middle child, so swap them round if you want.)

I believe making Catherine the Princess of Wales and her late husband the Duke of Edinburgh works for both the film and the book; in the book Henry says they all used Wales as a surname at school, but even if a monarch with no sons created their eldest daughter Princess of Wales they wouldn’t make her husband Prince of Wales, so Arthur can be imagined to have accepted the dukedom of Edinburgh out of necessity—so when film!Henry tells the kids in the oncology ward that his mother is the Duchess of Edinburgh, he’s not wrong (I mean, why would he get his own mother’s title wrong, but you know what I mean).

I’ve made Henry’s grandparents James and Mary so they can be either King James III (shown here) as in the film or Queen Mary III as in the book. (She wasn’t numbered in the book, but there have been two Queens regnant Mary, so.) I threw in John II for book!Henry when he yells at Philip that they had a great-uncle who abdicated because he was a Nazi; he’d have had to abdicate because he had been a Nazi or else he’d have had to have been much older than James Or Mary, but that’s fine. Lop him off the tree if you’re film-only and don’t care about that line in the book.

Take the previous generation or leave it; I needed that layer to get the extant Cumberlands into the royal family whose schedules Alex was looking up, but they’re not necessary for the film or the book, so it’s fine to stretch the generations out a few years if you like and make Helena Victoria the kids’ great-grandmother rather than great-great; then you can give her husband whichever surname you prefer, Mountchristen (book, and assume it hyphenated with Windsor after the royal family changed it to Windsor in WWI as happened in real life) or Hanover-Stuart (film, and I think that name had to come back in from outside, because in a world that has the Victoria and Albert Museum the Hanover and [especially] Stuart dynasties were both long gone).

Queen Helena Victoria is the furthest-back person I invented myself; I made her the matriarch of this fictitious (counterfactual, nonhistorical, whatever) royal family by suggesting that in RWRB world (a) Prince Albert Victor, the eldest son of Edward VII, did not die in 1892 as he did in ours and (b) Edward VII himself did die of the appendicitis that in our world only delayed his coronation ceremony by a few months. That gives us a solid year of Edward VII cementing the role he’d pretty well established for the whole royal family in his long tenure as Prince of Wales (he really instituted the “appearance” as we now know it) but gets him out of the way eight years earlier than in real life to make way for his fictitious heirs.

I have allowed this Prince Albert Victor, who isn’t dead after all, to marry his true love, Hélène of Orléans, who I assume in this timeline was allowed to convert to C of E to marry him rather than forbidden by both her father and the Pope to leave the Catholic church. That being the case, it could be that his younger brother Prince George—known to the real world as George V—would have married Mary of Teck (who in real life had, before she married George, been engaged to Albert Victor at the time of his death) and had the same children and grandchildren he had in real life, only nobody cares? But even more likely is that Mary of Teck never entered into the matter, because Albert Victor married Hélène so Mary wasn’t called for, and this fictitious spare George married Marie of Edinburgh, whom he proposed to first. Or maybe he died young, rather than surviving typhoid as he did in real life in 1892 around the same time pneumonia got his brother. In any event, given a surviving Albert Victor, George’s descendants would be as peripheral by now to the fictitious royal family as the descendants of Victoria’s younger children are to the real one. (That is, it’s probably been enough generations that they could marry back in, but otherwise, pfft.)