#lady adelheid

[lenniharrisonsims]

Shocking News from Windenburg

Emperor Victor, who many believe can't do anything to surprise them anymore, has shocked the world over, once again...

...HIM has taken a considerably younger new wife!

Many people's first thoughts would be to wonder when he and his wife, Empress Agathe, had divorced, in order for him to jump so readily into this new marriage, but that would be the incorrect path of reasoning.

No, in an address to the people of Windenburg earlier today, Emperor Victor had this to say:

"My good people of Windenburg, I come to you today with joyous news. As I grew concerned over difficulties with my own line of succession- the pool of my male progeny growing ever smaller and the recent death of my daughter" (the first time HIM has ever mentioned the loss publicly) "I began to seek advise from the learned men of our great nation. I had many meetings with great lawmen pouring over Windenburgian law, and many more with the highest ranking clergymen, digging through church precident, to find a solution to ease my troubles- and we have found one! There is an ancient Windenburgian law that allows for a King to take multiple wives in order to shore up his succession. This law has been lost for many centuries, not needed and then forgotten. But now I am delighted to share with you to resurgence of this law, and my new wife!"

Yes, you heard that right, Emperor Victor has become a polygamist. He says later in his message to "not forget your loyalty to" his first wife, Empress Agathe, "who so diligently resides in Sulani to care for our infant granddaughter, Princess Edaline." But wishes his people to give a hearty welcome to his new wife, Queen Adelheid.

Queen Adelheid (not Empress, HIM reserves that title for his first wife) was formerly Lady Adelheid von Hollebein, the daughter of a Windenburgian Duke, who is the same age as the Emperor's son, Prince Jonas.

Many in Windenburg are unhappy with the Emperor for this decision. The people are deeply devoted to and love Empress Agathe, and are speculating that Emperor Victor has banished her to Sulani to marry a replacement. Many more are concerned for the new Queen Adelheid's well-being. Has she been coerced into this bigamous marriage with a significantly older man by the Emperor himself, or perhaps her parents? As of right now, we don't know. We can only hope the truth comes to light soon, and that all parties involved are safe.

[parasiticstars]

a very normal businesswoman with no history of dabbling in anything illegal or otherwise unethical/controversial and no plot relevance to anything ever

aka the worlds laziest doodle that I forgot to post when I finished it and now ive low-key high-key forgotten how to draw at all

[moonlit-mystery-writer]

Ranking reveal please ! "5 most compatible with the oc of your choosing amongst khr cast' ✨️ ( — romantic ! or not! it is up to you.) maybe, with explanations?

Gonna try my best to answer this with Fina and Hideko lol.

Fina

1. Levi - I know you’ve read the explanation as to why, but I’ll link it here for anyone else

2. Lussuria - We’re jumping from most likely to maybe in some distant timeline lol. Because Lussuria is the head of the Sun division, I headcanon he oversees medical things that happen in the Varia at least a little bit. Therefore, he knows all of Fina’s issues and spends a lot of time with her for her treatments. For Fina, Lussuria reminds her of the more vibrant side of her big sister. It’s a comfort to have him around just as much as it can overstimulate her. Thankfully years by Xanxus’ side and tending to others has helped Lussuria learn how to dodge things thrown at him in a rage.

In the normal verse for her, they’re just friends. And that’s even a bit of a stretch.

3. Spanner - This would be exclusive to future him. But even then, she’d feel a little awkward as a woman in her 30s and he’s like vaguely in his twenties? (Pretty sure he’s Shoichi’s age when he shows up in the present day, so???) Either way, they’d mesh pretty well.

If she met him in normal verse, they’d be just friends.

4. Shoichi - Same reasons as Spanner above, this time the two can also bond over gut issues.

In normal verse, she’d also only be friends with him.

5. Bianchi - Future arc version again, since present day Bianchi is only 17. Honestly, I’m putting her here because these two would have such a toxic yuri relationship lol. Bianchi is basically everything Fina’s sister wasn’t as a sister and that would drive Fina crazy. She views what her sister did for her growing up as what an older sibling should do for their younger sibling. But she also wouldn’t be against eating poison cooking. What’s the worst the could happen? Fucking up her body even more than it’s doing on its own?

Hideko

Before I start her rankings, I wanna say, not only is she a lesbian but she’s also technically taken already by a different oc of mine. (Whether they’ll be poly lesbians or not is up in the air right now)

1. Haru - So! This’ll get into some of the plotting I have for the Rewrite. But in the arc Hideko shows up, Haru’s the one who tries to fight her first because Hideko hurt Tsuna and they just happen to go to the same school. By the end of the arc, the two are still antagonistic towards each other when around each other, but neutral any time else. So while Haru ranks high, their relationship would be extremely rocky at first.

2. Kyoko - The relationship is very similar to Haru’s above, but with one step up in difficulty. As unlike Haru, Kyoko doesn’t get to see Hideko actually improve her behavior a little at school.

3. Hana - The closest to a neutral option I can give Hideko! However, the fact Kyoko dislikes her much makes it even more unlikely.

4. Adelheid - These two could almost work! Except one crucial detail; Hideko thinks Enma is a bigger loser than Tsuna. And like she is with Tsuna, she’s very shameless and vocal of her opinion. This would drive Adelheid insane.

5. Shittoppi - These two ultimately have very little chemistry. She only ranks because Hideko is used to odd people thanks to one of her own guardians being odd. But that’s where it ends. Their lack of chemistry plus Hideko’s thoughts on Enma as stated above would ultimately drive these two apart.

I didn’t do friendships here, as none of these lovely ladies would actively want to befriend Hideko. At best, pleasant business partners with her.

[hetagrammy]

Anneliese, the Lady of the Vale, and her mercenary turned sworn protector, Adelheid

[funkyllama]

Princess Adelheid, Margravine [Redacted]

Born Countess Adelheid Elisabet Amalia of Celle and March; 8 May 1805 - 24 September 188x, Adelheid was the youngest child of Countess Wilhelmine of Celle and Count Bernard of March. Her elder siblings were Everette I, Grand Duke of Bergstrasse and Countess Marie-Odile of March. Adelheid was born at Schloss Celle, and christened into the Catholic faith. She was raised in the French court after the premature deaths of her parents during the Napoléonic Wars, by her elder brother. In 181x, she was arranged to marry Prince Jean, Margrave [Redacted] in what was a significant military alliance between the two families. They were married in the spring of 182x. She gave birth to nine children, only three of which survived to adulthood: Princes Stefan and Luitpold, and Princess Rudolphine. Her betrothment and marriage was a significant step up in the social climbing of her brother, Everette I, who was able to massively expand the Rodchester-Bach's wealth and prominence during the reign of Emperor Napoléon I Simparte. Adelheid never remarried after the early demise of her husband, nor did she return home to Bergstrasse. Instead, she remained in the court of her son, Prince Stefan, until her death in September of 188x. Throughout her life, she remained in close companionship with her sister-in-law, Princess Antoinette. Letters from Adelheid to her personal staff reveal that she and her Chief Lady-in-Waiting, Helene von Voss, carried on a short lived affair in the 1840s. Adelheid's original diaries and personal letters were destroyed, and/or heavily edited, by her daughter posthumously. Recordings of her life rely, mainly, upon the writings and accounts of her husband, brother, and children.

@simming-in-the-rain and @empiredesimparte for mention :)

[pruneunfair]

Honestly,if someone ask me whats a better manhwa than remarried empress,Im gonna say my in laws are obsessed with me(the fl is too precious and the fact her in laws love her because she is literally the one helping them is just too good. I love pereshati forever),I abdicated my title as empress(its like a rewrite version and the fl never hated the mistress,just treated her like a human being),knight to lady(girl with girls working together is too good) and resetting lady(it has redemptions but lets be honest,everyone is unhinged in that story also sign me up for a serial killer fl).

I have read 2/4 of those and I definitely agree with you. My in laws are obsessed with me actually has a non toxic main romance (can't believe the bar is that low) and it has realistic relationship progression. I abdicate my title as empress is one of the only one that doesn't try to push women v women and it's easy to see the perspectives of both Adelheid and Diane, for something I've seem people call a knock off of remarried empress it sure did the job better.

[hel-phoenyx]

Nicomaque belongs to @soupedepates

My eyes skim through the picture with disinterest. My face, brimming with the common joy of the eight year old without a care in the world, gives me back my look with a glee I do not find in me anymore.

What a waste of time. It would be so easy to just throw that out in the bin and be done with my day, but the picture goes with a letter signed in rose gold and perfumed with cherry blossoms, and I simply cannot bring myself to let that go.

So I just sit there, piece of paper in my hands, and look deep upon my own gaze.

When did I lost that gleam in my eyes?

A chair is pulled behind me. Expecting, hoping even, for a distraction Senri or Seo-jun would be so kind to bring me, I lift my head, only to feel my smile falter in front of Nicomaque's smug face.

He has a lipstick smudge in his neck. I guess Augusta is treating him well. I really hope the reverse is true.

I'm not in the mood to indulge in whatever that smile indicates. But I'm not in the mood to shoo him away, either. Let's just stay there and endure, I guess.

"Sulking on old photos? Look, your last moments of happiness."

"Ah-a. I'll have you know, my last moments of happiness were right before I saw your stupid face."

He let out a sarcastic laugh.

"That's a weird expression for someone who was happy."

I rolled my eyes. The instant of inattention he was waiting for.

One second, I was holding the picture. The next one, my hands closed on air and a very proud Nicomaque held in his smoke-scented fingers the object of his attention.

"Gotcha!"

My reflexes are not what they used to be, it seems. For my defense, I did not exactly want to protect that from him.

My absence of reaction made him shrug, and he looked at the picture with more attention to detail, before frowning.

"What's that, Hitler's wet dream?"

"Almost, I snickered while he showed me the family picture. That's the perfect little Dutch noble family. No exaggeration intended."

And I wouldn't be joking about that. The picture had everything you'd want a painting to have. The mother sitting on a chair with her most beautiful dress, a baby sleeping in her arms; the father, standing next to her, and in front of them, two blonde children, a girl and a boy, holding hands.

The father is the only one not smiling at the camera.

Nicomaque raised an eyebrow.

"No exaggeration intended, huh?"

"Nope. Did you know van Heels hold a title? Technically, women can't pass it down but considering I took mother's family name, I guess patriarchy doesn't hold that much weight."

"Damn. Hope's peak's greatest fuck machine is a kind of count."

"Duke. That's even worse."

Not that I give that much importance to titles, but I guess Nicomaque's flabbergasted expression is a thing I enjoy more than I should.

"Though if I'm honest with you, I added while he looked at the picture, if you called me Duke van Heel in front of my family, they would have a seizure. I would try if I didn't just barfed in my mouth a little."

"I'll think about it. And those are the Uber mensch, I suppose?"

"Yep. Damian and Adelheid van Heel in the flesh. The children are my two sisters. The eldest sent me this. Family nostalgia, she said... Pfah."

Elvira really doesn't know me if she thinks that kind of pictures would trigger the good kind of nostalgia. But then again, before he took it from my hands, I wasn't able to let go of the damn thing.

His finger pointed a part of the picture. Hiding a fake smile.

"And I guess this fair lady is your mother. Really your spitting image."

I looked where he was pointing. Blonde hair held in a perfect bun, a little wrinkle under the eyes, make-up almost perfectly hiding dark circles, grass green eyes looking at the camera, a warm smile on her rozy lips.

I wonder if he can see the piercing looks and the cold, slitted pupils going through the paper.

Those eyes that can't leave my own, that I never forgot because I see them in the mirror every waking morning.

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

[gogmstuff]

Images from 1909 -

Left 1909 Lady, three-quarter length by Edward Patry (Christie's - Live Auction 4040 24May06, Lot 79). From their Web site; fixed spots & flaws w Pshop 2805X4256.

Right 1909 Portrait of a Lady (Elizabeth Perley Kinnicutt) by Benson (Worcester Art Museum). From the discontinued Athenaeum Web site 705X911.

Left 1909 Portrait of the Artist's Wife with Hat by Macke (Westfalisches Landesmuseum fur Kunst und Kultergeschichte). From Wikimedia 2024X3005.

Right 1909 Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Glücksburg and Prince Harald of Denmark by Carl Sonne. From Wikimedia 1080X1765.

Left 1909 Promenade by the Sea by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (Museo Sorolla - Madrid, Spain). From the discontinued Athenaeum Web site 1039X1076.

Right 1909 Signora Diaz Albertini by Giovanni Boldini (auctioned by Sotheby's). From their Web site 2880 X 3111.

Left 1909 The Japanese Fan by Walter Ernest (private collection). From Gandalf's Gallery's photostream on flickr 1638X2000.

Right 1909 The Web of the Golden Spider by Harrison Fisher (location ?). From tycheantiques.tumblr.com/image/171350466136; doubled size 1664X2216.

1909 Une soirée au Pré-Catelan by Henri Gervex (Musée Carnavalet - Paris, France). From Wikimedia 3000X2002.

1909-1911 Victoria Eugenia, Reina de España by Luis Menéndez Pidal (Palacio del Senado - Madrid Spain) From spanishroyals.tumblr.com 1125X1920.

Left 1909/1911 Lyudmila Borisovna Rayvich (Severtsova) by Nikolay Petrov. From tumblr.com/russian-room/720937676224741376/portrait-of-lyudmila-borisovna-rayvich? 590X800.

Right Anita of New Jersey, Princess of Bragança seated removed captions with Photoshop 658X894. Her name was Anita Stewart.

Left ca. 1909 Georgine Shillard-Smith by Hugh Henry Breckenridge (Philadelphia Museum of Art - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA). From their Web site via pinterest.com/sanushsergeev/художники 860X1472.

Right ca. 1909 Julia Fons by Ramon Casas (Museu Pau Casals, Fundació Pau Casals - Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain). From artsandculture.google.com 1058X2624.

Left ca. 1909 Princess Victoria Adelheid, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg Gotha. From eBay; fixed spots, scratches, & flaws w Pshop 970X1538.

Right ca. 1909 Queen Elena card. From eBay; removed spots & flaws with Photoshop and fixed mono-color tint 929X1511.

[lenniharrisonsims]

Behind The Scenes...

Winden Palace, Windenburg, 9:49am

⚠Trigger Warning: Brief mention of verbal and sexual abuse⚠

Jonas: Thank you for coming in to see me today.

Adelheid (Heidi): Of course, Your Majesty.

Jonas: There are some things we need to discuss, and I’m afraid it’s not very good news.

Heidi: Oh…

Jonas: I’m… I’m just going to read what I have written here, it’s the same thing I told Ms. Bray- According to the laws of Windenburg and the Windenburgian Church, of which I am head, no person may take more than one spouse at a time. According to those same laws, no Monarch may divorce or annul their marriage to their chosen consort. That means for the entirety of your relationship, my father was legally married to my mother, with no option for divorce. Your marriage to him was illegal, and bigamous. In my jurisdiction as King of Windenburg, your marriage to my father has been annulled, because it never truly happened in the first place.

Heidi: …what…?

Jonas: Windenburg doesn’t allow polygamy, so your marriage to my father was invalid. I’ve annulled the marriage, so now it’s as if it never happened in the first place.

Heidi: But it did happen.

Jonas: I know you had a ceremony, and you lived together, but it wasn’t legal.

Heidi: No, it happened. It happened, because I still had to endure all those nights of your father’s intense hunt for another heir. I still had a daughter. I still lived through his screaming, his throwing things near me so that I got scared but he could say he never actually hit me. I still lived through all of that, it still happened!

Jonas: I’m so sorry, Heidi. I can never undo all the damage my father did, and I will do everything in my power to help you going forward. But legally, I also cannot let you keep any titles or privileges that came with being Queen, because you never were. 

Heidi: What about Greta?

Jonas: As the child of a King of Windenburg, she is entitled to continue the use of “Princess,” and I will gladly continue to fund her upbringing and education, wherever you two may go.

Heidi: But she’ll be a bastard.

Jonas: She was born out of wedlock, and that makes her illegitimate. There’s nothing I can do to change that.

Heidi: You could legitimize her.

Jonas: Yes, theoretically, I could. But I am a new monarch, serving at the will of the people, parliament, and the Allied Nations War Council. They would not accept me legitimizing one of my father’s illegitimate children.

Heidi: So you annul my marriage, essentially making me nothing more than a mistress, destroying my reputation, you remove my titles, degrading me, and now my daughter is a bastard, and you’re just gonna send me on my way, with a check from you to make me happy?

Jonas: You’ll have an income for life-

Heidi: You know what, Your Majesty, don’t bother. Greta and I will be out of here by tonight.

*Heidi storms out. Jonas drops his head onto the desk*

Jonas: I can’t win.

[theroyalfanzine]

Queen Victoria's Currently living Eldest Decendants and Eldest Ever Descendants

This list is as of 19 April 2024

CURRENTLY LIVING

The Lady Pamela Hicks (19 April 1929) (95 years, 0 months, 0 days)

Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner (12 February 1932) (92 years, 2 months, 7 days)

Count Bertram Friedrich zu Castell-Rüdenhausen (12 July 1932) (91 years, 9 months, 7 days)

Mrs. Anne Mary Sibylla Liddell-Grainger (28 July 1932) (91 years,8 months, 22 days)

Princess Caroline Mathilde Adelheid Sibylla Marianne Erika von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (5 April 1933) (91 years, 0 months, 14 days)

Princess Dorothea Charlotte Karin of Hesse (24 July 1934) (89 years, 8 months, 26 days)

Princess Margaretha Désirée Victoria, Mrs. Ambler (Sweden, 31 October 1934) ( 89 years, 5months, 13 days)

Countess Viktoria Adelheid Clementine Louise von Castell-Rüdenhausen-Von Huntington-Whiteley (26 Februrary 1935)(89 years, 1 months, 24 days)

Prince Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick, The Duke of Kent (9 October 1935) (88 years, 6 months, 10 days)

Miss Elizabeth Alice Abel Smith (5 September 1936) (87 years, 7 months, 14 days)

Eldest LIVED Descendants:

On 12 June 2025, Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner will join this list if she is still living.

Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh (10 June 1921-9 April 2021) ( 99 years, 10 months, 11 days)

Princess Alice of Albany, Countess of Athlone (25/02/1883-03/01/1981) (97 years, 10 months, 10 days)

Queen Elizabeth II of The United Kingdom (21 April 1926-8 September 2022) ( 96 years, 4 months, 18 days)

King Mihai I of Romania (25/10/1921-05/12/2017) ( 96 years, 1 month, 11 days)

Count Carl Johan Bernadotte af Wisborg (Sweden) (31/10/1916-05/05/2012) (95 years, 6 months, 5 days )

The Lady Pamela Hicks (19 April 1929) (95 years, 0 months, 0 days)

Count Sigvard Bernadotte af Wisborg (of Sweden) (07/06/1907-04/02/2002) (94 years, 7 months, 28 days )

Lady Katherine Brandram (Princess of Greece and Denmark) (04/05/1913 02/10/2007) ( 94 years, 4 months, 27 days )

Infanta Dona Beatriz   Isabel Federica Alfonsa Eugénie Cristina Maria Teresia Bienvenida Ladislàa   of Spain, The Princess of Civitella-Cesi   (22/06/1909-22/11/2002) (93 years, 5 months, 1 day)

Patricia Edwina Victoria Mountbatten- Knatchbull  , The 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma (14/02/1924-13/06/2017) ( 93 years, 4 months)

FACTS:

The Duke of Edinburgh is the husband  and third cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, first cousin of Lady Katherine Brandram,  The Countess Mountbatten of Burma & Lady Pamela (Mountbatten) Hicks & uncle to Princess Dorothea Charlotte Karin of Hesse.  He is also a 1st cousin 1x removed of  Queen Sofia of Spain, King Constantine II of the Helenes and Princess Irene of Greece & Denmark and The Duke of Kent (The Duke of Kent’s mother Marina was The Duke of Edinburgh’s first cousin).

Queen Elizabeth II is a 3rd cousin of The Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Lady Pamela Mountbatten, The Duke of Edinburgh. She is the wife of The Duke of Edinburgh. Through her marriage, she is an aunt to  Princess Dorothea Charlotte Karin of Hesse. She is a first cousin of The Duke of Kent.

Lady Pamela Hicks is a 3rd cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, a first cousin of  The Duke of Edinburgh, her big sister was The Countess Mountbatten of Burma.

Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner is a third cousin of The Countess Mountbatten of Burma, The Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II & Lady Pamela Hicks.

The Countess of Althorne was the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria. By her marriage,  The Countess of Althorne was also a great aunt of Queen Elizabeth II-she married QEII’s grandmother’s brother

King Mihai I of Romania was the last monarch of Romania, he was also a great grandchild of Queen Victoria twice-once through his mother (via Victoria, Princess Royal) and once through his father (via Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)

Sweden’s Count Carl Johan Bernadotte af Wisborg & Count Sigvard Bernadotte af Wisborg were brothers as well as uncles to King Carl XVI Gustaf, Princess Margareta, Mrs. Ambler, Princess Birgitta of Sweden, Princess of Hohenzollern,  Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld,  Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Princess Benedikte of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg & Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.

Countess Viktoria Adelheid Clementine Louise von Castell-Rüdenhausen-Von Huntington-Whiteley  was a great granddaughter of Prince Leopold, The Duke of Albany, thus a great great granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She is also the younger sister of  Count Bertram Friedrich zu Castell-Rüdenhausen.

[whiskeysmulti]

I Love The Shimon Family

Shittopi walks in first in true Lady Gaga fashion and has Gokudera so love struck he's sweating because the monster fucker in him thinks he has finally found a real alien.

Then there's Enma, so damn timid and shy that no one can even hear him introduce himself. Even Tsuna is saying "this kid's so hopeless he reminds me of the old me."

Then there's Adelheid walking into Hibari's room in true boss bitch fashion.

And pretty much tells him with no hesitation "this room belongs to the liquidation committee now gtfo, if you refuse I'll kick your ass."

And those are just the first three introductions. I love them.

[gothmothink]

I’ve gone feral and all I can think about is me and my friends fantasy self inserts we have lovingly nicknamed the vineyard boyz. Have a fancy outfit squad, a floating Helena (that I really want to make a sticker of) and little babies!!

Helena belongs to me

Ser Anastasia belongs to @prickly-problematic-programmer

Lady Emilia belongs to @wanna-alphabet-on-it

Adelheid belongs to @clockquark

[essayofthoughts]

hmm. fake fic title: melanie’s garden

send me a made-up fic title and i'll tell you what i would write to go with it!

This is almost too easy - so easy in fact that I have two ideas!

Firstly - A tour guide book, not unlike the Alnwick Poison Garden's book talking about the various plants in the garden, a bit of history, folklore and also How They Kill You, acting, in essence, as a written walking guide of Lady Melanie's Garden. A foreword, obviously, to talk about the history and origin of the garden, and also some details of the medicinal uses of certain plants (in moderate measures) as well as the risks of some such as nettles, euphorbias and... there's one other plant I can't remember right now but when blooming the smell and pollen alone can induce headaches.

It is of course dedicated to Gwendolyn, with much love from her Papa.

Secondly - so in some of my fics, you'll see recurring mention of an Aunt Adelheid (I also mention her in This Ask), who's an older de Rolo and Percy's Favourite Relative (we all have one - the relative we most like visiting, who we feel most understood by, the relative who, not uncommonly, we share quite a bit with, one way or another).

So anyway - Adelheid giving Percy a walking tour of Lady Melanie's garden, mixing stories of her recent travels with bits of local history and information on the poison garden, teaching Percy the history as they go while also teaching him other things, a conversation that flows naturally and easily, without any of Percy's usual stiffness or awkwardness (because here is a relative who understands him, with whom he can relax more).

(Arguably there is also a third option here, which is to combine the two - the garden, some fifteen or twenty years apart.)

[minayuri]

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag, Gertrude Welcker! ❤️

(July 16, 1896 – August 1, 1988)

Gertrude Welcker was a stage and silent film actress; her film career was short lived, lasting from 1917 to 1925. The role she’s best known as, the alluring and enigmatic Countess Dusy Told of Fritz Lang’s 1922 epic crime thriller masterpiece, Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler.

Below is a summary of her life and career, with the people she had collaborated with as an actress.

She was born in Dresden, Saxony, Germany on July 16, 1896. Her younger brother Herbert was born in 1898. Gertrude’s father worked as editor-in-chief and general manager of the Posener Tageblatt, he died in 1909.

During the First World War, she visited Max Reinhardt’s acting school in Berlin. In 1915-16, she had starred in productions at the Albert Theatre in her hometown. During the years of 1916-19, Welcker performed at Deutsches, Kammerspiele, and Volksbühne theatres. Her stage roles include portraying a prostitute in August Strindberg’s Meister Olaf, Lesbia in Friedrich Hebbel's Gyges and His Ring, Recha in Gotthold Ephraim Lessing’s Nathan the Wise, Sister Martha in Gerhart Hauptmann's The Ascension of Little Hannele, and Desdemona and Jessica in William Shakespeare’s Othello and Merchant of Venice respectively.

Her film debut in 1917 was in Felix Basch’s Eine Nacht in der Stahlkammer as Jane Kendall, starring Harry Liedtke as her husband. Her next film was as an angel in Hans Trutz in the Land of Plenty, starring and directed by her stage collaborator Paul Wegener. The film also featured film director Ernst Lubitsch who portrayed Satan.

In 1918, she was in Lupu Pick’s Der Weltspielgel with Bernd Aldor and Reinhold Schünzel. She also starred in Viggo Larsen's The Adventure of a Ball Night with Paul Bildt and Paul Biensfeldt.

Welcker was also in Carl Froelich’s Der Tänzer with Walter Janssen.

She was the lead in the low-budget films, Die Geisha und der Samurai in 1919 and Eine Frau mit Vergangenheit in 1920.

Gertrude Welcker acted in films alongside Conrad Veidt, but those films are sadly considered lost. They portrayed siblings in F.W. Murnau’s Evening – Night – Morning and in Carl Boese’s Nocturne of Love, with Veidt as Frederic Chopin. (I, for one, would’ve loved for her to have been in a film as one of his leading ladies!)

In Hans Werckmeister’s 1920 sci-fi film, Algol: Tragedy of Power, she portrayed Leonore Nissen opposite Emil Jannings. It also starred Hanna Ralph, Hans Adalbert Schlettow (whom Welcker would appear with in Part II of Dr. Mabuse), and John Gottowt. The sets of the film were designed by The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’s Walter Reimann.

She also appeared in Richard Oswald’s Lady Hamilton in 1921 as Arabella Kelly, in her first scene she is seen with Theodor Loos.

In 1922, Welcker portrayed her most infamous role as Countess Told in Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler starring Rudolf Klein-Rogge, with Aud Egede-Nissen, Alfred Abel, and Bernhard Goetzke. Also, in that same year - Welcker was in Carl Froelich’s Luise Millerin, an adaptation of Friedrich Schiller's Intrigue and Love as Lady Emilie Milford, another of her noteworthy roles. Previously, she was in a stage production portraying the role of Lady Milford's maid, Sophie. The film's all-star cast featured Lil Dagover as the title character, Paul Hartmann, Walter Janssen, Friedrich Kühne, Fritz Kortner, Werner Krauss, and Reinhold Schünzel.

She portrayed the villainess Gesine von Orlamünde of Arthur von Gerlach’s 1925 period drama film, Chronicles of the Grey House. It stars Lil Dagover, Paul Hartmann, Rudolf Forster, and Rudolf Rittner. Thea von Harbou was the film’s screenwriter with music composed by Gottfried Huppertz.

Her final film role was in Goetz von Berlichingen of the Iron Hand as Adelheid von Walldorf. She continued to act on stage until 1930. She has a total of 64 film credits to her name.

Around July 1930, Welcker married the Swedish painter Otto Gustaf Carlsund. She met him while on a trip to Paris. Their marriage lasted until August of 1937 and had no children. Before WWII broke out, she worked as an editor for UFA and by 1941, was active for the Red Cross. Some time before the war's end, she managed to leave for Sweden, and lived the rest of her life there.

It’s a great loss that so many of the films Gertrude Welcker did are considered lost and that her career as a film actress was as short as it was. Certainly, that many of those lost films showcased her great versatility. Gertude Welcker carried a remarkable set of talent, grace, beauty, charisma, and wit and is one of my most favorite actresses of the silent era I love.

Her filmography can be viewed here and here.

[ultramagicalternate]

ULTRAMagic Chaos Chapter 14

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Maxima had a few things to say to Adelheid as they arrived at Delphine’s palace. “Girl, do you really think this is the most productive way to handle your emotions?” she asked as they landed in Delphine’s bedroom. “Personally I think you should talk to my sister, Antonia, first…”

“Where is she?” Adelheid grunted as she looked around. Maxima sighed.

Delphine stepped out into the room, wrapped in a towel as she had just taken a shower. She then noticed her guests. “Excuse me!? Could you at least knock and wait until I have my clothes on?!”

“My apologies, Delphine,” Maxima cut in. “I tried to talk her down…”

“Don’t apologize, dear,” Delphine replied as she snapped her fingers, her attire changing to a military-esque uniform. “I had a feeling something like this would happen.”

Adelheid growled impatiently. “Enough talk, let’s settle this.” She pointed her barbed claymore at her.

“Settle what? Adelheid, you can’t keep dwelling on this. I don’t care for our ‘rivalry’ anymore and neither should you.”

“Come again?”

Delphine walked over to one of her servants and requested some refreshments. “I’ll concede that at one point I did think that I was better than you, Adelheid. I pitied your desire to be orderly. That all changed when I married Wulfric. With my head clear, I realized that your need to be like that was like any other desire I could grasp. That’s fantastic.”

Adelheid was beside herself. Did Delphine just compliment her? “I… Well you see… It’s just…”

“Furthermore, I envy your ability to lead and how organized your realm is. Not to throw my subjects under the bus, but non stop adulation gets tiring after a while. It’s one of the reasons why I’m supporting Wulfric’s campaign at the moment.”

“Don’t make me feel sorry for you…” Adelheid complained as she lowered her sword.

Maxima shook her head. “Maybe you two have more in common than you realize. Personally I say it should be water on the bridge. Don’t fight like my sisters did with Spiritus Magni Fausta.”

Before Adelheid could speak on that, she and Delphine sensed something dire. “What in the holy blood was that?”

Delphine went straight to the balcony. “Raisa’s reactor beam. She shouldn’t have any reason to use it here…”

“Well let’s see what’s up” Maxima said as she got out a spyglass. She quickly spotted Raisa. “Delphine, who are those skeletal riders chasing her?”

“Death Riders!?” she exclaimed in horror. “I told that thug Karnage only if absolutely necessary!”

Adelheid was confused. “What are they even doing chasing Raisa then?”

“I don’t care, Karnage is going to die either way…”

One of Delphine’s attendants burst into the room. “My lady! Karnage’s men have intruded into the realm!”

“I CAN SEE THAT!” She snapped back. “Don’t just stand there! Rally the guardsmen and drive them out! I’ll go get Raisa…”

“One second, a bunch of vehicles just joined the fray!” Maxima called out.

“Are they red? And what of their drivers?” Delphine asked as she walked back over to the balcony.

“Blood red, and they appear to be crimson and muscular. A lot of clubs and guns too.”

Delphine levitated outside. “It’s Hannibal. He’s always had a bone to pick with Karnage…”

Hannibal and his squad were rapidly approaching the palace. The colossal drawbridge in the distance thundered down, ready to let the Void Orcs in. Now they just had to get the Death Riders off their back, which was easier said than done. The high warlord of the riders, Reinhardt, was stampeding towards Hannibal’s vehicle. Naturally Hannibal was responding in kind with a sustained barrage of bullets from his heavy machine gun, keeping the menacing rider at bay.

Raisa wanted to fire off another Reactor Beam, but she knew it would cause way too much collateral damage. Fortunately she did not have to as Hannibal’s squad raced across the drawbridge. Many riders fell into the mote, which was now filled with lava for some reason. Hannibal watched Reinhardt vanish as the bridge was pulled up, leaving him alert.

“Don’t let your guards down just yet, men!” Hannibal called out as the Void Orcs got out of their vehicles.

As the guardsmen went to tend to Raisa and the group, everyone felt their blood run cold. Reinhardt had materialized out of nowhere and was heading straight for Raisa. Just as she got ready to prepare a counter attack, Reinhardt froze in mid air. He was lifted up to Delphine who looked unbelievably angry.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” Delphine demanded to know, her heavy voice shaking the entire realm.

“You vile wench! Karnage will have his due. Go ahead, kill me now! It won’t…”

With a flick of her wrist, the warlord was turned to crystal. Delphine snapped her fingers, causing the statue to explode into a flurry of fragments that turned to dust. The remaining riders met the same fate. Once the coast was clear, she calmed down and landed on the ground. Raisa immediately went to hug her.

“Aunt Delphine!”

“Raisa, what’s going on?”

She took a second to get her emotions in order. “Karnage is trying to kill me…” The entire realm began shaking again, albeit subtly.

Hannibal stepped over. “Lady Delphine, we have every reason to believe Karnage started this whole conflict.”

The shaking had turned into tremors as Delphine could feel her blood heating up. “Please explain, Hannibal.”

Delphine listened closely as Hannibal recounted everything he and Raisa had observed. Further snooping the Void Orc leader had done potentially revealed that Karnage was also working with Milosh Proch, or someone close to him. As he finished, the whole realm was experiencing one big earthquake as Maxima and Adelheid sensed Delphine’s anger reaching its apex. Then it all stopped.

“That disgusting, dirty…” Delphine screamed, then calmed herself. “Adelheid, please take Raisa to Droomopolis and have the arbiters protect her. Hannibal will escort you. I know we have a shaky past, but can you do this for me?”

Adelheid took a breath to also calm her nerves. “Certainly, Delphine. If worse comes to worse, I’ll take her to my realm.” She felt weird saying that, but Maxima gave her a reassuring pat on the back.

“Thank you, from the bottom of my heart,” Delphine replied. “Now if all of you will excuse me, my husband and I need to have a little chat with a certain general.” Delphine rose into the sky and took off like a fiery comet.

Tusk gave off a lot of oxygen as that was a lot to take in. “Well that’s just great! Milosh is causing trouble here too!”

“Jeez, just how bad is his cult?” Razor worriedly wondered.

“I know how you feel, lads,” Hannibal agreed. “I’ve been looking into this ever since all of this started. I’d never thought humans of all people would cause us this much trouble.”

Mizuki chuckled sympathetically. “You should see some of the ruckus from my homeworld. Humans are just like that sometimes, unfortunately.”

“So should I take this as another retirement?” Tusk asked.

Raisa nodded. “Yeah, I’d say so. After all of that, I don’t want to fight anything for a while.”

Razor gave Tusk a weak high five. “Three down, one to go, I guess?”

“Why are these things never simple?” Tusk lamented as he rubbed his face and sighed. “Alright, let’s get moving.”

The trip back was fairly quiet… a little too quiet for everyone’s liking. Adelheid expected a little activity, but there was none. Still, she kept a watchful eye as they traveled. Thankfully there was no trouble upon entering Droomopolis. To be safe, Adelheid took Hannibal and his men to city hall, where they could warn the Droomopolis government of what could potentially happen. Tusk and the others took Raisa to the monastery. Once they were all in, Tusk sat himself down on the grass and began photosynthesizing.

“Finally!” He said as he belted out a load of oxygen.

Raisa looked around and also took a seat. “Wow, this place is really nice.”

“I think I’m going to scrounge up some leftovers,” Razor stated. “All of that left me hungry. Want to come along, Mizuki?”

“Sure, last night’s dinner was incredible…”

As they walked off, Maxima teleported away, needing to check on something. Tusk and Raisa sat there quietly, listening to the birds sing and the wind pass by. It was quite enjoyable for her, feeling like she could actually relax for once.

“I think you’d like my niece, Auda,” Tusk remarked. “She’s full of energy and curiosity.”

Raisa nodded. “Cool, can I meet her soon?”

“Well, I’m getting married when this is all said and done. If you want to come along, I’m sure she’d be there.”

“Congratulations, Tusk. And that’d be great, thank you.”

“Welcome back, Tusk,” Randalph said as he approached, accompanied by Quasar and Ultimatum. They each sat down on the grass.

“Hey, guys. Everything fine here?”

“For the most part.”

“Ealdhelm went straight to Wulfric’s realm as soon as Dragutin relayed the news” Ultimatum continued. “I trust all of that was true?” He was indicating Raisa.

Tusk nodded. “Yup.”

“Then it’s certainly troubling. Hopefully Dunja and Barna can rain on Milosh’s parade.”

“Tusk, do you think the guild will be able to handle stuff like this in the future?” Quasar inquired.

“Hard to say, Kiddo. The best we can do is keep building our numbers… Blood is not going to be thrilled about this.”

“Blood who?” Raisa wondered.

“Blood-Wraith Raynot, the kid who I fought to save the Cosmos with.”

“Oh, him! Aunt Delphine was telling me about that stuff. Can I meet him too? He sounds really cool.”

“Sure, Raisa… Don’t teleport him here.”

“Oh no, of course not. Dad and Aunt Delphine taught me to mind my manners.”

“Very thoughtful of you, Raisa,” Ultimatum complimented. He then chuckled. “I presume our previous encounter was an outlier?”

She immediately felt a little embarrassed. “Sorry about that, I had a little too much candy that day.”

“I get the same way when I feed on red giants,” said Quasar. “It’s all junk food at that point.”

Tusk looked at Quasar and noticed he was wearing a black and white spacesuit. “Hey, where’d you get that suit?”

“Ulrich made it for him,” Randalph answered. “With a little help from Mayhem and I, he built a suit that keeps his gravity well contained.”

Raisa shuffled over to inspect the suit. “That’s really neat. Where is Ulrich?”

“He’s with the arbiters down in the city,” Randalph replied. “Everyone is on high alert at the moment. We just need Cyneberht to get back…”

As he said that, Cyneberht emerged from a portal. “Shoot, where is everyone?”

“Speak of the devil…” Ultimatum said as he got up. “Don’t worry, Cyneberht, everyone should be down in the city.”

“And everyone’s safe?”

“Hopefully,” Tusk answered. “We got Raisa here, safe and sound.”

“Excellent,” Cyneberht said as he looked around. “While I’m not surprised that Karnage is fraternizing with our true enemy, I’m shocked by how quickly all of this is happening and how brazen he’s being about it.”

“I know, right?” Raisa replied. “I hate it when that happens.”

As Raisa finished her sentence, sirens from the city could be heard. They were the ones signaling an approaching army, something the Arbiters never wanted to hear. Wynstan soon came soaring over, an overly long rifle mounted on his back. He looked as if he was ready for a fight.

“Ah, Cyneberht! Just in time for our little SNAFU… and it ain’t me this time.”

Cyneberht tried to take a breath to calm his nerves. “Do I even want to know?”

“Karnage sent Milosh’s goons to attack the city.”

This warranted a groan of utmost frustration. “Ultimatum, you’re with me. We’ll hold down the Monastery and keep Raisa and Quasar safe.”

“Roger that.”

“Tusk, Randalph? Grab Razor and Mizuki and head down to the city with Wynstan.”

“Already on it” Randalph replied as he and Tusk started running in the direction of the dining hall.

Wynstan cackled and cocked his rifle. “This is going to be fun. I got Dragoslava’s bullets modified to fit my style and ready to go. I can’t wait to see what they do to those mooks.”

Cyneberht shook his head disapprovingly. “Don’t get too carried away, Wynstan. We’re the Arbiters of Droom, remember that.”

He laughed. “Relax, Cyney, I know who I am. Now you remember that Wulfric made me to fight and that’s what I’m going to do. Karnage has got a lot of balls and I think it’s our duty to teach that cocky son of a gun a lesson.”

Next: Chapter 15

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

[a-polished-heart-frozen-still]

Véronique Vignette: Favourite Food

“What are you doing?!” A screech dripping with Lawrence Clan pomposity rings loud, bouncing across the walls and clawing out a sharp gasp from Véronique’s lungs.

What is she doing? Cooking, she knows that. Chopping, if she wishes to be more precise. But why? Since when?

Quickly pulling her hands from the chopping board, she wipes her palms against her apron; Smears red onto an otherwise pristine canvas.

Crossing the room, Marlis begins on a tirade fueled by disgust and long standing tradition, “Using our food, our mora to make yourself this… This… What even is this?!”

Bœuf bourguignon, Véronique’s mind supplies. It comes from somewhere deep, clouded.

“By the Gods, what a waste!”

It certainly is not.

“Stupid, stupid girl, have you no idea how insulting this is to the clan?” Marlis spits, seething with white hot rage. “You do not cook meals for us, and you certainly are not to prepare meals for yourself with our ingredients.” 

Véronique lowers her head, curtsying ever so slight. Her lips open, ready to explain herself. But she can’t. She wants to, tries to, but she cannot; not when the memory of collecting those ingredients from the pantry is garbled and unclear. Not when she has no idea as to how she knows what bœuf bourguignon looks like. Smells like. Tastes like. 

It’s blurry, faint. But if she closes her eyes and reaches out to the taste, she can feel it on her tongue. Savory beefy meat swirling within a rich red wine palate, a divine coating within her mouth. Not too hot, but not cold either. A pleasant temperature. Comfortable. Homely.

Fingers snapping a short distance in front of her eyes quickly drags her attention back to the present. Glossy checkered tiles and plain cream walls. Manor of the Lawrence Clan.

“Are you even listening? Have you no understanding of how serious the consequences for this would be had anyone but I caught you? This is theft! You would be thrown out of the property, fired on the spot!”

An empty threat, Véronique knows. It’s not as if the Lawrence Clan have many from Mondstadt lining up to replace her, nor are they capable of picking up a broom and rag on their own. They need her.

And that’s why she bows her head lower. Sweetens her voice and forces out an, “I’m so sorry, my lady, I wasn’t thinking.” 

Because as much as the Lawrences may rely on her, so too does she rely on them. She needs to be needed. Needs this sense of belonging that is simultaneously achingly familiar, and yet oh-so new. Needs to maintain this constant feeling of a routine well-known that lingers in the air each time she steps into the manor. Véronique always cradles it. Holds it close to her heart, tight. She’s afraid it’ll slip through her fingers if she’s not careful. Escape her hold and leave her without a sense of purpose.

“Please, allow me to—” Véronique starts, but Marlis is quick.

“No, no! You just,” Pinching the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb, she lets out an exasperated sigh, “Adelheid’s room still needs to be tidied. You get on with that, and I’ll clean this up.” A dismissive wave of the hand, and the decision is made final. Véronique nods her head, fingers curling tight into her apron in response to the shrill scrape of a knife’s blade chipping into a wooden board.

It’s an inefficient way of shovelling chopped vegetables into the garbage. Completely and utterly destructive. Rude.

But Véronique does not have the authority to say much else beyond a, “Yes, madam.”