#london arc is 6 months

[hattorriheiji]

been lied to this whole times i thought detco was in a span of 6 months (ch1047-50 but this is mentioned in a flashback from several months ago)

[czenzo]

Watch Out for Skull – Chapter 6

[ao3] chapter links: [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ]

summary: Lucy takes on a cat-sitting job for a stranger, hoping for a quiet week in a nice London flat, with free food, no bills, and enough time to finish an art commission. But the cat is a menace, and the stranger’s friend is ridiculously charming—and a huge distraction.

words: 2,834 rating: T

note: oh my god how has it almost been a month since I last updated??? I'M SO SORRY! trust me though this one was definitely worth the wait >:)

Lucy woke with a terrible crick in her neck and a warm, rumbling weight in her lap.

It wasn’t until she reached up to wipe the spit trailing down her chin that she realised the reason her neck—and honestly, her entire upper body—ached unbearably was because she was resting on Lockwood’s shoulder.

She had fallen asleep on him.

And fucking drooled on him.

Her feeble attempt to secretly wipe away as much as possible failed miserably as Lockwood stirred. The movement roused Skull, and for a brief moment, Lucy considered trying to blame the damp spot on him somehow.

“…Lucy?” Lockwood said. His voice was soft and low with sleep, and hearing her name spoken in that timbre rendered her suddenly wide awake. She turned sharply to look at him, and as he drowsily opened his eyes and found hers, the memories of last night came flooding back.

He’d almost kissed her.

She’d almost kissed him.

And frankly, she wanted to try again. Judging from the way Lockwood’s gaze flicked down to her lips, he seemed to be having the same line of thought.

Until Skull screamed and ran off to George’s bedroom door again.

Lockwood visibly snapped out of it, stretching his long limbs and running a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. “Good morning. I hope you aren’t in as much pain from the couch as I am.”

Lucy tentatively stretched her neck. “No, it’s done a number on me too.”

“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely. “I shouldn’t—”

“No, it’s okay. I just—”

“I wanted to—”

“I—” Lucy sighed and placed a hand on Lockwood’s thigh, which shut him up quicker than anything ever had. “I didn’t mind falling asleep here. Last night was nice—really nice—and I wouldn’t mind, y’know, trying”—she looked at his lips; his tongue self-consciously darted out to wet them, which was frightfully distracting—“that again, but I have a ruined painting I really need to fix.”

“Oh,” Lockwood said. “You’re right. Priorities.”

Lucy nodded and patted his thigh. “Exactly. Since it’s been shredded anyway, do you want to come and see it?”

“I’ll, er, be with you in a second,” he said, awkwardly shifting in his seat. Lucy narrowed her eyes but let the oddness slide in favour of inspecting the damage.

She stepped into George’s room, took one look at the painting, and swore as loudly and as passionately as her body could muster. Skull slinked in behind her, ears flat. She scooped him up into her arms and ran her fingers through his fur—she intended to reassure him, but it simultaneously soothed her as she wondered what the hell she was going to do.

Across the canvas was a long tear arcing from almost one side to the other, tracking Skull's trajectory before he’d hightailed it out of the place. Though it narrowly missed the painted Kipps, it was dangerously close to his rapier, and any attempts to patch it up from behind would be painfully noticeable.

She heard Lockwood approach from behind. “My God, Lucy,” he breathed. “That looks fantastic.”

“I know,” she said, sombrely. “I’ll never be able to recreate it.” She buried her face in Skull’s fur and said, very softly, “Shit.”

“I disagree,” he said with certainty. “You’re an incredible artist.” There was a beat of silence in which Lucy’s mind battled between focusing on the torn canvas or Lockwood’s praise, before Lockwood took a breath and added, “You know… It almost looks like the rapier made the slash. Like it was some kind of offbeat, intentional choice.”

“What?” Lucy pried her face out of the soft, dark fur. She looked to Lockwood, then the canvas. Then to Skull, Lockwood, and the canvas again. “Holy shit. It kind of does.”

“What was it you were saying the other day? Talking about something being missing from it?”

“Do you—” she turned to Lockwood, who wearily locked eyes with the cat in her arms. “Are you being serious or are you just having me on?”

“Of course I’m being serious, Luce. I can’t imagine that sort of thing would be to every client’s taste—or, honestly, anyone’s at all—but Kipps is rather eccentric. If anyone would be open to, er… cutting edge artistic innovation, it’s him.”

“Alright, I’ll— was that a pun?”

Lockwood’s face crumpled in his poor attempt to hold in a laugh.

“Shut up,” Lucy said, batting him with one of Skull’s paws. “Okay, I’ll… I’ll email Kipps. Ask him if he’s open to experimental stuff. If he isn’t, then I’ll chuck myself out of the nearest window, but if he is…”

“Then I’m a genius?”

“Hold Skull while I write this email?” She didn’t wait for an answer. Lockwood immediately got an armful of Skull, who reluctantly settled into his grasp if only for a moment before catching his eye and, seemingly realising what he was doing, wriggled his way back onto the safety of the floor.

Lockwood lingered nearby as she contacted Kipps, peering over her shoulder as she pressed send and let out a heaving sigh. “And now we wait.”

“While we wait,” Lockwood said slowly, “how about we give that date another go?”

Lucy turned to face him and was suddenly aware of how close they were. The remnants of his cologne still clung to his pale skin. “I’d like that.”

A smile crept onto his lips, small and gentle and genuine, softening his dark eyes and crinkling their corners. Lucy almost forgot how to breathe.

“I’m in desperate need of freshening up,” Lockwood said, “so how about I nip home and pick you up in a couple of hours?”

Lucy smiled back at him. “Sounds perfect.”

–––

“When he said date, do you think he meant the tea and cake we were originally going to get together before a certain someone ran off? Or have we already done the tea and cake thing to death here at George’s? A cafe’s nice and casual, I don’t have to think twice about what to wear, but if it’s something fancier than that—and Lockwood seems a bit fancy—then what do I wear? I have nothing to wear. What would we even talk about if we’re not talking about cats or paintings?”

Skull meowed.

“I know, I know, I just—” Lucy stopped her pacing and scratched Skull under the chin. “Yeah, okay, you’re right. I’ll have a shower first, then we can worry about clothes.”

With only Skull as a witness, she allowed herself to sing badly and without abandon under the stream of hot water, relishing the fantastic water pressure that her own flat miserably lacked. She heard Skull lingering outside the door, and when he tried to meow (or rather, scream) along to a few of Pink Floyd’s best tracks, she promised to not shame him for it later.

By the time Lockwood knocked on the door, she was dry, dressed, and had stared at herself in the mirror for far too long. Meanwhile, Skull was fast asleep, curled up on the couch after enduring far too many of Lucy’s thoughts spoken aloud. She hastily took a picture of him before opening the door to be greeted by a gleaming smile.

“Lucy,” Lockwood said. “Hello.”

“Hello,” she said, leaning against the door to take in the view. Lockwood was once again in his usual uniform of a crisp white shirt beneath a jumper in a lovely shade of blue Lucy would kill to have in paint. There wasn’t a wrinkle in sight, nor a single stray strand escaping the elegant swoop of his dark hair, and his face was lightly flushed from the cold nip of the outside.

He looked perfect.

“Come in for a sec,” she said, ushering him inside and firmly closing the door. “Skull’s out cold, but I don’t trust him to not scamper again.”

Lockwood laughed. “From the state we found him in the tree, I doubt he’s in any rush to get out again.”

“No,” Lucy said, side-eyeing the sleeping black hole. “That was a minor setback for him. He’s still a menace.”

“You two have such an odd relationship,” Lockwood mused as Lucy pried on her shoes. “I’m not sure I’ll ever understand it.”

“Me neither,” Lucy said, pulling on her coat. “Don’t start getting jealous.”

A sudden bark of laughter fell from Lockwood’s lips. “I’ll try my best. Ready?”

Lucy gave one last glance to Skull, who remained fast asleep as rumbling purrs rippled across his fur. She cast him a fond smile before turning back to Lockwood, who took her hand like it was second nature and led her outside.

The coffee shop Lockwood took her to came from a recommendation from his sister, who Lucy began to grill him about the second he mentioned her. They’d both opted for English Breakfast tea, along with a slice of cake each, but both flavours looked so delectable they wound up placing both plates in the middle of the table and carefully taking chunks from each of them with their little dessert forks. It was the kind of utterly gross thing Lucy would gag at if she saw another couple (pair of people, she mentally corrected herself, not couple) doing in public, but as she brought another forkful of Lockwood’s lemon drizzle to her lips and watched him do the same with her carrot cake, she found she didn’t give a damn at all.

They drifted out of the coffee shop hand in hand, stomachs full of warm tea, good cake, and a ridiculous amount of butterflies. He looked down and she met his eye, and in that exchanged glance they had a silent conversation both understood perfectly—though they were technically at the end of their ‘official’ date, neither of them wanted to go home at all.

So Lockwood gave her hand a gentle tug and led her through London’s bustling streets to the nearest park.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been to this one before,” Lucy said, running her thumb across the back of Lockwood’s hand and relishing the way he’d taken hers with ease. She firmly held on to it as they began their lazy wander through the autumn leaf-filled pathways.

Lockwood gently brushed a pile of leaves out of the way with his foot, but the look Lucy gave him clearly said she saw through his nonchalance. He gave in quickly, and upon passing another pile of leaves, he gave it a good hearty kick. Lucy laughed and did the same.

“I used to come here all the time when I was a child. When my parents came back from a long trip, they’d bring my sister and I here. After we tired ourselves out running through the grass and”—he laughed softly—“poorly attempting to climb trees, they’d take us to get hot chocolates if it was winter, or milkshakes in the summer.”

“Your parents sounded lovely.”

“They were,” Lockwood said, gazing off into the distance before looking back down at her. “I think they’d have liked you. Jessica definitely will, at least.”

“Do you get along?”

“Oh, we have our moments. I was a terribly annoying child, but she also enjoyed tormenting me, so I imagine that makes us even. Though I don’t think she’s fully accepted that I’m an adult, yet. Do you have any siblings?”

Lucy huffed a sigh. “Far too many.”

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “How many?”

“Six. All older than me.”

“Jesus. Are you close?”

“Not really. Moving to London made it worse, but I honestly don’t mind.” Not keen to linger on this topic, she swerved the conversation in a way she hoped was smooth: “So how long have you and George known each other?”

“Met him on the first day of secondary school,” Lockwood said, a smile gracing his face as he recalled it. “Poor sod’s been stuck with me ever since.”

“I don’t know how he puts up with you.”

“Me neither. It’s a true mystery. I’m surprised you’ve lasted a week in my company.”

“Oh, I’ve been tempted to hightail it once or twice,” she said, “but poor Skull would starve without me.”

“I doubt it. He’d plot my murder and feast on my corpse.”

“Reckon you’d taste any good?”

“Like the finest steak in the country. I’d pair well with a good red wine.”

Lucy let out an ugly snort of a laugh at how ridiculous the conversation was quickly becoming, and when she opened her crinkled eyes she found Lockwood staring at her like she’d gone and hung the bloody moon.

“What?” she said, holding a hand to her cheek. “Is there something on my face?”

“No,” he said quietly. “You just— Can I—?”

“Oh. Oh.”

He was leaning in again, and so was she, and was this it? Were they finally going to—

Lucy’s phone buzzed. She jerked backwards.

“Sorry,” she said, frantically patting until she found the pocket it sat in, “sorry. I just— Oh, God. It’s Kipps.”

Lockwood’s visible disappointment soon became intense curiosity. Though he didn’t peer over her shoulder at her phone, it was clear he desperately wanted to. “What did he say?”

She opened the notification, quickly read through his response, and almost fell to her knees in relief.

“He’s okay with it,” she said quietly. “He’s okay with it!” In a moment of pure instinct, she flung her arms around Lockwood and enveloped him in a tight hug. She was surrounded by the now-all too familiar smell of his cologne as she shamelessly pressed her face into the crook of his neck; he grabbed her with little hesitation and Lucy’s mind went haywire at how perfectly they fit together.

“Told you,” he said into her hair, sounding far too smug, but Lucy let it slide just this once.

They held on to each other for perhaps a moment too long. “He’s actually encouraging me to be creative with it,” she said as she eventually pulled away, “and I quote: ‘as long as the rapier sparkles’.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Kipps.”

“I’ve had a really, really nice time,” she said, fingers toying at the hem of his coat sleeve, hesitant to completely let him go. “But I have a painting to finish.”

“You do indeed. But who’ll keep Skull company while you’re busy working? If only you knew someone who was also free right now and would be willing to keep him out of your way as long as a decent documentary was playing…”

“If only,” Lucy said dryly, before tugging his sleeve and leading him in the direction of George’s flat.

–––

It was truly incredible how engrossed in the television that man could get. This time they’d found a documentary about ghosts, which was apparently interesting enough to enamour Skull, too—when she popped her head out of George’s room her studio to check on them, she found her boys curled up on the couch together, eyes glued to the screen. Granted, they still sat on opposite ends with a large, safe distance between them, but that in itself, Lucy thought, was a complete miracle.

She painted what she hoped was the final brushstroke and took a step back to admire her work, heaving a sigh of relief when she found the final result actually looked—if she could say so herself—pretty fucking good.

Pressure against her calves signalled Skull’s presence; she scratched his head as he continued to head-butt her.

“That’s incredible,” Lockwood said from behind her. Lucy jolted; his approach was terrifyingly silent. “You’re incredible. You have so much skill.”

Skull yowled and batted his foot with a paw.

“And so do you,” Lockwood laughed.

Lucy scooped Skull into her arms and he quickly settled into her grasp, clearly used to being carted around like a small child by now. “Thank you. Do you think he’ll like it?”

“He’s going to love it. I promise.”

As she smiled, he reached up a hand and brushed away the hair from her eyes, before trailing it down the side of her face and cupping her head. His thumb brushed her cheekbone, moving slowly as if he feared she’d break, and as he gently pulled her closer, her eyes fluttered shut and she knew that this, this was it.

When Lockwood kissed her, every nerve in Lucy’s body felt like it was on fire. It was everything she hoped for and more, and though she longed to kiss him until her lips went numb and all the sense flooded from her brain, a small, furry paw wedged its way between their faces and firmly pushed Lockwood away.

“I’m so glad I finally got to do that,” Lockwood murmured, playfully batting Skull’s paw away.

“Me too,” Lucy said. Skull cried out in her arms. “I think he’s jealous.”

“How about dinner, tomorrow? A proper date,” he said, hand still cupping her face. “After George comes back.”

“I’d like th—”

Skull screamed.

“Yes,” Lucy shouted over the screeching. Lockwood’s grin lit up the whole room.

[whencyclopedia]

Henry VI of England

Henry VI of England ruled as king from 1422 to 1461 CE and again from 1470 to 1471 CE. Succeeding his father Henry V of England (r. 1413-1422 CE), Henry VI was crowned the king of France in 1431 CE but he could not prevent a French revival led by Charles VII of France (r. 1422-1461 CE) and such figures as Joan of Arc (c. 1412-1431 CE). The Hundred Years' War (1337-1453 CE) was ultimately lost and with it all England's territory in France except Calais. Back in England, the king's weakness of character and mind, and the intense rivalry between his barons led to the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487 CE) between the rival houses of Lancaster and York. After an episode of insanity, Henry VI had, in effect, a regent, Richard, the Duke of York in 1454 CE. Despite military victories by Henry's wife, Queen Margaret, the king was ultimately deposed by Richard's son Edward in 1461 CE. Henry would make a brief return to the throne in 1470 CE before Edward, now Edward IV of England (1461-1470 & 1471-1483 CE), was once more victorious on the battlefield and able to declare himself king for a second time. Henry was then murdered in the Tower of London in May 1471 CE.

Succession

Henry was born on 6 December 1421 CE in Windsor Castle, the son of Henry V of England and Catherine of Valois (l. 1401 - c. 1437 CE), the daughter of Charles VI of France. The reign of Henry's father was short but brilliant. Pressing his claim to the French throne, which had started with Edward III of England (r. 1327-1377 CE), Henry V had won a famous victory against a French army at the Battle of Agincourt in October 1415 CE and then conquered Normandy between 1417 and 1419 CE. This was to be the peak of English fortunes during the on-off conflict between the two countries known to history as the Hundred Years' War. The victories allowed Henry V to sign the 1420 CE treaty of Troyes with Charles VI of France (r. 1380-1422 CE) which made Henry the French king's heir while the blood heir, the Dauphin Charles, was disinherited. All this happened while France was split between two rival factions: the Burgundians and the Armagnacs.

The English barons would entangle themselves in a spiral of competition to see who could hold most power while Henry remained a minor.

Henry V died, probably of dysentery on 31 August 1422 CE at Bois de Vincennes in France. The English king had missed the chance to become the king of France by less than two months as Charles VI died on 21 October 1422 CE. Prince Henry, not even one year old, became the new king of England and the youngest to hold such a title before or since. He would not receive his coronation until 6 November 1429 CE in Westminster Abbey, officially becoming Henry VI of England. In the meantime, the infant had two regents, appointed by Henry V before his death: Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (l. 1390-1447 CE) for England and John, Duke of Bedford (l. 1389-1435 CE) for the territories in France, where, at least according to the Treaty of Troyes, he was also now the king. Another important figure was the king's great-uncle, Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester. These three men and others would entangle themselves in a spiral of competition to see who could hold most power while Henry remained a minor.

The Wars of the Roses were not over yet, though. Edward, the Duke of York's son, backed by the Earl of Warwick, was promoted as a replacement to his father and to King Henry. When Edward won the bloody Battle of Towton in March 1461 CE, the largest and longest battle in English history, this is indeed what transpired. Henry VI was deposed, and he, Queen Margaret, and their son Edward (b. 13 October 1453 CE) all fled to Scotland. Edward of York, just 19 years of age, was crowned Edward IV of England at Westminster Abbey on 28 June 1461 CE. Even this was still not the end of the civil war, merely a pause.

Continue reading...

[questforgalas]

Now that I've played the MW campaign and am even more unhinged about the MW3 campaign, here are my completely unasked for thoughts on how Activision should've mapped out the games for an at least 6 game story arc

MW

Absolutely no changes. Kyle is a precious muffin. Price is a precious muffin. Alex is a precious muffin. Farah is a queen.

Interesting campaign. Diverse levels. Dynamic and well thought out storyline.

MW2

My baby. The love of my life. My most precious muffin. That campaign? That storyline? Chef's kiss. Ale and Rudy? The best additions. Valeria?? Fucking wonderful. That plot twist?? Grasping my pearls

No changes

MW3

More 141 levels, make the intro levels 141 as a well oiled machine, digging up the intel telling about the prison break. Give more background to what Farah is in the middle of instead of dropping right in especially with fucking Graves suddenly chilling on the comms, bridging that gap between MW2 and here. Take out a good chunk of the Makarov cut scenes and give more levels chasing intel, letting the player put together the pieces with every cold trail Makarov leaves behind, getting frustrated along with the team. Keep the flashback once the team reaches boiling point, but make Ghost less inclined towards Johnny to keep more inline with their reluctant start in MW2.

Shepherd and Graves go off the grid after they give their intel, they disappear. Makarov is making moves in Urzikstan so 141 goes to help ULF (did I mention more 141?). It was a distraction, they uncover Makarov's plans for London, scramble back, it plays out, Price ends up dead (it's a military game, people are going to die, and Price dying had the most potential impact. Come along, I'll explain), Makarov gets away.

Final cut scene is a funeral send off Price deserves, montage of the boys back on base dealing with the aftermath, and Laswell finding Ghost, explaining how he's the Lieutenant, he's the obvious next choice to take up the mantle and Ghost simply says "I'm not the obvious choice" and the final scene pans on Gaz, the Robin to Price's Batman.

The levels will be meatier, longer, and at least 5 more added to deepen the story. Diversity of the play style will be more than just standard campaign and online-layout. The Makarov plot will be discovered by the player, not told to them, adding more intrigue to the character. The final level will be multi tiered, hopping between the two pairs. Actually 8 hours of gameplay instead of the measly 3 they gave us (yes, the MW3 campaign is 3 hours of gameplay compared to MW and MW2s 8 hours each)

MW4

Open to 141 arriving on mission, Soap tapping Gaz on the shoulder and says "Ready when you are, Captain" with that cheeky smile. Makarov's gone dark, eerily quiet the past couple months, but they have a lead on Shepherd and Graves so they're going in. It all points back to Mexico, Graves accepting his military career is fucked after Las Almas and turning Shadow Company into full mercs instead of PMCs now, specializing in weapons dealings. He recognized the advantage a deal with Valeria could have and they've been working together.

CUT TO LOS VAQUEROS/141 REUNION. More Alejandro and Rudy background (just let Alain Mesa, the BAFTA Game Award Nominee for this freaking role, fucking shine). Dive into the Valeria background, make the raid mentioned during her interrogation a flashback level in Valeria's POV. The team has to go undercover to get close to the intel, Rudy gets picked, gathers the intel, but gets compromised. Now its a race to rescue Rudy. Ale and Gaz go after Rudy while Soap and Ghost follow the lead Rudy got them. Ale and Gaz raid a cartel base/prison, let Ale take Gaz under his wing recognizing the young captain's feeling the pressure, some banter, some advice, wholesome Ale and Gaz bonding.

Soap, on the other hand, is barely being contained by Ghost. He's in full attack dog mode with Graves scent nearby and Ghost has half a mind to let the demolition expert go completely feral, but the lieutenant part of him keeps his sergeant in check. Further their dynamic, more banter balancing right on the edge. They clear out the compound, find a gold mine of intel around the dealings, and Johnny gets to put the bullet right between Graves' eyes.

One line in the intel catches their eyes - Makarov

MW5/6

Make the Makrov storyline a 3 game storyline - MW3 intro and back-to-back MW 5 and 6. Now with ties in Mexico and ULF, all established teams and beloved characters can be brought in in some aspect throughout both games to take him down.

Ale and Rudy are cleaning up El Sin Nombre's ties in Las Almas, cutting each line of Valeria's arms dealings, trying to cut off the courier of Makarov's destruction.

Farah continues to lead ULF to free Urzikstan, Makarov taking advantage of the dissent and chaos and placing a foothold there, ultimately dividing forces and efforts from his background machinations.

With Makarov's trail warm again, the 141 are out for blood. Could take the plunge and make GhostSoap canon through subtle dialogue options or touch gestures in cut scenes. The end is possibly near, they're all allowing themselves to think about the future, why not take the plunge Activision? Or they stay vague/platonic and the dynamic is further developed. Dialogue options and cut scenes show further bond with Gaz as well who's stepped into being Captain a little more, easing into the shoes.

MW5 is cat and mouse. Makarov leaves little treats and traps and the team is chasing after their tails, always 3 steps behind him. Give Makarov more scenes, not telling the player his plan but let his character development fly. Let the unhingedness flourish.

Finally, they catch a break at the end of the game and MW6 is the final chase. 8 hours of them hunting down Makarov. Ale and Rudy cleaned up Las Almas and can join them, bringing the whole gang together internationally (bonus points to make one a cold weather mission and the two Mexicans are just bitching the whole time just for Soap and Ghost to tease them back about payback for having to deal with the Mexican desert for a whole week). Two characters would die (not in one game, over the course of the two) - Farah (she's been a fighter her whole life, it would be a full circle for her to heroically go out with a gun in her hand) and either Ghost or Soap.

Soap dying here would be so much more impactful. He'd be more established as a character, have deeper relationships with all members of the game, and it's highly possible to have a situation where a charge isn't going so he's the only one who can pull it off (reminiscent of Hevy in TCW). Going out in a blaze just like he's always imagined.

Ghost dying would be another full circle option with his canon (it would be a sacrificial choice, dying on his own terms as his own choice) and with his long career, it would be heartbreaking but understandable. This also leaves the 141 in the hands of the two youngest, the Captain and the new Lieutenant, tasked with bringing in the next generation of the best soldiers.

And if there just happens to be a cut scene where Johnny has an extra pair of dog tags and a modest ring dangling from his chain? Then you know I infiltrated the Activision writers' room.

Oh what happened to Shepherd you ask? End credits role on MW6 and another cut scene begins. A lone cabin in the middle of nowhere in the woods, smoke trailing out of the chimney. Cut interior, a haggard Shepherd bent over a desk, mumbling to himself, scribbling on something. He tacks the paper on the board in front of him, revealing Gaz and Soap's pictures amidst a mess of strings and maps and notes saying "Traitors". Then it cuts black

Boom, there you go Activision. Enjoy all of your awards and record breaking sales. It could've been that easy

[neverthatsirius-jo]

ohhh my god so basically in frankfurt we went to the christmas markets as one does. so that was 2 days of gluhwein (which is like warm spiced wine thats soooo yum) and super pretty stalls and booths and there were these rlly good chocolate covered strawberries that we also got on both days

and in paris! all the sightseeing, naturally. arc de triomphe, the louvre (but we didnt go inside, not enough time), the notre dame, SHAKESPEARE AND COMPANY (i got THE tote bag, it was so nice inside but pictures werent allowed 💔), the eiffel tower (went during sunset and watched it sparkle an hour later!! it was so beautiful)

holiday was good apart from some days with sucky weather but thats to be expected with these countries so i was so glad for the few sunny days we got!

omg and to preface ive been to both places before. i go to germany quite a lot because my dad works for a german airline and paris ive been twice before, when i was like 10 months and when i was 6 so OBV i dont remember either trip so i suggested we go again. this still doesnt make up for the fact that it isnt my dream paris trip, id still like to go again with my bsf someday. i just want to travel with her in general or just WITH a friend. i feel like it would be different yk?

some digicam paris pics! because everything was so gorg

anw how was your break? what did you get up to?

YAAHAYY, thank you for the detailed ask. i’m but a curious gorll :))

gluhwein (the way i read it in my mind) sounded like glue wine and i was just imagining like a wine made of glue. anyway this made no sense but it made me laugh

and THE totebag of shakespeare and company !! i’ve seen it and i think it’s not that great tbh so i think you should just ship it to me and i’ll take care of it for you or whatever

and the traveling with a friend. SAME i want to do it so badly. my choice of place would be london i think :))

the pictures are GORGEOUSss, thank you for sharing them with me 🥹💗

glad you had a great time and got to visit all those beautiful places <333

my break has been good, hung out a couple of times with friends (straight girl included 👹), i’ve been trying to plan for the new year and get a bit more organised but 😞 im failing.

today i tried baking cookies like the crumbl ones yk. think i over-baked them a lil bit (they weren’t crumbly :() but they were good. only tried one tho, cause they are for new years!! i also picked some christmas (and not) movies because will be having a marathon with my family tomorrow i think :))

[scotianostra]

January 15th 1803 saw the birth of Marjory Fleming, "Pet Marjory", child writer and poet, who died in 1811 of meningitis at the age of 8 years and 11 months.

One of my favourite, yet tragic tales, young Pet Marjory is a touching story of a wee lass that packed so much into her short life.

Marjory Fleming was an extraordinary child prodigy, she left poems, letters and a journal that are now one of the treasures of the National Library of Scotland; and in 1889 Sir Leslie Stephen, Virginia Woolf's father, wrote an entry about her for the original Dictionary of National Biography, believing that 'no more fascinating infantile author has ever appeared. What makes this all the more remarkable is, Marjory was a mere 8 years old when she died.

It’s been said she was a distant relative of Sir Walter Scott, although there is no real evidence they ever met Robert Louis Stevenson and Mark Twain also thought highly of her.

Marjory spent most of her sixth, seventh and eighth years in Edinburgh being tutored by her teenage cousin, Isabella Keith. Isabella is mentioned is the somewhat odd opening line of Marjory’s famous journal: ‘Many people are hanged for Highway robbery Housebreking Murder &c. &c. Isabella teaches me everything I know and I am much indebted to her she is learnen witty & sensible.’

Marjory returned to Kirkcaldy in July 1811, and wrote on 1 September to her cousin, ‘We are surrounded with measles at present on every side’. She herself contracted measles in November and although she apparently recovered, died in December from what is now thought to have been meningitis. She was a month short of her ninth birthday.

Marjory was an accomplished and witty poet and diarist although she was not published until 50 years after her death. Her writings became hugely popular in the Victorian period albeit with the published editions altered as some her her language was thought inappropriate for an eight year old. The first account of her was given by a London journalist in the Fife Herald and reprinted as a booklet entitled Pet Marjorie: a Story of Child Life Fifty Years Ago. The nickname ‘Pet’ and the spelling of her name with ‘ie’ were inventions of her biographer: both appear on Marjory’s gravestone in Abbotshall Kirkyard, Kirkcaldy erected in 1930.

Marjory’s precocious intellect is noted in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: ‘She records enjoying the poems of Pope and Gray, the Arabian Nights, Ann Radcliff’s ‘misteris [sic] of udolpho’, the Newgate calendar, and ‘tails’ by Maria Edgworth and Hannah More.’ Her abilities are also apparent in the pithy comments in her journal and in her valiant attempts to write in rhyming couplets.

Robert Louis Stevenson is quoted as saying, ‘Marjory Fleming was possibly – no, I take back possibly – she was one of the noblest works of God.’

I had a hunt around and found a few of her poems and have picked out two that I liked best the first is written about her cousin with whom she lived in Edinburgh, the simplicity and innocence of the poem I must admit has brought a tear to my eye, especially as it written by a 6 year old……“

My Dear love Isabella”

Here lies sweet Isabell in bed,

With a night-cap on her head;

Her skin is soft, her face is fair,

And she has very pretty hair;

She and I in bed lie nice.

And undisturbed by rats and mice;

She is disgusted with Mr. Worgan,

Though he plays upon the organ.

Her nails are neat, her teeth are white,

Her eyes are very, very bright;

In a conspicuous town she lives,

And to the poor her money gives;

Here ends sweet Isabella’s story,

And may it be much to her glory.I love in Isa’s bed to lie,

Oh, such joy and luxury!

The bottom of the bed I sleep,

And with great care within I creep;

Oft I embrace her feet of lillys,

But she has gotten all the pillys.

Her neck I never can embrace,

But I do hug her feet in place.

The manuscripts of Marjory Fleming’s writings can be seen in the National Library of Scotland online here https://digital.nls.uk/marjory-fleming/archive/100989212

[unknownworlds4]

In honor of Black History Month, here are 10 Black Americans who were pioneers of their time. (I apologize that this post is late. I’ve been preoccupied with midterm exams)

Eugene Bullard (1895 - 1961)

Eugene Bullard was one of the first African American military pilots in the world. Originally from Georgia, Bullard had run away from home when he was 11 and wondered around the state for six years with a clan of gypsies before stowing away on a German cargo ship in 1912. He ended up in Aberdeen, Scotland and eventually ended up in London, where he worked as a boxer and performer for an entertainment troupe. He traveled to Paris for a boxing match and eventually settled there permanently. When World War 1 began in 1914, Bullard joined the French Foreign Legion, where he saw combat at the Somme, Champaign, and Verdun. After being injured during the Battle of Verdun, he was sent to Lyon to recuperate. After recovering in 1916 he joined the French Air Service as a machine gunner. He obtained his pilot's license in 1917. He flew several missions during the war and claimed two victories over German planes. He applied to join the American Air Corps after the United States entered the war in 1917 but was rejected because of his race. Bullard returned to the French Air Service but was removed after an apparent conflict with a French officer. He remained in the military until 1919. He returned to Paris where he worked a nightclub, operated his own nightclub and gym, and married Marcelle de Straumann. After Germany invaded France in 1940, he volunteered to fight again, but was injured during the defense of Orleans. He escaped to Spain and later returned to the United States, settling in Harlem, New York City. In 1949, he was working as a security guard at concert hosted by Paul Robeson. Riots broke out where a racist mob and police officers beat concert goers, including Bullard. He eventually died of Stomach Cancer in 1961.

Bullard received many honors from France. In 1954, the French government invited Bullard to Paris to be one of the three men chosen to rekindle the everlasting flame at the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe. In 1959, he was made a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor. He also received the Military Medal, an award given for courageous acts and the third highest award in France. After his death, he also received honors from the United States. He was posthumously commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force in 1994. He was inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame in 1989 and the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2022. The Museum of Aviation in Warner Robbins, Georgia erected a statute in honor of Bullard.

Ruby Bridges (1954 - )

Ruby Bridges hadn't even been born yet when, in 1954, the United States Supreme Court made a landmark ruling in the Board vs. Board of Education case that declared that desegregation in public schools was unconstitutional. This decision caused protests and celebrations all across the South, including New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1960, when Ruby was 6 years old, U.S. Circuit Court Judge ruled that schools in New Orleans must begin desegregation. Ruby was one of four 6-year-old girls (the others being Lenona Tate, Tessie Provost, and Gail Etienne) selected by the NAACP to participate in the integration. Tate, Provost, and Etienne enrolled at McDonogh 19 Elementary School, while Bridges enrolled at William Frantz Elementary School. All four faced death threats, racial slurs, and taunts. After a race riot broke out at Parish School Board meeting, U.S. Marshalls were called in to escort the girls to and from school.

Since the tumultuous period, Bridges has become a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement. She has been the subject of Songs, documentaries, movies, and 1964 Norman Rockwell painting "The Problem We All Live With". She is currently the Chair of the Ruby Bridges Foundation. She has also received numerous accolades over her life including the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Clinton in 2001, being honored as a "Hero Against Racism" by the Anti-Defamation League in 2006 and being inducted in the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2024.

Bessie Coleman (1892 - 1926)

Bessie Coleman was born the tenth child out of thirteen to a family of sharecroppers in Texas. She walked four miles each day to attend a segregated school where she loved reading and established herself as an exceptional math student. Every harvest season she helped her family harvest cotton. When was turned eighteen years old, she enrolled at the Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University in Langston, Oklahoma (known today as Langston University). She only completed one term before running out of funds and returning home. In 1915, she moved to Chicago to live with brothers where she worked as a manicurist at a barbershop, where she heard flying stories of pilots returning from their service in World War 1. She took a second job as a restaurant manager to save money in the hopes of becoming a pilot herself, but flight schools in the U.S. at the time were not accepting women nor black people. As such, she was encouraged to study abroad by Robert Abbott, publisher of the African American newspaper 'The Chicago Defender'. To do this she received financial backing from the defender and banker Jesse Binga (founder of the first black owned bank in Chicago).

In 1920, she traveled to France to earn her license. She trained on a Nieuport 14 Biplane. In 1921, she received her pilots license, becoming the first black woman (and first black person in general) to receive a license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. She returned to the United States in September becoming a media sensation. She made a living performing in air shows as a stunt flier. She met with community activists and spoke before crowds about perusing aviation as a profession and the goals of black people in the United States. Unfortunately, she was killed in 1926, when the plane she was flying in lost control and threw her out at 2,000ft. Though she never established her own flight school, her ambitions inspired many other black aviators to this very day.

Katherine Johnson (1918 - 2020)

Katherine Johnson was one of the first black to be employed as a scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Born in White Sulpher Springs, West Virginia, she was the youngest of four children. Her mother was a teacher, and her father was a lumberjack, farmer, and handyman. From an early age she displayed strong mathematical abilities, so her parents enrolled her in high school in Institute since their home county didn't school for African Americans passed the 8th grade. After graduating high school, she enrolled at West Virginia State College, where took every mathematics course offered (new classes were even added just for her). She graduated 'summa cum laude' in 1937 and took a teaching job Marion, Virginia.

In 1938, the Supreme Court ruled that states that provide higher education for white students must provide it for black students as well. As a result of this, Johnson was selected along with two men to become the first black students to be enrolled at the West Virginia University Graduate School in 1939. However, she left the program to start a family with her husband James Goble. The couple had three daughters: Joylette, Katherine, and Constance.

At a family gathering in 1952, a relative informed her that the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, the precursor to NASA) was hiring mathematicians and that the Langley Research Center was hiring Black applicants as well as white. Johnson took a job at the agency in 1953. She spent 33 years with NACA and NASA, where she earned a reputation as a human computer for mastering complex mathematical calculations and helping pioneer the use of electronic computers. She worked at topics including gust alleviation, flight trajectories, and launch windows. Her work was instrumental to the Apollo Missions during the Cold War 'Space Race'. For her work she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, the Silver Snoopy Award and a NASA Group Achievement Award in 2016, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2019. She was the one of the subjects of the 2016 film Hidden Figures, and she was posthumously inducted into the National Womens Hall of Fame in 2021.

Shirley Chisholm (1924 - 2005)

Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. She was born in Brooklyn to working class parents. Since her mother face difficulty working and raising her children, Shirley and her three younger sisters were to live with their grandmother in Barbados. She said about her grandmother "Granny gave me strength, dignity, and love. I learned from an early age that I was somebody. I didn't need the black revolution to teach me that". She returned to the United States in 1934 and in 1939, began attending the integrated Girl's High School in Brooklyn. She did so well academically, she served as the Vice President of the Junior Arista Honor Society. She attended Brooklyn College where she majored in sociology and graduated in 1946. She married her husband Conrad in 1949. After suffering two miscarriages, the couple learned they could not have children. She worked as a teacher's aide from 1946 to 1953, during which she went on to obtain her master's degree in childhood education from Columbia University in 1951. She soon became an authority on childhood education and child welfare as a consultant for the Division of Day Care in New York City's Bureau of Child Welfare.

She entered politics when she joined the effort to elect Lewis Flagg Jr. to the bench as the first black judge in Brooklyn. The election group became known as the Bedford–Stuyvesant Political League (BSPL), which pushed candidates that supported civil rights and advocated for expanding opportunities in Brooklyn. After leaving the BSPL she worked with a number of different political groups including the League of Women Voters, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Urban League, and the Democratic Party Club in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

In 1964, Chisholm decided to run for the New York State Assembly after the present holder, Thomas R. Jones, was appointed to the New York City Civil Court. Despite resistance because she was a woman, she appealed to women voters and won the Democratic primary in June. She was elected in December serving in the assembly from 1965 to 1968, where she championed several pieces of legislation including expanding unemployment benefits and sponsoring the introduction of the SEEK program which helped disadvantaged kids enter college. In 1968 Chisholm ran for the United States House of Representatives for New Yorks 12th District, which had recently been redrawn to incorporate the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. She ran with the slogan "unbought and unbossed" and won the district with a nearly 2 to 1 margin over her opponent, becoming the first black woman ever elected to Congress. She served on a number of different committees during her career, including the Agriculture, Veterans, and Education and Labor Committees. She worked with Bob Dole to expand the Food Stamps program, played a critical role in the creation of the WIC program, and was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the National Women's Political Caucus. In 1972, she became the first black candidate for a major-party nomination for President of the United States and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, though she ultimately lost the nomination. She retired from politics in 1983, after 14 in Congress. She was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

Thurgood Marshall (1908 - 1993)

Thurgood Marshall was a lawyer and jurist who served as the black justice of the United States Supreme Court. Marshall was originally from Baltimore, Maryland, where graduated from high school with honors in 1925 and then attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania where he graduated with honors in 1930 with a bachelor's degree in American literature and philosophy. While at Lincoln, he led the schools debate team to numerous victories. He attended Howard University Law School in Washington, D.C. because he couldn't attend the all-white University of Maryland Law School. While at Howard, he was mentored by NAACP first special counsel and Law School Dean George Hamilton Houston. He graduated first in class in 1933. He joined Houston as his assistant at the NAACP in 1935, where they worked together on the landmark case Missouri ex rel. Gaines vs. Canada, which ruled that any state which provides a school to white students had to provide in-state education to black students as well. After Houston returned to Washington, Marshall took over his position as special counsel to the NAACP and also became director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc. 

During his career he argued 32 civil rights before the Supreme Court, winning 29 of them. Many of them were landmark cases including Smith vs. Allwright (which ruled that primary elections must be open to voters of all races), Morgan vs. Virginia (which ruled that a state law enforcing the segregation of interstate buses was unconstitutional), Shelley vs. Kramer (which ruled that racially restrictive housing covenants cannot be legally enforced), and Brown vs. Board of Education (which ruled that state laws requiring segregation in schools was unconstitutional).

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed him as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in order for Kennedy to demonstrate his commitment to the interests of black Americans. He took the oath after numerous delays by southern Senators. Marshall authored 98 majority opinions while on the bench. He was nominated as the United States Solicitor General by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, where he won fourteen of the nineteen Supreme Court cases he argued. In 1967, Johnson nominated Marshall to be a Supreme Court Justice after Justice Tom C. Cark resigned. He took the Oath of Office on October 2. Marshall remained on the Court for 24 years until his retirement in 1991. A staunch liberal, he often dissented from the court as the liberal majority vanished and the court became more conservative. During his tenure he advocated for equal rights for minorities, opposed the death penalty, and supported abortion rights.

Jesse Owens (1913 - 1980)

Jesse Owens was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games. Owens was born the youngest of ten children in Oakville, Alabama. In 1922, his family moved to Ohio during the great migration in search of better opportunities. As a child, he developed a passion for running, which was encouraged by his middle school track coach Charles Riley. It was in middle school where he met Minnie Solomon. They married in 1935 and had three daughters: Gloria in 1932, Marlene in 1937, and Beverly in 1940. He first came to national attention while attending high school where he equaled the world record of 9.4 seconds in the 100 yards dash and long-jumped 24 feet 91⁄2 inches at the 1933 National High School Championship in Chicago. While a student at Ohio State University, Owens won a record eight NCAA championships. Notably in 1935, he set three world records and tied a fourth during the Big Ten Conference track meet in Ann Arbor. He equaled the world record of 9.4 seconds in the 100-yard dash and set records for the long jump at 26 feet 81⁄4 inches, the 220-yard sprint at 20.3 seconds, and the 220-yard low hurdles at 22.6 seconds, which cemented him in track and field history.

In 1936, in despite of his apprehension, he was selected to compete in the Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. At the time, Germany was under the iron grip of the Nazi regime led by Adolf Hitler. Hitler saw the games as an opportunity to promote the Nazi ideals of antisemitism and Aryan supremacy. He believed German athletes would dominate the games. However, he visions went unfulfilled. Over the length of competition Owens won Gold Medals in the 100-meter dash at 10.3 seconds, the long jump at 26 ft 5 inches, the 200-meter sprint at 20.7 seconds, and the 4 x 100-meter sprint relay at 39.8 seconds. On August 1, Hitler shook hands with the German victors only and left the stadium and then skipped all further medal presentations. Despite his victories, racial discrimination in the United States made it difficult for Owens to earn a living, being prohibited from appearing at sporting events and refused commercial sponsorships. He attempted several careers, but all they proved fruitless. He hit rock bottom in 1966, when he was prosecuted for tax evasion. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower selected Owens as a Goodwill Ambassador, being sent all around the world to promote physical exercise and tout American freedom and economic opportunity in the developing world, a position held until the 1970s. He also did product endorsement for corporations such as Quaker Oats, Sears and Roebuck, and Johnson & Johnson. He was invited to the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics as a guest of the West German government. He eventually retired and moved to Arizona with his wife. Owens succumbed to Lung Cancer in 1980 at the age of 66 and was buried in Tucson, Arizona. In 1983 he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and was posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal in 1990.

Hiram Revels (1827 - 1901)

Hiram Revels was the first African-Amercian to serve in the United States Congress. He was born to free black people in Fayetteville, North Carolina. His father was a Baptist preacher. He attended a Quaker seminary in Indiana as a boy and in 1845, was ordained as a minister with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He traveled throughout the Midwest preaching and acted as a religious teacher. He studied religion at Knox College in Illinois from 1855 to 1857 and then became a minister a Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland, while also serving as a high school principal. During the Civil War, he enlisted as a Chaplain in the Union Army and helped recruit and organized two black regiments in Maryland and Missouri.

In 1866, Revels was called to be the pastor in Natchez, Mississippi where he settled permanently with his wife and five daughters. In 1868, during the Reconstruction Era, he was elected as an Alderman of Natchez and in 1869, he was elected to represent Adams County in the Mississippi State Legislature. In 1870, Revels was elected to the United States Senate by the state legislature to fill the seat left since before the Civil War. Southern Democrats opposed his seat, stating that the 1857 Dred Scott decision disqualified him on basis if citizenship. He officially became the first black senator on February 25. As a senator, he advocated compromise and moderation, and supported racial equality. He served on both the Committee of Education and Labor and the Committee of the District of Columbia (at the time, Congress administered the district). His professional conduct was greatly admired by fellow congressmen and the Northern press. After his term expired, he became President of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College in Claiborne County, Mississippi (currently Alcorn State University). He served in this post until his retirement in 1882. In 2002, he was listed as one of 100 Greatest African Americans by Molefi Kete Asante.

Henry Johnson (1897 - 1929)

Henry Johnson was an American soldier who was noted for heroic actions during World War One. Originally from North Carolina, he moved to Albany, New York and worked variety of menial jobs before enlisting in the army in 1917, two months after the United States entry into the First World War. The unit he was assigned to, the all-black New York National Guard 15th Infantry Regiment, was mustered into federal service and redesignated as the 369th Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the Harlem Hellfighters. The regiment was assigned to labor service duties while stationed in Europe. The black service members faced discrimination and harassment by white soldiers and even the American headquarters. The American commander loaned the regiment to the French Army. It's believed he did this because white soldiers refused to fight alongside black soldiers. The French enthusiastically welcomed the new troops.

The regiment, Johnson included, was assigned to the Ardennes Forest. While on outpost duty on the night of May 14, 1918, Johnson came under attack by a German raiding party. Using only his bare hands, a bolo knife, his rifle butt, and some grenades, he was able to repel the attackers, killing four of them and preventing the capture of his fellow soldiers, all while suffering 21 wounds. He was given the nickname "Black Death" for his actions and awarded the Croix de guerre by France. However, his actions went unrecognized in the U.S. because of racial discrimination, and he died poor and in obscurity. However, he has since been posthumously given several awards by the military, including the Purple Heart in 1996, the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002, and the Medal of Honor in 2015. In 2023, the U.S. Army base Fort Polk in Louisiana was renamed Fort Johnson in his honor.

Dorothy Height (1912 - 2010)

Dorothy Height was an activist for both the Civil Rights and Women's Rights movements. Height was born in Richmond, Virginia and moved to Rankin, Pennsylvania when she was five. Her mother was active in the Pennsylvania Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, and regularly took along Dororthy to meetings, which exposed her to activism from a young age. Height was an enthusiastic participate in Young Women's Christian Association, who was eventually elected as president of the club. She was appalled to learn that her race prevented her from using the YMWA's central branch swimming pool and dedicated much energy to changing the YWCA. While in high school she was active in the anti-lynching movement and won first place and a $1,000 scholarship in a national oratory contest held by the Elks Club. Height graduated from high school in 1929 and was accepted entry in Bernard College at Columbia University but was barred from entering because the school had an unwritten policy of only admitting two black students a year. She instead enrolled at New York University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1932 and a master's degree in educational psychology in 1933. She pursued postgraduate work at the New York School of Social Work.

From 1934 to 1937, Height worked for the New York Department of Welfare, a job she credited for teaching her conflict resolution skills. She then took a job as a counselor at the YWCA Harlem Branch. While working there she met civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt at a meeting of the National Council of Negro Women being held at the YWCA office. During this meeting Bethune told her "The freedom gates are half ajar. We must pry them fully open". She dedicated her life to this cause. She also did work with the United Christian Youth Movement, a group that worked to relate faith to real-world problems.

Beginning in 1939, she worked at YWCA offices in New York City and Washington, D.C., specializing in interracial relations. She ran trainings, wrote periodicals, and worked in Public Affairs on race issues. She believed that segregation caused prejudice through estrangement, so after the YWCA adopted in interracial charter in 1946, Height worked to help white members of the organization transcend their apprehension and bring their action in line with what the YWCA principles by running workshops, facilitating meetings, and writing articles. In 1958, she was elected president of the National Council of Negro Women and remained at the post until 1990. While president of the NCNW, she worked alongside civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and Whitney Young. Thanks to her background as an orator, she became a master at acting as the middleman in initiating dialogue between feuding parties. In 1963 she became head of the "Action Program for Integration and Desegregation of Community YWCAs", which was started in response to the growing civil rights movement. In this role she worked to monitor progress in integrating the association. In 1974, she was named to the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, which was formed in response to the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment scandal. She was also a driving force behind the movement to get a statue of Mary McLeod Bethune in Lincoln Park, the first statue of a woman or a black person to be erected on federal land.

She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993. She was awarded the Presidential Citizen's Medal in 1989, the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1994, a Congressional Gold Medal by President George H.W. Bush in 2004, and President Barack Obama called Height "the godmother of the civil rights movement and a hero to so many Americans". She died on April 20, 2010, at the age of 98. She was buried at Fort Lincoln Cemetery in Maryland after a funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. She is considered one of the driving forces of the American Civil Rights Movement.

[blottyink]

My September Reads Ranked

I dnfd 2 books this month, so I only have a list of books I liked. I dnfd Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and A Spiral of Need by Suzanne Wright. I thought both of these were going to be 5 star reads for me, but I was wrong.

1. Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig:  I loved this series with every fiber of my being. The characters we’ve had the pleasure of meeting in the first book, get together to find a missing magical artefact. In the process, Gillig blesses her readers with a tender romance and an abundance meaningful character arcs. The magic system is unique, the plot is crazy, and the writing is beautiful. It’s the best time, and the dialogue between the characters is addictive. The Shepard King series is hands down the best fantasy series I’ve read all year, and probably the best fantasy series I’ll ever read. I have the special editions (coming out this month) on preorder.

2. Half a Soul by Oliva Atwater: As a child, Dora has half her soul taken by a fairy. Both of her parents are dead, so she ends up with her bitch of an aunt and her pretty cool cousin. This takes place in the regency era in London. Dora’s pretty cool cousin is sent to London to find a husband and insists on Dora coming along, and there Dora meets a grumpy magician named Elias. Dora and Elias’s banter is a ton of fun, and their romance is endearing. The book is cozy and heartfelt. I loved it.

3. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett: Another fantasy book I loved. Emily is an eccentric professor obsessed with the folk, and Wendell Bambleby is obsessed with Emily. Together they are giving the hot version of Mary and Dick from 3rd Rock from the Sun. They are too funny together and find themselves in the craziest predicaments, and I already read the second book too. I can’t wait to read the 3rd book in Feb. of next year.

4. Brother by Ania Ahlborn: Brother is about a serial killer family that lives in the Appalachian Mountains. This shit is crazy, and it goes from bad to worse. Yk right off the bat you're not getting a happy ending. The plot is revealed through the two main characters in a compelling way, and the narration goes from following our main protag to past recollections of another character that's bat shit insane. I loved that Ahlborn's writing has an almost casual tone bc it lets you feel the normalcy the main protag, Michael, feels. He doesn't fully realize he's in a totally insane situation. It's perfect to kick off the spooky season, especially if you like reading about super dysfunctional families.

The following are Ruby Dixon books. These are all books about a romance between a human and a big, buff blue alien. They have a ton of smut.

5. The Corsair’s Bed by Ruby Dixon

6. Barbarian’s Seduction Ruby Dixon

7. Barbarian’s Tease by Ruby Dixon

8. Barbarian’s Beloved by Ruby Dixon

9. Barbarian’s Treasure by Ruby Dixon

10. Enticed by The Corsair by Ruby Dixon

11. Monstrilio by Gerardo Samano Cordova: I liked this book, but the time jump in the second half was jarring and didn’t make a whole lot of sense.

I planned on reading House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski and Babel by R.F. Kuang in October, but I don’t feel like it. With House of Leaves I saw a lot of talk about how you read it mostly for the unique narrative, and I don’t think I’m in the head space rn to read something for that reason. Then I read a discourse about how Babel is mostly telling instead of showing, and that’s not my cup of tea. In retrospect, I think that’s the main reason I couldn’t stand Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and Red Rising by Pierce Brown (despite their popularity). I’ll read both these books eventually and give them a go, but I’m not in the mood for them.

I ordered like 10 books, and I’ll see what I end up reading.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hello again!

Okay I'm just here for a chat (if thats okay) (i think you're lovely!)

There are some stuff about the show that really bother me you know... First of all in season 4 What Happens to John Watson.. like he is simply characterized by loyalty right it is who he is, then HOW does he cheat on Mary?! (Okay granted that his heart was elsewhere... ahem. But he's just not someone who would cheat)

Also i think Mary shouldn't be a villain... i know she possibly looks like it messes up Johnlock but i think its the opposite actually. I think John is bisexual and his love for her was real but she was basically a Sherlock substitute who looked like him (John)! Plus, she was there when he was at rock bottom so. But what doesn't make sense is her shooting Sherlock in the chest?! What's up with that!

Okay but the Weirdest part is in the last episode when Sherlock has to choose between John and Mycroft and finally choses to shoot himself... BOTH John and Mycroft do Nothing?? HOW

AAAAA the Last Season was SO much angst.. i think this fandom saved me <3

In my head It was love at first sight... and then slowly falling head over heels crazy in love with your best friend and all of it culminating in the most beautiful TV Romance.

(okay im sorry i think i ranted a bit)

Hi Lovely!

Inbox is always open for a chat (even if it takes me a long time to get to it, LOL), so no worries!

Let's address each of you things one by one:

What HAPPENS to John Watson – Your guess is as good as mine, Lovely, and it's a lot of the reason a lot of us can't take S4 seriously. It feels so OOC for John to cheat on Mary with ANY other woman, other than Sherlock (hence it being part of the Alibi theory, this part of it referencing SHERLOCK as being the one John is actually texting in the night), so many of us just don't think that S4 is what it appears to be on the surface. Of course, it could all just be a coping mechanism to deal with how dirty a beloved series did it's fandom, but we take what we can get, honestly.

As for villain Mary, I have to respectfully disagree, only because I believe that I think they were setting her up in S3 to BE a kickass antagonist for S4. Amanda ALSO thought they were going that route for a bit until (my speculation) things went sour with MF, AND they built up her character as a psychopath imho. Then they made her character attempt a piss-poor redemption arc that just... really soiled S4 for me because I firmly believe that John would have NEVER forgiven Mary for trying to kill Sherlock after seeing what it did to him the first time.

But to your point: John is bisexual, yes, but I don't think he's biromantic. I think he's homoromantic, and it's VERY played up in the series that this is the case: his blasé attitude about ALL his girlfriends, but pouncing around the close men in his life like a puppy? Heck, if Lestrade was single, I have NO doubt John would have taken his chances with him too, LOL. John is horny. That's literally the gist of it. He likes sex, he doesn't care what hole it goes in, just as long as he gets it. But I do think he forms VERY strong attachments to men in his life, and in turn he gets hurt, so he pretends he's not into men because it's "just easier" (you can read more posts about my and others' thoughts on John's sexuality here). He was with Mary because he was lonely, and Mary played him like a fiddle. She knew what John liked, and played that up. I believe it's even explicitly stated she knows what John likes. They only knew each other 6 months, CONVENIENTLY just before Sherlock was on his way back? Even ANDERSON picked up on Sherlock making his way back to London. I believe she was a Moriarty plant to see if John knew Sherlock was for-real dead, and she herself enjoyed the game and stealing and keeping John for herself away from Sherlock was part of that game upon the return. So yeah, I really have a hard time believing she OR John actually loved each other. I dunno, again, personal biases and readings of the series, apologies, LOL. I spent a LOT of time analysing Mary's character arc. But I WANTED her to be the big bad for S4, and it just... fizzled and died.

And finally, on your point about the weirdness of John nor Mycroft opting to stop Sherlock, yeah, have to agree with you there. TFP was a goddamned clustereff of WTF moments and mischaracterizations of literally every character on-screen. The only character NOT in character was Eurus and that's literally because they didn't know what to fucking do with her. TFP was so dumb. I have a hard time believing any of it actually happened the way it did on-screen. But yeah, S4 was a big disappointment for everyone including the actors. I think they only people who thought it was great was Mofftiss and that's because they love the smell of their own farts. I can't believe that they GENUINELY thought TFP was going to be Emmy-worthy (for those unaware, they initially planned to nominate TFP for the Emmy, and instead chose TLD, I believe, after the poor reception of TFP, and acted like they were always going to nominate TLD lol).

Anyway, yeah, it was full of angst, though my reasons for it are probably different than everyone else's, LOL. But the fandom IS fantastic, and that's why we stay here, and why I choose now to curate fandom content. Makes me happy, and keeps me out of drama, LOL.

Thank you so much for giving ME the opportunity to chat and rant! It's been so long since I've done mini meta, and posted my thoughts about everything. I like chatting.

Hope you're having a wonderful day, and sorry again for the delay! <3

[gacha99]

I finished the whole event today, and I have to say that it was a really pleasant time! Even though there were still some issues, like the script desperately needing an editor or some kind of spell check, the story as a whole was pretty entertaining. The poster for the event had me thinking that all of the characters would end up working together in some way to steal the Rimet Cup with Melania, and the trailer even makes it seem like they're all together some how, but in actuality it was just one chaotic ass day at the london Museum lol.

I liked that the theme was artistic expression, and how different people will go about trying to express themselves in an oppressive environment, while also showing that something like art can unite people unknowingly even if they never really bump into each other along the way.

Melania, Diggers, Pickle's, and Regulus only had brief moments where they actually saw one another, and half the time it was brief and they didn't even really introduce themselves. But despite that, they still ended up with the same goal in mind: Cause a disturbance at the London Museum during the showcasing of the Rimet Cup to draw attention to what they deem important.

Pickle's on the other hand is the outlier, because he just wanted to spend his time alone studying and reading his philosophy books the whole day lol.

I do have some gripes about the characters, specifically Diggers. I found him to just be really, really annoying and I just didn't think that his contribution to the plot was strong enough. The others all have concrete reasons for why they're in there, but Diggers' reason is kind of strange because it's way too vague.

I was a little disappointed because I hoped that he'd be more of a relaxed, and intelligent hippie, but there were a lot of moments that he just seemed irrational and shoe horned into the over all story. Some people think Regulus is the same way, but I think Regulus wanting to blast music over the speakers of the Rimet Cup event itself would've been a fine enough story, without them tying her involvement with Diggers. And in the end, it just seemed like Regulus did the thing that Diggers wanted to do (But better lol).

I liked how they tied Melania's own character story with the event story itself, that way pausing to do her character story really just feels like a full completion of her character arc. Since this is Melania's banner, it feels more than appropriate that she'd be the one to get the brightest spotlight.

Another great thing I loved was just the pure aesthetics of this event, I mean come on now:

Even the music and main map are just so good and well made for a month long event that might not ever get a rerun. Bluepoch really wanted to make a statement with their first "real" event and it shows, this is like rolling out the red carpet for your first new 6 stars.

All in all I give the event 4 rimet cups out of 5

[diamondcitydarlin]

I guess in the end it's probably for the best that this season didn't really leave any cliffhangers to chew on and speculate about and just kinda reset us back to season 1 bc it's become pretty clear now that even the in-depth plot arcs that define most of a season (ex. baby colin and Laszlo raising him) don't really get the follow up or pay off that the set-up suggested they would get. Guillermo is revealed as vampire hunter to the group, only for next season to come around and it's sort of a passive fact they dance around while he still does familiar duties and is treated like a servant, Laszlo raising and becoming attached to Baby Colin, then he insta-grows up and nothing about that is explained, explored, we never hear about Laszlo's conflicting feelings about it, we're just back to season 1 with Colin, Nadja and Guillermo go to London and then by next season they're back and their time there is more-or-less glossed over with no real lasting consequences in the end, the Vampire Council is out for their blood because of Guillermo killing vampires and then, no, they really just decide that's okay, we're not going to be a conflict anymore byyyyyeee! (circus music for me thinking the council was still out for them in secret lmao but maybe that'll happen later) So, at least this time it wasn't like the episode ended with Guillermo becoming a vampire only for us to wait until next season to see them quickly wipe away the residue and make him human again and reset reset reset, they just had it happen within the runtime so there's no confusion about where will be when season 6 starts (back at the beginning for all intents and purposes). And like, this isn't me saying I hate Shadows and the writing is bad and I'll never watch it ever again, but I do feel a bit disappointed that 'nothing really matters ever' has turned out to be the underlying theme all along, when I don't think it HAS to be that way just to preserve the silliness and absurdity or to make a point about how vampires never really change. Because the truth is, they -have- all changed a bit despite the constant resets and dropping of plots, and THAT is satisfying but eschewing all the possible conflicts and issues that could arise from seeing some of these plots through just feels kind of lazy? Uninspired? It definitely cools my excitement on watching the show going forward, though I most likely still will. It's not a deal-breaker, just deflating.

Like others have said, I think I'm just going to start tempering my expectations better for whatever comes next, because there's not really any point going wild with the concepts and rotating them around in my head for months when nothing really matters or sticks long enough to be consequential, it really is just the poopfartsex joke show with some dramatic moments sprinkled in. It's a bit deceptive though, I will say, to build these things up and focus on them at all when they're just going to be discarded at the end, but maybe that's supposed to be the punchline? I don't find it very funny but maybe others get something out of that, idk.

In this vein, it's also frustrating (esp this season) that there have been so many disconnected cameos and weird storylines (donut lady) that don't mean anything and don't go anywhere meaningful either. Like, I guess I'm the clown for thinking the Djinn showing up for 5 secs was going to be relevant to Nandor reverting Guillermo or something? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT??

At the end of the day, it's still a funny, enjoyable show for me and I still like how they introduce and frame the dramatic moments even if they ultimately will come to nothing, and this season has still had gems of episodes that I loved, but I guess it's just kind of a reality check for me to stop expecting something the powers that be have no intention of giving.

Also I have brainworms and I still want to see Nandermo kiss or whatever, even if I don't like how that whole reverting to human thing was handled by either of them, but that's another post lmao

[gift-theft]

Movies watched in 2024, chronologically

Crash Julien Donkey-Boy Earth Mad Max Farewell, Etaoin Shrdlu Final Marks: The Art of the Carved Letter Anatomy of a Fall Songs for Earth & Folk Slow Shift Last Things Monster Kiki’s Delivery Service My Neighbor Totoro Fallen Leaves Infiltrators Foragers Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell Saltburn Memoria The Zone of Interest XCTRY Even the Wind Is Afraid The Match Factory Girl Lost in Translation Rope Pandora and the Flying Dutchman Desperate Living Mädchen in Uniform Havoc Brighton Beach Sudden Fear The Taste of Things Support the Girls The Bedroom Window Mildred Pierce Conversations in Vermont Suzanne, Suzanne The Piano Teacher Ken Jacobs - from Orchard Street to the Museum of Modern Art Rebels of the Neon God The Road to Palestine Jerusalem: The Flower of All Cities Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory Taxi Driver Bright Lights, Big City Autotrofia Hiroshima Mon Amour Tomorrow’s Promise Once I Loved a Woman Nazarbazi Mast-Del Once Upon a Time in the West Whispering Pines Zero, 1, 2, 5, 10 Repetitive Stress Injuries The Galactic Pot Healer Every Angle is an Angel Paper Moon Dune 2 Cries and Whispers film by Michał Libera sound projection by Eugeniusz Rudnik The Adjuster Maps to the Stars The Beast F for Fake Al Hal [Trances] Angel’s Egg Fertile Memory A Stone’s Throw Capital Just a Soul Responding arc (expanded cinema performance) Wolves Camera Test (King Cadbury) Entrance Wounds Us and the Night Polyester various shorts, incl. “Fan Fiction” As close as your voice can call In the Fishtank UNDR Familiar Phantoms Possessed **** How Many Nights Flower Names The Ocean View Resort Entire Days in the Trees Time of the Heathen Out 1 (parts 1, 2, 3, 4) Out 1 (parts 5, 6, 7, 8) Very Nice, Very Nice 21-87 Free Fall A Trip Down Memory Lane Fluxes India Song L’Amour Fou The Great White Way Wind Saute Ma Ville Twilight Zone: The Trade Ins Irma Vep Happy-Go-Lucky The Koumiko Mystery Tokyo Days An Owl Is an Owl Cat Listening to Music Pátio Paddington Paddington 2 Sans Soleil La Chimera The Telephone Book Carriage Trade Dark Passage In a Lonely Place Bread and Alley Evil Does Not Exist Dirty Like an Angel Double Indemnity Television and the World Scarface Water Lilies Atlantics The Third Body The Pudic Relation Between Machine and Plant Longlegs Bicycle Thieves Beau Travail Cigarettes and Coffee Traffic Police, Adjective The Big Sleep Shivers 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days The Conversation Angel Face Office Space Contempt Eastern Promises Cosmopolis [unfinished] History of Violence In Praise of Love Rock My Religion In Praise of Love Saving Private Ryan STOP We Imitate; We Break Up Beauty and the Beast The Stuart Hall Project Ciao Bella Baby Doll Cake and Steak Doppelganger London Suite (Getting Sucked In) Four Minute Cut Episode Aliens Lumumba Sarraounia Toute Une Nuit Remind me to Remember to Forget Via Dolorosa Mnemonics of Shape and Reason 15 Palestinian Minutes in Palestine Lydda Airport Libretto-o-o Specular Fiction Capital The Spy Who Loved Me View from a Body: Australian video program Twilight Zone: 16-mm Shrine Dahomey The Hitch-Hiker Detour Hard Times Oh, Canada Caught by the Tides Chinatown Film as Curatorial Tool: CCA Films Voyage of Jeanette A Coin from Thin Air The Cruise Meteors 29 Palms The Watchman Afire Anora Mirror Philadelphia Story The Sacrifice The Postman Always Rings Twice Pickpocket A Man Escaped Karishika Wild at Heart Farocki: Against War program The Maltese Falcon World for Ransom Slightly Scarlet Cry of the Hunted Cry Vengeance Key Largo Lethal Weapon In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni Showgirls Can Dialectics Break Bricks? Critique of Separation Stop for Bud So Ein Ding Muss Ich Auch Haben Group Cinéthique films Blue Velvet A Traveler’s Needs Out of the Blue Transparencies, Animali Criminali, Images d’Orient The Marshal’s Two Executions Lethal Weapon 2 Bona Killing of a Chinese Bookie All We Imagine as Light Suspicion A Short Film About Killing In Our Day

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Fatal by Design by Cara Devlin

Bow Street Duchess #5

Excellent addition to the series with the ongoing slow burn sizzle of attraction between Audrey and Hugh finally catching fire as they solve another mystery. I couldn’t put it down and cannot wait to see what happens next!

What I liked:

* * Audrey: dowager duchess, married in name only for four years, has been attracted to Hugh throughout the series, loves solving mysteries, intelligent, impulsive, possesses paranormal psychometric abilities, has a big secret that she will share with Hugh

* Hugh: ex-principal Bow Street officer, scandal in his past, good friend of Dr. Thornton, well-educated and eloquent, protective, intelligent, accepting, intriguing, in love with Audrey, dealing with being the new Viscount Neatham after finding out he and not another was the legitimate heir

* Sir: born with the name Davy Given, a young man from the streets befriended and employed by Hugh as his assistant, savvy, capable, resourceful, look forward to seeing more of him in future books * Thornton: physician, Hugh’s friend, compassionate, volunteers time to the underprivileged, capable, supportive, widow that loved his wife, intriguing, might be ready to leave mourning and perhaps might be interested in Cassie

* Cassie: Audrey’s sister-in-law, had a misfortunate situation to deal with in the previous book that has left her less than willing to trust men, looking forward to seeing what her future holds in store for her

* Audrey’s in-laws who seem supportive, kind, and caring

* Millie: Audrey’s sister, widow, mother of four children, loved another but married off to someone else, has potential for true happiness, isn’t as horrible as she seemed in previous books

* The supporting characters Greer, Carrigan and Basil

* The plot, setting, pacing and writing

* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like

* The person doing the kidnapping, Audrey’s mother and uncle, and thinking about bigotry must have impacted people of color

Did I like this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Definitely!

Thank you to the author and BookSirens for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

A summer house party in the countryside takes a deadly turn after the abduction of a viscountess. After the shocking events of the spring, Audrey Sinclair and Hugh Marsden are adjusting to their new lives when an apparent highway robbery ends in the violent abduction of Audrey's sister. As callous as Millie has been in the past, Audrey can't turn her back on family. She'll do whatever it takes to find her sister, even if it means working with the man she's been avoiding for months: former Bow Street officer Hugh Marsden. Unsettled with his new role in society, and being deemed one of London's most eligible bachelors, Hugh is happy to fall back on his Bow Street skills to track down Lady Redding-and to see Audrey again. But the viscountess's disappearance is only half of the puzzle. A long-lost ring worth a fortune could be the driving force behind the deadly events, and as Audrey and Hugh unravel the truth-along with the secrets and complications surrounding their future-a killer closes in on the house party...and selects a new victim. The Bow Street Duchess Mystery continues with Fatal by Design, the newest Audrey Sinclair and Hugh Marsden investigation. Perfect for fans of the Lady Sherlock mysteries, the Veronica Speedwell mysteries, and PBS Masterpiece's Miss Scarlet & the Duke. Series Order: Book 1: Murder at the Seven Dials Book 2: Death at Fournier Downs Book 3: Silence of Deceit Book 4: Penance for the Dead Book 5: Fatal by Design (releasing Oct. 21, 2023) Book 6: Nature of the Crime (coming Jan. 2024)

[aegor-bamfsteel]

hey there, what is your opinion on Rhaenyra? (I know it’s unpopular but I don’t see her as a good ruler because some of her actions shows tyranny, maybe I’m just bitter that Rhaenys the queen who never was didn’t become queen despite having a better claim and the potential 🤷‍♀️).

Hi anon!

I’ve spoken a little about Rhaenyrà in some responses to other people’s answers, and mostly I’m just annoyed at how GRRM wrote her character, especially how she was basically supplanted as protagonist by Dæmon Targaryen, a character he liked too much for his own good. I don’t think your stance that she’s not a good ruler is unpopular at all; once she’s torturing her most important allies, demanding the execution of a girl protected by guest right from another ally, raising taxes and executing people to the point there’s riots to drive her out within 6 months, failing to provide critical aid resulting in the death of another ally, and then F&B1 invents the Silent Five, a flagrant act of tyranny for essentially speaking the truth…well, it’s hard to claim that she was anything but a tyrant. That’s half the point of the Dance of the Dragons, that neither her nor Aegon II were good rulers. However, GRRM forgot to give Rhænyra any redeeming features (unless you count love for her children, the same trait as Cersei). Even Aegon II demonstrated more bravery, fighting in battle twice, and even some diplomacy, considering he was able to take Dragonstone (of which Rhænyra had been liege since 113, demonstrating she was an awful ruler even then) by convincing some of her men to defect, all while disguising himself. He even has a better dragon; Sunfyre was able to detect Aegon needed him after he was wounded, and the two spent months searching for each other; whereas Syrax is lazy and her most important contribution to the war was getting Joffrey killed. Rhænyra didn’t have a single success in her reign, neither military nor diplomatic; the credit belongs to Dæmon (more on how he steals from her narrative later), Corlys Velaryon (who supported her and Dæmon though it’s strongly implied Dæmon murdered his only son and Rhænyra wanted to name her illegitimate children heirs to that son’s seat), and her son Jacaerys (with the dragon seeds and successfully treating with Northern allies). Her only consistent positive attribute was her beauty, but then GRRM relishes in telling us how she never lost pregnancy weight and how it took 6 bites for Sunfyre to eat her (much like how Cersei’s downfall is associated with her gaining weight). When people more competent than Rhænyra include a literal teenage boy and her drunken half-brother, and all of them are men, I can’t help but think there’s some misogyny involved.

There’s two main problems with this: 1) It’s not at all accurate to the Anarchy and 2) Rhænyra’s character, arc, and contributions are minimized in favor of Authorial Favorite Dæmon Targaryen.

In real life, Empress Matilda was the only surviving legitimate child of Henry I, never taught to rule and in fact shipped to the Holy Roman Empire at age 8, wed to the incompetent 13-year-old Geoffrey Plantagenet at 25 to settle a border dispute, was supported mainly by her illegitimate half-brother Robert Of Gloucester and her uncle David of Scotland, her forces succeeded in capturing rival Stephen but thanks to forces under the control of Stephen’s wife Mathilde (an absolute BAMF who also got the Scots to stay neutral) was driven away from London after an attempted coronation, staged a daring escape in the middle of winter when she was besieged at Oxford, swapped Robert for Stephen, fought a stalemate that divided the country, became a diplomat for her son Henry, and died peacefully age 65. She was bold, daring, spent her Formative years out of her home country, she couldn’t care less that her husband sired 3 illegitimate children (I mean her own dad sired 24. Really more medieval English kings had illegitimate children than not), she was capable of negotiating for her valuable allies, and we don’t even know what she looked like. She was not vain, incompetent, cowardly, undiplomatic, outwardly prejudiced toward illegitimate children, paranoid, or attempted to murder her husband’s lover. Which brings me to that husband in question…

GRRM got so interested in writing Dæmon Targaryen’s story that he reduced Rhænyra—the only widely acclaimed Targaryen queen claimant pre-canon, thus the natural protagonist of this story—to a prop in it as one of his many lovers. Dæmon gets all of the cool equipment and achievements Rhænyra lacks: the ancestral sword Dark Sister (which was made for a woman’s hands. Queen Rhaenys Targaryen Velaryon got super robbed), a special “bloodwyrm” dragon Caraxes that was “fearsome and experienced” in battle, he has multiple exceptional women motivated by their attraction to him when he’s less than faithful and quite cruel (not just Rhænyra, but the spymaster Mysaria, and the dragon warriors Laena and Nettles, with even Alicent rumored to have been his lover; suspiciously, Rhænyra stops taking lovers once she’s wed to him), despite having even less diplomatic skills than Rhænyra made up for it by massive success in battle even without using Caraxes (even though the military tactics described in the Taking of Stone Hedge are so bullshit even I could tell GRRM was tipping his hand), his hold over the gold cloaks was so strong even after years out of service that they betrayed the Greens for him…this is very over-the-top, especially when GRRM wrote Rhænyra as not being a warrior and constantly alienating her closest allies. She even alienates Dæmon by ordering Nettles’ death, causing him to have one of his few acts of humanity by telling Nettles to flee while he flies off to heroically die fighting actual cartoon villain Aemond (who becomes his biggest enemy because the established Rhænyra/Alicent&Aegon conflict wasn’t enough…Dæmon needs his own special rival) and the biggest dragon Vhagar. Yes, the man complicit in the murders of children gets a badass death in battle while Rhænyra gets eaten by a dragon after being betrayed by her closest allies. Rhaenyra starts off entitled and ends up a torturer and a tyrant, but Dæmon starts off as a predatory sadist and ends up…having a moment of reflection after Nettles‘ death warrant and successfully kills the Greens’ best warrior/dragon with his dying breath. Does this seem fair? Need I remind you that The Princess and the Queen was published as part of the anthology “Dangerous Women”, thus promising us a female centric conflict; but after The Rogue Prince it became the Daemon Story, with the female characters sexually connected to him to the point it’s their primary motivation (Mysaria) or character turning point (Nettles). All the female characters suffered to prop up Daemon, but with Rhaenyra it’s particularly frustrating because she was supposed to be the protagonist (with the requisite character arc, character assets to balance out those flaws, and fittingly tragic ending.) No surprise, my frustration with Dæmon (a recent addition to the Targ canon, considering how he didn’t even emerge as a character until TPATQ and thus has never been mentioned in canon era. The attempt to claim Daena named her son after this man is a pathetic retcon) as an authorial favorite nearly on the level of Bl00draven feeds into how annoyed I am with Rhænyra’s character. Maybe it’s just harder for GRRM to empathize with evil female characters than evil male ones (just look at Jaime and Tyrion versus Cersei), thus they get written with few of the gimmicks or nuance that make the latter so beloved.

[al-hekima-madara-blog]

MADARA CASTING IS OPENED !

The fandom are so dedicated nowadays to Naruto it's crazy. Have you seen this movie about Shikamaru arc fan movie? The casting is perfect, the actor playing Hidan is breathtaking and the special effect are so good.

So, watching this coming, let's start, for research purpose obviously, to cast Madara right now! It's a very important decision we need to settle together, between real fan before Hollywood casts for us Robert Pattinson (no offence Rob, but no.) I count on your active participation. I got few names to propose, tell me what do you think :

N°5 Tony Thornburg

A Japanese-Swedish model. He got a real hair potential. Before you tell me it's not enough volume and too silky, hair extension and brushing can do miracle ! He also needs to work out for 6 months and build up a more muscular body but we are very close to our goal.

N°4 Paing Takhon

Birman actor and model. First I found his back picture and I was like : YES THIS IS ...and then he turn his head and...🐣🐹 🐇aah lol ! How is that possible to have such a babyface in such aggressive body? It just doesn't match at all🤣 I don't know. Anyway what do you think? Maybe we can keep him on the side to play Izuna at this point. +1 he got a solid street credibility, he is in real life a freedom fighter. He's currently in prison sentenced 3 years for protesting against Birman governement.

N°3 Sang Woo Kim

Now we are getting serious. He is firstly known as a British Korean model but he is also an artist who expose his art in London. I follow him for a long time (research purpose obviously). He always have those striking features and cold gaze. I love the structure of his face how everything is so sharp and angular. The only problem again he is a model so very slender figure. He definitely has to hit to the gym for at least a year or two. But honestly, with a wig, who would resist his infinite tsukuyomi?

N°2 Tadanobu Asano

Before you start to complain that he is too old or not enough sexy. First Madara is above 100 years old, came back as a rotten corpse and nobody ever complain. And have you seen Mongol? He plays Genghis khan a real life world warrior who conquered the biggest empire of all time, considered as a military genius and national legend in Mongolia and remember as a terrifying power in the West. His name means power, just google it. If you can play Genghis Khan and being fantastic, you can play Madara Uchiha. Actor Credibility 100%.

N°1 Ichikawa Ebizō XI

He got the most relevant profil. First he is called Ichikawa Ebizō THE ELEVENTH? Are you eleventh in your own family line? can you tell me the name of your eleventh ascendant? No you can't. Ok first he is kinda prince of traditional kabuki acting. And secondly sometimes he does cinema that's how I discovered him playing Hara Kiri : death of a samurai. I was so intrigued by his acting, there was something so different from his co-actors. Well the difference is both blood heritage and genius, mmh... doesn't it ring a bell to you? Ichikawa Ebizō the eleventh surely doesn't need neither you and I combined to tell him how to play Uchiha Madara. He doesn't need context, he is the context. Just turn on the camera and he will do his magic. Only issue : the budget is going to be sky rocking but what wouldn't we do for the GOAT?

NB ; after checking since his father died in 2019, he is now called by the name Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII😭 I'm sorry but Madara deserves royalty, nothing less.

Please if you have other profils let me know asap, that's a serious investigation we need to do for science's sake !👀👀

[k-s-morgan]

I know there's very little that could help the situation that you're in right now, but I remember that, when I was going through a particularly tough time, I would always distract myself with one of your fics.

To give a little preface: I often do writing exercises (usually headcannons or short stories etc.) that just sit on my computer and never see the light of day, but around a year ago, I did a small piece that was heavily inspired by TGSTLTH that I never published. When I say inspired, I really do want to emphasise that I didn't just rewrite one of your stories or plagiarise it or anything of the like (I absolutely hate the thought of it), but it was just an exercise I did because I felt inspired by your style, the types of case-based plots you did, and the intensity of your characters.

The plot was inspired by Game No.6, with the dark theatricality of Sebastian and Ciel playing a game on their own terms (it was my favourite arc when I read it - I couldn't stop thinking about it for days, so this was essentially an artistic output for me). To summarise what it was about: Ciel receives a letter from the queen requesting him to investigate a surge of drug activity at a prestigious boarding school in London, and both he and Sebastian attempt to go undercover as a student and a teacher to bring it down from the inside. But, being Ciel and Sebastian, a simple case like this is not entertaining enough for them, so they decide to make a bet on whether or not Sebastian can keep his job as a teacher for the full month they'd be undercover (with Ciel trying to get him fired). Having Ciel attempting to play the part of a high-school student was a greatly entertaining concept to me, and seeing how they'd act in a classroom setting was just as amusing. The title I had in mind for the fic was 'Of Demons and Prodigies'.

I only wrote one chapter that was about 7,000 words (unfinished, so it'll probably end up at much longer than that), and wrote an extensive plan of the plot/characters, but I dropped it the same month I started it when times got busy. I've always had it in my mind to finish it, but since I never intended for anyone to see it, it was pretty low priority so I haven't touched it since then.

Going back to what I was saying at the start, I know there's very little I can do to help your situation, but I can at least try and offer what you gave me at some of the hardest times in my life – a distraction. I wasn't ever planning to publish it, but I've been wanting to finish the fic this summer, regardless. So I'd be more than happy to publish it for people to read if you'd enjoy it.

If you want a better idea of what it's like, I can share a small extract (or 'snippet', as you've so appropriately coined) from the first chapter that I wrote in a seperate Ask, but you don't have to share it publicly if you don't want to (I'm not trying to leech off your audience or anything – that's the last thing I want!)

I hope my intentions aren't misread with this - I really do just want to give something back to an author I like. But it you're not interested in such a thing, then please just say. I won't take offense since it was never intended for publication from the beginning (it was just a thought I had).

Stay safe!

Hi! Wow, I was so amazed to read your ask! Of course I'd absolutely love to read what you wrote. This is such an honor and it inspires me to write, write and write.

The idea is brilliant, I always wanted to explore Ciel and Sebastian in a school setting, but I wasn't certain if I'd ever get to it. To hear that you started a story with such a plot is very exciting, there can never be enough of these two and their endless plotting. And of course it's extremely flattering if my interpretation of these characters inspired you. Ciel and Sebastian playing game with and against each other + against others gives me life, it's truly one of the best ways of distracting myself. Years pass but my love for them remains just as strong, just as my fascination.