#non-denominational officiant

[qcsupermom]

Hello, It's Just Kelle.

Kelle Pressley, widely known as QC Supermom, is a dynamic force in her community, blending her passions as a social justice advocate, a certified full-spectrum doula trainer, an urban horticulturist, and a non-denominational marriage officiant. As a mother of nine, including a child lost to Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) at the age of 11 years old, and the wife of a retired Army veteran with PTSD,…

[shatterdome-underscore]

I keep getting ads to get free tickets to a gay wedding expo near me, which as someone who remembers before same sex marriage was legal both locally and nationally tugs at my heart strings, but also I'm not even dating, much less looking for safe wedding venues near me. I do kinda want to go and just get to try a bunch of free wedding cakes and roleplay a disaster couple with a friend though bc I think it would be fun

[handweavers]

any understanding of irish history of the last 500 yrs has to explicitly contend with ireland functionally having a caste system wherein your specific religious denomination roughly determined your class status ie. relationship to land ownership and the means of production. the common presentation of ireland being simply a matter of 'religious conflict' obfuscates that if you lived in the island of éire your position in society was nearly entirely determined by the religious sect you were born into, with some degree of economic movement (should you convert to a different sect but even then you would still be distrusted) and variability of the precise nature of one's economic status, ex. you could have some degree of land and wealth as a catholic but it was constantly being cut apart and taxed heavily, you couldn't attend school, you were often terrorized by both official and unofficial roving gangs of protestant soldiers and settlers, etc. but it often wasn't enough to simply be a protestant, you had to be anglican - a follower of the church of england - and if you were presbyterian (like most scots-irish) or from another protestant denomination your position was somewhere in between anglicans and catholics, and the rights of nonconformists (the term used for non-anglican protestants) often fluctuated depending on the material demands of the anglican ruling class, and whether it economically benefited them to gain favour with nonconformists or not. but the primary conflict was the mass extraction of capital from the catholic majority, to line the pockets of the anglican land (and later factory) owners and most importantly the coffers of the british empire. this relationship between religion and class is fundamental to having any degree of understanding of irish history

[maeamian]

Hey, if some of your friends need to get married in a hurry now, one thing you can do for them is become ordained via the universal life church, a non denominational church-like entity that mainly exists for the purposes of this sort of ordination. They have state-by-state guides on the resources you'll need in any given state to officiate a wedding there as well as a willingness to sell you those things (In CA, I needed a certificate that cost me about twenty bucks), and it is sufficiently official for legal purposes.

[trans-rite]

How to join the Transgender Ancestor Rite: an FAQ on our updated format

What is it?

an annual, non-denominational ritual honoring transgender individuals who have passed on

an act of solidarity with the lineage of transgender ancestors who have come before us and paved the way, as well as with the descendants who will come after us when we are gone

a chance to share tenderness and kindness with the restless spirits of transgender people who lost their lives to violence

an opportunity for living transgender folks, including those who have lost trans loved ones, to grieve, mourn, and pray

a labor of love from a multiracial group of trans spirit workers, each at various stages of study in ancestor veneration practices, who have been putting on this ritual since 2014

When is it?

the ritual should take place on or around the Trans Day of Remembrance on November 20th, preferably within a week

most of us do it at night but any time of day is fine

if you need to do it a little before or after the 20th, don't sweat it

Where is it?

wherever you are!

groups are welcome to host local events and inform us about them, but the ritual itself takes place in a location of your own choosing, usually at home

if you have access to a local TDOR event that could incorporate some or all of this ritual, you are welcome to bring it there

most of the organizers have historically been located in the northeastern US but you don’t have to be

Who is it for?

it honors everyone from this year’s Trans Day of Remembrance official list, as well as any other deaths of trans individuals from the year that participants wish to include

illness losses, violent deaths, suicides, and natural deaths are all eligible for inclusion

it includes, cumulatively, all transgender deaths from previous years as well, named on the TDOR lists and unnamed, throughout history

it honors and praises the trans ancestors, people who were alive both recently and longer ago, who feel themselves in connection with us, who have received the care and honor we offered through previous years’ rituals, who are bright and well and who can tend the line from the other side

participants can be trans or cisgender, of any or no denomination or faith

Does it cost money?

nope! this is an anticapitalist affair

you can buy incense and offerings if you like, but you don’t need to spend money to participate

Why are y’all doing this?

honestly this could take pages and pages about the importance of this work and of soothing the troubled dead and tending our ancestral line et cetera et cetera ad infinitum but the short version is

we gotta

our ancestors require it and we’re making sure they get it

Okay, how does it work?

during the ritual, you sit or stand at an altar, light a candle, put out a glass of fresh water, and read a prayer

you may also make any other offerings you feel called to do

if so moved, you read the names of the dead from this year's TDOR list and call on our bright and well ancestors to tend to these newly passed souls

all the people participating in all the different places in the world help create a rising raft of energy that is greater than the sum of its parts, delivering the restless dead among our line into the care of our bright and well ancestors, who, in turn, also care for us, the living

Prayers? I thought you said this was non-denominational.

prayers can involve divinity, or they can be kind and soothing words to say to the dead

you can look through our prayers tag to get ideas and inspiration, but feel free to find poems on your own and/or write something yourself as well 

you are welcome to include deity or not, as you prefer

the organizers of this ritual incorporate gods and spirits in our practices but you by no means need to

on the flip side, if you want your gods involved, feel free to do so in whatever respectful manner works for you

What do I need on my altar?

the basics are an altar cloth (white is traditional; a bandana works), a cup to be filled with water, and a new or dedicated candle (white is traditional here also but follow your instincts)

other great offerings include cut flowers, portions of your food and drink (though alcohol is not advised with restless spirits), tobacco, honey, pictures and/or names of the deceased, art, music, dancing, and any gender paraphernalia you think the ancestors might like

do not put pictures of living people on the altar

it can be as simple or ornate as you choose: the important parts are the candle, the cup, and the cloth

Isn’t it sketchy to be working with dead people?

a little bit

it is much less sketchy since our format change in 2022, at which point this ritual shifted from working directly with restless spirits (dicey) to interfacing with them only through our cadre of elevated bright and well ancestors who have already benefited from previous years' rituals

we advise that you cleanse or purify in whatever way you prefer, ideally before and after the working

if you’re in a Western (especially American Christian) culture that views death as The End and discussion of death as taboo, consider reading up on cultures where ancestor veneration is a normal part of everyday life (hint: it’s most of them)

Other questions? Send them in and we’ll answer them, and maybe add them to the list! If you post about the ritual, tag #troe2023 and we will check it out!

Thank you for joining us!

- Mod Alder and team

[peaches2217]

Having been raised in a cult that started off as a legitimate church and now seeking faith on my own terms, I’ve recently (as in, like, three days ago) developed a hyperfixation for researching various denominations of Christianity. It’s incredible, how little I knew about what denominations actually believe what.

TW: Reflections on religious extremism and experiences (nothing traumatic, I’m keeping this lighthearted, but I know it can be touchy!)

When my cult was still a church, it was an Assemblies of God church, and I’m fairly certain they still hold to a lot of that doctrine, just with even more heaping helpings of fire and brimstone and doomsday. We were taught to jokingly view Southern Baptists (or just “Baptists,” because they refused to acknowledge American Baptists and I didn’t even realize American Baptism was a THING until recently) as our rivals: they were our polar opposite in practice but equals in theology, and all other denominations just couldn’t get it right or were too scared to break free from Catholicism. We were told Catholics and those who worshiped and believed like them weren’t true Christians and destined for Hell. There was no interdenominational unity and collaboration, nor was there any encouragement to look at other denominations’ doctrine. Ours was right, the Baptists were close enough, and nothing else held any sort of merit.

(I’m pretty sure now they’ve even cut out the Baptist sympathetics, and while it’s become wholly self-contained, they’re still accepted as an AoG church — albeit a more extreme example of the denomination — but I can’t say any of that with certainty. I’d ask my dad but, well, he’s still wholly devoted to the cult, I don’t trust him to be objective in his view. 😅)

I briefly attended an Episcopal church before I moved last year, mostly because it was the polar oppose of what I was raised in and there was something very comforting about that (plus they’re openly supportive of things like LGBTQ+ rights), but ultimately my dad and FB friends kinda shamed me out of attending because “There’s no blessing in structure, sis!”. My hope was to start going to the Episcopal church here where I currently live, but when I showed up last week, there were exactly two people and they gave me rather dirty looks, so I quickly high-tailed it back to my car.

I ended up at a Methodist church because I was running behind and theirs was the only non-Baptist service that hadn’t started yet, and… I dunno. They had some trappings of my birth cult, sang some of the same songs, but there was also a structure to things like I’d seen in the Episcopal church. No hour-long praise and worship where you make a show of screaming and crying harder than anyone else, followed by an hour-long sermon that leads into another two-hour stretch of loud music and light shows and shouldaboughtahyundai steadIboughtakias until everyone was either unconscious or in a state of religious ecstasy; there was an order to things, with opportunities to take time in private prayer at the alter or at your seat, and the sermon was heartfelt and impactful but never once delved into the pastor screaming frantically into the mic. I followed their website to the official doctrine of the United Methodist denomination, and I was shocked to find that I agreed with most of it.

And that shocked me because, due to their notoriously liberal stances and heavy Catholic influence, my dad and those around me always told me that the Episcopal church isn’t really respectable. Most of them, however, consider Methodism a perfectly legitimate denomination that gets enough right to be deemed a proper church… and their doctrine isn’t much more conservative than Episcopalian doctrine. They have no formal stance on queer issues (which I’ll take over “Y’all are going to Hell” any day) but they’re vocal proponents of social justice and sexual education, both things I was taught growing up are evil.

And that’s the long-winded explanation of how I got to where I am now: digging deep into what each denomination actually believes, because I knew my viewpoint was limited by experience and further restrained by indoctrination and trauma, but holy fuck, I didn’t realize just how crazy my cult’s beliefs were until I started comparing all the doctrine. Of course doctrine isn’t everything, I know that, but the more I read, the more and more I realize that the faith I was raised in wasn’t all that Christlike after all.

A side note: my boss let me take half a day off on Sunday to go back to that church. The pastor’s husband came up and greeted me, told me his wife had mentioned meeting me, asked me a couple questions, standard New Person in Church-type stuff. I got about two questions in before I was shaking visibly and so scared I went briefly nonverbal, because for how kindly I’ve been treated and how strong my faith is, I’ve still got hella religious trauma. I alluded to being raised in church and had my trans and enby pride bracelets on, along with my bigender symbol necklace, so I’m pretty sure he could infer exactly why I was so scared.

He clasped my hand and said, in a quiet voice with a little smile, “You’re safe here. This is a safe place. We’re so glad you’re here.” I couldn’t say anything except thank you, but I hope it was enough to express just how deeply those words impacted me.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Do you think there’s religion in Twisted Wonderland? Or The Great Seven can be compared to gods there?

I mean, I don’t see why religion wouldn’t exist in Twisted Wonderland? They have smart phones, social media, trauma (and therapy), the internet, movie stars, and (as we recently learned) literal child trafficking rings so 😭 yeah, religion is likely also there. (Like many other things though, it probably isn’t brought up because it just isn’t relevant.)

I would say, however, that Rollo and NBC in general is enough to be religious-adjacent? Or at least some degree of being spiritual, since Rollo always talks about saving people’s souls and the architecture of the school resembles a cathedral.

Within NRC itself, each of the dorms is fashioned in the spirit of one of the Seven. This is not unlike how many irl schools name dorm buildings or even academic buildings after significant historical figures or donors. (It’s also the case to name buildings after religious figures, but that’s usually only at schools that are religious or have religious roots to begin with.)

I don’t agree that the Great Seven are viewed as gods in Twisted Wonderland. They are closer to being historical figures, as the students actually learn about their accomplishments and contribution to their own history and world. Some of the G7, such as Scar (who had to claw his way to power despite being second born), are also very clearly portrayed as talented people or accomplished rulers rather than being all-powerful or god-like. A lot of the students may look up to the G7, but it’s typically in general admiration, not religious worship (no one prays to them, makes offerings, etc.). NRC isn’t a Bible school/j

The fandom likes to use phrases like “By the seven” and “Oh sevens” as replacements for “Oh my god/oh god”. Even the official English localization uses “Sweet merciful Seven” on a few occasions. Perhaps that’s where this “the Great Seven are gods!” idea came from?? But keep in mind that not everyone in real life uses those phrases because they’re religious. In most cases, they mean a non-denominational god, not a specific one. It’s an utterance that denotes surprise, not an announcement of devotion to a specific individual or group. It’s probably something similar in TWST.

[charcubed]

Ted Lasso, the Roy/Keeley/Jamie triangle, and – dare I say it? –television history

No matter your preferred term for the throuple, OT3, or poly relationship on Ted Lasso, it’s worth appreciating.

The more I think about it, the more I believe that the creative team behind Ted Lasso is doing something with RoyKeeleyJamie that doesn’t exist in precisely the same way anywhere else. In my opinion — and with the disclaimer that my frame of reference is (of course) limited—what they’ve done here is incredibly unique and maybe even groundbreaking.

These declarations of mine aren’t premature or at all conditional on how explicitly “official” their relationship may or may not get to be in the season 3 finale. I say this from my current perspective after episode 3x11, because after that episode I feel that what they’ve been doing with this part of the story has been made abundantly clear.

When it comes to Roy Kent, Keeley Jones, and Jamie Tartt, it would’ve been very easy and even expected for the writers to fall into the trap of making them into a typical love triangle at any point. Yet they never did. People might ascribe the traditional “love triangle” label to the trio because it’s a familiar frame of reference, but as a term I feel like it’s not actually applicable to the story beats we’ve seen.

These characters have never been in any true rivalry motivated by jealousy, insecurity, or possessiveness in regards to one another’s relationships. By contrast, within their triangle and amongst all of their separate pairings, their common denominator has been mutual attempts at building respect, communication, and accountability. Roy and Jamie’s conflicts with each other predated and were never centered around their love for Keeley, and Keeley was never put in a position of having to choose between the boys. Keeley was allowed to care about both of them in different ways, maintaining different relationships with each of them on her own terms. None of them pretended they couldn’t all care about each other in some capacity while still acknowledging boundaries and variation in their relationships. And while this shouldn’t be a big deal or a surprise–especially because Ted Lasso is a show defined by second chances, found families, and endless variations of love–it’s still refreshing enough to warrant praise.

As part of that, because the writers didn’t rely on nor fear the typical contrived “love triangle” dynamic, all three of the characters’ stories were kept heavily intertwined. They live and work in the same spaces, and they care about each other in various ways, so of course they interact and share advice. Their individual arcs were then intentionally informed by the ways they learned to grow because of each other, intertwining them further.

While I don’t know for sure if the writers’ goal was to eventually approach them as an inseparable group, I suspect it wasn’t, based on a couple of quotes I’ve seen float around. That means that they may have seen the potential for the non-platonic “triangle,” chose to lean into it relatively quickly (the show is only 3 seasons!), and continued to build it so it feels organic and cohesive. That speaks volumes as to their talent and it’s also part of what makes this situation so unique.

Along those lines: Ted Lasso is a mainstream ensemble show with several storylines in play. It’s not solely or primarily about romance. It’s also not a “queer show,” meaning that queer storylines were not a central pillar of its premise, nor were they part of its original appeal to or promise to audiences.

Of course, there are now several queer storylines/characters in season 3 amongst the ensemble cast that have clearly been planned from the start, including Colin, Trent, Keeley, etc. That’s fantastic, and anytime a show doesn’t “start out” as blatantly queer but later makes a natural place for the development of queer characters within its wider story, it’s a huge win. It’s also great storytelling!

But rarely is that the case when it comes to polyamory. While there are several movies and shows that include it… most poly representation is within the context of an already radically queer story, or within the context of a story that’s solely about being polyamorous. Any non-monogamous relationships–or even the potential for them–are very rarely given casual, “normalized” inclusion amongst an ensemble, or treated like just another romance in the mix.

And yet… Roy, Keeley, and Jamie seemingly have been, with beautiful complexity. It's like seeing a real windmill for the first time.

This “triangle that symbolizes home” has been built as a three piece, slow burn, collective romance. Equal weight has been given to developing them as individuals while developing all of the ways they intersect and connect, with no combination falling by the wayside. Between Keeley/Jamie, Roy/Keeley, and Roy/Jamie, you can chart the trajectory of how they all grew to love each other and how they’re now coming together as a group towards the end. It all plays out with various levels of romantic motifs across the board, and–as if that isn’t already enough!–with added subtext through costuming/wardrobe, set details, framing, and music. It has been formed and shaped with great attention to detail, and of course with unbelievably beautiful acting choices that bring it to life. (Analyzing those details at length would require its own post.)

This sort of thing may exist in other media, but I’ve personally never seen anything like it before. I’ve certainly never heard of it happening in such a high-profile, widely-loved show like this.

Here, with one episode left, the equal setup of the three now feels complete and ready for a future. Roy and Keeley aren’t back together yet, so Jamie wouldn’t feel like an add-on if that is indeed where they take the story. Roy and Keeley haven’t even kissed on screen this season, in a way that feels deliberate (and anticipatory). And it’s now clear that the relationship struggles any 2 characters may have had as couples can be improved upon by adding the third person, so they’d all be fully supported in a throuple.

For example: Keeley helps them all to be more vulnerable and open while also being a problem solver. Roy’s steady, heartfelt, but no-nonsense encouragement builds them all up with confidence but not toxic pride. Jamie now wears his heart on his sleeve, bringing a level of fun and joy that’s incomparably him. If Keeley sometimes needs space, Roy and Jamie are clearly happy to be indefinitely tied together (sometimes literally). If Jamie or Keeley want to be the life of any party, they’ve got a partner for the scene so Roy doesn’t feel obligated to match that energy. Roy and Jamie relate through football as a specific kind of language, understanding that part of each other as only they can while Keeley cheers from the side. Each of them has taught the others new skills along the way.

If any of them now enter into new relationship territory, it sure seems like they’ll do it all together as a full set–and be stronger for it.

Feel free to call me a fool, but at this point I’m confident that at minimum they’re going to leave this story hinting at the three of them getting together off screen in the future. That’s the baseline I personally really wanted, and it’s more than I’d have previously dared to hope for.

In terms of what could happen on screen: Do I want them all to have a conversation about dating each other and/or kiss and/or be shown in bed together? Yes. Do I think at least one (if not all) of those things are going to happen in the season finale? After episode 3x11, I find myself nearly convinced we’re going to get SOMETHING of the sort. It feels like a thread that needs pulling (or a Chekhov’s gun that needs firing?) after Roy and Keeley’s conversation in Jamie’s room. It’s the next bit of natural and needed evolution for all of them.

Or, as Trent Crimm once said, “You’ve done this over three seasons. . . thousands of imperceptible moments, all leading to their inevitable conclusion.”

But am I counting on that inevitable louder conclusion? Will I be disappointed if it doesn’t happen? Do I think any of that explicit behavior has to happen for this poly relationship to be considered canon and have merit?

Not at all. 

That’s not how I choose to view media. Personally, I never play the unwinnable game of debating the ever-shifting goalposts of what constitutes “good representation.” Relatedly, I think the word “queerbaiting” is almost always misused and probably shouldn’t exist at all. And I’m tired of the lack of nuance in these discussions where people act like fictional queer relationships have to hit a certain level of “canon enough” in order to “count.” Many of those arbitrary goals seem to often be determined by whether or not ~all audiences~ can magically be convinced by the queer relationship’s seeming legitimacy. But queer stories aren’t made for the people who are oblivious to them at best or looking for reasons to disregard them at worst; at the end of the day, they’re made for queer people, as well as for anyone who has media literacy and an open mind.

If you ask me, RoyKeeleyJamie is already “canon.” Anything else we get now is just a bonus. And ultimately–after everything I outlined above–I am very aware of how unique this particular situation is, and how more explicitly going “all the way” with any queer dynamic (let alone polyamory) is still never a simple or easy task for creators to accomplish. Even in 2023.

However.

IF they do it?

If everyone involved in both creating this show and approving it (which is very key) had the sheer courage to go all the way with this storyline, in a way that most mainstream audiences won’t be able to ignore or deny without sounding stupid?

Well.

Then they’d better get a great deal of overdue praise and acknowledgement. And I will be loudly losing what’s left of my mind in the best possible way.

(I had to write this now just in case I’m incoherent after the finale.)

Either way: I am FLOORED by what we’ve gotten up to this point! I’m thrilled! I’m having a great fucking time!

And I’m very, very grateful to the team that’s put together such a beautiful triangular love story for our enjoyment.

It truly feels like it’s one of a kind.

---------

I posted this on Medium as well here :)

(so I can pull the lunatic move of tweeting it @ the writers with a more legitimate link)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Peter Smith at AP:

From its towering white steeple and red-brick facade to its Sunday services filled with rousing gospel hymns and evangelistic sermons, First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia, bears many of the classic hallmarks of a Southern Baptist church. On a recent Sunday, its pastor for women and children, Kim Eskridge, urged members to invite friends and neighbors to an upcoming vacation Bible school — a perennial Baptist activity — to help “reach families in the community with the gospel.” But because that pastor is a woman, First Baptist’s days in the Southern Baptist Convention may be numbered. At the SBC’s annual meeting June 11-12 in Indianapolis, representatives will vote on whether to amend the denomination’s constitution to essentially ban churches with any women pastors — and not just in the top job. That measure received overwhelming approval in a preliminary vote last year.

[...] By some estimates, the proposed ban could affect hundreds of congregations and have a disproportionate impact on predominantly Black churches. The vote is partly the culmination of events set in motion two years ago.

That’s when a Virginia pastor contacted SBC officials to contend that First Baptist and four nearby churches were “out of step” with denominational doctrine that says only men can be pastors. The SBC Credentials Committee launched a formal inquiry in April. Southern Baptists disagree on which ministry jobs this doctrine refers to. Some say it’s just the senior pastor, others that a pastor is anyone who preaches and exercises spiritual authority. And in a Baptist tradition that prizes local church autonomy, critics say the convention shouldn’t enshrine a constitutional rule based on one interpretation of its non-binding doctrinal statement. By some estimates, women are working in pastoral roles in hundreds of SBC-linked churches, a fraction of the nearly 47,000 across the denomination. But critics say the amendment would amount to a further narrowing in numbers and mindset for the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, which has moved steadily rightward in recent decades. They also wonder if the SBC has better things to do.

[...] The amendment, if passed, wouldn’t prompt an immediate purge. But it could keep the denomination’s leaders busy for years, investigating and ousting churches. Many predominantly Black churches have men as lead pastors but assign pastor titles to women in other areas, such as worship and children’s ministries. “To disfellowship like-minded churches ... based on a local-church governance decision dishonors the spirit of cooperation and the guiding tenets of our denomination,” wrote Pastor Gregory Perkins, president of the SBC’s National African American Fellowship, to denominational officials. The controversy complicates the already-choppy efforts by the mostly white denomination to diversify and overcome its legacy of slavery and segregation.

Amendment proponents say the convention needs to reinforce its doctrinal statement, the Baptist Faith and Message, which says the office of pastor is “limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”

The fate of Southern Baptists permitting women to serve as pastors in any capacity will be resolved at the upcoming SBC Annual Meeting this week, as the messengers are likely to vote to fully ban women pastors from the denomination.

[cincinnatusvirtue]

Countries that are no more: Republic of Venice (697AD-1797AD)

The first in a series I hope to feature on providing high level overviews of countries that existed and were influential to history or obscure and lost to most memory in time. The first up is the Republic of Venice.

Name: Serenisma Republega de Venesia (Venetian). In English this translates to the state's official name The Most Serene Republic of Venice. Also referred to as the Venetian Republic, Republic of Venice or just Venice.

Language: The official languages were the Romance languages of Latin, Venetian & later Italian. The regional dialect of Vulgar Latin in Northeastern Italy known as Veneto was the original language of Venice. This evolved in Venetian which was attested to as a distinct language as early as the 13th century AD. Venetian became the official language and lingua franca of the everyday Venetians and across parts of the Mediterranean although Latin would still be used in official documents and religious functions. Overtime, modern Italian was spoken in Venice though the Venetian language remains technically a separate language in Italy's Veneto region and the surrounding areas to this day.

Minority languages across the republic's territory included various Romance languages such as Lombard, Friulian, Ladin, Dalmatian and non-romance languages such as Albanian, Greek & Serbo-Croatian.

Territory: The republic was centered on the city of Venice founded in the Venetian lagoon on the north end of the Adriatic Sea to the northeast coast of the Italian peninsula. It also included the surrounding regions of mainland northeast Italy in the regions of Veneto and Friuli and parts of Lombardy. This became known as the terraferma or the mainland holdings of the republic. It also possessed overseas holdings in modern day Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece & Cyprus.

Symbols & Mottos: The main symbol of Venice was its flag which had the famed Winged Lion of St. Mark. This represented the republic's patron saint, St. Mark. Mark the Evangelist after whom the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament in the Bible is named. Mark's body and holy relics were taken by Venice and said to be housed in the Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark's Basilica) in Venice itself. Variations of this flag differed during times of peace & war. During peace the winged lion is seen holding an open book and during war flags depicted the lion with its paw upon a bible and an upright sword held in another paw.

The republic's motto in Latin was "Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus" or in English "Peace be to you Mark, my evangelist."

Religion: Roman Catholicism was the official religion of the state but Venice did have minorities of Eastern Orthodox & Protestant (usually foreign) Christian denominations at times in its territory and it also had small populations of Jews and Muslims to be found in Greek and Albanian territories during the wars with the Ottoman Empire.

Currency: Venetian ducat and later the Venetian lira.

Population: Though population varied overtime for the republic due to a variety of factors such as war & changing territory and disease & its subsequent effects. There was rough population recorded of 2.3 million people across all of its holdings in the mid sixteenth century (circa 1550-1560). The vast majority of its population was found in the terraferma of northern Italy and the city of Venice itself with its concentrated population on the islands within the Venetian Lagoon. The Greek island of Crete and the island of (Greek speaking) Cyprus were the most populous overseas possessions of the republic's territory. The rest of the population was found its various holdings in the Balkans mostly along the Adriatic coastline.

Government: The republic followed a complex mixed model of government. Essentially it could be characterized as a mixed parliamentary constitutional republic with a mercantile oligarchy ruling over it in practice. It had no formal written constitution, and this led to a degree of evolution without exactly defined roles often in reaction to happenings in its history. The resulting government became more complex overtime as institutions became increasingly fragmented in their size, scope and duties, some almost obsolete but still retained and others not fully defined. Yet, the republic managed to function quite well for most of its history. It incorporated elements of oligarchy, monarchy & limited democracy.

It's head of state and government was known as the Doge which is akin to the term of Duke. Though this similarity of name ends there. The Doge was neither similar to a duke in the modern sense nor was it meant as a hereditary position. The doge was rather a lifetime appointment much like the Pope for the Roman Catholic Church. Furthermore, doges were elected by the ruling elite of Venice, namely its wealthy oligarchy merchant class. The doge didn't have well defined & precise powers throughout the republic's 1,100-year history. It varied from great autocracy in the early parts of the republic to increasing regulation and restriction by the late 13th century onward. Though the doge always maintained a symbolic and ceremonial role throughout the republic's history. Some doges were forcibly removed from power and post-1268 until a new doge could be elected, the republic's rule transferred to the most senior ducal counsellor with the style of "vicedoge". After a doge's death following a commission was formed to study the doge's life and review it for moral and ethical transgressions and placed judgment upon him posthumously. If the commission found the deceased doge to have transgressed, his estate could be found liable and subject to fines. The doge was given plenty of ceremonial roles such as heading the symbolic marriage of Venice to the sea by casting a marriage ring into the sea from the doge's barge (similar to a royal yacht). Additionally, the doge was treated in foreign relations akin to a prince. It's titles and styles include "My Lord the Doge", "Most Serene Prince" and "His Serenity". The doge resided in the ducal palace (Palazzo Ducale) or Doge's Palace on the lagoonfront in Venice next St. Mark's Basilica and St. Mark's Square.

While the doge remained the symbolic and nominal head of the government, the oligarchy remained supreme overall. The supreme political organ was the 480-member Great Council. This assembly elected many of the office holders within the republic (including the doge) and the various senior councils tasked with administration, passing laws and judicial oversight. The Great Council's membership post 1297 was restricted to an inheritance by members of the patrician elite of the city of Venice's most noble families recorded in the famed Golden Book. This was divided between the old houses of the republic's earliest days and newer mercantile families if their fortunes should attain them property ownership and wealth. These families usually ranged between 20-30 total. They were socially forbidden from marrying outside their class & usually intermarried for political and economic reasons. Their economic concerns were chief to the whole of the republic and most centered on Eurasian & African trade throughout the Mediterranean Sea's basin. Members of these families served in the military and eventually rose to prominent positions of administration throughout the republic.

The Great Council overtime circumscribed the doge's power by creating councils devoted to oversight of the doge or executive and administrative functions (similar to modern executive cabinets or departments) whereas the doge became more and more a ceremonial role. The also created a senate which handled daily legislation. They also created a Council of Ten set to have authority over all government action. Other bodies were formed from this Great Council and others overtime. This resulted in intricate and overlapping yet separate bodies which found themselves subject to limitations with various checks on virtually each other's power. Essentially running as committees or sub-committees with checks on another committee's powers. These bodies weren't always completely defined in their scope and overtime their complexity led to battles to limit other's power (with limited success) along with gradual obsolescence and sometimes slow grinding administration.

Military: The military of Venice consisted of a relatively small army and a powerful navy. The famed Venetian Arsenal in Venice proper was essentially a complex of armories and shipyards to build and arm Venice's navy. The arsenal in Venice has the capacity to mass produce ships and weapons in the Middle Ages, centuries before the Industrial Revolution allowed for modern mass production in economic and military applications. Venice's military was designed towards protecting it possessions both in Italy and its overseas territories. The primary concern was to secure Venice's trade routes to the rest of Europe as well as Asia & Africa. It faced opponents' overtime ranging from the Franks, the Byzantine Empire, Bulgarians to other Italian city-states, France, Austria, the Ottoman Empire and Barbary Corsairs along with European pirates in the Adriatic and Mediterranean. It played key roles as a naval transport in other powers including throughout the Crusades. It also played a key role in the infamous Fourth Crusade which culminated in the Sack of Constantinople in 1204 AD, an event which fractured the Byzantine Empire into a half-century of civil war between successor states before a weakened revival in the mid 13th century. The Byzantine Empire would linger until the 15th century when the Ottoman Empire finally conquered its last remaining portions. Many attribute this loss to in part to its weakness still resulting from that 1204 sack lead by Venice. The Venetian military would exist until the republic's end when The French Republic's Army of Italy under Napoleon Bonaparte conquered the republic, a conquest in which the Venetians surrendered without a proper fight.

Economy: Venice's economy was based largely in trade. Namely control over the salt trade. Venice was to control salt (preservative of food) production and trade throughout the Mediterranean. It also traded in commodities associated with the salt trade routes to Eurasia and Africa. These commodities could include other foodstuffs (grains, meats & cheeses), textiles & glassware among other items.

Lifespan: 697AD-1797AD. Though the exact founding of Venice itself hasn't been determined. It is traditionally said to have taken place in the year 421 AD. At a time when Roman citizens in northeast Italy were escaping waves of Germanic & Hunnic barbarian invasions that contributed to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. The going theory is that these Romans evaded barbarian attacks by building their homes in the Venetian Lagoon by hammering wood stakes to form a foundation which sunk into the muddy shallows and petrified. Upon which they built their homes and created a cityscape marked by streets and canals interlaced. Venice remained a community of fishermen and merchants and was nominally under the control of the surviving Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire). It avoided barbarians overrunning the land but also was removed enough from Constantinople that it was relatively autonomous and became strategically important as a port. Other islands in the lagoon also banded together with Venice in a loose confederation of sorts by the 6th and 7th centuries which increased economic productivity and security for the city. The first doge was said to have been elected in 697 AD under the name Paolo Lucio Anafesto, though there is dispute about his historicity. Anafesto supposedly ruled until 717 AD. This is traditionally regarded as the foundation of the Republic of Venice.

Venice's third doge was Orso Ipato who reigned from 726-737 and he is the first undisputed historically recorded doge whose existence was confirmed. Orso also known as Ursus was known to strengthen the city's navy and army to protect it from the Lombard Germanic invaders who had overrun and ruled Italy by that time. Though nominally part of the Byzantine Empire, by 803, the Byzantine Emperors are said to have recognized Venice's de-facto independence. Though this view is disputed somewhat, it nevertheless remained virtually independent until its collapse in 1797.

Venice also partook in the slave trade of non-Christian European populations from Eastern Europe and transferred them to North Africa, selling them to the Arab and Berber (Moors) of the Islamic world.

As the 9th century progressed, the Venetian navy secured the Adriatic and various trade routes by defeating Slavic and Muslim pirates in the region. The Venetians also went onto battle the Normans who settled in southern Italy and Sicily in the 11th century.

Venice provided naval transports for Crusaders from Western Europe starting with the successful First Crusade.

The High Middle Ages (1000AD-1350AD) saw the wealth and expansion Venice increase dramatically. However, over this period Venice gradually came into mixed relations with its former ruler the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire endured corruption, civil war and foreign invasion which saw it alternate between periods of waning power and restored power. Venice provided the Byzantines with an increased naval force when needed and many trading commodities. In exchange for this, Venice was granted trading rights within Byzantine territory and a place within the "Latin Quarter" for Western Europeans in Constantinople. The Byzantine populace though calling themselves "Romans" having taken on the political & cultural institutions of the Roman Empire which lived on in the East long after the Western half's collapse, were in fact mostly Greek by ethnicity, language and culture. Their religion was the Eastern Orthodox or Greek Orthodox branch of Christianity which was often at odds with Roman Catholics of Western Europe. Resentment at the religious and cultural differences along with the economic displacement the Venetians and other Italian merchants from Genoa & Pisa had caused in Constantinople's maritime & financial sectors contributed to the 1182 "Massacre of the Latins" in which the Byzantine Greek majority of the city rioted and slaughtered much of the 60,000 mostly Italian Catholics living within the city. Thousands were also sold into slavery to the Anatolian Seljuk Turks.

This event lingered in Venice's memory as its trade in the city was reduced for awhile. Though trade resumed between the Byzantines and the West again shortly thereafter, the event soured the perception of the Greeks to Western Europeans. This along with a subsequent power struggle for the throne of the Eastern Roman Emperor fell into Venice & Western Crusader's hands in 1202. Looking to originally ferry Western Crusaders to the Levant against the Islamic Ayyubid Sultanate of Egypt & Syria. Events transpired that devolved into Venice conspiring under its doge Enrico Dandalo along with other Western leaders and a Byzantine claimant to the throne that resulted in the first successful sacking of Constantinople in 1204. The city was ransacked, some Greek citizens murdered by the Crusaders & classical works of art destroyed or looted (most famously the four bronze horses of St. Marks in Venice) and politically, the Byzantine Empire would be temporarily fractured between competing Greek dynasties while the Crusaders along with Venice created the short-lived Latin Empire, which controlled Constantinople and its environs while Venice also acquired Greek territories which it was to hold for centuries. Venice also came into conflict with the Second Bulgarian Empire at this time as its support of the Latin Empire of Constantinople encroached on the Bulgarian's land. Eventually by the mid 13th century the Latin Empire (never fully stable) collapsed, and the Byzantine Empire was restored until the mid-15th century but forever weakened as a result of the 1204 sacking of its capital.

Venice reached trade deals with the Mongol Empire in 1221. As the century wore on, it also engaged its rival in Western Italy Genoa in some warfare.

The 14th century is generally regarded as Venice at its peak as it faced down Genoa in a number of battles and came to be the most dominant trading power in the Mediterranean, though it was impacted by the Black Death plague. Nevertheless, into the 15th and even 16th centuries, it partook in a number of wars which saw it gain territory on the Italian mainland, establishing its terraferma domain.

By the 16th late 15th and into the 16th century new threats had emerged such as the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman capture of Constantinople in 1453 is seen as the end of the Middle Ages as the last political vestiges of the Roman Empire vanished from the world stage. However, a number of Byzantine Greeks escaped on Italian ships during the conquest of the city and others escaped Greece in subsequent years. These refugees brought with them artistic and cultural heritages that reemphasized the classical forms of Ancient Greece and Rome and lead to the Italian Rennaisance in art & other forms of culture. Ideas which emphasized humanism and spread to elsewhere in Europe overtime.

While there was a cultural flourishing in Venice and elsewhere due to the Rennaisance. There was also the first signs of economic and political decline as well from the 16th century onwards. The Ottoman dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean meant the traditional trade routes to the East were cut off by an often-hostile Muslim power. Additionally, other maritime powers in the West namely Spain & Portugal had recently begun exploring the continents of South & North America and in time France, England & the Netherlands would join in them. This decline in Eastern trade and the newfound trade routes dominated by other European states in the Americas and Asia (by way of rounding Africa) would render trade with Venice gradually obsolete. Venice would still maintain what trade it could in the Mediterranean, but it also focused on production and placed increasing importance on its Italian mainland possessions rather than just its declining position overseas in Greek territories, including the loss of Cyprus to the Ottomans in 1571. Though the Venetian navy with other Christian powers won the notable naval victory against the Ottomans in 1570 at Lepanto.

It was also involved in the Italian Wars between various rival city states and the power struggle between the Papacy, France and the Hapsburg realms of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain.

Other factors that impacted the declining trade in the 17th century included an inability to keep up in the textile trade elsewhere in Europe, closure of the spice trade to all but the Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, French and English and the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) which impacted Venice's trade partners.

Ongoing wars including a 21-year siege of Crete by the Ottomans saw further losses. Although Venice partook in the Holy League headed by the Holy Roman Empire (under Hapsburg Austria) which saw some minor temporary gains from the Ottomans in southern Greece before losing them again in the early 18th century.

War and loss of overseas territories along with a stagnant economy was slightly offset by a somewhat strong position in northern Italy. Nevertheless, its maritime fleet was reduced to a mere shadow of its former glory and it found itself sandwiched still between Austria and France. Over the rest of the 18th century, economic stagnation and social stratification remained prevalent while Venice remained in a quiet peace. However, the French Revolution reignited war in Italy and while Venice remained neutral, it would soon get caught up in events.

The Austrians and the Piedmontese (Italian) allies were beaten by the French Republic's Army of Italy headed by an up-and-coming general named Napoleon Bonaparte. Bonaparte and the French army crossed the borders of northern Italy into Venetian neutral territory to pursue the Austrians. Eventually half of Venice's territory was occupied by France and the remainder of the mainland was occupied by Austria. By secret treaty the French and Austrians were to divide the territory between themselves (Venice was consulted in the matter). Bonaparte gave orders to Venetian doge Ludovico Manin to surrender the city to French occupation to which he abdicated his power. The republic's Major Council met one last time to officially declare an end to republic on May 12th, 1797, after 1,100 years. Venice was placed under a provisional government and ironically the French looted Venice stripping it of artworks to grace the Louvre Museum in Paris along with the Arc d'Triomphe, taking the famed four bronze horses of St. Mark's to adorn the triumphal arch in Paris, the very same horses Venice had confiscated from Constantinople in 1204. It was a symbolic end to the republic, the irony of which did not escape commentators at the time. Following Napoleonic France's final defeat in 1815 the horses were returned to Venice and St. Mark's where they remain today. Venice itself was given over to the Austrian Empire.

The Republic of Venice has a historical legacy in terms of its economic accomplishments through control of trade and its innovative mass production of ships, armaments & trade commodities. It also holds a political legacy worthy of study given it was a unique and enduring polity for 1,100 years. One that maintained a complex and at times chaotic form of government that still managed to function and endure for centuries.

[starshine-hockey-girl]

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes- Never Ever Have I- Chapter Twenty Six

Summary: Evie and Sidney begin "Operation Iceburgh" as he recovers from his surgery.

Author's Notes: I intended to add more pics but Google docs is being a bitch and I just want to get it posted

Warnings: brief discussions/allusions to suicide

@equallyshaw @pensfan5871 @penstxgal1968 @cellythefloshie @pattiemac1

Saturday, December 7th- Grand Ballroom- Fairmont Hotel- Pittsburgh

Sidney found Evie near the rear bar in the festively decorated ballroom space. She spoked animatedly to Kelsey Rust. He approached her and whispered in her ear, “It’s time.” She turned to him with a smile. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it while she said her goodbye. Together, they walked quickly to the stage where the party band was finishing up their song, “Marry You” by Bruno Mars. Bruno Mars - Marry You (Official Lyric Video)

The lead singer got the crowd's attention and spoke into the microphone, “Let’s give it up for guests of honor- Sidney and Evie.” 

Sidney, dressed in his tuxedo, led Evie, who wore a short white sparkly dress, onto the stage. The singer handed Sidney the microphone with a flourish. Sidney wrapped his arm around Evie’s waist and brought the microphone to his mouth. 

“Good evening everyone!” he started as the crowd cheered and Evie grinned. 

“Evie and I want to welcome you to our engagement party. It means so much to each of us that would take the time to come celebrate our love and romance,” he continued before he turned to Evie. “Evie, I was just thinking about the words to that song. He sang joyfully, 'Cause it's a beautiful night, we're looking for something dumb to do. Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you’. What do you say? How about we get married tonight?”

The crowd erupted in cheers when Evie took the microphone and said, “I thought you would never ask. Let’s do it, Beso!” 

The cheers turned into shocked expressions when Sidney took the microphone again. “I can’t lie to you. We had that bit planned, but we decided that since I am not playing right now and Evie’s always wanted a holiday wedding that we would go ahead and get married tonight.” Family and friends looked to Trina and Troy Crosby who shrugged their shoulders. “So if you all will make your way to the ballroom across the hall, we are going to have a quick wedding ceremony,” he added. “Give Evie just a few minutes for a wardrobe change and wait for the music. We will start in about thirty minutes,” he announced. The band cranked back up and sang the song. Sidney and Evie made their way off the stage. They danced and sang as they made their way through the crowd to the corridor. He pulled her into a tight hug. “Well, no turning back now,” he said as he kissed her, “Go, get ready Mon Etoile. I will be waiting for you at the end of the aisle.” 

“Thirty minutes, Beso,” she laughed, “Give me half an hour to transform into your princess.”

“You are always my princess, even in sweats,” he smiled back.

“I’ll see you in there,” she said as she began to walk away, “You can’t miss me. I’ll be the one in white.”

“Can’t wait,” he said as he blew her a kiss. 

“Me either,” she yelled back. 

THREE WEEKS EARLIER- NOVEMBER 14TH-RITZ CARLTON- PHILADELPHIA 

"So what's the idea," Evie asked. 

"Let's get married at the engagement party," he said. She opened her mouth to object and her stopped her. "Think about it, Evie," he said, "You already have the catering, band and decor planned. We just need to add another ballroom for a ceremony and additional floral decor."

"What about the ceremony? If you want a Catholic ceremony, it needs to be at a church," she protested.

"They make exceptions all the time. If they won't make an exception, then we will do a non-denominational ceremony," he argued.

"It will take a lot of work," she said as her mind raced with the details that would need to be completed. "What about the people in Nova Scotia who won't be there? They will miss it," she pondered.

"We can do both," he smiled, "Get married now and have the big party in the summer." When Evie hesitated, he got serious. "Evie, I am tired of waiting to marry you. I want you to be my wife. I want to be your husband. I know I said summer but I don't want to wait any more.Why should we? I am ready to stand in front of our family and friends and exchange our vows." Evie tried to come up with a reasonable objection without success. "Evie, you can have your dream wedding. You can have the Christmas wedding that you always wanted. Maybe this can be the silver lining from the surgery. We can have it all."

Evie warmed to the idea, "If we do it, and I mean IF, should we make it a surprise? I think we need to prepare your parents and Adriana will figure it out if we make changes to the set-up." 

Sidney smiled, "Keep it a secret-no one knows except for the wedding party and my family. What do you think? Let's get married. Say yes, please say yes."

“I think that it’s crazy, but I think we should do it,” she beamed.

“Really?” he asked, thrilled that she was even considering it. 

“Yes, let’s make your masterplan a reality,” cheered, “Let’s do it!”

NOVEMBER 18TH-SIDNEY’S HOUSE- SEWICKLEY, PA

Sidney dialed Evie for a FaceTime call.

Evie: Beso-are you okay?

Sidney: Geno is being mean to me.

Evie: How is he being mean? What's going on?

Sidney: I am hungry and he won't make me food.

Geno shouted from the kitchen- He is lying, Evie.

Sidney: No, I am not, Evie. I just want a grilled cheese sandwich and he won’t make me one.

Geno: I made him two sandwiches already. No good for him. He too picky.

Evie: Is that true, Beso?

Sidney: They weren't like yours, Evie. He didn't use enough cheese like you.

Evie: I'll make you one when I get home. How about you have some of the leftover pasta from last night right now?

Sidney: When will you be home? I miss you.

Evie checked her watch and grimaced: I am going as fast as I can. I still need to talk to Adriana. 

Sidney whined: How much longer?

Evie: Eat some pasta, take your medicine and then nap. I will be back before you wake up. 

Sidney: You promise?

Evie: Yes, and I will bring you a treat if you quit giving Geno a hard time. 

Adriana laughed from the door.  Evie turned and smiled. 

Evie: Do we have a deal,  Beso?

Sidney: Okay, but come home soon. 

Evie finished her goodbyes to Sidney and waved Adriana into the conference room that she had turned into a makeshift office. 

Adriana: Gringo Boy is being a baby? 

Evie raised an eyebrow: A- be nice. He is still in pain and going a little stir crazy. He is allowed to be a little needy. 

Adriana: How many times has he FaceTimed you today? 

Evie blushed: That's Facetime number three

"So why are you in the office today?" Adriana asked as she came in and took a seat. 

Evie looked up, "I needed to walk the ballroom to see if my changes would work."

"Changes to the engagement Party?", Adriana asked incredulously. She would not go as far as to call Evie a Bridezilla, but the planning of the engagement party had been meticulous with multiple meetings to nail down all the details. With the date less than three weeks away, Adriana was confused as to what changes could be made.

"Yes, I'm just adding some space for the ceremony," Evie replied coolly. "The Knox is available and it will work for what we need."

 Adriana blinked slowly. "What kind of ceremony?"

 Evie smiled, "It has to be a secret."

"What has to be a secret?" Adriana leaned forward.

"Sidney and I are going to get married at the engagement party," Evie leaned forward and spoke in a conspiratorial tone. "We are changing the engagement party into a wedding," she added.

"What? Why?" Adriana gasped. Then she looked down at Evie's abdomen. "Are you pregnant?"

"Noooooo!" Evie shrieked. Adriana raised an eyebrow as Evie explained. "It was Sidney's idea. You know I wanted a Christmas wedding because my parents had one. It was the reason we chose the date for the engagement party. With Sidney's surgery and recovery time, we have the opportunity to actually get married on my parent's anniversary," she rambled. "I mean everything is basically planned. We just needed the ceremony space. The Knox ballroom is available. We just need to adjust the contract a bit to add it, change the menu a bit and add wedding cake."

Adriana smiled, "Evie…..You are going to get married in three weeks? Have you thought of everything? You need a bouquet. Will your dress be in by then? I thought it was going to take six months for the dresses.”

“Shit, I forgot about the dress.” Evie said in frustration, I can’t believe I forgot about the dress.” 

“Hey Evita,” Adriana soothed, “You just need a fairy godmother or kick ass best friend. You’re lucky that you have one of those. We’ll get it all worked out. Focus on what matters right now which is getting Sidney healthy. We’ll divide and conquer the rest.”

Evie smiled, “You’re the best A.” 

Together they sat down and created a list of everything that would have to get done. They divided it into different categories- Evie, Adriana and Sidney. Evie was in charge of bridal party wardrobe and floral decor changes. Adriana would handle the logistics of the hotel. Sidney was assigned the task of the marriage license, wedding officiant and other legal issues. By the time she left to go home, Evie felt confident that Sidney's masterplan was going to become a reality.

EARLY EVENING- SIDNEY’S HOUSE- SEWICKLEY, PA

“Beso,” Evie called out as she entered the house, “I’m home.”

“I’m in the living room,” he groaned as she walked inside. She picked up the pace when she heard the sound of his voice. He was lounging on the couch with the TV. 

Geno poked his head out of the kitchen. "You home! Thank God- he is impossible to please.” Sidney glared at Geno and folded his arms. Evie walked over to the couch and kissed the top of his head. Geno continued to complain. "First pasta was too cold, then pasta was too hot, and we wait until it was just right," the Russian complained. 

Sidney shrugged his shoulders, "I like it at the right temperature- that's all."

Evie pursed her lips together, "Did you take your pain medicine? What's your level at?"

Geno walked in, "He refuse pill. Think he is tough man."

Evie got up and retrieved his medicine along with some orange  juice. She placed the pill in Sidney's hand. "Take it," she demanded. He opened his mouth to object. "Then stand up," she challenged, "by yourself." He took the pill without further complaint. "Now say thank you to Geno for taking care of you," she commanded. 

"Thank you, Geno," Sidney obeyed.

Evie gave him another kiss in the head, "I am going to walk Geno out. Think about what you want to eat."

“Just order in food,” Sidney pouted, “I want you here with me, not in the kitchen. You were gone too long.”

Evie smiled as she returned to the couch with phone in hand. She reclined on her end of the couch and he moved gingerly to rest his head in her lap. She ran her right hand through his hair as he looked up at her. “Tell me about your day,” he requested. She told him about the mountain of emails that waited for her. She had worked as much as possible from her phone while they were in Philly, but her first full day “back in the office” was full of demands. “Did you tell A about Operation Iceburgh?” he asked with a smile. He was really quite pleased with himself for coming up with the code name for their plan. “What did she say?” he asked. 

“Well, she asked if I was pregnant,” Evie chuckled. Sidney’s eyes widened in surprise. “People will make assumptions about why we are moving it up, Beso,” she smiled, “They will figure it out when I get drunk at the wedding or when my belly doesn’t start to grow.” 

Sidney grimaced, “I don’t want people to think we are getting married out of obligation. I want them to know the truth.”

Evie caressed his cheek, “I think that we are safe, Sidney. We’ve been engaged for a couple of months. I am pretty sure that people will know the truth.” She gazed into his eyes and saw his pupils dilating slightly- the telltale sign the pain medicine was kicking in. 

“We are getting married because we are in love,” he insisted. 

She nodded her head in amusement, “Yes, we are, Beso. We are getting married because you love me and I love you. People will figure it out.”

“We are in love,” he said emphatically. 

Evie steered the conversation into a different direction, “So what did you parents say when you told them?” His eyebrows knitted together. “You did call them, right?” she asked, “Beso, we need to tell them soon so they can arrange travel.”

“I forgot. I got busy arguing with Geno and forgot,” he answered sheepishly, “I will call right now.” He dug his phone out of his pocket and FaceTimed his parents. 

Troy: Hey Sid- How are you feeling? Did you survive the day without Evie?

Sid: I am okay. The pain is manageable today. Today was awful without Evie. 

Trina: What made it awful, Sid?

Sidney: She wasn’t here. I missed her. Also, Geno was mean to me. 

Trina: Geno was mean? How was Geno mean?

Sidney: He wouldn’t make me food until Evie made him.

Evie lifted the phone out of his hand and spoke directly to Trina.

Evie: Sidney was being particular about his grilled cheese sandwich. Apparently Geno doesn’t use the same amount of cheese as I do. They settled on pasta instead. Isn’t that right, Sidney?

Sidney nodded his head as if his parents could still see his face. 

Evie: Here’s Sidney back. 

Sidney: I have an announcement to make. 

He paused and looked at Evie.

Sidney: Well, we have an announcement to make. 

His parents looked on in anticipation.

Sidney: I am going marry Evie sooner. No waiting until summer. Summer is too long to wait. 

Troy and Trina looked at each other and then at Sidney. 

Trina spoke slowly: I am sorry. What did you say?

Sidney: I am going to marry Evie at the engagement party. Not going to wait. Nope, going to do it then. She is going to be my WIFE. 

Sidney's speech started to slow and he smiled helplessly. He leaned his head back and smiled at Evie. His parents looked at each in confusion. 

Evie grabbed the phone again. 

Evie: We decided to get married at the engagement party. It’s going to surprise everyone except the wedding party and family. 

Troy: Why the change in plans? Is there anything else going on?

Sidney’s eyes got big and he grabbed the phone back: SHE IS NOT PREGNANT. No, she is not pregnant. She going to get her period this weekend. Definitely not pregnant. Not pregnant yet, but one day she will get pregnant. I will do it. Evie, I am going to get you pregnant one day. We’re going to have babies. I want to have babies with you.

Evie grabbed the phone again and patted Sidney’s head. 

Evie: Wow, that was TMI, Sidney. 

Evie blushed and smiled timidly at Trina and Troy who were bouncing between the need to laugh and confusion on the new plan. 

Evie: Since Sidney is on injured reserve and won’t be playing for a while, we are going to take the opportunity to have the Christmas wedding that I wanted. We will be able to have the same anniversary as my parents. 

Trina: Wow. That’s a big change. What about all the deposits we put down here?

Evie: We are going to keep everything the same. We’ll re-do the ceremony and vows and then have the big party still. 

Sidney grabbed the phone and smiled at his parents. 

Sidney: It’s in less than three weeks. You need to come. And Taylor, too. She needs to come because we are getting married. Yes, we are getting married because we are IN LOVE, not because Evie is pregnant. 

Troy: Sid, that’s great. You sound like you could use a little rest since your pain meds kicked in. 

Sidney: Yep, I am sleepy. 

He yawned loudly before he perked up.

Sidney shouted: Evie! 

Evie laughed: Yes, Sidney?

Sidney: We’ll be married at Christmas. When we go home to Nova Scotia for Christmas, I will be your HUSBAND-not your fiancé. 

Evie: That’s true. Now say goodbye to your parents. 

Sidney smiled a goofy grin: Bye. My fiancé told me to say bye. Bye!

Evie took the phone from his hand: Sorry for the goofiness. He just had pain meds. I will update you with the details. See you soon. 

She placed the phone on the side table and looked down at Sidney who continued to gaze up at her lovingly. 

Sidney: Check that off of the list. 

Evie: Speaking of list, I have a list of stuff for you to start doing for the wedding. Can I trust you to get it all done?

Sidney: Yes ma’am

He mock saluted her and she mussed his hair. 

Evie: I think it’s time to get you some dinner into you before you crash. 

Sidney: Yes ma’am

Evie laughed: I don’t know, Sidney. I am digging this agreeable and compliant version of you. 

Sidney wiggled his eyebrows: Don’t get used it, Evie. I will return to bossiness when I feel better. I’ll show you who’s in charge around here. 

Evie: Promises, promises. You have another two and half weeks before you can do that.

BLACK FRIDAY-NOVEMBER 22ND-SIDNEYS HOUSE- SEWICKLEY, PA

Sidney was in the basement watching the Penn State game with several guys from the team when a notification popped up on his phone. 

His head popped up when he heard the door leading in from the garage slam shut. Sidney got up from the sectional and called back to the guys, “I’ll be back. Evie’s home.” When he emerged at the top of the stairs, he saw her standing in the walk-in pantry. He could tell from her head movement that she was in search of something specific. 

“Mon Etoile,” he said softly, “How did it go?”

She didn’t turn around. Instead, she stepped further into the pantry. “Do we have any chocolate? I NEED some chocolate,” she whined. The slight nasal tinge to her voice told him that she had been crying. Adriana had not exaggerated with her text. 

“Remember- you threw all the sweets and junk food in the trash yesterday?” he answered. “You said that you had stuffed yourself on Thanksgiving so you needed to get back in control,” he said hesitantly. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she squealed as she remembered. “Let’s eat healthy” Evie had been very thorough in her purge of the pantry. “Why did you let me do that, Beso?” she continued to whine. Sidney paused and stared. She turned to face him. Her face was stained with tears and she put her hands on her hips. It was abundantly clear to Sidney that there was no good answer to her question, but he answered anyway. 

“You said that you have to fit into a dress in two weeks. You didn’t want to gain any weight,” he offered. “Personally I don’t think that you have to worry about that at all,” he began to add, “I think that your body is absolutely perfect. Any dress you pick will look great.”

She stepped out of the pantry and slammed the door. The noise was loud enough for the group of guys below to look up in surprise. “Well, I don’t have to worry about that now,” she huffed. 

“You don’t have to worry about what now?” Sidney questioned. 

“I don’t have to worry about fitting into a dress because I can’t find a damn dress,” she cried out loudly. 

“What do you mean you can’t find a dress?” Sidney blinked, “You’ve been gone all day long. You didn’t find a dress?”

“No, I didn’t find a dress, Sidney,” she crossed her arms over her chest. “We went to six stores and nothing,” she said as she fought back tears. Sidney walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. “I am not going to find one,” she cried into his chest, “I am not going to find a dress for the wedding.”

"Nothing in six shops? Really?" Sidney soothed. He felt her body tense beneath his touch and she placed her hands on his chest to push out of his grasp.

"Yes, really," she hissed, "You can ask Adriana if you don't believe me."

Sidney stepped back and began defensive maneuvers, "I believe you. Can you explain it to me though? I don't understand why it's so hard."

Evie started a tirade about dress lead times which necessitated getting an off the rack dress. The options of those dresses were limited and according to Evie, cheaply made and not good enough. By the end she had worked herself into a lather.

"Evie," he stared into her eyes, "It doesn't have to be the perfect dress. I think you are being too picky."

"YES, IT DOES! IT HAS TO BE PERFECT," she yelled, "I have to look beautiful for you. I have to look beautiful."

Sidney's mind raced. There had to be some sort of solution. "Are you sure that you can't get the other dress?" He asked for confirmation. He had been present, although heavily medicated, during a desperate phone call to Kleinfeld's bridal salon. "Would they sell you the sample dress?" he probed.

Evie's head popped up, "I forgot to ask."

"We'll call Monday," Sidney soothed, "We will find the perfect dress. I promise you. Don't stress yourself out."

Evie inhaled deeply, "Okay. How are you coming on your list? Is the priest set? Can he come down?"

Sid pursed his lips together, "about that…."

Evie stepped back and looked up at his face, "What?"

"Technically according to church law, the marriage ceremony must be performed inside of a church," he answered. When he saw the panic spread across her face, he added "Don't panic, don't panic." She leaned against the kitchen island and crossed her arms. "We can't get married in the eyes of the church here, but we can do that at the July ceremony in Halifax." She moved and began to pace. "Evie, don't panic," he added, "We can have the ceremony here performed by a justice of the peace or wedding officiant. Everything will be legal and we can do the religious part later." She stopped and stared at him. "I already booked the best rated one. We are all set," he smiled.

"Really? Thank you, Beso" she gave him a soft smile "What about the prenup? Does your lawyer have it almost ready?" she asked. Sidney stared at her. Evie crossed her arms again. "Have you even called your lawyer?" she probed, "Well?"

"You were serious? That wasn't a joke?”, he deadpanned.

"Yes, I was serious," she answered, "Of course we need a prenup."

"No, we don't. I am not doing it," he responded, raising his voice. "I can't believe you are even suggesting it. No, no way- It's going NOT to happen."

"Yes, it is. You have to have a prenup to protect your money. Ask the guys. They get prenups," she raised her voice in response.

"Protect my money from whom?" he raised her volume to match hers.

"From gold diggers!" she screamed.

"I am not marrying a golddigger," he stepped forward and screamed, "I am marrying YOU. Are you a gold digger all of a sudden? Since when?"

Evie stepped forward and yelled back, "Do you think I am? Is that what you think?" Downstairs Geno and Letang exchanged glances. The words were unclear but the volume said it all.

"Evie, what the hell are you talking about?" Sidney took his tone up a notch, "You brought up gold diggers. You brought up a prenup, not me!"

"People will ask, Sidney," she brought her voice down a notch.

"So what? Let them ask," he dropped his tone.

"They will think I am taking advantage. They will assume I am only after your money," she insisted.

"And?" his tone rose again.

"What do you mean and?" Her volume rose again.

"I don't give a fuck what other people think. I know that you are not." He yelled, "This is exhausting, Evie. It's tiring and frankly, insulting." 

"I just….." her voice lowered, "I just don't want people to think…." Her voice trailed off.

"Look, I know that Thad fucked with your head about that, but when are you going to let it go," he pleaded, "When are going to trust me?" 

"I do trust you," she said in a hushed tone."

"You are not acting like it. You are not acting at all," Sidney answered with a pained expression on his face.

"Beso," she took a step towards him, "I do trust you. You know that."

"Then start acting like it," he sighed, "I am going to go back downstairs. I don't want to be around you right now."

"Beso," she stepped toward him and put her hand on his chest, "I don't want to fight. I'm sorry. I don't want to fight."

"Me either," he said, "I will talk to you later." He turned and walked away. When he got downstairs, Geno greeted him with a cold beer. Sidney grabbed it from his hand and took a long swig. "Did everyone hear?" he asked quietly.

"We heard voices but not what was said," the Russian answered casually, "Don't worry. Everyone married. We know women."

Sidney took another swig. He wasn't necessarily embarrassed that his teammates heard them fighting. It was more that they fought at all. He shook his head and tried to clear his head. 

He smiled at his phone before he sat. Geno looked over with a grin "See, I told you no worry." Sid nodded his head and relaxed.

Upstairs, in their bedroom, Evie undressed, started a hot shower before she went to pee. She groaned as she wiped. "Damn," she thought to herself, "That explains so much." She also smiled at the memory of Sidney's drug-addled conversation with his parents. Even high as a kite, he knew that her period should start that day. Nothing slipped past his notice.

She took a long, leisurely shower and dressed in soft, fleece pajamas with fuzzy socks. Evie pulled the blanket up to her chin and rested her head on the pillow. She stared at the ceiling and replayed each dress from the day. Surely, one of them would work. As each dress was eliminated in her mind, she tried to force her mind to relax. The adrenaline from her argument with Sidney still pulsed through her veins. She opened her eyes and looked at her phone. It was a little after eight PM.

With a sigh, she stood up and walked out the bedroom. She wandered aimlessly until she eyed the door to the attic. The only thing left unpacked from her official move into Sidney's house were the dozen or so large boxes from her parent's house in Dallas. When she sold the house, the one luxury that she allowed herself were professional packers.

It was too soon after her parent's deaths to go through the contents of the house herself. Each item contained too many memories. With the exception of her bedroom furniture, every single household item was donated to a local thrift shop benefiting LGBT youths. Her bedroom furniture and all personal mementos of her parents were boxed up and delivered to her small grad student apartment. After graduation, the contents were moved to her apartment. Then it moved to her cottage and now to Sidney’s house. She mentally corrected herself- our house. It had been moved to our house.

Evie opened the door and climbed the stairs. The attic was uncluttered. Most of Sidney's mementos were stored either at his parent's home or a climate controlled storage unit. The boxes from her parent's home were stacked neatly to the side.

She walked over to the first box and opened it. Inside were the contents of her childhood bedroom. She took out her phone, turned on Spotify and hit shuffle. Gingerly she picked up the homecoming mum that had been placed on top. Evie's fingers ran over the long ribbons that were bedazzled with glittery letters. Each ribbon contained a different message- Homecoming 2009, HP Scots, HP Belles Captain, Thad and Evie with a heart.

She remembered the pride she felt that night she wore the mum to the game. Thad Wilson was her boyfriend. Together they made quite the power couple. He being the star of the football team and she being a drill team officer. Little did she know at the time that none of it would make a difference in her life. Evie put the mum down and glanced at the rest of the box.

Downstairs, in the basement, Sidney glanced at the stairs every few minutes. It didn't take long for Geno to notice. One of the benefits of being teammates for so long was the ability to decipher the unsaid messages. Sidney's message was loud and clear. He was desperate to find Evie and resolve their conflict, but was unwilling to risk appearing rude to his guests. So when the game ended, Geno stood and abruptly said that it was time for everyone to go. "Go, go, go," the Russian barked, "Sid still recovering. He need Evie to take care of him. Out- everybody out."

Sidney smiled a sly grin and escorted everyone upstairs. No sooner than when the door shut, he started climbing the stairs. He opened the bedroom door and saw the bed empty. "Evie," he called out in case she was in the bathroom. When he received no response, he turned to leave. Possibly she had gone down to the kitchen he thought to himself. As he walked down the hall, he heard the sound of music. He turned in the direction of the sound and saw the door to the attic open.

Sidney climbed the stairs while calling out, "Evie?" When he reached the top, he stopped and gazed at Evie. She sat with her back to him. A box of mementos spread before her and she sang a sad song.

https://youtu.be/9-rKvhsjwKU

That I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale

I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet

Lead her up the stairwell

This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town

I was a dreamer before you went and let me down

Now it's too late for you and your white horse

To come around

"Evie," Sidney said softly. She turned to him and he saw her tear-stained face. She got up and ran to him. He embraced her as she threw herself into his arms. The song continued as he held her.

Maybe I was naive, got lost in your eyes

And never really had a chance

My mistake, I didn't know to be in love

You had to fight to have the upper hand

I had so many dreams about you and me

Happy endings, now I know

Evie pressed her face and whispered "I'm sorry, Sidney. I am so sorry." He pressed his hand behind her head.

And there you are on your knees

Begging for forgiveness, begging for me

Just like I always wanted but I'm so sorry

Evie leaned back and sang to Sidney who looked confused.

'Cause I'm not your princess, this ain't a fairytale

I'm gonna find someone someday

Who might actually treat me well

This is a big world, that was a small town

There in my rear-view mirror disappearing now

And it's too late for you and your white horse

Now it's too late for you and your white horse

To catch me now

When the song ended,.he questioned, "Evie?" as he wiped her tears, "What are you doing up here? Why are you crying?"

She stepped back and pointed to the boxes. "I couldn't sleep and didn't want to go downstairs. I came up here to go through these boxes." She moved towards them.

"What boxes are they?" he said as he followed her.

"It's stuff from my parent's house. I never had the courage to go through them. I am not sure what made me do it tonight," she explained.

"Why are you crying?" He asked.

She looked back at the open boxes. "These boxes are everything from the Thad years," she offered, "I was going down that not-so-pleasant memory lane when our break-up song came on."

"What's the name of the song?" He asked, curious to learn more.

"White Horse," Evie informed him. She turned to Sidney. "I used to listen to it on repeat after he broke my heart." He pursed his lips and she stepped towards him. "I always focused on the chorus of 'That I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairytale'" she stated as she wrapped her arms around Sidney's waist. She pressed her forehead against his chest and kissed it softly. "I should have focused on 'Cause I'm not your princess, this ain't a fairytale.I'm gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me well," she said gazed into Sidney's eyes.

"I did," she sighed, "I found you. I wasn't his princess, but I am yours. You gave me the fairytale."

He smiled, "Yes, you are. You will always be my princess." He bent down to kiss her softly then he pressed his head against her forehead. "Unfortunately for our fairytale to work, we need to talk about earlier."

"Okay," she replied, "Can I say something in my defense? He nodded his head which caused her head to move in response. "It seems as if I had a surge of monthly hormones that were announcing the arrival of my period. It's not an excuse but it explains my overreaction a little bit, at least to me." She stepped back and sat down on the floor. Sidney followed suit. "The wedding stress is getting to me and I haven't been good about communicating that," she confessed.

He waited patiently for her to continue. "I know that I need to let go of the gold digger fear," she offered, "but I don't understand why you are so adamantly against it."

"I am against it because it is preparing for us to fail. I don't want to think about what may happen if we were to break up," Sidney stammered, "The thought of it gives me heart palpations. If I lose you, I lose everything. I won't care about the money. I won't care about anything." Evie watched as the panic spread through him as he spoke. He was right. Even just speaking about it caused a severe physical reaction.

Honestly, Evie's heart began to race at the thought. She had been so consumed with not wanting to appear like a gold digger that she lost sight of the circumstances that would proceed it. The thought of being separated from Sidney made her heart ache. "I'm sorry, Beso," she whispered, "I thought the prenup would protect you, but I hurt you." She put her hands on either side of his face, "If you don't want a prenup, we don't have to do it. I will drop the subject and we will never talk about it again." Sidney exhaled and she kissed him.

"I don't want one," he admitted, "We don't need one."

"Okay, mark it off the list," she smiled.

They stood silently for a moment. "Want to do another box?", he asked. He walked over and opened the next one. It was much larger than the previous two. Sidney picked up a large, red leather scrapbook embossed with names Vanessa and Mark. He held it up to Evie. She put her hand over her mouth in surprise. "Is this what I think it is?" he asked. She nodded her head. "Let's go downstairs and look at it together," he suggested. She stood, gathered her phone and led him downstairs.

Once they got settled together on the couch, Sidney opened the album. The first page contained a large photo of Mark proposing to Vanessa on one knee. On the opposite page, she had written the story of Mark's proposal. The evening was supposed to be a celebration of Mark's graduation from law school at SMU. However, right after the obligatory speeches from Mark and his parents, he called Vanessa up to the front to give a speech thanking her support before dropping to one knee. Sidney silently read the story while Evie looked at his face. "Wow," he said, "That was a sweet proposal." He turned his attention to the picture. His finger touched Vanessa's face. "You really look like them," he said before he turned to face her, "They made a beautiful baby."

"Thank you," she blushed as she turned the page.

When they got to the pages containing Vanessa's bridal portraits, Sidney looked up at Evie. "What are these?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

“I thought that your parents got married in December. These pictures are taken in early fall or summer,” he said.

“Oh, those are her bridal portraits. I think it may be a southern thing,” she explained. “Brides get dressed up in their gowns and take pictures. It’s like a trial run of the wedding day for hair and make-up. Then one of the pictures gets enlarged and displayed at the wedding.”

“Oh,” he said and looked at the picture again. “That dress is gorgeous.”

“Yeah,” Evie said softly, “Once I decided to embrace the princess vibe, it was the style I wanted to emulate. My original dress was slightly different though. It was strapless, not off the shoulder.”

Sidney continued to stare as he flipped through the pages. “Where were the pictures taken?” he asked.

“At the arboretum,” Evie replied, “I was planning on going down once I got my dress and take bridal portraits there too. I am not sure now.”

When they got to the photos of the actual wedding ceremony and reception, Sidney thoughtfully looked at each page. “I can see why you wanted a Christmas wedding now, “ he said, “Everything is beautiful. Will ours look similar?” Evie smiled and explained the details that would be similar such as her bouquet and aisle decor. Then she explained the items that would be different like the cake and reception lighting.

Sidney yawned as she talked. It was his first full day off of pain medicine. His body was feeling the effects. He readily agreed when she suggested bed. After they slid under the covers, Evie rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. "It's too bad you can't find a dress like your mother's dress," Sidney yawned, "It would be perfect."

"Yeah," Evie agreed, "I have no idea where to look."

They drifted off to sleep. Eventually Evie rolled over and curled into a ball. She floated into a deep sleep and began to dream.

Evie stood in a bridal suite of an unknown wedding venue. She wore nothing but the embroidered panties she had purchased especially for the wedding. There was a loud knock on the door, which startled her. "Evie!" Adriana called out, "It's time. They are about to start the music." Her head swiveled around, saw her reflection in the mirror and began to panic. She brought up her arm to cover her bare breasts.

"Evie, " Taylor called, "Are you dressed yet? Sid’s waiting on you.” Evie turned to look to where her bridal gown was supposed to be hung and the space was empty. She raced around the suite to search for the dress, but found nothing.

Taylor called again, “Evie, come on!”

A familiar voice called out from behind her, "Give us ten minutes." Evie swirled around. Her mother, Vanessa, stood near the couch, holding Evie's satin bridal robe. She held out her arms and Evie raced into them. "Mi Chiquita," her mother soothed, "Where is your dress?"

"I couldn't find one. I don't have one to wear," Evie sobbed.

"Why didn't you want to wear my dress? I kept it for you," she kissed the top of Evie's head.

Evie's head snapped up, "What do you mean you kept it for me?"

Vanessa pointed to the box on the couch. Evie ran to look at it and ripped it open. Her mother's dress was neatly folded within it. Evie took the dress out and held it gingerly against her body. "Try it on," her mother suggested. Evie stepped into the dress and turned to her mother for assistance. She zipped up the dress and together they stated at Evie's reflection.

Vanessa smiled, "Chiquita, it's like it was made for you."

"Why didn't you tell me, Mami?" Evie whispered, "It has always been my dream dress."

"I planned to tell you. I was just going to tell when you got engaged. I thought I had time but….," her voice trailed off.

"But you left me," Evie looked her mother in the eye, "You left me all alone. I needed you and you left me."

"Oh Evie," Vanessa put her hand on Evie's face, "I should have stayed. I shouldn't have left you when you needed me the most."

"Why didn't you stay?" Evie cried, "Didn't you want to stay?"

"I didn't want to leave," Vanessa explained, "I was drowning in grief. I couldn't find my way to the surface. I didn't know a way out so I gave up. I couldn't see how much it was going to hurt you, baby."

They stared at each other for a moment. "I regret it," Vanessa said, "I regret that I am not going to be here for your wedding day. I regret not being here to meet Sidney and my grandbabies. I regret leaving you alone. I wish I could stay with you forever. I don't want to leave you alone."

"I am not alone anymore. Sidney is with me," Evie said, almost defiantly. "I have a family now and they love me," she said.

"I know," Vanessa said, "Go, go and join your new family. Let them love you and take care of you." Vanessa turned to go.

Mami," she cried, "You didn't tell me where the dress is."

"You were so close. It's there. Dig deeper" she said

"Mami," Evie cried out, "Mami, don't go! Don't leave me!"

Vanessa ran back and squeezed her daughter tight, "I will see you again Mi Chiquita. Daddy and I love you. I will see you again."

"Mami, don't leave," Evie cried over and over as her mother disappeared.

Besides her, Sidney stirred to the sounds of Evie's cries. He wrapped his body around hers and kissed her head. "Evie, I am here. You are okay. I am here."

Evie woke up with a start, "Beso?"

"Yes, Mon Etoile," he whispered, "I am here. Were you having a nightmare?"

"Yes, about the wedding dress," she answered, "Then my mom came and helped me. We found a dress together." Evie wasn't sure why she felt to keep the details about the dress a secret, but she did. "We talked and she said she was sorry that she left me alone. When it was time for her to go, she said she didn't want to leave me alone again."

Evie rolled over and stared at Sidney. "I told her that I am not alone anymore. I have you and I have a family again. I am not alone."

"And I will never leave you and not come back," Sidney stated firmly as he caressed her cheek, "I will never leave you alone."

"I love you, Beso" she sighed.

"I love you, too," he said, "let's go back to sleep."

"Okay," she kissed him softly before rolling over again. She relaxed as he wrapped her in his arms again. "It was nice though- to see her in my dream. It was almost like she was here."

"I bet it was," he squeezed her tight, “I bet it helped you so much.”

NOVEMBER 23RD- SIDNEY'S HOUSE-SEWICKLEY

Evie stood in the kitchen when she heard the doorbell. She shouted, "Come in!" as she watched Sidney make coffee for her.

Adriana walked into the house and meandered into the kitchen after petting Sam. "Please tell me that you are in a better mood," she laughed as she entered. Evie had moved closer to Sidney and stood behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek on his back. She sighed contentedly as he worked. "Ahhhh, it seems so," she grinned, "Behold the power of the Beso. We should call you the Evie Tamer."

Sidney shook his head and smiled, "Nah, I prefer Evie in her natural wild state." He felt Evie giggle into his back and kiss him gently. "I will leave you ladies to your dress hunt," he teased, "Keep the faith. I think your dream was a good sign."

Evie walked him to the door and waved as he pulled out of the garage. She turned around and said, "Come with me." Adriana followed as Evie marched to the attic.

"Evita," Adriana called from behind, "I thought we were hunting for a dress?"

"We are," she replied as they climbed the stairs to the attic. Evie opened the door and ran to the box that Sidney took the wedding scrapbook from. On top was her baby book, then her baby blanket on top of the dress that she wore home from the hospital. Underneath was a large padded envelope with every card that Evie had given her parents. Finally she reached the bottom and saw the sealed white cardboard box with Stardust Bridal embossed across the front. Evie let out a loud squeal as she lifted the box. "Holy shit, it's heavy," she said with the excitement barely contained.

"What's heavy?" Adriana asked.

"I think it's my mom's wedding dress," Evie looked up.

"What?" Adriana responded.

Evie set the box down and used the box cutter to carefully open the edges of the box as she explained the dream about her mother to Adriana.

"So that's the dress?" Adriana rushed to assist Evie. Together they got the lid off of the box. Evie's hand delicately touched the white beaded satin gown. Adriana looked at Evie as the tears ran down her face.

"Try it on, try it on, try it on," Adriana shouted. Evie stripped off her clothes and stepped in the dress. She turned to let Adriana zip the dress. It fit Evie like a glove. It dawned on her that she didn't have a mirror so Adriana took a picture. "You need a petticoat, but it looks amazing," she gushed.

"I can't believe it," Evie grazed her fingers over the beaded lace, "Mami married my dad in this dress on the same date. That has to be good luck, right."

"It's the best luck," Adriana said as she surprised herself with tears, "but you don't need luck, Evita. Gringo Boy and you are meant to be."

"Are you ever going to quit calling him that," Evie grinned.

"When he makes me an Aunt?", she laughed. "Let's go find you a petticoat and veil. Then you can officially mark it off of your list."

"Don't forget your dress," Evie interjected.

"Damn," Adriana asked, "You are really going to make me wear matching dresses with Taylor?"

Evie paused, "Fine- y'all decide on a color - deep red, black or metallic gold and pick whatever dress you want."

December 5th- Sidney and Evie's house- Sewickley

Evie woke up to the sensation of Sidney's lips and tongue on her neck while his hand roamed under her pajama top. In the weeks since his surgery, Evie had developed the habit of wearing pajamas to bed to remove "temptation" for Sidney as he recovered. Behind her, she felt as hips grinded into her. She looked back to gauge whether he was fully awake or asleep. Another habit that developed is Sidney, while fully asleep, initiated sex with this exact same behavior. Evie would politely, yet firmly, remove his hands from her body while whispering explanations of "It hasn't been three weeks, Beso." and "Keep your hands to yourself, please."

She was fully prepared to do the same when he whispered hoarsely, "It's three weeks today, Mon Etoile. It's been three weeks." Her body, full of pent-up sexual energy, began to respond. When his hand slid under the elastic waistband of her pajama pants, she moaned softly as it made its way between her legs. However, her mind raced to control the situation. Her hand went to his hand that began to explore her folds. She grabbed his hand and pulled it out of her pants. Evie then delicately extricated herself from his grasp and wiggled to the far side of the bed.

Sidney groaned and wiggled to follow her. She rolled over and placed her hand against his chest. Sidney was fully awake and aroused. "Evie, it's been three weeks exactly," he whined, "I need you. I need you so much. Look at how hard I am for you."

Evie resisted the urge to glance at his erection pressed tight against his boxers. "Listen," she said with authority, "I have been thinking about this."

"Less thinking and more fucking," Sidney said with a grin. When she did not return then grin, he asked, "Thinking what?"

"I want to wait," she replied. The look of disbelief conveyed all of his thoughts without saying a word. "Beso, we have already waited this long. I want to wait until our wedding night. I want that night to be special," she added.

Sidney blinked slowly, inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "Are you serious?" he asked. He studied her face and her sincerity was obvious. He pinched his nose, "Tell me why again."

"I want the first time as your wife to be special," she explained.

"I think that being the first time married would automatically make it special," he countered, "Besides, I am fairly sure that the first time is going to be pretty quick."

Evie smiled sweetly, "I know that it doesn't make a lot of sense given the amount of times that we have fucked and other things. It means a lot to me. It's almost like I will be a virgin again."

"A virgin?" he smirked. He rolled over and placed his forearm over his eyes. Evie watched him mentally process her words. "If that's what you want," he sighed. He perked back up. "Hey, do virgins give handjobs?", he asked. Evie got up from the bed and walked toward the bathroom. "I'm kidding, Evie," he called out. She turned and crossed her arms. He gave her a big grin. She smiled and shook her head.

Evie continued her walk to the bathroom and stripped her pajamas off as she walked. Sidney watched her from the bed. He stood up, walked to the bathroom door and leaned against the door frame. His gaze went from the top of her head and down the length of her nude body. He licked his lips as she stepped into the shower. He looked down as she poured body wash and lathered her smooth skin. His hand went into his boxers and started to stroke his throbbing cock. She called out to him, "I see you, Beso."

"I can't help it," he whined.

"I did it in May," she teased.

"Is this payback for the playoffs?" he laughed, "That's not fair!" She opened the door and stuck out her tongue. "Pretty please? You gotta help me out here," he pouted.

She smiled, closed the door and put on a show while he jerked his hand back and forth. When she heard the tell-tale grunts and groans of his orgasm, she called out, "You're welcome, Beso."

"You need to be ready Saturday night," he said breathlessly, "I am going to fuck you senseless."

"You better," she teased.

TWO HOURS LATER-ALLEGHENY COUNTY MARRIAGE BUREAU

Sidney grabbed Evie's hand as she came around the back of the car and led her up the stairs to the courthouse. Their completed marriage license waited for them to pick it up. Sidney sighed as they reached the back of the line. His status as Pittsburgh Penguins Captain opened doors and parted lines all across the city, country and world. Unfortunately, it was not effective at the marriage license bureau and he was forced to stand in line like the rest of the prospective grooms.

Sidney pulled his cap lower on his head. Evie pulled up her hoodie and grinned up at him. He reached for her hands and pulled her into his body. She whispered, “Maybe wearing the Penguins hat wasn’t the best idea?”

He kissed the top of her head, “What are you afraid of? I don’t care if people know that I am marrying you.”

Evie looked up, “Oh, I know that.”

He flashed a smile, “Then what are you afraid of?”

She returned his smile, “I am afraid that someone in this office or in this line will decide to leak that we have a marriage license before Saturday night. The wedding is supposed to be a surprise, right?”

They moved up with the line. Sidney glanced around, “You’re right. What if I hide in the bathroom and you text me when you get up there.” He kissed her quickly and escaped to the restroom.

Twenty minutes later, Evie texted Sidney. As she waited, the clerk pulled out the marriage license. “Ms. Montgomery, I just need you to confirm that information is correct,” the clerk whispered. Evie looked up and smiled, thankful for the quiet tone. She studied the license carefully. When she was sure that all the information was correct, she looked up and smiled. “Good,” the clerk smiled, “I will tell you that I am not sure that I can prevent this from getting leaked. We have some die hard Pens fans around here.”

Evie leaned forward, “I just need it to stay secret until Saturday.” She reached into her wallet and fished for cash. She came up with a crisp one hundred dollar bill and slid it across the counter. “Can you help us with that?”, she smiled.

“Your secret is safe with me,” the clerk smiled, “Tell Mr. Crosby congratulations. He landed himself a beauty. He’s a lucky man.”

“We are both lucky,” she smiled back. Evie was walking down the hall. Her eyes searched for Sidney. She shrieked as a hand grabbed her hand and pulled into an alcove by a courtroom. “Sidney!” she gasped and playfully swatted his chest, “You scared me.”

Sidney held a finger up to his mouth and shushed her. He whispered, “Did you get the license?” Evie looked around quickly, noted the presence of a young couple then shook her head affirmatively. “Good,” Sidney whispered, “My new friend, Harry, and his fiancée need a favor from us.”

Evie turned to look at Harry, who appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed in freshly pressed slack and buttoned down shirt. Next to him was a very pretty, yet very pregnant brunette, who wore a short white lace dress with an empire waist. The young man extended his hand, “Hi, I am Harry and this is my fiancée , Marissa.” He looked at his fiancée with a look of love that rivaled Sidney’s. “I had the good fortune to run into Sid in the men’s room. I mean what are the odds that I would run into my hockey hero here at the marriage license office.” Sidney moved closer to Evie and slid his arm around her waist as Harry continued to speak. “Anyway, Marissa and I want to get married today, but our witnesses flaked out on us. It’s really important that we get married today. Marissa is due any day now and we want to be married before the baby comes.” Evie looked at Sidney and then at Marissa and nodded her head in understandment. “So would you be willing to do it for us? It would mean the world to us if you could help us out.” he asked hopefully.

“Absolutely! I would be honored to witness your ceremony,” Evie said brightly as she leaned into Sidney’s body. Just then the courtroom doors opened and the previous couple walked out, followed by a gaggle of family and friends. Marissa let out a soft sigh. Evie took her hand and whispered, “You look gorgeous and radiant. Let’s go get you married to your man.”

They all walked in together and took their positions in front of the judge. Marissa cradled her bump and grinned up at Harry. The elderly judge cleared his throat, "Please join hands." The young couple joined hands.

Evie pulled out her phone and nudged Sidney to do the same. When he looked at her in question, she gestured that he needed to take video of the ceremony. It took a moment before he grinned and nodded in understatement. Both armed with cameras, they turned as the judge began the ceremony.

We’re here today to witness the union of Harry and Marissa in marriage. Today, you begin a new life together, founded in love, laughter, honesty, respect, and friendship. The promises you make to each other today should not be taken lightly. A marriage is more than a ceremony – it is a lasting and lifelong commitment.

Evie felt tears filling her eyes. She imagined her own wedding to Sidney. While the script would be different, the universal nature of marriage became apparent to her. She and Sidney would soon join the club so-to-speak.

Do you, Harry, take Marissa to be your spouse and to live together as partners, to treat them with love and respect, and to build a marriage that grows stronger and more loving as time passes?

Harry: Yes, I do.

Evie looked to Sidney. He turned his head to look at her while holding the camera straight. He mouthed the words "I do".

And do you, Marissa, take Harry to be your spouse and to live together as partners, to treat them with love and respect, and to build a marriage that grows stronger and more loving as time passes?

Marissa: Yes, I do.

Sidney stared as Evie wiped her tears and mouthed the word, "I do."

The brief ceremony continued with the exchange of simple gold bands. Evie continued with her self-imposed duty of the wedding photographer but felt as Sidney's hand searched for her hand. She gave it to him to hold.

By the virtue of the authority vested in me by the State of Pennsylvania, I now pronounce you married.

You may kiss! Congratulations!

Sidney and Evie cheered wildly as the young lovers sealed their marriage with a kiss. The foursome stood by the courtroom doors as the judge completed the paperwork. Harry shook Sidney's hand, "I can't tell how much this means to us. To have Sidney Fucking Crosby as our witness, man, we are blessed."

Evie giggled and gazed at Sidney. He smiled joyously, "It was an honor to be included. I hope you have a wonderful life together, especially with that little Penguin on the way."

Marissa joked, "Just wait until everyone hears about it. They will be so jealous." Sidney and Evie exchanged a look. Sidney looked at Marissa, "About that.". He pulled out his wallet and pulled out ten crisp one hundred dollar bills. "If you could not tell the part about us until Sunday morning, we would be really grateful," he said smoothly as he palmed the cash to Harry, "We are trying to pull off a surprise wedding Saturday night."

Harry and Marissa gasped at the cash, "Oh yes, we can keep a secret."

Evie interjected, "Where are you spending your wedding night?"

Marissa blushed, "He is taking me to the Cheesecake Factory and then home."

Evie smiled, "If you would allow me, I would love to arrange a night at the Fairmont for you. You can have the best suite available. Everything is on us." Harry and Marissa tried to object. "Please let us do it for you. This has been such a treat for us to witness," Evie argued as Sidney wrapped his arm around her waist. Her spontaneous generosity was just another reason he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Evie sent a few texts and exchanged numbers with Marissa to send pics.

They waited while Harry and Marissa exited. As soon as they left and they were alone in the courtroom, Sidney pulled Evie into an embrace. She laughed as he showered her with kisses. "Eighty hours," he whispered, "Eighty hours until I can call you my WIFE."

"I can't wait,Beso," she smiled.

"Me either," he kissed her passionately.

[fakakta-art]

I have this Jewish Dick Grayson headcanon but I'm not Jewish so I was wondering if you'd give me feedback or something like that if it's not too much trouble. I imagine he'd be raised secular by his parents and when he starts living with Bruce he participates in Jewish traditions/holidays because Bruce uses his own family experiences to try and connect with his new kid. so Dick decides to fully lean into it and convert to Judaism. I think he'd have a Bar Mitzvah to formally show that, but Bruce didn't have any formal event for his because without his parents it's difficult. so when Dick gets to really celebrate his Bar Mitzvah it's a special moment of connection for them and Bruce is very proud. Dick becoming Jewish helped him reconnect with his mom after her death and it's all very sentimental. once again I'm not Jewish so I don't know if that makes sense

I'm always happy to talk Jewish batfam and i absolutely love when people share their HCs with me! :D I'm so flattered you reached out! If you mean you HC Dick as having a Jewish parent/parents, but just not being raised religiously Jewish, he wouldn't actually need to "convert". Judaism is an Ethnoreligion, aka: an ethnicity AND a religion, so you can be ethnically Jewish and not religiously, and vice-versa. It is enough to simply be born to Jewish parents (Mother if you're traditional, either if you're more reform). Conversion in Judaism is quite different from a lot of other religions, since Judaism is considered a "closed" religion. Gentiles (non-Jews) can convert, but the process is arduous and involves lots of study and communications with rabbis, etc.

If you mean raised secular in that John and Mary are both gentiles, but Dick ends up adopted as a kid by Bruce (a Jewish man), then he could be raised culturally Jewish, and might even be accepted as such in some Jewish communities depending on the denomination and such, but he would technically still need to convert to be "officially" Jewish.

A Bar Mitzvah does not count as a conversion, it's a separate, but very important coming-of-age ceremony that considers you a Jewish adult when a boy turns 13. It comes with responsibilities and practices, definitely something I love imagining Dick having, being supported by Bruce though, and reconciling with his past and such.

For the sake of not making the worlds longest post, I'm putting the rest under the cut!

I'm totally a sucker for HCs of someone reconnecting to their religion, I'm also totally a sucker for Jewish HCs so you're totally in my wheelhouse! I absolutely invite you anytime to message me or anything cause I could go for days on this.

I wont dump my entire hoard of HCs on you, but yours are actually quite similar to some of mine!! I figured I'd share some ehe, no obligation to read it or nothin'

Bruce I HC to be Ashkenazi Jewish, on both Martha and Thomas's side. I imagine they were somewhat conservative (Masorti) Jewish, but Martha's extended family was Orthodox. I HC Bruce was raised pretty Jewishly until his parents were killed, and from then on Alfred, who is not Jewish, did his best to uphold the values and religion that Bruce's parents had left behind with him. Also, bc I always establish a latke Opinion for every Jewish HC I Have...Bruce would totally be a cream cheese and lox latke guy, bougie ass. As for a Bar Mitzvah for Bruce...I usually waffle between HCs of either

A) Bruce not doing a bar mitzvah celebration since there's many practices associated w the parents that he knew would be too painful, but as an adult he regrets not having one or might even do a belated one as an adult at some point with prodding from his kids

Or B) Alfred, knowing the importance of it, pushes Bruce to actually do it and tries his best to do the parental duties. It's sweet small and all that but still nice

As for Dick, I usually HC that his father John was Romani and his mother Mary was Jewish, born Miryam (Jewish name) but changed it to Mary to pass as gentile cause of the Antisemeitism. I HC her, and by extension Dick, as Sephardic rather than Ashkenazi (regionally different flavors of Judaism due to diaspora, very interesting to look up if you have time). Anyways, Bruce and Dick def had a "similar but different" motif about it but very wholesome. I think Dick still knew stuff and had a connection to it, but didn't like, attend services or anything pre-Bruce. He probably loved Purim, though. I imagine when Dick was young, he and Bruce would celebrate Shabbat together and light the candles every week. As for Latke pref...applesauce and sour cream at the same time on the same latke.

For Jason, I actually HC him as mixed race (afrolatino, white, etc) and raised Catholic, so pre-Bruce he didn't know anything about Judaism at all. I don't think he'd have crazy strong connections to religion of any sort, but he'd still have some adjusting to do. I think he'd participate culturally with the fam, doing Passover seders, playing dreidel, etc, but I don't think he'd be doing much praying or anything. Sour cream on Latkes truther, but he'll add pico de gallo sometimes if he's got it.

Now for Tim, I also HC as Jewish, but whereas Martha and Thomas were very outwardly Jewish, I imagine Tim's parents were not. In my hcs, Janet was raised conservative but sorta dropped it. Jack was raised reform and didn't really practice anything. I imagine they didn't want to broadcast a lot of their Jewishness out of fear it would impact their business, which they cared about more. Most of Tim's participation started and ended with the High Holy Days, or the occasional moment his parents ever rarely felt religiously inclined. Maybe some brief Hanukkah stuff, cause of the capitalism and whatnot. I think he would do a lot of his own research, though, and know enough to get by. I think he would also eat his Latkes with ketchup, bc he's bonkers.

Now for Damian, obviously he's half Jewish cause Bruce is his father, but Talia I HC as Muslim (can't remember how canon it is) and raising him practicing Islam I think makes him lean more towards that religiously even if he is ethnically both. He's interested in Bruce's culture, bc thats his dad! but not like, with spiritual intent at his age. I think the whole fam though is happy to celebrate Eid with him, support him fasting during Ramadan, etc, though! When Alfred makes Latkes though he prefers applesauce or plain, as most kids in my experience prefer.

ANYWAYS sorry this got WAY longer than I thought it would. I have more for the rest of the batfam and stuff but i'll stop here. Biggest HC dump EVER huh..anyways if you actually got to the end thanks for reading it! feel free to message me any questions or send another ask, clearly, I usually have something to say about it LOL

[brawltogethernow]

Why hasn’t Deadpool never been an official member of the X-Men?

With affection: Probably because of his overpowering Deadpool stank!

In universe, almost nobody in the mutant hero community likes him, also he kills people. Out of it, everybody likes him too much. If you put Wade in a book with any amount of focus, well...congratulations! It's a Deadpool book now! He's a very loud personality dripping with distracting gimmicks that might as well be designed to force a writer's hand to make him the main character of the universe if he shows up for more than a cameo. On top of how whenever he's on page (or screen) he causes a major tone shift, his name sells like crazy, so an X-Men book with Deadpool recurring in it is just going to become Deadpool and the X-Men.

I do think he can work as a non-headlining member of a team, but a sprawling, unironic soap opera of one like the core X-Men would be...challenging. You'd have to spend so much energy getting him to not ruin the vibe making fun of the latest love triangle. And this brings to mind how other fourth wall breaking characters have functioned in team books. When She-Hulk was in the Avengers at the same time that her own title was a metatextual gagfest she full stop didn't get to, which worked fine because the fourth wall's never been her main thing. With Gwenpool, for whom it is, they filed her down to a nub to keep her from being storybreaking when she was a West Coast Avenger, and the meta gags that were left over still managed to be grating. Of course, everything else about that book except the art also sucked. Anyway.

While I generally think leaving the meta trait on the table with characters heavily associated with it is a coward's move, I do get it, because once you bring that in uhhh your whole story wants to be about it. Wade is basically quarantined in titles with his name on the cover to protect everyone's peace of mind. It's honestly fascinating what books he hasn't been in. Like not to make everything about Spider-Man, but Wade had a fifty issue (!!) team-up book with the guy, and I think he's been in one of Peter's books while Peter was there (so not Superior)...nnnnnnnever? This pattern repeats less dramatically with...a lot of characters. Like every character he's headlined a book alongside. Wade barely even gets to hang out with Cable, who before they had their team-up titles he was introduced as a supporting character for. That's insane. Unless you look at Wade and his lowest common denominator star power for two seconds and then it's like. Ah. Yeah.

Actually hang on I am going to bring this back to my powerful disappointment in WCA volume 3, as a metaphor-example. It's like. If there's no room in the structure of your book for an indestructible, potentially murderous jester character drawing attention to how it's all just a story, and you strip away those traits, you have to confront the traumatized little freak who was cowering under them. If you can't do that you are doing a bad job. But if you can holy shit. Lmao actually maybe Wade should be on the X-Men.

[swordwithribbon]

have you thought about being orthodox christian? what made you catholic specifically?

officially im actually a non-denominational christian because i haven’t felt at this point educated enough/confident enough to officially align myself with a denomination!

but, on a similar note, this is the reason i lean towards/practice catholic dogma and faith: everything i have learnt has been largely from catholic sources/pastors/other catholics online!

so, in that sense, i just haven’t felt myself to be educated enough on orthodoxy (for e.g. texts such as The Eastern Fathers) to align myself with that. but, i find the orthodox churches and eastern/byzantine style of worship as a whole to be so beautiful and close to God; hence, i’ve recently actually been researching eastern/byzantine catholicism!

for me, eastern catholicism seems like a good route because i can learn more about the byzantine rite and appreciate their churches/art whilst not abandoning what i have learnt thus far about catholicism & other traditionally catholic things like praying the rosary, which i adore <3

sorry this was lengthy and i hope i expressed myself okay!

[dirtytransmasc]

Graveyard Anon again! Gods why is that what i'm going with.

The closest thing that any of the recoms can compare it to - the feeling they get when staring down at their own grave - is an out-of-body experience. It's strange, and just a bit wrong, to stand above a grave with the understanding that their human body lies below, buried under layers of dirt.

None of them had really thought about what happened to their human bodies, they hadn't really had the time to think, and the only thing the RDA had told them was that no bodies had been returned to Earth. They didn't expect that they would have be buried in anything other than a mass grave if they were buried at all.

But they hadn't been.

The graveyard - because that is what it is - is large and takes up most of what limited natural space that Hell's Gate has inside its fences that didn't belong to the Avatar program. It's sectioned by faith from what they can tell and there is a smaller section, more separated from the rest, that contains only unmarked graves.

Colonel Miles Quaritch finds himself in the section allocated for Catholic soldiers, and he recalls, vaguely like the memory isn't quite there, that he had put Catholic down as his faith when filling out the forms when he first joined. He knew he didn't believe in it - that much he can remember - and that he had put it down for a different reason, but he couldn't for the life of him remember what that reason was.

It was his mother. She had been Catholic, believed in it too, and Miles had put it down on his enlisting papers for her sake. Miles didn't go to church, but it made her happy to see 'CATHOLIC' on the bottom of her eldest son's dog tags. His new ones don't have 'CATHOLIC' stamped across the bottom.

Miles Quaritch's grave sits between the grave of two other marines. It has the same bulky fabricated cross that every grave in this section has, and his name, rank and military branch are carved into it in blocky letters with the same epitaph of 'Semper Fidelis' that every marine in the graveyard has, but underneath is a smaller more sloppily carved epitaph that reads;

'A loyal soldier, A good marine'

Unlike the others, his dog tags - his former dog tags - aren't hanging from the grave marker.

Quaritch finds 'Paz Socorro' in the non-denominational section with a small etched metal plate as a grave marker. He doesn't know why he instinctively searches the nearby markers, looking for another one marked 'Socorro', and he doesn't understand the relief when he doesn't find one.

Hers is much the same as the others. Name, rank, and military designation with a matching military epitaph. The only difference is the lack of dog tags and the smaller epitaph reading 'A proud mother' at the very bottom.

It's clear to all the recombinants that despite Hell's Gate being abandoned for over a year or so now, someone is still tending to the graveyard. None of the markers are damaged, broken, or overgrown, and it's evident that someone is keeping the jungle from encroaching on the area like it has with the rest of the base.

None of them speak a word of it - not about the graveyard, about finding their graves, or about the evidence that it is still being cared for - in any of their official reports. They only talk about it once they are outside Bridgehead on another mission, but it's not much of a conversation or discussion, just a series of questions that get no answers.

It's the beginning of the end, the ember that sparks the rebellion.

whywhywhywhywhy

_

Miles Quaritch - the Colonel - does not cry.

But Miles Quaritch - the father - does.

The tears start slowly the moment Spider places the open metal box in his lap. Miles is familiar with Spider's trinket boxes, he has several, but they are all intricately carved wood or just plain fabricated boxes. Inside are two sets of dog tags, his and Paz's, among a handful of small items and 2 photographs.

The photographs are simple and Miles hates he can only barely recall the day they were taken. One is of Paz holding an infant Spider while in the med bay, smiling big and proud, and the other is of him holding Spider with a stony face and scared hands

Only a few of the items in the box are ones that he recognizes. A few of his service medals, the only ones he had cared to bring to Pandora, his old watch, and his signet ring. (You can see it in a few scenes)

The tears come faster, but there is no sound. Miles just breathes deeply into the mask, yellow eyes burning at the fluorescent lighting, and sucks on his teeth.

Miles doesn't have to ask his son how he got the items, the dog tags, or the photos. He knows the answer, knows there is only one person on the entire planet that would have done this. It's the same man who buried him, the one he was brought back to kill, and the same man who raised his son.

respectfully, I need a full fic out of you, this idea is gold.

like no pressure, but like, you should do it.

my heart hurts, the conflict is beautiful, the angst is delicious.

also Graveyard anon is a cool name, don't diss yourself.

[mental-mona]

The problems with JVP, Part 1

By Elizabeth Wolf on Facebook

Since I’m already pissing people off, I guess it’s a good time to post about Jewish Voice for Peace. I’ll put links in the comments.

Part 1

Like a very different organization, Moms for Liberty, the name is deceptive. You do not have to be a mom to start a chapter of Moms for Liberty, and you don’t have to be Jewish to start a chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace. Moms for Liberty is about a very specific interpretation of liberty that many would disagree with, and Jewish Voice for Peace promotes a very specific type of peace that you could easily mistake for its opposite.

This is why you see JVFP having Hanukkah events that are not actually during Hanukkah, lighting the candles incorrectly, fundraising on Shabbat (when many Jews do not handle money), and saying things that are theologically inaccurate about Judaism. People who know very little about Judaism can start a chapter, join a chapter, or run social media for a chapter, and then say they speak for Jews. This is how you end up with a Lebanese gentile being admin for their Facebook page. This is how you end up with an openly antisemitic Muslim making social media posts under their account, starting with the phrase, “As a Jew.” This is how you end up with temple denial and misrepresentations of the Torah floating around, apparently given the stamp of approval by a group of Jews.

“But JVFP has a rabbinic oversight board,” you might say. “Surely they are making sure the individual chapters are not out of line.” Well, I have no idea what that board is doing, but it’s not providing oversight to individual chapters. For example, it is easy to find people from JVFP saying that Israel is a white European colonial project, and for this reason, the Mizrahi community and Ethiopian Jews have explicitly spoken against them. The JVFP web site, however, clearly acknowledges that over half of the Israeli population is not white. JVFP social media accounts tolerate the verbal abuse of Jews and even targets members of mainstream Judaism with harassment, so that you’ll have a Black Jew being called a bloodthirsty white colonizer by non-Jews, ostensibly in the name of both Judaism and peace. I’ve seen Black Jews call this out and tag rabbis from the oversight board on this kind of activity and get no reply.

I’ll add to this that almost all the rabbis on this board are Reconstructionist rabbis, with a couple of Reform rabbis. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, I guess a good comparison would be a group claiming to speak for Christians but only having Seventh Day Adventists on its board, plus a couple of Congregationalists. I am absolutely not criticizing these denominations (I belong to one!) but rather saying that it’s disingenuous to claim you represent Jews in general when you’ve excluded most major branches of Judaism and only barely included another, preferring to have numerous student rabbis from one denomination instead of somebody with ordination from any of the others. This is especially so since a prized value in Judaism is the ability to hold space for multiple opinions or perspectives on a topic (“two Jews, three opinions”) and using these disagreements as learning opportunities.

There is definitely not oversight happening around things pretty much all Jews do agree on, though. For example, JVFP chapters stating that there never was a temple in Jerusalem, or that Passover is only about metaphorical liberation, or that tisha b’av should stop being observed. You can look up where the student rabbis are currently enrolled and see the official positions of these institutions and observe for yourself that what JVFP is saying does not line up. What is the oversight board actually doing? I’m not sure.

The official Recon position is that there was a temple and its destruction is still noted.

https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/jewish.../tisha-bav/

JVFP officially acknowledging the demographic makeup of Israel.

https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/.../JVP-Jews-of-the...

A statement from JIMENA:

A whoops: