#rene of guise

[aretheyqueer]

Is she a lesbian?

disclaimer: this is a hc, not speculating on what the writers intentions were.

reasons under the cut!

- Comphet lesbian or homoromantic bisexual - Internalized homophobia/lesphobia - She uses her popularity among boys for status and manipulation, and performs feminine heterosexuality to maintain that appeal and popularity among the school, but she only ever focuses genuine emotional energy towards girls. E.g. purposefully doing PDA with Aaron when Cady comes by specifically so that Regina can make her jealous - At one point is grossed - Back in 6th Grade Regina abruptly decided to "accuse" her close female friend Janis of being a lesbian and of being in love with her (Regina), causing them to fall out horrible, and the real reason behind her decision is unclear. - Regina also acts with Cady in a way that sometimes almost borders on flirtatious (but only so much as she could still easily get away with under the guise of it being Straight Girl Friend behaviour), like giving her air kisses while saying "love ya". - One of the first things she says to Cady is that Cady is "really pretty", after which she instantly invites Cady to join them at their table for lunch every day, something Regina rarely ever does for anyone (it's also to maintain status, but still) - Renee Rapp, lesbian and actress of the 2024 adaptation, agrees! She played her as a lesbian in the movie too.

---------- i could write an essay on the internalised homophobia...

tag: @under-a-lilac-moon

[scotianostra]

22nd February 1540 saw Marie de Guise crowned Queen Consort of Scotland at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.

A member of the prominent Guise family, Mary (known as Mary of Guise, Marie de Guise, and Mary di Guise depending on the source) was born into a house of prominent players in sixteenth-century French politics.

From the ages of six until fourteen, Mary lived in a French convent with her grandmother, Philippa of Guelders, before being removed by her uncle Antoine, Duke of Lorraine and his wife Renee of Bourbon, to prepare her for life at the French court. She made her first appearance there in in 1531 at the marriage of King Francis I and Eleanor of Austria.

At the age of eighteen, Mary became a duchess when she married Louis II d’Orléans, Duke of Longueville on 4 August 1534 at Chateau du Louvre. The happy union produced two sons, but Mary was left a widowed single mother, less than three years after exchanging vows when Louis died on 9 June 1537.

Late in the same year, Mary received offers of marriage from both James V of Scotland and Henry VIII of England. Henry’s offer was primarily to prevent James from securing a French alliance through his marriage, and Mary refused on the grounds that she did not fancy the idea of meeting a similar fate to Henry’s previous wives.

King Francis I of France accepted James’s offer on Mary’s behalf and offered James a dowry equal to what Mary would have been granted as a royal princess. The marriage contract was finalised in January 1538, and the wedding between James and Mary was held by proxy on 18 May 1538 at Notre Dame de Paris, with Lord Maxwell standing proxy for the absent King James V who was still in Scotland.

Mary landed in Scotland on 10 June 1538 and was formally received by her new husband a few days later as part of a larger pageant and celebration put on in her honour. A second marriage ceremony then took place at St Andrews and Mary was crowned at Holyrood Abbey on 22 February 1540.

The couple had three children – sons James, Duke of Rothesay and Robert, Duke of Albany both died before they were a year old and daughter, Mary. Mary, born 8 December 1542, just six days before her father’s death, became Queen Regent of Scotland before she was a week old. Six years later she was sent to France to be raised with her husband-to-be, the Dauphin Francis.

With her daughter on the continent, Mary served as Regent of Scotland in her daughter’s name. Mary’s regency was heavily influenced by her Guise brothers in France – Francis, Duke of Guise and the Cardinal of Lorraine – who she frequently consulted, meaning that the Scots and the French were allied in foreign affairs and approaches.

Her greatest threat during this time was the growing influence of the Scottish Protestants under John Knox whose hopes were stirred in 1558 when Protestant Queen Elizabeth came to the English throne.

Mary became seriously ill in 1560 while fortifying Edinburgh Castle against the advancing English and died of dropsy (known now as ‘Edema’) on 10 June 1560.

There's a whole load more on this powerful woman here on the excellent Marie-Stuart web page.

[grappleghosts]

What Could a "24/7" title look like in AEW?

There is something missing nowadays in the landscape of wrestling.

The sheer unconventionality, spontaneity, AND unpredictability. While having things set neatly for everlasting stories and laid out for us is great, sometimes it should be messy.

Think “Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent”, but for the old squared circle. If there was a way to incorporate a level of campiness to cleanse the palette while not taking the focus completely away from the week-to-week grind.

For the sake of making my point, I will briefly mention the 'big W'. The history of this cockamamie idea lays there in the:

WWE Hardcore Championship (1998-2002):

Imagine a lawless land, Mad Max meets Jawbreaker. No disqualifications, countouts AND pinfalls anywhere. As long as a referee is present, the title can and will change hands. Which honestly is like a 'quickie' in the weirdest tinder way possible.

On the power tripping high of ECW's successes, Vince introduces the idea under the 'no holds barred' and '24/7' guise. While the 'Attitude Era' has quite an everlasting aftertaste, the belt served it's purpose in its short lived stint. If you want a more concisive history, I've linked this video from WhatCulture.

Years later (2019-2023) the legend himself, Mick Foley- brought the idea back into a new format . Calling it the 'WWE 24/7' championship, but keeping the same wacky rules. However, history once again repeated itself. In four years time, the idea and the belt was retired into internet obscurity.

Though, before its ultimate demise? We got some golden moments that showcased talents - whom we wouldn't usually see in the main spotlight.

See where I'm going with this?

Concept:

By all means, the rules would remain the same. However, this would open the door to title switches during AEW's online content like "Hey! (EW)"- hosted by RJ City, and "Close Up" - hosted by Renee Paquette.

(Images Credit: All Elite Wrestling)

Who could even compete?

Anyone from established roster members/current title holders (both from the men AND women's roster), to those that we don't see a lot during weekly programming.

Now, if we wanted to get a little crazy with it? I'd go as far to say even AEW personnel. I'm talking RJ, Renee, Nigel, Excalibur, Ian, Alicia, etc. Under circumstances that wouldn't necessarily mean pinfall. I'm talking loopholes, baby.

Hell, EVEN the referees themselves. Aubrey, Bryce, Mike, etc. Imagine the crazy twists that could bring.

Overall, these circumstances could bring an extra layer to pre-existing story lines. Hypothetically, mind you.

The potential:

With the concept itself, I really believe that it could open the door for cross-roster mingling.

Where the "big W's" mixed tag team challenge failed, I feel AEW could succeed. Why?

Being that the 24/7 rule speaks for itself, imagine the likes of say- Harely Cameron using her cunning skill to swipe the title off of Prince Nana. EVEN Shibata stripping the title from Hikaru Shida.

The mingling could even aid in story betrayals, if you're willing to stretch your imagination far enough.

These are the absolute wild "what if's" that pile up in my brain until I put them into place here.

I choose to be a bit of a space cadet, where reality makes it seem that these things would never be possible. But sometimes following the rules is extremely boring.

Who would you like to see or what stories do you think could benefit from a '24/7' title?

[zenobianeil]

Celebrating Pride month with the Greek gods.

My favorite Olympian goddess to write about, She of the Silver Bow, Mistress of Wild Things, Artemis (or Diana as the Romans called her).

An eternal maiden (which does not mean not sexually active,) Artemis made her father Zeus swear that she would never have to marry. She preferred nature to Olympus and was happiest hunting and spending time with her nymphs/maidens/huntress friends.

One of my favorite stories about Artemis is her relationship with Callisto. Like many myths, everything was fine until Zeus saw Callisto and wanted her for himself. He transformed to look like Artemis and had sex with Calisto.

When Artemis found out Callisto was pregnant, she transformed her into a bear. Later, Callisto's grown son Arcas saw his mother/bear and not knowing who she was, he was about to shoot her. Zeus transformed mother and son into constellations of the big and little bear.

Paintings: Diana and Callisto, by Titian

Diane et Callisto, Nicholas-Rene Jollanin

The Nymph Callisto Seduced by Jupiter in the Guise of Diana, by François Boucher

[coldresolve]

fun facts about the torture in moneymakers while were at it. spoilers if you're not caught up

the torture is not done in any attempt to gather reliable intel, induce compliance or as a punishment to deter unwanted behavior, none of which are things that torture can do. instead it is perpetrated for the sadistic gratification of the torturer, and for a profit incentive

except for that one time in pt34 when it was done to induce fear and make conrad's escape physically impossible, under the guise of teaching him a lesson. davin knew what he was doing

conrad complying with demands is always, always under duress. i wouldn't call that obedience, personally

you'll notice that conrad's fear of renee has turned into contempt and disgust, a subtle nod to the fact that torture victims dont typically build a whole lot of positive associations with their torturers

conrad gets more resistant over time, not less. but im sure thats just because he hasn't been beaten into submission yet

davin talks pretty openly about exploiting the media as a way to get attention in that one scene. not only a comment about the media's sensationalism of torture/violence, but also a hint to the fact that it can be exploited lol

theres not a whole lot of talk about sophisticated torture, in fact i think i even wrote a thing where renee admits that it doesnt require a whole lot of finesse to hit people. or maybe im just misremembering. its supposed to be in there tho

speaking of renee, i dont know if you noticed, but he isnt doing so well. could this have something to do with his actions? the world may never know

that part where renee thinks about the way we culturally view perpetrators... he comes to the wrong conclusion and you as a reader are not only expected to realize that on your own, but also think about what thought processes led him to be wrong. but also ive been throwing around ideas as to how i might add another perspective about it in the future so theres that

i have a whole tirade about the concept of being 'broken' coming up. spoilers ig

davin is doing just fine. davin is a machiavellian. davin, get this, also acts as an argument to the fact that the insidious parts of torture aren't in the people who act it out, but in the people who facilitate it. the people who act it out just tend to be useful idiots. sorry for the diss renee ily

anyway yeah so. that whole thing about davin building a strenuous trust with conrad in the beginning by seeming like the lesser of two evils was intentional

something about that darn profit incentive might be meaningful to the theme here but alas this falls beyond the comprehension of my feeble mind (aka spoilers lmao)

[kaylarenee98]

Toxic by Kayla Renee

I've sipped slowly from the poisoned chalice

Such sweetness hides the bitter truth

I have been blind to all his malice

He's robbed me of my youth

So dangerous are the men of night

The hunt is but a game

In your fear they find delight

and then they light the flame

Caught in the webs of sweet deceit

Love's embrace- a trap

far too tempting to defeat

Prepare for his attack

A guise of charm concealing danger

The woods seduce the innocent

The wolf will carefully mask his anger

but the feast he'll have will be imminent

[lillaurenp96]

Yeah I'm done, I am leaving the CxH fandom cause I can't bear to see ya'll be mean to these girls. They really just be living their life's. Call me sensitive, oh well lol. We get it y'all hate Chloe and Halle. Y'all really act like these girls killed your loved ones because of them not living their lives or making music the way YOU want them to. Even though y'all never messed with them before UH. Constantly made fun of them before that era for their music being to complex or too "white". Even though if Billie made those songs you would eat it up. The people who claim they want the duo back together because they miss UH, an album that came out 4 years ago and isn't even gold still, were the same ones who said they need to go solo. Now the people who genuinely want the duo back but are doing everything to try to humble Chloe whenever she gets praised for anything are the worst of the worst. They constantly have to remind her that she is never good enough while @ her name. I admit that Halle being with DVD doesn't help with the Internet being the Internet. But I do think that it is pretty funny that it didn't take y'all long to shit on her as soon as you got the chance too. Y'all enjoy using these girls as punching bags under the guise of saying "still love you tho." Bitch please, y'all just enjoy being nasty and the fact that all of this comes from black women is sickening. I just need y'all to admit that you never messed with Chloe or Halle just liked them because of whatever pedestal you put them on of how these two black girls should act. Chloe and Halle weren't EVER mainstream artists and they were okay with that they had their fanbase who showed out and support them during tours. They just love putting out their art. It's okay if you never liked their music, so stop making all these thinkpieces on why they aren't bigger or talking about their sales or how they should be lucky their label doesn't drop them. Cause y'all don't have this energy for Tinashe, Tori Kelly, Renee Rapp, Willow Smith. But only those two girls, right? Part of me thinks that ya'll, especially Stan's of other artists, are afraid that if they blow up the world will see what exceptional talents they are and it will make them question your favorite artists talent. I'm sorry Chloe and Halle.

[zip-toonz]

Didn't get to answer this last night before heading to bed so I'm answering it now ( @agentchimendez )

I kind of do, In the sense that I have some plans. I think I've covered most of what I have on Renee. But I can talk more about how she does end up getting better. Having the worlds slowest redemption arc. Not because she's still convinced she was in the right after team plasma is dissolved. Because once she's left to reflect she realizes how naïve she was to ignore all the red flags. But rather because Trevor is so livid and upset with her, He refuses to take her apology the first dozen times until she's given him enough reason to believe her.

I like and enjoy exploring complex characters and character dynamics. Renee is not at her core an evil and irredeemable person, rather she was manipulated and exploited under the guise of bettering the lives of Pokémon and ended up being too caught up in what she grew accustom with to care when the plans turned to world domination. Which is to say she had gotten comfortable and it became harder and harder as time went on to snap out of trance the praise she received for her work in team plasma got her. Being feed "you're important to the cause" and "we cant do it without you" after coming from a field where she was regularly undermined was captivating and felt nice. Renee was never stupid just vulnerable. She was a newbie in her field as a researcher. Sycamore being the one person to give her a genuine shot to show what she was capable. And that's what team plasma targeted.

While eventually Trevor does forgive her. I don't want his forgiveness to come easy. She abandoned him for what he considers a cult and she didn't seem too bothered with that the first time they met after years of not knowing her were abouts. All because she was so desensitized to the harm the group was doing. She had brushed off his feelings as irrational because after years of doing 'the right thing' even if it meant stealing, lying, or harming innocent people she lost her ability to empathize with him in the moment. In that moment he was just another detractor trying to stop them because they simply don't understand the good they're doing. Despite the fact the goal was now just to take over Unova. And that's exactly how they wanted it to be. Slowly building her tolerance to commit crimes and enact violence until it was just the norm for her even if it meant hurting her own child.

He is justified for being reluctant to trust someone who chose a busted cause over him and his sister. But he has the hind sight of knowing team plasma is/was a villain organization. Renee on the other hand did not. When they approached her all those years ago they made it out as a newly formed Research organization intent on studying the effect captivity has on Pokémon to draw her in. Then slowly disabling her alarm bells until she no longer had any to go off. She was smart and better yet she wasn't from the Region so who was going to come looking for her once they pulled her in. Trevor is still however fully justified in not accepting her apologies. Words don't mean a whole lot when they come from the woman who sent his whole friend group into a fit in seconds.

But she does want to try. She knows the damage she caused will always be there. She hurt her kids seeking validation from a group who only cared about exploiting her. She knows she'll never get to experience a lot of firsts with her kids. Especially Trevor as the younger sibling. But even then its still not about what she missed out on but rather what her leaving caused her children to miss. Trevor had to take his older sister to school events as a stand in for her. Endure being picked on for not having parents that were around. Dodge questions from adults because talking about it was uncomfortable. She did that to him.

You asked about the dad so lets talk about Jules, their father. He went with her to Unova because he was born there and knew his way around. The trip was meant to be short with Sycamore volunteering to watch the kids in their absence. He never expected they wouldn't come back.

He and his family moved to Kalos when he was about the age of most protagonists are (10-13 ish) and met Renee in school. They hit it off right away with Renee being (like Trevor is now) a straight A student with a passion for Pokémon and a dream to become a proper professor one day. While he wanted to follow in his mothers footsteps and become a renown trainer. They were friends for a long time before they ended up dating. As he got older he found himself more passionate about protecting Pokémon and became a Ranger.

When Renee got into the research field and started working with Sycamore the fairly new professor who was in walking distance from their home he was elated for her. He came to really trust Sycamore considering him a family friend and even pitching in with his work since he was around Pokémon all day anyway. So when sycamore asked her to go to Unova for a bit to do some field research Jules went with her after being assured Augustine didn't mind keeping an eye on their kids. He trusted him and wanted to help Renee find her way around. What he didn't expect was not being able to trust Renee.

When Renee started pushing back the trip home he excused it for the first week or two. She had made some research buddies in the region and he understood that she was excited. But as a few weeks turned into months he grew ever more suspicious of her as she kept making excuses as to why she needed to stay longer. Eventually he started to assume there was something up with her friends and red flags were raised. About a year into this trip he started to confront her and later them. He didn't want to doubt her judgement but it was getting to the point where they hadn't seen their kids in over a year. Her friends were shady. She was doing things behind his back. And kept pushing to stay longer.

He brought up multiple times that he thought something was wrong with them. "I think they're using you", "I think you're being manipulated", "Renee there's something wrong about this". With Renee brushing him off as being either Jealous or him trying to make it out like she was stupid. He didn't want to leave without her and yet he couldn't get through to her because her researcher friends had planted these ideas into her head whenever she lamented about his concerns or started to question them herself. He was growing ever paranoid that something bad was going to happen to him or worse Renee. And they wanted him gone before he broke through to her.

As it stands its undecided how they tried to get rid of him. But it is decided he's alive/Survived whatever they attempted. (I won't kill Trevor's dad). Everyones welcome to pitch ideas. Its also undecided who makes it back to Kalos first.

[solreznik]

Starter for: @reneebrxndxnndxn Location: Clinic

The festivities hadn't officially started, but Redwood was well on its way to buzzing. He was done packing--had powered through it under the guise of giving himself the night off. But the truth was that Ginny had her shit together and Sol felt the need to keep up.

She'd also sent him on a last-minute task: acquire a first-aid kit from the clinic.

He wasn't entirely convinced that the clinic actually had first aid kits prepped and ready to take. Redwood was communal, sure, but the folks who spent a lot of time outside the walls--raiders and hunters and the like--sorted their own triage supplies.

But he decided not to put up a fuss. Ginny had more important things to do, had someone she needed to spend as much time with as possible before taking off. He could run the errand.

He was lucky enough that he'd never had much cause to spend time in the clinic. There was the quick medical eval for newcomers to check for any non-zombie-related issues. And he'd swung by once when a bee sting swelled up half his face so bad he thought he was gonna need one of them epi-pens. (False alarm, really potent bee.) Otherwise, he'd patched up his own self when needed.

He sat on the stretcher that doubled for an exam bed while he waited for Renee to piece together something that might fit Ginny's request. To distract himself from the restless feeling coiling up over sitting still, he called out.

"Hey doc, while I'm here, you mind taking a look at something for me?"

[sirgatesbc]

Reality Rehearsed: Makeovers, Masculinity, and Marketable Identities in Reality TV

From Queer Eye to Flavor of Love, reality TV is more than just guilty pleasure—it’s a tightly controlled stage where gender, race, and class are performed, judged, and transformed for mass consumption. Shows that claim to reveal “authentic” identity often do the opposite: they construct legible, marketable versions of personhood, edited to reflect mainstream ideals of desirability and value.

The works of Steven Cohan, Renee M. Sgroi, and Rachel Dubrofsky & Antoine Hardy each interrogate these dynamics, exploring how reality TV acts as a disciplinary machine, reshaping masculinity, class, and race through the lens of postfeminist, neoliberal aesthetics. These texts help us understand reality television not just as spectacle—but as a cultural script for acceptable identity.

Queer Eye and the Reinvention of Hetero-Masculinity

In “Queer Eye for the Straight Guise,” Steven Cohan analyzes how the Fab Five perform queerness in a way that rehabilitates straight men. But this isn’t queerness as rebellion—it’s queerness as labor, carefully packaged to serve and soften masculinity.

Cohan shows how the show operates under the logic of camp and postfeminism, presenting queer men as harmless experts whose emotional intelligence and aesthetic vision help straight men “upgrade” themselves—not challenge patriarchy. The makeover isn’t radical; it’s restorative, reinforcing dominant gender roles under the guise of progress.

This reading connects back to earlier discussions of Beckham as “safe queerness” (Rahman), where queer aesthetics are embraced only when they reinforce rather than disrupt heterosexual power structures. It also parallels Banet-Weiser’s critique of empowerment through branding—the Fab Five don’t challenge masculinity; they rebrand it.

Classed Femininity and the Fantasy of Deserved Wealth

Renee M. Sgroi’s analysis of Joe Millionaire focuses on how femininity is evaluated through class performance. The show’s central gimmick—a working-class man posing as a millionaire—sets up a morality play where the women’s reactions “reveal” their true character.

Sgroi argues that Joe Millionaire reinforces postfeminist neoliberal values, positioning the ideal woman as one who is emotionally genuine, modest, and uninterested in material gain. Women who express ambition or financial desire are cast as “gold diggers,” while those who are “authentic” are rewarded.

This structure reduces women to caricatures of class-coded behavior, echoing the dynamics in The Bachelor, where white, middle-class femininity is often idealized. Sgroi’s analysis invites us to question the illusion of choice in reality TV—are women really free to perform femininity, or are they just choosing from a set of pre-approved scripts?

Racial Scripts of Love and Legibility

Dubrofsky and Hardy’s piece, “Performing Race in Flavor of Love and The Bachelor,” critiques the racial politics of dating shows, revealing how desirability is structured through whiteness. While Flavor of Love features a predominantly Black cast and leans into hyperperformance, The Bachelor presents white, heterosexual, upper-middle-class courtship as the default love story.

The authors argue that Flavor of Love engages in spectacularized racial performance, reinforcing stereotypes through editing, casting, and narrative framing. Black femininity is often portrayed as aggressive, vulgar, or comedic, while The Bachelor rewards demure, passive, white femininity.

Their critique builds on intersectional frameworks (Crenshaw) and aligns with Tuchman’s concept of symbolic annihilation—where marginalized identities are either misrepresented or omitted entirely. What becomes clear is that reality TV’s representation of romance is never neutral—it is a racialized, gendered fantasy, built for the gaze of mainstream white audiences.

Connecting the Spectacle: Gender, Labor, and Legibility

Across these readings, we see a recurring theme: identity is only valued when it can be packaged for consumption.

Queer men can be emotional—but only if they’re helping straight men look good.

Women can seek love—but only if their femininity conforms to class and race expectations.

Black participants can compete—but only if their performance entertains rather than confronts dominant norms.

Just like in The Sopranos or WWF Wrestling (Nochimson, Jenkins), these shows mask melodrama as authenticity, relying on genre conventions to discipline deviance and maintain hegemonic order—even while pretending to celebrate diversity.

Final Thoughts: Reality TV as a Mirror (and a Mask)

Reality TV might be unscripted—but it’s never unstructured. It teaches us how to see and be seen, how to desire, and how to behave. The problem isn’t that it’s fake. The problem is that its reality is selective—carefully edited to reflect what culture already deems acceptable.

So we must ask:

What identities are legible within these formats, and who gets left out of the narrative?

How are class, race, and gender made visible only through performance?

Is transformation in reality TV truly transformative—or just a means of reinforcing existing power structures under new aesthetics?

In the end, the real "makeover" isn’t the hair, the house, or the boyfriend—it’s the audience’s understanding of what identity is allowed to be.

[girl4music]

Lucy, Renee and Rob talking about the kiss that was scripted in 'When Fates Collide' that was never filmed because Rob never wanted it. I know that's weird. I mean Rob, as we know, is the NO.1 X&G shipper. But it's because he wanted to save it for the finale. He wanted to write that. He wanted to film that. You can't blame him.

I'd be the same if I was a creator on Xena too. I'd be like "I want this so badly but I want to be the one to make it happen. I don't want anyone else to take the credit for something I've wanted for so long."

So that's why it never happened although it was written in the script.

I think some fans would rather have preferred a kiss to happen in this episode because, to those fans, this is their finale. Not Rob's finale. Which is extremely valid. Plus it would be a kiss to be an actual kiss. Whereas the 'AFIN' kiss was under the guise of a water transfer and reviving Xena just enough so that she can take down the Big Bad - which for me is a lot more romantically charged than a kiss for no reason so I agree with Rob that there was no necessity for it here and, as he said, the point was made that they had fell in love once again.

[scotianostra]

22nd February 1540 saw Marie de Guise crowned Queen Consort of Scotland at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.

James V’s first French bride, Madeleine of Valois, died in the summer of 1537. James had travelled to France to meet his first bride Madeleine but also had the opportunity to meet Mary of Guise. It was reported that Mary of Guise was second in his affections.

Mary avoided the marriage to James’s maternal uncle Henry VIII and went on in May 1538 to marry James by proxy in Paris, and later married him in person after her arrival in Scotland. Mary brought with her a dowry given by Francis I of France, father of James V’s first bride, and it was large enough to be of the same value as a French princess.

Of Mary of Guise, Margaret Tudor, the King’s mother, wrote to her brother Henry VIII, “I trust she will prove a wise Princess. I have been much in her company, and she bears herself very honourably to me, with very good entertaining.” Mary lefte behind her three-year-old son, who was now the Duke of Longueville, the half brother of the future Mary Queen of Scots, in the care of her mother, Antoinette de Bourbon

Mary’s coronation happened on this day 1540. She was pregnant at the time with her first son by King James.

A new crown was made for the occasion, which was set to take place in Holyrood Abbey. Ladies were summoned from all over Scotland to attend. The abbey was hung with tapestries, and items moved for the occasion from the Holyrood Palace chapel to Holyrood Abbey. A thirty-gun salute marked the occasion, and fireworks were lit at the other end of the Royal Mile up the hill at Edinburgh Castle. Mary used a gilded sceptre for the coronation, too.

Mary had a second son in 1541 with James V, and tragically, both of her sons died on the 21st April 1541, the elder boy being not quite a year and the younger being only a few days old.

Mary of Guise was Queen Consort of Scotland for less than five years before her husband died after the Battle of Solway Moss. This famously left the couple’s six-day-old daughter, Mary, as Queen of Scots. Mary of Guise had the Queen of Scots smuggled out of Scotland and to France when the child was about five years old.

Mary of Guise served as regent for her daughter from 1554 until 1560, while the Queen of Scots was being raised at the French court,

She passed away in 1560 and her body was returned to France and given to her sister Renee, abbess of the the church of Saint-Pierre-les-Dames, Reims, where she was interred in July 1561. A marble tomb was erected with a bronze statue of Mary, in royal robes, holding a sceptre and the rod of justice in one hand.

The tomb was destroyed during the French revolution.

[halfrust]

starter call : for @redriv3r , freya bright

it's a slow day, which renee likes to see for the sheer fact that she'll actually leave at the time she's meant to. not that she doesn't love her job, but her mind is on a certain blue - eyed deputy that she has plans for. that she's unaware of. catching up to freya in the kitchen, sliding up beside her under the guise of pouring herself coffee. "you free tonight?"

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

My bear is wild. Totally uncivilized. Savage.

Alpha’s Claim, an all-new tantalizing, fated mates, shifter romance from USA Today bestselling authors Renee Rose and Lee Savino is now available!

I’m not the nice bear. That’s my twin, Teddy.

I keep my bear caged.

Until I meet Paloma and my bear goes wild.

She’s beautiful and talented, but something’s rotten in this mansion in the Hamptons.

Her foster father keeps her locked in a tower, surrounded by guards.

There are whispers of an auction–a virgin auction.

My bear’s about to break free and go on a rampage.

But I can’t let him out.

Even if I can save Paloma, I can never claim her.

Not even when she smells like wild orchids,

Not even when she feels like freedom,

Not when she is my future, and my fated mate.

Start reading today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4ektvGb

Add Alpha’s Claim to Goodreads: https://tinyurl.com/acbbmgr 

For more information about Renee Rose and her books, visit her website:

https://reneeroseromance.com

For more information about Lee Savino and her books, visit her website:

MY REVIEW:

The first book in the Bad Boy Bears series, although the story of the bear twins, Teddy and Darius, has already been told, you don't have to have read this to enjoy this fantastic shifter read - where a billionaire bear shifter, away from his home, finds his mate, a human female who seems to be a captive in her own home by her guardian - Darius needs to find out just what is going on!

Darius left his home under the guise of making something of himself to save his land, keeping his bear locked down after a violent childhood trauma left him afraid of letting his bear loose. He gets invited by Thom, who is the wealthiest hedge fund billionaire in the hopes of making some new deals.

Paloma has been held captive by Thom since her parents died, her younger sister, Wren, being held at a strict boarding school to enforce her compliance, as Paloma has a unique psychic ability to be able to play the stock markets, knowing which companies will either win or fall. Thom has made his billions off Paloma and her abilities, but can see even more potential in breeding her out and loaning her for a short amount of time, of course to the highest bidder!

When Darius seems Paloma for the first time he is immediately drawn to her, his bear fighting for control to be near her, with Darius struggling to keep himself together. Paloma was instantly attracted to the Viking like huge man, but thought he was just another one of Thom's acquaintances there to bid on her. Little does she know she's about to be rescued by a bear of a man!

Loved the story line with these two, and then when they get back to bear land and meet all his family, that was just awesome! Hot and steamy bear passion, with some Viking fantasies thrown in there for good measure! A fabulous start to this series, can't wait to read more about these bears and their family.

[ifshewantsme]

do you ever think about elope with me miss private and we’ll sail around the world i will be your ferdinand and you my wayward girl how many nights of talking in hotel rooms can you take how many nights of limping round on pagan holidays oh elope with me in private and we’ll set something ablaze a trail for the devil to erase san francisco’s calling us the giants and mets will play piazza new york catcher are you straight or are you gay we hung about the stadium we’ve got no place to stay we hung about the tenderloin and tenderly you tell him about the saddest book you’ve ever read it always makes you cry the statue’s crying too and will he may i love you i’ve a drowning grip on your adoring face i love you my responsibility has found a place beside you in strong warnings in the guise of gentle words come wave upon me from the family wider net absurd you’ll take care of her i know if you will do a better job maybe but not what she deserves elope with me miss private and we’ll drink ourselves awake we’ll taste the coffee houses and award certificates a privy seal to keep the feel of nineteen sixties style we’ll comment on the decor and we’ll help the passerby and at dusk when work is over we’ll continue the debate in a borrowed bedroom virginal and spare the catcher hits for three eighteen and catches everyday the pitcher puts religion first and rests on holidays he goes in to cathedrals and lies prostrate on the floor he knows a drink affects his speed he’s praying for a doorway back into the life he wants the confession of the bench life outside the diamond is a wrench i wish that you were here with me to pass the dull weekend i know it wouldn’t come to love my heroine pretend a lady stepping from the song we love until this day you settle for an epitaph like walk away renee the sun upon the roof in winter will draw you out like a flower meet you at the statue in an hour? because i do every day