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steven1123x · 1 month

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Behind The Scenes -Chapter 31: New Life and Career

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November 3, 2013

Steven and the rest of the Crystal Gems were going into costume, Steven got a trailer, as same as everyone else. The makeup artists in Steven's trailer were making Steven like the character he portrays, The artists fit him with a fat suit, and They cut a hole for his gem.

Greg and Rose were both sitting on the couch as the men continued doing their work on Steven. His wardrobe consisted of his star t-shirt — but it was not bright red, it was a light pink. Cuffed jeans and salmon pink flip-flops.

Steven put the shirt on, which fit him just right, he put his jeans and flip-flops on. Greg takes a picture and Steven rubs his eyes. "Dad!"

"We're so proud of you, Steven!" Rose said, kneeing to his level and putting her hands on his shoulders. Steven smiled and blushed in embarrassment.

Someone knocked on the trailer's door. "Steven!" The muffled voice of Pearl was heard. "Where starting in ten minutes!" she said. Steven smiles. He saw that his iPhone was in the charger, and he had a text from Clarence, Jeff, and Sumo telling him good luck with filming.

Steven smiled, he was so glad that he had such supportive friends on his side, and parents also.

Steven ran out and saw Pearl in her costume, she hadn't changed at all, just her clothes.

She wore an aqua-blue tunic with a small yellow star on the center of her chest and a lighter satin sash ribbon around her upper waist. Her leggings were amber-colored. She also wore pink socks, and her slip-on ballet flats were colored a slightly lighter blue.

"I like your outfit, Pearl," he said, flashing a smile.

"Thank you, Steven." Pearl smiles. "It does look good on me, doesn't it?"

"It does!" Steven put a thumbs up.

They both went to the soundstage where they were filming the first scene. Steven was amazed. He looked at the set as he was starry-eyed. It was no different than the Regular Show set that he'd been on a few weeks ago.

Sadie and Lars were studying their lines. Lars was sitting on the counter and Sadie was standing to the side, with her script open. The overhead lights shined brightly down onto the set.

Steven walks in further, Amethyst is at the snack table. Steven walked over to her. "Hey, dude."She said, looking. She was shocked as she saw Steven.

"Woah, bro! your different now, heavy makeup can do that, dude," she said. Steven chuckled and smiled. Steven looked at her.

Amethyst wore a mauve, oversized, off-shoulder tank top with a black bra underneath. She also wore black leggings with star-shaped cutouts on the knees, with a tear above the left star, and small, pointed, white boots.

"So… What do you think, man?"

"It looks good on you."

"Thanks, Steven!" Steven looks at Garnet, she is talking to Greg and Rose.

She was wearing a black and crimson bodysuit, with cubic shoulder pads (the right one being brink pink, the left one being crimson), and a pale pink star with a brink pink outline on her chest. Steven looks at her longer. He had noticed that her eyes were covered in a large sunshade, he guessed that it would be from the future.

"Garnet," Steven said, she looked at him and picked the boy up.

"Steven!" she said excitedly. He laughed happily as she held him in the air.

"Lion King!" Steven laughs.

"Alright!" Garnet said, smiling. Then lifts him higher.

"Nants ingonyama bagithi baba

Sithi uhm ingonyama

Nants ingonyama bagithi baba

Sithi uhhmm ingonyama

Ingonyama

Siyo Nqoba

Ingonyama!"

Steven and Garnet both laugh at that. The boy smiles as his friend sets him down.

"We're starting in a few minutes guys!" Rebecca said, walking into the set. Steven nodded and went over to another part of the set.

"Quiet on set!" Rebecca said, sitting on her director's chair. She grabs an extra script so she could follow along with the episode.

"And… Action." The director said.

"Steven Universe Gem Glow, Scene one, take one."The clapper leader announced as he clapped the clapperboard.

In the vibrant and quirky Beach City, the morning sun bathed everything in a warm glow, and the air was filled with the tantalizing scent of freshly baked goods. But for Steven Universe, today was not a day for celebration.

He bolted into the Big Donut, his eyes wide with disbelief as he approached the ice cream freezer. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he cried, his voice echoing through the shop. The sight before him was devastating: an empty freezer where Cookie Cats once resided. His heart sank. "This can't be happening! This has to be a dream! Lars! Lars! Please tell me I'm dreaming!"

Lars, busy restocking shelves, shook off Steven's frantic grasp. "Get off me, man! I'm stocking here!"

Sadie, the shop's cashier, looked at Steven apologetically. "I'm sorry, Steven. I guess they stopped making them."

"Stopped making them?!" Steven exclaimed, his voice rising in horror. "Why in the world would they stop making Cookie Cats?! They're only the most scrumptious and delicious ice cream sandwich ever made! Don't they have laws for this?!"

Lars shrugged, kneeling to restock another cabinet. "Tough bits, man. Nobody buys them anymore. I guess they couldn't compete with 'Lion Lickers.'"

Steven groaned, marching over to the offending freezer of "Lion Lickers."

"Not 'Lion Lickers'! Nobody likes them! They don't even look like lions! Kids these days—I'll tell ya what!"

Lars chuckled, mocking him. "Well, if you miss your wimpy ice cream so much, why don't you make some with your 'magic belly button'?" He laughed as he walked away.

"That's not how it works, Lars!… Right?" Steven pondered, revealing a gem at his navel and jiggling his belly. "Oh, sweet Cookie Cats, with your crunchy cookie outside and your icy creamy insides... You were too good for this world." He drew a sad cookie cat on the freezer with his finger and gave it a gentle kiss.

Sadie raised an eyebrow. "Uh... Steven?"

He didn't respond, lost in his sorrowful embrace with the freezer.

"Do you want to take the freezer with you?" she asked, glancing at Lars, who leaned in with a confused expression. Steven nodded vigorously.

"And, cut! That was great, let's prepare for the next scene," she said, as they changed location. Rebecca sat at her director's chair again, in front of a beach house and a large temple that took them a year to build out of real stone.

"Steven Univers Gem Glow, Scene two, take one."The clapper leader announced as he clapped the clapperboard. There were cameras inside the beach house too so, they could keep the show rolling when Rebecca was outside of the house. She could see what was happening through a little screen.

With the empty Cookie Cat freezer hoisted on his back, he hummed the nostalgic "Cookie Cat" jingle as he made his way home.

Once inside the Beach House, Steven burst through the door, excitement bubbling up inside him. "Hey, guys, you won't believe this!" But before he could finish, a Centipeetle lunged at him, roaring ferociously. Steven screamed, but then, in a flash, Amethyst appeared, yanking the creature away with her whip.

"'Sup, Steven?" she grinned, tossing the Centipeetle aside.

In the corner, Pearl was busy lifting another Centipeetle off the Warp Pad, while Garnet dealt with one in the kitchen.

"Awesome! What are these things?" Steven asked, still catching his breath.

Pearl groaned, her expression tense. "Ugh! Sorry, Steven. We'll get these Centipeetles out of your room. We think they were trying to get into the temple."

"Aw. You don't have to get rid of them. They're really cool," he replied, eyes twinkling with curiosity.

Just then, the Centipeetle Pearl was holding spat acid onto the floor, dissolving it into a gaping hole. Steven and Pearl recoiled in disgust.

Amethyst, unfazed, poofed another Centipeetle away. "Um, you guys? These things don't have gems."

"That means there must be a mother somewhere nearby," Garnet stated, her voice steady as she expertly knocked a sneaky Centipeetle away.

Pearl nodded. "We should probably find it before anyone gets hurt."

"I can come, right? Can I?! Can I?!" Steven's eyes sparkled with eagerness.

"Steven, until you learn to control the powers in your gem, we'll take care of protecting humanity, okay?" Pearl replied, snapping the neck of the Centipeetle she was holding with a swift motion.

"Aw, man," Steven sighed, noticing a Centipeetle raiding his fridge. "Hey! Get out of there! Go on! Shoo! Shoo! Aw! They got into everything! Not cool!"

The chaos unfolded around him, but amidst the urgency, Steven's thoughts drifted back to Cookie Cats. With a wild imagination and a little determination, he knew that somehow, he would find a way to bring his beloved ice cream sandwiches back to life — after he helped his friends with the Centipeetle crisis, of course.

For in Beach City, adventure was never far away, and sometimes, it was the simplest things that held the greatest magic.

Once upon a time in Beach City, the Crystal Gems were busy in their home, a vibrant place brimming with energy and magic. One day, Garnet, ever the protector, decided it was time for a little surprise for Steven. With a swift punch, she poofed away an old, dusty box in the corner. When the dust settled, Steven's eyes widened in disbelief.

"No way! I-it can't be! Wha-where did you get these?!" he exclaimed as he rushed to the fridge, which was inexplicably full of his favorite treat—Cookie Cats!

Pearl, with a smirk, closed the fridge door behind him. "Well, we heard that, too, and since they're your favorite..."

"We went out and stole a bunch!" Amethyst interrupted, her mischievous grin revealing her playful nature.

Pearl shot Amethyst a disapproving look. "I went back and paid for them," she huffed, maintaining her dignity.

Garnet, arms crossed, declared confidently, "The whole thing was my idea." Her gauntlets retracted back to her gems, showcasing her readiness for whatever came next.

"Not really," Amethyst chimed in, throwing a playful glare at Garnet.

"All that matters is that Steven is happy," Pearl reminded them, her heart warming at the sight of Steven's excitement.

As if on cue, Steven burst into the catchy jingle of his beloved treat.

"Oohhh

He's a frozen treat with an all-new taste

'Cause he came to this planet from outer space

A refugee of an interstellar war

But now he's at your local grocery store

Cookie Cat!

He's a pet for your tummy

Cookie Cat!

He's super duper yummy

Cookie Cat!

He left his family behind

Cookie Caaaaat!"

He then speaks "Now available at Gurgens off Route 109!"

The Gems exchanged amused glances, chuckling as Steven continued his ode to Cookie Cat, his enthusiasm infectious. They applauded and laughed, basking in the joy of the moment.

"I can't believe you did this! I'm gonna save these forever!... right after I eat this one," he said, eagerly tearing open a wrapper. "Hello, old friend," he grinned, sinking his teeth into the cookie, bliss washing over his face. But as he savored the first bite, something unexpected happened — his gem began to glow with an intensity he had never seen before.

And this was the first time I'm getting my powers, finally!Steven thought to himself

"Uh, Steven..." Amethyst said, her voice tinged with concern.

"What?!" he exclaimed, lifting his shirt to reveal the glowing gem. Panic surged within him. "My gem!"

"Quick, try and summon your weapon!" Amethyst urged, her usual sarcasm replaced by urgency.

"I don't know how!" Steven cried, his voice rising in panic. "Aaaah, it's fading! How do I make it come back?!"

"Calm down, Steven. Breathe, don't force it," Pearl instructed, her voice steady and soothing.

"Yeah, and try not to poop yourself either," Amethyst added with a cheeky grin, trying to lighten the mood.

"Please, don't," Garnet interjected, her tone serious.

As Steven's gem's glow faded, a collective sigh escaped the group. "Ah, I was really close that time!" he said, frustration mingling with determination. "Can one of you just explain how to summon a weapon?"

The Gems exchanged looks, their hearts full of affection for their young friend. They knew that together, they would find a way to help him harness his powers, and in the meantime, there were plenty of Cookie Cats waiting to be enjoyed.

Rebecca thought that they were going to do this in post. So GarnetAmeythest and Pearl don't have to travel back and forth through sets.

"Oh, I'll go first!" she declared, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. She gestured elegantly toward the falling petals, which danced whimsically in the air. "Pay attention to these petals, Steven. Their dance may seem improvised, but it's calculated in real-time based on the physical properties of this planet. With hard work and dedication, you can master the magical properties of your gem and perform your own dance!"

With a swift motion, Pearl summoned her spear from her gem, demonstrating a flawless, graceful movement that left Steven in awe. His eyes widened as he watched the petals swirl and twirl around him, each flutter an invitation to join in the beauty of the moment.

"And Cut. That was great Pearl. Let's go back to the original location!" Rebecca said. They walked to the Big Doughnut set and set up there again.

"And… Action!" Rebecca said.

"Steven Univers Gem Glow, Scene three, take one."The clapper leader announced as he clapped the clapperboard.

Later, at the familiar hangout spot known as the Big Donut, Steven felt inspired. He tossed a handful of petals into the air, watching them float. "Wuh!" he exclaimed, his excitement palpable.

Amethyst, lounging nearby, smirked. "Did Pearl tell you the petal thing?" she asked, half-laughing.

"Yeah, I need to practice really hard so I can dance like a tree... I think," Steven replied, scratching his head in confusion.

"Listen, Steven," Amethyst said, rolling her eyes. "All that practice stuff is no fun. Whenever I need to summon my weapon, it just happens." With a flick of her wrist, she summoned her whip and effortlessly broke a nearby garbage container in two. "See? Didn't try at all!"

Just then, Lars burst outside, dropping a trash bag in exasperation. "Aaah! Again?!"

Perplexed but determined, Steven pondered his next steps. "So I'm supposed to work really hard and not try at all at the same time?" he asked, seeking clarity.

"And, action!"

"Yes," Garnet replied, her expression stoic yet reassuring.

Steven stood in silence, contemplating the paradox. Garnet continued, "Or... you could link your mind with the energy of all existing matter, channeling the collective power of the universe through your gem." With a flourish, she summoned her gauntlets, demonstrating her strength and focus.

"Steven Univers Gem Glow, Scene four, take one."The clapper leader announced as he clapped the clapperboard.

In the cozy kitchen of the Beach House, Steven felt a spark of inspiration. "I think my best bet is to recreate what happened the last time my gem glowed," he said, motioning for the Gems to join him. "So... Garnet and Amethyst were here, Pearl was next to the fridge... Hmm. Amethyst, I think your arms were crossed?"

"Okay, Your Majesty," Amethyst teased, crossing her arms with a grin.

"And Pearl, your foot was like this." Steven tilted one of her feet slightly, trying to mimic the moment.

"I don't think it works this way, Steven," Pearl said, her voice laced with gentle concern.

"And Garnet, uh..." He squished and moved her face upward, then turned to the fridge and retrieved a half-eaten Cookie Cat. "Oh, wait! I sang the song first!" he exclaimed, bursting into an off-key rap about the delicious frozen treat.

But as he rapped, nothing happened.

"Awww, it was funnier last time," he sighed, lifting his shirt to see his gem, disappointment washing over him. "Maybe I'm not a real Crystal Gem."

Pearl knelt beside him, her eyes warm and reassuring. "Don't be silly, Steven. Of course, you are."

"And you're fun to have around, even if your gem is useless," Amethyst chimed in, only to be met with a glare from Pearl. "I mean... you're one of us, Steven. We're not the Crystal Gems without you!"

Garnet nodded in agreement, her presence a steady anchor in the storm of emotions.

"Yeah, even if I don't have powers, I've still got... Cookie Cat!" Steven declared, taking a triumphant bite. Just then, his gem began to glow, and to everyone's astonishment, a shield materialized in front of him.

"Steven, it's a shield!" Pearl exclaimed, her amazement evident.

"... Whoa, what?! I get a shield?! Oh... YEAH!" Steven shouted, bursting with excitement.

Steven was trying to break character and tell his mother and father that he had gotten his powers, maybe when they were done, he could surprise Clarence, Jeff, and Sumo. Then Mordecai and Rigby.

Steven then went back into character.

In his exuberance, he accidentally launched the shield, which ricocheted around the room with a life of its own, crashing into Steven's TV with a loud smash. Amethyst burst out laughing, while Pearl groaned in disappointment, her dreams of graceful petal dances momentarily dashed.

But amidst the chaos, laughter filled the air, binding the Crystal Gems and Steven together in a moment of joyous camaraderie. And in that moment, he realized that perhaps the true dance wasn't just about mastering powers but about the connections they shared, laughter echoing like petals in the wind.

It was a calm, sunny day at the Crystal Temple. Steven was lounging on the couch, enjoying his favorite treat, a Cookie Cat ice cream sandwich. As he took a big bite, a familiar pink shield materialized in his hand. Steven grinned, his mouth still full of ice cream. "Huh? Cookie Cat! I summon my weapon by eating ice cream!" he exclaimed, amazed at how his powers seemed to be linked to his favorite snack.

Pearl, who had been tidying up nearby, noticed the discarded ice cream wrapper on the floor and picked it up. "What's in these things?" she asked, examining the packaging with curiosity.

Before anyone could answer, the entire house began to rumble. The walls shook, and the windows rattled violently. Outside, through the vibrating glass, the shadows of enormous creatures loomed. Steven's shield suddenly vanished, leaving a noticeable dent in the TV.

"What was that?" Steven asked, his voice quivering with a mix of fear and excitement.

Without a moment's hesitation, the Crystal Gems burst out of the house to investigate. The sun was still shining, but a sense of impending danger hung thick in the air. Crawling up the side of the Crystal Temple was the biggest Centipeetle any of them had ever seen.

"It's the Mother!" Garnet shouted, her voice strong and unwavering as she leapt into action, aiming straight for the monstrous creature.

Pearl turned to Steven, her eyes wide with concern. "Stay in the house, Steven!" she ordered, her tone leaving no room for arguments

But Steven was never one to back down. "No way! I'm coming, too!" he declared, running back inside the house. He grabbed as many Cookie Cats as he could carry, along with the entire Cookie Cat freezer, and raced back outside. He knew he had to help the Gems somehow.

"And, cut. take five guys!" Rebecca said. Steven was giddy with excitement as he Ran up to his mother.

"Mom! I got a shield!" the boy hugged her and smiled. Rose and Greg both smile, Rose puts a hand in his hair and Greg kisses his forehead.

"We love you so much, Schtu-ball!" Greg ruffles his son's hair. Rose hugged him, putting him close to her gem, He could hear the hum of it and feel the warmth.

"I am so proud of you, honey! your starting to get your gem powers." Rose said, trying not to tear up in front of Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Rebecca smiles and watches the three of them.

"And…Action!"

"Steven Univers Gem Glow, Scene five, take one."The clapper leader announced as he claps the clapperboard.

On the beach below, the battle was already in full swing. Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst had taken up defensive positions, dodging the Centipeetle Mother's vicious attacks. The beast unleashed a torrent of acidic spit, which the Gems barely managed to avoid. They took cover behind a broken hand statue from the temple, but the acid was quickly eating away at the stone.

"We could really use Steven's shield right about now!" Amethyst shouted, her voice strained as she watched the statue begin to dissolve under the relentless assault.

Suddenly, Steven appeared on the beach, clutching a pebble in one hand and the Cookie Cat freezer in the other. With all the courage he could muster, he threw the pebble at the Centipeetle Mother. "Hey!" he yelled, his voice cracking slightly. He slammed the freezer into the ground. "Leave them alone!"

The Crystal Gems gasped in unison. "Steven, no!" they cried, horrified by the sight of him standing in the open, unprotected.

But Steven wasn't about to back down. He took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest. "Cookie Cat Crystal combo powers, activate!" he shouted, stuffing a Cookie Cat into his mouth and lifting his shirt, hoping his shield would reappear.

For a moment, there was nothing. The Centipeetle Mother stared at Steven with a menacing grin, seemingly amused by his futile attempt.

"Uh-oh," Steven muttered, realizing that his plan hadn't worked. "Aaaah!" He quickly retreated, dragging the freezer along with him as he dashed for cover, joining the Gems behind the rapidly melting statue.

The battle was far from over, and the Gems knew they had to act fast if they were going to stop the Centipeetle Mother. Steven watched as Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst prepared for another round, their determination evident despite the overwhelming odds.

With the Cookie Cats in hand, Steven knew he had to find a way to unlock his powers again. The safety of his friends and the fate of the Crystal Temple depended on it. As the Centipeetle Mother loomed ever closer, Steven steeled himself for whatever came next, determined to protect the ones he loved, no matter the cost.

In the heart of a dense, mystical forest, a battle was raging. The air crackled with tension as the Crystal Gems fought desperately to defend their youngest member, Steven, from the terrifying Centipeetle Mother.

"Steven, we need to save you!" Pearl shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos as she narrowly dodged the centipede-like monster's snapping tail pincers.

"Can we save ourselves first?!" Amethyst quipped, her voice tinged with the usual humor, though the worry was evident in her eyes.

Steven, standing a short distance away, clutched his stomach in distress. Tears welled up in his eyes as he shoveled Cookie Cats, his favorite ice cream sandwich, into his mouth. The magic within him needed to be awakened, and he believed these frozen treats might be the key. But as his stomach rumbled ominously, he felt nothing—no surge of power, no miraculous transformation.

"Goodbye, my friends," Steven whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. He took another bite of a Cookie Cat, but nothing happened. Desperation took hold. "Why isn't it working?" he cried, just as a spray of acid narrowly missed him, splattering against a nearby rock.

"Steven!" Garnet's voice boomed as she intercepted the Centipeetle Mother's attack, her gauntleted fists grabbing hold of the creature's pincers. With a mighty heave, she redirected the monster's focus away from Steven.

In that moment of reprieve, Steven's gaze fell upon the scene before him—a smoking, ruined Cookie Cat freezer, destroyed in the midst of battle. His heart sank in horror.

"No… Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" Steven's voice broke as he began to softly sing, "Cookie Cat, he's a pet for your tummy. Cookie Cat, he's super duper yummy…" With a sudden burst of determination, he seized the wrecked freezer, his grip tightening. "Cookie Cat, he left his family behind! COOKIE CAAAT!"

With all his strength, Steven hurled the freezer at the Centipeetle Mother. The metal box collided with the creature's back, unleashing a burst of electricity.

In the heart of Beach City, a moment hung in the air, charged with anticipation. Steven stood at the ready, his eyes gleaming with determination, though he felt a twinge of uncertainty. "Now available... nowhere," he declared, a hint of playful irony escaping his lips.

"YES!" Amethyst cheered, her excitement electrifying the atmosphere.

Rebecca watched as the scene played out. She leans back in her chair.

Garnet, ever the steadfast leader, rallied her team. "Gems, weapons!" With that command, the three Gems summoned their weapons in unison, each one a dazzling display of their unique abilities. They burst forth from behind the hand statue, a bold and united front against the looming threat.

"Let's do it," Garnet said, her voice steady and resolute. The trio charged forward, their hearts pounding as they launched a coordinated attack on the monstrous Centipeetle Mother. Together, they unleashed a torrent of strength and skill, and with one final, fierce blow, they vanquished the beast for good. As it crumbled, a shimmering gem fell from its form, and Garnet swiftly bubbled it away, ensuring it would be safe.

Steven took a moment to catch his breath, his mind drifting to memories of simpler times. "Farewell, sweet Cookie Cats," he murmured, gently burying a crumpled wrapper in the ground as if laying to rest an old friend. "I'll always remember the time we spent together." His stomach rumbled, breaking the solemnity of the moment. "Shh... Hush now," he whispered to his belly, trying to silence the betraying sound.

Amethyst eyed him with a smirk. "Are you crying?"

"Only a little!" Steven replied defensively, wiping at his eyes but unable to hide his smile.

"Well, I guess your powers don't come from ice cream," she teased, a playful glint in her eyes.

Pearl chimed in, her tone soothing. "Of course, they don't come from ice cream. Don't worry, Steven, I'm sure someday you'll figure out how to activate your gem."

"Yes, in your own Steven-y way," Garnet added, her tone encouraging.

"I'm okay, guys. I just—" Steven's stomach growled again, louder this time. "Ugh, I think I ate too many Cookie Cats."

Laughter erupted among the Gems, filling the air with warmth and camaraderie. Steven joined in, his laughter tinged with a hint of anxiousness.

But then, as the laughter echoed, Steven bent over, the inevitable culmination of his Cookie Cat indulgence taking hold.

"And… Cut! That's a wrap. excellent work everyone!" Rebecca said, rising from the director's chair. Steven still felt a little bit sick.

"I need to lie down…" he said, taking a seat on the sand. Greg walks to him and then picks him up.

"I'll carry you to your trailer." he smiled Steven wrapped his arms around his father and he took him.

Rose was proud of him — She had two in one, She saw his acting career lift off, and he had gotten his powers. She wiped a tear from her eye, then Pearl walked up.

"Filming was so much fun!" Pearl said looking at her friend. Rose smiles at her.

Garnet and Amethyst walk up to the two women standing and staring at the temple.

🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬

A\N: They JUST started filming, and I am SO HAPPY for them! This is a day before so, they are going to work on the next episode the day after. I can't wait to write more of this! it was so much fun to make!

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what-if-queen-camilla · 1 year

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Chapter 31

1st December 1995

Clarence House

"Margaret tells me Diana is throwing a big party on New Year's Eve.", the Queen Mother said warily and Charles shrugged his shoulders. He was visiting his grandmother at Clarence House for their weekly Afternoon Tea. "And?", he asked, looking at her in expectation. He didn't care what his ex was up to. She'd ruined everything, she'd hurt him, their sons, the love of his life and now even attacked his little daughter. Illegitimate or not, she was a child and none of that was her fault. He was still so angry with her that he never wanted to see or hear anything about her again. He'd very much appreciated had she just decided to move to the moon. "Um, that's certainly not going to be something for the boys.", his grandmother went on. "So I was wondering… whether I could throw a little party, too.", she added mysteriously, motioning for a servant to refill her cup of tea, which the young lady happily did immediately. "Of course, Granny. Any concrete plans yet?", Charles asked, refilling his cup of tea on his own, much to the servant's disappointment. "I thought we could go up to Scotland maybe.", she said, heartily sinking her teeth into a huge scone. "We?", Charles repeated, frowning his forehead. "Oh yes, yes.", she nodded. "With the others staying at Sandringham until approximately Easter, none of them will notice if the two of us and the boys disappear for a couple of days.", she said "Going to Birkhall. To meet with some good friends… Camilla and her children." She had mentioned Camilla and her children so randomly that, for a moment, Charles wasn't sure whether she had really said that or whether he had been dreaming and he almost choked at his salmon sandwich. "Isn't that something you'd like?", she asked innocently, smiling and him and twinkling her eye, which made him realise that she had, indeed, really said that - and that she meant it. "That… Oh Granny…", he stuttered, rushing up from his seat and over to, affectionately hugging the old lady. "Oh Granny, you're such a darling!", he sighed, lovingly kissing both her cheeks. The Queen Mother vividly enjoyed receiving so much love and smiled like a Cheshire cat. "So you're in?", she asked, looking at him intently. "Of course!", he cheered. "Fabulous.", she replied firmly, adding: "Because Camilla has already accepted my invitation."

It had been quite a surprise to receive an invitation for New Year's Eve at Birkhall from Charles' grandmother and at first she had been reluctant to accept it. She hadn't seen or heard anything from the Queen Mother since Diana’s interview and had actually expected the royal family to never speak to her again and thought it was a joke at first, but there was a heartfelt letter attached, in which the old lady mentioned how delighted she was about the fact that she was now sharing her birthday with her great-granddaughter, and that she'd love for them all to welcome the new year together, which had brought a few tears to her eyes. She didn't bother too much about herself, she was almost used to being hated by now, but she didn't want her daughter to have to go through the same and the sweet words of Charles' grandmother - and Thea's great-grandmother - had given her just the spark of hope she had needed at the time. Laura had agreed to come, too, as she was good friends with Peter and Zara who had let her known that they'd join the party as well, Tom on the other hand preferred to celebrate with his friends from Oxford and Camilla didn't begrudge him for that. She was a bit nervous about the prospect of meeting with Charles' sons after their mother's accusations but apparently they were both curious to get to know their little sister, and of course, Thea was excited to meet her two brothers as well so she tried not to worry too much.

Meanwhile, she had also come to terms with the paternity test, which's unsurprisingly positive result had arrived two days ago. Charles had called her immediately and promised her to send her a copy of his statement before it was published later tonight and assured her over and over again that his parents or the palace wouldn't mess it up this time.

She and Thea were still staying with Annabel and Simon, and she had taken her daughter out of school until after Christmas - due to illness, officially, but Thea's teacher knew and totally understood the decision under the given circumstances and sent her all the course material and worksheets they'd been discussing in class and supported by her father, who had gladly undertaken the responsibility for maths and science he was much better with numbers than her, she was trying her best to homeschool her youngest child. To her very surprise, after some normal, initial difficulties and uncertainties on both sides, she actually began to enjoy the experience. It was good to have something sensible to keep herself busy and somehow it was fun to delve into the world of third-graders again. Camilla especially treasured the language lessons, the reading and writing. She had always been reading to and with Thea, with all her children actually, just like her father had read to her siblings and her when they were children, but doing so in another, more serious context, was exciting and, proving all her initial sorrows wrong, they worked quite well together as student and teacher and most of their courses didn't end in screams and tears, but in joy and laughter. Camilla was so proud of her brave, little girl who was doing so well. She knew how much Thea missed her friends and she felt incredibly bad and guilty for having put her into this situation - but there was no way they could've stayed on their own under the given circumstances and at least Laura, Alice and Katie, who all went to a boarding school nearby, made sure to come over at the weekends and play with her but of course that wasn't the same. She only hoped they'd be able to get back to some kind of normality once everything was official and fixed, though she was still incredibly anxious and scared of the public reaction and what it'd really mean for Thea's life. She felt so powerless, vulnerable and weak, it was her daughter, but there was nothing she could do to help or protect her anymore. She was completely dependent on Charles… and it frightened her…

Question: how do you think the public will react to Charles' upcoming statement?

#king charles #queen camilla #royal baby #royal family #fanfiction #fanfic #queen mother #prince william

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meghantheduchyofpitstains · 2 years

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His book keeps pointing out how crazy Meghan is:

The wigs of thick long Kate hair are partly because:

"Harry also bizarrely references how much his father admired his sister-in-law’s hair, and had ‘often spoken’ of how lovely it was.

Kate is, of course, renowned for her glorious long brunette locks.

The prince says both Charles and his late grandmother the Queen liked ‘women with their hair down’, as well as minimal make-up.

He says Meghan emulated this look when she first went to meet her future father and mother-in-law at Clarence House, where they ate crumpets with marmite and salmon sandwiches."

Both Harry and Meghan are immature, children!

Can you just hear Harry? "Darling, put on your wig so daddy will talk about your long beautiful hair just like her does about Kate's"

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monsterintheballroom · 11 months

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Interview under the cut :-)

Penelope Wilton: ‘The Queen Mother was an extremely clever woman’

The actress, set to take up the royal role in Backstairs Billy, reveals the sadness behind the corgis, hats and handbags

By Elizabeth Grice 29 October 2023 • 11:00am

Penelope Wilton can still travel incognito. It’s curious that half a century of exposure on stage and screen, packed with glorious parts, awards and a damehood, has not spoiled her secret satisfaction in being able to merge with the crowd. Yet the moment she opens her mouth her cover is blown. That voice! Classy, correct, crystalline and absolutely unmistakable. It could launch a thousand ships.

It gives emotional heft to the graveyard-bench confidences of Anne, the empathetic widow in Ricky Gervais’s comedy-drama After Life. It’s integral to the brittle dignity of Isobel Crawley in Downton Abbey and it vibrates with controlled passion in the 2014 play Taken at Midnight for which she won an Olivier as Irmgard, the Jewish mother confronting the Gestapo over the incarceration of her son.

Soon it will be trained on Queen Elizabeth, the late Queen Mother, and in case you might imagine that she’ll be wafting gently along on a wave of public adoration she issues a prompt corrective.

“There’s nothing sentimental about this. The Queen Mother was an extremely clever woman – very, very quick. She could be acerbic.”

When she refused to leave London during the Second World War, “Hitler said she was the most dangerous woman in Europe. I think she was marvellous and I hope this play makes her more Technicolor and sharp so she’s not just a pale lady in chiffon. There was nothing she didn’t find interesting.”

Backstairs Billy, by the British-Brazilian-Australian playwright Marcelo Dos Santos, is about the unconventional relationship between the Queen Mother and her loyal but wayward servant, William Tallon, who more or less ran her life for 50 years until she died in 2002 at the age of 101.

“Although we are attempting to make me look like her physically,” says Wilton, “I’m not going to be doing an impersonation of her. It’s fiction. A made-up fantasy about what their lives were like at Clarence House. We don’t know how they talk. Biographers who put thoughts into words [spoken by their subjects] are rather annoying, actually, because how would they know?”

Still, by way of research she has immersed herself in the biographies so that no detail of the Queen Mother’s dress, mannerisms, heel-height, handbag size, salmon-fishing expertise or courtly extravagance escapes her. And, being Wilton, she absorbs the central truth that the party-loving ex-queen was probably, deep down, a lonely woman, widowed at 51 and needing to find a new way of living. There are poignant scenes as well as funny ones.

“She was of her time,” says Wilton, “an Edwardian lady. She was politically incorrect. She had served her country well and went on living the life that she wanted to live.”

More than anyone else (except perhaps Queen Elizabeth II, who bailed her mother out when she overspent) “Backstairs Billy” made that possible. Tallon was the ultimate devotee, anticipating her every need, getting her breakfast, ordering the flowers, looking after the corgis, organising guests at luncheons and receptions and always over-diligently topping up the champagne.

Above all, he was amusing. She enjoyed his gentle mockery of some of the people she met and overlooked his sexual forays. “He made her life much more entertaining,” says Wilton. “She trusted him. She enjoyed his company. He didn’t have a family because he was gay and she adored him.”

The year is 1979. Britain is crippled by strikes and riots. The action takes place in her apartment at Clarence House which has caught some of the febrile atmosphere outside the palace gates. “The country was having a sort of nervous breakdown, as indeed it is now,” says Wilton.

The play’s comic potential lies in the Queen Mother’s relationships with her friends and the behaviour of people in her presence. “People about to meet the Royal family say, ‘Oh, I don’t care,’ but actually they do,” says Wilton. “They find themselves tongue-tied. They forget to curtsy. The Queen Mother was very good at putting them at ease.”

The play was commissioned by its director Michael Grandage, whose friend the late Una Stubbs had often told him, from first-hand stories of the Clarence House court, that Tallon would be a brilliant subject for a play.

The part lured the Welsh actor Luke Evans, 44, back to the stage after 16 years in film and television (including Beauty and the Beast and the Fast & Furious films) and Wilton, 77, is coquettishly pleased to be his Queen. “In fact, I’m thinking of taking him home,” she told the BBC’s The One Show. “We all need a Billy.”

Side by side on the television sofa, they presented a delightful, teasing twosome. Wilton’s fine hair is silver these days, swept up in a large comb at the back. She has a lovely smile and a slightly challenging air of expectation.

She is still fondly remembered for the 1980s BBC sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles. She was Regan to Michael Hordern’s Lear.

Theatre is her first love. “It is the last place where language is really, really important,” she said.

“I like doing new plays because that’s the future. I like the difficulty of it. I like solving the problems.

“My job is to put onto the stage what the writer has written, not what the director feels on Monday about the play. Somebody has bothered to write this play, use this language.”

She’s fascinated by where a character will take her. “In the theatre you go on a journey every night.” In one of her favourite Shakespeare plays, Much Ado About Nothing (in which she was an award-winning Beatrice to Michael Gambon’s Benedick in 1981), “Beatrice starts the play very scornful of Benedick and he of her. By the end they are madly in love; they have gone on a journey of self-discovery. And you take the audience with you.”

This is certainly true of Wilton and Gervais, whose characters are both bereaved, in After Life. The series had such an immediate and grateful response from the public that she was asked to become patron of The Good Grief Trust, a charity for those who have suffered loss. Wilton’s eldest sister Rosemary died of a Covid-related illness in 2021. She has much to draw on.

Wilton was born in Scarborough, the middle of three girls. Her mother Alice Travers was an actress, as was her uncle the late Bill Travers. She married two actors – first Daniel Massey who died in 1998 and then, in 1991, Ian Holm with whom she starred in Harold Pinter’s Moonlight. Holm died in 2020. Though both marriages ended in divorce, a warm connection was never broken.

With Massey, after the loss of a premature son, she had a daughter, Alice, a theatre producer. Alice, 46, and her family live close by in west London and Wilton enjoys being a big part of the lives of her grandchildren, Daniel, 11, and Ella, seven.

She likes the freedom of living by herself in a house ever-open to family and friends. “I can do what I like. I can go to bed at half-past eight if I want and I can eat what I want, when I want.”

After a well-paid film, such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel or Downton, she will buy herself a painting.

Wilton’s trend-averse way of thinking as well as of being is refreshing.

She’s vehement about social media. “I’m not interested in people knowing where I am and what I’m doing. It’s terrible that people are chosen to be in plays or films because they have a following. If you’re a wonderful actor but a rather shy person you might not have a following.

“I wouldn’t say I was shy but I’m not a great extrovert either. I’m just sort of middling.”

Predictably, the pursuit of celebrity is not on her radar either. “It’s not a world I’m interested in so I don’t know much about it. I have absolutely nothing against people doing whatever they want to do but I don’t have to be part of it.” She cherishes her privacy in the same measured way. “I don’t make a great thing of it. I just go along, you know.”

Wilton tries not to think of roles she’d like to play. “Because it’s always a disappointment. It’s a bit like wallpaper. If you try and find that something in your mind you’re never going to find it.

“So it’s best to have a look and see what’s out there. This came as a tremendous surprise: to do a new play by a new writer who is really clever. I hope we do him service.”

Grandage has no doubt. “In everything Penelope Wilton does,” he says, “she avoids sentimentality. You know you’ll get something many layers deeper than that. With the Queen Mother, she offers an insight into someone we thought we knew

#finally a new pic of her <3 #love it that she has to give more interviews now even when she hates it lol #penelope wilton #downton abbey #netflix after life #queen mum #british royals #backstairs billy #theatre

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grandmaster-anne · 2 years

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ELIZABETH of GLAMIS

By Roddy Martine | Published 20 August 2021

On an overnight visit to Glamis Castle in the early 19th century, Sir Walter Scott wrote, “I began to consider myself as too far from the living and somewhat too near the dead.”

No such thoughts troubled the future bride of King George VI, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, for whom Glamis Castle with its bulky towers and turrets was her much beloved family home. In common with other scions of the old Scottish aristocracy, her parents also owned properties in England, notably in London and at St Paul’s Walden Bury in Hertfordshire, but it was amid the straths of the Angus countryside that the young Lady Elizabeth spent her happiest formative years.

While attending a charity garden party in the grounds at Glamis, an old woman informed her that when she grew up, she would become Queen of England. “In that case,” said the seven-year-old Elizabeth to her governess, “The laws of England will have to be changed!”.

When war was declared against Germany on 4 August 1914, coincidentally the day of Elizabeth’s 14th birthday, the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne decided to relocate his Countess and 10 children more permanently to Scotland. Soon after their arrival, Glamis Castle, in common with other great UK country houses, was requisitioned as a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers.

The family nevertheless remained in their private quarters but soon after, a serious fire broke out. On seeing the smoke, it was the 16-year-old Elizabeth who raised the alarm and who is largely credited with securing the rescue of the castle’s contents.

Those were difficult times for the close-knit Bowes-Lyon family. Four brothers enlisted in the army and Elizabeth’s eldest brother Fergus, an officer in the Black Watch, was killed at the Battle of Loos in 1915. Another brother, Michael, was reported missing, but later discovered to have been a prisoner-of-war.

However, amid the green rolling countryside and big skies of Scotland’s northeast coast, the troubles of the world were kept at a distance. Aside from volunteering as a nurse, Elizabeth was able to enjoy all of her favourite country pursuits, such as riding and fishing for trout and salmon, at which she excelled. The Italian Garden, with its raised terrace set between two small gazebos to the east of the castle, was laid out by her mother, Countess Cecilia, to designs by Arthur Castings. It was from this example that her daughter inherited a love of plants, which in later life she introduced at Clarence House, Birkhall and Castle of Mey.

And it was in Scotland that the young Elizabeth socialised with nearby landed families, notably the children of King George V when on holiday at Balmoral. In 1922, she was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Princess Mary.

Following their wedding in 1923, she and the then Duke of York chose Glamis Castle as one of their honeymoon locations, and it was here that their second daughter, HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was born in 1930, becoming the first royal baby in direct line to the throne of the United Kingdom to be born in Scotland for 300 years.

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother clearly loved Glamis and at an official ceremony in 2008, her grandson, the Duke of Rothesay, officially named the specially designed wrought-iron entrance gates to the one-mile front drive, The Queen Mother Memorial Gates.

Show me a Scot who does not revere his or her ancestral roots. Descent from the royal line of Stewart was important to Elizabeth of Glamis, and throughout her long life she retained a deep emotional attachment to the land of her ancestors. Once, when approached at a reception by a South African who informed her that he detested the English, she replied. “Oh, I do so understand. You see I am Scottish.”

Long before it became a hunting lodge, Glamis had been a religious retreat for the Irish Christian missionary Saint Fergus. One thousand years ago it was among the territorial titles held by the much-maligned Macbeth, Mormaer of Moray, and she was well aware of that.

The de Lyons family from Upper Normandy, were originally followers of William the Conqueror when he invaded England in 1066. In a future generation, family members arrived in Scotland where they were given Charters of Land at Forteviot and Forgandenny in Perthshire. Succeeding generations prospered and in 1376, Glamis was a gift from King Robert II to Sir John Lyon of Forteviot, Lord Chancellor of Scotland, when he married the King’s daughter Princess Joanna.

Another royal connection followed when Sir John’s son married his cousin Lady Elizabeth Graham, a great granddaughter of King Robert.

Politics and power dominated medieval Scotland and in the 16th century, out of jealousy directed at the powerful Douglas family, King James V accused Janet Douglas, wife of the 6th Lord Glamis, of witchcraft. The estate of Glamis was confiscated by the Crown and the unfortunate Lady Glamis was burned at the stake on Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1537. The King even took up residence in the castle until his death in 1542, after which the vandalised property was handed back to the family.

Such incidents linger long in the Scottish psyche, and it says a lot for the 7th Lord Glamis that he was prepared to serve under the regents Morton and Lennox, and, like his ancestor, he too became Lord Chancellor of Scotland. He even invited Mary, Queen of Scots to stay at Glamis in August 1562.

In 1603, the 9th Lord Glamis, Captain of the Royal Guard to James VI, accompanied the King to London when James became King of England, and was created Earl of Kinghorne in 1606. His son unfortunately backed the wrong side during the religious wars and Glamis was occupied by Cromwell’s soldiers in 1650.

With debts of £40,000, the 3rd Earl of Kinghorne restored the situation and created the West Wing (to his own design) and turned the old hall into a spectacular vaulted Drawing Room. In 1677, he acquired a new patent for his peerage which enabled him to style himself Earl of Strathmore & Kinghorne.

The 4th Earl had seven sons. Four predeceased him and the surviving four brothers were each to succeed in turn. The 5th Earl supported the Jacobite Cause and was killed at the Battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715; Charles, 6th Earl entertained the exiled Old Pretender and was subsequently killed in a local skirmish in Forfar.

Then came financial salvation in 1767 when the 9th Earl married the 18-year-old Mary Eleanor Bowes, heiress to a substantial coal fortune in County Durham. To acknowledge this union, their son, the 10th Earl, hyphenated the Bowes surname with that of Lyon and quartered the family arms.

A five-acre walled garden was created in 1866 to provide vegetables, fruit and flowers. The servants’ quarters beyond the east wing were refaced and a Dutch garden created in front of the castle. Further interior improvements were introduced by Mary, wife of the 17th Earl, when her husband inherited the estate from his cousin in 1972.

A remarkable lady, her sense of style became apparent throughout. She confesses that when first married, the castle did not charm her at all, but afterwards her attitude completely changed and the Glamis which passed on to her son remains the much-loved family home it is today.

Simon, 19th Earl, inherited the estate and titles from his father in 2016. By then, the castle’s popularity as a visitor destination and working estate was well established. There are 4,000 acres of arable and commercial cattle farming, and 100 domestic houses let out to residential tenants. The castle annually hosts exhibitions, large-scale events, concerts and theatrical performances.

The gardens are beautifully maintained and include ‘The Macbeth Trail’, which sets out to explain the links with William Shakespeare’s iconic Scottish play of which there are several. Glamis had been one of the territorial titles held by the much-maligned Macbeth, Mormaer of Moray, while the battle of succession of Malcolm II’s three daughters after the king died at Glamis, was the inspiration behind the interplay of William Shakespeare’s highly partisan Scottish play, written in the 16th century.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Just 12 miles north of Dundee, 28 miles northeast of Perth and 50 miles southwest of Aberdeen, there are lots of travel options for visiting Glamis and there is even a direct bus service from Dundee to the castle. Guests can also stay in Glamis House, which sits on the estate and provides luxury self-catering accommodation with four en-suite bedrooms and one single bedroom. glamis-castle.co.uk

#queen mother #king george vi #glamis castle #article #scotland magazine

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arthurtaylorlester · 2 years

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welcome to night vale live blog ep. 217

spoiler under the cut

I will in fact, help in the prophecy economy

cecil that seems a little important

ah typical station management

NVCR REVAMP !?!?

ok how do you finish seance??

oh fuck that sounds delicious, but I think there will be consequences

KAREEM MY BB BOY

HE’S BACK

MINCHIGAN MINCHGANENON

NOOOO KAREEM GET OUT OF THERE

IS HE GOING TO DIE

cecil’s ‘’heeeyy :D’’ was too cute jhsvajfhvahjfvhjd

cecil eat the goddamn burger

‘’this is gonna sound weird’’ since when are we self aware here

CEACELESS WATCHER SALMON BURGER??

sorry in my tma era rn

YES KEEP BITCHING ABOUT YOUR COWORKERS

HUNTOKAR??????????????

SHE’S GAINING FOLLOWERS, PEOPLE CAN SEE HER!!

sheesh cecil it’s just the basement

maintenance man clarence murphy

HOLY FUCKING SHIT MORE REALITY SHENANIGANS

they had to tell a spooky story to get him to clean the basement, I’m crying I’d need the same thing

WHERE’S THE SALMON BURGER

JOSEPH!! FINK !!

WHAT THE HELL

PODPERSON EFBSDHGJHSDHJDSVFJGDSVFG

JOSEPH YOU TELL HIM

surprisingly NICE??? JOSEPH I’D KILL TO LIVE THERE

CARLOS MENTION LET’S GOOOOOO

It is fascinating

cecil not getting it is so funny

WE GET A CECIL DESCRIPTION???

WE GOT TOASTED ??? TRYING TO DESCRIBE CECIL???

NO IT WAS STATION MANAGEMENT

JOSEPH FINK FOR NVCR INTERN !!! LET’S GOOOO

cecil literally got off cleaning station management

the salmon burger is a monster off

THE RETURN OF DEB

I don’t drink beer

Every. Kind. Of. Love.

Joseph is so sweet ahhhhh

CECIL TAKING CHARGE SLAY

metal weather, coolio

alr, Cecil’s reporting in the dark

JOSEPH FINK ISN’T DEAD MY THEORIES

oh, cool

he’s fine

And what a wonderful hobby it is

kareem and joseph team up

why was your salmon burger a spider?? the web??? jk

oh the seance I get it

I get it cecil, I hate my bosses as well

EARL !!!

good night valeblr, good night

THE VOICE OF JOSEPH FINK IS JOSEPH FINK DHJAHGFKHADGFHAG

and to think i almost didn't liveblog it

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ivankahasbeentreatedsounfairly · 17 days

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An eccentric German princess who evolved from a 1980s punk style icon to a conservative Catholic known for hobnobbing with far-right figures said on Monday that she hosted Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and his wife at her castle during a July 2023 music festival.

Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis also told The New York Times that she viewed the justice as “a hero.”

“He is pro-life in a time where the majority follows the culture of death,” she wrote in a text exchange with The Times. She then typed a skull emoji, adding, “Christians believe in life. The Zeitgeist is nihilistic and believes in destruction.”

The 64-year-old princess said that Justice Alito and his wife, Martha-Ann, are her “friends” and that after her castle festivities, the three attended the opening of the Bayreuth Festival, the world’s premier venue for the performance of Wagner’s operas.

The details of the princess’s gift and the justice’s travels emerged after Justice Alito listed a $900 gift of concert tickets on his annual financial disclosure form, which was released late last week. The disclosure has prompted a new round of scrutiny of the justices, who have been in the spotlight after a series of revelations that some of them — most notably Justice Clarence Thomas — failed to report lavish gifts and travel from wealthy benefactors.

Justice Alito was the focus of a ProPublica report for failing to disclose a private jet flight paid for by a conservative billionaire who later had cases before the court. The jet trip was part of a luxury salmon-fishing vacation. Justice Alito, in an opinion columnin The Wall Street Journal before the article was published, maintained that he did not have a conflict in accepting the “hospitality” and that he was not obligated to disclose the trip.

Justice Alito has also been the focus of attention in recent months after The Times revealed that provocative flags flew outside the Alitos’ properties. Those included an upside-down American flagthat Trump loyalists had adopted to challenge President Biden’s 2020 electoral win flying outside the justice’s residence in the weeks after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Last summer, an “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which had been carried by Jan. 6 rioters and is now a symbol for a more Christian-minded government, was on display at the justice’s beach house.

Princess Gloria, who was once nicknamed “Princess TNT” for her explosive personality, has in recent years courted controversy in both the United States and Europe as a central figure among traditionalist Roman Catholics opposed to Pope Francis. Her 500-room Bavarian castle in Regensburg, St. Emmeram Palace, home to an annual music festival, has also been floated by the longtime Trump ally Stephen K. Bannon as a potential “Gladiator School” for the theological and media training of traditionalist conservative Catholics hostile to Francis.

Princess Gloria did not respond to other questions posed to her, including how long she has known the justice and his wife, whether she paid for other parts of the Alitos’ travel, including transportation, and whether she has given the justice other gifts in the past.

Justice Alito did not respond to requests for comment.

More details have emerged about the justice’s trip to the princess’s castle, including an interview with him by Christian Eckl, the editor in chief of a newspaper in Regensburg, who recognized the justice from reporting in The Times about the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. (Justice Alito wrote the majority opinion in the case.)

In the 32-second video, Justice Alito, with a beard and wearing a dark pinstriped blazer, spoke to an off-camera interviewer. The justice said the castle, seen in the background, was “amazing” and that he was looking forward to going to the Bayreuth Festival to see Wagner’s operas.

“I will enjoy it,” Justice Alito said. “A friend of mine has waited his whole life to get tickets to go, and so it’s quite a privilege to be able to go.”

Justice Alito did not say in the video which friend he was referring to, and he did not disclose any additional names on his annual financial form.

Mr. Eckl, who also spoke with the princess about her gift to the justice, described the festival as a mixture of classical music, jazz and rock. He said Elton John had performed there in a previous year.

A schedule for the July 2023 festival in Regensburg, a UNESCO World Heritage site built during the Roman Empire, featured an eclectic lineup, including a performance of Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute,” a children’s musical about “Germany’s most famous and cheeky little witch,” a Michael Jackson tribute show and an act called the “Earth, Wind & Fire Experience.”

Mr. Eckl also described controversies around the festival because the princess had invited “many right-wing guests.”

The New York Times

By Abbie VanSickle and Philip Kaleta

Reporting from Washington

Sept. 9, 2024

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/09/us/politics/german-princess-alito-castle-visit.html

0 notes

ulkaralakbarova · 3 months

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When a virus leaks from a top-secret facility, turning all resident researchers into ravenous zombies and their lab animals into mutated hounds from hell, the government sends in an elite military task force to contain the outbreak. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Alice: Milla Jovovich Rain Ocampo: Michelle Rodriguez Matt Addison: Eric Mabius Spence Parks: James Purefoy Chad Kaplan: Martin Crewes James “One” Shade: Colin Salmon J.D. Salinas: Pasquale Aleardi Dr. Lisa Addison: Heike Makatsch Mr. Grey: Ryan McCluskey Ms. Black: Indra Ové Mr. Red: Oscar Pearce Dr. Green: Anna Bolt Dr. Blue: Joseph May Dr. Brown: Robert Tannion Clarence: Jaymes Butler Mr. White: Stephen Billington Ms. Gold: Fiona Glascott Medic: Liz May Brice Commando 1: Torsten Jerabek Commando 2: Marc Logan-Black Red Queen: Michaela Dicker Dr. William Birkin (uncredited): Jason Isaacs Film Crew: Writer: Paul W. S. Anderson Producer: Jeremy Bolt Producer: Bernd Eichinger Producer: Samuel Hadida Camera Operator: David Johnson ADR Editor: Matt Grimes Casting: Robyn Ray Production Design: Richard Bridgland Casting: Suzanne Smith Editor: Alexander Berner Line Producer: Albert Botha Associate Producer: Mike Gabrawy Executive Producer: Victor Hadida Executive Producer: Daniel S. Kletzky Executive Producer: Robert Kulzer Executive Producer: Yoshiki Okamoto Co-Producer: Chris Symes Original Music Composer: Marco Beltrami Original Music Composer: Marilyn Manson Art Direction: Jörg Baumgarten Set Decoration: Penny Crawford Hairstylist: Björn Rehbein Hairstylist: Friderike Roessler Hairstylist: Valeska Schitthelm Makeup Artist: Christina Smith Art Department Coordinator: Ingeborg Heinemann Assistant Art Director: Anete Conrad Animatronic and Prosthetic Effects: Pauline Fowler Animatronic and Prosthetic Effects: Martin Gaskell Supervising Art Director: Tony Reading Construction Coordinator: Ulf Sturhann Carpenter: Philipp Hübner Location Scout: Marion Gerhardt Production Illustrator: Ravi Bansal Sculptor: Colin Jackman First Assistant Camera: Adam Quinn Steadicam Operator: Jörg Widmer Still Photographer: Rolf Konow Prosthetic Supervisor: Barrie Gower Additional Music: Tom Holkenborg Choreographer: Warnar Van Eeden Driver: Susen Jarmuske Makeup Effects: Andy Garner Post Production Supervisor: Christine Jahn Production Office Assistant: Mirjam Weber Property Master: Danny Hunter Set Medic: Frank Guhn Special Effects Supervisor: Gerd Nefzer Stunt Coordinator: Volkhart Buff Stunts: René Bellmann Technical Supervisor: John Kurlander Unit Production Manager: Silvia Tollmann Unit Publicist: Francois Frey Visual Effects Editor: Paul Elman Script Supervisor: Caroline Sax Color Timer: Andreas Lautil First Assistant Editor: Franziska Schmidt-Kärner Best Boy Electric: Udo Kowalczyk Electrician: David Reppen Gaffer: Edgar Auell Production Accountant: Helga Ploiner Production Coordinator: Sammi Davis Visual Effects Coordinator: Muriel Gérard Researcher: Ian Frost Boom Operator: Alois Unger Music Supervisor: Liz Gallacher Sound Designer: Marco Raab Sound Editor: Frank Casaretto Sound Mixer: Roland Winke Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Michael Kranz Supervising Sound Editor: Stefan Busch 3D Supervisor: Phil Bignell Visual Effects Producer: Richard Yuricich Art Department Manager: Astrid Kühberger Software Engineer: John Charles Dolby Consultant: Norbert Zich Unit Manager: Esther Fischer Key Grip: Dieter Bähr Key Makeup Artist: Hasso von Hugo First Assistant Director: Jan Sebastian Ballhaus ADR Supervisor: Bjørn Ole Schroeder Draughtsman: Philip Elton Grip: Glenn König Animatronics Designer: Chris Coxon Second Assistant Director: Simon Emanuel Negative Cutter: Patricia Ferbeck ADR Voice Casting: Louis Elman Assistant Production Coordinator: Kerstin Biermann Casting Assistant: Natasha Ockrent Foley Editor: Noemi Hampel Costume Assistant: Claudia Maria Braun Costume Assistant: Elke Freitag Costume Assistant: Sparka Lee Hall Costume Assistant: Astrid Lafos Costume Assistant: Anette Tirler Negative Cutter: Renate Siegl Negative Cutter: Sandra Stier Animation: James Furlon...

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#amnesia #based on video game #biological weapon #Conspiracy #dystopia #flashback #hologram #mutant #quarantine #special forces #Top Rated Movies #undercover #Zombie

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third-king-of-salmonids · 20 days

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are we there yet boss

-Stinger 11027

SHUT UP CLARENCE OR I WILL EAT YOU

#ALSO I SHOULD HOPE SO CONSIDERING THE TIME #that said i immediately fell asleep after posting cocktus so i gotta go play big run nao >:3 #splatoon #splatoon 3 #salmon run #splatoon salmonid #king salmonid #splatoon salmon run #splatoon megalodontia #splatoon 3 salmon run #salmon: clarence

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theblackguywhotips · 1 year

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PG 370: Fire Cross! Fire Cross! Fire Cross!

Rod, Justin, and Karen discuss weddings, Canadian wildfires, Transformers movies, Karen gets a bonus, Rod’s tastes in hip hop, being on the Karen Hunter show, salmon BLT, making up food, Grand Knighthawk: Infiltrating the KKK, The Secrets of Hillsong, Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, The Gray Area – After Black Lives Matter, Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, Slow Burn Clarence…

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rcsodak · 1 year

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Clarence A Wells NW Haida Artist Signed Carved Maple Box w/3-D Gold Salmon.

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steven1123x · 21 days

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Behind The Scenes -Chapter 31: New Life and Career

November 1 2013