#social status young royals

[raincitygirl76]

Presumably Henry doesn’t snitch in 2.02 because he doesn’t want to alienate the Crown Prince. He assumes Wilhelm will be happy if his peers find out about his make out session with Felice. And he assumes he’ll piss Wilhelm off if his peers find out about the locker room conversation with Simon.

Yes, because heteronormativity is absolutely a thing. @helsteeth is SO right on the money. But also more specifically because Wille denied being in the video in 1.06. So Henry and everybody else drew the logical conclusion: he was ashamed of having been caught sneaking around with Simon.

Gossiping about Wilhelm and Felice makes Henry’s most influential classmate (and fellow Society member) look better. All the other boys want to get with Felice too. It will be a great “on the table” story for everyone. No reason to sneak around.

Gossiping about Wilhelm’s serious conversation with the male non-boarder he was foolish enough to hook up with last term would make Henry’s most influential classmate look worse. Nobody wants to hear about that.

And Wille would be so embarrassed if it got out he was trying to secretly convince his ill-judged same-sex hookup to start hooking up again. Obviously he wants to keep that kind of shit on the down low, and Henry will help him by being discreet.

Henry presumably thinks he’s doing the Crown Prince a favour on both occasions. He’s probably quite confused when Wille explodes at the “on the table” thing, and openly resents Henry for blabbing to everyone.

I suspect Wilhelm himself is the only one who can’t follow Henry’s logic. Remember at the start of 2.04, when he texts Felice reassuring her he doesn’t think Henry will snitch? That’s likely because Henry didn’t say a damn word the last time he walked in on Wille doing something gossip-worthy: the locker room convo with Simon. Wille fails to realize Henry was trying to protect his rep by not snitching in 2.02. And then trying to build up his (Wille’s) rep by snitching in 2.04.

Why does Henry snitch on this?

But not on this?

[imfoive]

⟢ my works are sfw unless stated otherwise. ⟢ interactions, feedback & likes/reblog are greatly appreciated! ⟢ next chapter, always linked at the bottom of previous* ⟢ all works somewhat proofread, notify me about any mistakes. ⟢ ask to be tagged! / removed ⊹ one-shot masterlist SERIES ──────────────────────────

⟢ Crystal Bird ── BANG CHAN ╱ on-going Genre: Royal au! Crown Prince! Chan, Angst, Romance, Historical, hidden identity, slow-burn Warnings: mentions of blood, war, death, cursing, more in chapters Synopsis: The Crown Prince is saved by the Princess of a rival kingdom, and he swears his second life to his savior. A forbidden friendship no one knew of, grows deeper with every secret meeting. As the two are kept apart, memories of their sunset playdates by the serene river, begin blossoming into something beautiful. Cheeks blushed, stomach butterflies fluttered at the thought of each other. Years of yearning and imagining had only made them crave a sweeter reunion. And finally meeting at a Royal banquet, he could only stare at the now grown Princess, taken by her beauty, while she only watches as he gives his heart to the wrong princess.

Prologue / Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9

⟢ The Youngest Son ── LEE MINHO ╱ complete Genre: non-idol au!, Suspense, Angst, Romance, Revenge, Mature Warnings: morally-gray Minho, mentions of drugs, cursing, death, suggestive, more in chapters Synopsis: The youngest son of the Lee family was stubborn, he was arrogant, he was conniving. Hiding it all behind the mask of a calm and collected man, the youngest son was a master at mind games. Playing a dangerous game where trust is a luxury and betrayal lurks around every corner. He had sworn once, to not let family ties or any feelings hold him back. Yet, against all odds, she had him completely wrapped around her fingers, and he had no desire to break free. [ a HSC story ]

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10

⟢ Trophy Husband ── HWANG HYUNJIN ╱ on-going Genre: Arranged Marriage au!, Marriage of Convenience-ish, Romance, Angst, Frenemies-to-Lovers, NSFW (mdni) Warnings: mentions of cursing, cheating, more in chapters Synopsis: Two individuals with polar opposite lifestyles are thrown into an arranged marriage for the benefit of both their families, or so they claim. One is a frivolous playboy, living off familial wealth, while the other is an overly controlling workaholic. Navigating their marriage with a business-like approach, their relationship is marked by a whirlwind of bickering, banter, and societal pressures. Amid misunderstandings, they uncover layers of unexpected qualities, eventually discovering a sweet love neither saw coming. [ a HSC story ]

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3

⟢ One and Only ── LEE FELIX ╱ coming soon Genre: Forbidden Love au! Childhood Friends-to-Lovers, Angst, Romance, Slightly NSFW (mdni) Warnings: tbd Synopsis: The young master had finally returned home from abroad, only to find himself inexplicably drawn to the daughter of the family’s servant, his once-childhood friend. As children they were oblivious to the weight of wealth, ranks, social status. As adults they were painfully aware of such divide. Still, they couldn’t help but let their gazes wander, their touches linger. A charged connection that neither could deny the existence of, one that may just dare to rewrite the rules. [ a HSC story ]

⟢ Updated: 11/13/24

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ DO NOT PLAGIARIZE, REPOST, REUPLOAD MY WORK. I ONLY POST ON TUMBLR; @IMFOIVE

[tofixtheshadows]

Hot take: Laios wouldn't actually mind an arranged marriage. Obviously "reluctant royal being pressured into marriage" is very fun for shipping purposes. But I have harlequin blood, so bear with me. Join me on this journey of character theorizing/shipping nonsense that makes it abundantly clear I have a Scrivener document I'm neglecting.

Laios was promised to someone from a young age. He and Falin both were; it's probably how their parents ended up together. They both broke it off by leaving their village, but it didn't seem to be a factor in Laios's own decision. And when Marcille, presumably, asks about his hypothetical love life (bicorn chapter), he not only brings it up readily, but actually seems kind of flattered? lmao

I love when smug Laios comes out. Underrated factor of Laios's personality for me is how much he enjoys being seen as cool. I think you'd expect Laios to be embarrassed or uneasy over this line of questioning, and the fact that he isn't is fun to me.

So when Yaad and his other old advisors bring up his need for a wife, Laios is ready to go along with it. Not necessarily thrilled by the prospect, but he was raised to think of marriage as a business arrangement you do because it's beneficial for your household/bloodline (as was often the case historically). He's already made the big step to claim a throne, and the idea of becoming village chief after his father seemed to have been vaguely in the back of his head all his life. Besides, if he has to do it anyway, I think he'd take comfort that there was a formalized process for an otherwise socially messy undertaking.

This dovetails neatly with my personal headcanon that Laios is gay but unaware of it. He comes from kind of a repressed culture- or at least I can imagine he does based on context clues- and has spent most of his life being ostracized in one way or another, feeling like he's on the outside of humanity. So he doesn't realize that his lack of attraction to women is unusual- he assumes that nobody really enjoys romance that much. It's not like his own parents married for love. It's just something people play up for stories, right?

It's all tangled up with his fraught desire for human connection and platonic companionship anyway. Meanwhile he's blithely unaware that the things he says about Toshiro are not normal bro things. Oh you'd totally marry Toshiro, Laios? Tell me more.

I see this in Marcille too. Firstly due to her unstable development, which has only recently allowed her to reach maturity (I headcanon her as somewhere between 20-22) and secondly due to her being a half-elf (infertile+a too-long lifespan), I think she has the expectation that she's simply not destined for love. The half-elf character she relates to in her favorite books says as much. So she, too, confuses a genuine lack of heterosexual attraction with the belief that this is just because of her half-elf status distancing her from it. Plus, she spent over a decade as a student/researcher in a nice little sheltered academic bubble, at an all-girls academy populated by adolescents. She's the most sheltered of all the characters: she's only spent the past year in the "real world", and she still focuses all her romantic attention on living vicariously through her favorite characters or her friends (except for Falin, conveniently!).

And Marcille would absolutely want to live vicariously through Laios and his future wife. She would not want him to go through a dispassionate formalized process: she wants her bestie to have a fairytale romance! What is the point of being a heroic king in a mythic castle if you can't even get a love story for the ages out of it?

This would result in a lot of Laios meeting with eligible bachelorettes at Marcille's urging, looking to Kabru for help the entire time and being grilled by Marcille afterwards about what he liked best about each girl. "She had nice, um, teeth?" They're both so close to getting it.

Kabru, meanwhile, is agitating for Yaad and the other advisors not lock the country into a hereditary monarchy, they have the chance to do something radical here, to break away from the systems that the elves and dwarves uphold. At the very least, let Laios marry for love, or formally adopt an heir and name them his successor if he wants, he's already sacrificed enough for the sake of Melini. Don't make him jump through these circus hoops for the chance of some trade agreements, we can get those without a royal marriage. And even if Laios was willing to go along with it, he does look at Kabru like he's his hero for sticking up for him.

The vague unhappiness Kabru feels at the idea of Laios being married off is easy for him to ignore. Kabru didn't actually get better at honoring or even recognizing his own wants just because he's moved past the dungeon. And Laios hasn't gotten the hint about his crush on Toshiro and is still 50/50 on saying casually shocking things, so when he remarks that he doesn't need a wife anyway when he has Kabru, he has no idea why that gets him the looks it does. After all, where he's from, men marry women to run their households, but Laios has castle staff for that, and Kabru is handling the rest?

That comment alone ticks one month off their collective gay awakening countdown.

Anyway. How many repressed gays in their twenties does it take to run a country?

Answer: Yaad can tell you.

[thezombieprostitute]

The sheriff likes how you always got a pie baking in your window. He likes that every time he sees you, you got your apron on. He likes that you smile and wave at his cruiser. He likes all the way you make him shift in his seat.

The only thing he doesn't like, is that you're not waiting at home for him.

Summary: Lee has regrets to deal with and decisions to make.

Warnings: Alcohol consumption, Depression, Thoughts of cheating, Unhappy marriage. Please let me know if I missed any!

Lee's made a lot of decisions in his life that he regrets. He'll swear up and down that he had only the best of intentions when he signed up for the police force. When he decided to become sheriff. But no one knows better than him how far his morals have fallen.

But not being your man was the biggest regret of his life.

To become sheriff, he needed financial and social support. The kind he could get from her family. He courted her, got on her father's good side, eventually marrying her. He honestly thought that's all love was, that that was the purpose of a marriage. Now he's got all the resources he needs to keep his position, barring his sister royally fucking things up for him.

But then he met you.

Him and his little family were making an appearance at the local auction to raise money for the church. People brought a bunch of homemade goods and foods. Sometimes it was simply pine cone crafts that really did look pretty. Other times it was Granny Russell's special chicken livers. Lee always thought only an idiot would turn down that specialty.

But then you showed up, with a stack of pies.

You were something to look at, Lee was sure no one could deny that. But you were also so sweet. He was certain your kindness, patience, couldn't be real. No one was that sweet all the time. You were too new to the town for him to really know well, but given how the people who did know you reacted, he could imagine you were worth knowing. He made sure to buy one of the pies you'd brought, intent to use it as an ice breaker. He'd figure out your angle, how you could play so nice.

But when he looked into your eyes, he was a goner.

He's never seen such beautiful, kind eyes. He swears they were sparkling. For the first time in his life, Lee was tongue-tied. His wife had to subtly elbow him in the ribs to stop his staring. He definitely got an earful that night before sleeping on the couch. The entire time you were talking to his wife, his kids, he felt at a loss. Like there was something more to life than status. His wife set him straight, though.

But he kept seeing you around town and the feelings kept coming back.

You were always busy with your baking. Always kind to everyone. Always waving at him and smiling. He feels in his bones that you should be his. That you could give him the actual warmth that storybooks about love had promised. Not the performative care that he and his wife did for each other. You'd genuinely enjoy spending time with him, with the kids. Not complaining about a "life wasted" like his wife.

But cheating or worse, a divorce, would kill his election odds.

Every day he can't be with you hurts him. He takes up drinking to try to ease his misery until his wife dumps all of his bottles, citing the upcoming election. The people aren't gonna vote for an angry drunk. Lee thanks her, honestly thanks her, and it catches her off guard. If he can't have you, he's gonna try to do better by his own wife. Maybe it'll help ease the pain of not having you and your natural sweetness in his life.

But then Hal Carter comes to town.

He's a tramp, everyone knows it. He's a drifter working in different towns as he tries getting to some friends of his further south. He claims to have a college degree but Lee doesn't want to believe it. Hal is young, strong and, according to all the old ladies at the church, very helpful. Everything Lee is not. Hal hasn't stopped showering you with attention, attention Lee knows you deserve.

But it should be Lee making you happy.

Holy wah, that got away from me! This was not supposed to go on so long!

Tagging: @alicedopey; @delicatebarness; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @ronearoundblindly

[raincitygirl76]

Reblogging both for OP @bluedalahorse ‘s post about Felice and the addition by @heliza24

YRS3 Fandom Writers Room Challenge: Round #1!

Let’s pretend we’re in the writer’s room for season 3 together.

This is not a predictions post. Nor is it fully a wish list, at least not in the conventional sense. In fact, I want to pause a moment move away from trying to predict what’s going to happen in season 3 exactly, and instead think about ways that it could be written. The wish fulfillment part is that you get to be the writer. You may have an idea you think Lisa herself is unlikely to include in the story, but you’ve thought of a way it would work well in the show. Or you have an idea you’re pretty sure is going to happen, but you have IDEAS about how it could play out onscreen and you want to explain those.

I thought we could spend the next few weeks considering a character or two at a time, and sharing out about what those characters’ arcs could be, if we were the writers. For now I’m planning to leave out Simon, Wilhelm, and August, just because I see a lot of thoughts going around about them already. I may reconsider later.

I will be using the tag “yrs3 fandom writers room” for these posts.

Ground Rules

Dream big, have fun, and share your ideas!

Try to stay in a writer’s mindset rather than an audience member’s mindset. We’re not trying to find secret messages in foreshadowing so much as using it to build a new part of the story that we are pretending we have control over.

Don’t feel like your thoughts have to be complete or perfect. We’re in the fandom writer’s room together, so you can leave some questions open and invite others to weigh in.

Comment on what you like about others’ ideas. If you want to build on someone’s idea, be collaborative rather than combative. Ask questions!

If one of your storyline ideas involves a character encountering or dealing with something triggering (as sometimes happens in the YR universe) please tag appropriately or give a heads up about what’s coming next.

If you’re not a fan of the character(s) of the week and your opinion is that they shouldn’t get any screentime in season 3 at all, this challenge may not be for you. Scroll on by and let other folks participate.

The first Character of the Week is… our wonderful fave Felice!

This Week’s Prompt: Imagine you’re on the writing team for season 3 and you’re deciding how Felice’s arc is going to play out this season. What do you want to do with her character arc? Where do you want her to start and end the season? How do your ideas build on what came before? How can her story interact with the stories of other characters on the show, and deepen the themes of Young Royals?

Think about your answer, and then reblog and respond. You can just write your ideas out, you can make a fun slide show, or you can write a drabble series or whatever, you can come up with a few songs you want played for Felice’s part of the storyline—it’s your choice how you want to respond.

I’m putting my response below the cut. Can’t wait to hear everyone else’s thoughts too!

My thoughts for Felice’s arc:

Heads up for discussions of bullying and conflict in friendship groups.

Sadly, I don’t have any cute graphics this week, or any fanworks. But I do have thoughts.

My writerly thoughts for season 3 are that Felice should be driven by a desire for true, authentic, passionate friendships.

I’ve been reflecting on how in season 2, Felice decides that she’s going to attend the school dance with her Manor House friends group, and prioritize platonic friendships over romantic relationships with boys. At the end of season 2, however, we can see that her friend group is in the middle of a schism. Fredrika and Stella are attacking Sara, and Maddie is nowhere to be found. While Felice is pretty angry at Sara herself, and I imagine she’ll spend the beginning of season 3 not really wanting to take her back as a friend, I wonder if it could perhaps haunt her afterward to see how quickly Fredrika and Stella turned on Sara without having the full story of what happened.

After Wilhelm’s speech, the school will be under scrutiny, and I imagine the general mood at Hillerska is going to grow even more tense. I also imagine this could make students act out more, and for Fredrika and Stella, this could mean power plays and using their gossip powers for evil. Maybe they’re continuing to spread rumors about Sara that have no basis in reality—but really they could be gossiping about anyone. Felice feels increasingly more uncomfortable with it and tries to get them to stop, but either Stella or Fredrika is subtly trying to usurp her role as the group’s “leader” and the group’s power dynamic is shifting. Perhaps by midseason they go as far as turning on her and kicking her out of the friend group entirely.

Felice lets some of this slip to her mother over the phone, and her mother makes an offhand remark about being bullied by her own friend group back when she was at Hillerska. Mamma Ehrencrona quickly tries to laugh off her remark like it’s no big deal, but Felice can sense her mother is bothered by these memories, and realizes that part of her mother’s meddling in her own life stems from unprocessed traumas.  Felice’s mother is a bullied person who became a bully. It doesn’t really lead to a full-on reconciliation between Felice and her mom—there’s not enough time for that in six episodes, and Mamma Ehrencrona probably doesn’t need that redemption arc—it’s more a revelation that makes Felice see some of her mother’s behavior in context.

Meanwhile, Wilhelm and Simon are publicly together now. Naturally they’re spending a lot of time with one another, meaning Felice can’t hang out with Wilhelm as much, and when she does hang out with them, she feels a bit like a third wheel. The choir’s spreading rumors about how Wilhelm “dumped” Felice for Simon, which adds another layer of awkwardness. Initially I thought, perhaps Felice is frustrated that she can’t get Wilhelm alone so she can open up to him about the struggles in her Manor House friend group, but I feel like that might repeat some season 2 dynamics with Wille being a dumbass who doesn’t take Felice’s feelings into account. So I wonder if instead she could be trying to actively avoid telling him about the conflicts in her friend group, so as not to disrupt Wilhelm’s newfound couple bliss with Simon. This could lead to a midseason moment between Wilhelm and Felice where Wilhelm finds out how Felice’s friends are treating her and he’s like, “dude that’s fucked up, and next time someone treats you that way, tell me and don’t keep it to yourself, because I’m your friend and I want to do what I can to make things okay for you.” 

Alternately, Simon could be the one who discovers Felice’s friend struggles and is there for her, and this leads to a deepening of their friendship. (Perhaps they can also bond as students of color in a predominantly white school—we’ve seen moments where both have experienced microagressions, but I don’t know if we’ve seen characters of color discuss something like that openly yet.)

If I were on the YR writing team, I would also use this as a springboard for Felice questioning if she might be aromantic asexual. Six episodes isn’t really enough for her to have an entire coming out journey, but perhaps she’s reading up on LGBTQIA+ issues throughout the season so she can be more of an ally to Wilhelm. Maybe we get one scene toward the end of the season where she comes across the terms aromantic and asexual and reads about how the aspec communities value friendship, and something about that clicks with her. She’s like, I think I might be one or both of these. I’m going to read more about it. This might be a slight retcon of Felice’s feelings toward Wille, but eh. This idea could also use some workshopping, too, since right now it’s feeling a little Heartstopper. Any ideas on how to make it more YR-flavored?

I do feel strongly, though, that if I were writing Felice and she wasn’t going to end up with a love interest in season 3, that I’d want it to be because she is aroace. There is a repeated trend in television of Black characters as the people who don’t get to be reciprocated love interests (Princess Weekes has a video about it and you should definitely check it out!) and if Felice remains alloallo, she becomes part of that trend, regardless of how well-written she is. On the other hand, there’s also not a lot of Black aspec rep in media right now, so Felice being aroace would at least kind of push back at that trend a little bit.

Overall, I’d like Felice to begin the season worried about her friendships, and ends the season in a place where she can be more confident and knows who a few of her real friends are.

One final thought: Now that Felice has given up riding, I’d like her to either devote herself to choir more fully, or try out a new hobby each episode. (For the latter idea, this doesn’t always need to be a series of in-depth scenes, but something we can see her doing in her scenes with other characters. Like in one scene she’s learning to knit as she chats with Wille and Simon, in another scene she’s doing food photography at lunch, etc.) If Felice gets more into choir, this can be something that deepens her bond with Simon. Maybe they get to do a duet!

Some questions I have for the other writers in the writers room are: I’m not sure how I want Felice and Sara to reconcile yet, but I know I want it to happen. Are there ways Sara’s arc can complement this one? I also want Fredrika and Stella’s arcs to end in a place where they aren’t total villains—I don’t want them to be flattened into basic mean girls, and I think ending them in a space where we understand them would be good. I think we can work out a solution but what do you think it should be? Also, any ways we can use Maddie? She’s always the wild card of that friend group.

Let’s hear your thoughts! Chat with me, fandom writer’s room. Let’s write a season of TV together.

[minniesmutt]

Hiii, I saw your post about the 1k event!!! CONGRATS btw 😱😱 could u do a prince Hyunjin/maid afab 🥹🥹 prompt 7!!

☾ ━━━ PAIRING: HYUNJIN X READER ☾ ━━━ PROMPT: 7 “I’m not jealous! it's just… you’re mine!” ☾ ━━━ CONTENT: PRINCE!HYUNJIN, MAID!GN!READER, JEALOUSY, POSSESSIVE SEX, THEY NEEDY, BRIEF MENTION OF FINGERING, MARKING, UNPROTECTED SEX, CREAMPIE, AFTERCARE ☾ ━━━ WC: 0.9K ☾ ━━━ 18+ work!! minors and ageless/blank blogs DNI! you will be blocked, put an indicator on your blog somewhere that you are 18+ before interacting with this work/blog

     “What are you doing?” Hyunjin asked as he stopped behind them

     “My job, your highness,” Y/n told him

     “You’re job is to attend to me. Not the guests.”

     “Your Highness, for the large parties I attend to everyone. You made that clear to me yourself.”

     Hyunjin huffed, they were right. He did say that. He watched as Y/n excused themself from his presence. Hyunjin huffed and looked around the room. It was another fancy royal party he was honestly not the biggest fan of. Especially with how his Y/n was being flirted with. He genuinely hated it. They had been one of his personal attendants since they had joined the castle but he never saw them as just a maid. 

     He knew full well that they couldn’t be together status-wise. But that didn’t stop the young prince from thinking about them all day and night, painting them, dragging them along with them to everything. This event was not his favorite thing. It was too many people now and he was socially drained for the night. 

     He watched them move around the room before disappearing into one of the servant’s tunnels. He made his way to the same tunnel. It was easy to slip away when all his guests were drunk. Y/n saw him immediately and looked at him questioningly.

     “You’re done working for the night,” Hyunjin stated

     “I most certainly am not. I’m not done till everyone leaves and the castle is clean,” Y/n argued

     “No, you’re done for the night,” Hyunjin said again

     “Does this have to do with you being jealous?”

     “I’m not jealous!” Hyunjin asserted. “It’s just… you’re mine!” 

     “You’re highness…”

     “No. No more of this status stuff…”

     “You’re drunk. Let me get you to your room.”

     It was easy for Y/n to lead him through the servant areas to his room. Far from the party. Y/n got him cleaned up and changed before making him get in bed.

     “Y/n,” Hyunjin caught their arm as they were pulling the sheets over him

     “You’ll feel better in the morning. Get some rest.”

     “I’m not drunk.”

     “Your—”

     “Why won’t you return my feelings?”

     Y/n sighed. “Please, tell me what I can do.” Hyunjin pleaded

     “There’s nothing you can do, Hyunjin. Even if I accepted you’re advances, the kingdom would have my head…”

     “I’d keep you safe. Nothing would ever happen to you.” Hyunjin sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Pulling them between his legs, “Please Y/n. Just let me prove myself?”

     “You don’t need to prove yourself,” Y/n gave in, grabbing his face and resting their forehead against his

     “Then be mine. Once I’m king, we’ll wed and you won’t have to worry. I promise,” Hyunjin held onto their hips.

     “Hyun…”

     “Stay with me tonight. I’ve already said you’re done working,” the prince smiled, leaning back and pulling them onto him as he went down

     “If the castle—”

     “No one is going to find out. I promise you that.”

     Y/n knew he was sincere, he never would go back on his words. Y/n gave in and pressed their lips to his. Hyunjin wrapped his arms around them and turned them over, now on top and caging them to the bed. Y/n moaned into his mouth as they wrapped their arms around him

     “May I?” Hyunjin asked as he played with the fabric of their clothes

     “Please.”

     Hyunjin didn’t waste another second stripping them of their uniform as quickly as he could while Y/n pulled off the clothing they had just helped him dress into. Everything happened quickly till it was just a pile on the ground and Hyunjin was spreading their legs open, long fingers pumping in and out of them. Prepping them as he kissed along their neck, claiming what was his. 

     “Hyunjin,” Y/n quietly moaned 

     “Don’t hide. I want the whole castle to know you’re mine. Only I can make you sound like this.”

     Hyunjin pulled his fingers out of them and brought them to his lips. Looking them in the eye, licking his fingers clean, and watched them get flustered. Y/n swallowed the lump in their throat as he lined himself up and gently pushed into them

     “Hyunjin,” Y/n moaned

     “I’ve got you,” the prince assured them before slowly rocking into them. Holding them as close as he could while peppering their body with kisses. Planting them anywhere he could reach till they pulled him to their lips. Using his mouth to drown out any noise that they were making. 

     Y/n wrapped their legs around his hips. Pulling him closer as his pace picked up. Hips meeting theirs in the otherwise silent room. 

     “Hyun,” Y/n whined

     “Close darling?”

     “Yes.”

     “Go ahead. Let me have it,” Hyunjin said. 

     Y/n couldn’t keep it in much longer. They moaned a little too loud for their taste as their orgasm hit. Arcing off the bed as they roomed through the euphoria of the high. Hyunjin fucked then through it before his own took over. Burying himself inside them and painting their insides.

     It took both of them some time to come back to reality. Both covered in sweat and catching their breaths. Hyunjin pecked their lips before standing straight and pulling out. Y/n whined as he slipped out of them. 

     Hyunjin walked to the bathroom before coming back and cleaning them up. “Let me—“

      “No,” Hyunjin stopped them from sitting up and taking over. He cleaned them up and tossed the fabric to the side. The prince tucked them into his sheets and laid down with them. 

     “Hyun…”

     “You’re staying with me tonight. No questions.”

     Hyunjin wrapped his arms around them and fell into slumber, dreaming of the day they could be together with the difference in status.

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[flusteredfools]

takin a small break from writing their final chapter to doodle them.. so far the chapter is over 9.5k words and maybe 3/4 of the scene I planned for it. I could end it where it is, but it doesn't feel as satisfying... so I'm trying to decide if it'll just be a super long chapter or if I should try to break it up again like I did for the last one. OTZ

so while I puzzle for that enjoy some doodles and rambles? XD (semi close ups and more character info under the cut!)

Cursed Royal Y/N for this fic I've been trying so very hard to keep neutral and not lean too far either way but I imagine them with wavy hair that goes a bit past their shoulders (long hair was a sign of status, specially if well kept) and I think they'd be pudgy from always being able to eat lots and eat well with minimal active lifestyle. Though while dressed they have to wear a corset to help show the "proper" shape expected from royals. But in the fic I try to not over describe anything so the reader can fill in their own blanks. Always aware of their position, (though they have no interest in the throne regardless of being last in line for it) they stay mindful of their words and actions; wanting to show kindness to all, human, animatronic, animals, creatures, etc. Every living thing deserves to be treated with kindness and fairness.

Royal Guards Moon & Sun (They won't stay nakey forever I just wanted to get an idea of how their bodies work/look-even though I'm sure this isn't at all accurate to real robotics sorry) Sun and Moon started off as small servant bots for a smaller noble family, they were treated poorly (abused and often broken) then sold off and put up for auction. No one wanted the beat up bots so they were left discarded in the slums. They managed to find ways to patch themselves up, learning how to survive and defend themselves and became mercenaries as a way to earn money to properly live and repair themselves. A war broke out and started to threaten the Royal Capital; wanting to help prevent as many casualties as possible, Sun and Moon offered up their abilities. While there was some hostility from the capital soldiers, but the youngest of the King's Children spoke up on their behalf, on all animatronics behalf, that anyone wanting to help save lives, wanting a chance to make a difference should be allowed it and always treated as equals despite what they're made of. The duo proved themselves time and time again, capturing the enemy's soldiers to gather more intel as well as helping defend the camps from ambushes. To honor their heroic deeds, they were officially Knighted and offered to join the Royal Army; they accepted the rise of their status and a more reliable lifestyle for themselves. Once the youngest royal became of age to start socializing out in public, the two knights volunteered to be their guards; having heard about how much the young royal tries to promote peace and equality.

[melodyanqel]

A Lot Like Love | ys

summary: a walk on the beach with confessions.

pairing: prince!yeosang x florist!female!reader

genre/tags: fluff, royalty, cute, mention of social class

wc: 500+ words

a/n: first sangie post! this is seriously so adorable that i was combusting >.<

Prince Kang Yeosang is the definition of beauty. 

His looks and demeanor are so unreal that the people of Aurora can’t compare to him. But Yeosang also gets misunderstood by many. He is viewed as a stoic, untouchable man who is too perfect for the world. However, Yeosang’s true colors are much the opposite. His calming and kind personality is bright like a flower. Most importantly, a true gentleman who fell in love with a civilian. 

You are the sun that delights him and the moonlight to clear his darkest hours.

After running the kingdom the entire day, Yeosang takes you on a beach stroll as the sunset welcomes them. 

The sunset blossoms upon the horizon as if a million scarlet blooms ignited.

Hand-in-hand, the young couple took steps on the sand, and the sounds of ocean waves rustling soothed their ears. Yeosang ditched his pristine clothes, made by luxury brands, and wore comfortable, casual ones. He turns his head to see the real beauty next to him. You sense his hard gaze and look up at his glimmering eyes.

“It’s rude to stare.” You playfully remarked. A deep chuckle escaped from his glossy lips. “It’s not bad when it’s someone that you love.” Yeosang countered. You become flustered and quickly break eye contact. You hate yet enjoy how he uses his sweet words.

Surprisingly, the beloved Prince Kang Yeosang wasn’t this daring before. He used to be shy, quiet, and socially awkward. Suddenly, he found seven other friends who were princes in their respective kingdoms. Not to mention, he also comes across you giving out flowers to children at your flower shop. 

Yeosang then lets go of your hand to embrace you from behind. His strong arms wrap around your waist and his chin is on your left shoulder. “I’m curious. Why did you agree to be with me?” He inquiered. A royal highness choosing someone from a lower class did raise a lot of eyebrows, and a bit of controversy. In the end, Yeosang defended the sun and moon of his life and confronted his parents that he found happiness, from a lovely florist. 

You responded to Yeosang’s question. “It sounds straightforward but I picked you because you’re the only one in my life. I never got intimidated by your status. I see you as a human being who is unbearably cute, handsome, funny, and caring.” You tell the truth to your lover. 

Yeosang listens carefully while his heart is pounding and his cheeks blooming red. “O-Oh, wow. Thank you. Very.” He shyly appreciates your everything. You heard his stutter and smiled. It’s adorable how Yeosang gets shy and it’s endearing. 

You craned your neck to the side and looked at him. Yeosang notices it and returns the smile. “I love you.” He spoke sincerely. You flash your teeth in a wide smile. “I love you too.” You surprise him with a peck on his rosy lips. Yeosang jolted and his face became red like a rose. 

[thatsmybook]

Cyberbullying in Heartstopper and Young Royals

In Heartstopper, the audience has sympathy for Charlie and Tara when they are verbally bullied or cyberbullied in the show. We understand the affect these things have on their wellbeing.

In Young Royals, Simon is verbally bullied and cyberbullied the whole show, escalating in season 3. Yet the audience has less sympathy for him and his wellbeing.

I think the reason is that we see Simon standing up for himself against the verbal bullying, so we think he can handle it. He is a strong person, so he should be able to handle it. He has a support system of a good mum and friends at home. However, when he uses this admired personality trait and stands up for himself against cyberbullying, the audience immediately decides that that's not appropriate.

The audience empathy for Simon's experience each episode of Season 3 declines even as the stress on him builds. Why? I think it's because in parallel, Wille's pressures increase. Many make the judgement call that Wille's pressures are more pressing than Simon's and that Wille is not strong enough to deal with them. He has no support. He needs Simon's and only Simon's support. (Even though he has good mental health support in Boris, who is a paid professional, understanding of his pressures through his work with Erik and could help him navigate his stress).

The audience sees Simon's stresses as minor and self-involved. Why is he affected by it? He doesn't give AF about stuff people say. Strong people can't be affected by daily relentless verbal and cyberbullying. Right?

We understand the enormity of these stresses in the Heartstopper environment. We understand why Charlie and Tara, as 15 and 16 year old kids are continuing to read comments and are affected by them. Simon is a 16 year old kid and his comments are coming from people in his town, his country even, not just his school. Is it because Charlie and Tara are not strong characters like Simon? I think they are strong. The point is, no one is strong enough for this onslaught.

Charlie and Tara both get real sympathy and support from their partners for what they are going through. Even as both Darcy and Nick are going through their own pressures. Wille is not able to do this for Simon, until Simon and his family are physically threatened. Support mostly goes one way in their relationship in Season 3.

For the audience, Simon's stress starts to become an obstacle to Wille being able to perform his role as Crown Prince and to relieve his sick mum. The audience is geared to Wille becoming the best CP he can be, and start to see Simon's 'selfish stressors' as an obstacle to that role.

Wille is also a victim of cyberbullying. Simon, in support of Wille, is concerned about that and is standing up for both of them in the comments and the perception of them as people and their relationship. When Wille tells Simon that this is how it always is, Simon is concerned with Wille resigning to that state of affairs. It's not acceptable in Simon's world view.

That, to me, is to be admired. I don't see it as naive, even as the boyfriend of a public person. All over the world, young people are challenging the status quo of the social contracts we have in society. "This is how it's always been" has been a refrain that we no longer accept. In Wille's Song, Simon sings to Wille and to the audience, "we do not have to follow the way of others and where it leads." Simon was the revolution for the show and the audience. When watching the show again with this perspective instead of Wille's goal to be the Crown Prince that his brother would have wanted him to be, empathy and balance are restored.

This is all a post to say: all bullying, specifically cyberbullying, is a very dangerous thing. It can not be minimised how damaging it is. People in every domain are greatly affected by it. No matter how strong or how old or how famous or how rich they are. Blaming the victims by saying they should ignore the onslaught, the defamation of character, all the isms innate in the bullying (every identity of Simon's is targeted: his race, his class, his nationality, his sexuality), is ridding the public of accountability when they post online about any person. It is saying that it is socially acceptable to bully online. Once one has a social media account, we are accepting the social contract that we will forever be open to this abuse. And that it is our fault if we can not manage it. (Like (in jest) shouting at Wille and Simon to close the curtains because they should always expect that someone is filming them having sex).

[scotianostra]

On January 14th 1872 Edinburgh’s world famous dog, Greyfriars Bobby died.

For many visitors to Edinburgh, a must-see is the statue of Greyfriar's Bobby on George IV Bridge and, although it's officially frowned upon, rubbing Bobby's nose for luck. The true story of Greyfriar's Bobby is so enchanting that even Walt Disney decided to make a movie about him.

Greyfriars Bobby was a Skye Terrier who became famous in the 19th century for his unwavering loyalty to his owner. In 1850 John Gray, his wife, Jess and their son John arrived in Edinburgh. John was a gardener but could not find employment in his new hometown, so he worked as a night watchman for the Edinburgh Police Force.

It was a lonely job, so to keep him company, he bought a wee Skye Terrier, who he called Bobby. Soon John and Bobby became inseparable through the long winter nights they maintained a watch over their charges.

Edinburgh's damp and murky weather eventually took its toll on John, who was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Despite treatment from the Police Surgeon, John died on 15th February 1858 and was buried in Greyfriar's Kirkyard.

Bobby, who had never been apart from John, refused to leave the cemetery and stayed by his owner's grave. Despite the efforts of the graveyard staff to evict Bobby, he always returned and eventually, they gave up and provided little Bobby with shelter beside John's Grave.

Word of Bobby's loyalty quickly spread, and he became a local sensation. It is said that crowds would gather outside the graveyard at one o'clock each day. When Edinburgh's famous one o'clock gun was fired, Bobby would leave the grave and join local joiner William Dow for a walk to a local coffee shop.

John and Bobby visited Traill’s Temperance Coffee House on their rounds, and Bobby was always given something to eat by the owner John  Traill. This tradition continued after John's passing, thanks to the generosity of the owner.

A new by-law was passed by the Edinburgh Council in 1867, making it mandatory that all dogs had a licence and a collar. The Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Sir William Chalmers, undertook to pay for Bobby's licence, and he received a collar with the inscription "Greyfriar's Bobby from the Lord Provost 1867 Licensed".

If you visit the Museum of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile, you can see Bobby's collar and drinking bowl. as seen in the pics, that I took in 2016/.

Bobby stayed by John's grave for 14 years until he passed in 1872. He was buried in the same cemetery, just a few feet away from his beloved owner.

Greyfriars Bobby's story is one of the most enduring tales of loyalty and devotion. It serves as a reminder of the special bond between humans and animals.

In 1981 a new headstone at Bobby's Grave was unveiled by the Duke of Gloucester. The inscription reads, "Greyfriars Bobby – Died 14 January 1872 – Aged 16 years – Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all".

The legend of Bobby touched the heart of Baroness Angelia Georgina Burdett-Coutts. She was the daughter of the banker Thomas Coutts (of Coutts Bank fame) and inherited £1.8 million on her grandfather's death, making her one of the wealthiest women in England.

Burdett-Coutts spent most of her wealth on philanthropic causes. She co-founded the Urania Cottage for "fallen young women" with Charles Dickens and became a social housing pioneer.

The Baroness got permission from Edinburgh Council to erect a statue of Bobby at the junction of Candlemakers Row and George IV Bridge, just outside Greyfriars Kirkyard. The artist William Brodie was commissioned to create the statue in 1872.

Since its unveiling, the statue of Bobby has become an important Edinburgh landmark.

[queenvhagar]

Can I get your personal thoughts and feelings about Criston Cole. I'm interested in hearing what you have to say about him.

My personal background is in sociology, so I'm really interested in social stratification and how different groups in society interact, as well as how intersectionality comes into play in societies. This comes into play for my media interests in that I find shows that explore sociopolitical issues to be most compelling to me personally. A side note is that I also studied medieval French society and concepts of chivalry and courtly love, so this also informs my perspective on how I view stories in medieval contexts.

Fire and Blood explores the history of the society in Westeros and tells stories of wide-scale societal conflict that impacts people of various social backgrounds. In this society, people are stratified by race, class, socioeconomic status, gender, ability, and more. When it comes to the adaptation House of the Dragon, one of my major gripes is that it's only interested in looking at one of these aspects of stratification, gender, and examining it on its own without regard to its intersection with race, class, socioeconomic status, ability, and other social markers that exist in this world. The show wants to explore sexism, but it does so in a vacuum without meaningfully and realistically taking into account how classism, racism, ableism, and other systems of power interact with and exist at the same time as sexism. The way the show handles the character of Criston Cole is a good example of how they fail to fully explore these aspects of world building.

Criston Cole is Dornish in a medieval, feudalist monarchy where Dornish people are looked down upon and discriminated against. He is lowborn in a society that values highborn people and royalty above all else. As he is not born to an important family, he lacks resources like money and land that could allow him social mobility. However, he does have skill at being a knight, a role highly mythologized, idealized, and romanticized in medieval contexts. Knights operate with honor and abide by a code of chivalry, and it is viewed as a noble and honest pursuit and means of living that any boy in that world could dream of embodying. It is Criston's skill with the blade and other knightly abilities that allows him to pursue this role and begin to rise in status and achieve upward mobility.

At the tourney for the heir that Viserys throws in anticipation for Aemma's birth of a son, Criston stands out due to his skill and due to him surpassing expectations of a Dornish lowborn man at a royal tourney. His performance and appearance lead him to be selected by the princess for Kingsguard, the highest position a knight could rise to in this society. Now, Criston finds himself as the highest of knights in service to the realm and particularly the royal family who rules it, the members of which who stand at the top of social hierarchies in this society: Valyrian race, royal blood, immense riches, power, and privileges available to them. And, of course, access to dragons, the ultimate weapons and safeguards of power in this world.

As Criston says himself, his position as Kingsguard is something he worked for his whole life and it's all he really has to his name and legacy, due to his birth and his family's position in this world. As a Kingsguard, at least early on, he takes his vows seriously and performs the job as he thinks an ideal knight would.

One night, the princess, the who promoted him to Kingsguard in the first place, reveals her attraction to him and pressures him to break his vow, and she does not accept multiple refusals as an answer. He implicitly cannot refuse her request, as she holds authority over him. Despite the fact that, yes, she is a young woman of 18 and he is a young man in his early twenties, it stands that she still holds an exceptionally higher amount of power than he does: she is a Targaryen, of the blood of Old Valyria, a dragon riding princess, daughter of the king, and heir to the throne that grants the best absolute power her father holds, while he is a knight from a lowborn family of Dornish background. In this instance, on a whim, the princess knowingly or unknowingly uses her power to take sex from him without considering what might happen to him as a result. The consequences of this event are potentially severe for him while relatively minimal for her. As it stands, if anyone found out, the consequence for him is to be slowly tortured to death. For the princess, if anyone found out, there is ultimately protection from the king. Criston would die an agonizing death, but at the very worst, she is disinherited, but only if her father wishes it (and she still retains her name and her dragon to help her survive in the world). Following this event, the princess tells him that she expects him to be fine with being used for sex whenever she wants, despite the severe risks to safety and well-being this poses to especially him.

Criston becomes disillusioned with the world he knew. He did everything he was supposed to do - endeavor to improve his position in the world through the righteous means of being a knight - yet now, everything he worked for is potentially crumbling before him. He tries to rationalize her decision to take advantage of him - maybe she truly loves him and that is why she would not accept his refusal? But the reality is that she views him as a plaything. His whole life of work to achieve upward mobility and make a name for himself in the world, and on account of his race, class background, and relative position of powerlessness, he is simply used and treated like an object by royalty. What purpose does he truly serve, if it is not to be a sworn knight abiding his vows and serving the realm and the royal family? Criston's grasp on his identity and purpose waver. When interviewed by the queen, he confesses his guilt and asks for a quick death. He accepts that his life may be over and that everything he suffered through in his life meant nothing. At the princess's wedding, he is threatened by someone he perceives as attempting to expose what happened, which would result in a torturous death. He snaps, killing the man to silence him. Having taken this life, resigned to death himself, he retreats to the weirwood to commit suicide. But it is there that the queen appears to stop him, and in Alicent, he finds a renewed sense of identity and purpose. In Alicent, he can relate to being thoughtlessly used by members of the royal family. In Alicent, he can believe once again in the idea of being a knight serving a queen who saved his life when it would have been easier for her not to. In Alicent, and in her children, Criston renews his identity in knighthood and his purpose in protecting the royal family. This time, though, these royals are not just using him without consideration and will not take him and his sacrifices for granted. Criston once again buys into the mythologizing of knighthood and royalty, which gives him identity and purpose in the world once more.

At this point, I'll address that many viewers and readers see his dislike of Rhaenyra as evidence of him being a uniquely misogynist man in this world where gender is heavily stratified. While sexism does exist at large in this society, there is only evidence of Criston disliking one single woman who used him and then discarded him at great risk and harm to him personally. In this regard, him hating Rhaenyra is logical given their past. He does not seem to be more exceptionally sexist than any other character in this story, yet fans focus in on him in particular for this. The "why" of it all likely has to do with the framing of the show: the writers emphasize the perspective of the royals and those with the most power in this world, and from their perspective, anyone in proximity to these royals should be grateful for it, despite anything that happens, because they are the sympathetic main characters. This is especially true for someone like Criston who apparently should be happy that despite his low birth and inferior (in this world) racial identity, the princess still offered to have sex with him and this is the best thing he could hope to ever achieve in his life. Once again, the show hyper focuses on sexism in Westeros but does not explore other systems of power that exist in the world and/or their relations to one another and the result is a skewed view of how the world really functions and who actual holds power relative to who. This, combined with the shows insertion of certain 21st century politics into aspects of the show when realistically no such things existed in historical or fictional medieval feudalist monarchies, results in fans insisting Criston is an incel, showing fundamental misunderstanding of the world of Westeros and also apparently the term incel itself, as Criston is tied for the character with the most sex scenes so far at 3 separate scenes so clearly he is not involuntarily celibate.

Post time skip, decades pass and Criston continues to fulfill his roles as knight and protector of the royal family until finally the day comes when the king dies. Then, he works with the Green Council to take action to protect his faction of the royal family from the perceived threat of the other and becomes "Kingmaker" by personally crowning Aegon. Following the murder of Jaehaerys by Daemon and Rhaenyra in retaliation for the death of Lucerys, he advocates for stronger, strategic military action in the then inevitable war while Otto Hightower insists on sending more ravens. This results in Aegon making him Hand of the King instead. His plan with Aegon and Aemond to trap one of the Black's dragons allows the Greens to take Meleys out, but it also allows for Aegon to become injured and bedridden, necessitating that Aemond take over in his stead as Prince Regent and Protector of the Realm.

As for season 2 additions and changes from the source material, I always saw Criston's relationship with Alicent as one of courtly love, and so far in the show the motivations of each character regarding a sexual relationship have been confusing at best. How did it even start? When? What does it mean for their long term relationship and how it's grown? How does it impact each participant's view on the world and knighthood and royalty and honor and loyalty? The show seems to not care to explore any of this beyond trying to paint the two in a bad light. I could maybe buy a sexual relationship if it was well-developed, but there was basically no set up or narrative reason for its addition beyond making the characters look worse and deflecting blame from Blood and Cheese onto them. In the case of a developed romance or sexual relationship, I would say that Criston's relationship with Alicent has grown for over a decade into one of loyalty and trust, and a physical relationship might come from that once the king died, although some amount of moral conflict would likely still occur for each character.

As for the plan at Rook's Rest, it doesn't make much sense for Aegon to be left out of the loop, just as it doesn't make sense for Aemond to willingly sabotage his own side of the war by taking out Aegon and his dragon, especially over something like bullying when the stakes are so much higher than that at this point. If anything, the animosity between the brothers should be about how Aemond's actions indirectly lead to the death of Aegon's son (if the writers allowed Blood and Cheese to have any major impact on the story, but their goals are instead to minimize Team Black's involvement and lessen Team Green's reaction to it, so it remains obscured and in the background).

In general, I might be interested in the writers potentially wanting to explore in season 2 Criston's relationship with his vows and honor and even showing some hypocrisy while highlighting the conflict between his righteous ideals and less than righteous means of accomplishing his goals. However, it's clear that their intent with Criston and Team Green is to point fingers and label them as dysfunctional, morally reprehensible villains in contrast to a righteous Team Black and that's all they're interested in. There is no meaningful exploration of character or growth to be expected from Criston Cole. Unfortunately fan vitriol will continue to focus on Criston above other members of Team Green for the reasons listed above, and the writing will likely only continue to add to that.

[loversatthegreatdivide]

Heavy Lies the Heart - Chapter 7

Masterlist // Continue Reading

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x F!OC Word Count: 3k Tropes: mutual pining, fluff, angst with a happy ending, royalty Warnings: death Summary: When two second-borns looking for direction meet by chance, can they find purpose in each other? Or will circumstance keep them apart? A/N: Once again, I would just like to say thank you all for your continued support! This fic doesn't get many comments, but I truly appreciate the ones I do get (and I am terribly sorry I still can't reply to comments! I do see them I swear; it's tumblr's fault I don't answer! Sending asks is the only sure way I can respond at the moment.) At any rate, this is one of those shows were I have a difficult time gauging exactly how much time is passing from shot to shot, so I'm guesstimating on some of the timelines here.

After the arrival of the latest Lady Whistledown, gossip and whispers were abound. And while the public openly discussed the events of the evening with shock and delight, those involved chose instead to keep their conversations to themselves. The Bridgertons, the Featheringtons, and even the royal family had all featured heavily in the gossiper's latest edition, and all chose to keep any discussion of the matters with which they were involved amongst themselves.

Days passed, and soon talk shifted from what had happened that night, to where it would lead. And while speculation over the relationship of Princess Beatrice and Mister Benedict Bridgerton featured heavily in ladies teatimes throughout the ton, it was not the only topic of interest.

Miss Penelope Featherington had, rather understandably, avoided being seen out in society since her scheme with Colin Bridgerton had been revealed. Her scandal was hardy enough to warrant continued gossip in many a drawing room in the many days that followed. That is of course, between talk of the multiple Bridgerton children; whose actions and influence were, once again, the talk of the season.

Colin Bridgerton had quickly become one of the most desirable matches of the season. And while he had played a key role in the scandal involving Miss Featherington, his reputation remained wholly unaffected. So while the young ladies of the ton giggled and gossiped amongst themselves over Penelope's misstep, they could not help adding how desirable they found Mister Colin Bridgerton.

Then there was Francesca Bridgerton. While the news had been somewhat undercut by the actions of her elder brother, her choice as the season's diamond--or sparkler, as the queen choice to name her--was hardly something to overlook. Having the queen's favor made her an extremely desirable match, and the fact that her brother was now rumored to be attached to royalty certainly didn't quell any interest. She had already received quite a few callers in the days following the ball, but there were rumors the queen herself had already begun searching for Miss Francesca's perfect match. An interesting development indeed, given what the royal household must currently be going through.

Which leads to Benedict Bridgerton: A known rack and former aspiring artist who had seemed, up until very recently, completely dismissive of the ideas surrounding marriage and social statues. Yet he now stood as the only known candidate for the hand of a princess.

It was quite the narrative, and people could hardly get enough. Whistledown's veiled accusation and support ad only enhanced interest more, until it soon became difficult to tell fact from fiction.

It was a narrative of romance and intrigue, taking on as many versions as could be dreamt up by the ladies of the ton. It was the story of a commoner and a princess, fighting against all odds for true love. Or perhaps it was of an artist finding his muse, and the woman who finally changed his mind--and his heart. It was a beautiful tale of love at first sight, or perhaps a more scandalous image of moonlit meetings and stolen kisses.

The many speculations were retold and discussed over and over, each growing grander and more fanciful than the last.

But what was the truth? And where would it lead?

Many believed it would end tragically, while others hoped for a fairy tale romance with the happiest of endings.

So when it was discovered a footman had made a show of arriving at Bridgerton House bearing a royal invitation, people were shocked and delighted. However, this delight would soon turn to confusion when it was revealed that the invitation was not for Mister Benedict Bridgerton, but instead his mother and sisters.

No one was quite sure what to make of it, least of all Benedict himself.

---

Beatrice stared out the window at the sprawling gardens of Buckingham House, the tea in her hands all but forgotten as she lost herself in her thoughts once more.

A bored groan brought her back to reality, and she looked over to see her sister looking at her with a raised brow.

"Sister, how can you be so dull even when there is finally so much excitement in your life?" Charlotte asked.

"Sorry to disappoint sister, but I can be nothing but myself," Beatrice replied, taking a sip of her tea at last. She grimaced; it had gone cold.

"Clearly," Charlotte noted, "Then again, the Bee I knew would have never stood up to father the way you did."

Beatrice looked down, "I...never had reason to before."

"Yes, you have always been such a dormouse," Charlotte smiled, "Yet perhaps love has changed you--it has a way of doing so. I have experienced as much myself."

"A small change perhaps, but yes. I suppose your temperament has improved somewhat since you married," Beatrice joked, a small smirk lining her face.

Charlotte laughed, "Oh? Then I suppose I can return the sentiment: I like you far more this way, even if you are still a bore."

Beatrice smiled at her elder sister. The two had never been particularly close, but there was a fondness shared between them that was often shown through their playful ribbing. They were very different people, but sisters all the same, and while they would likely never be as close as a family like the Bridgertons, it was enough.

Charlotte looked her younger sister over, a more thoughtful expression present on her lovely face, "You are really quite taken with the man, aren't you?"

"I am," Beatrice replied, "He is...truly wonderful."

"Well then, I am happy for you. It's far past time you stood up and took what you wanted for a change."

Beatrice frowned, "But Lottie, what if father refuses to allow us to be together? He is so against the idea--"

"Oh hush now," Charlotte waved her hand dismissively as she spoke, "Father may have the final say officially, but you know it is grandmama who will ultimately make the choice. Father my be a tyrant with us, but you've seen how pathetic he becomes around her. He will inevitably do as she wishes, he just has to make a show of it first so it appears that he actually considered going against her. And, seeing as you've already managed to secure her favor, I don't see any need for worry."

"It easy to say so, but I find I cannot help but worry about it regardless," Beatrice said, a gloomy look on her face.

"It will all be fine. You two will have a frightfully dull wedding, you will have many dull children, and the rest of your life will lack any hint of excitement as you spend it with what I can only assume is an equally dull man...and you will be happy,"

Beatrice smiled, "Yes, dull indeed--as opposed to you, whose life will all be so incredibly exciting."

"Well of course," Charlotte replied with an air of playful smugness, "It is alright dear sister--we cannot all be so blessed."

The two sisters continued on in this way for some time, and Beatrice found her worries had lessened somewhat by the end of their visit. She was not sure if her sister was correct in her assumptions about the inevitability of their father's answer, but she said them with such confidence it was difficult not to believe her.

---

Benedict groaned as he paced around the room, hands on his hips as he walked in circles. Violet held a gilded envelope in her hand as she watched him.

"You should calm yourself dear, worrying will hardly help matters," she suggested.

"How can I not worry? What am I to make of...that?" he replied, gesturing to the letter in his mother's hand.

Violet sighed, "It should not trouble you so. As you may recall, the princess had already inquired about a possible invitation to tea."

"Yes, but that was before all the ton became aware of our acquaintance--should I not have heard something by now?"

"I would hardly call it an acquaintance," Eloise muttered behind her book.

Benedict shot her an annoyed glance, "All I am saying, is why is it you have received an invitation to tea when I have received nothing? Should I not have received some sort of correspondence from someone? Is that not a bad sign?"

Violet stood, putting hands on her son's shoulder comfortingly, "It is not a bad sign; if anything it is good news."

"How could this possibly be good news?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"Well," she began, "if the crown were not at least considering their options, then surely you would have been informed right away. That they are taking their time means there is a chance they will approve of your relationship."

"Or they believe the notion so ridiculous they would hardly waste their time discussing it, thus removing any need to tell me anything at all. Perhaps their silence is their way of saying I am not even worth consideration," Benedict countered, looking gloomy.

"If that were the case, would they have allowed her highness to invite us at all? If they wanted to dispel any rumors of a courtship between the two of you, why invite your family to Buckingham House? This will certainly look to the public as a show of approval," Violet replied.

Benedict sighed, "Perhaps you are right mother. It is only the not knowing one way or the other is driving me mad!" He flung himself onto the settee dramatically. Eloise rolled her eyes at the gesture, but said nothing.

"I'm sure the girls and I will gain some insight when we see the princess tomorrow," his mother assured him. He frowned, but said not more.

---

The opulent gold carriage slowed to a stop as it arrived in front of Buckingham House, it's four passengers stepping out one by one as they took in the view. Violet Bridgerton reached out and took Francesca's arm in hers.

"Oh, isn't it marvelous?" she commented as she stared up at the impressive structure.

"It is certainly...overwhelming," Francesca replied with a nervous smile.

"Come now dears, we mustn't keep her royal highness waiting," Violet urged, making her way up the stairs with Francesca. Eloise and Kate following behind.

"You have not met the princess yet, have you Kate?" Eloise asked as they walked.

"I have not had the pleasure, no," Kate replied, "Is she truly as wonderful as Benedict claims she is?"

Eloise shrugged, "I suppose. She seemed nice enough when we spoke, but it is hard to say. She is royalty after all--they have to behave themselves, do they not?"

"From what I have heard, her father hardly conducts himself with such consideration," Kate observed.

"Well he is a man: Men can do whatever they please without fear of the consequences."

"Too true," Kate smiled as she and Eloise stepped through the doors of Buckingham House.

Beatrice stood just inside, watching as they entered. She grinned, eager to welcome them all.

"Dowager Viscountess, Viscountess Bridgerton, Miss Bridgerton, Miss Bridgerton," she greeted them formally as they lined up and curtsied before her.

"Your royal highness, thank you for the invitation," Violet said, smiling kindly at the princess.

"I was quite eager to have you all, so thank you for accepting," Beatrice replied, turning to Kate next, "And Viscountess, it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. Lady Danbury has told me so much about you."

"Oh dear; only good things, I hope?" Kate asked.

Beatrice laughed, "Yes of course! And I have found Lady Danbury says nothing she does not mean, so it must all be true."

Kate smiled back at the princess.

"Now shall we then? We will certainly be more comfortable speaking in the drawing room," Beatrice suggested as she turned, leading them down the many winding halls of Buckingham House.

They arrived at their destination, taking seats around a table laid with tea and biscuits. Beatrice sat so she was facing her guests, smiling at them as a servant poured their tea.

"I must confess I am rather nervous," she admitted, "I have never hosted tea before."

"You're nervous?" Eloise repeated without thinking, "You're not sitting across from royalty."

"Eloise!" her mother hissed.

Beatrice laughed, "It's alright. She does have a point," she turned to Eloise, "I get nervous quite a lot actually; I am not so bold as some of the other members of my family. Though, it would help ease my nerves somewhat if you continued speaking freely with me. I feel less of a need to perform when the situation feels more informal."

"Oh, well I," Eloise didn't seem to know quite how to respond.

"I believe what Eloise means to say is that we certainly do not wish to make you nervous. However, it would be...improper for us to address you so casually," Kate said eloquently.

"Ah, of course," Beatrice replied. She raised a hand, and with a wave dismissed the servants standing silently against the back wall. Without a word they filed out of the room, leaving the ladies alone, "There--now there is no one to witness any lapse in decorum."

"Your royal highness," Violet began hesitantly.

"Please, call me Beatrice."

"Oh, I...I'm not sure I can do that," Violet replied honestly.

"Won't you please? And then I shall call you by your names as well," Beatrice insisted, "My social circle is...quite small at the moment. I would so like for us to be friends."

The Bridgertons were silent, their social training at odds with their desire to adhere to her wishes.

"Well, if you insist," Eloise said with a shrug. Her family looked at her with surprise, but with one of them in agreement, it seemed easier for the rest to follow suite.

"Lovely!" Beatrice replied happily, "Now, perhaps we should drink our tea--I would hate for it to go cold."

The ladies secured a cup of tea, each taking small sips as they looked at one another. A silence fell over the room as they waited for someone to say something. The Bridgertons had expected Beatrice to go on, but she seemed unsure of what she should say.

"Oh enough!" Eloise finally spoke, sitting her tea aside rather forcefully, "Will you be telling us about what is going on with Benedict or not?" Everyone looked at her in stunned silence. Quickly realizing she had all but yelled at a princess, she softly add, "If you are so inclined....Beatrice."

Her mother moved to scold her once again, but Beatrice spoke before she could begin.

"Ah yes...I suppose you all must be quite curious," Beatrice fidgeted in her seat, "How much has Benedict told you exactly?"

"Everything," Eloise answered bluntly.

"I see...so you are aware we are more acquainted than we may have let on?"

"Indeed," Kate replied.

Beatrice sighed, "Then there is little else I can tell you. For my part, I can say the matter has been discussed with her majesty and my father, but he has not yet made his decision. I expect we shall hear soon enough, but I truly do not know what his answer will be."

"I see," Violet said, a hint of disappointment in her voice, "We had hoped for better news, though I suppose it is not nothing. That the matter is being considered at all is something with which to be thankful."

"My sister believes it will all work out, since grandmama has made her stance known to my father. He is...not known for defying my grandmother's wishes. Father is quite adamantly against the relationship, but with my grandmother's support it will be far more difficult for him to disallow it."

"Her majesty supports you?" Violet asked in surprise.

"Yes, though I'm not sure what motives she may have for doing so."

"Well whatever her reasons, if you have the queen's blessing then surely there is nothing to worry about," Kate reassured her.

Beatrice smiled, "Yes, I truly hope so."

---

The rest of the afternoon was spend speaking about less serious subjects. Beatrice found it became easier to relax as the time passed. The Bridgertons clearly felt the same, each of them losing a layer of the rigidity they had started with. Francesca even joined the conversation once the topic shifted to music.

Beatrice showed them the music room as promised, though there was little time left for playing. She promised Francesca another invitation soon, and gifted her some sheet music as an apology. They also made a quick stop in the library, where Eloise found more than a few books that caught her eye. Beatrice would have allowed her to take them all, but the stack was quite high in the end. instead, Eloise chose only two, and agreed to another invitation so she may trade them out for more.

As the Bridgertons made their way to the foyer, Violet rather discreetly handed Beatrice an envelope containing a letter. Beatrice seemed surprised, before smiling shyly and presenting her own hidden letter in return.

Farewells were exchanged, and soon the Bridgertons were on their way home. Beatrice watched them from the window, her thumb rubbing against the soft paper in her hand. She had enjoyed her time with them immensely, but it had only made her miss Benedict more.

She desperately hoped she would see him again soon.

----------

Tags: @empressnatsume @sarahskywalker-amidala @may-and-lay @asterizee @g4ns3y @bubblegumcat229 @mhmoony @mmmunson @iamcailin08

[inky-duchess]

Hello!

What kind of social status would a child need to be a suitable companion for a princess? Would the child of a court artist or musician be considered ‘suitable’ if they’re intended to take their parent’s place once the princess ascends to the throne?

Alternatively, would it make sense for a young princess to befriend the children of higher-up servants (eg her mother’s lady-in-waiting’s daughter)?

I need someone who would be able to be close to the princess but wouldn’t be super recognisable to those outside the castle and foreigners, or someone who a princess might trust to carry an important message across international borders and such. Preferably, they would be the same person.

The princess is roughly seventeen and is slated to inherit the throne when she turns 21 as the only living child of the previous ruler, however due to international tensions and an ongoing war, her regent is attempting to prevent her coronation to supposedly stop a shift in power, so the princess is trying to get international support to validate her rule.

A royal child could certainly make friends with the children of artists and musicians but they would be encouraged to find friends amongst the children of courtiers.

Well you see ladies in waiting weren't "servants", they were noble companions to a royal lady and their children, if they were at court, would likely be friends with the royal children even sharing lessons with them.

The daughter of a lady in waiting wouldn't always be recognisable to noblity, commons and foreigners.

Might I add my 2 cents? You could consider making the lady an ally of the Regent, which gives her daughter reason to be always around the princess and creates some conflict within the story. Just a thought x

Also if this Princess's parents/predessor are dead, she is Queen not princess - even under the age of 21.

[whencyclopedia]

How to Become a Medieval Knight

In medieval society a knight enjoyed a position of high status and often wealth, they were feared on the battlefield and known for their chivalry off it, but it took a long time and a lot of training to get there. Trained in weapons handling and horse-riding from childhood, a young man could be made a knight by the local lord he served, through exceptional bravery on the battlefield, and, at least in later times when European monarchs desperately needed funds and men of skill for their armies, the position could even be bought. In any case, a knight underwent an elaborate initiation ceremony, after which they were expected to uphold the chivalric traditions of their rank and courageously face the best-equipped and most heavily armed opponents in battle, the knights of the enemy's army.

Although there was no fixed system, age ranges varied, and some youths never qualified for the next stage, the general steps to become a medieval knight were as follows:

Page - from age 7-10 to 13, become familiar with horses, hunting and the use of mock weapons by serving a local knight, baron, or royal court.

Squire - from age 14 to 18-21, assist a full-knight, learn to use the weapons and armour of war, and improve one's general education, especially the code of chivalry.

Dubbing - When aged 18-21, the ceremony of being made a knight performed by another knight.

Service - Act as a guard for a baron and his castle, fight in wars for one's sovereign and the Church, and perform in medieval tournaments.

Training 1 - Being a Page

Most knights were probably sons of knights, but there are records of the sons of a burgess or freeman being put forward for the necessary training, as well as wealthy merchants and government officials as those classes grew in the later Middle Ages. An ordinary soldier might also be made a knight for courage on the battlefield. As warfare grew ever bigger in scale and barons increasingly preferred to send knights to do service in their place, the social background of a knight became less important during wars when a sovereign needed all the armed men they could get. Generally, though, by the 13th century CE, the idea of noble lineage and preserving knighthood as a mark of a class with restricted access had taken hold across Europe. There were exceptions, notably in France and Germany and on a case by case basis, but in the main, only the son of a knight could become one.

A knight had to be accomplished in riding a horse while carrying a shield and lance, so he needed to practise guiding his steed using only the knees and feet. He must be capable of using a long and heavy sword for a sustained period of fighting and fit enough to move around with speed while wearing heavy metal armour. A proficiency with additional weapons such as a dagger, battleaxe, mace, bow, and crossbow might come in handy, too. Accordingly, a young boy earmarked by his parents or sponsor to one day become a knight had to start training young, typically as a page from the age of 10 (or even 7 in some cases), with mock weapons and basic riding skills. A young noble was likely sent to the royal court for such training while a youth from a more modest aristocratic family would be enrolled at the local castle or that of a relative to train with the knights and men-at-arms stationed there. There they would, along with other pages, serve at table, act as stable hands, perform menial tasks, and begin the education that was to continue in earnest as a teenager.

Continue reading...

[thepastisalreadywritten]

By India McTaggart and Tracey Kandohla

21 April 2024

The first statue of Queen Elizabeth II since her death has been unveiled to the approving barks of nearly 50 corgis.

The permanent memorial to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch – complete with her own immortalised dogs – has been hailed as a fitting tribute for the “mother of our nation.”

The eye-catching 7ft bronze statue went on display on what would have been the late monarch’s 98th birthday, with a group of her favourite dogs stealing the show.

It takes pride of place outside the library in the market town of Oakham, in Rutland, Britain’s smallest county.

It depicts a youthful Queen Elizabeth – who stood at just 5ft 4in – standing at 7ft in regal robes with three loyal corgi companions at her feet, one peeking out from the creases.

It serves as a permanent reminder of her 70-year reign and her enduring affection for the Pembroke Welsh breed.

Sculptor Hywel Pratley believes the memorial will become a hit not only with royal fans, but that it will attract social media users wanting a selfie beside the late monarch and her dogs.

Speaking before the unveiling in front of a 400-person crowd and with a host of local dignitaries attending, he said:

“The plinth is designed to be sat on and I can see the statue becoming popular with the Instagram generation, and why not?

It will make a perfect backdrop for pictures and people will be able to reach up and pat a dog or if small enough even sit in its back.”

Mr Pratley, 51, who is half Welsh and lives in Chelmsford, Essex, told how he chose to add the corgis for a “bit of fun and to tap into the late Queen’s humanity and address her friendliness.”

He explained he made the statue larger than life because a “life-size Queen Elizabeth is too small. She deserves more.”

The £125,000 statue was commissioned by Dr Sarah Furness, the Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland, following the Queen’s death in September 2022.

Addressing the crowds in the spring sunshine, she said:

“We are witnessing a piece of history today with the first statue of Queen Elizabeth to be commissioned since her death and who gave us 70 years of exemplary service.

Rutland may be a small county, but the response to this had been huge with contributions from local businesses and individuals of varying sizes.”

As she spoke, barks from 46 dogs from the Welsh Corgi League rang out, and she said, smiling: “You can hear them!”

She added: “The statue is for everyone.”

Before his cancer battle had been known and made public, King Charles III had been invited to unveil the statue.

It is not known if Palace officials had agreed to the request.

Instead, the honour fell to Alicia Kearns, the Tory MP for Rutland and Melton, before being blessed by Debbie Sellins, the Bishop of Peterborough.

One resident, Hilda Townsend, said: “It is just wonderful. We are the tiniest county, but the first to honour the late majesty in such a big way. It is a very fitting tribute.”

Her husband, John, added: “It is absolutely amazing and, as Rutlanders, makes us extremely proud.”

The unveiling of two of the three bronze corgis was given to two young children who had won a local school art competition.

In an emotional speech, Ms Kearns, 31, said:

“It is an incredible statue of our beloved Queen, who showed unwavering commitment.

We hope we can reflect on her legacy of compassion, strength and leadership. The statue was no mean feat and is for all of Rutland and all of our country, and to come together in joy. Rutland leads and others will follow.”

The MP revealed that the King would be visiting the statue.

Crowds of local residents mingled with visitors from further afield, some waving Union flags, with children sporting gold paper crowns on their heads.

She told spectators: “I am proud to play my very small part in helping to celebrate her reign,” pointing to the statue and saying: “She belongs to all of you.”

Following the unveiling, a lone bagpiper played a lament to the late Queen and the National Anthem was played, with crowds joining in.

Dozens of corgis, some wearing red, white and blue, then posed beside the new monument with their owners and officials before parading along the packed streets to Oakham Castle for a meet-and-greet session with the public.

Among the corgi owners was Katrina Emptage from Lincoln, with her two-year-old pet, Mable.

She said: “The statue is absolutely amazing and I’m delighted to be here to see it and be part of the corgi parade. It is very special.”

The late Queen held a life-long, deep affection for the breed after she fell in love with the dogs as a child.

She owned more than 30 over the years, many of which were direct descendants of the first, Susan, which was given to her as an 18th birthday present by her parents in 1944.

Speaking of his inspiration, Mr Pratley said:

“I very quickly thought that I would like to have a corgi nestling in her robes by her feet because what a great symbol it is, artistically, of her being mother of a nation.”

[delicatelystrangepolice]

I never thought that Simon's beliefs and Wille’s status were in that much contrast. At the very core of it, they weren’t that different. Both loyal to their families, both caring about people around them, both stubborn to have their positions taken into consideration.  

 I always thought they were a perfect conflict, but also not a forever conflict.

In the bigger picture, I always imagined them to be a perfect match, in fact. Two people coming from different backgrounds, learning different perspectives on life? Simon with his down to earth beliefs and Wille showing him that – um, yes, in fact, a prince can fall in love with you because you are not afraid to speak them?

Maybe I’m too romantic or hold too many socialistic beliefs myself, but I always imagined them this perfect thing to bring real change to the world. If they were in this together and if they both expanded their worldview (which is the point of meeting different people, to learn, to understand that whatever you hold as a belief may not be true to the entire universe)

People like to say that Simon would never be happy in the Royal Family, the way Wille was designed to live his life. I get it. To me personally, living in the public eye seems like a fucking nightmare. But I never saw Simon like someone who wouldn’t change his mind about that. He was young, bold, passionate and ambitious – why exactly having a Crown Prince as his partner would be such a nightmare? Yeah, he would have to compromise and he wouldn’t be able to express himself messily on social media, any way he liked. That’s… not a hill to die on, I don’t think. People have to compromise all the time. We all need to think and be considerate about things we say to people, how we express ourselves – and online space is especially relevant today. I think teenagers today understand that even better than the older generations.

In s3 there was an attempt to show that Simon was very politically opinionated. I think having a partner with a platform (as prestigious as the Crown Prince’s) would only be a better, more influential way to express those opinions in the future. I think that would be the perfect extension of Simon’s journey.

I understand that the creators chose a different route and wanted to show… what exactly? That teenagers are stressed when you put pressure on them? Do you really need 3 years and 18 episodes to say that? I don’t think it’s such a groundbreaking lesson to learn. I also really don’t need a lecture from a white millennial Swede on how institutions bad. I trusted Young Royals to show me a love story and I was very disappointed.