#spring court supremacy | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

velarisnightsky444 · 1 year ago

Text

Teatime*

Kinktober Day 15: Face Sitting with Elucien

AN: This is my first non x reader post. We don't have a lot of interaction between these two yet, so i don't really know their dynamic. I will do my best.

CW: Face sitting, oral(f receiving)

Summary: Elain has accepted the bond in this and lives in the Spring Court with Lucien.

Word Count: 770

⳾⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅*⳾

Elain was preparing a tea out of herbs she grew in her personal garden. Lucien would be back from his hunt any minute now.

She had been so lonely the past two days without him. She'd thought about him every single night.

This tea was his favorite. She'd made it for him after she'd first accepted the bond, merely two weeks ago.

When the door opened, she nearly dropped the teapot. She placed it on the table and ran to the door, leaping into his arms.

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing tightly. She rested her head on his shoulder, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Lain, it's only been two days," he cooed, stroking her golden brown hair.

"I know, I just missed you," she sniffled, pulling back to glance up at him. He smiled, kissing her forehead.

"I missed you, too, love," he promised.

"I made you some tea," she said, taking his hand and leading him to the kitchen. He sat at the table, allowing her to pour him a cup.

She enjoyed doing little things like that for him. Though he was fully capable of doing them himself, he let her because he saw how happy it made her.

It was nothing like his own mother, who did everything for her husband because she had no choice. Elain did it because she wanted to show him how much she loved him. He appreciated that.

He and Elain retired to the bedroom when they were done drinking their tea.

Elain immediately got down on her knees, undoing his belt, the same way she had always greeted Grayson when he returned from a long day.

"Not yet, little flower," he decided.

"You've been gone two days," she said. "You need your release."

He stroked her cheek. She still had traditional views of servicing her husband, left by her last relationship. He desperately wanted to show her that her pleasure mattered just as much as his.

"You made me tea," he recalled. "You greeted me at the door. You have been so perfect while I've been gone. I think I need to reward you."

She got to her feet, her confusion showing on her face. He climbed onto the bed and laid on his back.

She got on the bed as well, going to unbuckle his belt again.

"Not yet," he repeated.

She stared, her eyebrows furrowed. She could see that he was hard. It was her job to take care of that. She'd been taught that during her engagement.

"You are just as aroused as I am," he pointed out to her.

"I can handle it," she whispered.

"I want you to lift your skirt and take your underthings off," he told her. She obeyed, though she wasn't sure where this was going. "Now I want you to come over here and sit on my face."

Her cheeks went red. She'd never once heard of such a thing. Why would he possibly want her to do that?

"Trust me, my love," he said, chuckling at the shock on her face.

"Won't I hurt you?"

"Of course not," he promised.

She flushed, but did as she was told. She climbed up to the top of the bed and carefully set herself on his face, hovering just above him.

He gripped her hips and pulled her down, his tongue lapping at her clit. She let out a loud moan, grabbing his wrists.

He didn't let up. He parted her lips with his tongue, flicking it around to find the spots that made her a mewling mess.

And she was a mewling mess.

Already, she was whining, moaning, and whimpering above him. Nobody had ever used their mouth on her before. She'd heard about it briefly, but usually blushed and left the room when conversations like that arose.

His tongue dipped into her cunt, making her gasp and grind her hips against his face.

Her head was thrown back as she relished in the pleasure unlike any she'd ever felt before.

"Lucien," she moaned, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. "Gods, Lucien."

He hummed against her heat, making her tremble as her vision nearly faded to black. Her stomach was so tight. She whimpered, her hands in his long hair.

"Mother above," she cried out as the tightness released.

Her orgasm overtook her, more powerful than any she'd ever felt before. She gasped, riding his face until the pleasure faded.

She fell back onto the bed, panting as she tried to catch her breath. He chuckled, sitting up and wiping her release from his face.

⳾⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅*⳾

Elucien Taglist: @roxan1930

General Taglist:

comment to be added to the taglists!

⳾⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅❀⑅*⳾

100 notes · View notes

mornington-the-crescent · 2 years ago

Text

The Poll

So, for those who don’t know, I put up a poll of, “Who was the worst American President?” The list was FDR, Woodrow Wilson, Lyndon Johnson, Herbert Hoover, and Richard Nixon. It got up to about 13k notes before I deleted it, because I was tired of the notes clogging up my feed. And the results were... telling.

About 75-80% of all the notes were, “Where is Reagan/Andrew Jackson?!?” Many of the rest, though, can be seen below:

What this tells me is that more than ten thousand people didn’t have an education; they had an indoctrination.

You want to hear it? All right, buckle up, because it’s time for a stroll down memory lane.

Why was FDR a bad president?

It is almost hard to know where to begin with this. Let’s start with one of the most basic ones: The belief that FDR got us out of the Depression.

Point of fact, No the fuck he did not.

Making American Depressed

If you ask almost any historian or economist, they will tell you flat-out that not only did the New Deal not end the Great Depression, but that it made it significantly longer and worse than it would have been otherwise. Hoover bears some of the blame for this, but the pseudo-socialist dogshit that was the New Deal bears the brunt of the blame for this one.

The stock market crashed in late October, 1929. Two months later, unemployment peaked at 9%. Over the next several months, unemployment started to fall, down to 5-6% by the spring of the next year. Half a year after the crash, unemployment had not hit double digits. Hoover’s intervention, though, did cause unemployment to reach double digits. Roosevelt was elected in 1932 and took office in 1933, and unemployment did not fall out of double digits for the remainder of the 1930′s. The thing that actually pulled the US out of the Depression was the second World War; turns out that removing roughly 12 million people from the labor force to go and fight does wonders for unemployment numbers. FDR even said that Doctor New Deal was replaced by Doctor Win-The-War.

This was hardly the first economic downturn in American history. For the first 150 years of this country, there were downturns all the time. And what the government did was nothing, and the economy recovered on its own. But Roosevelt represents the first massive large-scale intervention in the economy. And government intervention in the economy slows economic recovery; when you have no idea what the government is going to do tomorrow in regards to the economy, it’s hard to make smart financial decisions, so you just don’t bother. After all, why do anything if tomorrow, the rules of the game are going to change?

Separation of Powers Who?

FDR issued more executive orders than any other President of the 20th century. He may, in fact, have issued more than all the other Presidents of the 20th century combined. Rather than letting Congress, the legislative branch of government, you know, legislate, he preferred to try to do everything himself.

The President is supposed to be the weakest branch of the government, but Roosevelt did everything he could to try to establish its supremacy over the other branches. When Congress didn’t give him his way, he used executive orders. When the Supreme Court challenged some of his acts as unconstitutional, his response was to threaten to have them replaced, or to simply pack the court with judges more sympathetic to his aims. This is a man who was openly contemptuous of the concept of the rule of law.

Here’s a fun entry from the notes:

Hey, you want to talk about fascists? Actual, honest-to-goodness Fascists, not just the modern definition (i.e. anyone a nanometer to the right of Noam Chomsky)? Let’s talk about the originals. Let’s talk about the inventor of Fascism, Benito motherfucking Mussolini. And how FDR openly admired him, and was “deeply impressed by what he has accomplished”, calling Fascism the “cleanest, most efficiently operating piece of social machinery [he had] ever seen”, and that it made him “envious”. And Mussolini, for his part, said of Roosevelt that, “Reminiscent of Fascism is the principle that the state no longer leaves the economy to its own devices … Without question, the mood accompanying this sea change resembles that of Fascism.”

When the guy who fucking invented Fascism is saying that he thinks that you are also doing Fascism, then maybe you’re not a good person.

Concentration- I Mean, Internment Camps

And just like his buddies on the other side of the Atlantic, right when World War 2 kicked off, Roosevelt thought it would be a good idea to take “undesirables” and throw them into prison camps. Roughly 20 thousand Italian- and German-Americans, American citizens, were thrown into camps, simply for the crime of having ancestors from countries we were at war with. And then, of course, there’s the 120 thousand Japanese-Americans who were likewise rounded up and put into prison camps, two thirds of whom were natural-born American citizens.

Almost 150 thousand American citizens, thrown into literal concentration camps, without the bother and expense of due process, stripped of their constitutional rights simply on the basis of race.

As for the concentration camps set up in Europe by the Nazis, however? Despite being told of their existence by people who had escaped, as well as journalists and lawyers from Germany, once American planes gained the ability to attack those camps, to shut them down? FDR refused to grant them permission to do so.

Commander in Thief

Executive Order 6102 outlawed the private ownership of gold, allowing the government to confiscate all of it. Once that was accomplished, the Gold Reserve Act allowed him to change the value of gold, debasing America’s currency (which was on a gold standard at the time), which permitted him to steal literally billions of dollars from American citizens, without any compensation.

World War, Too

There is evidence to suggest that Roosevelt knew about the imminent attack on America by Japan in December of 1941. He discussed with several high-ranking people in the War Department, and in his own cabinet, how to get Japan to fire the first shot in the war, so that he could get America involved. It would make sense: His oil embargo was designed to provoke a Japanese response, so as to draw America into the war. And once America was in the war, ordered the Philippines to be abandoned, outright lying that there was an army waiting to retake it once it had been conquered by Japan.

And as the war dragged on, he got quite cozy with Uncle Joe, Stalin himself. He helped to repatriate two million people to Russia, who very much did not want to go back, many of them ending up either in the gulags, or simply killed outright. And his constant concessions to Stalin helped the Soviet Union hold on to eastern Europe, setting the stage for the Cold War. Even when he was informed of Soviet spies within the American government, and provided evidence of their disloyalty and subversion, he simply let them keep at it.

Racism, Racism, and more Racism

Remember how you cheered when lynching was made a federal crime a few months ago, and asked why it hadn’t been done before now? Well, the main reason was good ol’ FDR himself. A bill was proposed in the Congress which would have made lynching a federal crime, and Roosevelt refused to pass it.

Or what about during the Olympic games in Berlin, when black athletes from America took home multiple gold medals? Roosevelt invited the white athletes to the White House, but not a single black one. Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals, said, “Hitler didn’t snub me --- it was [Roosevelt] who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send me a telegram.”

And then there was his nomination of a KKK member to the Supreme Court; Hugo Black, who had zero judicial experience, was nominated simply because he supported the New Deal.

He also was of the opinion that America was, and ought to remain, a white and Protestant country, and that too many Jews was inherently a bad thing, because of how distasteful he found them. He boasted that there was no Jewish blood in his veins, as a mark of pride. He even went so far as to turn away ships of Jewish refugees, fleeing Nazi tyranny in Europe.

In conclusion

FDR was a massive piece of shit. He massively overstepped his constitutionally-appointed bounds at every available opportunity, massively expanding the power of the Presidency at the expense of all other parts of government, and at the expense of individual liberty. He was openly racist and anti-Semitic. His economic policies brought ruin upon the American economy. He openly praised fascism right up until the moment that it was no longer politically expedient to do so, and switched to deferring to authoritarian communism instead. Almost everything that you hate about the modern United States can be traced directly back to this one man.

The fact that he is remembered as not just a good President, but one of the best Presidents, shows how utterly broken American education is.

1K notes · View notes

1800naveen · 7 months ago

Text

I hate Tik Tok. I saw a comment saying that Rhysand is a better High Lord than Tamlin. Re-read those books and find out who the better Lord is. The Spring Court loves Tamlin, he'd play the fiddle alongside them and the fiddle is considered lower class, he doesn't enforce ranks, he protects his Court, and he would fight and die for his Court if it met they would be safe. One of the best High Lords for centuries until Feyre wanted to fuck it up.

2/3 of the Night Court hates Rhysand and highly wants that man dead. He doesn't care about the women of Illyria and Hewn City, he lets the men abuse the women, and uses the Illyrians only when it comes to battle.

Hewn City must have hundreds of people who wish to leave and see the beautiful outside, who are dreamers. But Rhysand keeps them in a MOUNTAIN. I can't imagine how many citizens have died before seeing the night sky. The young girls that will follow in the saddening footsteps of their mothers and the young boys who will become like the men around them.

Rhysand cannot be the most powerful High Lord if the majority of his Court hates him. He can't protect the women and children so how can he be the most powerful?

Rhysand and his inner circle are literal Fascists. Fascism is political ideology characterized by authoritarianism, nationalism, suppression of opposition, and often a dictatorial leader. It emphasizes strong centralized control, militarism, and the belief in the supremacy of the nation or race (If you didn't know the meaning, also I got this off of ChatGPT, Google was confusing me on the definition). If this doesn't give off the vibes of the inner circle, I don't know what does.

I already compared Rhysand to Donald Trump so calling him a fascist ain't gonna hurt anyone.

RIP to Rhysand, you would love voting for Trump and overturning Roe Vs Wade.

#anti rhysand #pro tamlin #anti inner circle #anti acotar

93 notes · View notes

ltwilliammowett · 2 years ago

Text

The Raid of the Medway, 12–14 June 1667

“And, the truth is, I do fear so much that the whole kingdom is undone”

These were the words of Samuel Pepys Chief Secretary to the Admiralty (1633-1703), taken from his diary entry on 12th June 1667, a stark reminder of the victorious Dutch attack launched on the unsuspecting Royal Navy. This attack became known as the Raid on Medway, a humiliating loss for England and one of the worst in the history of the Royal Navy.

The dates here refer to the Julian calendar used in England at that time.

The Prelude

After the end of the first Anglo-Dutch War in 1654, the restoration of the monarchy had taken place in England with the return of King Charles II (1630-1685). The latter needed financial resources for a government independent of Parliament, which he hoped to gain through the spoils of another war against the United Netherlands. He was supported in this by the ambitions of the Royal African Company to damage the Dutch competition. In the spring of 1665, open warfare broke out. After the initial fighting, the Dutch won the Battle of Four Days in June 1666 and thought they had gained the upper hand. A few weeks later, however, the English fleet regained naval supremacy in the North Sea in the "St. James's Day Fight". As a result, the Royal Navy interdicted Dutch shipping and English captains raided places along the coast. The most famous case occurred on 20 August 1666, when Vice-Admiral Robert Holmes (1622-1692) burned down the village of Ter Schelling on the island of Terschelling and sank 140 to 150 merchant ships anchored in nearby Vlie. This event became known and celebrated in England as Holmes's Bonfire. Afterwards, the English fleet retreated to its own waters.

The raid of the Medway, by Willem van der Stoop (–1665) (x)

War weariness grew in the States General as the costs strained the national budget and confidence in the ally France had waned. After the catastrophic losses of the merchant ships at Terschelling, the Dutch opened peace negotiations under Swedish mediation. But English finances were also exhausted. The war had not brought the hoped-for profits, and Parliament refused to grant new funds for warfare after it emerged that some of the money granted had gone to the king's expensive court. Added to this were the losses caused by the severely impaired maritime trade, the great plague epidemic of 1665 and the "Great Fire of London". Against the opposition of Admiral Monck (1608-1670), King Charles II therefore ordered in the winter of 1666/67 that the large ships of the line be dismantled and decommissioned. The war was to be continued only with privateers in order to damage Dutch trade.

Meanwhile, at the peace congress in Breda, the English envoys had been instructed to reach as advantageous a conclusion as possible. Against the background of the last successes in 1666, Charles II dragged out the negotiations in order to end the war with a profit, even though he had had his only means of pressure, the fleet, de-rigged. The United Netherlands were not prepared to make concessions. Soon, however, they came under pressure from elsewhere. King Louis XIV of France (1638-1715) declared war on the Kingdom of Spain in May 1667 and began an invasion of the Spanish Netherlands to appropriate it. The United Netherlands was now forced to bring peace negotiations with England to an immediate conclusion so that it could concentrate on containing French expansionist intentions. To this end, it seemed necessary to Johan de Witt (1625-1672), the council pensioner and head of Dutch policy, to increase the pressure on England by directly attacking the island of Great Britain.

The Plan

The idea of landing troops on the British Isles was not new. Such plans had already been worked out after the victory of the Dutch fleet in the Battle of the Four Days. In the summer of 1666, Admiral Michiel de Ruyter (1606-1676) had taken about 6000 soldiers to the Thames estuary in addition to the fleet, in order to be able to intervene in a supportive manner in the event of a local uprising of the English population against Charles II. But such an uprising failed to materialise, and the transport ships were sent back to Dutch ports after a storm. Only a brief landing on the Isle of Thanet was achieved.

The burning of the English fleet off Chatham, 1667, likely painted by Willem van de Velde the Younger, 1670 (x)

In the summer of 1667, Johan de Witt was well informed by spies about the financial shortages of the English crown and also knew about the decommissioning of most English ships of the line, as well as about the situation of the sailor and dockyard employees who had not been paid for months. Despite his own financial strain, he now prepared the equipment for a Dutch expedition. They were to sail into the Thames Estuary, enter the River Medway and sail to the great dock at Chatham, where many of England's proudest warships lay. Once at their destination, the raiders were to sink or burn as many ships as possible, taking care to capture the best ships as prizes. Such a raid would be a severe blow to the power and prestige of England, for the Royal Navy was the pride of the island nation. Chastened and humiliated by defeat, the English might accept peace on Dutch terms.

The designated contingents of ships were gathered and prepared in various Dutch ports, while in April a squadron under Admiral Van Ghent attempted to enter the Firth of Forth. The main purpose of this enterprise was to provide cover for the main fleet, which assembled at the island of Texel in early June 1667. Admiral de Ruyter sailed along his own coasts, taking in the various contingents as he went. In the end, his fleet consisted of 64 ships of the line and frigates, 15 fireships, 7 escort ships and 13 galliots with a total of 3330 guns and about 17,500 men.

The attack begins

The Assault on Sheerness

The Dutch fleet reached the English coast at Harwich on 7 June 1667. The following day it sailed south along the coast and anchored off the Thames estuary. While doing so, she ran into a storm that forced a large number of ships to cut their anchor ropes and drift. This mainly affected troopships, which were no longer available for the following operations. At a council of war on board the flagship, the further course of action was discussed. Admiral de Ruyter had reservations about sending the entire fleet up the river, as he was not precisely informed about the whereabouts of the smaller English fleet units. Should they return unexpectedly and close the mouth of the Thames, the Dutch fleet would be trapped. Cornelis de Witt proposed that the main force itself should remain off the mouth of the river and a small detachment should guard the English Channel, while a squadron under Admiral Willem Joseph van Ghent (1626-1672) should advance up the Thames. There, this squadron was to attack some West Indian merchant ships at Gravesend, which had been reported by an intercepted Norwegian trader. Admiral van Ghent's squadron consisted of 17 smaller warships, four fireships, some yachts and galiots, and 1000 marines under Colonel Dolman. The squadron set off on the morning of 9 June and initially occupied Canvey Island. However, the wind then shifted and the English merchant ships, which in the meantime had been warned of the approaching Dutch warships, escaped upriver.

Sail to Chatham, Willem Schellinks, c. 1668 (x)

Cornelis de Witt now urged Admiral van Ghent to enter the Medway and attack the English fleet lying there. The entrance to this river was controlled by a fort still under construction at Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey. However, to defend this key position, the English had only a weak Scottish garrison, 16 guns, the small frigate Unity and two lightships at their disposal. On 10 June, Admiral van Ghent attacked the fort. The Unity fired only a single broadside and then fled up the Medway, pursued by a Dutch fireship. The Dutch ships took the fort under fire for the next two hours and eventually landed 800 naval soldiers under Colonel Dolman. The fort garrison fled without offering serious resistance to the landing troops and the whole of the Isle of Sheppey was occupied by Van Ghent's forces. The battle for this important position had cost the Dutch about 50 men. The value of the 15 cannons and other goods captured in the process was 400,000 livres or four tons of gold, according to contemporary estimates.

Informed of the events on 9 June, George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (1608-1670) received royal orders to organise the defence. Monck first inspected the installations on the Thames at Gravesend Fort and on the morning of 11 June went to Chatham on the Medway. There he found virtually no organised defence. At Gillingham an iron chain had been drawn across the course of the river, but it was too low. There were only three smaller ships to protect them: the Unity (44 guns), the Charles V and the Matthias (former Dutch merchantmen Carolus Quintus and Geldersche Ruyter). Otherwise, panic reigned. Of the more than 800 dock workers, almost all had fled or refused to help because of their unpaid wages. Out of thirty boats and ships, only ten were still to be found because refugees had used them to escape or local officials had evacuated their personal belongings on them. The Duke ordered the soldiers and officers he had brought with him to set up two coastal batteries on the shore by the chain, but even for this they lacked the necessary tools. To create further obstacles in front of the chain, Admiral Monck ordered fire ships to be sunk there. Two ships, the Norway Merchant and the Marmaduke, were successfully sunk, but the great Sancta Maria, which had also been designated as an obstacle, ran aground. Also on the scene was the large warship Royal Charles (88 guns), but it was completely unarmed.

Stern decoration of the Royal Charles, anonymous, c. 1663 - c. 1664 (x)

Admiral Monck ordered them upriver to safety, but there were not enough personnel to do so. When the Dutch attack came later, she was still lying unmanned on the shore. Among the more than 1100 workers in the docks at Chatham, there were few willing to help. Their pay was months in arrears, as the King lacked the financial means, and now they too refused to serve.

The breakthrough at Gillingham

On the morning of 12 June, the Dutch units began their advance in the Medway. The narrowness of the channel forced the ships to sail one behind the other in a single line. In the lead was the Vrede under the command of her captain Jan van Brakel. The captain had been placed under arrest two days earlier for allowing his men to plunder on the Isle of Sheppey. In order to restore his reputation, he had now voluntarily taken over the top position. Brakel's ship soon came under the crossfire of the three English defensive ships and the two coastal batteries.

However, he steered straight for the Unity without firing and gave her a broadside at point-blank range. The English crew then fled the ship and left it to the Dutch. Under cover of the powder smoke, the two following brander under Brakel's command also approached and sank the English ships Charles V and Matthias in quick succession. The iron chain was subsequently broken during the first ramming attempt (there are some discrepancies in the tradition here, some historians also think that it was simply sailed over because it lay so far in the water and were actually useless).

From the left ; "Agatha" , "Beschermer" , "Charles V" , "Propatia" , The "Royal Charles" , "Matthias" and a Dutch Admirals yacht, by Jan de Quelery (x)

The Dutch ships now had free passage up the Medway, because behind the chain there was a wide gap between the sunk English ships, which should have been closed by the sinking of the Sancta Maria. The following Dutch frigates soon silenced the English coastal batteries with their fire, whose fire had been almost ineffective anyway due to structural deficiencies. The biggest prize of the day for the Dutch fleet was the Royal Charles which had often served as a flagship for the English fleet commanders. Btw the Dutch did not take her into naval service because it was considered that she drew too much water for general use on the Dutch coast. Instead the Royal Charles was permanently drydocked near Hellevoetsluis as a public attraction, with day trips being organised for large parties, often of foreign state guests. After vehement protests by Charles that this insulted his honour, the official visits were ended when she was auctioned for scrap in 1673.

Raid at Upnor Castle

Meanwhile, the English were making defensive preparations at Upnor Castle. The Duke of Albemarle and Peter Pett, the commander of the docks, put the castle's guns on standby and set up another battery on the far bank. The attempt to stretch another chain across the river failed. Now they wanted to bring the warships towards Chatham, but again there were not enough men. To at least save the largest warships from capture, the Duke of Albemarle ordered them to be sunk in low water where they could be raised again later.

The Dutch before Upnor Castle, by Jan de Quelery (x)

Late in the afternoon of 12 June, the Dutch advance was halted by the state of the tide. On board the captured Royal Charles, Van Ghent, De Ruyter and De Witt met to discuss further action. These three commanders decided to push further upriver the following day and attack the Chatham Dockyards and the large warships located there. At midday on 13 June, the remaining Dutch braders, protected by four frigates and a larger number of smaller ships, attacked the English positions. They were soon caught in the crossfire between Upnor Castle and the battery hastily raised on the opposite bank of the river. A detachment of naval soldiers landed and moved to attack the English ammunition magazine at Upnor Castle, which they successfully blew up before withdrawing again.

The bombardment of Upnore Castle by Arnold de Lange (x)

In the meantime, the Dutch ships fired on the English gun batteries. While the battle was still going on, a calm set in, forcing De Ruyter and other officers to transfer to longboats in order to direct the actions of their units from them. After a fierce firefight, the Dutch fireships succeeded in attacking the three large warships lying on the shore, Loyal London (92 guns), Royal Oak (76 guns) and Royal James (82 guns). The water in which these ships had been sunk by the English themselves was not shallow enough to offer protection even against an arson attack. All three ships fell victim to the Dutch fireships after their hull crews fled. The Duke of Albemarle, meanwhile, tried to tow the remaining warships upriver under the protection of Chatham's guns. He lined up battle-ready warships on the banks and gathered militia troops to halt the Dutch advance. In fact, the Dutch ships went no further against the stiffening English resistance. Late in the afternoon they retreated with the rising tide as far as Gillingham. There they made the captured English ships Royal Charles and Unity seaworthy and left the Medway on 14 June. The losses from the battle in front of Upnor Castle amounted to about 500 men on the English side, while it is assumed that the Dutch lost between 50 and 150 men.

The aftermath

The Dutch raid on the English ships in the Medway became the biggest debacle of the war for the Royal Navy. It lost more ships than in all previous naval battles combined. The Royal Charles and the Unity had been captured by Dutchmen and the Loyal London, Royal James, Royal Oak, Charles V, Matthias, Marmaduke, Sancta Maria as well as five fireships, two ketches, a fleute and a smaller ship sunk or burnt. In contrast, the Dutch had deployed a total of ten fireships. In addition, there were further indirect losses of the Royal Navy. The Vanguard, for example, had drifted while attempting to ground her and eventually wrecked at Rochester so that she could no longer be lifted. Further north, beyond Gravesend, Prince Rupert had wanted to block the Thames to a possible Dutch advance by sinking the Golden Phoenix, House of Sweeds, Welcome and Leicester there. This turned out to be a sheer waste of important warships, as the Dutch never advanced further than Gravesend. All in all, these losses - especially those of the three large warships - changed the strategic balance between England and the United Netherlands in favour of the Dutch for years to come.

After this success, the Dutch were able to display their unrestricted superiority. One part of the Dutch fleet took action against the English merchant ships on the Channel coast, while another under Admiral Van Nes continued to blockade the Thames for English shipping. In smaller operations, Dutch troops still landed in some places or sailed warships up the Thames in the following weeks.

In London, the events on the banks of the Medway led to a severe economic collapse and panic among the population. Rumours said Chatham was on fire, as were Gravesend, Harwich, Queenborough, Colchester and Dover. Dutch landings at Portsmouth, Plymouth and Dartmouth were reported, and even claims that the king had fled; the Papists were about to take power. Even an imminent French landing was expected.

After the Raid on the Medway, Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, Admiral van Ghent and Cornelis de Witt each received a golden cup from the States of Holland (x)

The Dutch had taken up a position in the Thames by which they cut London off from trade. Coal supplies from the Tyne in particular were failing, and soon the price of coal increased tenfold. The English fleet was weakened by the raid and there was hardly any money available for its replenishment. King Charles II therefore had little choice but to instruct his envoys at the peace conference in Breda to conclude the treaty as soon as possible. The Peace of Breda was signed on 21 July 1667, and on 16 August the Dutch fleet abandoned the blockade of the English ports and the Thames estuary in accordance with the treaty. But England’s desire for revenge helped motivate another Anglo-Dutch War the following decade. But also an upgrade of the Navy as well as a change in the pay and living conditions of the Sailors which laid the foundation for one of the most powerful navies in the world.

#naval history #raid of the medway #12-14 june 1667 #age of sail #event overview #and it is a very long post #sorry

40 notes · View notes

ennawrite · 6 months ago

Text

decided to write a tamlain beauty & the beast inspired fic out of spite.

Here’s the first chapter! :)

The young woman’s heart sped up with every quickened step of her feet on the lush forest floor. That dark entity was gaining on her, and soon, her mind would be a victim to it.

She raced through the dense canopy of trees, thorns and sharp branches nipped at her upper body. Ruby red blood dripped down her face and arms, landing in pools on the greenery.

She had heard stories—no, nightmarish tales— of the Spring forest, but she’d chalked it up to folklore and hearsay. But gods, was she so very wrong.

The young woman was almost to the edge of the forest—almost to the empty, freeing expanse of a clearing—when a long, thick root caught the toe of her boot.

With a loud snap from her ankle, she toppled over, shrieking loudly as that searing pain filled her whole being.

She tried to stand, but the break would not allow it. Crawling would be her best bet, but as dark whispers from the mist echoed around her, she realized with a heavy heart that there was no fleeing. This was it.

The woman tried to steady her heavy breathing, tried to silence her futile cries. She willed her mind to stand strong against this twisted perpetrator, to stand against whatever it had to throw at her.

In a flash, nasty, horrible words and voices filled the woods, blocking out any other sound. There were so many, too many. The woman pressed her hands against her ears and screamed, but the voices followed her. They were inside of her.

There was no escaping.

She crawled into a fetal position as the mist haunted her mind with familiar voices. Her mother. Her grandmother. People from her village.

No. Not them. Anything but them.

“You are and will forever be nothing, Elain.”

“No man will ever love a girl so broken.”

“This is all your fault. You did this.”

“They’re gone because of you, Elain.”

Elain shook and sobbed against the forest floor, the tears fell down her face in steady streams. The locket hanging from her neck felt like icy flames against her chest and she ripped it from herself, casting it into the shrubbery.

Those awful voices slowly twisted into her own as the dark mist engulfed her wholly.

Your fault. Your fault. Your fault.

You did this.

You killed them.

You are nothing.

Worthless.

The thoughts were deafening, the grey air suffocating. She couldn’t take much more of it. She’d spent so many years pushing those feelings and thoughts down. Tried so hard to bury them. And now they were spilling out like lava.

Her body and head ached, but more importantly, her soul ached. Her heart had been broken for so many years, perhaps this was time for it to finally give out.

She found herself hoping this was it. That she would finally be rid of this life. She had lots of things to answer for in the next, but nothing could be as bad as this.

Your fault, Elain.

Stupid, broken girl.

You are better off dead.

Just as she finally gave herself over completely to the monster that was her own conscience, a loud snarl sounded over the haunting echoes of her mind.

You are wort—

A viscous growl cut off the voice, and then…

Nothing.

26 notes · View notes

c-e-d-dreamer · 3 months ago

Note

*Incoming from Prythian Mail. The envelope is thick as the sexual tension between ACOWAR Nessian and smells of something that is so abstract it can barely be considered an adjective*

Elucien and Valkyrie supremacy, the impeccable taste continues!

Alright, let’s get into brass tax here, friend. A little more specific, jump right in now that we are clearly on a path to being best friends for life and fighting in the blood right together.

1.) How do you feel about the holiday aspect of SS? Big Christmas fan? Want to see Nessian at Solstice? Get 8 candles for a Nessian Hanukkah? Vaguely winter wonderland vibes? Nessian escapes it all to have the holiday season on a beach in Mexico/the Summer Court? I’m happy to be as holiday-forward or light as you want!

2.) Dream setting - canon or AU? If Canon, is there a specific time period you’re obsessed with? If AU, modern or other fantasy? Reach for the stars, I have no boundaries on what creatures can be made hot. If there’s something you’ve had on your mind, I’m here to fulfill your wish!

3.) let’s talk genre - fluff? Smut? Angst? Hurt/Comfort? Longing? Pain with a happy ending? Let me know any preferences and also anything you DON’T want!

*Letter disappears like all the side characters Feyre met in the Spring Court who are never brought up again*

Mmmm that ACOWAR Nessian tension.... I can taste it. I can feel it. I can cut it with a knife 🥵

1) Honestly? Whatever makes you most excited to write! I'm totally okay with holidays and holiday things (Christmas Solstice cookies and trees and music). I'm okay with just winter vibes (ice skating and winter markets). And I'm also okay if you say fuck it, it's July in this fic now 😂

2) I will say, I love an AU! Historical/Regency? Slaps. Modern AU? Slaps. You mentioned creatures? 👀 Werewolves and other shapeshifters absolutely slap!

3) Again, I love all things so whatever is really speaking to you! Wherever inspiration is taking you! I love pain. I love giggling and kicking my feet. I love steamy. As long as the happy ending is there? Sold. I feel like the only things I don't like are.... cheating/infidelity? Age gaps in a non-magical/modern Universe? Uhhhh... Maybe that's it? This is hard. I feel like I read most things

But I hope these answers help? Idk if they do. But I hope this Prythian Mail response finds you well! Unlike those poor Spring Court sentries #RIP

#secret santa #answered

2 notes · View notes

dreaminginthedeepsouth · 2 years ago

Photo

~ Anne Boleyn's Last Request, A Guest Post by Lissa Bryan ~ On April 26th, 1536, Anne Boleyn asked her chaplain, Matthew Parker, to meet with her. She had a special request to ask of him, something of utmost importance. Perhaps she had a premonition of some sort. We know little of what took place during this meeting, only what Parker himself wrote of it later. Anne Boleyn asked him to make a promise to her, and Parker spent the rest of his life trying to fulfill it. The records indicate the weather in spring of 1536 was lovely, but Anne could feel the dark clouds gathering around the throne. A storm was brewing, but the conspirators were careful to leave little trace of which direction they were heading. Anne Boleyn was a fighter, but she could not fight what she could not see. The courage and strength it took for her to behave as though everything was normal still amazes me. Anne went through the motions of being a Tudor queen with dignity and poise. The king, too, gave all outward appearance of normalcy. Though Henry was spending his nights in other palaces - where Jane Seymour was always lodged nearby - he appeared at Anne’s side for events, and they were able to present the image of a cordial relationship to the public. He dined in Anne’s apartments, went with her to mass, and still insisted foreign courts should recognize the legitimacy of his marriage. He even devised a bizarre ruse to force Eustace Chapuys into bowing to Anne, seizing the underhanded victory with apparent delight. But behind the scenes, Henry was devising a way to rid himself of the woman he had come to despise. As he stood smiling by her side, he was plotting her death. Anne had to have known Henry was trying to get rid of her. If we know about it - and we do, from the letters of Chapuys to the Imperial court - then Anne heard the gossip, too. She still had powerful supporters who kept her informed of what was going on. Anne had to have been terrified, sick with worry and anxiety. What was Henry planning? It looked like he was trying to find a way to annul their marriage. He was asking bishops about the validity of his union to Anne. It had gotten to the point where Princess Mary’s supporters were writing to her and telling her to be of good cheer, because Anne would be gone soon. On the 21st of April, Chapuys noted as an aside that Cromwell had told the French ambassador not to broach the topic of Princess Elizabeth’s marriage. Anne, who supported the French, must have been disturbed that there was no discussion of a marital alliance for the princess. Whatever was happening, it was affecting her beloved daughter, as well. On the 24th of April, a commission of Oyer and Terminer was created at Westminster. The court dealt with treason charges, and other serious crimes, and so Anne may have thought it was for someone who had denied the royal supremacy, assuming she knew about that it had convened. She had so many other things on her mind, she might not have given it a second thought. The commission was tasked with investigating and drawing up the indictment against Anne Boleyn for treason and adultery. The day after the commission was created, Henry wrote a letter referring to Anne as his “entirely beloved” wife. The wife he had already decided would have to die in order to ensure his marriage to Jane Seymour was unchallenged, and his heir with her was entirely legitimate. Even as Henry wrote those words, he knew Anne Boleyn would be dead before the letter arrived at its destination. Anne’s days were numbered, though she was unaware of it as yet. She knew something was coming, at any rate, and Anne Boleyn was a woman who tried to meet her problems head-on. On the 26th, she asked her chaplain, Matthew Parker, to meet with her. Though we don’t know the details of how the meeting was arranged, Anne would have wanted it to be private. She had a promise she wanted to extract from him, and she wouldn’t have wanted it to be overheard. It seems she was successful at keeping it quiet - no one else, including Chapuys, whose ears were always straining for the faintest sounds of gossip, reported on it. Perhaps she met with Parker under the guise of confession, the sanctity of which even Chapuys would have never dared violate. Anne asked Parker to promise her he would watch over her baby daughter, Elizabeth, if anything happened to her. She must have seen something in Parker that made her reach out to him - of all the people she could have contacted, including her own extended family, to safeguard Elizabeth and her future. Parker took the promise he made to Anne seriously, and considered himself bound to it for the rest of his life. Anne Boleyn was an amazing woman. She managed - somehow - to behave as though nothing were amiss. She performed her court duties, attended mass, even continuing to insist on proper decorum for her courtiers. Anne always managed to keep her composure in public; it was only behind the scenes that she broke down. We don’t have any records of her inner turmoil at this time. Only the letters of the courtiers and Anne’s privy purse expenses give us insight into what was happening. Anne spent the last weeks of her life ordering items for her daughter. Perhaps, psychologically, Anne was trying to “cover” her daughter as best she could with all of her clothing purchases for the child. Maybe she had the foresight to see Elizabeth would be plunged into reduced circumstances by whatever her father was planning and not be cared for according to her station. Anne was right - it was the last clothing Elizabeth would receive until her governess wrote a pleading letter begging for funds because Elizabeth had grown out of everything. Anne had done all she could to prepare Elizabeth for her uncertain future. She had filled Elizabeth’s household with loyal, supportive people, many of whom were extended family members. She had asked a powerful man in the religious reformist movement to protect Elizabeth, and she had dressed her baby warmly for the storm ahead. Anne walked these last days of April on tenterhooks, waiting to see what Henry had in store for her. She would not have long to wait.

[The History Geeks]

#history #women #Anne Boleyn #stories #The History Geeks #Elizabeth

11 notes · View notes

ausetkmt · 2 years ago

Text

CBS Colardo: Self-proclaimed white supremacist and convicted felon held on weapons charges after trying to establish "white private community" in Colorado

A Colorado man has been ordered held in federal detention and his 11 guns were seized after the FBI says he illegally possessed those guns. He allegedly professed Nazi and white supremacist sympathies and wanted to establish a "white private community," according to investigators, in Fremont County, southwest of Colorado Springs.

Chad Edward Keith, 41, has been charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person due to a previous federal weapons conviction. If convicted on the new charges, he could face a fine and up to 10 years in prison.

Keith bought two adjacent properties and is alleged to have been planning to build a school for kids younger than high school-age with an "anti-Semitic curriculum."

Eleven guns, along with ammunition, were seized at Keith's property by federal agents, including:

A .300 Magnum bolt action rifle with no serial number;

Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun;

Savage model 93 R17 17HMR caliber;

Glock 21 .45 caliber;

Scoped bolt action rifle with a hand-engraved serial number;

Winchester model 62A, .22 caliber;

Century Arms C308 Sporter;

Ruger 10/22 .22 long rifle;

Mossberg 590 12-gauge shotgun;

Century Arms WASR-10 7.62x39mm caliber;

Ruger Super Redhawk .44 magnum.

Keith pled guilty in 2003 to one count of possessing a "destructive device," a felony, for which he was sentenced to four years in prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

While his indictment doesn't detail that original conviction, news articles and court documents from 1999 through 2004 show a man with the same name and age as Keith having been charged and later convicted of planting a homemade bomb in the bathroom of Coushatta High School in Coushatta, Louisiana, where a Chad Edward Keith, 18 years old at the time, was a senior.

The bomb was detonated, causing damage to the school, but it was evacuated before it could go off and no one was injured, according to the Associated Press.

Court records show Keith is being represented in the Colorado case by the Federal Public Defender's Office.

In his indictment, Keith allegedly expressed antisemitic viewpoints to the FBI informant. He "has described himself as both a "National Socialist" and a Nazi. I know from my training and experience that the term "national socialism" describes a white supremacy ideology consistent with Nazism," a special agent with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force wrote in her application for an arrest warrant.

Keith allegedly told the informant he has some "serious fucking concerns" that he would "absolutely" die for.

He's due back in court on June 12 and a jury trial has been set for July 24.

#colorado #white supremacists #nazi #white hate #Self-proclaimed white supremacist and convicted felon held on weapons charges #held on weapons charges after trying to establish “white private community” in Colorado

3 notes · View notes

religion-is-a-mental-illness · 8 months ago

Text

By: Josh Christenson

Published: Apr 11, 2024

Most American colleges and universities require the completion of courses that emphasize Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)-related topics to graduate, according to a new report surveying public and private institutions.

Speech First, a group advocating for First Amendment rights on US campuses, released an investigation on Thursday that found 165 of 248 selected institutions — from American University to Williams College — mandate DEI-related classes to meet general education requirements.

The classes “place students into identitarian groupings based on racial, sexual, and political characteristics to create a rigid framework amongst students where they only see each other as either the ‘oppressor’ or the ‘oppressed,’” the executive summary of the 33-page report states.

[ Two-thirds of US colleges and universities require Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) classes to graduate, according to a Speech First report involving public and private institutions nationwide. ]

Speech First looked for trainings and courses that included an “anti-racist” approach, which often denounces “whiteness” or “white supremacy,” as well as the existence of forced “DEI Statements” in which faculty pledge to promote the ideology if hired.

The group also searched for the use of terms like “intersectionality,” “toxic masculinity,” “critical gender theory,” “ableism,” “implicit bias,” “systemic racism” and “social justice.”

“Consequently, this erosion of merit-based principles and build-up of anti-American sentiment has had detrimental impacts on the quality of education and has fostered an environment where conservative voices are systematically marginalized, discredited, and silenced,” the report states.

“As DEI departments have grown on campuses, we have seen an increase in campus policies that regulate, monitor, and restrict student speech,” it adds. “The inquiry revealed that students are subjected to courses advocating far-left ideological perspectives and pushing far-left political advocacy.”

Last year, the Supreme Court struck down race-based admissions practices at Harvard University, a private institution, and the University of North Carolina, a public institution, ruling that the universities’ affirmative action policies violated the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which guarantees US citizens “equal protection under law.”

Chief Justice John Roberts declared in the decision that “eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it” and “universities may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today.”

Both Harvard and UNC made the Speech First list, along with Cornell, Dartmouth, and Princeton of the Ivy League.

Prominent flagship state schools that made the list include the universities of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Notable private institutions shamed by Speech First included Boston College, Brandeis, Carnegie Mellon, Duke, Fordham, Georgetown, MIT, Purdue, Syracuse, Vassar and Wellesley.

Every university surveyed came from at least one of four groups: Spring 2023 NCAA Division I institutions, schools ranked among the best in the nation in 2023 by US News and World Report, those with endowments above $1 billion and those in the top 100 of undergraduate enrollment nationwide.

[ Notably, 59% of the universities with DEI requirements were public and 41% of them were private. ]

The 67% of schools with DEI offices and programs included at least one institution in every US state and the District of Columbia — several of which have recently outlawed the practices, such as GOP-led Florida and Texas.

Some anti-DEI legislation is also pending in Democratic-controlled states like Illinois, the report shows, and states where power is evenly divided between the major political parties like Pennsylvania.

To be counted, the universities or colleges needed to have mandatory DEI courses or sensitivity training, DEI electives that are required for graduation, or general education learning outcomes that include DEI language.

[ The 67% of schools with DEI offices and programs included at least one institution in every US State and the District of Columbia — several of which have recently outlawed the practices. ]

The report suggests that the banning of DEI and critical race theory courses and the adoption of free speech programs during freshman orientation would change the leftward drift of America’s higher education institutions.

It also advocated for a return to the study of the nation’s founding principles under the Constitution as a part of general education requirements nationwide.

“Obviously, a commitment to free speech on campus requires academic freedom for professors within their classrooms,” Cherise Trump, the group’s executive director, said in a summary of the report.

“But American universities are increasingly institutionally stacking the deck by requiring students to sit through classes that, rather than impart knowledge or build saleable skills, infuse an ideological worldview that is in many instances hostile to key tenets of the American way of life,” she added.

“Taxpayers may well wonder why they subsidize academic institutions that require training in a hostile ideology as a graduation requirement.”

1 note · View note

whatsonmedia · 1 year ago

Text

Sports Blitz: Cricket Capers & Football Fireworks

Buckle up, sports fans, because this week's menu is overflowing with epic clashes and nerve-wracking battles! From cricket's ODI showdowns to football's league thrillers, get ready to witness champions rise and underdogs roar. Cricket's ODI Extravaganza: Zimbabwe and Ireland lock horns in the decisive 2nd ODI at the Harare Sports Club. Will the home team clinch the series, or can Ireland snatch victory on foreign soil? >Zimbabwe vs Ireland ( 2nd ODI ) ০ Date : Friday 15 December, 2023০ Time : 13:15 PM০ Venue : Harare Sports Club New Zealand kicks off their ODI series against Bangladesh in Dunedin. Expect a display of cricketing finesse as these two powerhouses go head-to-head. >New Zealand vs Bangladesh (1st ODI) ০ Date : Sun 17 December, 2023০ Time : 04:00 BDT০ Venue : University Oval, Dunedin T20I Fireworks: West Indies and England's T20I series culminates in a nail-biting finale at the National Cricket Stadium in St George's. Prepare for a night of explosive batting and nail-biting finishes. >West Indies vs England (3rd T20)০ Date : Saturday 16 December, 2023০ Time : 23:30 BDT০ Venue : National Cricket Stadium, St George's South Africa and India kick off their ODI series with a crucial encounter at The Wanderers Stadium. Witness the clash of batting might and bowling brilliance as these cricketing giants collide. >South Africa vs India (1st ODI)০ Date : Sunday 17 December, 2023০ Time : 14:00 BDT০ Venue : The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg Football's League Battles: La Liga heats up with two tantalizing fixtures. Valencia and Barcelona clash at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, promising a display of attacking flair and defensive grit. Meanwhile, Real Madrid hosts Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabéu, setting the stage for a tactical chess match. >Valencia vs Barcelona০ Date : Saturday 16 December, 2023০ Time : 20:00 GMT০ Venue : Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys>Rela Madrid vs Villarreal০ Date : Sunday 17 December, 2023০ Time : 20:00 GMT০ Venue : Santiago BernabéuLigue 1 offers its own brand of drama as PSG welcomes Lille to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Expect a night of offensive fireworks and defensive resilience as these French giants lock horns. >PSG vs Lille০ Date : Sunday 17 December, 2023০ Time : 19:45 GMT০ Venue : Stade Pierre-Mauroy Premier League's Big Guns: The English Premier League ignites with a blockbuster clash between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield. Witness two of England's most iconic teams fight for bragging rights in what promises to be a nail-biting affair. >Liverpool vs Man Utd০ Date : Sunday 17 December, 2023০ Time : 16:30 GMT০ Venue : Anfield Chelsea also faces a crucial test against Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge. Can the Blues bounce back from recent setbacks and secure a much-needed victory? >Chelsea vs Steff Utd০ Date : Saturday 16 December, 2023০ Time : 15:00 GMT০ Venue : Stamford Bridge Manchester City travels to Etihad Stadium to take on Crystal Palace. Will City's relentless pursuit of dominance continue, or can Palace spring a surprise upset? >C Palace vs Man City০ Date : Saturday 16 December, 2023০ Time : 15:00 GMT০ Venue : Etihad Stadium Basketball's Courtside Action: The NBA action sees the Suns taking on the Knicks at the Footprint Center. Witness a clash of offensive styles as these teams battle for court supremacy. >Sun vs Knicks ০ Date : Saturday 16 December, 2023০ Time : 9:00 AM০ Venue : Footprint Center The Bucks face a doubleheader, first against the Pistons at Fiserv Forum, then against the Rockets the next day. Can Giannis Antetokounmpo and his crew maintain their winning ways? >Bucks vs Piston০ Date : Sunday 17 December, 2023০ Time : 5:00 AM০ Venue : Fiserv Forum>Bucks vs Rockets ০ Date : Monday 18 December, 2023০ Time: 6:00 AM০ Venue : Fiserv Forum So clear your schedules, grab your snacks, and join the sporting spectacle! This week promises to be one for the ages, with every game offering a unique blend of athleticism, drama, and nail-biting competition. Read the full article

0 notes

autumnshighlady · 2 years ago

Text

I’ve Always Liked to Play With Fire (part 1)

NESTA ARCHERON X FEMALE!READER

summary: Your friend, Lucien, saved you from Hybern in the Spring Court and brought you to Night. There, you meet Nesta Archeron, and the two of you face the Night Court together.

warnings: MAJOR inner circle slander, if you love Feysand and will defend them please do not read this fic for your own sanity, also some angst

word count: 3.5k

request: (y’all wanted some Neris x reader and most of it was smut, this will happen later on but I went wild with the Neris requests so this will be a long multi part fic I am so sorry lmao)

DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE

a/n: seriously, do not read this fic if you are upset by Rhys, Feyre, IC slander. It will be upsetting, I do not want to get complaints about it. I do not hate those characters, but I do think they are hypocrites and I am sick of them not getting called out. Also, this WILL BECOME A NERIS X READER FIC, so if you’re hoping for any Nessian it will not happen. Also none of it follows the canon haha

read on ao3

✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

Today marked three months since you ended up in the Night Court, courtesy of Lucien. One month since your old friend had found you half dead in your village in the Spring Court, which had been massacred by Hybern soldiers. Lucien had gone to check on Tamlin, trying to rebuild their relations that had been shattered upon the redhead’s switching of courts. On his way out of the Spring Court he had decided to drop by your village, not having seen you in over a decade, only to find it in ruins. You were the only survivor, but barely. All you remembered was the sound of Lucien’s panicked voice, and the sensation of a world spinning as he winnowed you away.

You did not remember much about your arrival in the Night Court, aside from the occasional scents of ointments as healers tended to your broken, starved body. You were in and out of consciousness for a few days, never staying awake for more than five minutes at a time. Lucien had explained that you were at a fortress called the House of Wind, in the mountains above the main city. After a week you were strong enough to get out of bed, strong enough to meet with the High Lord and Lady of the Night Court.

To say it had gone poorly had been an understatement. You could see the disdain in their eyes as they learned you to be from the Spring Court, their judgment as if you were the one who had locked Feyre in that manor after the escape from Under the Mountain. Rage coiled in your cut as you stared down the High Lady, hating how she lived her life without remorse for what she had done to your people.

“Glad to see you are awake and well.” Rhysand had said, no warmth to be found in his violet eyes.

“Lying is not a good look on you, High Lord.” You had spat out in response. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Lucien giving you a pleading look, begging you not to start this argument now.

But you had anyway. You did not want to be in the Night Court, forced to rely on the generosity of the female who destroyed your court and the male who delighted in cruelty. Everyone knew what Tamlin had done to Feyre, how he locked her up in the manor. You could not blame her anger – it had been wrong for the blonde High Lord to lock his fiancee up.

But she had taken her revenge out on the people of Spring Court. She had deliberately opened it up like a wound, allowing Hybern to take advantage of its weakness and go on a slaughter rampage, one that had almost gotten you killed. And yet Feyre was hailed as a hero for destroying a court of innocent people just to get back at its leader. Your stomach churned, remembering the faces of your friends and family as their throats were slit by Hybern soldiers who laughed as their blood spilled onto their armour. All because of the High Lady of the Night Court.

You did not hold back your hostility, letting your hatred and anger spill from your lips. “Am I supposed to thank you?” You had snarled at her.

“That would be a start.” Feyre had said, looking down her nose at you. “You are in my court, after all, being taken care of by my healers.”

You had snorted, letting out a dry laugh. “You are the reason I am here, High Lady. Because you let your petty revenge fantasies destroy my court and slaughter my village, my family, everything I loved.”

Feyre had stiffened, eyes shifting to her mate for support.

“You will not speak to her like that.” Rhysand had growled, letting his power fill the room in an attempt to intimidate you.

“Or what, you’ll kill me?” You had bit back. “You have no problem letting people from Spring Court die, so go for it. Maybe killing another one of us will make you feel better.”

Lucien had intervened at this point, trying to ease the tension before it got out of hand. But you continued to stare down at the High Lord and Lady, wishing you were anywhere else but in this wretched court. You knew the only reason you were still alive was because if they killed you, Lucien would be less inclined to work with them and for whatever reason, they needed him on their side.

And that is how you had ended up at the House of Wind. The High Lord and Lady claimed you were not a prisoner, but you knew they were well aware you were too weak to tackle the 10,000 steps down into the city. So yes, you were essentially a prisoner, and you had told them this much right before they winnowed away. Lucien had promised he’d come visit you, but when he didn’t you expected the High Lord and Lady had deliberately been keeping him busy.

So you wandered aimlessly around the estate, filled with resentment that you were stuck in the court ruled by the female who had torn yours apart. You barely ate, your time mostly consisting of sitting on the reading nook by one of the large windows, staring out at the mountains beyond.

One day, things changed. Normally, nobody bothered you while you stared out your window, the only other signs of life in the room being the occasional servant passing through. On a rainy afternoon, you had decided to crack open one of the books on the shelf and begin reading. You were a few chapters in when you heard footsteps approaching, stopping a few feet away from you. Normally you would have ignored the other presence in the room, but something in your chest pulled at you like a string, urging you to turn around where you were faced with the most beautiful female you had ever seen.

She was tall and lean, dressed in a dark blue gown with long sleeves and a collar around her elegant neck. Her face was sharp and her hair was a rich caramel shade, braided in a crown around her head. Those slate-coloured eyes glinted, staring you down with an intensity that you imagined made most fae shuffle on their feet with uneasiness. But it was a different intensity than the High Lord and Lady’s gazes, and you did not feel fear, only awe.

“You are Lucien’s friend.” She finally spoke. Her expression was unreadable, and she was as still as a statue.

“Yes.” You had said, meeting her gaze. She was enchanting, your heart fluttering at the sound of her cool voice. She was silent for a moment longer before speaking again.

“I heard you caused some upset with my sister and her mate.”

A bell pinged in your head as you put the pieces together. Lucien had mentioned Feyre’s older sister, not that you needed an introduction. Everyone across Prythian had heard of the female who severed the King of Hybern’s head from his body, whose eyes glowed with silver fire from the Cauldron itself.

You were unsure of what to say. Part of you worried that Nesta would look at you with the same disdain as her sister, but the other part of you knew that she wouldn’t. For some reason, Nesta was in the same position as you, a prisoner in the House of Wind while her sister was free to wander the city below, painting away in her new grand estates. The thought made you seethe with rage, knowing so many fae like yourself were still suffering from the war, with no money and no support.

The silence slowly ate away at you, until Nesta finally spoke.

“Good.” Was all she said before turning away and walking out of the room.

And that was the beginning of you and Nesta. Over the next few weeks, you saw each other more. It started with Nesta asking what you were reading, and suggesting other stories for you to read. And then she began joining you, sitting in silence in the chair across from you as you both read your books. Eventually, you found yourself leaving the room and going to the library with the older Archeron sister, or sipping tea on the balcony.

For the first while, the two of you spoke little. It was not an uncomfortable silence though, you two simply sat contently in each other's presence. It was nice to have another female around, especially one that didn’t worship the ground that the High Lady and Lord walked on.

One day, the ‘inner circle’, as Nesta explained they called themselves, arrived at the House of Wind for dinner. Lucien had informed you earlier that morning, sheepishly explaining that not attending wasn’t an option. Apparently the rulers of the Night Court wanted to build relations with you – which you knew was just code for seeing if they could use your connections to the Spring Court to their advantage.

You stood in your room, examining the dress that one of the servants had brought you. It was black, with a deep V-neck and a thick band around your waist. The sleeves were made of sheer material that hung loose around your arms and gathered at the wrist. It was a nice dress, you admitted, but you knew it was selected to make you feel like you were part of the Night Court. Which you weren’t, and would never be.

Deciding to leave your hair unbound, you opened your door and exited your room. You saw Nesta in the hallway, her room being one down from yours, and your jaw dropped when you saw her.

Her dress was similar to the blue one you met her in, only it was a shade of deep grey, and the thin neckline plunged to her navel. Nesta’s hair was braided in her usual style, but dark circles haunted the skin under her eyes. You knew she had not been sleeping, often hearing her toss and turn all night from the other side of the wall. From what you gathered about her being in the same position as you, Nesta was dreading this dinner more than you were.

“Hey.” You said softly. Her gaze met yours, silver eyes glazed as if they were staring right through you.

Your heart nearly shattered at how broken she looked. You couldn’t imagine what she was going through, how awful it must have been to have been stolen from your bed and your bodily autonomy stripped away from you as you were turned into something else. She did not look like the fierce Kingslayer the rumours spoke of, or the mean, nasty female that cut people down with her words, but rather a shell of a person who was seconds away from crumbling into nothing.

“Are you ready?” You asked gently.

Nesta nodded stiffly, and you extended your hand before you could think. Part of you was afraid she’d scoff at the gesture, lashing out and storming away and leaving you humiliated. To your surprise, Nesta slid her hand into yours – it was ice cold and shaky, so you gave it a gentle squeeze.

“We can face them together,” You assured her. “I don’t know what went down between you and the Night Court, but I’ll be with you the whole time.”

Nesta’s eyes cleared as she turned her gaze back towards you. She blinked once, as if she was making sure you were real, standing there holding her hand.

“And I’ll be with you.” She said, her voice shaking slightly as she tilted her chin up. “Now let’s get this over with.”

The two of you strode hand in hand down the hallway towards the dining room, bracing yourselves for whatever the next hours would bring.

*************

If you hadn’t been so annoyed at the Night Court rulers showing up you would have laughed at their expressions when you and Nesta walked into the room with your hands entwined. At the table, Rhysand and Feyre sat side by side at the head, the High Lord’s violet eyes simmering at the sight of you and Nesta side by side while Feyre’s eyes were wide with surprise. There was an empty space next to Feyre, no doubt intended for Nesta, and on the other side of the seat was a blonde female wearing a red dress with a plunging neckline. You recognized her as the Morrigan – her neck and wrists were cluttered with gold jewelry, and her face was undeniably gorgeous, save for the confused look that was written across her features. Cassian and Azriel sat next to the blonde, also looking surprised. Cassian, who you had met in passing a few times, paused halfway through sipping his glass of time. His eyes were wholly focused on Nesta, and you didn’t miss the jealousy pooling in them. Azriel, whom you had also met a few times and was the one member of the Inner Circle that you could tolerate, showed less surprise. He merely blinked once, an unreadable expression on his face, and a shadow curled around his neck.

To Rhysand’s right was a small female with short black hair and red lips. Amren, you figured. A look of disgust crossed her face, and you felt Nesta tense beside you. Clearly, something had gone down between the two of them. Next to Amren was a male with dark skin and white hair, looking very uncomfortable. Lucien sat next to him, looking like he was going to burst out laughing any second. Another empty chair was next to Lucien, clearly intended for you.

Silence filled the room for what could have been an eternity until Feyre spoke up.

“Nesta, (Y/N),” The High Lady said, voice light and airy. “We are so glad you could join us.”

Nobody else said anything, and you could practically feel Nesta’s panic. She was looking at the seat meant for her, between her sister who locked her up here and a female who clearly disliked her.

After squeezing Nesta’s hand, you let go and walked over to the chair beside Feyre. Confused, the entire table watched you as you grabbed the back of the chair and dragged it away, not caring about the ear splitting scraping sound it made on the stone floor. You pulled it to the other end of the table, opposite of Rhys and Feyre but next to the empty chair beside Lucien, who coughed into his arm to conceal his laugh.

You looked back towards Nesta, whose lips twitched upwards for a split second as she strode over to the newly placed chair, smoothing her skirts as she sat down in it. Satisfied with the new arrangement, you took your seat.

After more moments of dumbstruck quiet, it was the Varian who broke the silence, asking Feyre about her art. As servants brought food to the tables, conversation flowed everywhere but in the direction of you and Nesta.

You were fine with that, and you knew Nesta was too. The silence you two sat in was comfortable and familiar, but neither of you really touched your food. Being in the presence of the inner circle made your appetite nonexistent. So you pushed the veggies around your plate for the next half hour until plates were cleared, and your end of the table was addressed for the first time.

“How’s the training going, Nesta?” Morrigan asked. It seemed genuine enough, but from the way Nesta tensed beside you, you could tell it was a pointed question.

“Wonderful.” Nesta said dryly, meeting her stare.

“What training?” You asked, confused. Not once had you seen Nesta with a blade, but whenever Cassian left the House of Wind in the past while he was always in a mood, Nesta even more so.

“Nesta’s learning how to fight,” Feyre said. “That’s why she’s here.”

“The training she’s apparently refusing to do.” Rhysand added.

You snorted. “Doesn’t the Night Court already have armies? I don’t see them here, if she was going to learn how to fight wouldn’t it be, you know, where the armies actually are?”

Rhysand’s eyes met yours. “Yes, we have armies,” He said in a low voice. “But Nesta needs to train anyway.”

“I don’t have to do anything.” Nesta hissed.

“You do if you are in my court.” Rhysand growled.

“I did not ask to be here.”

You surveyed the table. Feyre’s eyes were red, as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment. Cassian looked concerned, while Mor and Amren seemed annoyed. So many questions burned at you – why was Nesta being made to train to fight? Why here, locked away from the city? What happened between her and her sister?

Discreetly, you took Nesta’s hand under the table, rubbing a circle with your thumb, although you did not think the action went unnoticed.

I am with you, You reminded her. Deciding to take the spotlight off Nesta, you spoke up.

“But why am I here?” You asked. “I am healed now, why not send me back home? What reason do you have to keep me here?”

Another heavy silence filled the room, even Cassian had stopped eating. Eyes shifted, as if a silent conversation was occurring.

“We thought you might have some information about the Spring Court.” Rhysand began. “Since you are here–”

You laughed sharply, cutting him off. “You’ve got to be joking.”

“I am not, and I suggest you listen.”

“Do you seriously think I’m going to betray my own court?” You spat. “Besides, isn’t Lucien the one with the job anyways?”

Your red haired friend closed his eyes and sighed, knowing this was going to happen. You felt bad for him – you knew he wasn’t fully accepted in the Night Court, just as you would never be, not with his ties to Spring. He was balancing on a wire, trying to help two courts who hated each other.

“Your father is one of Tamlin’s advisors,” Rhysand continued, ignoring you. “And Tamlin is an enemy. We just want to know–”

Rage pulsed through you. You were glad you didn’t have any sort of power, because if you did you were pretty sure the room would have erupted into flames.

“My father WAS one of Tamlin’s advisors,” You growled. “Now he is dead thanks to your High Lady destroying his court and leaving them vulnerable to Hybern. If you think I’m going to help you, you’re insane.”

“You will do as we say,” Rhysand growled, placing his hands on the table and standing up. “If you do not want to share what you know, we have other ways of getting it out of you. I have no problem going into that pretty head of yours and—”

Nesta stood up. “Do not threaten her.” She said, with the most vicious snarl you had ever seen. Silver fire glowed in her eyes, and you almost gasped. This was the power the Cauldron gave her, you realized. She looked like a goddess of war, staring at the High Lord with a challenge to dare lay a hand on you.

“Or what, Nesta?” Rhysand asked, moving his arm to bring Feyre behind him. “What are you going to do?”

The entire table was still, as if bracing themselves to intervene if either fae launched themselves at one another. You had only known Nesta for just over two months, yet she was ready to challenge the High Lord in your defense, something which clearly confused the others at the table.

You were grateful for her support. The dynamic between the two of you was unique to any other friendship you had, although you did not know if you could classify it as such. You were two females who had slighted the members of the court and forced into the House of Wind like dogs being sent to the kennel. You wished you knew the whole of Nesta’s story, but you also knew better than to push.

The Night Court saved you without your consent and planned to use it as leverage, to try and get information on their enemy. It made you sick, how you were indebted to them and expected to be grateful. While the House of Wind was nice, you knew you could not leave it. You were a hostage there, just as much as Nesta. And you two needed to stick together.

Nesta’s eyes returned to their original shade, whether it be from the High Lord’s magic demanding submission or her own volition. She cleared her throat, throwing one last glare across the table before grabbing your hand.

“I think we are done for tonight.” She said, pulling you up.

Leaving the shocked table behind, you let her lead you out the door, shaking slightly. The two of you walked in silence down the hallway towards your room. As you got to your rooms, Nesta dropped your hand.

“Nesta, I–” You went to thank her, and to ask if she was ok, but she had already wordlessly stormed into her room and closed the door.

let me know if you want to be added to a taglist <3

356 notes · View notes