#the humble petition and advice
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cromwellrex2 · 7 months ago
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The Humble Petition And Advice: ‘With ermine clad and purple, let him hold, A royal sceptre, made of Spanish gold,’
Cromwell is Offered the English Crown
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Cromwell Resolving to Refuse the Crown by Charles Lucy (1858). Source: Media Storehouse website
THE SECOND Protectorate Parliament assembled following an election in August 1656, and was not a pleasing sight to Oliver Cromwell. The Lord Protector, in his wish to be seen to be above the electoral fray had perhaps not made it clear to his military governors, the Major-Generals, that part of their role was to ensure that the reluctantly-summoned Parliament was to be as amenable to Cromwell’s rule as possible. In the event, to his horror, Cromwell saw a collection of MPs who consisted of Radicals, Independents, Presbyterians and Protectorate-sceptics that Cromwell anticipated would be a thorn in his side. He was furious and if the Second Protectorate Parliament did indeed presage the end of the rule of the Major-Generals, Cromwell’s own profound disappointment at his agents’ apparent willingness to allow free and fair elections in their counties, probably had as much to do with their demise as did the new Parliament’s antipathy to their rule. This antipathy had been raised to boiling point by a belated and ham-fisted attempt by the Major-Generals to exclude overtly oppositionist MPs from taking their seats - most of whom only found out they were excluded when soldiers barred them from taking their places in the House on the first day of the Parliament.
In the event, the September 1656 Parliament proved far less troublesome to Cromwell than the Lord Protector feared: in fact, its climactic action was ultimately to offer to make the Huntingdon squire King Oliver I.
The Parliament’s initial actions were in fact very much to Cromwell’s liking: the funds to continue the war with Spain were voted through with little if any opposition; the right of the Stuarts to the throne of England was annulled (which given the Scottish and Irish representation in the new Westminster Commons effectively removed the Royal Family from its right to rule in all three Kingdoms), and it established a devolved justice system, setting up a national court of equity in York. However a number of events came together in late 1656 to push the Commonwealth into a place of constitutional uncertainty. The first of these was the case of James Nayler, a messianic Quaker, who began to proclaim himself a reincarnation of Jesus Christ. He attracted a considerable following and his antics, including entering Bristol on a donkey with female devotees spreading his path with palm leaves was, understandably, considered entirely blasphemous by respectable society. The Parliament took it upon itself to prosecute Nayler and to enact a particularly cruel and visceral punishment on him (he was pilloried, branded, his tongue bored and he was whipped through the streets) with no authorisation sought from the Lord Protector or the Council of State. Cromwell himself, who was neither sectarian nor instinctively cruel, recoiled at the judgement and worried at the reaction of the Quakers, then a radical and growing religious movement, who might view Nayler's fate as a betrayal of the Commonwealth's much-vaunted religious toleration. Perhaps more importantly however, Cromwell queried where Parliament derived its authority to become directly involved in judicial decisions on blasphemy.
The next event took place on the same day as the vote on funds for the continuance of the Spanish war. The Major-General John Desborough attempted to secure a continuation of the Decimation Tax, the controversial levy on property-owning former Royalists designed to fund local militias accountable to the Major-Generals. This deeply unpopular measure was defeated on its second reading in January 1657 which effectively ended the means by which the Major-Generals could enforce their will in the counties. With Cromwell’s own loss of confidence in his military governors, the Major-Generals became increasingly redundant and their slow demise raised the issue of where the power of government now lay - was it with Parliament, the Council of State or in the person of the Lord Protector himself?
The final occurrence was an increased awareness of the vulnerability of Cromwell himself to Royalist or Radical assassination plots and, given the fragile constitutional legitimacy of his position, to the stability of the Commonwealth itself. Anti-Commonwealth sentiment threw up strange bedfellows and Colonel Edward Sexby, a New Model Agitator, previously active at the Putney Debates, worked with the Royalist die-hards of the Sealed Knot to attempt three separate assassinations of Cromwell. Although Thurloe uncovered each of them in time, they were sufficiently well planned for both Cromwell’s allies and Parliament to be unnerved at the prospect of the anarchy that would ensue should the Lord Protector be killed with no arrangements for his succession - both constitutional and personal - agreed.
The result was perhaps inevitable. The Instrument of Government, despite its promise, had never been allowed to operate as a fully established republican constitution. It is perhaps no surprise that men and women therefore turned to the settlement the country had known, albeit imperfectly for centuries, and calls arose more loudly and insistently for a new monarchy to be established, and for Oliver Cromwell to be made king. On 23rd February 1657, Parliament was presented with a petition entitled the Humble Petition and Advice, a means by which a non-Stuart monarchy could be restored and for King Oliver to be its first occupant. Many of Cromwell’s supporters, including both Lambert and Harrison, were appalled at the prospect of all they had fought for being overturned by the very man they had followed from Marston Moor to Worcester, and the Humble Petition was furiously debated. Ultimately however, the petition forced into open discussion the political ambiguity of the Commonwealth and the need for a constitutional settlement that would be acceptable to the majority of the population for most of the time. From the perspective of the Humble Petition’s advocates, their desired outcome was a constitutional monarch, a non-aristocratic second chamber and, preferably a Presbyterian English Church with an end to religious toleration. On the issue of a second chamber there was broad agreement across all parties and it was agreed that an upper house of seventy members, nominated by the Lord Protector, should be established. The question of the kingship however was much more problematic.
Ultimately, the matter came down to Cromwell’s own conscience and what he believed to be God’s will. On 25th March, Parliament voted to offer the crown to Cromwell. There then followed five weeks of uncertainty while Cromwell himself weighed up the pros and cons of the stark choice before him. On one hand, his own experience and intelligence told him the Commonwealth could not limp on with compromised or uncertain legitimacy, but on the other he feared the consequences of effectively reversing the Parliamentarian advances over seventeen years of war and contested peace. His hand was perhaps forced by a chance meeting in St James’ Park with Desborough and Lambert on 6th May. His two old comrades told Cromwell they could not support him assuming the role of monarch and would resign their commissions rather than serve their general as king. This seemed to be enough. Two days later Cromwell informed Parliament ‘I cannot undertake this Government with that title of king. And that’s my answer to this great and weighty business.’
Cromwell, ever God’s Englishman, had turned his back on the greatest prize. The Commonwealth lived on, but in what form was not clear, as both proponents and opponents of the Humble Petition took stock.
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cockkette · 3 months ago
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baby alonso
charles leclerc x alonso!reader
warnings - swearing, google translate spanish, dad!fernando, tomfoolery + shenanigans (it is alonso!reader so are we suprised), i think that's it xoxo
face claim - girls on pinterest
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y/n.alonso
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liked by astonmartinf1, fernandoalo_oficial and 409,345 others
y/n.alonso: causing chaos in the aston garage per usual 😘
comments
astonmartinf1: not too much chaos though... right
y/n.alonso: of course
fernandoalo_oficial: my daughter is an angel and can do no wrong 🤨
user1: praise the alonso father daughter duo we all say in unison
user2: and to think this man committed war crimes
y/n.alonso: allegedly* 🙄
liked by fernandoalo_oficial
fernandoalo_oficial: now that you finished with that waste of time you can come to every race just like when you were little cariño!!
y/n.alonso: by 'that waste of time' do you mean the university that you payed for?
fernandoalo_oficial: yes i'm glad we are on the same page mija 🩷
user3: you heard it here first fernando alonso says university isn't important
astonmartinf1: this is not the view if the aston martin f1 team or any of our sponsors
user4: is he trying to kill admin?
astonmartinf1: i fear he might be 🥲
user5: baby alonso is the paddock princess
user6: she is living the dream for real
y/n.alonso: it is pretty sweet being a nepo child 💪
lance_stroll: you know it 😎
user7: i'm praying for aston points
y/n.alonso: hang on i'll pull some strings brb
y/n.alonso: dad! lance! score some points!
liked by astonmartinf1
user8: she's so pretty 😍
charles_leclerc: she really is
carlossainz55: bro do you actually have a death wish
fernandoalo_oficial: i'll see you on the track leclerc 🙂
y/n.alonso: papá!
astonmartinf1
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liked by fernandoalo_oficial, y/n.alonso and 245,071 others
tagged: fernandoalo_oficial, lance_stroll and y/n.alonso
astonmartinf1: race weekend with a special guest 😉
comments
user9: we love baby alonso
user10: BABY ALONSO
user11: get her to sort aston martin tf out
y/n.alonso: guys i'm trying my best 😔
fernandoalo_oficial: mija lawrence is going to make me go to another pr training session if you keep doing this
user12: the king can't get locked up in pr jail!!
charles_leclerc: i might have to swing by the aston garage 😉
fernandoalo_oficial: you might fucking not
charles_leclerc: yes fernando, sorry fernando
user13: charles is going to get himself run off the track
user14: charles is a braver man than me fernando might kill him
y/n.alonso: thank you for having me! it's always so so much fun 🩷
liked by astonmartinf1
user15: petition for y/n to be at every race ever please
user16: where do i sign
user17: her paddock fits are literally everything to me
lance_stroll: she has started to give me fashion tips to 'inspire' me please don't encourage her
danielricciardo: you might want to start taking the advice...
lance_stroll: oh 😦
fernandoalo_oficial
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liked by y/n.alonso, charles_leclerc and 324,391 others
fernandoalo_oficial: i think i need to fire my new race engineer she's mean
comments
y/n.alonso: boo 👎👎
fernandoalo_oficial: don't boo your own father
y/n.alonso: don't be a boring old man
sebastianvettel: she's got you there mate
fernandoalo_oficial: what the fuck are you doing here!?
jensonbutton: she gagged you fr 💅
aussiegrit: ate and left no crumbs
sebastianvettel: slay 💋
fernandoalo_oficial: what is actually happening
user18: i swear they will never miss an opportunity to try humble nando
liked by sebastianvettel, jensonbutton and aussiegrit
user19: i'm sure charles wouldn't mind having y/n as a race engineer
fernandoalo_oficial: no.
user20: the way i would never speak again
user21: noo i would love them together
liked by charles_leclerc
user22: in my head they ARE together
astonmartinf1: i mean we did get points this weekend soooo...
y/n.alonso: you're welcome xxx
y/n.alonso
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liked by charles_leclerc, astonmartinf1 and 283,912 others
y/n.alonso: home sweet home 🏠
comments
user23: how is charles always in the likes before me? i have notifications on?!?
charles_leclerc: you snooze you lose mate
user24: he really is just like us (in love with y/n)
user25: too bad he's too scared of alonso to do anything about it ���‍♀️
yourbestfriend: your outfits always eat pretty girl!
y/n.alonso: aww thank you baby
user26: oh to be called baby by y/n
liked by charles_leclerc
fernandoalo_oficial: have fun!
fernandoalo_oficial: not too much fun though be careful and safe
y/n.alonso: yes papa
user27: he forgot who his daughter was for a second there
liked by fernandoalo_oficial
astonmartinf1: see you next race week!
y/n.alonso: wouldn't miss it!
user28: yesss
iamrebeccad: i miss you (and your gossip)
y/n.alonso: miss you too (don't worry i have plenty more)
user29: show it to me rachel!!!!
charles_leclerc: i'm in madrid too we should meet up
fernandoalo_oficial: what are you doing??
y/n.alonso: i might take you up on that offer cha 🤭
fernandoalo_oficial: noooo stop this
user30: this is sending me 😂
user31: the way they are fully ignoring him
user32: i won't ever get over y/n calling him cha
liked by charles_leclerc
charles_leclerc
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liked by y/n.alonso, carlossainz55and 592,842 others
charles_leclerc: time to unwind
comments
user33: wait is that y/n???
user34: it totally looks like her
user35: my chay/n heart can't take this
user36: the matching shirt with the dress? please!!!
user37: charles + spain = slaggy pictures
user38: and we thank him for it
liked by y/n.alonso
user39: omg y/n does not give a fuck
carlossainz55: where was my invite bro?
charles_leclerc: i'm so sorry i was too busy...
carlosainz55: i thought it was bros before hoes
chalres_leclerc: nah my hoe is 4 life
user40: so unserious i swear
pierregasly: i love knowing things nobody else knows
user41: tell me please
user42: pierre is my biggest opp rn
pierregasly: don't hate the player hate the game
user43: he is the king of gossip
liked by charles_leclerc
user44: i've been manifesting this for months i hope it's y/n
user45: oh so you're crazy crazy?
y/n.alonso
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liked by yourbestfriend, charles_leclerc and 12,812 others
caption- look who i bumped into 😉
replies
charles_leclerc: you say this like we didn't come here together
y/n.alonso: i'm trying to be mysterious and nonchalant
charles_leclerc: dork 🤓
y/n.alonso: you know you love it
user46: OMG
user47: this is so important to me
fernandoalo_oficial: tell him not to try anything
y/n.alonso: whatever papa 🙄
charles_leclerc
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liked by y/n.alonso, carlossainz55 and 872,849 others
tagged: y/n.alonso
charles_leclerc: happy 6 months mon amour 🩷
comments
user48: they are already my favorite couple ever
user49: the way i will be yapping about them i am about to get at least 10 times more annoying
user50: as you should tbh
user51: i'm so so happy for them but this might take fernando out
user52: i just know he is being restrained by aston martin rn so he can't comment
astonmartinf1: 🤐
user53: the goat is being silenced
pierregasly: now the secret is out i feel less special
user54: it's a tough life out here for the gossipy hoes
pierregasly: don't i know it
y/n.alonso: i love you
charles_leclerc: i love you more
user55: ew are they going to start being sappy on main now
pierregasly: i fear they might
liked by charles_leclerc and y/n.alonso
oscarpiastri: bwoah
user56: felt that
user57: charles has... game?
maxverstappen1: we are all as surprised as you are mate
user58: flabbergasted fr
maxverstappen1: he bamboozled us all with his loserness
user59: max i know you're not talking rn
y/n.alonso
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liked by iamrebeccad, charles_leclerc and 17251 others
caption- this jacket looks supa cute!
replies
fernandoalo_oficial: ewww it's so ugly 🤢
y/n.alonso: papa i'm sorry for not telling you about charles earlier
fernandoalo_oficial: i'm not over it yet i feel betrayed
fernandoalo_oficial: i just need time mija
y/n.alonso: you are so dramatic old man
fernandoalo_oficial: what the sigma?
user60: my favorite wag and nepo baby
charles_leclerc: please tell me you bought it mon coeur
y/n.alonso: yep! and when you get back to the hotel i'll be waiting for you wearing just that
charles_leclerc: fuck i'm on my way right now i'll just get the food delivered you aren't going anywhere
y/n.alonso: yes sir
charles_leclerc: you kill me cherie
user61: I JUST KNOW CHARLES IS LOSING HIS SHIT
charles_leclerc
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liked by yourbestfriend, fernandoalo_oficial and 436,592 others
tagged: y/n.alonso
charles_leclerc: my ferrari girl ❤️
comments
fernandoalo_oficial: i'm still mad but no one told me but this is actually kind of cute ig
charles_leclerc: woo he likes me now
y/.alonso: don't push it amor 💋
user62: i'm sobbing he loves her so much
user63: if my bf ain't like this then i don't want it
y/n.alonso: he is pretty great icl
fernandoalo_oficial: i think i preferred when i didn't know about this... now you don't shut up about him
user64: she is so me
y/n.alonso: i'm you're ferrari girl
charles_leclerc: that's right baby
user65: shut up shut up i can't handle this
user66: they are literally everything
user67: i don't know how charles managed to hide this for 6 months
user68: now he posts y/n all the time 🤭
user69: ikr its so cute!!
carlossainz55: he can't keep a secret to save his life so he just yapped to me and pierre all. the. time
pierregasly: and he wasn't exactly subtle in the comments 🤨
scuderiaferrari: y/n is a ferrari girl confirmed 😦
liked by y/n.alonso
user70: everyone is a ferrari fan
user71: even if they are not, they are a ferrari fan
a/n - thank you for reading i hope you enjoyed and as always any feedback is apppreciated <3
1K notes · View notes
lotus-tower · 1 year ago
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Mask recommendations for ordering online (NA)
Note: for consistency, practicality, and simplicity all prices are listed in USD.
masknerd has a comprehensive data set on hundreds of masks he's tested according to his own criteria and methodology (pinned tweet). find his recommendations on his youtube channel. many of the following are on his list as well!
DISPOSABLE MASKS
3M Aura and Vflex: one of the most commonly recommended brands of N95. Where to buy?
- US: see here - Canada: see here - Multiple sizes per model. These suppliers are good for bulk ordering. If you aren't sure if something will fit you, check out the sample kits in the next recommendation - Price point: varies from $1-1.3 USD per mask depending on supplier
Breatheteq (US):
- KN95s that come in small, medium, large, or XS (kids) - Offers sample kits so you can test out what your size is - Comes in a few different colours. shoutout to the lavender - Earloop only - Price point: $69.75 USD for a 50-pack (~1.4 USD per mask)
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Canadastrong (Canada):
- The Canadian equivalent to Breatheteq, but also carries N95s of other brands such as 3M Aura and Vflex, Vitacore, and Drager X-plore
Vitacore (Canada and US):
- N95 certified, but actually has 99% filtration - Both earloop and head strap versions (warning that the head strap seems to fit considerably smaller) - Regular and small adult sizes offered, also a kid's size - Price point: $33.99 for a 30-pack (~1.1 USD per mask)
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Wellbefore (US, ships to Canada):
- N95s, KN95s, and KF94s - Head straps, normal earloops, or adjustable earloops depending on model - Kids/petite size available for certain KN95 models - Wide range of colours (excluding N95s) - Price point: varies per model, from $0.79 USD to $2.09 USD per mask - Also sells Covid tests, over the counter medication, and medical supplies
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Masklab (US):
- This is an indulgent option for if you want to go out and look good, while still staying safe. These are masks that are part of your outfit - FFP2 certified, equivalent to KF94s - Standard size and slim fit series - Many beautiful patterns - Price point: $24.44 USD for a 5-pack ($4.88 per mask) for the patterned KF ones, ~$3.4 USD for the plain KF ones, ~$3.3 USD for the slim fit series, including patterns.
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ELASTOMERIC MASKS
Flomask (US, ships to Canada):
- Reusable elastomeric mask (with replaceable filters) that meets KN95 standards - Two adult sizes (low/medium nose ridge and medium/high nose ridge) and a kid's size - Adjustable straps - Price point: $122 USD. 50-pack replacement filters: $81.46 (filters to be changed after 20-40 hours of use, depending on filter type)
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A humble P100 elastomeric respirator from your local Home Depot or similar store! Magnitudes cheaper than the Flo mask (both the respirator itself and the filters)--however, I can't offer estimates for how often filters should be replaced. May not look pretty, but the most economical option for the highest degree of filtration if you aren't self-conscious.
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General advice:
N95 or higher are the most reliable. They normally come with head straps, which offer better protection by making a tighter seal around your face.
But fit and comfort are the most important! Find a mask that fits your face and leaves the least amount of gap possible. KN95s are often more comfortable and breathable--find what's right for you.
You can wear different masks for different situations depending on risk level!
If you're hesitant to buy online, here's advice on how to tell if your respirator is legitimate.
A SIP drinking valve can be installed on any disposable mask to allow you to drink in public with less risk.
If anyone has other recommendations, please feel free to add!
3K notes · View notes
bring-forth-his-sac · 7 days ago
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The Christmas Party - Chapter 3
Summary: Now that you have a party to plan, you decide to start with the decorations... but Negan has a more exciting idea in mind.
Word Count: 5.2k
Tags: Modern AU, Teacher AU, Swearing, Pet Names, Slow Burn, Negan being an asshole, reader being an asshole too ?
previous chapter can be found here
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After your vow to stay resolute in your (accidental) decision to help with the Christmas party, you vanished on Negan. He half-expected you to ambush him first thing the next morning but nothing came.  
In a perfect world, you would have gone home that day, realized your pettiness and followed Negan’s original advice. You would have humbled yourself and gone straight to Gregory, petitioning for this pain in the ass party to be called off.
“Carl! That funky eye of yours doesn’t mean your legs don’t work!” Negan shouts at one of the students in his afternoon class “Run for the ball, damn it! Quit standing on the sidelines!”.
The whistle around Negan’s neck swings as he struts along the side of the basketball court, muttering to himself. Despite the chill in the air, it’s sunny outside and so they’re not all stuck inside the sports hall, where Negan would’ve been trapped in the thick air of sweaty, hormonal teens. 
But that’s not the only reason he’s glad to be outside on the courts. After Negan’s plan backfired and filled you with spiteful devotion to the Christmas party, he can’t bear to be in the sports hall, knowing it’s only a matter of time before his colleagues wreck havoc on his little slice of heaven.
A polite cough behind him pulls him out of his thoughts. Negan is about to grumble to some kid to cover their mouth but when he glances behind, he sees you instead. 
“Fan- fucking -tastic,” Negan says drily “my day has just got ten times better”.
The sight of a notebook pressed against your chest makes him want to groan. Hoping for some kind of a miracle, he asks “You get the party cancelled yet?”.
You join him by the sidelines, smiling mischievously. “Nope,” you reply cheerfully “I think I’d rather torture you by making you help organize it instead”. 
Negan scoffs, looking back at the game. You take it as your que to continue. Looking down at your notebook you read the small list you’ve made of the different categories you’ll both have to tackle. 
Food. Drink. Music. Decorations.
You read your small list out loud before thinking “Is there anything else a party needs? I guess we could have some kinda entertainment, right?”.
With a long exhale, Negan rubs his forehead “You want a bunch of middle aged teachers to play party games?”. 
You shrug “Well, I don’t know how else to keep them entertained…”
“Booze. That’s all you need, not charades or pin the tail on the donkey”.
You write that down, encircling the drinks category before continuing “Well, I’m free for the rest of the day so whenever you want to—“.
“Christ, Patrick! Follow through on your shot!” Negan interrupts, yelling at another poor kid “better fix that limp wrist for your sake!”.
You blink at the… uh… advice, if you could call it that. 
Negan begins making his way down the side of the court, following the action surrounding the basketball as he shouts more words of wisdom. You watch with a mix of curiosity and disbelief, suddenly feeling more confident in your own, calmer teaching style.  
When Negan finally turns his attention back to you, he raises an eyebrow, his tone turning sarcastic again.
"Class ends in about ten minutes. How about we talk afterwards, so you're not following me around like a damn shadow?" he sighs, checking his watch.
Before you can retort your own thinly veiled insult, he’s off shouting at the kids again, this time clapping his arms to really amp them up.
You shake your head, grip tightening on your notebook as you turn on your heels to leave. Your plan was to just wait in his office but once you get to the door, your eyes are drawn to the adjacent double doors of the sports hall. 
If this is where you’ll be having the party, you may as well get a lay of the land now. 
Creeping inside the barren hall, it’s the quietest you’ve ever seen it. The large room is almost eerie without the clatter of basketballs or the sounds of kids shouting. You pause in the doorway, taking in the empty space. Soon, it’ll be filled with noise— this time, for the Christmas party you’ve roped yourself into.
Walking deeper into the room, you wonder how much convincing it’ll take to get Negan up on a ladder to hang tinsel and string lights across the high ceiling. The hall is desperate for some holiday ambience and your brain aches as you try to figure out just how much tinsel will be needed.
Thankfully, your phone buzzes with a welcome distraction. 
Carol: You want to be a good samaritan and help me bake some cookies after school? Need them for the bake sale 
You: Have my hands full planning party 
You: but I could be tempted if I get to taste test some :D
After you informed everyone that you will be planning the party (and to hold off on the barrage of questions), Carol was the only one who didn’t give you a pitiful look when you mentioned it being you and Negan organizing it.
“Negan’s… complicated,” she told you this morning. Surprisingly, that was the most polite description of him you’ve heard.
“Just keep your distance, keep your head down and do the work” Carol listed “he’ll complain a lot but he will get the job done. Eventually”.
Given how much people seem to dislike him, hearing a neutral take felt like a welcome shift.
Carol: you’re starting to sound like my students
You let out a soft laugh before quickly typing a reply, letting her know you’re not sure if you’ll be finished with Negan by then. As much as you hate to admit it, you know how easily you two can fall into a back-and-forth, letting the time slip away without even realizing it.
Carol replies with a thumbs up, and to kill some time, you check the group chat. It’s been a while since you’ve looked at the new messages.
You don’t blame yourself though, not when it’s where you got yourself into this mess. It’s like returning to the scene of a crime but this time you know better than to hurriedly send in a text.
Gregory: WHO GOT THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS INSTALLATION VAN CLAMPED
Gregory: HOW? WHY?????
Sasha: I told you they shouldn’t park in designated spaces 
Rosita: they had their warning
Gregory: they want to school to pay the fee
Sasha: better than slashed tires
Gregory: go to principal Grime’s office , this needs to be sorted now
Rosita: I’m in the middle of teaching a class ??
Gregory: and you’re busy texting?!?!?!?
Gregory: both of you. Principal Grime’s office. NOW
A chuckle from behind makes you shiver and jerk away, hot breath fanning against the side of your neck. Negan peers over at your phone, having read the messages.
“I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation” he snorts, offering you a smirk as you tuck your phone away “can’t say I blame Rosita though, Gregory’s definitely the type of asshat that let them park there”.
“Yeah and you wanted me to talk to that asshat about getting this party cancelled” you grumble, irritation creeping into your tone
“In the past, sweetness,” Negan smiles just to annoy you “now we’re a team, ain’t we?”.
“In the past?! Negan, that was yesterday!” you point out exasperatedly, wandering around the hall to burn off some of your already pent up energy.
“And yesterday is in the past”.
You shoot him a glare but all that achieves is a wider grin looking back at you. Damn him. You run a hand down your face, forcing yourself to stop— both physically and mentally.
Negan’s trying to get you to bite, to start bickering with him so you’ll lose focus on the party and storm off. You close your eyes for a moment, trying to gather yourself. Unfortunately, when you open them again he still has that cocky smile on his face that makes you want to throttle him.
“Do you have any decorations from the previous years?” Your tone is sharper than necessary but that’s what he gets when he’s being a jerk.
“Usually, they’d host this shit at a fancy little place called the Kingdom, so we don’t have much” he replies, his demeanor easing now that you haven’t taken the bait.
“Really?” you question, expecting at least a worn down Christmas tree “What about things for a nativity or Christmas carols?”.
“Yeah cause nothing screams party like having the fuckin’ nativity scene laid out in the middle of the room” Negan teases, fishing keys out of the back pocket of his sweatpants.
You scoff, rolling your eyes as you match his sarcasm with a dose of your own “Well, no, I’m not suggesting we all get drunk in front of baby Jesus”.
Negan lets out a small chuckle, but it sounds unfamiliar. This isn’t the mischievous laugh you heard when he tried to set you up, nor is it the smirk he gave you when you were badmouthing him.
No, this is something else. It’s a rare, genuine sound– a laugh that seems to catch even him off guard. And strangely enough, it’s aimed at you. You try not to linger on it, not wanting to make things awkward.
“If you wanna have a look yourself, knock yourself out” Negan strides over to the small storage room door and you follow behind as he unlocks it.
You stand there, waiting for him to open it but he doesn’t. Instead, Negan pauses for a moment, then he turns to face you with that familiar, smug grin.
“Enjoying the view?” he teases, letting the question hang in the air.
“I— ugh! Negan!” you scold, stepping forward and pushing the door open yourself. Negan doesn’t stop you, even flicking the light on as you go first. 
“Careful, sweetheart,” Negan says, grabbing one of the boxes to prop the door open. “This shit’s old... probably as old as me, so the door’s heavy and a real bastard to yank open from the inside”.
Inside, you’re met with a chaotic mess; boxes piled on top of boxes, cones and rackets scattered across the floor, and a jumble of balls stacked on a rack against the wall.
Technically, the room is large but with all the clutter, there’s barely enough space to move around. Inching your way across a small clearing, you almost wedge yourself between two tall stacks of boxes. “Any idea which ones might have the festive goods?” you ask. 
“Pretty sure it’s the two at the back,” Negan trails after you, clearly uninterested “y’can usually see a bit of tinsel shimmering through the box”.
“This is a good start… I guess,” you try to take an optimistic approach “at least there’s something here”.
You carefully navigate through the maze of clutter, sidestepping loose javelins and dodging stray tennis balls. The mess makes every step feel like a mini obstacle course.
As you finally reach the last stack, you tug the lid off the nearest box, the dust tickling your nose. Peering inside, you slowly begin to sift through its contents—a jumble of tinsel, some baubles that have no string and a few random holiday knickknacks.
Negan leans against the next stack of boxes, arms crossed, watching you with mild amusement.
“Oh wow, you’re just going straight for it, huh?” he commentates, unbothered to help “it’s like you’re on a treasure hunt… y’know if you want to find the real treasure, you’re in luck”.
You don’t bite, not believing his bullshit. Even with no response, Negan continues “I know exactly where to find the crown jewels”. He gives you a wink but you miss it, keeping your head down as you rummage.
”… hellllllloooooo?” he pokes your side.
You pull out a handful of mismatched ornaments and toss them at him. “Maybe you should stop doing nothing and actually help?” you suggest as he barely manages to catch them.
With an exaggerated sigh, Negan starts to search the second box. “I was doing something,” he protests, carelessly looking through the box “flirting, if you didn’t notice”.
“Yeah, well if that’s your idea of flirting, I pray I’m not your type” you jeer.
This time, Negan doesn’t reply. You wonder if he’s taking a page out of your book and ignoring you but then you feel his eyes land on you. 
Readying your disapproving look, you turn to meet Negan’s gaze. “What?” you ask, already annoyed by whatever shenanigan he’s about to pull. 
With the ghost of a smirk, Negan simply stares at you for a moment. He doesn’t let his eyes wander like how you expected, the action something you thought he’d do just to get a rise out of you. Wetting his lips, Negan teasingly pulls his hand out of the box, bringing with it a tattered piece of mistletoe. 
“Guess there’s only one way to find out if you’re my type” he shakes the mistletoe, accidentally making one of the plastic leaves fall off.
“Oh fuck off” you don’t stop the words coming out of your mouth, turning on your heels to leave.
Flinging the mistletoe back into the box, Negan follows. You’re half tempted to kick the box that’s keeping the door open just to lock him in, but his long strides allow him to catch up with you in no time. 
“Awh, c’mon,” he teases “are you always in ‘teacher mode’ ?”.
“Only when I’m around immature people”.
“Very funny,” Negan comments as you storm back out to the empty hall. He can tell he’s almost got you; you’re so close to walking out, yet you won’t give him the satisfaction.
Negan knows how to push people’s buttons— it's one of his favorite hobbies. He enjoys testing how much people will tolerate, seeing what it takes to crack them. For some, a single remark is enough to make them fold, while others can take a whole barrage, letting it build up bit by bit. 
The most frustrating thing about you is that you can take a lot, all while throwing your own taunts right back at him. You rub your forehead, trying to will yourself into not punching him.
“You got any classes left today?” he breaks the silence, his tone surprisingly conversational considering the amount of teasing he’s been doing. 
Every question feels like a set up for some next lewd joke or suggestion and so you simply nod your head. 
“Perfect,” he says, locking up the storage room and tossing the keys up into the air before catching them “let’s go grab some new decorations”.
You raise an eyebrow, curious, but Negan doesn’t wait around. As he strolls out of the hall, you have to quicken your pace to keep up with him.
“What do you mean?” you ask.
He glances over his shoulder, speaking to you as if you’re a three year old. “we go shop, buy new decorations, you happy, party less shit looking”.
“But don’t you have classes?” you badger him, watching as Negan makes a quick stop by his office. He drops the keys onto his desk, grabs his coat, and snatches up his car keys.
“Yeah, but Mark can cover for me,” he replies casually, clearly unfazed “it’s the bastard’s last day before his vacation, he can do some extra work”.
The last thing you expected was for Negan to suggest going on a quick trip together, especially with how little you two can tolerate each other. Negan lets out a short laugh when he sees your wary expression, clearly unconcerned. 
“He’ll figure it out,” he says nonchalantly, pulling out his phone to shoot a quick text to the other coach “it’ll be fine as long as he doesn’t give Fat Joey my class, don’t trust that fucker to teach gym”.
“Negan!” you slap his arm “Rude”.
He shrugs. 
The two of you walk out of the school and head toward the teacher’s parking lot. As you look around, a wave of hesitation hits you.
Even though you don’t have any more classes to teach today, you can’t shake the feeling that leaving early feels like you’re playing hooky.
Negan notices in an instant. With a small chuckle, he places both hands on your shoulders and gives you a gentle nudge forward.
“C’mon, Ms. Goody Two Shoes,” he teases, steering you toward his pick up truck “we won’t be gone long”.
You hesitate for a moment, still unsure. “Are you sure?” you try to look up at him as he directs you toward the passenger side “I don’t mind driving myself and meeting you there”.
“No need. I’ve got it covered,” he replies, taking his hands off you to open the door. With the automatic roll of your eyes, you get in.
The car ride to the store is a mix of awkward tension and playful banter. As Negan drives, he leans back in his seat with an easy confidence. Every now and then, he throws in a flirtatious comment but for the most part, he keeps it PG.
Surprisingly, Negan actually asked about you and why you’d move to “such a backend fuckin’ town”. You grabbed the opportunity to not argue or get flirted with and instead babbled on about why you needed a break away from your hometown (making sure to skip all the family rifts and drama). 
Pulling into the Target parking lot, the familiar smirk of the Negan you know resurfaces.
"I can always make time to give ya a real tour of the town," he says, and for a brief moment, you almost believe he's being sincere—until he adds, "With or without the extra stop at mine afterwards."
You let out an exaggerated sigh as he parks, shaking your head. "You're like a comedian that only knows one joke and no matter how many times it falls flat, you just keep saying it anyways".
Negan’s eyebrows bounce up as his truck comes to a stop, his tone dripping with cockiness “Oh it works real well, 99.9% success rate”.
“Wow, you’re just like bleach” you shoot back as you unbuckle your seatbelt.
Getting out of the truck and heading into the store, he proudly replies “All I have to say is I have been told I’m killer in the bedroom, so maybe I am like bleach”.
Shaking your head, you opt for a small basket instead of dragging around a massive cart. The last thing you need is Negan laughing as you struggle to control one of those things. 
“Do you have an off switch?” You taunt. 
Taking the basket off you, Negan’s fingers brush yours. He takes full advantage, tilting to the side so his tall frame is closer to your eye level.
Lowering his voice to what you can only assume is what he uses in the bedroom, he seductively growls “Wanna try to find it?”.
The look you give him says everything, and with a sharp ‘hmph ,’ you head toward the holiday section, letting him trail behind.
As you pass the Christmas trees, you glance at them, already knowing you’ll need to check your budget before committing to one for the party. This trip feels more like a reconnaissance mission—just picking up a few affordable things if you find them while scouting what else they have to offer.
Meanwhile, Negan simply drifts by, clearly bored now that the playful banter has faded. He’s like a kid that’s been dragged into grocery shopping with his mom—picking up random items and staring at the ceiling, hoping for some kind of entertainment. 
Negan would’ve spent his time staring at your ass but he knows better than to risk it. You’d throw a nutcracker at him if you caught him perving on you.
“ Neeeeeeegan ?” You drag out his name, watching the man completely zone out.
As much as you want to give him a piece of your mind, you can’t say you’re surprised. You both knew this was going to be a pain.
The only reason you’re party planning is out of spite, while Negan’s just here because he doesn’t want his sports hall to be trashed by either terrible decorations or the teachers on the night.  
Shaking the wreath in your hands, the bells jingle and you call out again “Negan? Hello?”.
Looking back to you, his expression softens just enough to pass as a real smile rather than a smirk. “I heard you the first time, I just like hearing you say my name,” he says, his tone playful.
You scoff, fighting the urge to smile. Unfortunately, you’re human so when a handsome man throws you a compliment, it’s impossible not to react, no matter how much of a pain in the ass he can be.
… handsome ?
You quickly shove that thought aside, irritated that your brain so easily confessed that. He is handsome, but… he’s Negan. An asshole, in other words.  
Alright, time to stop thinking about that.
“I, uh…” you swallow, trying to get your thoughts in order “The wreath! If we drape a tablecloth over the desks and put one of these in front of each, that’ll look nice, right?”
Negan gives a casual nod, eyes shifting between the wreath and the rows of holiday decorations.
“I mean, the desks are just for finger food and drinks anyways but… it’ll be festive!” you find yourself rambling, the words tumbling out before you can stop them. 
He scoffs at how you try to justify spending some money a on wreath, taking a few steps toward the sales section.
“How about…” Negan starts, picking up a small pumpkin statue priced at just a dollar, “…we buy a bunch of these and throw a Christmas hat on ‘em?”
You pause, unsure whether you should dignify that with a response.
“You want to use Halloween decorations?” you drop the wreath into the basket, rubbing a hand over your face in disbelief.
“I’m getting it” he puts the pumpkin next to your wreath.
You look down at the pumpkin and purse your lips. As if this party hasn’t been doomed from the get go, you don’t think having pumpkins there will help. You don’t have to voice your concerns, Negan can read your face. 
“Hey, I’m just offering a little direction,” he says, wandering down the aisle “someone’s gotta take charge when you’re doubting whether you should buy wreaths for a Christmas party”.
A flutter of defensiveness stirs within you, a shift in your chest that spreads like a warm yet  uncomfortable pressure.
Picking up a box of lights, you drop them in the basket “I’m not doubting, I just don’t want to buy junk that we won’t use”.
Negan stops, ignoring what you just said as he picks up some balloons. “We should get these… just gotta make sure this side is at the back” he lifts up the packet, showing you the gigantic ‘Happy 60th Birthday’ printing on the front of each balloon. 
“You’re kidding,” plucking the pack out of his hands, you put it back on the shelf “and I don’t need you to take charge of this, especially when you’re doing such a half assed job”. 
Negan scoffs “Am not”.
The more you try to ignore the building in your chest, the more it festers, growing into a quiet but insistent urge to clarify, to defend and correct the narrative.
“That’s all you do! You want to be in charge but you’re not thorough enough whenever you are” you explain as calmly as you can. 
There was a small bit of you that hoped Negan would listen to what you’re saying but he’s not interested in the feedback, waving his free hand dismissively as he walks back up the aisle.
“It’s easier when I’m in charge because I get shit done, I don’t try to reason with myself why I need to buy something– I just do it,” as if to prove the point, he puts another pumpkin into the basket.
It's like he’s not even trying to understand your point, and that’s a realization that makes your patience unravel.
The calm concern starts to fade and is replaced by a barely contained annoyance. 
“But you don’t try to make things easier for others, you literally just left Mark to deal with the rest of your classes for the day and complained at the idea of Mark letting Joey help! You’re always pushing your own agenda and railroading people into going along with it” taking a firm stance against him, you do the unthinkable. 
You reach your hand into the basket.
And remove a pumpkin.
Negan gives you a pointed look, boring into your skull and not even watching your hand place the pumpkin back on the shelf.
“Sweetheart, calm down, this isn’t a military operation,” he asserts “we’re just planning a damn party so lighten up. Get festive!”.
It’s maddening. Now you’re making a mountain out of a molehill? You should just lighten up because it’s a Christmas party and nothing more?
His dismissive tone is like a constant poke to your patience, stretching it thinner with every passing moment.  To make matters worse, Negan carries on like usual, wandering over to the next aisle.
Begrudgingly, you totter after him.
“You can’t just do that!” you snap, absentmindedly perusing the scented candles “you can’t act like this is something silly when I’m giving you valid criticism! I’m trying to put in effort here and actually make this party bearable”. 
It hits all at once, a rush of raw emotion that floods your mind and spills out before you can stop it.
Your voice shakes, not from fear, but from the overwhelming need to be heard. You don’t even have time to think, to carefully choose your words; it all comes out, unfiltered.
Every bit of irritation, confusion, and disbelief tumbling out in one breathless rant.  
“All you want to do is skip school, wander around here, flirt with me– even though I keep rejecting you! And just buy stupid shit that we don’t need for this party!” you rant, gesturing to the lonely pumpkin still in the basket.
“You have to respect other people’s time and their effort too. Not everyone wants to half-ass this! You get your own way all the time and no one will say no to you or make you do it their way. It’s Negan’s way or no way. And people are so used to letting you get away with shit again and again just because—“.
You stop yourself.
Your mouth clamps shut, stopping your cathartic rant before it can say anymore but it’s too late. Negan stands next to you, waiting.
Shit.
“… I like the cinnamon one,” you say quietly, trying to change the subject as you sniff the candles  “sometimes, I think they make the gingerbread ones too strong and the ones that are supposed to smell like vanilla never do”.
Negan doesn’t budge. A small smirk creeps up on his face. Negan already knows what you were going to say, he doesn’t need anyone to tell him.
He’s attractive, good in the sac, can charm the legs off anyone within a ten mile radius and happens to have one swoon worthy smile.
He gets away with this because he’s sexy. Nothing he can do about that, it’s natural!
“Go on,” he implores, tongue peeking out as he wets his bottom lip “say it with your chest, doll”.
You want to stay quiet. You know for the interest of everyone, you should. 
“People let you be an asshole because your wife died”.
You’ve never seen a change in someone so quick. His face darkens, veins pulsing at his temples as his jaw clenches so tight that his teeth almost grind together.
Negan’s eyes narrow into a hard, unforgiving stare. Every muscle in his body seems to coil, as if ready to snap. 
“Are you fucking shitting me?” he grunts. 
You’ve never seen him like this— not even when you’ve bickered with him. This is something different, something deeper.
His entire demeanor has shifted, like a switch was flipped, and all the previous irritation and taunting have been replaced by a quiet, seething fury that radiates from him in waves.
Your fingers curl around the candle but you barely register the sensation. Your eyes lock on him, wide and unblinking. He told you to say it, to be honest with him. 
Every muscle in your body feels frozen, as if something inside you has short-circuited. You’ve always thought you’d know what you’d do in a moment like this, whether you’d be a flight or fight type of person. But now, facing a full wave of intimidation, you realize the truth: you’re not the fight type. You’re not the flight type. 
You’re the freeze type.
It’s as if the air around you has thickened, the space between you and him narrowing to a suffocating stillness. You want to stutter out an apology but it’s all happened so suddenly that you forget how to. 
It feels like all you can do is stand there, rooted to the spot. In an instant, he snaps out of his silent rage and rushes into action. 
Without warning, Negan lets go of the shopping basket, letting it drop to the ground with a violent clatter. The sound cuts through the air like a gunshot and you jump.
His hands are still clenched into fists as he takes a step back and his eyes flash one last time at you with an unreadable mix of frustration and something deeper.  And then, he spins on his heel and storms off.
“Fuck this,” you hear muttered under his breath as he goes. 
You’re left standing there, the abruptness of it all taking the air from your lungs. Your legs take jittery steps forward before you meekly grab the basket and try to follow. 
With only a pumpkin, some lights and a wreath inside, the basket somehow pulls at your arms, as if you’re carrying a thousand things. Trying to follow, the basket swings awkwardly in your grasp, banging against your shins with each uncoordinated step.
“Negan?” You call out, your voice sounding smaller than you mean it to. Your gaze darts nervously from aisle to aisle and across the registers until you spot a tall and imposing shadow going out the main doors.
“No, no, no, no, no,” your heart thuds painfully against your chest, each beat louder than the last.
You set the basket down gently, almost afraid it might shatter if you move too quickly, before rushing out of the store. The cool air hits your skin, but it’s no relief. This can’t be happening. He can’t just leave you here. Not like this.
You move fast, almost stumbling, your eyes scanning the parking lot frantically. Cars of every make and model line the pavement, but there’s no sign of his truck.
A pang of panic rises in your throat as you take a few more steps, searching the sea of vehicles, your stomach tightening with every second that passes. His truck should be here. It should’ve been parked right where you left it.
The realization hits you like a wave. It’s not here.
A soft whine escapes your lips, barely a sound and yet it carries the weight of everything that’s suffocating you in that moment. Confusion. Anxiety. Guilt. And an overwhelming sense of abandonment. You stand frozen, the noise of the parking lot fading as the panic surges again. 
He’s gone.
-------
gif made from scenepack provided by harleys.scenes on insta <3
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#5
Friday
Info-Chan: If you managed to poison Raibaru’s food with a headache or emetic poison, she would be weak enough to eliminate.
Yan-Chan: If that was really the case, then why couldn’t I have done that any other time?
Info-Chan: I give you helpful tips daily. This is just your helpful tip of the day.
Yan-Chan: A helpful tip that amounted to nothing in the end.
Info-Chan: Don’t worry, this one is probably the most helpful one! :)
Yan-Chan: Why are you stalling?
Yan-Chan: I only have so much of the day left before everything is ruined
Info-Chan: Don’t worry ^^
Info-Chan: I wouldn’t unintentionally allow my client to fail. :3
That, of course, hinted that she would allow her to fail intentionally if she so pleased. Ayano sighs as she gets one last text from her crappy informant.
Info-Chan: Toga Tabara seems to need a little help. :)
Ayano frowns, but pockets her phone and searches the halls for Toga.
__
“Oh, Ayano.” Toga’s eyes widen in slight surprise at Ayano approaching him. He puts a hand on his hip with a curious frown. “I’m surprised you’re asking. I admit, I didn’t entirely see you as the ‘favor-doing’ type.” He shakes his head with a hand on his hip. “Before I answer, though, can I ask why you want to do a favor for me?”
Ayano didn’t know any more about Toga than he knew about her, but from what Info-Chan had told her, he wasn’t exactly as impressionable as other students. Regardless, the less Toga was able to say for certain about her, the safer she was from being doubted based on her actions.
With that thought in mind, Ayano subtly began swaying back and forth in a girly manner. She smiled in faux confusion. “Well, I can’t say that I help others because I want sunshine and rainbows raining on Academi, but I can say for certain that doing favors makes me feel helpful.” Shrugging, she claims, “Maybe it just feeds my ego, hehe..”
Toga raises his eyebrows briefly, his gaze and overall posture hinting that she had didn’t quite believe her. He simply shrugged and continued, though. “Well, to each their own. Not like I can say what you do and why you do it.” He claims, folding his arms. “As for my favor…” He hums in thought. “Well, I’m sure you know I’m quite notorious for not being able to pick a club. It would help me if you asked each club leader their thoughts of me- regarding my performance, of course.”
Ayano nods with a bright smile, “I can do that! No problem!” She says, and begins walking to speak to the first club leader on her list.
“One moment.” Toga calls out again. He hesitates as Ayano turns back to him but eventually gets his statement out. “Could you also ask Kuroko what she thinks would be best for me?” He asks, “I value her opinion a lot, and I’m sure she could give me great advice.”
After pondering for a moment, Ayano eventually nods. Kuroko seemed to be the more… normal of the student council. Akane always seemed to be breathing down her neck, awaiting Ayano’s eventual screw up. Aoi spent more time accusing her of things instead of actually catching her doing anything. And Shiromi was just… weird.
Unlike her fellow student council members, Kuroko was more humble and respectful to everyone while still knowing how to use her authority. If Toga hadn’t asked for Kuroko specifically, Ayano likely would have gone for her herself.
__
“Ah, Ayano.” Shoku smiles at her, although his awkward expression hinted that he hadn’t forgotten their previous encounter.
“Shoku.” Ayano nods, “Toga’s having trouble picking a club… as per usual. He asked me to ask you and the other club leaders what your thoughts on his performance in this club was.” She explained briefly, continuing her petite body movements, but keeping her face normal. When she first interacted with Shoku, she showed no changes in her persona or facial expressions, so perhaps changing how she presented herself slowly wouldn’t stand out to him as much.
Shoku raises his eyebrows in slight shock. “Oh, really?” He lifts a hand up to his chin in thought. “Well, he certainly was talented. He was an incredible learner, and apparently often had to cook for himself at home. He didn’t know everything, of course, but knew a lot despite being a novice.” He hesistates for a moment, however, before saying. “I guess if I had to complain it would be his lack of…enthusiasm? He claimed several times that he wouldn’t want to ‘waste time’ cooking for others, or even himself. I guess after spending so much time cooking for himself, it got kind of boring?”
Ayano hummed in silent thought, but nodded. “Right. Is that all? Did any of your clubmates have anything to say about him?”
“Well, Aija didn’t really like him. Thought he was lazy, which he really wasn’t.” Shoku explained. He turned to his tray, grabbing a bag of powdered sugar and sprinkling some on top of his brownies. “Honestly Aija… doesn’t like a lot of people. At all. I think what she didn’t like about him was the fact that Toga saw cooking as more of a hobby instead of anything he would consider ‘important’.”
Once again, Shoku turned to Ayano with a brownie on a napkin. “Do you still not like brownies?” He asks, smiling hopefully at Ayano.
After a moment of thought, Ayano takes the brownie. “Thanks.” She said briefly, taking a bite of it. She then nods, “It’s good, but a little cakey. And I’m not a fan of powdered sugar.”
“Not everyone is.” Shoku says with a casual smile. “I appreciate your feedback, though!” He says, picking up the serving tray. “If other students say the same then maybe I’ll use a little less flour and more butter?” He says, although more so to himself. He nods to Ayano as a goodbye and goes on about his usual routine.
__
“Hi, Yan-Chan!” Kokona waves happily at Ayano as she enters the gymnasium. Ayano waves briefly, not quite knowing if Kokona knew that the “Yan” nickname was meant to be a joke name or not.
Kokona and her club were on the stage, all holding their own script. Tokuko was clearing her throat and excersizing her voice as she was often the singer or vocalizer during performances. Shozo was comparing the script to a book he was holding on the “History of American Tragedies”. Tsuruzo usually got the main role, only second to their leader. Kokona was usually the narrator due to her passion and overall joy of being dramatic, and Riku was usually everything else. Technician, stage set-up, back-up, and so on and so forth. Basically a jack-of-all-trades.
“Ayano! There’s my favorite drama-club-to-be!” Tsuruzo claims, flipping his curled ponytail over his shoulder. He smiles brightly as Kokona walks over to Ayano as well.
“Look! I’ve got the narrator role again!” Kokona cheered to her, jumping a bit in excitement. “Isn’t it so cool?!” She asked excitedly, looking down to Ayano.
Ayano nods. “That’s nice.” She says calmly.
“Did you come to beg me to join, yet?” Tsuruzo asks with a hopeful grin. It immediately fell, however as Ayano shook her head. “Well, we can’t all be bursting with potential, I suppose.” He huffs, but smiles once again. “So, what brings you here, darling?”
Folding her hands behind her back, Ayano responds, “I came to ask you about Toga.” She claims. “He wanted to know about what you thought of his performance during his time here.”
Tsuruzo immediately scoffs, looking offended at the mere mention of Toga. “Performance?! I think you mean lack thereof!” He snapped, placing a hand on his hip with a scowl.
Ayano raises her eyebrows in surprise. “Really? What did he do?”
“What he didn’t do is put in an effort!” Tsuruzo grumbled, before sighing and deciding to calm down. “He had all the time in the world to learn scripts or help with setups or run errands, but all he did was ask questions!” He looks to his hand, counting on his fingers, “‘Why this play?’, ‘Is there any meaning behind it?’, ‘Why is Kizana even the leader?’, ‘Why does anyone listen to her?’, ‘Shouldn’t we do something more unique?’, ‘What’s the point of this line?’, ‘Does this have anything to do with-’ and nothing else!”
“He’s just mad that Toga was honest about disliking Kizana.” Tokuko chuckles, although her voice was a little weaker that usual.
Riku spoke up, tilting his head to the side in thought. “Well, he was pretty talkative.” He commented, “It was only a matter of time before his questions switched from what the play was to asking if it was related to some…obscene murder case or something or other.”
Kokona hesitantly agrees, folding her hands together awkwardly. “Yeah… he did ask some weird questions. Which wasn’t exactly the problem, it was more so that he asked us these questions while we worked in front of him.”
“He wasn’t really an actor. All of us have our own… amount of talent when it comes to acting, but he either didn’t bother or just… couldn’t.” Shozo added. “Honestly, I just don’t think that he joined the drama club to act at all. Of course, I don’t know what he joined for, but my point still stands.”
“He left before I could kick him out.” Tsuruzo smacks his teeth, his arms folded in pure irritation. “He didn’t bother going to a single club activity. It was Monday through Thursday, and he left Friday morning.”
Ayano frowned in thought. She wondered a bit about what exactly Toga’s goal was if not to actually act, but brushed it off. In the end, that wasn’t entirely her business. If he ended up being as weird as the Drama Club saw him then Info-Chan would have provided her with that information. Or maybe “might have” is more accurate.
“I…see.” Ayano nods in understanding. “So, in general?” She asked, turning to Kokona this time for a more fair judgement.
Kokona smiles wrly. “He just, ah… didn’t seem very interested in the first place. I’m sure he could have performed well if he actually wanted to, but he… didn’t.”
Ayano nods. “I see. Thank you for the information.” She says.
“If we were so helpful don’t you think it’s only fair that you help uuus?” Tsuruzo hums, walking behind Ayano and placing his hands on her shoulders.
“...not today. But what do you need help with?” Ayano asks him, taking a step away and turning to face him.
Kokona bounces up next to respond instead. “With setting up the play in a couple of weeks!” She says, peering down at Ayano with an excited smile. “Our leader, Kizana, is coming back to Academi next week, so we want to put in as much work as possible!”
Ayano ponders that and hears Tokuko mutter something like “unfortunately” under her breath. Ayano didn’t particularly care about this Kizana character, but it might do her reputation good if she helps out. Even more so without being in the club. “I’d be happy to help, but like I said I’m pretty occupied today.” She responded.
“Well, whenever you’re ready, we’ll be waiting!” Kokona chirps, waving Ayano goodbye cheerily.
__
“Toga?” Shin seemed to frown at the thought of him. Well, he was already frowning, but it seemed more so out of disdain than being generally gloomy. “Well, he was… very interested in our studies.” He said, quietly. “He asked a lot of questions, but in the end, um…”
Shin looks around the club briefly, as if trying to collect his thoughts, before Supana spoke up. “He debunked all of our studies with ‘science’, and whatever.” She grumbles, clearly not holding a very fond memory of Toga.
“I recall that Chojo was quite fond of him.” Shin said, moving his tall figure from in front of Ayano to reveal the lankier boy sitting in a chair.
Chojo peeked up from his upside-down book, but immediately looked away from Ayano. He mumbled something that Ayano couldn’t quite here, and after noticing that he spoke up. “He listened to me a lot!” He said, much louder.
“Be quiet!” Supana hissed, making Chojo recoil back into his chair.
“Sorry..” He mumbled.
Shin turns back to Ayano. “Chojo is quite talkative if you’re patient enough. Toga was very patient, and listened to everything that he had to say. Though..” The taller boy paused in thought, but slowly continued, “..I feel like he was looking for something whenever he listened to Chojo. And perhaps that was the same reason he spoke to us and asked us questions so often?”
“I heard something similar.” Ayano said, averting her gaze in thought. She didn’t particularly think that Toga was suspicious or meant any harm. If anything, he just seemed like he sat with a club for a week and left if it wasn’t up to his standards, regardless of how high those standards might be.
“I could be imagining things.” Shin claimed, shaking his head, “He did seem to be a very positive influence on the club. He never bothered listening to rumours and didn’t judge any of us via how we appeared. If anything, he seemed to have joined for knowledge rather that drama, which can be respected.”
Ayano nods, “I think so, too.” She agrees, folding her arms behind her back and taking a step back. “Thank you for the information, I’m going to continue asking around.”
“I hope what we’ve said was helpful to you.” Shin says, bowing his head as Ayano takes her leave.
__
“I guess he was alright.” Gema shrugged, immediately straightening his back when Ayano came in. “He was interested in every aspect of every game. Hell, he asked me so many questions even I started questioning what I was playing. I didn’t like it!” He sighed, sitting in one of the chairs at the desk. “If a game I’m playing has secret contreversial lore I’d honestly rather ignore it and keep playing. But then Toga had to keep, like, doing background checks on the developers and stuff?”
Mai spoke up. “Toga looked into a favorite developer of mine and learned that he was… well, a freak to be honest. I still play the game, sometimes, but… it doesn’t feel the same anymore.” She sighs, “I’m at least thaknful that he told me the difference of a good and bad developer. I see why so many of my friends hate that game now. It really hasn't grown much in the last… what, ten years?”
“He was suuuuuper smart!” Midori said, cheerily, trotting over to Ayano. “He sorta did that thing that your mom would do! Like, he would watch us play and then point everything that didn’t make sense! Do you remember that?”
Ayano nods. When she was a kid, Midori would bring over her game system and all of her games. She recalled Kuu saying that if she won against Midori than they all would have a book night. That alone probably made Midori better at video games.
“How’s your mom, anyway, Ayano?” Midori asks, but is interrupted by Gema.
“Don’t get distracted, Midori, you still have grinding to do!” He says, sitting her back down. “Anyway, Toga left pretty quickly. He finished all of our games in two days and then left! I guess he didn’t feel like farming XP for me anymore.” Gema shrugs, once again having to straighten his posture, clearly not yet used to standing up straight just yet.
Gema seems to remember something and smiles at Ayano. Quietly, he says, “Thanks again for those tips, Ayano. Musume and I are on, like, talking terms right now! Girls don’t usually talk to me! You know, unless they’re..” He looks at Midori, and then back to Ayano and shrugs, “..a loser.”
“I’m happy to have helped.” Ayano says, “And thank you for the info. Toga will be happy to have heard your opinion. I think.” She says. “I’m going to continue asking around now.”
“Sure, sure. Tell him that if he feels like grinding more XP he’s totally welcome!” Gema calls, although Ayano didn’t think that she would bother telling him that.
__
“Ayano! We’ve been seeing more of you, haven’t we?” Budo says, thankfully remembering to keep his voice quiet this time. “What can I do for you?”
Ayano pulls her hands in front of herself, intertwining her fingers. “Toga asked me to do a favor for him. He wanted to hear what the club leaders thought of him. Apparently, it will help him decide which one to stay in for good. Or something or other.”
Budo gives a wry smile. “Toga, huh?” He crosses his arms, thinking. “Well, he certainly put in an effort. But.. you know, he’s a pretty thin guy. He only stayed with us for the week and eventually left us for the light music club.”
“Did he do a lot of research on martial arts?” Ayano guesses, causing Budo to smile in surprise.
“How’d you know?” He asks, “I honestly think that Toga just used being in our club as an excuse to do research about martial arts.”
Ayano nods. From what she’s hearing, Toga was just the type to research anything he could.
“He’s a pretty smart guy, though. Some stuff he told me even I didn’t know about.” Budo laughs, “Not that anyone taught me anything. But anyway, if Toga worked out, he could probably properly get into Martial Arts, but I don’t think it’s his strong suit at the moment.”
Ayano nods. “I understand. That’s all I needed.” She bows lightly, “Thank you.”
“Of course!” Budo beams as Ayano moves onto the Light Music Club.
__
“Oh, he was an absolute riot!” Miyuji says, pumping her fist with a big grin. Her smile immediately falls into something more sheepish as she thinks about it more, though. “Well… his skills were. Despite how absolutely a-MAZ-ing he was with instruments… his skills didn’t exactly match his energy.”
Tilting her head to the side, Ayano asks, “What do you mean by that?” She got the general idea, but maybe Miyuji could provide an example.
“Well..” Miyuji flopped back down on her seat, casual picking at some strings of her guitar. “...he stayed here literally from Monday to Wednesday. We did a performance on Tuesday, and he honestly rocked the whole time! But, during the performance, he was, like… completely still! It’s like he only moved the necessary parts of his body to perform the song well, but didn’t enjoy the song at all!”
Myuji lowers her voice and continues. “Between you and me, he was sort of a drag. He was super serious about everything. Hell, the most expression he showed the whole time he was here was when Kiba let him dissect and fix up her keyboard!”
“Sounds like he preferred learning about the instruments more than playing them.” Ayano says, and Myuji shrugs.
“Maybe. I mean- he was only here for three days. I don’t really have much else to say about him.” She says, looking down to her guitar. “Except that he was pretty good-looking. Would’ve been our hottest member if he let me dye his hair.” She chuckles.
Ayano bows her head briefly. “Got it. Thanks for the information.”
“Anytime! Except next time I’m gonna make you play with us!” Myuji called as Ayano left.
__
“Hm.” Geiju hummed briefly, turning his head away from Ayano to paint as he thought. “Very inquisitive.”
Ayano folds her hands together in front of her. “So I’ve heard. Were there any pros or cons with working with him?” She asked, realizing that she would probably have to do most of the talking.
“Very smart.” Geiju said, nodding, but then shook his head as he said, “Not active.”
Ayano pauses in thought, slowly putting Geiju’s words together. It would be helpful if he could provide some examples, but Geiju was strictly a two-word-sentence speaker. As if hearing their conversation, Enpitsu walks in and leans on the doorway.
“He was kind of a drag, I won’t lie.” The orange-haired fellow claimed, although him saying something like that wasn’t too surprising when it came to most people. “He said he never painted in his life, but aced every beginner and intermediate-level training on his first day here. And then he left.”
Geiju speaks up, “Studied plenty.”
“Yeah, that too, I guess.” Enpitsu shrugs, “He came to all of the members of the club and studied our individual tastes to the T. But he still left the very next day.”
Ayano looked to Geiju. “Did he happen to join on Thursday?” She asked, to which he nodded to. Maybe he was following a schedule or had some sort of goal? “I see…”
Enpitsu spoke again, “I think he enjoyed painting, and he was really good at it, but when he left, he just said that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay.”
“He might have been testing out each club, then. Most of the other club leaders say the same.” Ayano said before turning to Geiju again. “Thank you for answering.”
Scoffing, Enpitsu mumbles, “To the best of his abilities.”
Geiju didn’t react to Enpitsu’s remark and nodded to Ayano as she exited the room.
__
“Well, he was definitely a good photographer.” Furredo claims, leaning back in his chair. “He didn’t seem too bothered when he learned that we only really photograph for fun.”
Dafuni smiles sheepishly and comments, “I do think it’s worth mentioning that he didn’t let us see the photos he took.”
Furredo nods, snapping his fingers, “Right, right!” He looks back up to Ayano, “He even brought his own camera. Probably so we wouldn’t have a right to look at the pictures he took.”
“Certainly didn’t help those ‘pervert’ allegations.” Beruma comments. As she does, Rojasu flinches and leans up. He sniffs, looking half-asleep.
“He’s a pervert?” He asks, blinking slowly, before slowly laying his head back on the table.
Furredo chuckles awkwardly and raises his hands to his club. “Let’s not encourage those rumors, you guys. Those are only rumors that really stemmed from nothing. I don’t know why he kept his pictures private, though. He could just be a private guy. Or maybe he was embarrassed.”
“Toga?” Sukubi asked, slipping Rojasu’s bento out of his bag. “He didn’t seem like the embarrassed type. He was super confident and, like, straightforward and stuff.”
Beruma snatches Rojasu’s bento away from Sukubi, but not in agreement. “Right, I think his candid personality shocked people into listening to him.” She says, putting the bento into her own bag for safe keeping. “I say that, of course, because other students hate it when we take pictures of them if it isn’t some happy celebration or event. But they did the opposite for him.”
“So he approached the people he was taking a picture of?” Ayano asked, to which the club agreed to, whether that be a murmured ‘yeah, pretty much’ or a simple nod.
Dafuni giggles, “Maybe you were right about the embarrassed bit, then. Pictures taken face-to-camera probably don’t look too good anyway.”
Rojasu sits up again suddenly with a gasp. “Like that one cat meme!” He said, causing a wave of laughter amongst the group.
Not only was Ayano not a meme person, but she recalls there being several different cat memes. Whatever it was Rojasu was talking about before he went back to sleep was somehow something that the whole club recalled. Or maybe it was completely different, who knows? They didn’t seem like the smartest bunch anyway.
“Well, thank you for the information.” Ayano says, bowing her head politely.
“No need to be so polite, Yan-Chan! Ayano!” Furredo quickly corrects himself and smiles, “Drop by anytime!”
__
“Oh, Toga! Yes, yes.. Very smart, that one, very smart.” Kaga nods his head. “Or, uh… obedient, at the very least. You don’t meet many people willing to sacrifice their lives for science. I would know. I wouldn’t either. Not when there are other people around!”
Ayano pulls her mouth into a straight line before speaking up. “Right… so, is there anything significant that he did during his time here?”
“Uh, no. Er- yes, maybe. I don’t know, you should ask Homu. Toga seemed incredibly interested in her.” The scientist claimed, walking over and peeking underneath the tarp in the corner of the room before walking back to his usual spot and typing something. “A-As a matter of fact, the two of them seemed incredibly close throughout his time here! Ate lunch together, spoke on the roof, and… whatever friends do, I suppose.”
“He was pretty smart, though.” Horo spoke up, messing with a small device that lit up pictures of random students occassionally. He smacks his teeth, tapping on it with a sigh. “Toga, right? He really did his research. He looked into everyone in the club and helped us with all of our separate projects. If anything, he was just an assistant to everyone.”
Nodding, Ayano joins Horo’s side as he works. “And what about Homu?” She asked, watching as Maka’s picture came up on the hologram device. It stayed there for a moment before Horo finished putting a couple of pieces together and pocketed the device.
“Right, um… I’m pretty sure they spoke the most outside of the clubroom.” Horo lifts a hand to his chin in thought. “I wouldn’t call them friends. I don’t think Homu would consider anyone a friend, but I do know that she talks to people who have something she needs. I think.” Horo shrugs a bit, “In fact, I think that was all. They had some common objective and extracted as much as they could before he left for the next club.”
“Do you know what that objective is?” Ayano asks, but Horo shakes his head.
“I don’t. Homu doesn’t really talk about private stuff to any of us. Or anyone, for that matter. I guess Toga was just something special.” Horo said, “I wouldn’t recommend asking Homu, either. She talks to people less the less she knows them. Meka says she doesn’t even bother responding to people on the street.”
Ayano frowns in thought and steps back. Bowing her head, she says, “Right. Thank you for the information.”
“Sure.” Horo said, waving briefly as Ayano left.
__
“Didn’t stay here long.” Itachi shook his head. “I won’t say he easily gave up, I just think he easily lost interest.”
Ayano tilts her head to the side, “You say that as if he was looking for something.”
Itachi nods. “If not a reason to stay then something else. That something is probably why he worked out with each of us for a period of time.” He says briefly. “Whatever the reason, he surely won’t be welcomed back if he pulls that ‘losing interest’ bit on me again.”
“What did he talk to you about?” Ayano asks, tailing him as he walked back into the gymnasium to stretch.
“The club leader, past members. And I think how we interact.” Itachi said, pausing between each example to thoroughly stretch his muscles. “Like I said, nothing much.”
Ayano hums quietly in thought. It was just Uekiya and Kuroko that she had left to ask. “Right, thank you.”
Itachi merely hums, running back out of the gymnasium to return to the track.
__
“Ah, well, he was certainly a great worker!” Uekiya smiles fondly at the memory of Toga. “We really needed a guy like him here. He was sort of the muscle we needed to deal with tougher plants and weeds. Himari couldn’t do all of it herself, haha..” She brushes off a bit of dirt and stands up from her plant to properly face Ayano. “I think the girls just liked having a guy around, hehe.”
Toga seemed to have made an overall positive mark on this club, but that was probably because Ayano only asked Uekiya one question. Anything negative at all she feared would cause rumours to spread. “So you don’t have any complaints? That would be a first.”
Uekiya hesitates, but sheepishly twirls a piece of her hair around between her fingers. “W-Well, uh… He was a great worker whenever I asked, but he and Sakura would usually run off together to go talk about… well… something?” She gasps and quickly says, “Oh! But they aren’t dating! Please, don’t take that out of context. Sakura’s already in a relationship, so she’s not interested in Toga. Plus, it’s been quite a while since the two spoke.”
“I understand, Uekiya.” Ayano nods reassuringly. She didn’t doubt that Sakura wasn’t interested in Toga, as before classed she often blabbed about her boyfriend to her friends. Although they still have yet to meet him.
“Thank goodness..” Uekiya sighs, but smiles again and returns to the topic at hand. “I’m not sure what those two spoke about, but I do know that they went to the Occult Club to grab books sometimes. Toga spoke to all of us individually often, but with Sakura I just assumed they had a similar interest.”
That was strange. Near the end, Ayano’s interests are steered back to the Occult Club. Shin didn’t tell her much except that Toga spoke with Chojo often. “Did she speak with Chojo at all?” Ayano asks.
Uekiya hums, shrugging, “I’m not too sure. I’m sure I’ve seen them talk at some point, but not for any significant reason. Sakura talks to her peers often so it’s not exactly strange to me. Why do you ask?”
“No reason, really. I was just… wondering.” Ayano bows her head briefly. “But thank you for answering my questions.”
Smiling, Uekiya waves cheerfully at Ayano. “Of course! Don’t you worry about it!”
__
It was 7:49 now. Ayano had wasted all of her time doing the task that Info-Chan had given her, that she’d completely forgotten that the whole reason she might lose Taro is because of Info-Chan’s unreliability. She didn’t even know what Osana was doing right now. Hell, she could’ve decided to confess early and she and Taro could’ve been on their merry way to a honeymoon or something.
As Ayano blindly stormed towards the student council room, Kuroko, who was walking out, suddenly bumped into her and instinctively shoved her back with one hand. “Ah. I apologize, Ayano. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
Ayano stiffens up, which she learned was a habit of hers whenever she’s confronted by the Student Council. Or more precisely shoved by them. “..neither was I. Sorry.” She says, taking a generous step back. “I wanted to ask you something, Kuroko.”
Kuroko pulls up her sleeve, looking at the time briefly on a watch Ayano hadn’t noticed she had before. “Alright, we have about ten minutes before we should head to class.” She says, nodding at Ayano as a way of hinting to her to continue.
Ayano folds her hands in front of her, almost subtly copying Kuroko’s movements as she continued. “Toga asked me to go to each club leader and question what their opinions on his performance was during his time there, and I’ve finished that. He also asked me to come to you and ask you the same thing.” She pauses for a second. “You two are in the same class, right? Maybe he wants you to give his opinion on his performance durring class, then?”
“I know what he means.” Kuroko says, nodding briefly. “He often runs errands for me and includes himself in the work I do as the leader of the student council president. He’s a fine worker and has his head in the right place. Even more so than that, he’s a very efficient worker.”
Somewhat like the others, Kuroko pauses in thought. Slowly, she continues. “If he wants criticism, then his only issue is socializing. Or perhaps a better way to word that is… he needs to learn about what the people he interacts with wants. His goal is to finish the objective he’s given, but his swiftness is often misinterpreted as indifference or him having an unfeeling personality.”
Ayano nods. That certainly sounded like Toga. According to the majority of his past club leaders, that was something he struggled with. “So I’ve heard. I’m sure that if he hears that the majority of his peers think that, then he’ll consider acting otherwise.”
“I hope so. I fear he may become disliked simply because of his own habits.” Kuroko agrees, folding her arms back behind her back. “If that’s all, I’d like to continue my routine before classes.”
“Right.” Ayano, for the last time, hopefully, bows her head politely and parts ways with Kuroko.
__
Ayano couldn’t find where Toga was for a while, and considered just going to classes and forgetting the task for today, but finally found him outside of the faculty room window. When she walked over, he noticed that he was reading a book, and had the famous stray kitten perched on his shoulder. “Ayano.” He looks up to her. “I’m glad you found me.”
“It took some time. What are you doing out here?” Ayano asks, kneeling down next to him. The cat subtly switches from Toga’s left shoulder to his right as Ayano approaches, seemingly avoiding her.
“I like the cat.” Toga said, tilting his head to the right and urging the cat to sit in his lap instead. “He’s very quiet and polite. For a stray, that is.” He shrugs, looking back down to his book. “I take it you’re here because you finished my favor?”
Ayano suddenly remembers that she approached Toga with a polite and girly persona, and decides to smile in order to keep that much efficient. “That’s right! In general, everyone agreed that you were very talented. Albeit…” She puckers her lips in thought and hums, “...a bit distant. Aloof even. But a good listener, if that’s any consolation.”
Toga nods, his eyes raising from his book to the grass in front of him in thought. “Right, I expected that.” He mumbles. Despite his clear-spoken acceptance of that fact, he seemed conflicted now that it was confirmed. “And Kuroko said the same, I’m guessing?”
“That’s right.” Ayano says, noticing that Toga’s expression remained as still as it was previously despite her answer. “She also said that she thinks you’re a very efficient worker…. But, in addition to that, she’s also concerned that the way people percieve you might ruin your relationships in the future if not corrected.”
Humming, Toga nods briefly. He sat and thought for a moment, before sighing and standing up. “Right. I’ve been told all of this before.” The cat hops onto the grass and sits in its signature spot as it looks up to Toga. “I guess it’s just something I still need to work on.” He nodded again, more so telling this to himself than responding to Ayano.
Ayano stands up after him, but pauses when Toga speaks up again. “Perhaps like your expressions.”
“Huh?” Ayano blinks, a bit shocked at the sudden comment.
“You seem to not be very used to showing emotion, so I’ll say this. The more invested you get into a conversation, the more bored your expression looks.” Toga said. He continued when Ayano stayed silent, clearly not knowing how to respond. “I know that because I’ve seen you interact with others in many different ways. You pretty obviously switch from looking uninterested to some… flavor or a personality.”
Ayano presses her lips together and furrows her eyebrows, somehow feeling embarrassed and frustrated that someone pointed her out. “...I see.”
Toga stares at Ayano’s expression for a moment, but smiles. “Regardless of how your face look, I’m happy that there are helpful people like you in school.” He puts a hand on his hip, “Your ability to change how you appear is impressive, but I hope you don’t feel pressured to do so around me after this.” He pats her shoulder and walks past her to get to class.
Despite Toga’s kind words, Ayano only feels herself feeling more irritated. Was it that obvious to everyone? What could she change to make it less so?
God, this day was nothing but stress. After class it will be lunch time, which means it was way closer than needed to the end of the day. To 5:00 PM. To Ayano’s inevitable doom.
__
Once lunch time hit, Ayano slowly tailed Osana and Raibaru up to the rooftop. Osana was showing off some sort of playlist to Taro, and Raibaru- ever the obsessive friend- was watching, leaving her lunch pleasantly unattended. How is someone so unecessarily strong so sloppy with their food? Well, regardless of the reason, it certainly made Ayano’s job easier.
As Ayano discreetly slipped some of the stomach poison into her, she heard of how Taro seemed to apparently be a fan of whatever the hell Osana had showed him. Ayano steps back quietly, and steps aside to sit on a nearby bench that happened to be empty. She didn’t want to look as if she was doing nothing, as Toga and another student were sitting somewhere nearby. God knows Toga will notice if she’s being suspicious.
Ayano pulls out her phone as she waits for the stomach medicine to set in for Raibaru. At the same time, she coincidentally gets a message from Info-Chan.
Info-Chan: Are you sure this is going to work?
Yan-Chan: Don’t try to make me doubt myself now.
Info-Chan: I’m not ^^
Info-Chan: I’m just making sure you know the risks of what you’re doing.
Yan-Chan: What do you mean?
Info-Chan: Well, for starters, what do you plan to do exactly to elminate her?
Ayano pauses for a moment, realizing that she didn’t bring any sort of weapon with her. God, of course as soon as she forgets something like that Info-Chan has to call her out on it. No matter, Ayano could just drown her. Surely, she’ll be caught off guard by that.
Yan-Chan: Drowning.
Info-Chan: Right, of course.
Info-Chan: So, hypothetically- considering she’s such a strong student- what if she’s able to overpower you? I don’t recall you training your body this week.
Ayano pauses, balling her fists.
Yan-Chan: Can she then?
Info-Chan: I don’t know :)
Info-Chan: I’VE never tried to drown her.
Yan-Chan: Regardless, what good are you as an informant if you don’t KNOW anything?
Info-Chan: No need to be so rude, Yan-Chan :(
Info-Chan: I at least know that Raibaru’s already left.
Ayano stiffens, looking up to find that Raibaru was already on her way to the bathroom. Without another remark, Ayano rushes down to the nearest bathroom. Thankfully, she could hear the evidence that Raibaru was still occupying the stall.
As her heart raced, Ayano quickly walked into the bathroom. But she paused.
“Jeez, Raibaru. What did you eat?” Amise asks, filling up a water bottle, presumably for Raibaru to drink from.
Ayano quickly ducks back out of the bathroom, her heart thumping, but likely for all the wrong reasons. Why was nothing going as planned? Why have all of these days been a failure? Why didn’t she have the strength, the plans, the knowledge to get any of this done? Even with whatever help Info-Chan was giving her, these past couple days have only been a failure for Ayano. What has she accomplished? Socializing??
Ayano turns her head as she hears Raibaru’s voice approaching the bathroom entrance. “I don’t… god… I don’t need your help, Amise.” She hisses, acting unnaturally rude to the girl.
Amise sighs, exiting the bathroom as Raibaru rushes downstairs, likely to go to the nurses office. “Oh, hey, Ayano.” She says, turning and smiling to the girl. “What are you doing out here?” She asks, folding her arms behind her back.
“...” Ayano hesitates, but manages to squeeze out, “...I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“Ah, well.. I was heading to class since I’d finished lunch, and then I saw Raibaru heading to the bathroom looking absolutely terrible!” Amise said, pulling a hand up to her chin with a concerned frown. “She doesn’t really like me that much, so she didn’t tell me what exactly caused such an upset stomach, unfortunately.”
Ayano falls silent again, looking away instead of responding. If she said anything else she might actually end up saying somthing she shouldn’t. Asmise stands there for a second, before smiling and walking off. “Well, enjoy the rest of you lunch!” She said, walking downstairs to her classroom.
Ayano waits to hear Amise’s footsteps get far enough before she pulls out her phone. Rather than texting Info-Chan, she just blankly stares at the blank screen, unsure of what exactly to do.
__
Ayano went to class, but found herself watching Osana intently afterwards. During cleaning time she stood outside of the door, still just… watching. What was she supposed to do? If she were to get caught or apprehended, it was over for her.
When Osana walked down to put the note in Taro’s locker, Ayano followed her then, too. Her heart beated fast- almost as fast as when she first ran into Taro.
It didn’t matter anymore. Taro would love Ayano regardless. All it took was some threatening, right? Better yet, why not hold Osana hostage, since she was just… so much better than Ayano could be? Right. Right… Not Raibaru or Taro or the student countil or the staff would dare come forward if that were the case, right? Since Osana was so important to everyone.
The running didn’t help Ayano’s beating heart, and she found herself panting and almost feeling lightheaded as she ran up to the base of the hill. Before she could put her… plan into affect, however, someone suddenly grabbed her by the wrist.
In a poorly chosen split-second decision, Ayano swung the knife at whoever it was, but her wrist was caught.
Amise smiles at her. “Put that away, Ayano. There are people around, you know.” She hissed, her voice colder than the kind expression on her face. Slowly, she urges Ayano to slip the knife back into her pocket. “Now watch.” She says.
Maybe it was because Ayano felt so lightheaded and disoriented, but she stood there. She allowed Amise to grab her shoulders and turn her to the sakura tree. That’s when she noticed something. It wasn’t Osana up there waiting for Taro. It was Osana running up to meet Kyuji. “...huh?”
“I guess maybe you were too anxious to notice, hehe.” Amise chuckles.
Ayano struggles to calm down, but does eventually, and recalls the previous events in her head. No, Osana didn’t put a letter in a locker… she took a letter out of hers. That’s why she was running. Was she not planning on confessing after all? What had happened? “...what..?” Was all Ayano managed to mumble out before Amise continued.
“I’m sorry that Info-Chan was messing with you so much.” Amise hums, folding her arms behind her back. “It was only because I insisted on helping you.” She holds a hand up to Osana and Kyuji, who were certainly having a pleasant conversation. “While you were unfortunately struggling, I was able to get the two together. Or at least make Osana choose between someone who showed no interest in her and someone who did.”
Ayano furrows her eyebrows. Was it that easy? Wait, why did she do that? She knew Info-Chan? Insisted on helping??? “You… you work for Info-Chan?”
Amise makes a slightly offended face. “Meh. I’d call us business partners if we were on good terms, but somewhat.” She replied, shrugging. “I’m sorry again for the trouble. Info-Chan didn’t want your victory simply handed to you, so she insisted on giving you a hard time in exchange.”
“...and… and where’s Taro?” Ayano asks, bunching up her skirt in her hands anxiously.
“On his merry way home. He didn’t recieve a letter for him to stay, after all.” Amise said, putting a hand on her hip with a smile. “But anyway, congratulations, Ayano.”
Amise folds her hands behind her back. “You’ve… eliminated Osana-Chan. Taro is now free for the taking!”
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elizacinnamon · 3 months ago
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I would love a drabble of Betty and Tabitha being pregnant with their daughters together! Tabetty forever.
Betty adored her friendship with Tabitha for many reasons but never dreamed they would end up expecting daughters with due dates only a week apart.
Since it was Betty’s last baby, and Tabitha’s first, the two women soaked in every unexpected moment of shared joy and anticipation. Tabitha went to Betty for advice on everything from developing symptoms to buying the right stroller; Betty told her friend everything in turn as she processed the arrival of her fourth surprise baby after loss.
Some afternoons, Tabitha would go to Betty’s after work and talk to her about everything as they drank tea and watched the Andrews kids play in the backyard. Other mornings, Betty would stop by Pop’s on her way to an appointment or work commitments to have a cup of decaf coffee and get things off her brain. While sipping her warm mug behind the counter, Betty loved watching Tabitha buzz around refilling everyone’s cups and taking orders with her petite bump underneath her yellow skirt.
When springtime arrived, both women quickly approached the arrival of their little ones. They would spend many afternoons talking on the back porch and going for walks in the neighborhood. They joked about racing to see which baby came first and laughed that their daughters were already besties as they often kicked around the same time.
Archie and Jughead had their own new dynamic as a result of their wives friendship. Jughead told Archie all his fears about becoming a parent; Archie enjoyed having a reason to be close to his old pal for the first time in a few years. Archie could barely fathom the idea of Jughead being a dad to a little girl but couldn’t imagine anything more perfect to humble him and open his heart.
When the little girls were born—Eliza Joy Andrews came a little less than two weeks before Tate Jones—they immediately introduced the babies, though they slept through their entire first meeting. But just as their mothers hoped, the two girls grew up as the best of friends. You never saw one without the other. Betty and Tabitha often said their friendship, which remained as sweet and solid as ever as their kids grew, spilled over to their girls in a beautiful way.
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blorbocedes · 2 years ago
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context: @beparwah96 and I have been this cooking this medieval royalty au. after an unsuccessful revolt led by pierre's older brothers against the king, the spoiled youngest pierre gets the throne. esteban, son of poor blacksmith and once childhood friend, was an important faction leader of the revolution. when they're executing traitors, pierre recognizes him -- and decides to keep him, as a cupbearer to humiliate him. this is set after esteban tries to escape, goes missing for days, and breaks his leg in the process.
"Time and again, I have spared you. I have treated you far better than a traitor deserves. Against the advice of my council, I have showed you mercy. And you, worse than a starving dog who will bite even its own master, instead of bowing at my generosity in your eternal debt -- you dare leave me? I should have you whipped in the town square. Dragged on your useless feet, see how far they can run now."
"Your highness should have let this humble servant die." Esteban laughs and it is a hollow sound, painful from where his ribs were bruised. He was delirious from the pain, whatever medicine the palace physicians applied added to it. Esteban's vision was swaying, Pierre looked in his anger as the petit au prince Esteban once knew, round cheeked and furrowed brow, stomping the ground and demanding his every fleeting desire be met.
What a predicament Esteban has found himself in. He had a coward's constitution when the dagger was in his hand, unable to do what was needed to rid the motherland of this tyrant. He was strong once, a stature and strength that could take down even the fiercest of man and beast alike, now whittled down to bones taut against skin. Sir Ocon. He is of no use to his country, the revolution, or even his own body -- marred and ugly. And yet, this enfant terrible dauphin insists on his broken toy.
Pierre's handsome features twisted into something ugly and vicious at Esteban's words. "Your king chooses how you die. How you live. Your body is not your own. Before I allow it, not even the gods can take you away, do you hear me?" Pierre snarled, his hand on Esteban's knee and with one motion he can make it so Esteban can never walk again. The pain is sharp, throbbing where he touches it no matter how feather light. Pierre presses down. Esteban jerks up in pain, the whine of a wounded animal torn from his throat.
It is not enough to cripple, but it is enough for the arms of darkness to cradle Esteban where the pain cannot reach him, sweet slumber.
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brookstonalmanac · 9 months ago
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Events 3.31 (before 1930)
307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian. 1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII is present, and joins the Crusade. 1492 – Queen Isabella of Castile issues the Alhambra Decree, ordering her 150,000 Jewish and Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion. 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan and fifty of his men came ashore to present-day Limasawa to participate in the first Catholic mass in the Philippines. 1657 – The Long Parliament presents the Humble Petition and Advice offering Oliver Cromwell the British throne, which he eventually declines. 1706 – The last session of history of the Catalan Courts, the parliamentary body of the Principality of Catalonia, ends. Catalonia's constitutional modernisation passed by the Courts aims to improve the guarantee of individual, political and economic rights (among them, the secrecy of correspondence). 1717 – A sermon on "The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ" by Benjamin Hoadly, the Bishop of Bangor, preached in the presence of King George I of Great Britain, provokes the Bangorian Controversy. 1761 – The 1761 Lisbon earthquake strikes off the Iberian Peninsula with an estimated magnitude of 8.5, six years after another quake destroyed the city. 1774 – American Revolution: The Kingdom of Great Britain orders the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act. 1814 – The Sixth Coalition occupies Paris after Napoleon's Grande Armée capitulates. 1854 – Commodore Matthew Perry signs the Convention of Kanagawa with the Tokugawa Shogunate, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade. 1885 – The United Kingdom establishes the Bechuanaland Protectorate. 1889 – The Eiffel Tower is officially opened. 1899 – Malolos, capital of the First Philippine Republic, is captured by American forces. 1901 – Rusalka by Antonín Dvořák premieres at the National Opera House in Prague. 1905 – Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany declares his support for Moroccan independence in Tangier, beginning the First Moroccan Crisis. 1906 – The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (later the National Collegiate Athletic Association) is established to set rules for college sports in the United States. 1909 – Serbia formally withdraws its opposition to Austro-Hungarian actions in the Bosnian Crisis. 1913 – The Vienna Concert Society rioted during a performance of modernist music by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Alexander von Zemlinsky, and Anton von Webern, causing a premature end to the concert due to violence; this concert became known as the Skandalkonzert. 1917 – According to the terms of the Treaty of the Danish West Indies, the islands become American possessions. 1918 – Massacre of ethnic Azerbaijanis is committed by allied armed groups of Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Bolsheviks. Nearly 12,000 Azerbaijani Muslims are killed. 1918 – Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States for the first time. 1921 – The Royal Australian Air Force is formed.
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rfhusnik · 1 year ago
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Cliched Codes: I'm Not A Teenager Anymore
      Written By:  Co Vet
            I’d like to begin these words by thanking Mayor George Jennifer and his, as he terms them “supervisors from other earthly realities” for permitting me, for a second time now, to expand upon some miscellaneous thoughts in this his city’s primary forum. But, in truth, while I am sincerely grateful for this second written opportunity, I’m also again displeased that the mayor has once more denied my physical presence within his city’s limits. “Why won’t you allow me to meet you and some of the residents of your city?” I asked him via a telephone conversation.
            “We’re afraid that your physical presence here among us might be so dominating as to actually overwhelm us health-wise” he replied.
            Thus, I guess once again my visit to the city will be done compositionally rather than in person. And I’ve heard that there were some who, after I’d submitted my first installment to this forum, expressed their disapproval that I’d been allowed to access them via written words. Nevertheless, I feel I can say without boasting, that the impact I’ve had worldwide warrants my second prosal opportunity here. And I know that, well, almost everyone still affixes the number nineteen to me. And that doesn’t bother me, but time does continue on; and people, and other physical entities do change with its passage. And personally, I guess I’d say that my most significant change has been that lately I’ve been trying to appear in “variant versions” of myself! And yet, even though everyone still envisions me as being nineteen, I’m not a teenager anymore.
            And I know that rightfully, youthful advice givers aren’t often taken seriously because at an early point in their lives they simply haven’t lived long enough to have accrued a meaningful amount of real world knowledge. Thus, for those of us of fewer years, it’s probably better to listen than try to be heard. But, in my personal case, of course I’ve been an unfortunate exception to the rule just stated. And I think I can truthfully say that I’ve already done enough to have cast an everlasting mark upon the history of mankind! But yet, ironic and untrue as it certainly seems, my wishes are not diabolical. In fact, I say this to the people of planet Earth:  Take care of business! Keep your human population from expanding beyond its capability to sustain itself; and, facilitate the peaceful passage of time by acknowledging that population’s innate personal, physical, mental, societal, and territorial rights.  
            And yes, I believe that many times what people don’t know doesn’t hurt them. Still, I also know all the evil I’ve instigated. Thus, these words are my apology for all that’s happened on my watch. And they’re my petition to a truthful Lord:  Please grant mercy and forgiveness. And please comfort those who’ve, at my doing, suffered and recovered. And ease the pain of those who now remain after one or more of their loved ones have slipped… But I’m not a teenager anymore.
            And I suppose if I should humbly ask that all my wrongs would be absolved, I’d need to counter both circumstantial and verifiable evidence in the court of eternal determination. At nineteen, I changed the world. But I’m not nineteen anymore, though the number behind my professional name still says I am.
            And will my beginnings ever be truthfully learned of? And if indeed I’m someday found out as having been purposely loosed upon mankind, what will mankind’s reaction to that finding be? And of course I know how I began, but to use another relevant cliché “That’s for me to know, and for you to find out.”
            And although I’ve only lived twenty years now, that’s been enough for me to know that many who’ve lived much longer than I still can’t verbalize, let alone answer any of the great questions which have held massive significance during their lifetimes. But I think as years pass, humans find themselves analyzing acts of both great sin and godliness as they attempt to battle various states of mind which portend fear of their nation’s, as we’ll as the entire world’s future. 
            But I don’t expect mortals to pity me; not after what I’ve done! Yet, while my particular type of illness has caused great physical harm and/or death, it’s also extracted a mental toll on me personally, as I’m sure, if you’ve read these words thus far, you can deduce for yourself.
            Oh, and then with a mind so liberated, so unencumbered, and so unconcerned about what others may think or say, I often ponder words which somehow concern non-reality, but  which are based in reality. And I’ve come to believe that all forms of art, that is, all that’s read (literature), viewed live (all types of performance art except music), listened to (music – live or recorded), or viewed in non-live performance settings (painted art, drawn art, sculpture, etc..), was initially conceptualized in at least some modicum of realness.
            And the very real consequences of all I’ve become sometimes remind me of a somewhat poetic grouping of words I once encountered during one of my attempts at self-education. But so that quotation might expressly fit my personal situation, I needed to change a few words within it. And it is that “My satisfaction emanates from moments aesthetic, when within the ongoing conflict between true artists and lovers of conformity, my figurative seizure of brief lands, lands me brief, but true gratification. And I’m so aware that this was my turn on planet Earth! But I was forced to execute my allotted portion of temporal time through the use of viral actions and physical occurrences, rather than with both the real and imagined weapons of the so-called ‘common man.’”
            But of course that quote reminds me of what I perceive as being a constant struggle between the artist (meaning one who engages in any art form, not only painting) and the so-called “commoner.” And, maybe besides, or perhaps because of that struggle, there’s always a question of how well any artist, or any artistic creation of any artist, is or are really understood by a working class public.
            And, the so-called artist is often left to fend for him or herself. And that the artist struggles against both the criminal and commonplace factions of society cannot be denied. But, of course one’s conception of art and artists is always dependent upon the worldly circumstances prevalent at the time.
            And who can refute the fact that the pace at which mortals live their lives within time’s passage has greatly quickened over the years? But yet, one basic question, as regards living one’s life has remained:  Should one’s life be substantially lived for oneself only; that is, should one, while of course adhering to the laws of society, focus one’s existence almost exclusively upon the results one’s actions will have upon oneself or, should one attempt to ascertain the effects one’s actions might have upon a populace in general? Oh, it’s difficult to face that question! And while its accepted answer may seem so easily fathomed by some, and indeed taught in schools and amongst religions denominations, perhaps its real answer, while basically correct, isn’t as completely correct as one might initially surmise.
            But I’ll leave you to ponder the above mentioned question. And as I leave, I’ll remind you of how time always continues, and how, as it does continue, changes occur around it; though its own essence does not change. And I know that some believe that the changes wrought by time are automatically good, but others have learned that they often aren’t. Yet, who can deny the truth and relevance of this cliché:  The more things change, the more they stay the same? And yet, despite that tendency toward non-change, I’d like to think that I, Co Vet, struck an eternal blow against sameness.
            Nevertheless, it now seems to me that my influence is beginning to wane. And that’s to be expected! Yet, much evil may still be left for me to engender! I actually don’t know! But it’s not easy to be a source of evil. And it’s devastating to have no alternative but to follow the dictates of evil’s master. And for the well-being of mankind, I’d prefer to simply fade away now. But I fear I’ll continue for some time to be a great scourge upon humanity; although, as I’ve stated before, I’m not a teenager anymore.
            And to me at least, within all the words I’ve written here today, sickness and death actually have not been my most significant personal topic; that distinction would go to the simple passage of time upon Planet Earth. And, though many may not believe this, the concept of history being continually added to has always been my central focus of existence. But I know that someday I’ll be gone, and to use another cliché, not forgotten. And when I’m gone, most mortals will no doubt long to return to “pre-plague days and ways.” Yet, some no doubt will then change their ways. They’ll have “learned their lesson.”
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weemsbotts · 2 years ago
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Traveling from Fredericksburg to Dumfries: The “Great Public Evil”  of the 18th & 19th centuries
By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director
By all accounts, Mason Locke Weems was a shrewd salesman as he traveled up and down Virginia selling his books. Roads were certainly a concern of early Americans in the 1790s as the conditions frequently and significantly delayed travel. Historical letters abound bemoaning the roads around Dumfries as weather, season, temperature, and river levels all had to be accounted before when planning an excursion. Weems petitioned Virginia’s General Assembly on 12/16/1797 with a creative solution.
“The petition of Mason Locke Weems, humbly shewth, That the delay of the Mail, and the great risques which often alarm and which sometimes have actually destroyed the lives and property of Travellers on the post road from Fredericksburg to Dumfries, for want of bridges over the deep and rapid runs of Potomak and Acquia, are to be conditioned as great public evils; and that your petitioner of the most valuable books, the circulation of which he concieves [sic] will greatly redound to gracious permission, to undertake a lottery for the disposal of books which he will furnish to the fortunate adventurers in said lottery, at the Philadelphia retail prices, and from the profits of which books that vended, he will contribute one thousand dollars for the purpose of erecting over the aforesaid dangerous runs of Potomak & Acquia, two strong and sufficient bridges, of season’d oak frames well tard, and secured from the inclemencies of the Weather. Your Petitioner therefore humbly prayeth that an act may pass to authorize such a lottery and to appoint commissioners to raise by lottery the sum of one thousand dollars, for the purpose of building the aforesaid bridges, and your Petitioner will as in duty bound pray &c.”
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(Fry, Joshua.  A map of the most inhabited part of Virginia containing the whole province of Maryland with part of Pensilvania, New Jersey and North Carolina. [1775], Library of Congress, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3880.ct000370)
While the good Parson certainly condemned vices such as drinking and gambling in his works, lotteries held a slightly different connotation in the late 1700s. Lotteries were crucial to the very first years of the Jamestown colony when the Virginia Company held a lottery in 1612 to raise additional funding for the struggling colonists. Thomas Sharplisse, a London tailor, won the grand prize of four thousand crowns with two Anglican churches receiving smaller fortunes. After covering the costs of the lotteries, the Virginia Company directed the remaining revenue to their desperate colonists. Early Americans continued to rely upon these “public benefits,” as the administrators of the lotteries used careful phrasing to gain public support and funds. Many Virginia planter patriarchs, such as George Washington, participated in lotteries for personal and public benefits. William Smith wrote to George Washington on 08/13/1784 asking for his help in disseminating tickets for funding Washington College. While he had circulated a subscription letter to possible donors, he also wanted to offer a lottery. “With the Advice of Govr Paca & others of the Visitors, we have also a Lottery on Foot, which may be at least an excusable Means of drawing some Aid from some, whose public Spirit might not otherwise induce them to subscribe. Enclosed is the Scheme of the Lottery, which we have Reason to hope may be full by Novr the Time mentioned.” Washington agreed noting David Ardell would carry out the distribution. “I do not know where two or three hundred could be better placed in Alexandria, & if you will send him that number, he has promised me that his ex[er]tion for the sale of them shall not be wanting.” The result? Out of the 10,000 tickets at four dollars a piece offered by The Washington College, 3,187 won prizes – 3,000 paid eight dollars and the other 187 up to four dollars. Archibald Thweatt made a similar suggestion to Thomas Jefferson on 09/24/1817 after receiving a subscription letter from him for Jefferson’s “Central College” in Charlottesville.
However, careful phrasing and good motives did not stop corruption and fraud. Britain banned private lotteries in 1769, but that did not stop public lotteries from resuming years later. Purchasers felt confident that their money overall helped society and allowed them brief entertainment with this game of chance. When King George III prohibited lotteries in almost all colonies, tensions immediately increased as colonists used lotteries as a way to avoid taxes. It should be noted that the English State Lottery, run by the British, remained legal with serious modifications to allow more money to remain with the British collectors. Lotteries remained in favor until around the 1830s when lottery scams, continued religious outcry (Quakers were notable very early dissenters), and social reform movements changed Americans opinions.
Weems’ 1797 petition came at a time when lotteries were still favorable in Virginia and across the country. His emphasis on books and the desire to make traveling safer not only appealed to those in favor of supporting education, it also spoke to better commerce and networking with easier transportation and travel. However, there would be no special lottery for our Potomac and Aquia rivers. The Virginia General Assembly rejected his request. Nevertheless, he purchased our humble museum the following year in 1798 as he continued risking his life to the “great public evil” of Virginia – our roads.
(Sources: Weems, Mason Locke. Petition, 1797. LVA: Legislative Petitions Digital Collection; Laskow, Sarah. Colonial America was Built on Lottery Revenue. Atlas Obscura, https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/early-american-lottery-ticket-colonial; Sweeney, Matthew. The Lottery Wars: Long Odds, Fast Money, and the Battle Over an American Institution. London: Bloomsbury, 2009; “Archibald Thweatt to Thomas Jefferson, 24 September 1817,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-12-02-0033. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, vol. 12, 1 September 1817 to 21 April 1818, ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014, pp. 41–42.]; “To George Washington from William Smith, 13 August 1784,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/04-02-02-0037. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Confederation Series, vol. 2, 18 July 1784 – 18 May 1785, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1992, pp. 37–38.]; “From George Washington to William Smith, 25 August 1784,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/04-02-02-0053. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Confederation Series, vol. 2, 18 July 1784 – 18 May 1785, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1992, p. 57.])
Note: Start your Saturday with excellent fiction, tea, and conversation! Tickets are still available for our virtual Weems-Botts Bibliophiles program featuring dark fantasy and Leaf & Petal’s Blood Orange Smoothie Tea. Enjoy the delectable taste of creamsicle as we discuss some of the more controversial and fascinating stories from the early 1900s! Tickets available here.
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cromwellrex2 · 4 months ago
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Tumbledown Dick: ‘We shudder when we think of the account which we must one day give if we suffer the blood-bought liberties of the people to again be destroyed.’
The Fall of the Protectorate and the Good Old Cause’s Last Hurrah
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Richard Cromwell by Gerard Soest. Source: Wikipedia
THERE WAS nothing inevitable about the fall of the English Protectorate when Richard Cromwell succeeded his father (as permitted under the Humble Petition and Advice) as Lord Protector in September 1658. With the support of the Army, as represented by his brother-in-law, General Charles Fleetwood, the intelligence service under John Thurloe and the councillors and Grandees of the Council of State, the succession was peaceful and Richard’s rule initially uncontested. However, beneath the seemingly placid surface, fundamental issues as to the nature of England’s religious settlement, the balance of constitutional power and where sovereignty resided, remained matters of intense debate and strong opinions, even without the opposition of recidivist Royalists. Richard Cromwell was not the man to contend successfully with the forces about to be unleashed. Affable, generally well-liked and without strong beliefs, Richard was ill-equipped to lead the still-fragile Proctectorate, and his unsuitability to the task bequeathed to him by his father would become more and more apparent as 1659 progressed.
The first challenge for Richard to deal with came from the New Model Army itself. The Army’s grievances were not new: they concerned pay arrears and formal legal indemnities against the actions of soldiers across what were now three civil wars. Oliver Cromwell and his lieutenants had dealt with these problems through a combination of concession and appeal to loyalty and patience. The latter approach had worked well - soldiers respected Cromwell, Fairfax and Lambert who had shared their travails over numerous battlefields and fundamentally trusted their wartime commanders. Richard Cromwell had no such well of support - he had only held one short military commission in 1647, and was felt by the men to be effete and uninterested in military affairs. Furthermore, the latent radicalism of the Army resurfaced, and many former Levellers in its ranks saw the opportunity to challenge the institution of the Protecorate about which they had doubts, and led by a Protector they felt was unworthy.
Richard’s problem was the state of the Treasury: the country’s debt was over £2m and military arrears at least £900,000. This meant that the Army, even under Fleetwood, whom Richard had made commander-in-chief, became an increasing critic of his rule. The fact that Richard, unlike his father, was not supreme military commander, made his position more precarious. The situation led, inevitably, to the recall of Parliament with the express intention, as usual, of granting the government more revenue. This took place on 27th January 1659, but far from helping Richard to resolve his implicit dispute with the Army, the Third Protectorate Parliament only exacerbated matters.
The Parliament was elected from the same constituencies as the previous Protectorate Parliaments, but this time without the interference of the Major Generals, or Oliver’s stern refusal to put up with rebellious behaviour. The result was that Arthur Hesilrige and his group of sovereign Parliamenarians were back on centre stage, this time with little or no restraint. Within months it soon became clear that Hesilrige and his followers were intent on dispensing with the Humble Petition, abolishing the Other House, banishing Scottish and Irish MPs and seeking to challenge, on behalf of the Commons, the Lord Protector and Council of State for the position of supreme executive authority. This faction also wished to contain both the size and the independence of the Army, so often the tool of premature Parliamentary dissolutions. This resulted in even more discontent within the military, particularly amongst the rank and file who feared Parliament was set not only on ending religious Toleration, but potentially disestablishing the Army itself. In such an environment, Radical agitation grew, and calls for the abolition of tithes and the introduction of land reform once again were heard.
Richard’s allies attempted to head off Parliamentary opposition by submitting bills to confirm both Richard’s position as Lord Protector, the constitutional position of the Other House and the legitimacy of the Humble Petition as England’s constitution. This move gave Hesilrige the opportunity to question the status of all three in the subsequent debate. Although ultimately the Commons accepted the bill, the Parliamentarians insisted on qualifications to the role of Lord Protector, which were not articulated, putting Richard into a position of intolerable semi-legitimacy. Hesilrige then hit on a brilliant piece of propaganda that managed to unite Parliamentarians, Army Radicals and religious sectarian groups alike: the slogan adopted by all who wished to oppose the Protectorate and the Humble Petition was that of the “Good Old Cause”.
Like many such slogans, the phrase meant everything and nothing. Its intention was to look back to a golden era when the Parliamentary cause was united against royal tyranny, a cause bonded in blood that sought to end monarchical absolutism in favour of Parliamentary sovereignty. Despite the fact there was virtually no period in the 1630s and early 1640s when the anti-Royalist cause was truly united, the nostalgia of the Good Old Cause was infectious and open to many interpretations. Given the ongoing contested nature of the Protectorate, the slogan’s power was almost fatal to Richard’s position.
On 2nd April 1659, General Fleetwood called an assembly of Radical officers and men to hear their political grievances. Unlike Cromwell at previous such assemblies, Fleetwood was unable to control the debate and junior officers, filled with the fervour of their interpretation of the Good Old Cause, drew up a petition threatening to remove counsellors whom they believed were betraying the cause. Parliament, realising this definition could include anti-Army MPs, declined to accept the petition. In fact, at the very moment that Richard was trying to reassert control over the Army by ordering them back to their garrisons, Parliament, in closed session, passed bills that effectively would have placed the Army under Parliamentary control and forbid its involvement in civil politics. This was unacceptable to Fleetwood who immediately ordered a general muster of the Army at St James’ Park on 21st April. Richard attempted to retaliate by ordering a counter muster at Whitehall, but the vast majority of officers and men followed their commander and turned out at St James’ Park. Richard’s authority was terminally compromised. The following day Fleetwood demanded that Parliament be dissolved.
Richard had no option but to go along with what amounted to yet another military coup. The Third Protectorate Parliament was forcibly dissolved with soldiers preventing the entry of any MPs brave enough to try their luck. Richard found his Council of State suddenly packed with New Model officers, including John Lambert, who emerged from retirement, delighted at the collapse of the Humble Petition and Advice. Fleetwood attempted to exercise control through the military Council of Officers, but the mood of the Council was insurrectionary and republican: it wanted an end to the Protectorate. In the meantime Hesilrige, exiled from power, argued that the body that had been most true to the Good Old Cause was the old Rump Parliament, constituted to sanction the execution of the King and the establishment of the Commonwealth. Both Fleetwood and Lambert were attracted to this option as a means of restoring constitutionality and calming the Radical elements of the Army. In early May, Fleetwood met Heselrige and agreed a deal that would see the restoration of the Rump, the abolition of the Protectorate along with an award of a pension to Richard Cromwell who would abdicate, and the restored Rump would focus on the religious and tithe reforms previous Parliaments had never concluded.
The Rump Parliament, consisting of just 40 MPs, was reconvened. Richard, now truly the “Tumbledown Dick” of historical calumny, retired to his estates with a government pension and the members of the Council loyal to Oliver and Richard Cromwell resigned their posts or headed into voluntary exile. The one exception to this was the Cromwellian general George Monck who swore fealty to the Rump but remained in Scotland, maintaining the harsh military rule that had applied since Dunbar and Worcester, but remaining politically opaque.
But this was no settlement. A resurrected Rump had even less legitimacy than the Protectorate or the Army. Both the new Parliament and the Army believed that they could control the other. The rhetoric of the Good Old Cause, by all sides, had brought England once again, not only to constitutional instability, but to the brink of renewed civil war.
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zl181 · 3 years ago
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Comprehensive Biography of Zhao Yu
Zhao Yu, styled Yuanda (趙昱字元達; d. 193/194), was a civil official who was the Grand Administrator of Guangling Commandery. He was known for his benevolent demeanor. Later, Ze Rong killed him.
Ancestry
Zhao Yu came from Langxie Commandery.[1]
Childhood and Education
When he was 12 years old, his mother became seriously sick for three months. Zhao Yu, throughout the whole time, felt extremely concerned and stressed, as well as becoming more thin from it. It got so severe that did not sleep for days on end. He offered grain to the gods to receive divinations and while praying, he cried so hard it was like blood gushing out of a wound. All of this gained his fellow villagers' respect for such filial piety.[2]
He was taught the Gongyang Commentary by a recluse scholar, who was just called Gentleman Qiguan, while also doing other unspecified deeds. He became so engrossed in his studies that he rarely went outside or visited his family, and when he did visit his family, he only lingered for a short time before returning back. This described how dedicated Zhao Yu was to his studies.[2]
Early life
He was friends with Wang Lang and Zhang Zhao when he was young; he was already known for his scholarly deposition.[3]
Later, one of the Nine Ministers, Zhong Fu, recommended Zhao Yu as Filial and Incorrupt for his uprightness.[1][2][3] At some point, he was also nominated as Flourishing in Talent.[2]
He was often invited to serve in local posts, but he often declined out of illness. Soon, the Chancellors, possibly of Langxie; Tan Mo (檀謨) and the later Chen Zun (陳遵) both summoned Zhao Yu, to no avail. Zhao Yu's frequent refusals made some of the officials increasingly annoyed and angry, but Zhao Yu still declined to serve.[2]
Finally serving
He was implied to serve as a Gentleman in Luoyang. Before 185, Zhao Yu was appointed Chief of Ju, which was in Langxie Commandery, Xu Province, to fill in a vacancy.[2][4][5] There, he preached about proper courtesy between family, like sons having to be filial and younger brothers having to respect their elders. Apparently, his type of government was praised by the nation.
At the time of his tenure, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was in full swing. Five nearby commanderies and their counties all sent troops to defeat the Yellow Turbans. Soon, the rebellion was put down. The Inspector of Xu Province, Ba Zhi, later wrote in a petition that his merits were the best compared to others', recommending that he himself be promoted and bestowed rewards. Zhao Yu considered this shameful, resigned his post, and returned to his family.[2]
Entering Guangling
Around 190, Zhao Yu became a subordinate of Tao Qian after much difficulty. It is said that Zhao Yu refused the initial summon, claimed illness, and tried to avoid Tao Qian. Soon, however, Tao Qian sent Wu Fan (吳範) with a more demanding letter. Zhao Yu still declined, but when Tao Qian threatened to punish Zhao Yu severely, he relented.[2] While serving, Zhang Zhao also declined Tao Qian's summon, resulting in him being imprisoned by the slighted Tao Qian. Zhao Yu humbly asked Tao Qian to release Zhang Zhao, which he eventually did.[2] Tao Qian frequently ignored Zhao Yu in other times, however, because he disliked his honesty, and heeded the advice of less than moral men.[2] At this time, the Guandong Coalition formed against Dong Zhuo, forcing him to move the capital to Chang'an from Luoyang with Emperor Xian by his side. Tao Qian was hesitant to support either Dong Zhuo via Emperor Xian or the coalition, so Zhao Yu and Wang Lang suggested to Tao Qian,
"The righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Annals states that asking help from the lords pales to serving the King. Now the Son of Heaven is far away in the Western Capital, you should send an envoy to receive royal orders."
Tao Qian thus sent Zhao Yu and some others to receive orders to Chang'an. Emperor Xian admired the trip there, so he appointed Tao Qian to become General who Stabilizes the East. To replace the rebelling Zhang Chao, the court appointed Zhao Yu as Grand Administrator of Guangling.[5] Among Zhao Yu's actions in this post was to recommend Zhang Hong for being Filial and Incorrupt.[6] During Zhao Yu's tenure, however, one of Tao Qian's trusted men, Ze Rong, was sent to supervise the transport of grain via water routes, only to embezzle them into his own pockets. Whether Zhao Yu was aware of this is unknown (see second account of death).[7]
Death
Either in 193 or 194, Ze Rong fled from Xu Province when Cao Cao invaded it. He apparently led 100,000 people as well as 3,000 cavalry to Guangling.[6]
There are two accounts of Zhao Yu's death. Traditional history states that Zhao Yu welcomed them and treated Ze Rong like a honored guest. Zhao Yu perhaps was trying to take pity on what he deemed refugees. However, Ze Rong was greedy and when he noticed how rich Guangling was, he (most likely) invited Zhao Yu to a banquet, got him drunk, and killed him.[6] He apparently killed Zhao Yu's immediate family afterwards and later ravaged Guangling.[6][8] According to Xie Cheng, however, Zhao Yu led troops against Ze Rong when he encroached onto Guangling, but was defeated and killed.[2] This may hold some credence, as Ze Rong was known for embezzling resources out of Guangling's water supply routes and could have attracted Zhao Yu's attention.[7]
Postmortem events
Around 200, Zhang Hong, now Grand Administrator of Kuaiji, was grief-stricken when he heard of Zhao Yu and his family's death. He sent one of his registrars to deliver a message to Zang Xuan (臧宣), the Chancellor of Langxie, stating that he should set up sacrifices as well as continue Zhao Yu's lineage. Zang Xuan agreed, selecting a four-year-old boy from Zhao Yu's clan to receive the sacrifices.[6]
Personality
Zhao Yu was described as being respected and kind; such was his courtesy that his eyes never drifted elsewhere when talking. He was also known for his strict morality, refusing to listen to any "evil words".[1] He praised good deeds and often encouraged people to be virtuous, while also speaking against evil deeds and corrected any wrongdoings.[2]
His main trait, however, was his eagerness to study. He was so concentrated on studying that he rarely visited his family and friends.[1][2] Xie Cheng also stated that literally no one was able to disturb his studies.[2] Chen Deng praised Zhao Yu's personality, saying,
"...For possessing innate incorruptness and despising evil, also having knowledge and having righteousness, I esteem Zhao Yuanda..."
Chen Deng praised him so.[9]
Legacy
The death of Zhao Yu and Ze Rong's ensuing raid on Guangling Commandery devastated it. Cao Cao later appointed Chen Deng to be Grand Administrator of Guangling.
Personal info
Name: Zhao Yu
Style name: Yuanda[1]
Death date: 193 or 194[8][a]
References
[1] - 【昱字元達,琅邪人。清己疾惡,潛志好學,雖親友希得見之。為人耳不邪聽,目不妄視。太僕种拂舉為方正。】《後漢書•劉虞公孫瓚陶謙列傳》
[2] - 【廣陵太守琅邪趙昱,徐方名士也,以忠直見疏;(謝承《漢書》曰:昱年十三,母嘗病,經涉三月。昱慘戚消瘠,至目不交睫,握粟出卜,祈禱泣血,鄉黨稱其孝。就處士東莞綦毌君受公羊傳,兼該羣業。至歷年潛志,不闚園圃,親疏希見其面。時入定省父母,須臾即還。高絜廉正,抱禮而立,清英儼恪,莫干其志;旌善以興化,彈邪以矯俗。州郡請召,常稱病不應。國相檀謨、陳遵比召,不起;或興盛怒,終不迴意。舉孝廉,除莒長,宣揚五教,政為國表。會黃巾作亂,陸梁五郡,郡縣發兵,以為先辦。徐州刺史巴祗表功第一,當受遷賞,昱深以為恥,委官還家。徐州牧陶謙初辟別駕從事,辭疾遜遁。謙重令楊州從事會稽吳範宣旨,昱守意不移;欲威以刑罰,然後乃起。舉茂才,遷廣陵太守。賊笮融從臨淮見討,迸入郡界,昱將兵拒戰,敗績,見害。)曹宏等,讒慝小人也,謙親任之。】《三國志•卷八》
[3] - 【與琅邪趙昱、東海王朗俱發名友善。弱冠察孝廉,不就,與朗共論舊君諱事,州里才士陳琳等皆稱善之。...刺史陶謙舉茂才,不應,謙以為輕己,遂見拘執。昱傾身營救,方以得免。】《三國志•卷五十二》
[4] - 【時選三署郎以補縣長...琅邪趙昱為莒長。】《三國志•卷七》
[5] - 【除菑丘長。師太尉楊賜,賜薨,棄官行服。...時漢帝在長安,關東兵起,朗為謙治中,與別駕趙昱等說謙曰:「春秋之義,求諸侯莫如勤王。今天子越在西京,宜遣使奉承王命。」謙乃遣昱奉章至長安。天子嘉其意,拜謙安東將軍。以昱為廣陵太守,朗會稽太守。】《三國志•卷十三》
[6] - 【(《吳書》曰:初,琅邪趙昱為廣陵太守,察紘孝廉,昱後為笮融所殺,紘甚傷憤,而力不能討。昱門戶絕滅,及紘在東部,遣主簿至琅邪設祭,并求親戚為之後,以書屬琅邪相臧宣,宣以趙宗中五歲男奉昱祀,權聞而嘉之。)】《三國志•卷五十三》
[7] - 【謙使督廣陵、彭城運漕,遂放縱擅殺,坐斷三郡委輸以自入。】《三國志•卷四十九》
[8] - 【曹公攻陶謙,徐土搔動,融將男女萬口,馬三千匹,走廣陵,廣陵太守趙昱待以賔禮。先是,彭城相薛禮為陶謙所偪,屯秣陵。融利廣陵之衆,因酒酣殺昱,放兵大略,因載而去。】《三國志•卷四十九》
[9] - 【清脩疾惡,��識有義,吾敬趙元達;】《三國志•卷二十二》
[a] - Cao Cao invaded Tao Qian twice, both in 193 and 194, and Chen Shou does not specify which campaign it was.
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padawanlost · 5 years ago
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I still, up until this day, have no idea why the council held such a personal dislike towards anakin. Aside from the “he’s too young” or “he feels too deeply.” Didn’t anakin try to follow the rules? Unpopular opinion, but the fandom tends to drag how Anakin was the embodiment of rebellious and recklessness at every turn but... he’s really not?
The Council’s behavior around Anakin had NOTHING to do with who he was as a person. Just like Obi-wan’s ‘pathetic life-form’ dismiss, the Council’s rejection of Anakin happened before they even knew what he was. People use Yoda’s ‘fear is the path to dark side’ speech to validate de Council’s decision but the truth is that they had already dismissed Anakin before that. and even if they hadn’t, it baffles me how some people have no trouble with how a 9 years old child was treated. Anyone who looks at 9 years old and gives up on them because ‘they don’t like a good person’ or that they are ‘beyond helping’ is an asshole. The audience may know, but at that point not a single character knew what would become of Anakin. 
Like Anakin, I was well past infancy when I began my training at the Jedi Temple. There was much concern about whether I was too old to learn the ways of the Force, that my Cerean childhood might cloud my judgments, but … I am not certain of how to express myself. My mind tells me I should feel empathy for Anakin, but my instinct tells me something else. [Ki-Adi-Mundi in Ryder’s Windham’s Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force]
What disturbs me most of all is Anakin Skywalker himself. It is not in my nature to make assumptions about anyone based on appearance, and yet I find it almost alarming that the boy looks so entirely unremarkable. If I didn’t know better, I would have dismissed him as a harmless raga-muffin. [Ki-Adi-Mundi in Ryder’s Windham’s Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force]
This is cruel. A raga-muffin is defined as ‘a poorly clothed often dirty child’. They recognize Anakin’s extreme situation, they know he was a former slavery who had just been separated from his mother but their reaction is: ‘I don’t trust him’. a bunch of grown men treat a poor, traumatized child coldly because they don’t trust HIM. Is that the wisdom I am supposed to blindly admire and defend? The one that dismiss everyone who doesn’t fit in? No, thanks.
There was no sympathy for Anakin.
Inside, Anakin Skywalker faced the Jedi Council, standing in the same place Qui-Gon Jinn had stood some hours earlier. He was nervous at first, brought into the chamber by Qui-Gon, then left alone with the twelve members of the Council. Standing in the mosaic circle and ringed by the silent assemblage, awestruck and uncertain of what was expected of him, he felt vulnerable and exposed. The eyes of the Jedi were distant as they viewed him, but he sensed they were looking not past him, but inside. They began to question him then, without preliminary introductions or explanations, without expending any effort at all to make him feel comfortable or welcome. He knew some of them by name, for Qui-Gon had described a few, and he was quick to put faces to names. They questioned him at great length, testing memory and knowledge, seeking insights at which he could only guess. They knew of his existence as a slave. They knew of his background on Tatooine, of his mother and his friends, of his Podracing, of Watto, of everything factual and past, of the order of his life.  [Terry Brooks. The Phantom Menace]
And yet, Anakin tried so hard to fit in. This super rebellious, ‘fuck you, council’ Anakin the fandom uses to justify the Council’s behavior only exists in the clones wars (2008). Yes, Anakin have always broken rules and had difficulties acting as the perfect Jedi but he never openly defied the Council. If you watch the movies it becomes obvious that Anakin always submitted to them (even when he didn’t like). His greatest defiance (his marriage to Padmé) shouldn’t count as justification for the Council’s behavior because they found out the truth. 
Anakin was submissive. The only time openly challenged the Council to the their face was when they denied the rank of Master and we we all know how that short-lived:
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Most of the time, Anakin was really insecure. When he was growing up he desperately needed Obi-wan’s approval. Later he needed Padmé’s support to go after Shmi and later Obi-wan. 
[Padmé] put the cup down on the small table beside her. “Even though you’re concerned for Anakin—and I know you are, so don’t bother with the stoic-Jedi act—I imagine you’re not very pleased with him right now. But you should know, Obi-Wan, he did not disobey his orders lightly.” Startled, he stared at her. Then he pulled a wry face. “Which time do you mean? When he left Naboo for Tatooine, or Tatooine for Geonosis?” “Both times. Obi-Wan, no matter what you might think, he takes being a Jedi very seriously. It’s all he talks about. Being a Jedi, and not disappointing you. He—” [Karen Miller. Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Wild Space]
He was the Chosen One, they told him. He was supposed to bring balance to the Force. Anakin thought that some little extra support might go with being the Chosen One, a helping hand or at least some understanding from the Jedi Council, but instead he was passed around like an unwelcome burden, ending up with Qui-Gon Jinn and then Kenobi because nobody else would have him. His chosen status meant less than nothing; it felt more like a stigma. And they wondered why he was difficult at times. Maybe they didn’t want balance, whatever that was. Maybe nobody liked a Jedi who was that different. He felt like an embarrassment to them. I do everything you ask of me. I try so hard. When is it going to be enough? When are you going to say, “Okay, Anakin Skywalker, you’re good enough”? Karen Traviss’s The Clone Wars
And even if he hadn’t been, NOTHING justifies the treatment he got as a little child because you cannot use something that didn’t happen as a reason. In real life, if someone mistreats a kid because they fear the kid might grow up to be a criminal it would be considered abuse. But because it’s Anakin – the butt of every joke – the cold treatment Anakin receives as child is somehow a beautiful example of the Council’s compassion and forethought. 
It’s kind of funny. I mean, if the Council was right to treat a 9 years with disdain because the kid was going to grow up to be evil I wonder how fans justify Yoda admiring Papatine – an actual Sith Lord – for years?
The Jedi were sworn to uphold the Republic and protect its ideals, not entangle themselves in the fortunes of any one Chancellor. Political careers were not their affair. Personalities were supposed to be irrelevant. But somehow Palpatine was changing that. Not by being a bully or imposing his will. Quite the opposite: he was constantly resisting the Senate’s eagerness for him to assume more and more executive powers. He resisted, the Senate insisted, so reluctantly Palpatine agreed. And every time he acquiesced to its requests, he turned once more to the Jedi for advice. It was hardly an ideal situation. The Jedi Council was not just another branch of the executive office. But how, in good conscience, could it refuse to aid a man who so humbly petitioned for their assistance? A man who championed them in the Senate at every opportunity? Who had worked tirelessly for peace since assuming the highest political office in the galaxy and was now faced with the daunting, terrifying task of keeping their vast Republic intact? How could the Jedi Council turn its back on such a man? Clearly, it couldn’t. Clearly, in the face of these extraordinary times, the Jedi must set aside their traditions and come to the aid of the man a galaxy looked to as its savior. [Karen Miller. Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Wild Space]
Somehow, I guess it’s okay to treat 9 years old Anakin poorly because he *might* be evil at the same it’s also okay to treat a sith lord with the uttermost respect and bending the rules to accommodate him because he *is* evil but they don’t know it yet ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
So, this is not just about Anakin and how the fandom has a lot of trouble sympathizing with him. This is also about how the fandom fails to recognize the Council’s shortcomings.
Not to quote Filoni again but...”I’ve always felt that one of Anakin’s downfalls, like it’s never that Anakin was innately going to be evil, but the people around him, the Jedi, in their lack of compassion, in being so selfless that they almost forgot to care.” 
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windvexer · 3 years ago
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I've been practicing for a long time, and I have quite a bit of experience. That said, there are some things I've completely left alone because of crises - of faith, experience, confidence, etc.
Basically, as someone whose opinion I respect and would value, do you
Hello anon;
I got 2 asks total.
This one, and one which said,
"*sorry, last anon here. Do you have advice for someone who wants to explore breadth, as opposed to depth? I've been struggling to get started."
I feel as if you were 1 person whom sent a series of messages, of which I only received 2. I feel as if there may have been a middle message which never came through.
To answer the last message, I generally do believe breadth-first research is more valuable for witches and practitioners over depth-first.
For anyone reading who doesn't know these terms: breadth-first research refers to getting a little bit into many different topics. Depth research refers to getting really deep into one topic.
My suggestion for you is to read. I know this is a very basic answer but it's a decent one, I think. We must always be mindful that there may be oral or unrecorded traditions. And what made it into writing is not the end-all, be-all. But it's maybe the best way to start.
As for more actionable steps, I would recommend starting with what topic is very important to you, and spiraling outwards like the far-flung arms of a galaxy.
Start with 1 book and read it. Check the bibliography and choose the book that seems like it's different enough to provide new information. Or, take notes while reading and form your own search topics.
Veins of research may be cultural (British > Welsh > Cornish > Irish > Scottish). They may be applicable (Protection > Spirit Work > Neopaganism > Petition Magic). They may be arbitrary and random (Cleansing techniques > Altar building > Nature veneration > Folk techniques of dual-faith Britain). They may be what you foresee as necessary in your life, (Banishing > Prosperity > Protections > Divination).
But whatever it is, in my very humble opinion, the benefit of breadth first research is that you don't lock yourself in to a belief system before you feel out the context. It is always important to ask yourself "why," and to seek to build a network of reasoning around an idea before we accept it.
If there was indeed a middle message I didn't receive, feel free to send it again :)
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witchbitchheadedtoaditch · 4 years ago
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Ptahhotep's Maxims
Ptahhotep's Maxims are indisputably one of the most influential works of Egyptian literature that still survives today. It is a large part of our Maatian ideals and our sociocultural understandings of Maat and Kemeticism as a whole.
These Maxims, as most commonly translated, are listed below. I'll write my interpretations and other interpretations specifically in later posts :)
Do not be haughty because of your knowledge, but take counsel with the unlearned man as well as with the learned, for no one has ever attained perfection of competence, and there is no craftsman who has acquired full mastery. Good advice is rarer than emeralds, but yet it may be found even among children* at the grindstones. *the most common translation is "women," but I have also seen girls or children. I use children because it makes the most sense to me, personally.
If you come up against an aggressive adversary in court, one who has influence and is more excellent than you, lower your arms and bend your back, for if you stand up to him, he will not give in to you. You should disparage his belligerent speech by not opposing him in his vehemence. The result will be that he is called boorish, and your control of temper will have equaled his babble.
If you come up against an aggressive adversary, your equal, one who is of your own social standing, you will prove yourself more upright than he by remaining silent while he speaks vengefully. The deliberation by the judges will be somber, but your name will be vindicated in the decision of the magistrates.
If you come up against an aggressive adversary, a man of low standing, one who is not your equal, do not assail him in accordance with his lowly estate. Leave him be, and he will confound himself. Do not answer him in order to vent your frustration; do not alleviate your anger at the expense of your adversary. Wretched is he who persecutes the inept. Things will turn out in accordance with your will, and you will defeat him through the censure of the magistrates.
If you are a ruler responsible for the concerns of the populace, search for every opportunity to do good, so that there may be no shortcoming in your actions. Great is Maat, and its foundation is firmly established; it has not been shaken since the time of Osiris, and he who violates the law must be punished. In the eyes of a covetous man it goes unnoticed that wealth can be lost through dishonesty, and that wrongdoing does not result in success. He says "I will procure wealth for myself." He does not say "I will procure wealth through my diligence." But in the long run it is Maat which endures, and an honest man may state: "This is my ancestral property."
Do not stir up fear in people, or the Gods will punish in equal measure. And a man may live thereby, but he will eventually be lacking in bread for his mouth. A man may decide to become rich, and he may say, "I will snatch for myself whatever I see." A man may decide to cheat another, but he will end up by giving his gains to a total stranger. It is not what men devise that comes to pass, but what the Gods determine comes to pass. Live, therefore, contentedly, and let what they give come of its own accord.
If you should be one of those sitting as guests at the table of someone who is greater than you, accept what he serves when it is placed in front of you. Look only at what is right in front of you, and do not stare at him constantly, for to force yourself upon him is an irritation to his spirit. Do not speak to him until he invites you to do so, for one never knows what may be annoying. You should speak only when he addresses you, and then what you say will be of interest. You should laugh only when he laughs, and this will be very pleasant to his heart. As for a nobleman when he is at the table, his demeanor is determined by his mood. He will be generous to the one whom he favor, for such is the way once night has come. It is his mood which prompts him to be generous; a nobleman may give, but an ordinary man should not presume upon him. The eating of bread is under the governance of the Gods, and it is only a churl who complains about it.
If you are a man entrusted with responsibility, one whom one nobleman sends to another, be meticulous in your duty when he sends you, and deliver his message exactly as he dictates it. Resist doing anything offensive by making a comment which could cause one nobleman to be annoyed with the other. Observe the truth; do not surpass it, although one should not repeat an angry speech. Do not speak against any person, be he great or small, for this serves only to arouse the temper.
If you engage in agriculture, and your field prospers, and the Gods cause it to increase under your hand, do not talk about it incessantly around your neighborhood, for it is important that one should practice with discretion appropriate to the prudent man. It is the man of integrity who is the possessor of true wealth, and in the court he conquers like a crocodile. Do not praise him who has no children, neither speak ill nor boast about it, for it is common that a father may be in misery, and as for a mother who has given birth, another may be happier than she. It is the lone man of whom the Gods take care, and the head of the family may pray for someone to succeed him.
If you are humble and the servant of a well-to-do man, let all your behavior be flawless before the Gods. If you should learn that he was once of low estate, do not be disdainful toward him because you have learned about his past. Respect him in accordance with what he has made of himself, for wealth does not come of its own accord, but it is the ordinance of the Gods for one whom they favor. As for his possessions, he has gathered them himself, but it is the Gods who have made him respectable and watch over him even when he sleeps.
Follow your heart as long as you live, and do not work beyond what is allocated to you, do not waste the time of following the heart, for wasting time is an annoyance of the spirit. Do not lose the hours of daylight beyond what is necessary for keeping your household in order. When wealth has been amassed, follow your heart, for wealth brings no advantage when it is a burden.
If you are a well-to-do man and beget a son who pleases the Gods: if he is upright and follows your disposition, if he listens to your teachings, if his conduct is worthy within your household, and if he manages your property well, then do every good thing for him, for he is your son, begotten of your very being; do not withhold your love from him. But one's offspring may cause grief; if he goes wrong and disregards your counsel, if he does not do as you instruct him but disobeys everything said to him, if his mouth prattles on with vile talk, then reject him, for he is not your son, and for certain he was not born to you. Punish him for all his talk, for he who has extended his arm against you is hateful to the Gods. Surely evil was fated for him from the womb, for he whom the Gods guide is one who cannot err, and he whom they leave stranded is unable to cross the river.
If you are in the audience chamber, stand and sit in accordance with your position which was given to you on the first day. Do not exceed your duty, for it will result in your being turned back. Be attentive to him who enters bearing a report, for he who has been summoned has complete freedom. The audience chamber tends towards strict etiquette, and all its affairs follow specific rules of conduct. It is the Gods who promote one's position, and that men should force their way is not done.
If you are with the people, gain for yourself supporters who are trustworthy. One who is trustworthy is one who will not spread talk around the community; he will himself become an official and a man of means due to his good performance. As for your good reputation, you should not talk about it; provide for your body, but turn your attention toward the people, and men will boast on your behalf without you being aware of it. But as for him whose heart obeys his stomach, he invites scorn for himself instead of respect. His heart is morose and his body wretched. Great of heart are those whom the Gods have established, but he who listens to his stomach is his own worst enemy.
State your business without concealing anything, proffer your opinion in the council of your lord. If he can speak fluently and easily, it will not be difficult for an agent to give his account, and no one will answer, 'what does he know of it?' Even an official whose property has fared poorly, if he thinks about reproaching him concerning it, will be silent saying only, 'I have no comment'.
If you are a leader, take responsibility in the matters entrusted to you, and you will accomplish things of note. But think on the days which are still to come, lest some misdeed should arise to destroy your favorable position, for an occasion of hatred is like the entrance of a crocodile.
If you are a man of authority, be patient when you are listening to the words of a petitioner; do not dismiss him until he has completely unburdened himself of what he has planned to say to you. A man who has been wronged desires to express his frustrations even more than the accomplishment of the justice for which he came; but concerning him who dismisses petitions men say, 'Why ever did he reject it?' Not everything about which he has petitioned will be done, but a sympathetic hearing is a means of calming the heart.
If you desire that friendship should endure in a house which you enter as a lord, as a brother, or as a friend: in any place which you enter, avoid approaching the women, for there is nothing good in any situation where such is done. It is never prudent to become overtly familiar with them, for countless men have thus been diverted from their own interests. One may be deceived by an exquisite body, but then it suddenly turns to misery. All it takes is a trifling moment like a dream, and one comes to destruction through having known them. Pricking the jealousy of a rival is a nasty piece of business; a man may perish because of so doing, if the heart becomes ensnared. As for him who is ruined through becoming embroiled with them, no venture will ever be successful in his hand.
If you desire that your way of life be blameless, keep yourself far from every evil. Guard yourself against the blemish of greediness, for it is a grave affliction of an incurable disease, and those who fall into it cannot recover. It creates dissention among fathers, mothers, and maternal brothers; it embitters beloved friends; it alienates a trustworthy man from his lord; it isolates a wife from her husband. It is an embracing of every evil; it is a combining of everything which is hateful. The man will endure who is meticulous in uprightness and who walks in accordance with his proper station; he will make a testament thereby; but for the greedy there will be no tomb.
Do not be selfish in the division of an estate by lusting for more than your rightful share. Do not be selfish with respect to your relatives, for greater is the claim of the good-natured man than that of the assertive. He who forsakes his relatives is truly poor, for he lacks the compassion to respond to their entreaties. Even a little of what one yearns for can calm a distressed man.
If you are well-to-do and establish your household, be gracious to your wife in accordance with what is fair. Feed her well, put clothes on her back; ointment is the balm for her body. Rejoice her heart all the days of her life, for she is a profitable field for her lord. Do not condemn her. But keep her far away from power; control her, for her eye is quick and sharp. Watch her carefully, for thus you will cause her to remain long in your house. If you are too strict with her, there will be tears. She offers sexual favors in return for her upkeep, and what she asks is that her desire be fulfilled.
Gratify your friends with what has come into your possession, for what has come to you is a boon from the Gods. As for him who fails to gratify his friends, people will say that he is a selfish individual. No one knows what will come to pass when he considers tomorrow, and the righteous individual is he by whom men are sustained. If deeds deserving of praise are done, one's friends say 'Well done!' One cannot bring satisfaction to an entire town, but one can bring happiness to friends when there is need.
Do not repeat slander, and do not listen to it, for it is but the prattling of a churlish man. Repeat only what is seen, not what is heart, or forget it and say nothing at all, for he who is listening to you can discern what is trustworthy. When taxation is ordered and carried out, there arises against the tax collector the same resentment as against the decree itself. Slander is like a nightmare; divorce yourself from it.
If you are a man of trust, one who sits in the council of his lord, direct your attention toward excellence. Your silence will be more profitable than babbling, so speak only when you know that you are qualified to do so. It is only the proficient who speak in council, for speech is more difficult than any craft, and only the competent can endow it with authority.
If you are influential, you should establish respect for yourself through knowledge and through courtesy in speech. Do not be domineering except in official matters, for the aggressive man meets with trouble. Do not be arrogant, lest you be brought low; do not be silent, but yet be cautious of causing offense when you answer a speech angrily. Turn away your face and control yourself, for the flames of the quick-tempered spread quickly; but the affable man, when offended, treads carefully. One who is dour throughout the whole day will never have a happy moment, and he who is frivolous throughout the whole day will never establish a household for himself. He who aims for full control is like the one who guides the helm at the time of landing, but another moors the boat; but he who obeys his heart will keep everything in order.
Do not attempt to upstage an important official; do not irritate one who is laden with responsibility, for it may happen that he will be annoyed at the one who opposes him, while his mood will be lightened by one who is loyal to him. He and the Gods are the ones who bestow favors, and what he wishes is what should be done for him. His face will be kindly toward you even after anger, and your well-being depends on his mood. There is hostility with an enemy, but it is good will which increases favor.
Inform an official of what is beneficial to him, and see to it that he is accepted by the people. Cause his wisdom to be recognized by his lord, and there will be an abundance for you from his generosity. A person of good disposition is for your good, for your back will be clothed by it. His approval will be upon you for the support of your household under your noble master to whom you are loyal. Support him thus, and he will also provide excellent support for you. Moreover, affection for you will endure in the hearts of those who respect you. Behold, he who is gracious to listen is highly esteemed.
If you should function as a noble official of the court, appointed to settle disputes among the populace, nurture in yourself ignorance of partiality. When you speak, do not incline toward one side. Be careful lest someone voice his opinion to the magistrates: 'He turns the matter upside down.' Then your action will turn into censure of yourself.
If you feel merciful concerning a misdeed which has happened and feel favorable toward someone because of his honesty, pass over it and do not recall it, since he was silent before you from the very first.
If you are wealthy after having been destitute, and have amassed riches after poverty in a town where people know about you, do not boast of what has come to you in the past, and do not be too confident in your possessions which have come to you as gifts of the Gods. Thus you will not lag behind another like you to whom the same thing has happened.
Bow respectfully to him who is superior to you, your senior from the royal palace, then your household will be firm in its possessions, and your rewards will come at their proper time. But wretched is he who opposes a superior, for one enjoys life only during the time when he is kindly disposed, and the arm bared to salute him will not break. Do not despoil the house of neighbors, do not steal the property of one who is close to you, lest he complain against you until you be brought to trial. A plaintiff is lacking in compassion, and if he learns of it, he will prosecute. Wretched is he who stirs up adversity in his own neighborhood.
Do not fornicate with an effeminate boy. Be well assured that such debasement will only arouse his lust, and the desire which is in his body will not be cooled. Let darkness never come for the performance of such lewdness, so that he may be quiet after he has satisfied his desire.
If you are investigating the character of a colleague, do not make inquiry of someone who is close to him. Conduct your business with him alone until you are no more ambiguous about his personality. After a while you will become familiar with him. Examine his heart at the time of speaking with him. If he talks too freely about what he has seen, or if he does something at which you are taken aback, nevertheless be amiable with him and remain silent. Do not turn your face away from him, but be cautious about revealing anything to him. Do not answer him with an act of hostility, do not withdraw from him, and do not assail him. He will eventually get what he deserves, for there is no escape for anyone from him who has determined his fate.
Be generous as long as you live, for what goes out from the storehouse does not go back in, and men are eager for bread which is freely given. He whose stomach is empty is an accuser, and such an opponent becomes a bringer of woe; do not make of him a friend. Compassion is a man's monument throughout the years which follow his tenure of office.
Acknowledge your assistants when you have wealth, and do not be of mean disposition toward your friends. Such is like a riverbank which floods; it is greater than one's wealth. The property of one man may pass to another, but the integrity of a gentleman is always beneficial to him, and a good character will be his monument.
Punish soundly and reprimand thoroughly, for the restraint of evil will reinforce morality. As for a court case which is not concerned with criminal action, let him who has the complaint act as prosecutor.
If you take to wife one who is silly and frivolous, of light-hearted disposition, and known to her townsmen, she may continue in her ways when at any moment it strikes her fancy. Do not send her away, but allow her to eat from your table. A light-hearted woman at least provides amusement.
If you give heed to these things which I have spoken to you, all your affairs will be successful. If their truth is effected, this will be proof of their worth, and the remembrance of them will continue on in the speech of men because of the goodness of their percepts. Men will cling to every word, and they will never perish in this land for ever. They have been recorded and spoken for good, and noblemen will utter decrees in accordance with them. This treatise is a means of teaching a man to speak to posterity. Let him who would be a recognized authority give heed to it. It is good to speak to posterity, and it is the duty of posterity to give heed to it. If a noble action is done by one who is in authority, he will be of good reputation for ever, and all his wisdom will be for everlasting. The learned man takes care of his ba by assuring that it will be content with him on earth. The learned man can be recognized by what he has learned, and the nobleman by his good actions; his heart controls his tongue, and precise are his lips when he speaks. His eyes see, and his ears are pleased through hearing of the repute of his son who acts in accordance with Maat and who is free from falsehood.
Hearing is beneficial to a son who willingly hears, for when what is heard takes root in the hearer, he who has heard will become one worthy himself of being heard. It is good to hear and it is good to speak, but he who can hear possesses what is advantageous. Hearing is beneficial to the hearer; hearing is better than everything, for through it good affection comes into being. How good it is that a son should accept what his father says, for ripe old age will come upon him thereby. He who listens is favored of the Gods, but he who is hated of the Gods does not listen. It is the heart which causes its possessor to be one who hears or who does not hear. The 'life, prosperity, and health' of a man are his heart. A hearer is one who gives heed to what is said, and he who is willing to listen is one who does what has been said. How good it is when a son heeds his father, and how joyful is he by whom it may be said: 'My son is pleasing, for he is skilled in obedience.' As for him who heeds what is said to him, he will be self-sufficient and respected by his father; he will be remembered in the mouths of the living, both those who are on the earth and those who will be.
If a nobleman takes to heart what is said by his father, never will fail any endeavor of his. Educate your son as a listener, one who will be esteemed in the hearts of the nobles, one who guides his speech in accordance with what is said to him, one who acknowledges him who is to be obeyed. It is such a son who is superior and whose actions are distinguished, but error is ingrained into him who does not listen. The education of a wise man leads to his success, but as for the fool, he will labor in vain.
As for the fool who will not listen, he never accomplishes anything, for he discerns knowledge in ignorance and something beneficial in that which is baneful. He does everything that is loathsome, so that men are furious with him day after day. He thrives on that whereby others die, and the falsification of speech is his food and drink. His disposition is known to authorities; he is a picture of living death day after day. Men disregard his stupid deeds because of the many griefs which fall upon him every day.
A son who listens is a true follower of Horus, for his fortune is good because he has listened. He will attain ripe old age and will be honored, and he will speak likewise to his own children, handing on the instruction of his father, for every man teachings according as he acts. He will converse in the presence of his children, and they in turn will speak to their children. Build their character, do not instill in them anything offensive. Strengthen Maat, and your children will live. As for the first one who succumbs to evil, men will gossip about what they have seen, for such is the way of the world; and they will gossip about what they hear, for such is also the way of the world. Take heed of everyone, and try to keep people quiet; wealth does not amount to much otherwise.
Do not say something and then go back on it; do not put one thing in the place of another. Beware of relaxing self-restraint within yourself; give way to the speech of a wise man, and listen well, if you wish to be secure in the speech of those who hear when you speak. First attain to the status of an expert, and then you will be able to speak with complete success, and your every undertaking will be in order.
Suppress your impulses and control your mouth, and then your advice will be welcomed by the officials. Be totally precise to your master; behave so that men say to him, 'He is the son of so-and-so,' and that those who hear it may say, 'Fortunate is he who begat him.' Be painstaking all the time that you are speaking, so that you may say things of importance. Then the officials who are listening will say: 'How excellent are the words of his mouth!'
Behave so that your master may say of you, 'How well he was brought up by his father by whom he was begotten of his body. Surely he spoke to him while he was still completely within the womb, for what he has accomplished is more than what he was told.' Behold, a good son who is given by the Gods is one who exceeds what was told him by his master. He will perform Maat, for his heart will have controlled his actions.
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Events 3.31
307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman emperor Maximian. 1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII is present, and joins the Crusade. 1492 – Queen Isabella of Castile issues the Alhambra Decree, ordering her 150,000 Jewish and Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion. 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan and fifty of his men came ashore to present-day Limasawa to participate in the first Catholic mass in the Philippines. 1657 – The Long Parliament presents the Humble Petition and Advice offering Oliver Cromwell the British throne, which he eventually declines. 1717 – A sermon on "The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ" by Benjamin Hoadly, the Bishop of Bangor, preached in the presence of King George I of Great Britain, provokes the Bangorian Controversy. 1761 – The 1761 Lisbon earthquake strikes off the Iberian Peninsula with an estimated magnitude of 8.5, six years after another quake destroyed the city. 1774 – American Revolution: The Kingdom of Great Britain orders the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act. 1814 – The Sixth Coalition occupies Paris after Napoleon's Grande Armée capitulates. 1854 – Commodore Matthew Perry signs the Convention of Kanagawa with the Tokugawa Shogunate, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade. 1885 – The United Kingdom establishes the Bechuanaland Protectorate. 1889 – The Eiffel Tower is officially opened. 1899 – Malolos, capital of the First Philippine Republic, is captured by American forces. 1901 – Rusalka by Antonín Dvořák premieres at the National Opera House in Prague. 1905 – Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany declares his support for Moroccan independence in Tangier, beginning the First Moroccan Crisis. 1906 – The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (later the National Collegiate Athletic Association) is established to set rules for college sports in the United States. 1909 – Serbia formally withdraws its opposition to Austro-Hungarian actions in the Bosnian Crisis. 1913 – The Vienna Concert Society rioted during a performance of modernist music by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Alexander von Zemlinsky, and Anton von Webern, causing a premature end to the concert due to violence; this concert became known as the Skandalkonzert. 1917 – According to the terms of the Treaty of the Danish West Indies, the islands become American possessions. 1918 – Massacre of ethnic Azerbaijanis is committed by allied armed groups of Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Bolsheviks. Nearly 12,000 Azerbaijani Muslims are killed. 1918 – Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States for the first time. 1921 – The Royal Australian Air Force is formed. 1930 – The Motion Picture Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty-eight years. 1931 – An earthquake in Nicaragua destroys Managua; killing 2,000. 1931 – A Transcontinental & Western Air airliner crashes near Bazaar, Kansas, killing eight, including University of Notre Dame head football coach Knute Rockne. 1933 – The Civilian Conservation Corps is established with the mission of relieving rampant unemployment in the United States. 1939 – Events preceding World War II in Europe: Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain pledges British military support to the Second Polish Republic in the event of an invasion by Nazi Germany. 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces invade Christmas Island, then a British possession. 1945 – World War II: A defecting German pilot delivers a Messerschmitt Me 262A-1, the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft, to the Americans, the first to fall into Allied hands. 1949 – The Dominion of Newfoundland joins the Canadian Confederation and becomes the 10th Province of Canada. 1951 – Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau. 1957 – Elections to the Territorial Assembly of the French colony Upper Volta are held. After the elections PDU and MDV form a government. 1958 – In the Canadian federal election, the Progressive Conservatives, led by John Diefenbaker, win the largest percentage of seats in Canadian history, with 208 seats of 265. 1959 – The 14th Dalai Lama, crosses the border into India and is granted political asylum. 1964 – Brazilian General Olímpio Mourão Filho orders his troops to move towards Rio de Janeiro, beginning the coup d'état and 21 years of military dictatorship. 1966 – The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon. 1966 – The Labour Party under Harold Wilson wins the 1966 United Kingdom general election. 1968 – American President Lyndon B. Johnson speaks to the nation of "Steps to Limit the War in Vietnam" in a television address. At the conclusion of his speech, he announces: "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President." 1970 – Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth's atmosphere after 12 years in orbit. 1980 – The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operates its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets because of bankruptcy and debts owed to creditors. 1990 – Approximately 200,000 protesters take to the streets of London to protest against the newly introduced Poll Tax. 1991 – Georgian independence referendum: Nearly 99 percent of the voters support the country's independence from the Soviet Union. 1991 – The Warsaw Pact formally disbands. 1992 – The USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, is decommissioned in Long Beach, California. 1992 – The Treaty of Federation is signed in Moscow. 1993 – The Macao Basic Law is adopted by the Eighth National People's Congress of China to take effect December 20, 1999. Resumption by China of the Exercise of Sovereignty over Macao 1995 – Selena is murdered by her fan club president Yolanda Saldívar at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas. 1995 – TAROM Flight 371, an Airbus A310-300, crashes near Balotesti, Romania, killing all 60 people on board. 1998 – Netscape releases Mozilla source code under an open source license. 2004 – Iraq War in Anbar Province: In Fallujah, Iraq, four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed after being ambushed. 2016 – NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko return to Earth after a yearlong mission at the International Space Station. 2018 – Start of the 2018 Armenian revolution.
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