#the marchioness rambles

[marchioness-of-the-flowers]

One thing I love about the Silmarillion is that because it’s so massive, its fans have to specialize.

Like I love everything but my Silm major is in Finrod studies, with a minor in obscure background characters.

Reblog this post with your Silmarillion “speciality,”

[stolitzfamily]

Theory Time: Stella is playing mind games with Octavia (another form of abuse)

In 2x12 (in a leaked clip) Octavia accuses Stolas for using pills to “just to deal with her” as a daughter as a whole.

Proof:

(Read at your own risk!)

* However we ALL know that’s not the real reason why Stolas takes antidepressants; 1) Because of the cruelty he had to endure for the last 17 years from Stella and 2) Because he had been flat out rejected AND accused — about something he had no awareness of what he was doing wrong — by Blitz after their so called “date” at Ozzie’s.

• Though to be fair Blitz WAS the one who called Stolas to come to Ozzie’s and instigated the whole thing (it was really Jizzarolli and AssModeus’s fault for calling Stolitz out for sleeping together and humiliating them in the process)

Well, I’m beginning to highly suspect that with all this going on. I think Stella is telling Octavia some untruthful things about her dad (because she knows Stolas is miserable to the max from being married to her and suffering from her cruelty and she must know he still takes antidepressants — after all, she had lived with the man for 17 years straight and would have noticed at SOME point! — so what does she do?

Of course, Stella would take advantage of it!

But for what reason, you ask?

Well, we know that Stella wants to take all of Stolas’s happiness away from him (as much as she possibly can, y’know as abusers do), so, that could even include winning full custody of Octavia — with her lawyers and lying about what a “bad parent” Stolas had been (which is funny because he did most of the upbringing of Octavia, and STELLA was the actual alleged bad parent for doing all this shit, as well as NOT comforting her daughter at a young age after having a freakin NIGHTMARE, but, anyways) she even threatened Stolas, in 2x01, that her (soon to be ex-husband) PAY for it from falling of little grace he had.

* Now, to be honest, I thought when she said this, it was in reference Stolas’s relationship with Blitz somehow, but yeah, I can see how Octavia can have an effect on this as well.

(More so the fact that Stolas sort of depends on Octavia and her presence without feeling lonely and he sure as hell doesn’t want Stella’s company - I mean, come on, why would you with someone like her? I actually don’t blame him)

Jesus…. the guy can NOT catch a break 🥺 (not even before the divorce court date yet! Because Stella’s still giving Stolas SHIT and possibly playing MIND GAMES with Octavia, of all people?! Her own freakin DAUGHTER?!

Actually? I’m not surprised given the way that Cash, Crimson, and Paimon all neglected and abused their sons without any sort of consequence. But yeah sure let’s add STELLA, the person who’s already trying to kill Stolas, to the mix. Not saying that the latter has hit Octavia or anything, yet, I don’t think… but she’s STILL being abused in another way. Something less obvious this time…

Why I think Stella is emotionally manipulating Octavia (subconsciously?):

“Your father is going to leave you behind all for that weird red dickhead (— in reference to Blitz —) and they’re gonna go somewhere you can’t follow them.”

Sound familiar? It’s almost like Octavia had been given the task to rehearse (by Stella’s manipulative influence) this to make it to probably get Stolas to feel guilt-ridden enough to make him stay married — haha! That didn’t exactly work nice try (sarcasm), Stella; you’re still getting your ass divorced, regardless — to the latter (as cruel people LOVE to keep their victims on a leash and bully them to get what they want; to have the person feel hurt and deprived of love etc)

Then again, Octavia is STILL her own person as well so this is just something she feels without Stella’s influencing her (but her mother would probably be whispering in her ear like the devil on her shoulder or something. Maybe. I don’t know I might be reading into this too much)

OR

“Your father is taking pills because he has to deal with you, Octavia, and he doesn’t want to, because you’re nothing more than a precautionary heir to him. Now, is that all? Because I’m incredibly busy right now.” or something like that.

Because if we know Stella she WILL find a way to use her argument with Stolas but twist the words, so to speak, so when he said “you and I were arranged to birth a precautionary heir, nothing more”

And it won’t be hard to get Octavia to be manipulated by that because she’s ALREADY broken; she already thinks her dad is going to leave her behind and run off with Blitz (despite Stolas saying that he would never do that to her, but the anxiety is STILL there, in the back of her mind…

I’ve learned from other experiences (through friends of friends) if you don’t feel loved enough then you’ll listen to the BAD people and, unfortunately, if Stella, is using the “I’m your mother, Octavia! You should trust me!” card…

Yeah, that’s not going to end well for her (or Stolas for that matter, IF he finds out about the possible emotional manipulation that’s going on)

The worst part is? We don’t KNOW (I’ll admit that much to avoid the critique behind this) what Stella and Octavia’s relationship is like and EVERY weekend she is staying with her mother; she COULD be poisoning her mind beyond Stolas’s knowledge. He can’t defend or help his daughter if he doesn’t know about it!

Another thing, I would like to point out, is that in 2x02 Stella said to Stolas for him to “stop turning her against me” Foreshadow (or projection lol) much? Because think about it: who does Octavia most likely remind Stella of in appearance-wise?

Mhm. Stolas.

I think Stella knows that she can’t physically — or mentally for that matter — hurt Octavia in the open because THAT is something Stolas would NOT tolerate, in the past would have sacrificed himself any sort of abuse from his wife, just so their daughter wouldn’t

So, I think, I’m my opinion, Stella does it in a way that Stolas won’t know about. And WHAT better time and place to do it, then on a fuckin weekend (since the latter moved out, he can’t really moderate her and see if she’s targeting Octavia or not whether it’s obvious or discreet)

[mk-writes-stuff]

21 and 15 for the pride ask game!

Okay! I already answered 15 here, but here’s 21!

(From this ask game)

So 21 is a free ramble card so I’m going to tell you about the single most baller queer OC I’ve ever created (she’s honestly probably the most baller OC I’ve created period, but this is a pride ask game so I felt like I should specify).

Meet Marchioness Jacqueline Marie Solange Adelaide Rembrandt:

Jacqueline is a noblewoman from a country called Victoire. Opinions on whether she’s a perfectly lively noblewoman or a scheming manipulator vary wildly.

Jacqueline is the third daughter of the second son of the Rembrandt family, who went overseas for several years to study. She returned to Victoire to comfort her grieving uncle when his only son, the late Jean-Pierre Valere Leon Rembrandt, died in a tragic airship accident. She and her uncle became very close during this time, and he chose to will his fortune and title to her. Some say she killed her cousin to take his fortune, but most people believe her incapable of this.

Okay, you got me. None of that is true. That’s just what the other nobles think of her.

Jacqueline, in actuality, was born Jean-Pierre Valere Leon Rembrandt and realized as a teenager that she was actually a woman. Her solution to this was to fake her own death, travel overseas, learn alchemy, DIY her own transition, and convince her cousins to help her gaslight the entirety of Victoire into thinking she’d been one of their siblings all along. Her father, who was also in on this, proceeded to will his fortune and title to her, because it was supposed to be hers anyway.

She also picked up a ton of alchemy knowledge and carries around a bunch of rings with magical substances like truth serum in case she needs to defend herself. She can also swordfight, although she doesn’t do it often because that’s not considered proper for noblewomen.

Believe it or not, Jacqueline is actually an antagonist, although I must stress that she’s not a villain and is in fact completely justified. The only reason she ends up being an antagonist is that the protagonists meet her when one protagonist impersonates Jean-Pierre Rembrandt and she logically assumes he’s trying to steal her fortune. He isn’t - he just doesn’t want to admit he’s been lying to his polycule about his origins for the past ten years - but Jacqueline is understandably a little concerned and very pissed off.

Also, again believe it or not, this character is from a fanfiction. I will be genuinely stunned if any of you can guess what fandom she’s supposed to be linked to :)

Anyway I hope you like her, she’s one of my favourite creations. Thanks for the ask, and happy pride!

[midnightsun-if]

So, I was wondering about the supernatural court and how it works. House Aurelia is sovereign over all, the Voltaire family is noted to be the ruling family of the vampires (but still subject to House Aurelia, so their rank would be equivalent to Grand Duke/Duchess or so?) while Caden calls Helena 'Her Grace' (regular Duke/Duchess then). The Grant Pack was also said to be important among wolf-shifters, therefore their standing should be on similar grounds to MC's Coven (Duke/Duchess or Marquis/Marchioness). The rest are a big question mark for now.

Please correct me if I'm assuming wrongly.

So the Etheric Court is a bit complicated with how it’s run at times… The Eclipse Throne, the seat of power for House Aurelia, is seen as the central area of power within it, and it’s treated as such. However, there are five major houses within the Etheric Court that are on the same level (in a sense)… It’s sort of like Morrowind— there’s a council of houses, all with the same level of power, in a way, but there’s one house that’s seen as the central house due to various reasons.

The five major houses being:

House Aurelia

House Voltaire

House Delmare

House Levyan

House Terrath

House Aurelia is seen as the central most power, and treated as such more often than not, because without them, and without the Eclipse Throne, everything else would shatter (for lore reasons that you’ll uncover deeper within Midnight Sun)— they are the glue that holds everything together, and are given the reverence and loyalty because of it. They are also the house that started the Etheric Court and brought them all together, which also gives them a level of seniority over the rest.

There are 15 total houses within the Etheric Court (although there are plenty of noble houses… few have just been given the honor of being asked to join— the MCs family being one of the 15). You’ll discover more about that within Helena’s scene!

You’re correct that the MCs Family are akin to a Duke/Duchess— at least when in comparison to House Voltaire or House Aurelia— but they’re an important family too. The Grant Pack is something I won’t get too far into, because I truly think they should be something you uncover within the game; they’re complicated, I’ll say that much.

An easier way I look at it (if you’ve gotten this far in my rambling) is that House Voltaire, as an example, rules, or overlooks, all vampires (and the species that fall underneath that bracket at times) while House Aurelia overlooks all supernaturals in general. Due to, again lore reasons, and simply because they have the capacity to do so (which is also why they’re treated in the manner they are).

Hopefully I made some sense— I promise I have cohesive plan for everything, and I’ll get deeper into it within the Codex page, but this is what I could explain off the cuff. ❤️

[joannaofarkham]

What are your current fic projects?? Brainrot with us pls

hello! sorry i've only answered this now. the weekend has been really hectic for me personally but, omg, i can't wait to share ya'll my fic projects and wips! so here's a list of the ones i have barely started and a briefer. we can brainrot together in any! 1. the blood that binds us: this is the gangs of new york au. if you've watched it, great! you know where this is going. but if not, it's alright. to put it simply, eren here is back in his hometown 10 years after the bloodiest gang war that caused his father's death and his childhood. he then meets/reunites with his childhood best friend, armin, and the girl of his dreams, mikasa, and the stakes got even more personal when he discovered how deeply entangled these important people are with the murderer. 2. untitled downton abbey au: so, this fic i really want to write as soon as possible. for this, lady mikasa is set to be the heiress of the ackerman-azumabito estate and wealth after levi elopes with his lover, mr. smith. law states that the inheritance should be passed to the next male of kin, so she has to marry and produce a male heir. enter the jaeger family and their youngest bachelor son, eren. he's not bound to inherit the title of being a marquis, so hearing an heiress in need of a husband is a very good prospect for him for a couple of reasons: he gets to be an earl...and the marquis and marchioness finally has a way to cut their son's feelings for his brother's wife :') this is going to be really angsty in the most passive-aggressive form hehehehee 3. ramblings of a man: or the gothic/macabre fic wherein eren is a writer and coping on his lover's death to the point of severe delusion (he thinks he can bring her back to life by writing and rewriting the events of her death, so long as he has her body with him). i posted the prologue here before so you can check it out! 4. paranormal/witch au: so to sum this one up, mikasa's great-great-great-great grandmother curses her lover while the people burn her for being a witch. the lover is eren's great-great-great-great grandfather. mikasa doesn't know of the curse, of course, and she goes on a trip to where her ancestors where supposed to live before and eren lives there all his life. this one, i'm thinking of writing in a found footage way so i still have to figure it out how.

[catsconflictscopicsandchamomile]

Okay buckle up I'm taking a break from weird anglo-saxon sewing to ramble about Old English terminology for a bit

@tansyuduri this is the term I had mentioned I wanted to tell you about re: nature spirits acting as intermediaries between realms

Lets talk about the word "Mearcstapa".

Its used once in Beowulf, in line 103, to describe the creature Grendel.

Grendel is, in brief, some kind of ambiguous creature and/or cursed human, descended from Cain, cursed by that descent to wander and "hold" (as in, treat as a stronghold) the wilderness forever. He has very little physical description except that he is very large and swordproof, and may have claws? Anyway, he isn't what I want to talk abt right now. For Once.

I'm going to take a stab at translating the OE text myself, VERY roughly, and provide some context for where the word appears.

"This grim ghost was called Grendel, famous mearc-stapa, he who holds the marshes, fen-as-fortress; the lands of monsters un-blessed he guarded for a while, since the Shaper* had him written in the race of Cain- whose torment was the Lord's vengeance, for he slew Abel."

(Beowulf lines 102-108, translation My Weird Gay Ass)

*a common OE term for God, meaning something between "shaper/maker" and "poet/singer"

(that is MESSY towards the end but I've never tried to translate Beowulf myself ok)

anyway it goes on about Cain for a bit after that, the usual stuff you can find in the bible, but what is a "Mearc-stapa"?

well, "-stapa" is really easy, its one of the words in Old English that changed relatively little into the modern day.

"-stapa" is "stepper". one who steps across, walks upon and generally treads over something.

ok cool. what's a "mearc"

WELL THIS IS WHERE THINGS GET REALLY REALLY WEIRD AND HARD TO TRANSLATE.

"Mearc" as a word and as a concept has not survived intact in modern English, at least not on its own. Its latest surviving incarnations are in the extremely-early-middle-english "March" or "Mark", so lets start there. I'm just gonna hit Wiki for this one:

In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland,[1] as opposed to a state's "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which different laws might apply. In both of these senses, marches served a political purpose, such as providing warning of military incursions or regulating cross-border trade.

Marches gave rise to titles such as marquess (masculine) or marchioness (feminine) in England; marqués (masculine) and marquesa (feminine) in Spanish-speaking countries and the Catalan and Galician regions; marquês (masculine) and marquesa (feminine) in Portuguese-speaking countries; markesa (both masculine and feminine) in Basque; marquis (masculine) or marquise (feminine) in France and Scotland, margrave (German: Markgraf, lit. 'march count'; masculine) or margravine (German: Markgräfin, lit. 'march countess', feminine) in Germany, and corresponding titles in other European states.

Etymology[edit]

The word "march" derives ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root *mereg-, meaning "edge, boundary". The root *mereg- produced Latin margo ("margin"), Old Irish mruig ("borderland"), Welsh bro ("region, border, valley") and Persian and Armenian marz ("borderland"). The Proto-Germanic *marko gave rise to the Old English word mearc and Frankish marka, as well as Old Norse mǫrk meaning "borderland, forest",[2] and derived from merki "boundary, sign",[2] denoting a borderland between two centres of power.

In Old English "mark" meant "boundary" or "sign of a boundary", and the meaning only later evolved to encompass "sign" in general, "impression" and "trace".

The Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia took its name from West Saxon mearc "marches", which in this instance referred explicitly to the territory's position on the Anglo-Saxon frontier with the Romano-British to the west.

...cool. that was a lot. anyway, that's what a "Mearc" is, in the most basic sense (Beowulf being in the West-Saxon dialect mentioned above, specifically having been recorded mainly in the Late-West-Saxon written dialect known academically as Winchester Standard for reasons to do with some bishop whose name I'm not going to bother trying to spell)

however, in the context its used in Beowulf, "Mearcstapa", or "Mark-walker", becomes a REALLY weird term. See, Grendel isnt wandering around the boundaries between two towns, or kingdoms, or countries. He's just kind of out in the woods, some of which happen to border one singular, somewhat sizeable town that Grendel then regularly attacks. So what is he walking the border between?

Well, academics love to talk abt that lmao. Some people say it refers to land- or politically-based borders much LARGER than a country, and that it denotes Grendel as a foreigner, from another land or part of the world entirely. Some people see "Mark" as conjuring an image of a swampy, be-fogged "no mans' land" where settling and agriculture would be impossible. A wasteland, for human habitation at least, and thus an "in-between-place" in relation to the boundaries of human civilization- somewhere you travel through or around in between human-settled areas, where no laws of God or man apply. Its "The Dark Forest", the "Past The Threshold" in the Hero's Journey.

However, there's another widely discussed thematic meaning here, and it relies on a bit of context. Beowulf was recorded by monks in a time when Christianity was still relatively new to Northern Europe, the last remnants of various pagan religions only having been definitively wiped out a few centuries prior (FUCK YOU CHARLEMAGNE), and that's the time of RECORDING- Beowulf, as a story, had almost definitely been composed and passed down orally within those same preceding few centuries, likely in the 800s a.d. but possibly as far back as the 600s a.d. . So, what this means is that Beowulf is a record (imperfect as it is, being written down later and by monks) of a culture mid-transition between paganism and Christianity, and this isn't clearer anywhere than in another passage rambling on about Cain:

(in which I attempt to sloppily translate Beowulf again)

(picking up where we left off) "...no joy did he get from that feud, but was driven far away, ill-fated for his evil, far away from mankind. From thence all monstrous births awoke, jotun and elves and orcs*, those same giants who fought with God over long seasons; this was the recompense given"

(Beowulf, lines 109-144, trans. Me and 24/7 my spn brianrot)

*lit: "evil spirits" but the word is "Orcneas", Tolkein stole it and so will I.

(again, is this right? eh. mostly. the end got rough again)

so okay, lots of the usual Cain stuff, and some mentions of giants that some scholars have interpreted as relating to the Nephelim (more context there but its not relevant to this post). However, what may seem GLARINGLY out of place to anyone reading this passage about the BIBLICAL CAIN is the mention of JOTUN, ELVES AND ORCS.

and you'd be right! that is weird! and Grendel is a part of that!

so, with this context, it can be understood that the "Mearc" of Grendel's "Mearcstapa" has multiple meanings, to us anyway. For the Anglo-Saxon people who composed and passed down the story of Beowulf, the lawless and dangerous wilderness just outside their villages would have been one and the same to the lawless, dangerous world of heathen gods and monstrous creatures that their culture had so recently left behind. Uncontrolled forces and places that didn't respect the rule of man or God, untamed, just barely dispelled and always lurking at the edges. That is the "Mearc", as it is used here.

Mearcstapa, Mark-Walkers, Cain, whatever, happy Deanmon 10th anniversary yall.

Oh, on that note- some scholars/translators HAVE tried to argue for "Mearcstapa" as "Marked Wanderer", re: the Mark of Cain. However, they are more or less soundly overruled by the prevailing academic understanding of the term...

which is that the "Mark" is a liminal space that, in addition to being the actual areas between towns/cities and the place where monsters live, is also the barrier keeping remaining scraps of paganism (ie, perhaps other gods?) out of Christianity. And the descendants of Cain were set to patrol it. And that's something someone said in, AT THE LATEST, 1000 a.d.

why am I burdened with this knowledge.

[eeriecorri]

Bridgerton Fic Writing info

Pulling from my knowledge of Regency Era romance, plus my history research, I’m going to share some info that may help people writing Bridgerton fic set in the canonical Regency Era. 

Using the Correct Titles (If they have a title, they aren’t a Mr or Mrs.) 

The thing to remember here is that British nobility and the Ton have a rigid social structure that is stratified by rank. If someone has a title, they are addressed as befitting that title. 

With this in mind, a titled individual would never be addressed as a Mr or Mrs. I have seen fics set in the Regency that have a duke referred to as a Mister and this would not happen, ever. I know it can get confusing when there are multiple women with the same title, but the older Lady is not downgraded to a Mrs after the death of their spouse. For example, Violet Bridgerton is the Viscountess Bridgerton, to be addressed as Lady Bridgerton. She would never be called Mrs. Bridgerton. That would either be an insult to her or indicated that the person calling her that is an outsider, because everyone in the Ton knows how to address a Viscountess. It may seem confusing that Kate Sharma becomes Lady Bridgerton after she and Anthony marry, but to differentiate between them, people would add “Dowager” before Violet’s title, making her the Dowager Viscountess. It is the same for Lady Featherington. Portia is Lady Featherington, no matter if the next Lord Featherington marries.

Titled people are addressed by their highest rank, only changing their form of address if they acquire a higher rank. If, say, Portia remarried to a man of a rank higher than a baron, she would be addressed by his title. If she married a rich but untitled man, she would still be Lady Featherington because that rank is higher than a mere Mrs.

Peerage Ranking System:

So at the top of the ranking system, we have the non-royal dukes. Royal dukes are another matter and outrank all hereditary peers. Simon is a non-royal duke, this is why he is such a catch. The only people in England who outrank him are members of the Royal family. The wife of a duke is a duchess, hence Daphne being the Duchess of Hastings. They are addressed as “his/her/your grace” and referred to as the duke/duchess. 

Below dukes, we have marquesses. They would be addressed as “the most honorable” Whatshisname, the Marquess of Whoknows. The wife of a marquess is a marchioness. Fun historical fact, Henry VIII made Anne Boleyn the Marquess(not marchioness) of Pembroke, giving her the title in her own right which rarely ever happens.  

Next we have earls. This is really only a British thing, as nobility on continental Europe of equal rank would be called a count. This handily explains why the wife of an earl is called a countess. They just literally never bothered to come up with a female equivalent to an earl.

A viscount ranks just below an earl, which knowing that earl is basically a count, makes sense. Viscount = vice count. The wife of a viscount is a viscountess, which if you’ve be watching the show, you should know. This is also why the Bridgerton children are Mr and Miss Bridgerton. Viscounts aren’t of a high enough rank to bestow courtesy titles on their children. 

The lowest rank of the hereditary peerage is a baron. Lord Featherington was a baron and Portia was his baroness. Again, their children do not warrant courtesy titles.

If my mad rambling doesn’t make sense, there is a video link below that may explain it better. The video also covers the landed gentry which aren’t really part of the hereditary peerage, but could easily move in the same circles as the Ton. Sir Philip would actually be part of the gentry, though they don’t specify his exact rank. He is likely a baronet, as he seems to have inherited the title of Sir from his elder brother, and knighthoods are not usually hereditary. 

Courtesy Titles: 

If a duke, marquess, or earl holds multiple titles, then his eldest son will hold one of his lesser titles as courtesy title while his father still lives, inheriting all of his father’s title upon the formers death. If he doesn’t not hold any subsidiary titles his son would just Lord (Last Name). The holder of a courtesy title also doesn’t get use “the” before their title, which indicates that the title is a substantive. Simon is “the” Duke of Hastings, indicating he holds the title in his own right.

Legitimate daughters of peers who are ranked an earl or higher may style themselves as Lady (Insert First Name here). Younger sons of dukes and marquesses may style themselves as Lord (Insert First Name here). This is a courtesy style. Simon and Daphne’s younger children will be able to style themselves this way. As the Bridgerton title is viscount, the rank below an earl, none of the younger Bridgertons can style themselves a Lord or Lady. They could style themselves as the honorable First Name Last Name, and probably would be referred to this way in legal documents and when being announced at balls. This style likely doesn’t come up in casual conversation. 

Sources 

You can use these links for further reading. Mostly its Wikipedia, because it's easy to consume and not behind a paywall. You can look at the sources on the Wikipedia articles to find more scholarly information. 

Hereditary Peers Wikipedia 

Courtesy Titles in the UK Wikipedia

List of Peerages Created for Women UK Wikipedia

The Order of Noble Titles: From Gentlemen to Dukes Youtube Video

[artific3r]

who're your ocs???

THIS IS A LONG POST IM SO SORRY

okay its been like two weeks now and i only just now finished writing a very long rambly response about everything about my regency ocs. I apologize in advance i am not making it shorter. I was going to originally but if i dont post this now i will never post it. heres the post about my ocs from Beasts of the Peerage:

OH SHIT i dont really remember the context but i think this was my regency thing so. im not going to give any names because this story used to be a fanfic for a show and i never bothered to change the names even thought like all of the characters are different.

also i just had the thought like today (okay now like a week ago) that im going to make them all animal headed people, ill just be calling them by what animal i think im going to go with, but any and all of these are subject to change and there is no deeper meaning to the animal choice beside vibes. fae will be plant people instead of animal people, and individuals who are not fae but highly magical will be bugs

the idea for the story is 3 stories (maybe 4) that are all happening at similar times from the perspectives* of 3 royals (and maybe a knight), the first two are primarily regency romances, the third and fourth are not. The forth might have a romance in it, i haven't decided yet, if i want it to be there at all. the fourth might be a bonus/spin off thing. 

*Okay maybe not perspectives so much as the royals are sometimes the perspectives, as it kind of bounces around between the characters a little bit but you know what i mean

the order the stories would come out in is eldest, middle, youngest, knight.

Also i dont WANT this stuff to be only romance but thats the stuff that sets my brain on fire so. The only stuff i have so far is romance stuff for the most part. 

Crow

the eldest is a prince who I'll call Crow. Crow has the burden of the crown on his shoulders, he always has. He's much older than his two younger siblings. And he has to get married before he turns 35, or the crown will automatically pass to the second oldest, Starling, who is 7 years younger but was already married and as such will automatically become the heir.

Crows story starts with his 34th birthday. He has one year left to get married and secure his spot as heir. There are three people he's considering, they're all really good options and he doesn't know who to pick. none of them are the actual end game though, so i dont really have plans for them yet.

During a ball of some kind, he has to pick someone to dance. People are only allowed to dance once one of the three siblings has danced with someone. Which ever sibling dances with someone will be automatically assumed to be romantically courting them, saving exeptions ill get to in a second.  Starling isnt going to do it for reasons that will be obvious when i explain their story, and Sparrow isnt going to do it because she's asexual and doesn't want to get trapped courting someone she's not into. So it has to be Crow, and it has to be one of the three, but he can't make a descion, and the night is wearing on, and no one has been able to dance, when all of a sudden an exception happens.

Lion is engaged to a man much older than her, but because she's engaged, and her engagement is quite public knowledge, she wouldnt be seen as courting if she asked someone else to dance. maybe a little odd, but not courting. And she's fed up of waiting, everyone is, and she's not a duchess or a marchioness, she's a baroness marrying a baron, they're low level in terms of the peerage, so she's not too worried about her reputation.

So she marches right up to the royal 3 and asks one of them to dance with her, because frankly everyone is tired of waiting and because she's engaged, a dance with her means nothing more than a dance, but it would allow the ball to actually begin.

And Crow, partially intrigued by the gall of this woman, and partly relived at a way out of having to make a choice for just a little longer, he takes her up on her offer. So the two dance, and the dance floor opens up for everyone else to start dancing, and the night continues as is, with gossip of "can you beleive the prince still hasnt made a descion" and "the gall of that Lion, I mean, what business does a baroness have doing something like THAT? demanding the royals around like that"

And afterwards, Crow privately sends Lion a thank you letter. Lion sends him a letter back, and then they continue writing letters back and forth.

Then theres some stuff in between about them becoming closer.

Then the day of Lions wedding roles around. And Lion, well her mother basically has total control over her, because if Lion doesn't do what her mother says, her mother will leave her destitute.

Lion was going to marry her childhood best friend and promised since when they were like 1. but then he died, and so the deal that marrige was supposed to seal never ended up going through.

Things were fine for a while, but then her mother decided that if Lion couldn't get married soon, then they were going to move to [other kingdom] so they could be closer to the rest of Lions terrible family.

So Lion did what any reasonable(ly desperate) person would and asked her dead friends father. He was (reasonably) apprehensive at first, he was like a father to her, but she conviced him by getting him to realize that she would be out of her mothers control if they got married.

So now she's marrying this older man instead. And Lions mother wants this wedding to go well, so to make sure, she puts a love poison on both of them, to make sure no one objects or calls the wedding off.

And Crow is asked to be part of the bridal party, partly because he's friends with Lion, but also partly for the clout having a prince at their wedding will give them.

So he goes to the wedding, and because he notices something is off with Lion and the way she's behaving. And he figures out they've both been love poisned. So he gets them both antidote, and so the wedding is called off.

Then more stuff happens. They fall in love and have confessed, but circumstances haven't really allowed them to be together.

Then its the day of his 35th birthday. All three of the really good marrige canidates are no longer available, so now Crow has to marry anyone who will have him. And because its his birthday, it has to be him that does the starting dance.

Not only that, but Lion's mother has decided that, now that the wedding is off, they are going to still go to the other kingdom. So she's leaving THAT night. They are packing and getting ready to leave, when Lion decideds she's going to the ball. If for nothing, than to say goodbye to Crow.

So she shows up, and the dancing hasnt started, and in a reflection of how they first met, she storms up to him and says that she wanted to say goodbye. And this time, he asks her to dance with him. And then he asks her not to go, and she says she has to unless she could get in engaged like right then and there, and so he says "bet" and proposes to her.

And then they're together :)

Starling

Starlings is the one i have the most planned out. Its also probably gonna be the longest. Admittedly the character Wolf is more of the main character than Starling but. I dont care its my silly little guys. 

the middlest is a prinxe we'll call Starling. He fell in love with a prince from a neighboring kingdom, Elk, and the two of them got married. One day they were attacked by monsters, and Elk was killed, and their personal knight was so badly injured she was forced into early retirement. Soon after, a new personal knight called Wolf is hired.

Starlings story starts with the one year anniversery of the death of Elk.

Theres sort of a period of Wolf and Starling getting closer, and of Wolf beginning to fall for Starling. Im kind of debating having them fully fall in love with each other in this period but idk.

Then its revealed that Elk is not actually dead, he was turned into one of those monsters, and had to leave for Starling safety, and Starling knew this. (think like werewolves but not because. they're already animals. Im going to call it lycanthropy and being a werewolf for simplicity). They've been trying to find a way to help him, but have been entirely unable to find anything. And they don’t even know where he is. 

Wolf is invited to his sister Hound's wedding. Its in the woods, in this enchanted grotto protected by a witch named Tarantula. She protects those who are cursed and otherwise ostracized from society, and they all live in this grotto, as their curses are lessend here.

At the wedding, Wolf meets a man that seems very familiar. Stuff happens and Wolf realizes that this is, in fact, Elk. Elk remains here in the grotto because the effects of his lycanthropy are lessened here, and if he does end up werewolfing out, Tarantula has the power to end the rampage before it becomes a problem. 

(There's probably going to be a gap between the Elk is alive reveal and the Elk is here at this wedding reveal) 

I might flip the Elk is alive reveal and the wedding arc chronologically so that Wolf can put together the pieces of who that familiar stranger was by himself. Idk I’ll see. 

Wolf decides that he needs to get Elk and Starling back together, despite any feelings for Starling (and maybe Elk) he may have. So he finds the cure for lycanthropy, and gets the cure into Tarantula’s hands so she can help them. 

Then Elk gets to come home and be with Starling again, and everything is fine and they all live happily ever after!

Except i lied lol theres still more

Um some more stuff happens and more time passes and then all three of them catch feelings for each other. 

But Wolf is a fucking idiot when it comes to his feelings but he only just now realizes that he’s got big feelings. So he tells his like… bosses? Idk military words. Captains? Majors? Sergeants? Don’t look at me. And he tells them and they tell him “okay if you tell Elk and Starling you will lose your job and never be able to work in the castle or as a guard again, so what going to happen is you aren’t going to say shit and you are going to start training a new guy under the guise of ‘hey Sparrows guard is getting kinda old’ and then once that guy is done you can explain whats really happening to Elk and Starling. This will probably ruin your life.” and Wolf is like “yup got it sounds good”

And so that is what happens, and eventually Wolf is moved to be Sparrows guard to get him away from Elk and Starling.

And Starling is bummed and Elk is pissed cause theres stuff that’s being hidden from them and they like Wolf but whenever they’re like “no wait we want Wolf back” the guard. boss. people are like “no lol protocol or whatever” 

So eventually they get Wolf by himself and ask him whats up and he’s like “I could pretend nothing was wrong when I could avoid you, but i cant do that anymore, and i cant lie to you, so the truth is i am down BAD. sorry.” And Elk and Starling are like “oh thats fine. The feelings are mutual.” 

So then its the three of them. But Wolf is still facing job loss, and Elk and Starling are like “dont worry bbgirl we gotchu” and they all get married together. 

And then thats the end for real

Theres also a reveal in there of HOW Wolf found the lycanthropy cure when Starling, someone with way more resources, was unable to. He used a thing called a “Seer Wish” that i will explain in the “Moth” section. 

Sparrow

the youngest is a princess called Sparrow. this is the first not romance story, as she's aroace, and i wanted to explore a regency story not focused on romance. unfortuneately, i... have no ideas for this part. i dont even know what major event is going to be the start of this story. This story is also going to focus a lot more on Moth the Seer i think but i have very few plans.

Bull

the personal knight of Crow. im going to imply through Crow's story that Bull is in love with Lion as a red herring, and more subtly imply that Bull is in love with Crow, which is actually true. The reveal will happen at the end of Crows story.

the sort of plot of Bulls story is that he keeps butting heads with this fae, who we'll call Sunflower. Sunflower makes an appearence a couple times across the first three stories i think. I dont have a lot of plans for this one either.

I know that Bulls older brother was kidnapped by a fae, and so Bull made a concentrated effort to study up on effective ways to fight them.

Moth

this section is mostly to explain Moth and Wolf's relationship, and to explain seer wishes. there will probably not be a full story about moth.

Not everyone gets a seer wish, its completely random, but you know because of a symbol somewhere on their body. If someone dies with their seer wish, it gets passed to someone random, so you can also get one later in life. A seer wish allows someone to ask the seer one question about anything at all, and will get back the information they asked for. Using your seer wish is, unsurprisingly, a BIG deal, as not everyone gets one, its very rare, and those who do get one only get one.

Moth's powers manifested when she was 20. the powers are a curse, a curse that supposedly can be broken if she's with her true love. She met Wolf when she was 17 and thought he was it. when she turned 20 and her powers manifested, she broke up with him. They were still in love with each other, but she was so fixated on the idea that he was her "true love" that when he wasn't, she couldn't take it. In retrospect, she regrets it, but they've both moved on. 

SO THATS IT

Thats all ive got so far for Beasts of the Peerage.

I don't know if it'd be a comic or like a visual novel or a regular novel or a novelette or some other thing I haven't thought of. Idk man.

also i think the animal thing is going to be like metaphorical, they arent actually animals. again im still in the planning stage so its all sorta meh

[applbutter]

webtoon artists know more about european monarchy hierarchies than I ever will

[marchioness-of-the-flowers]

Martin Septim nation please accept this quickly scribbled offering I was seized by a dark power

original meme below

[spineless-lobster]

My final instalment! Really cute christmas letters from children! During WWII when the Blitz was happening all over London, children were often transported to the countryside where it would be safer for them. Some children were sent to WHP and spent Christmas there in 1939, they recovered some very sweet thank you letters for the Crewe family who resided there at the time. Here's the article if you want to read the full thing, but I'll quote three of the letters here. (These kids have great handwriting it's insane)

"To the Marchioness Crewe

My Lady, I am writing this letter, to thank you very much for all you have done for us all the time we have been here. We all appreciate your kindness to us, especially Christmas Day. We all had a very enjoyable time, and we shall never forget it. Thank you very much for the beautiful Christmas tree you prepared for us. It was quite a surprise to us when we saw all the lights, bells, sweets which were hanging on it and especially the presents which surrounded the bottom of the tree.

Yours respectfully, Lilian Ross"

"To the Marchioness of Crewe

My Lady, I am writing to thank you very much for the presents you gave us Christmas day. We are very grateful for what you have done for us, and we enjoyed the party very much. My present was a sewing machine, and I have always wanted one, now I have got one and I am happy. We never knew we could have such a good time. I hope you enjoyed the party as much as we did. The Christmas tree was lovely and we did not think we would have any presents at all. We will be able to write home and tell out mothers we had such a good time and we will never forget Christmas 1939. I hope you have a happy new year.

Yours respectfully, Jean Rivers"

and finally, "To The Marchioness of Crewe

My Lady, I am writing this letter to you to show you how grateful we all are for the most lovely Christmas party. All of us are more than pleased with our presents which My Lady and My Lord brought us. Not one of us has seen such a beautiful Christmas tree as we did on Sunday. I assure you that none of us will ever forget the Christmas in 1939. I wish you a happy New Year as you really deserve it for all your kindness.

Yours respectfully, Joy Neal"

Adorable stuff right here, I'm glad they had a nice christmas during such a terrifying time.

Anyways, that's the end of this little rabbit hole. I hope it wasn't too annoying for all of you, but I think you're probably used to my mad rambling by now lmao

I realized that I have went down so many rabbit holes of information due to bbc ghosts but not ONCE have I looked up the rich history of West Horsely Place and I am utterly ashamed about that

SO GUESS WHAT I’M GONNA DO !!!

[cupidthingz]

How they are like when you’re sad/upset! [Headcanons]

Cast: Jeanette, Anastacius, Ijekiel

Warnings: Mentions of drinking and friendly blackmail

Jeanette

Jeanette is an extremely good listener she would listen to you rant about your problems.

And she would never spill any of what you would say. You might as well talk to a brick wall than get her to talk.

Jeanette I like to think is really good at making sweets! Like imagine you talking your troubles whilst she makes something.

“I’m just really worried about it now. Like my mind keeps constantly thinking about the ‘what if’s?’” You muttered swinging your legs from the table top.

“I think it’s better to fight fire with fire.” Jeanette chirped while she kneaded the squishy dough.

“What do you mean by that?” You asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“Fight the negative what if’s with positive what if’s!” She smiled at you she then handed you a bowl of icing.

“That’s not a bad idea! -and also it needs more sugar.”

“Okie dokie.”

If you’re not in the mood to talk about your stuff. She doesn’t mind sitting in silence (she has had plenty of experience *cough**cough* Claude.)

If you want an input on something she’s not the best person to ask because she would say what you would want to hear and so it wouldn’t bear much fruit.

If you want someone to comfort you she’s the best person for the job! Especially if you’re the type to want a hug after a tough day she’s standing with open arms!

10/10 would recommend!

Anastacius

I feel like he is the type of guy you wouldn’t go to for comfort or to vent?

Like dude got none of this while growing up so he doesn’t know what to do when someone is crying.

He would try to comfort you but it’s so awkward that you start laughing by how awkward he is yet you’re endeared by the fact that at least he is trying.

But dude if you’re drunk and you’re going to do some stupid crap he’s the one recording that stuff and would proceed to blackmail you with it (he needs you to babysit Jeanette somehow).

“And this butthead then just starts yelling at me and was shouting at me for some reason for his own mistakes and then he—” you proceed to bawl your eyes out as you start cursing out your boss in a slurred voice as you flip off at the sky simultaneously in your drunken stupor.

Ana laughs as you trip over your own feet and almost face plant into the floor. “That’s enough for today I don’t want to deal with a hungover you.” He says as he grabs a hold of your arm and throws it over his shoulder. “Hungover you is quite the best to annoy you with while also being the worst in dealing with.”

“Says the guy who got completely wasted and was found in the neighbors’s backyard.” You commented while you remembered how you had to make up an excuse on how he ended up there.

“I still haven’t figured out how I even got there in the first place.”

“Guess we’ll never know.”

If you don’t want to talk about it he might try to pry it out of you but if you still don’t want to talk about it he would give up.

If you want an input on anything he would be the most terrible person to ask, cause no good advice ever comes out of that mouth.

Ana isn’t that overtime comfortable with hugging someone he does but mostly prefers not to he doesn’t like physical touch much.

4/10. It’s meh but entertaining to see him try so +1 for effort.

Ijekiel

This wolf in sheep’s clothing knows how to comfort someone. (perks of being the ML)

I can see you burst into his office to vent about something or someone and his initial surprise is then taken over with a sweet smile as he listens to you ramble away.

He would get his work done while also listening to you sometimes adding in whenever needed.

“So like marchioness Baldwing had the audacity to say that my necklace was out of fashion!” You huffed out while discourteously stuffing your face with the pastries your husband made the maids bring over. “The gall of that woman- I didn’t even point out when I saw her outdated gloves! feathers are completely out of trend since Baroness Leon.”

“Yes love, but do drink some tea as well. As much as I love hearing your beautiful voice i don’t want you to choke on the pastries.” He said without looking up from his papers. “If you’d like we could go into town to get a new necklace or necklaces.” He said as he looked up warmly at you.

“Darling, I love you.”

He smiled, “and I as well.”

“Darling, won’t you say it back?” You walked up to him staring pouty at him.

“I don’t know.” He replied. “But you must have forgotten something.”

“Ah!”

You placed yourself into his lap as you kissed all over his face, placing one final kiss on his lips before you could move away he quickly stole a kiss away from you.

*gasps* “Cheeky Ijekiel!”

If you’re the type to keep your bottled inside and one day and it finally spills out, he would hold you to his chest as you cry and take it out your system.

“Don’t look at me..that was unbecoming of me.” You sniffled, your eyes red, your makeup or well now the lack therefore seemed to have left your face in trails.

You tried to move away but the white haired man took your face delicately between his hands.

“And yet I would find you the most beautiful in every way.”

Overall 10/10 would recommend!

★彡 Banana.Milkshake

[jacepens]

okay, so I was reading through some of your posts, and I definetly need to hear more about the "flirting-through-their-wives" thing tho...

yes yes indeed!

Thank you msrandomstuff! I shall do my best to provide:) <3

Let me start first with Lafayette's letter to Washington and this lovely little passage here: June 12-13, 1779. Laf to GW.

"Be so kind, My dear General, as to present My Best Respects to Your lady, and tell her how happy I would feel to present them Myself to her, at her own house—I have a Wife, My dear General, who is in love with you, and affection for you Seems to Me So well justified that I Can’t oppose Myself to that Sentiment of her’s—She Begs you would Receive her Compliments, and Make them acceptable to Mrs Washington—"

Now, this is just my biased speculations but- Lafayette says Adrienne (although should I take into consideration the extra playful nature here when he just names her as "a Wife"? Rather than my wife or Adrienne? Is it suspicious or regular Laf behavior? One could look at that and say, right or wrong, "a Wife" may not actually be Adrienne...if you catch my drift.) is very in love with Washington and Lafayette feels just as strongly as she does! But if we are flirting through our wives, let me add that my wife continues to compliment yours and actually, let me praise and compliment you twice, George. Because Laf did start this letter by expressing his concern for Washington's safety. Romance aside, I could see Lafayette playfully doubly begging George to keep himself safe and remember his Marquis loves him.

But it's Washington's response that really gets me, and it gets the little cogs in my head turning.

Sept 30, 1779. GW to Laf

"Tell her [Adrienne] (if you have not made a mistake, & offered your own love instead of hers to me) that I have a heart susceptable of the tenderest passion, & that it is already so strongly impressed with the most favourable ideas of her, that she must be cautious of putting loves torch to it; as you must be in fanning the flame. But here again methinks I hear you say, I am not apprehensive of danger—My wife is young—you are growing old & the atlantic is between you—All this is true, but know my good friend that no distance can keep anxious lovers long asunder, and that the Wonders of former ages may be revived in this—But alas! will you not remark that amidst all the wonders recorded in holy writ no instance can be produced where a young Woman from real inclination has prefered an old Man—This is so much against me that I shall not be able I fear to contest the prize with you—yet, under the encouragement you have given me I shall enter the list for so inestimable a jewell."

Washington has immediately caught Lafayette! hehe. (On a historian-rambly note, I just love how human and playful the line: if you have not made a mistake, and offered your own love instead of hers to me is) And it seems that Washington very enthusiastically receives Lafayette's double compliment! He even confesses to having a heart susceptible to the tenderest passion, you know, the only kind of passion Lafayette has for Washington. (It could be nothing. But. I find it interesting that it is passion, singular rather than passions, plural. I honestly read it as passions but nope...just one passion. Could be normal, might not be.)

But please please I need to talk about the second half. George continues to assure Laf (I mean his "wife"-) that he is so favorable of her (him) that he must be careful to...put love's torch to the flame of George's fondness. I actually find this part extra fascinating and while my first thought is, how cute!! I can't help but read into it the longer I look at it.

So, hear me out. George is afraid of falling in love with Lafayette or vice versa or naming what they share as love love. Again, this is more heavy speculation and just one way to read it, but this sentence just really stands out to me.

But, it sounds like this is a conversation they've had before, so often in fact, that George knows exactly what Lafayette would say in response. Lafayette does not mind the danger. Mind the danger. (not apprehensive of the danger) Do you- do you see what I see? (what's more dangerous than being in love love with a man?) But but then I hear some sadness from George. There can be no real danger when they are separated by the ocean and even their age? A fire cannot burn them down from such distance. (Now I'm just talking...)

But no fear!:) We will be reunited, (I'm having an epiphany, Laf was anxious of George at the beginning of his first letter. That's probably a giant leap to make but I'm making it anyway lol). Ps can someone smarter than me tell me what the Wonder of former ages is? xD I can take some guesses, but I'm not too sure. Maybe it's nothing fancy at all.

But but please. The way it ends. George seems to go a little back and forth between sad, self-deprecating and hopeful and loving, but he ends on the cute cuuuute fact that Lafayette encourages his pursuit and love:) George will enter the list so the inestimable jewel of Lafayette's..."wife". (Lafayette)

Cute. Too cute. Am I digging too far into things that have no meaning? Perhaps. Is this still just...flirting with each other through their wives? (platonic or romantic) Yes oh my god yes.

But I'm not done. (Same letter from GW to Laf)

"It only remains for me now, to beg the favour of you to present my respectful compliments to your (but have I not a right, as you say she has made a tender of her love to me—to call her my) amiable & lovely Marchioness—& to assure you that with every sentiment of the most perfect regard, & personal attachmt I have the honr to be My Dear Marquis Yr Most Obedt & affect. Servt"

Please. please. Pleeease. Come oonnnnn. The emphasis on "your" (I checked Laf's full letter that he wrote the above passage in. He never once calls Adrienne "my" just, "a wife". Technically, "a Wife" could be anyone. I rest my case. (or it could be the differences in French and English for all I know. I don't know French, but I'm assuming Laf knows the difference between a and my at this point. Maybe a bold assumption, maybe not.)) only to very cheekily add again, George caught Laf's double compliments of him through his wife. George knows he's writing this to (my) Lafayette. And then of course, he calls Lafayette My (My!!) Dear Marquis (no abbreviations this time here folks). Obviously, I know George calling Laf My Dear Marquis is nothing out of the ordinary, but in this context, it seems worth nothing, does it not?

And. This quote still keeps me up at night. It's not a full flirting-through-wives, but what does it meeean?

From Laf to GW. 5-10 January 1779. (Right before Laf left for France during the war, same year as those letters above)

"I hope you will quietly enjoy the pleasure of being with Mrs Washington, without any disturbance from the ennemy till I join you again;"

I could again spend way too much time looking at all the different angles of this. It- it's just the "till I join you again" that really gets me.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this?? I hope it was sensible, but really, thank you so so much for giving me an excuse to ramble about this. I feel like there are still so many different ways this could be interpreted and if I had more time, I would love to find the photocopies of these letters to potentially analyze even what was crossed out or what looked rewritten vs very natural and not edited. (Washington claimed he didn't edit his letter much, but how true is that I wonder? lol)

Also, not that I think you would, but don't take anything I've said as fact except for the quotes themselves:) Like I said, this is all my (biased) speculations and interpretations but it's honestly not built on a lot of background on how they communicated with other people. (Again, if I had more time, I'd love to see if I could find if these things were standard for them to say or rare).

But really, on an aside, can historians stop assuming everyone as straight? I want lgbtq+ until proven differently xD. Because when you think about it, the lgbt spectrum is a vast number of identities and straight is just one. (Not that people who aren't alive to label themselves should officially have modern labels put on them, but in that same thought, why then call them all straight?)

Ok ok you've listened to me talk enough.

Thank you!! <3 I hope this satisfies:) (ps anyone is free to add to this)

[meetthefatess]

hello would you be able to give a quick summary of the parts of itg that are not in the album but are in the book? feel free to ignore this if you are not comfortable doing that because that's totally fair.

Oh sure! I’ll break it down by scene like they do in the script

(This actually ended up kind of long, I apologize, but there’s so many sweet moments between Jutta and the Hildegards even though it ended like it did)

Prologue: Includes Virga Ac Diadema & Death Ceremony

In between the two songs we get a conversation between Hildegard’s mother and Volmar, the monk she is given to & who helps entomb her. Mother explains that Hildegard is sick and hasn’t spoken since her sister died so the family can’t take care of her. Volmar shows the cell to Mother and assures her that Hildegard’s basic needs will be met (“she’ll be technically dead, but super comfortable.”)

Hildegard is a puppet at this time (played by Hannah Whitney) and does not speak.

In the Cell: includes If I Had a Knee & The Rule

Before both songs, Jutta and Hildegard (now in pieces) are alone. Jutta introduces herself and tries to get Hildegard to talk (“we’re going to play this game?”). That interaction leads directly into If I Had a Knee which is immediately followed by The Rule.

Years Pass I:

No songs! Just a short interlude that repeats some of the lyrics from the rule (essentially “watch wait try dig” & some other motifs set to music to represent time passing. If that makes sense?)

Bodies: includes I Am Hungry and Eve

The mouth portion! Essentially! Very cool part imo.

After I Am Hungry is sung, the Hildegards tell Jutta they aren’t feeling very well and start panicking when they realize they are bleeding (started their period) and tell Jutta they’re dying and she has to call for help. Mouth also says “I think I’m being punished. Agathe, my sister, she died from something like this” which is the first time Hildegard talks about Agathe.

Jutta calms them down and explains that they’ll be fine in a few days. She also talks about the first time it happened to her and how it got her out of going to a “stupid party” her family was holding. So she danced in her room by herself.

Jutta and Mouth connect about hating going to those parties and being paraded around, so Mouth says “maybe it’s not so bad to bleed” and Jutta Very Much disagrees. Jutta explains that bleeding means they are now a target to be hunted and that they have to stunt it (by not eating) for Hildegard to be in control. This leads into Eve.

Years Pass II:

No “songs”, similar short interlude to the first one showing the passage of time

Rituals: includes Ritual and Little Life

Eye portion!! One of my favourites too honestly

Ritual is sung as Eye and Hand help dig a hole. After the song Jutta walks over and praises Eye’s work. Eye accepts the compliment but is a little upset saying she doesn’t get the point of digging for no reason and asks Jutta why they’re doing it.

Jutta tells her they’re digging their grave and they all freak out. Eye says she thought they were making room for a garden (😭) and asks Jutta, “why am I digging my grave??” which leads into Little life.

After Little Life we get one of my FAVOURITE bits of dialogue where Eye says, “what can I lose if I’m already broken?” and Jutta goes “you can start with that attitude.” I just think it’s so fucking funny.

But anyways, Jutta says that Eye needs to watch for her weakness, the part of her that hates the work, and when she finds it, that’s what she’ll bury. Jutta says she buried her own “weakness; it’s unnecessary” which is our first reference to Shadow. This is where Jutta tells Eye not to blink (or sleep) anymore in order to gain control.

Years Pass III:

Same as the others!

The Past Intrudes: includes Sun Song, In The Green, and Burial

Hand part? Kind of?

Eye and Mouth are very tired and hungry and just want to take a break. Hand notices and convinces them to rest for a little while. Jutta sees them and asks what’s going on and Hand manages to convince her that they’ll be able to work better if they have a little time to refresh. Once Jutta relents, a beam of sunlight falls through the window and Sun Song starts.

Sun Song leads right into In The Green and we see Shadow on the stage for the first time.

After In The Green the Hildegards ask Jutta what happened and she gets defensive and denies anything did, saying she let them down when she let them rest (“You will forget all the nonsense you think you saw. You will get back to work, stay awake, shut your maw, and you’ll work even harder to make up for the time you lost.”)

Hand stands up for Eye and Mouth which starts her big argument with Jutta. Hand says Jutta’s methods aren’t working and at first Jutta seems desperate (“You will be whole and I will see the light.”) but gets very upset when Hand asks her what the light even means and how she knows if it’s real (“Jutta, what about sunlight? Can’t we go outside and see it? You said it helped you once, maybe that’s all you need!”) which uhhhh does not go over well. Their shouting leads into Burial and bro this part is so emotional.

Underground: includes Underground, Confession, Sun Song Reprise, Light Undercover, The First Verb, and O Viridissima Virga

Before Underground starts the Hildegards see Shadow and recognize her from In The Green. They ask her who she is and she says “I’m Jutta. I live here.” She says Jutta buried her and asks if Jutta buried them too. The Hildegards say they are broken too and that they can’t take back what they did.

This is also the first reference of Shadow as Jutta’s bones and how the Hildegards realize Jutta is still broken.

Underground starts and leads right into Confession. After Confession Shadow asks the Hildegards what Agathe said to her before she died, but tells them they don’t have to tell her if they don’t want to. This leads into Sun Song Reprise and the rest of this part is sung through.

Rebirth: includes Light Undercover/In The Green Reprise, The Ripening, and Forgiveness

The Hildegards make it back up to the cell with Shadow and find Jutta sitting in the middle of the room where she had in Sun Song instead of at her Prie-dieu (where she sits and prays between songs earlier in the show).

Jutta doesn’t notice Shadow at first and gets up and starts apologizing to Hildegard for yelling and says they can work slower and she can wait to see the light if it would help them.

The Hildegards are so excited about finding the light with Shadow they tell her she doesn’t have to wait and start singing Light Undercover/In The Green reprise to Jutta.

At the end of the Light Undercover portion when they start singing “You are the light” to Jutta she gets upset and says “How dare you tell me what I am”

Then the In The Green portion starts she pretends she doesn’t see Shadow until she starts panicking and saying “Stop it.” until the end of the song where Shadow says “I want you to see me,” to her (the parallel to Sigewize saying the same thing in Exorcism hits SO hard)

Right before The Ripening, after Jutta has made Shadow leave the stage, Jutta says “I should never have let you in here with me. I don’t need you.” to the Hildegards which OUCH. Jutta exits the stage (dies) which leads into Forgiveness.

The Other Tithe: includes Integration

We are back outside the cell and Volmar knocks after hearing the Hildegards singing. He talks to Hildegard (now just Hannah) through a window and tells her it’s been 30 years and that Richardis will be joining her and Jutta in the cell.

Hildegard tells him Jutta is dead but is excited when Volmar says the door is going to be opened. The door opens and Hildegard emerges. She says she doesn’t want to stay in there because it was Jutta’s choice not hers (Volmar: “Jutta was pious!” Hildegard: “Jutta was suffering!” Which is some more of my fav dialogue).

Hildegard convinces the Marchioness (Richardis’ mother) to let Richardis stay with her in the monestary instead of in the cell. The Marchioness and Volmar eventually agree which leads into Integration.

Exorcism: includes Exorcism:

Just the song!

Again very sorry this is so long and rambly, I just love this show sm & couldn’t bear to leave some of my fav pieces of dialogue out.

[marq-de-laf]

In the letter, Washington presented a lighthearted but vivid picture of his own ardent nature as a young man, as if Lafayette brought out some buried romanticism in him. Washington asked Lafayette to tell the marchioness 'that I have a heart susceptible of the tenderest passion and that it is already so strongly impressed with the most favorable ideas of her that she must be cautious of putting love's torch to it, as you must be in fanning the flame. But, here again, methinks I hear you say, I am not apprehensive of danger. My wife is young, you are growing old, and the Atlantic is between you. All this is true, but know, my good friend, that no distance can keep anxious lovers long asunder, and that the wonders of former ages may be revived in this.' He ended on a somber note: 'But, alas! will you not remark that amidst all the wonders recorded in holy writ no instance can be produced where a young woman from real inclination has preferred an old man.' Clearly Washington, forty-seven, was lapsing into the wistful mood of an older man nostalgic for his passionate youth. Whether he was thinking of Martha Washington or Sally Fairfax when he wrote this confessional letter, we do not know. At the end, as if amazed at how he had rambled on, he remarked, 'When I look back to the length of this letter, I am so much astonished and frightened at it myself that I have not the courage to give it a careful reading for the purpose of correction.'

Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow, pg.365. That time when Washington was that old guy that jokes about how cute Lafayette’s wife is but promises not to steal her because he’s too old. Weird flex, but okay.

[ramblingromance]

When a Girl Loves an Earl: Book Review

Finished this one up yesterday, so without further ado, here are my thoughts, feelings, and rambles on....

What a girl wants … Miss Viola Darling always gets what she wants. Always. And what she wants more than anything is to marry James Kilbrenner, the Earl of Tannenbrook. She’s fallen hard for the giant, taciturn, surly brute, and she positively will have no other. The problem? He’s not interested. Not even a little. But Viola cannot afford to lose. And she has her heart set on James. If only he will bend to a bit of persuasion. Is an earl like no other … James Kilbrenner knows how determined the entirely-too-beautiful Miss Darling can be—the daft woman cornered him at a perfectly respectable dinner and mangled his cravat before he could escape. He has no desire to marry, less desire to be pursued, and will certainly not kiss her kissable lips until they are both breathless, no matter how tempted he may be. And only the right one will do … Thrown in her path by a meddling marchioness, James finds himself under sensual siege from a tiny, flirtatious sprite who puts both his heart and his vow to remain unwed at risk. And when scandal looms, he learns the hard way that a man can resist only so long before the indomitable Miss Darling gets her way.

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Well this book certainly...exists. I did enjoy it, for the most part, but there was a certain slowness to the beginning that I felt could have been handled a little better. Most of the scenes that took place were scenes we had already partly bore witness to in the book previous. I’m all for learning the backstory of our characters, but I suppose I just felt as if it could have been done in a smoother sort of way. Speaking of backstory, James’ seems so much more fleshed out than Viola’s, and honestly I would have loved to know more about her own inner demons. She’s the diamond of the first water according to the ton, but she seemed put out to only get noticed for her looks, or to even get praised for Harp playing that she knows she’s absolutely abysmal at, right up there next to her embroidery. 

There is man pain aplenty for James, however, with the dreaded ‘other woman’ trope coming into play here. Honestly, this is such a tiresome thing to see in romance novels, and it could have been much, much worse here (Pointedly looks at The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever) Still, with Allison, the author tries to make you dislike her in some way or another, using comments like “Oh, she didn’t really love you, she was with other men...” and so on. Love doesn’t always work out, and that’s okay. I wish romance novels could show past lovers in a much more positive light, or at least let them be amicable with one another.  ‘We used to love each other, now we don’t, and that’s okay.’ 

Enough of my complaints though. Honestly this book was cute enough, and if you love Scottish heroes, as well as major height differences, then I’m sure you’ll find your own enjoyment with it too. 

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Trigger Warnings: Mentions of parental death, Mentions of infant death, A character is trapped into marriage (said character actually doesn’t care this happens, but still), Injury description

Heat Level: 3/5