#the play name is Secrets of the Madrid Court

[fastafeijoa]

I got too invested in a silly AU and now I have this video game oc that ended up as an obscure play oc as a result of an extremely unlikely crossover

Originally Sergio is a Resident Evil oc, one of the last leaders of Los Illuminados in 16th century. In this AU he manages to escape his death and the village and instead starts stirring up trouble at the Madrid court. He tries at least

[morefueltothefire]

Beneath Madrid's Celestial Sky

Chapter II

Pairing: Jude Bellingham x Lauren Vos (Portrayed by Laura Celia)

Summary: Their story begins with a chance meeting amidst unexpected circumstances—Jude Bellingham, the rising star of the football world, and Lauren Vos, the club’s determined lawyer, collide in a way neither could have foreseen. Their paths leading them on a journey of challenges, self-discovery, and undeniable chemistry.

Chapter I | A Collision of Worlds

Chapter II | On the Edge of Things

"I could lay out a perfect defense, but at what cost? Was it fair to place this much on his shoulders?" - Lauren "I was doing it for her. And if that meant standing in front of the line of fire, then so be it." - Jude

Jude’s POV

The locker room buzzed with the usual post-training chaos—music playing low in the background, laughter bouncing off the walls, and the shuffle of boots being tossed into bags. The lads were scattered around, some grumbling about missed shots, others cracking jokes. I was only half-listening, still feeling a slight twinge from the accident. It wasn’t the crash that bothered me anymore, it was the aftermath, the lawsuit, the unknowns.

I sat on the bench, towel slung over my shoulder, fiddling with the laces of my trainers. Training had been solid today, but my head was elsewhere. Tonight’s meeting loomed, and with it, the thought of seeing her again after these past few days.

“Jude!” Aurélien’s voice pulled me back to the present. He stood a few lockers down. “You’re coming tonight, right? Don’t tell me you’ve got some excuse lined up already.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What’s tonight?”

“Mon frèro, we’ve talked about this. My brother’s visiting. Figured it’d be nice to have everyone around. He’s a fan, you know. Wants to meet the ‘English star.’” His tone carried just enough teasing to make me roll my eyes.

Viní, passing by, chimed in, “Yeah, Jude, don’t let the kid down. He’ll be heartbroken.”

I shook my head. “Tempting as that sounds, but I can’t tonight. Got something more pressing.” I replied, standing to grab my jacket.

Aurélien folded his arms. “About the case? You’re taking this seriously, huh?” The last time we’d spoken about it, they’d been as curious as anyone, and now, Aurélien had just casually thrown out an invitation.

From across the room, Brahim piped up, “He’d better be. You think they’re really gonna take you to court?”

I shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. “That’s what we’re meeting about tonight. It’ll be fine, though.”

“Not even seven days,” Lucas jumped in, pretending to count on his fingers, “and what happens? Straight back to the passenger seat. Must’ve missed the throne.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Glad you’re all so invested in my travel arrangements.���

“Can’t help it, mate,” Lucas pointed at me. “The world’s out to humble you. Barely a week on the road and… Boom! You’re grounded.”

The whole room burst into laughter, I let them have their fun.

“Alright, that’s enough,” I cut in finally, my voice slow their laughter. “Enjoy this while it lasts. Give me a week, and I’ll be chauffeuring all of you around.”

“So,” Aurélien leaned against the bench, curiosity sparking in his gaze. “Who’s handling the case? The club’s got solid lawyers.”

“Lauren,” I replied casually, though the name felt heavier than I intended. “Lauren Vos. She’s the one handling it.”

Aurélien’s reaction, however, was far from casual. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Lauren Vos?” he repeated, straightening with clear astonishment. “You’ve got her?”

“You know her?” I asked, trying to keep the surprise out of my voice.

Aurélien chuckled, leaning closer as if sharing a secret. “We’ve known each other for years, same circle back in high school, before reconnected here. Sharp. Brilliant mind. You haven’t properly met her yet?”

“Not exactly,” I said. “But from what I’ve seen, she doesn’t miss much.”

Aurélien laughed. “That’s an understatement. She’s intense but fair. You’ll see.”

I thought back to our brief interactions, the way she’d handled the aftermath of the accident with calculated ease, as if she’d been doing this her whole life.

“I can see that,” I murmured. “Vos seems… thorough.”

Brahim snorted. “Thorough? That’s what you call it?”

I shot Brahim a grin, but my mind wandered back to Lauren.

Aurélien clapped me on the shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Good luck tonight, man. And if she grills you, just don’t mess it up.”

I let out a soft chuckle, shaking my head. “Thanks for the tip, mate.”

I shot back pulling my bag over my shoulder, though my mind was already racing ahead to the meeting.

Lauren Vos. For someone I barely knew, she was occupying far more headspace than I cared to admit. Whatever tonight brought, one thing was certain; it wouldn’t be boring.

Lauren’s POV

The Ciudad Real Madrid complex’s meeting room stretched out before me, quiet and still, with only a few chairs left out of place, a small remnant of whoever had been here before. I liked this kind of time, these early moments before the day’s inevitable rush. My notes were spread across the table, each page meticulously ordered. Here, in the silence, the world felt manageable.

The soft creak of the door pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up, not expecting much, and there he was, Jude Bellingham.

He walked in with an ease, a bottle of water dangling from his fingers like it was an accessory. Something about his presence always drew attention, though he didn’t seem to try. He had that casual energy I’d seen a hundred times before in people who didn’t know the meaning of stress. He stepped inside like he owned the place, his gaze sweeping the room until it landed on me.

“Early bird catches the worm,” he said, his voice cutting through the quiet, laced with that British accent of his—sharp but smooth, each word pronounced with a precision, leaving them to resonate. It had a way of making even the simplest sentences feel interesting.

The last time I’d heard that voice, it had been curt, almost defensive, laced with the tension of the incident that had brought us into each other’s orbit. Now, though, the sharp edges were gone, replaced with a kind of relaxed charm.

“Or avoids the crowd,” I countered, not bothering to hide the dry edge in my tone.

He chuckled, stepping closer but keeping his distance, leaning against one of the chairs. “I didn’t expect anyone else to be here this early.”

I set my pen down, meeting his gaze. “Preparation doesn’t hurt.”

“Right,” he said, nodding as if I’d imparted some great wisdom. “Though, now that I think about it, I don’t think we’ve properly introduced ourselves yet.”

He extended a hand toward me. “Jude Bellingham,” he said, like it was a name I might not have already known. “Footballer by trade, occasional chaos-bringer, though not always intentional.”

His grip was warm, and for some reason, it felt like an unspoken challenge.

“Lauren Vos,” I replied. “Lawyer by necessity, keeper of order, especially when chaos gets out of hand.”

“Guess that makes us a pretty good team, then.” His laugh was easy, genuine.

“Let's see as the case progresses.” I said, letting go of his hand.

He tilted his head, as if trying to read me. “So, do you always sit alone in empty rooms, or is that just part of the whole ‘keeper of order’ thing?”

I turned my attention back to my notes, though I could still feel his gaze. “I like to get things in order before chaos starts.”

“Smart move,” he said, and his tone shifted. “Chaos does seem to follow us footballers around.”

“Some more than others,” I said, glancing up at him.

The noise of footsteps and voices began to trickle in from the hallway. The meeting was about to begin. Jude straightened, glancing toward the door as others started filing in. But he didn’t leave immediately. He hesitated for a moment before looking back at me, his smile softening.

“See you in the chaos, Counselor.”

“See you there,” I replied, surprising myself.

He walked away, finding his place at the other end of the room. I returned to my notes, my pen in hand, the silence not quite the same as before.

When I finally looked up, he was sitting across the room, still smiling that same infuriatingly easy smile.

His voice, his presence, had left something behind. For better or worse, Jude had a way of making himself noticed, even in the quiet. His casual demeanor made it seem like he had nothing to prove, but I could see how people were drawn to him, how effortlessly he commanded attention.

Lauren's Pov

One by one, board members taking their seats, some with tight nods of acknowledgment, others already deep in hushed conversations.

Alejandro walked into the room with his usual air of quiet confidence and took a seat next to me. He didn’t seem to have any plans of speaking, but his calm presence settled me more than anything. He gave me a quick reassuring glance.

Then, as everyone took their seats, Alejandro leaned toward me, his voice low. “This is your case, Lauren. I trust you completely,” he said in a whisper only I could hear. “You’ve got this. And I’ve got your back.”

I nodded without saying anything, but his quiet support strengthened me.

The voices rose and fell until the meeting was called to order, I felt the air shift as the focus settled on me. It didn’t take long for the tension to set in.

“The criminal case against Mr. Bellingham has been dismissed. The police concluded that the damage was minor and deemed the incident accidental rather than negligent.” I paused, letting that sink in. There were a few relieved exhales, but I wasn’t done. I turned to the next slide, a civil lawsuit form glaring on the screen. “However, we now face a compensation claim. The complainant is suing for damages, €150,000 to be exact.”

“We can face the case head-on,” I said. “It’s a challenging approach, but it would reflect the club’s values. A settlement would be an easy way out, but it doesn’t send the right message. If we go to court, we show the world that we’re committed to defending what’s right.” I let my words settle in the room, watching the reactions.

From the moment I began presenting the plan, questions and objections came hurtling toward me with the force of a well-rehearsed attack. Each inquiry seemed designed to chip away at my confidence, but I held my ground.

Mr. Ortega, a senior board member who had been silently leaning back in his chair, finally spoke.

“Lauren,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s a legal precedent to consider. We need to make sure we have all the facts before we make any decisions.”

I nodded, acknowledging his words. “Exactly. That’s why we’ll be prepared. We have the evidence to show that the situation was handled appropriately. We’ll prove that the incident was not Mr. Bellingham’s fault, and we’ll make sure we have everything in place to win.”

Before Ortega could speak again, Mr. Martínez, a senior board member, interjected, his tone more contemplative. “I understand the sentiment, but this isn’t a time for idealism. This is about protecting the club’s reputation. A settlement is a business decision, not a surrender. If we go to court, it’s going to be a media circus. Do you really want that kind of attention?”

I didn’t back down, my gaze meeting his. “With all due respect, Mr. Martínez, if we settle, we send the wrong message. It’s not about avoiding the media. If we run from this, it’ll look like we have something to hide. I’d rather face the consequences head-on and prove that we’re confident in our stance.”

I glanced Alejandro’s way and saw him watching, his eyes not leaving me. He wasn’t intervening, he didn’t need to.

Martínez scoffed, a thin line of frustration appearing at the edge of his mouth. “You’re underestimating the danger, Lauren. The media can be brutal. Now, the media already has their story. If this goes any further, it’s not just about this case, it could ruin the club’s public image.”

The tension in the room grew thicker. I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, Jude spoke.

“I get the concerns,” Jude said, his tone even. “But I’m not sure I agree with the idea that avoiding the court is the only way to protect the club. Sure, the media will have a field day, but if we let fear dictate our decisions, we’ll just be reacting to them. We should take control of this narrative.”

Jude’s statements made it clear he wasn’t just parroting back what I had said. His words weren’t about confrontation, they were about the larger picture, about standing up for what we believed was right.

Martínez gave him a sharp look. “You’re not the one who’ll be facing the consequences of this case, Bellingham. You won’t be the one watching the BMW sponsorships pull out. We’re not talking about personal redemption here. We’re talking about survival.”

The tension in the room crackled like a live wire. I opened my mouth to intervene, but this time Ms. Vidal, one of the club’s external affairs representatives, beat me to it.

“Survival, sure,” she said. “But Martínez, you’re missing the other side of this.”

She looked pointedly at me. “Ms. Vos’s strategy makes Jude the center of this narrative. Think about it. A young athlete taking responsibility? Cooperating fully? It’s the kind of angle the media loves to latch onto—it’s clean, easy, and sells well.”

I stiffened as Vidal continued.

“But it’s also dangerous,” she continued. “Because if Jude slips, even slightly, everything comes crashing down. The media will pick apart his every word, his every move. And let’s not forget, he’s young, inexperienced, and, frankly, prone to impulsive behavior. If this story spirals, it’s his name that will bear the brunt of it. Not ours.”

The implication was clear: Jude was a liability.

I had anticipated pushback, but hearing Jude reduced to an unreliable risk rubbed against my instincts to protect him. I trusted his ability, sense of responsibility, and maturity to handle this. But in that moment, as Vidal’s words hung in the air, I hesitated.

I could lay out a perfect defense, but at what cost? Was it fair to place this much on his shoulders? To paint him as the unwavering, mature figure I’d insisted he was? A tiny spark of doubt crossed my mind. Not in Jude, but in myself, in the strategy I’d chosen to rely on. I knew it was the strongest approach, the right approach, but—he didn’t ask for this.

A murmur rippled through the room, but Vidal wasn’t finished.

“Ms. Vos,” she looked at me, “how confident are you that he won’t make the situation worse?”

My grip on the pen tightened, a subtle pause of uncertainty holding me back from responding immediately. Then I glanced at him.

He sat there now, calm and composed. And when my eyes found his, he did something that I didn’t expect.

He nodded.

It wasn’t much, barely a tilt of his head, but it was enough. Subtle, steady, and sure, as if he could hear my silent hesitation and had decided to shoulder the weight of it himself. And that, perhaps, made me feel worse.

“Ms. Vidal,” I began, “Mr. Bellingham has demonstrated nothing but professionalism throughout this process. The incident was unfortunate, but his cooperation has been exemplary. If anything, his maturity in handling this has strengthened our case.”

Vidal raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “And if he slips up again?”

As Vidal’s words ended, I caught a small shake of Jude’s head, his unspoken support meant more than I had expected.

“He won’t,” I replied. “Because we’ve ensured that he’s well-informed of his role in this strategy, and he’s proven capable of adhering to it.”

The response came out strong as if I’d never hesitated at all. But as the conversation moved on, I couldn’t quite shake the small knot of guilt twisting inside me.

I’m building this case on him.

I glanced at him once more. He sat still, resolute, his calm presence unwavering.

How does he make it look so easy?

The rest of the meeting passed in a blur of questions and negotiations, the tension gradually easing but never fully disappearing.

Then, it was Ortega, ever the pragmatist, who broke the silence. “All of this talk about Bellingham. We’re debating around you as if you’re not here. So, I’ll ask you directly—are you ready to handle this? To face the media storm, the scrutiny, and everything that comes with being at the center of this?”

Every eye now on Jude. I turned to him as well, unable to stop myself.

I had been confident in Jude’s composure, but this was the first time someone had asked him outright. And now, I wasn’t sure what he would say.

Jude met Ortega’s gaze, unfazed by the pressure. “I’m ready.”

Martínez huffed under his breath, as if dismissing the answer outright. “It’s not only about just showing up and saying the right things, Bellingham, but also about surviving every question, every headline, every jab that gets thrown your way.”

“I know what I’m saying, and I know what I’m signing up for. I’m not naive enough to think this’ll be easy.” Jude’s words carried an edge of defiance, but it wasn’t reckless. “I understand what’s at stake. But let me be clear: this isn’t just about avoiding consequences or keeping the media happy. You’re right, I’ll be in the spotlight, I’ll take hits. But that’s part of the job, isn’t it? Being here, wearing the badge, representing this club. It’s not just about the goals I score or the games we win, it’s also about showing up when it matters most, even if it’s messy.”

The room fell quiet again, but this time it wasn’t uncomfortable. There was something different about the silence—something resolute. And for the first time since the meeting began, I felt a little of hope.

“We’ll have to see what the rest of the board thinks,” Martínez muttered, clearly less confident than before. He cast a quick look between us, but he didn’t press the matter further.

By the time the meeting adjourned, a wave of exhaustion washed over me.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice how he had your back,” Alejandro whispered, his voice low, almost conspiratorial. “You’ve got him under your spell already.”

I shook my head, a small smile tugging at my lips. “It’s not like that.”

Alejandro laughed softly. “One meeting with Bellingham, and he’s already talking your language. That’s enough to make anyone sit up and listen.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle in return. “It wasn’t just him. It was all of us.”

“Sure,” Alejandro teased, “but I think he’s the one who’s figured you out. Fast learner.”

I rolled my eyes, but the smile on my face stayed. I glanced over to where Jude sat, surrounded by the remnants of the meeting, still composed as ever. I wasn’t sure what this meant between Jude and me. But in that moment, as Alejandro’s teasing filled the space, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that I wasn’t alone in this fight.

Lauren's POV

I watched as the room began to empty, chairs scraping against the floor and voices fading into background noise. I stayed where I was, unmoving, pretending to focus on my papers.

Truthfully, I just needed a minute—a small buffer of solitude to process the meeting. I let out a breath and began to organize the scattered notes in front of me.

The sharp sounds of paper against the table filled the silence. And then I realized he hadn’t left.

Now, as the last of the staff cleared out, I finally looked up, catching him watching me.

I hesitated for a second before blurting it out. “I’m sorry.”

His brows furrowed slightly. “For what?”

“For…” the words sitting heavy on my chest. “For making you the center of this plan.” I forced myself to meet his eyes. “When I first came up with this plan, I was so sure it was the right one—protecting the club’s integrity, showing we were handling everything responsibly. It made sense.

“But after what Vidal said… I realized I miscalculated. I trusted you, I still do, but I hadn’t thought it through. I hadn’t considered the pressure I put on your shoulders, or the risks that came with it. And I didn’t fully recognize what it meant to rely so heavily on you, especially when everyone’s already expecting you to mess up.”

The silence that followed was deafening. I braced myself for whatever he might say, but when he finally spoke, his tone was gentle. “You didn’t miscalculate. And because of you, now I have room to step up.”

I swallowed hard, shaking my head. “Because you didn’t have a choice.”

“Of course I had a choice,” he countered. “I was in the middle of this, because it was where I chose to be. And because I believe in what we’re doing.”

 “I built this plan, and the entire strategy hinges on you. If something goes wrong, you’re the one in the line of fire.” I murmured, the words heavy.

Jude studied me for a moment, his expression softening, like he understood something I didn’t. “You didn’t put me anywhere I can’t handle,” He leaned forward. “You stood up for me—said I’ve handled everything professionally, that I’ve shown maturity. Do you know what it’s like to hear someone say that when everyone else assumes I’ll screw up?

My lips parted to respond, but no words came out.

“And that nod? It wasn’t about me backing you, it was me telling you that you’re right to trust me.” His words settled deep, quieting the guilt I hadn’t even realized I’d been carrying.

I hadn’t thought of it that way.

“It doesn’t change the fact that I hesitated,” I admitted. “You shouldn’t have to carry the weight of this.”

He rose from his chair. “You hesitated because you care. Because this isn’t just some plan to you, it’s people, their lives.”

I looked at him then, really looked at him, and saw something steadier than I’d given him credit for.

“You’re… too calm about all of this,” I said finally, my voice quieter. “You know Vidal didn’t hold back.”

“Maybe,” Jude took a step closer to the table, leaning against the back of the chair across from me, “but I know that you wouldn’t have come up with this plan if you didn’t believe in it. So, if you trust me to hold up my end, why shouldn’t I trust you to hold up yours?”

I didn’t have an immediate answer. Instead, I let myself take him in for a moment—the confidence that didn’t feel forced, the calm that didn’t feel careless. He wasn’t downplaying this. He just carried it differently.

“Don’t feel bad about the plan, Vos,” he said after a pause. “You’re not putting pressure on me, you’re giving me a chance to do something right.”

For a moment, I didn’t say anything, afraid that if I did, my voice might betray me.

Finally, I nodded, offering the smallest smile I could manage. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I might still screw it up.”

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head as I reached for my pen again. “Don’t you dare.”

He chuckled, “I’ll take that as a ‘you’re feeling better about the plan’. And told you, we made a pretty good team.”

I should have said something to that, anything to close the gap he’d left hanging between us, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. Instead, I let the quiet stretch, testing its limits. It wasn’t uncomfortable, though. For once, it felt... calm.

There was still so much unspoken between us, but for the first time, I felt like we were fighting the same battle, not just our own separate wars.

Jude’s POV

The meeting was over, but the tension remained palpable in the room. The way Vidal had thrown around words like young and impulsive wasn’t new to me. I’d heard worse before—always from people who thought they knew me without ever really trying. It didn’t bother me much anymore.

What did bother me, though, was Lauren.

She was still at the table, her shoulders set like she was carrying the weight of the entire club. The confidence she’d walked in with had cracked, just a little, after Vidal’s comment. I could see it in her face, the way she stared down at her notes like they’d betrayed her.

When she finally spoke—“I’m sorry”— I wasn’t expecting it.

Sorry? For what?

I watched her closely as she explained, her words tumbling out in a way that told me she’d put me in the line of fire without realizing it. I leaned against the table, watching her struggle to justify her plan like she was talking to Vidal all over again.

Lauren Vos didn’t miss much. But she’d missed this.

She really thought she’d boxed me into this role, like I was a pawn on her chessboard. But that wasn’t how I saw it. Not at all.

But when she looked at me—really looked at me—I could see it. She felt bad. Maybe, on some level, I understood why she felt that way. And for the first time, I didn’t know what to do with that.

Her frustration was obvious, the way she ran a hand through her hair, the way her voice wavered when she admitted she didn’t see it coming. I shook my head. She didn’t need to carry this. Not on my account.

And when she told me there was pressure on me now, I couldn’t help but shrug.

Pressure didn’t scare me. I’d felt it before, in matches that had the whole world watching. Pressure was just another word for expectation, and expectations didn’t mean anything unless I let them.

Lauren didn’t get it yet, but I wasn’t doing this for the club. Not really. I was doing it for her. And if that meant standing in front of the line of fire, then so be it.

Because, whether she realized it or not, she was the first person in a long time to worry about putting me in a bad position. No one had ever done that before. No one had ever apologized for it.

“You’re not putting pressure on me,” I told her, because that was the truth. “you’re giving me a chance to do something right.”

People underestimated me all the time, it was practically second nature for them. But she trusted me. In that meeting, she looked me in the eye and spoke about qualities I didn’t often hear directed at me, and I could tell she meant it. That wasn’t something I could just easily ignore.

I told her she shouldn’t worry about the plan. That I wasn’t worried, and she didn’t need to be, either. I meant every word.

As we left the room, the tension began to fade. And walking alongside her toward the exit, I felt a strange sense of camaraderie. The battle wasn’t over, not by a long shot, but for now, it felt like we’d won something. Even if it was just a little more trust in each other.

To be continued…

[otome-pamplemousse]

Le Comte’s First Love: Part One

Le Comte X Paola

Paola Borbón was born into the Spanish royal family. She was the one and only offspring her father King Antonio had with her mother Queen Carlota who had fertility issues. Unfortunately, Carlota died while giving birth to Paola in 1712 and King Antonio was so overcome by the grief of his loss he took his own life.

From a young age, Paola was sent off to live in the outskirts of Spain to secure her position to the throne. Her aunt Isabel was given the position to rule as regent while Paola grew up.

Paola lived in a ranch in the Spanish countryside where she loved gardening and playing with the farm animals. She was a tomboy who would play in the dirt and bask in the sun for hours, soon her skin started to develop a beautiful tan glow.

She knew one day she would have to prepare to rule as Queen of Spain so she had fun while she could. When her caretakers felt Paola was mature enough to rule as Queen, she would be sent off to fulfill her role. This event occurred when Paola turned 16 and was sent to the Royal Palace of Madrid to fulfill her duty as Queen of Spain.

When Paola arrived at the Palace she was shocked by the extravagant decor and luxurious lifestyle the royal family led. While she was in hiding, she had no access to such indulgences. The main priority for her was to remain alive and to do so, she couldn’t attract unwanted attention.

Paola needed to be courted by an affluent man who would have the opportunity to be crowned King after marrying her. The royal family then held countless feasts for the purpose of finding prospective suitors for Paola. This is how she met Claude Louis, a wealthy count who was five years her senior. He was a handsome, well educated young man who yearned to learn more than what was imaginable. Paola was entranced by his charisma so they remained in contact while she decided who she would marry.

During a period of three years, Claude and Paola would meet in secret. Claude would sneak into Paola's chambers at night so that they could spend time together. They had a passionate physical relationship.

She was sure she wanted to marry him.

Right before Paola was going to tell Claude about her decision, rumors started to break out in the palace regarding her virginity. She was then scrutinized, inspected and put on probation. She knew she had lost her virginity to Claude so she was frightened of what would happen to her should anyone find out. Paola was carefully observed under several virginity tests from which she developed irreversible damage and trauma.

At this time, Paola wasn’t allowed to meet her suitors.

A few months had passed since Claude was able to meet Paola. He grew tiresome.

It was then ruled by the court’s medics that Paola was not a virgin so she was subjected to execution for adultery and heresy.

As soon as Claude heard the news, he departed from his estate in the Spanish highlands to seek Paola. When he arrived, he sneaked once again into her chambers and assured Paola she would be alright. Claude informed Paola that he was a vampire and could save her. Paola was hesitant at first but then agreed to be turned into a vampire.

During execution day, she faked her death and later escaped with Claude and lived to experience many more adventures together.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

To be continued…

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ © otome-pamplemousse ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Disclaimer: This is fiction, hence it’s not historically accurate. I’m just poking fun at a few royal themes.

Also, Claude is Comte. That’s his name if you were confused while reading this.

[gardenofkore]

“Her name implied Joy, for among the three Graces Euphrosyne was the bestowed of joy; and Lynnaeus gave the name to a honey-coloured butterfly prettily striked with black. But this woman, familiarly known as Frosina, who was certainly young and beautiful and very probably foolish and cruel, neither gave nor received much joy in her short life; on the contrary, she proved to be, both for herself and others, a veritable harbinger of death.”

Leonardo Sciascia, Il mare colore del vino (The Wine-Dark Sea), pp. 135-6

Eufrosia (or Eufrosina) was born in Palermo around 1559. Her father was Vincenzo Siracusa, renowned and wealthy jurist, while her mother's name was Vincenza Valdaura. On September 25h 1575, the teen girl married her peer Calcerando (or Calcerano) Corbera. Her husband was the firstborn of Don Antonio Corbera, baron of Miserendino, and Elisabetta Scavuzzo. The Corbera family was a noble and ancient one. If in the past, members of the family had played important roles in the government of the Island (another Calcerando Corbera had been Vicar of the Kingdom from 1449 to 1552), by the end of XVIth century, the family was experiencing a financial crisis (they were forced to mortgage their fiefs' production), like the majority of the other Sicilian noble ones.

Wishing to replenish the family's coffers and to save its face, in 1572 Don Antonio had asked and obtained the licentia populandi (in the Kingdom of Sicily that meant the right, conceded by the King or the Viceroy, to build and populate a village) of his fief of Miserendino (located in Val di Mazara, between Sambuca and Calatamauro), where he intended to build a farmhouse and a tower. Despite obtaining the licentia, he hadn't enough money to start the works, so the title of baron of Miserendino was empty of any tangible valour.

It's then easy to understand the reason behind Eufrosia and Calcerando's marriage. The Corberas needed the Siracusas' wealth, while the latter wanted to socially raise themselves. It's even clearer  noticed in the nuptial agreements: out of the 1600 onzes part of the bride's dowry, 1200 were given cash on hand to Don Antonio Corbera. Moreover, Eufrosia's mother bestowed the couple of two fiefs (Maganuci and Traversa di Iato, in Val di Mazara), some warehouses, an oil mill, the ownership and income of many houses and buildings. Vincenza Valdaura would have kept the usufruct of her former possessions, perhaps an attempt to protect the family's belongings from the elder Corbera's greedy clutches. If that was the reason, Vincenza didn't succeed as both she and her husband died one month before their daughter's marriage. On the other hand, Antonio Corbera ceded his son the nominal title of baron of Miserendino, although he reserved the incomes derived from the barony.

Taking advantage of the fact that the young and now vulnerable  Eufrosia was now the sole heir of her considerable family fortune, Don Antonio felt he was now free to dispose of it as if it was his own. For example, two years later he forced his weak-willed son and his daughter-in-law to borrow a large sum from the Baron of Cutò to expand and embellish the palace where they all lived and for other luxurious expenses. It's no surprise Eufrosia quickly developed a burning hate towards her father-in-law, exacerbated by Calcerando's submissive character towards his despotic father.

Eufrosia's life changed drastically when she met Viceroy and Prince Marcantonio II Colonna, newly appointed Viceroy of Sicily under Felipe II of Spain. The Hero of Lepanto was 25 years older than her, brilliant, brave, hailed as the greatest man of his time. In a nutshell, Colonna was in every way the opposite of poor Calcerando.

The Baroness of Miserendino and the Viceroy met in Palermo during a banquet and it was love at first sight. Like Eufrosia, Colonna too was married. His wife, Princess Felice Orsini, belonged to one of the oldest and most important noble families in Italy and Europe.

The relationship between Eufrosia and Colonna progressed so quickly that, in a letter dated 1579, the Viceroy describes himself as having fallen so hard for Donna Eufrosina to the point of feeling as his heart had been ripped out of his chest and beating like a drum. In her answer, the woman (who admits to reciprocating his feelings) begs his Excellency to forget about her. That won't happen.

The meeting with Colonna gives Eufrosia the strength to oppose her husband and her father-in-law. She refused to pay off Don Antonio's debts and forced her husband to fictitiously donate her his property to preserve her dowry.

Her father-in-law was so piqued, he retaliated by accusing his daughter-in-law of cheating on Calcerando with a page. The poor man died after being questioned about his affair with his mistress. Since the Corbera was an esteemed noble family, nobody was charged and the page's murder was left unavenged.

In September 1580, Eufrosina found out she was pregnant with Colonna. She tried in many ways to have an abortion until she naturally miscarried in January 1581. Luckily for her, nor her husband or her father-in-law never learnt about her secret pregnancy.

When the relationship between the Viceroy and the Baroness became public knowledge, Don Antonio was enraged. He went as far as publically menacing Colonna. Fearing for his life, the Viceroy had the older Corbera arrested with the charge of insolvency. Shortly after, on February 2nd 1581, he was found mysteriously dead in his cell. It's almost certain he had been poisoned.

With her father-in-law out of the picture, Eufrosia was now freer to dispose of her financial situation. She obtained the separation of property and even sued her husband, accusing him of having paid off his debts just to please him. She obtained the return of her dowry, but she was still legally married to her husband. In debt, the baron tried to put up a brave face, thinking that openly accepting his wife's affair would have socially and economically benefitted him. In summer 1581 Calcerando accepted an offer to join a mission to quell a revolt of the Knights of Malta. The Baron  left for the island, but on August 28th he was found murdered near his Maltese habitation, he had been stabbed. Calcerando was buried in Malta as his widow didn't make any attempt to have the body transferred and buried in his family tomb.

Like it had happened on the occasion of his father's mysterious death, the Viceroy was by many accused to be the instigator behind the murder.

The couple continued their dalliances, with Eufrosia sleeping with her lover in his palace. An anecdote recounts that they were once caught red-handed by Donna Felice. To avoid been seen, a naked and barefoot Eufrosia tried to hide on the balcony. As the Vicereine entered the chamber, she immediately noticed the baroness' slippers. Long since aware of her husband's infidelity and his many lovers, Felice Orsini jokingly asked her husband if those slippers were a gift for her. When the Viceroy shamelessly answered that it was indeed so, the betrayed wife went to the balcony and foud her husband's freezing lover. The Princess then addressed Eufrosia "Bear with me, I'd like my husband all to myself tonight". She then had the baroness generously escorted home.

“Lord Marcantonio [...] was so blinded by his passion that, careless of his viceregal authority and reputation, he became a second Antony to his Cleopatra.” (Leonardo Sciascia, Il mare colore del vino, pp. 136). If the Vicereine once again closed her eyes, the people of Palermo were deeply scandalised when the Viceroy had a new fountain built by the end of the XVIth century at the end of the Colonna Promenade (and near Porta Felice!). The mermaid which decorated it, according to many, looked suspiciously a lot like the Viceroy's already famous mistress.

The lovers' happiness won't last long though. Ottavio Bonnet, a kinsman of the deceased Baron of Miserendino, took upon himself to get revenge for Don Antonio and Calcerando's death. Firstly he managed to remove little Vincenzo Corbera (Calcerando's 6 years old brother and his heir) from Eufrosia's custody. Bonnet then travelled to Madrid to accuse the Viceroy in front of the court. Bonnet's accuses were welcomed by the anti-Colonna faction, which added Corbera's dual murders to Colonna's many misdeeds and managed to have the Viceroy summoned to the capital.

In 1584 Marcantonio Colonna left Sicily, but he would never reach Madrid. On August 1st 1584, he died mysteriously in Medinaceli. According to some sources, he was poisoned by a betrayed husband.

The distraught Eufrosia sought protection from the one person who would have had all the reasons to refuse her, Felice Orsini. Instead of turning her down, the kind and sympathetic princess welcomed her deceased husband's lover to her palace in Rome. Here, the former Vicereine introduced Eufrosia to the widowed Roman nobleman Lelio Massimo. At that time, Eufrosia was 25 and still beautiful and  charming, so it was almost natural that at some point Massimo proposed to her. Unfortunately for the future couple, his sons were against this match. On June 18th 1585, a few weeks before the wedding, Eufrosia was lured by her future sons-in-law with an excuse and killed. Lelio Massimo died soon after of heartbreak, while his sons were arrested and executed.

Even the Mermaid fountain's fate was a sad one. In 1820 it was moved to Piano di Santa Teresa (nowadays Piazza Indipendenza), but twenty years later it was destroyed during the Sicilian revolution of 1848. In his stead an obelisk was erected to commemorate the martyrs of the Italian Independence.

Sources:

Leonardo Sciascia, Il mare colore del vino

Orazio Caschetto, Il Vicerè e la Baronessa

Pietro Burgarella, Calcerando Corbera in  Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani

[theoutcastrogue]

The silver mines of Potosí

[from Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano]

Entrada del Virrey arzobispo Morcillo en Potosí (1718), by Melchor Pérez de Holguín

They say that even the horses were shod with silver in the great days of the city of Potosí. The church altars and the wings of cherubim in processions for the Corpus Christi celebration in 1658, were made of silver: the streets from the cathedral to the church of Recoletos were completely resurfaced with silver bars. In Potosí, silver built temples and palaces, monasteries and gambling dens; it prompted tragedies and fiestas, led to the spilling of blood and wine, fired avarice, and unleashed extravagance and adventure. The sword and the cross marched together in the conquest and plunder of Latin America, and captains and ascetics, knights and evangelists, soldiers and monks came together in Potosí to help themselves to its silver. Molded into cones and ingots, the viscera of the Cerro Rico—the rich hill—substantially fed the development of Europe. “Worth a Peru” was the highest possible praise of a person or a thing after Pizarro took Cuzco, but once the Cerro had been discovered Don Quixote de la Mancha changed the words: “Worth a Potosí,” he says to Sancho. This jugular vein of the viceroyalty, America’s fountain of silver, had 120,000 inhabitants by the census of 1573. Only twenty-eight years had passed since the city sprouted out of the Andean wilderness and already, as if by magic, it had the same population as London and more than Seville, Madrid, Rome, or Paris. A new census in 1650 gave Potosí a population of 160,000. It was one of the world’s biggest and richest cities, ten times bigger than Boston—at a time when New York had not even begun to call itself by that name.

Wealth flowed like water. The Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, showed his gratitude by bestowing on Potosí the title of Imperial City and a shield with the inscription: “I am rich Potosí, treasure of the world, king of the mountains, envy of kings.” The Cerro was the most potent of magnets. Hard as life was at its base, at an altitude of nearly 14,000 feet the place was flooded with treasure hunters who took the bitter cold as if it were a tax on living there. Suddenly a rich and disorderly society burst forth beside the silver, and Potosí became “the nerve center of the kingdom”. By the beginning of the seventeenth century it had thirty-six magnificently decorated churches, thirty-six gambling houses, and fourteen dance academies. Salons, theaters, and fiesta stage-settings had the finest tapestries, curtains, heraldic emblazonry, and wrought gold and silver; multicolored damasks and cloths of gold and silver hung from the balconies of houses. Silks and fabrics came from Granada, Flanders, and Calabria; hats from Paris and London; diamonds from Ceylon; precious stones from India; pearls from Panama; stockings from Naples; crystal from Venice; carpets from Persia; perfumes from Arabia; porcelain from China. The ladies sparkled with diamonds, rubies, and pearls; the gentlemen sported the finest embroidered fabrics from Holland. Bullfights were followed by tilting contests, and love and pride inspired frequent medieval-style duels with emerald-studded, gaudily plumed helmets, gold filigree saddles and stirrups, Toledo swords, and richly caparisoned Chilean ponies.

In 1579 the royal judge Matienzo complained: “There is never a shortage of novelty, scandal, and wantonness.” Potosí had at the time 800 professional gamblers and 120 famous prostitutes, whose resplendent salons were thronged with wealthy miners. In 1608 Potosí celebrated the feast of the Holy Sacrament with six days of plays and six nights of masked balls, eight days of bullfights and three of fiestas, two of tournaments and other dissipations.

Cerro Rico del Potosi, the first image in Europe. Pedro Cieza de León, 1553

While metals flowed unceasingly from Latin American mines, equally unceasing were the orders from the Spanish Court granting paper protection and dignity to the Indians whose killing labor sustained the kingdom. The fiction of legality protected the Indian; the reality of exploitation drained the blood from his body. From slavery to the encomienda of service, and from this to the encomienda of tribute and the regime of wages, variants in the Indian labor force’s juridical condition made only superficial changes in the real situation. The Crown regarded the inhuman exploitation of Indian labor as so necessary that in 1601 Philip III, banning forced labor in the mines by decree, at the same time sent secret instructions ordering its continuation “in case that measure should reduce production.”

In three centuries Potosí’s Cerro Rico consumed 8 million lives. The Indians, including women and children, were torn from their agricultural communities and driven to the Cerro. Of every ten who went up into the freezing wilderness, seven never returned. In their communities the Indians saw “many afflicted women returning without husbands and with many orphaned children” and they knew that “a thousand deaths and disasters” awaited them in the mines. The Spaniards scoured the countryside for hundreds of miles for labor. Many died on the way, before reaching Potosí, but it was the terrible work conditions in the mine that killed the most people. Soon after the mine began operating, in 1550, the Dominican monk Domingo de Santo Tomás told the Council of the Indies that Potosí was a “mouth of hell” which swallowed Indians by the thousands every year, and that rapacious mine owners treated them “like stray animals.” Chiefs of Indian communities had to replace the constantly dying mitayos with new men between eighteen and fifty years old. The mitayos’ jail—a shapeless mass of ruins—can still be seen at the entrance to Potosí.

Freezing outdoor temperatures alternated with the infernal heat inside the Cerro. The Indians went into the depths “and it is common to bring them out dead or with broken heads and legs, and in the mills they are injured every day.” The mitayos hacked out the metal with picks and then carried it up on their shoulders by the light of a candle. Outside the mine they propelled the heavy wooden shafts in the mill or melted the silver on a fire after grinding and washing it.

The mita labor system was a machine for crushing Indians. The process of using mercury to extract silver poisoned as many or more than did the toxic gases in the bowels of the earth. It made hair and teeth fall out and brought on uncontrollable trembling. The victims ended up dragging themselves through the streets pleading for alms. At night 6,000 fires burned on the slopes of the Cerro and in these the silver was worked, taking advantage of the wind that the “glorious Saint Augustine” sent from the sky. Because of the smoke from the ovens there were no pastures or crops for a radius of twenty miles around Potosí and the fumes attacked men’s bodies no less relentlessly.

— Eduardo Galeano, Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of Pillage of a Continent (transl. Cedric Belfrage, Monthly Review Press, 1973; abridged excerpts)

[josefavomjaaga]

Helfert, Joachim Murat, Chapter 2, Part 3

So, the Congress of Vienna is about to be officially opened, and the mood particularly among British diplomats has turned somewhat hostile towards a King Joachim Murat on the throne of Naples. Murat does not attend the congress in person (apparently, Eugène Beauharnais was the only member of the family who did) but has sent representatives there. Meanwhile, back in Naples:

What impression those news from the Congress of Vienna had on the Court of Naples the interested reader can imagine. The hot-tempered king went from one excitement to another, while Caroline, faithful to the role she had taken upon herself, maintained her prudent attitude and, supported by Count Mier, did not miss any opportunity to repeat to her husband the advice that Castlereagh had given him through the Duke of Campochiaro. But who can account for his disposition? Every ray of hope set him aglow, every piece of unfavourable news threw him into a state of despair, in which he returned to all the great plans which they had so often tried to put out of his mind.

A peculiar impression was made on Joachim by the arrival of French General Boulnois, who, coming from the Jonian Islands, which he had handed over to the Allies in the name of his king, arrived in Naples in the night of 12 to 13 October and requested an audience with the king the very next day, which the king granted him. Boulnois made all sorts of captivating statements, spoke of the admiration that King Louis had for Joachim's military qualities and merits, of the European situation, of the possibility of a renewed outbreak of hostilities, of the great role that Joachim would then be called upon to play in Italy, and the like, so that the king finally asked him in amazement whether he had the authority to enter into any negotiations with him. Boulnois then suddenly gave the conversation a different turn, spoke about the conditions in France, about the discontent that prevailed in the army against Louis XVIII, about the confidence that King Joachim enjoyed in the same circles as in a large part of the French nation, until finally the King took leave of him, not without letting him know that he was not at all willing to fall into the trap that was being set for him from a certain side.

On October 22nd, Roccaromana returned from Vienna, where he had found the most friendly reception at Court, which made the King quite happy for a moment; he was only worried again that Emperor Franz had not answered him in writing. The Duke had less favourable news to report about the rest of the society, whose views and aims were not at all in harmony with the King's interests. A confirmation of this seemed to come on November 4, when a courier arrived from the Russian envoy to the Congress, Nesselrode, summoning General Tuyll to Vienna. Although assurances were enclosed that this step had no political motives whatsoever and that the baron would return to his post as soon as possible, it could not fail that at court and in government circles people put their heads together and suspected all sorts of things. Joachim himself fell into gloomy contemplation, did not want to believe that the matter was as it was presented, and saw himself sacrificed by Russia. When a few days later, on 12 November, Major Prince Alliano brought bad news from Vienna - the congress had been formally opened on 1 November without the two Neapolitan plenipotentiaries being recognised and admitted as participants - the King at first felt as if he had been crushed, and in the second dreamed of nothing but war, defence to the knife.

The time was high for the arrival of a friendlier messenger: General Filangieri, who on the 17th delivered a handwritten letter from Emperor Franz to his monarch. The next day, when our envoy appeared before the King, he found him in a mood of true exuberance. "I am imbued with the goodness of your Emperor," he exclaimed: "It is he, his mighty protection, to whom I shall owe my crown. I shall make it my duty to repeat this often to my children, in order to instil in them, for his illustrious house, the same sentiments of recognition and attachment which have inspired me. My person, my army, everything I possess, I place at his disposal. May he have the goodness to tell me what I should do in order to be of service to him. I want to fight for him with my troops, not only in Italy, no, everywhere where his interests make it desirable. Let him but procure for me the recognition of England, and then I shall fear neither France nor Spain. These two powers cannot disembark 20,000 men; but there shall be 40,000 of them, and I shall know how to resist them!"

What Joachim had tossed around in his conversation with Mier concerning France and Spain related to all sorts of rumours that kept cropping up, sometimes in this form, sometimes in another. Now it was said that in Sicily people were busily equipping all the warships and transport ships, increasing the land troops and making preparations to receive a Spanish army corps. Then again Gallo received news from Rome: the French minister there had spoken loudly about a family agreement between the courts of Paris and Madrid in favour of Ferdinand IV, and the Pope had also promised to support it. Since Maria Carolina was known to be dead, it was her two sons in whose hands the threads of all these various activities were brought together. The hereditary Prince Franz, it was said in Naples, had promoted himself to the position of head of the Carbonari, maintained the connection between those of Calabria and those in Sicily; the younger Prince formed the centre of all the common arrangements of the three Bourbon courts in Vienna. Since Leopold had a brother of Murat's lieutenant-general d'Ambrosio in his entourage, the latter was sent to Vienna at the turn of the year 1814/15 to find out what was going on and to take care of other matters there…

General Filangieri also delivered a letter from Prince Metternich to Mier, who was instructed to appease the king. " It is not seldom one creates embarrassments for oneself," wrote the wise Chancellor of State, "if one tries to meet them by too impatient haste. The king's attitude, the only one that corresponds to his true interests, must be that of calm. He is in his own country, he has a fine army, between him and France he has the armed forces of Austria; he must come to an understanding with the only immediate border neighbour he has, and he must place himself in the position of a power which seeks no quarrel with any other, but which would reject any attack". The immediate border neighbour of Joachim, as hardly needs to be said, meant none other than the Pope, and Count Mier was confident that he could take advantage of the happy mood in which our Emperor's letter had put the king to persuade him to give up his seemingly hostile position in the Marches. But on this point he found Joachim unbending. He showed himself willing in secondary matters; he promised to instruct Prince Carascosa to comply in all respects with the wishes of the FM Bellegarde; he also declared himself willing, if desired in Vienna, to replace this general, a hothead and full of mistrust, by another. In essence, however, the king not only maintained his old position, but gave the matter a twist, as if it were Naples which had to be concerned about Rome. In the Marches, he claimed, there were no more than 16,000 men and they were spread out from Ascoli to Fano, which was indispensable for the maintenance of peace in these regions; only recently an uprising had broken out at Osimo near Ancona, and mobile columns had had to be sent out to quell it. Of course, his own speeches revealed that the discontent of the population in the Marches was in fact only due to the oppressive presence of his troops, and the papal government actually accused his agencies of deliberately sowing discord and discontent in order to provide him with a pretext for interference. Cardinal Bacca, by direct order of the Pope, sent a very serious, even impolite letter to the Neapolitan Consul Zuccari in Rome, openly denouncing his activities, the scouts and agitators he had in his guard, the secret meetings he was organising and the like, and threatening to use police force. In this way, the tension between the two neighbouring governments grew and was about to erupt into open hostility.

I guess, talking about wanting to fight for whoever and for whatever reason really was the worst thing Murat could do at that moment. And I wonder if, by attending the congress in person, Murat might to some degree have been able to force the other governments' hand. If this would not have been a perfect moment for some Gascon impudence - just mingle and be a pain everybody's ass, remind them that you're there and will not go away. It's much harder to ignore somebody if he's standing right beside you.

But then again, they probably would have managed to do that, too, if they deemed it necessary.

[ofregiums]

silence ! raise the royal standard, for the queen of the polish-lithuanian commonwealth, ISABELA HASLER, has arrived. being twenty-five years old, she is currently on the throne. many around the court call her the siren by virtue of her being ambitious and charismatic, while also being cunning and hot-headed.  —played by chloe bridges

— THE BASICS

full name: isabela anne hasler nee lopez known in history as: the commoner queen date of birth: november 20th age: twenty-five star sign: scorpio profession: stay at home mom ( modern verse ) / queen of the polish-lithuanian commonwealth  ( canon verse ) loyalty: house hasler, house de trastamara alignment: chaotic neutral mbti: intj spoken languages: spanish ( first ), english ( fluent ), german ( beginner ), polish ( beginner ) mother’s name: eleanor fry ( deceased in both verses ) father’s name: andrés lopez ( deceased in both verses ) siblings, if any: maria lopez ( older ) children: augustus hasler, helena hasler height: 5′5″ hair colour: black. eye colour: dark brown

— CANON VERSE

ambition is the word that follows isabela’s entire existence and it started from the very moment she was brought into this world. a product of a desperately conniving farmer of a father and a naive teacher of a mother, she was born in valencia, spain as a product of an affair. you see, her father was already married with a young child. but once eleanor came into his line of sight, he knew he had to haver her.

eleanor did not live long enough to bear the shame of being an unwed mother for she perished during childbirth. andrés took little isabela and brought her to his wife luisa to be raised alongside her older half-sister maria, who was only four at the time.

from a very early age, andrés suffered from a great rage that he took out on his wife and daughters. it was a bit of a vicious circle, really. maria did all that she could to protect isabela but luisa -- still bitter that she was a product of infidelity -- looked the other way if the rage was directed at the young girl. words, hands. . . it did not matter. it was simply the way he got his point across.

as isabela grew into her own, andrés and luisa began to notice her great beauty and began to scheme how best to utilize it to benefit their own wealth and status. it was beaten into isabela’s head that she would need to make something of herself for the sake of the family if she wanted to be considered useful. growing up, her parents only really noticed her for her looks and how that would benefit their wealth and status. it was beaten into her head that she needed to make something of herself.

maria ran away from home when she was seventeen, leaving a thirteen year old isabela heartbroken and completely alone to their parents’ mercy. the fact that her sister did not think to take her with her is something that the young woman carries with her to this very day. it was the beginning of learning not to trust anyone.

at the age of sixteen, isabela and a few friends snuck away to madrid for the weekend. it was there that she met the duke of galisteo -- handsome, nearly twice her age, incredibly rich, and very very married. the man was absolutely no match for isabela’s charms and took to her instantly. it was an utterly volatile relationship: she always feared the worst from him and he could never offer all himself to her. still, no amount of distance kept the duke away from isabela. it wasn’t before long before he was offering her an opportunity to attend the spanish royal court by his side. of course, isabela said yes. as she packed away for her new adventure, her father gripped his wrist and reminded her of her purpose on this earth.

isabela utterly thrived at the spanish court, making friends as high as the duke of huéscar and foreign princess of spain. darkly seductive and yet charming, she dazzled people after a conversation despite the clear insinuations of why she was there at court. behind those doe eyes and an innocent smile is a serpent. she cannot be trusted by most and people are only shown facades of her. 

tirelessly, isabela tried to wear the duke down to divorce his wife and marry her instead. however, the news that his wife was finally pregnant -- a point of contention between the two -- the duke broke off things with isabela and shattered the heart she never knew she even had.

she no longer had any remote standing at court. but as she was packing up to return to her wretched home, the queen of spain ( the former, not the current ) requested her to be a lady-in-waiting for her. it was a proper title to cover up what she really did for the queen, which was seduce rich and powerful people for information and secrets. it was exactly what she needed to ensure that she would not go home.

everything grew quite chaotic in spain afterwards. first, the crown prince died, causing the princess she considered a friend to flee to her home country with the no-more heir. not so soon afterwards, the king of spain joined his son beyond the grave. suddenly, the queen she worked for was simply an old widow and the next in line -- a woman -- took her place as the spanish monarch. isabela was then assigned to do the same for her as her mother before her.

under the command of the new queen, isabela was sent to bern with the instruction of collecting information of enemy countries. upon her arrival, she met the crown prince anton and was intrigued by him immediately. what started as nothing more than physical began to bloom into authentic feelings. isabela tried with all her might to deny that she was in love with him -- she couldn’t trust again, she couldn’t -- but eventually, she relented to them. after anton’s father was killed in the bern explosions, he proposed to isabela and she readily accepted. this made her not only a wife, but a queen.

her father and step-mother tried to return in isabela’s life, wanting to reap the benefits that she had sown. but no longer living in fear of them, she was a willing participant in having them both executed for “crimes against the queen”. the night after they died was the first night isabela had slept peacefully in all of her nights.

isabela’s reign, so far, is not a smooth one. following in the opinion of their former king, she is not particularly liked by the court or the common people at whole. while the nobles within the castle considered her to be nothing more than a witch that put the king under a spell, the common people found her shameless social climbing to be utterly revolting and hard to connect with. for the most part, isabela tries not to let it get to her but even she has feelings ( no matter how difficult it was to admit ). putting herself under much stress has made her more aloof and made things like having a baby difficult, as made clear by a miscarriage.

she now supports her husband in versailles where the peace talks have resumed after months of rebuilding. recently, she has learned that she is with child once again and while she is normally not one to waste silly time on hope, isabela prays with all of her that this will be a new beginning. for real, this time.

— MODERN VERSE

born in santa fe, isabela was marked by misfortunes from the day she was born. her mother died giving her life – a fact that her father has resented her for from day one. he returned the favor by drinking entirely too much and even going as far to harm the young girl out of anger. 

upon noticing a massive bruise on her arm at the age of nine, isabela’s elementary school counselor alerted the local authorities and she was swiftly taken out of the home and into foster care. she never saw her father again.

unfortunately, foster care proved to be just as bad at times. isabela bounced from home to home. some were okay, others were only in it for the money, and the rest were just as terrible as her father. because of this, she grew up incredibly distrustful and angry towards the world. she isolated herself at school and never had any friends. she didn’t mind it that much and perhaps even preferred it that way.

isabela ran away from home at the age of sixteen and never fucking looked back. after hitchhiking throughout the country, she realized she would need to find a way to keep herself afloat. it was when she found herself in los angeles where she met beau. at first thinking he was an unassuming man with a soft spot of saving her, isabela quickly realized that he wanted to recruit her into his business – a club. with no other options, she accepted.

she began working as a stripper as a way to pay her bills. eventually, she garnered enough popularity with the clients for her mysteriously dark and seductive ways. she was an enigma that no man could put their finger on and yet had such delight in trying. because of that, men would pay thousands a night to see her.

once she was nineteen, a more professional and high-in club offered her a spot in their den. isabela was promised more safety, more money, and more freedom. naturally, she accepted.

beau was not happy. he felt that she owed him her entire career. she obviously didn’t agree. an altercation occurred late one night on the sunset strip when beau waited for isabela’s shift to end and attacked her. the altercation landed isabela in the hospital where it would take her weeks to recover and months for her to heal and get back to work. it was only then that beau considered her free. but at what cost ?

she made a promise to herself that day to stop allowing men like her father, beau, her exes, anyone to treat her like an object. if another man laid his hands on isabela, she’d cut them off.

isabela worked at the club for years, a veteran among a sea of girls who come in and out. since she now has risen through the ranks, she entertains the likes of ceos and the rest of the 1% of california. one night, anton entered the club -- and the rest is history. if anyone would have once told isabela that she would not only fall in love with one of her patrons, but eventually marry and have a child with him too ??? well, she certainly would have laughed in their face.

she quit the job once she officially started dating anton and never once looked back. at times, isabela feels a bit unsure of the completely new life that she is living but she also relished in the feeling of being treated well after so long of the opposite. the only thing that matters to her at this point is her new family and that opinion is unlikely to ever change.

[jlf23tumble]

hi hello jen💕 i always love the recs you give and i guess it's my turn to ask for some recs, even though you've already been giving out a lot today! the deleted sketch really made me want to read some jock!harry fics so i was wondering if you had any good recs for that? like some jock!harry larry fics feels a bit too... hetero if you know what i mean?

Lmao, that’s fine, they’re easy to give! I’m just running around today, so it’s tougher to be more thorough (like, I *know* I have an amazing swimteam one, and I cannot find it, don’t really have time to search for it, ugh). ANYWAY, UH YUH, I KNOW THE VIBE OF WHICH YOU SPEAK, U R SAFE HERE! These aren’t all necessarily bh, but they are *not* asshole jock Harry:

Give It to Me (I’m Worth It), by sweaterpawstyles, louis/harry, 3.8k words, E. Louis can’t resist Harry in the red shorts that he wore during the James Corden skit. Featuring locker room sex. (look, it’s a stretch, but they’re playing sports, and I love it, so enjoy!)

So Much Left to Say, by myownspark, louis/harry, 7.6k words, M. Harry and Louis play for rival high school football teams, and when they play against each other in the Homecoming game, someone has to lose. (SO FUCKING SOFT AND TENDER, I get major Hush vibes from it)

Strength in Softness, by larrymylove, louis/harry, 16k words, M. As he started at the picture, he wondered if Harry had pink nail varnish on his toes when it was taken, and what other tattoos and secrets he had buried underneath his workout gear and hard expression. (personal trainer Harry, lots of emotional things happening)

and your light’s always shining on series, by orphan_account (needs ao3), louis/harry, 16.8k words, E. Louis sends him lots of messages with exclamation marks and so proud of u haz !! and that save was brilliant ! and u look so cute when ur angry :p. Harry replies back with lots of heart emojis and pictures of himself shirtless and still in bed, grinning like an idiot, and Louis saves all of Harry’s pictures. (louis plays for real madrid, harry plays for liverpool)

All the Right Moves, by cherrystreet, louis/harry, 32k words, E. This is the third game in a row that Harry has been distracted by the noisy boy in the stands, five rows back. There’s really no reason that he should feel compelled to stare into the audience as frequently as he is, but he can’t help it. This boy is a nuisance. And he’s loud. Even from basketball court with nine other players running by him, shoes squeaking on the shiny hardwood floor, and thousands of cheering college students. (basketball star Harry Styles!!)

Be My Little Good Luck Charm, by 100percentsassy, louis/harry, 34k words, E.  In which Harry is a promising amateur golfer making his debut at the PGA Championship, and Louis is a Sky Sports anchor who would really rather be commentating on footie. (a modern classic)

Small Does series, by QuickedWeen, louis/harry, 45k words, E. Louis Tomlinson finds himself at Vitality Fitness to try and turn his life around after having left his cheating boyfriend of four years. The gym’s owner, Liam, quickly becomes a good friend, but his right hand man is rude and dismissive from the get-go. (I know, I know, I love it, okay?)

One for Luck, by leavingonatrain, louis/harry, 96k words, E. The very first time Louis remembers hearing Harry Styles’ deep, deep voice, he’s just won gold at the World Equestrian Games and he’s officially back on Great Britain’s Olympic team. He’s also three sheets to the wind, drunk on victory and champagne, and there’s a gorgeous boy whispering in his ear. Life’s grand. (so many AMAZING horse fics out there, i stg)

The Finish Line (Is a Good Place to Start), by loadedgunn, louis/harry, 121k words, E. Louis Tomlinson, one-time Formula 1 World Champion, is looking forward to the 2013 season. He’s got Zayn in his garage and Liam in his ear, he’s got Cowell Racing backing him despite former indiscretions, he’s got experience and the best race car out there. Not to mention he’s the only racer they have, after Oliver dropped out late last year.It hasn’t occurred to him that Oliver would have to be replaced by February. That is, until he finds himself at a party celebrating Harry Styles leaving Ferrari for Cowell. (oh, MAN, a fave)

..and if you want to cry with me about an amazing wip, check out The Joy I’ve Named Shall Not Be Tamed, by 100percentsassy and gloriaandews, where  Louis is a flash-in-the-pan tennis star trying to mount a comeback after what should have been a career-ending injury. Harry, who walked away from tennis just as he was poised to dominate the sport, is his new coach.

ETA: I FOUND THE SWIM TEAM ONE, THEY ARE BOTH JOCKS, HOORAY!

[alexpachecoposts-blog]

Alex Pacheco is often described as the Father of the Modern Day Animal Rights Movement in the United States.

​As co-founder of both the world’s largest animal rights organization (PETA) and the world’s largest non-profit animal adoption organization (Adopt-A-Pet), his 30-year track record of victories for animals is arguably unequaled. ​He has received many awards, ranging from induction into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame to The Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award, though his favorite is being voted Crew Member of the Year by the Sea Shepherd. From an early age, Pacheco was outraged by social injustice, and very motivated to fight against it. He grew up in the Midwest, watching the Vietnam War on television and becoming passionate about defending democracy against communism.

​Too young to enlist and in high school, he wrote to the CIA asking if he could become an agent. They wrote back saying he was too young and don’t call us, we’ll call you. He then applied to the FBI and was accepted to work at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.  ​Just days before leaving for Washington, he was talked out of it by his two mentors, Father Thomas and martial arts expert Steve Adams. It was the year of The Concert for Bangladesh, and they convinced him to instead pursue his other passion: helping impoverished children. ​Accordingly, he enrolled in the Scholastic Program for Ecclesiastical Students and for the next year studied to become a priest while living with three priests and seven brothers. After one year in the Ecclesiastical Program, he took a behind-the-scenes tour of a large slaughterhouse, where his passion for defending animals was unleashed. 

Witnessing the brutality firsthand, he dedicated himself to defending the most helpless of all, and within days

he founded the activist organization The Ohio Animal Rights Committee at Ohio State University, and in the first month he received his first three death threats from trappers and hunters. Since then his commitment to defending animals has incited violent opposition and death threats in many shapes and sizes, from an angry man waving a loaded .44 handgun and screaming for Pacheco while in the PETA office, to anonymous packages mailed to Pacheco, containing written death threats atop the blood-soaked body parts of mutilated animals. 

​Over the years he has received so many death threats in the line of duty that he stopped counting early on.

​In 1979 Pacheco left college to work as a crew member aboard the Sea Shepherd under Captain Paul Watson

on the Sea Shepherd’s first whale protection campaign. Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, their mission was to ram the world’s most notorious pirate whale-killing ship, the Sierra.

Before embarking on the voyage and in anticipation of the ramming, the bow of the Sea Shepherd was fortified

with tons of concrete. In the end, both ships were sunk in Portuguese waters. Prior to the sinking and while the crew was still in Portugal, Portuguese authorities confiscated the passports of Watson, Pacheco and a few others to prevent them from leaving the country, pending possible prosecution.

​To avoid capture by the Portuguese Border Patrol and under the cover of night, Pacheco swam across the border into Spain, hitchhiked to Madrid and spent three days in an airport waiting for a passport and a ticket to London,

where he then worked with Ronnie Lee, founder of the underground Animal Liberation Front. Pacheco was later named Sea Shepherd’s Crew Member of the Year.

​While in England, Pacheco also worked with the British Hunt Saboteurs Association, disrupting hunts and physically clashing with up to 40 hunters at a time, who hunted from horseback and used whips to strike the saboteurs; some saboteurs were scarred for life with whip scars across their entire face. When Pacheco’s visa expired, he returned to the U.S. and moved to Washington, D.C. to become a lobbyist for animals, where he also organized the first animal rights civil disobedience training sessions in the U.S. In 1980 he co-founded PETA and for 20 years served as Chairman of the Board, specializing in undercover investigations, litigation and lobbying, before leaving in 2000.

​​The campaign also led to the American Medical Association commissioning a study by Harvard University on 

how to defeat the animal rights movement. The study described Pacheco as “a national folk hero to the animal rights movement.” In 1989, a secret Animal Research Action Plan by the American Medical Association called for divide-and-conquer tactics to counter PETA and other animal groups. After the plan was leaked, the AMA publicly acknowledged their plan and boasted about budgeting $21 million to carry it out. The Silver Spring Monkey campaign fueled an unprecedented amount of activism and a flood of national media, with activities

ranging from illegal break-ins into animal laboratories, to peaceful protests and civil disobedience which continued to rise for almost two decades. In the process, Pacheco was arrested over 60 times. Spearheaded by Pacheco, the campaign produced numerous precedents, including: The first and only laboratory animal case

to reach the U.S. Supreme Court. The first and only arrest of an animal experimenter for cruelty to animals. ​​The first and only criminal prosecution and conviction of an animal experimenter on charges of cruelty. The first termination of a federal research grant because of cruelty. The first and only confiscation of animals from a laboratory. Introduction of federal legislation, signed by over 100 members of Congress, to force the federal government to terminate funding for the laboratory and to release the Silver Spring Monkeys. In addition, fifty-five U.S. senators, ranging from Senator Jesse Helms and Senator Barry Goldwater to Senator Ted Kennedy, signed a joint statement calling on the government to terminate funding for the laboratory, end the experiments

and free the Silver Spring Monkeys. Pacheco was called to testify as the lead witness before Congressional Hearings by the U.S. House Subcommittee on Science, Research and Technology. He was called to testify as the star witness for the State of Maryland in the criminal trial and prosecution of animal experimenter Dr. Taub,

in State of Maryland vs. Dr. Edward Taub. The campaign paved the way for passage of federal animal protection legislation – the 1985 Amendments to the Federal Animal Welfare Act. In 1991 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Silver Spring Monkeys, and in defiance of Congress the NIH immediately killed half of the surviving monkeys and the conflict continued.

Apart from the Silver Spring Monkey case, while Chairman of PETA, some of Pacheco’s most significant accomplishments came from the wide range of roles he played in helping convince many of the world’s largest corporations to dramatically improve their policies concerning animals. ​From leading a high-profile three-year successful campaign against the world’s largest corporation at the time, General Motors -- in which Pacheco destroyed his own GM car by setting it afire in public during a press conference in downtown D.C. -- to his undercover work in the Texas oïl Fields owned by Exxon, his track record of victories for animals is remarkable.

[kumail-fan]

Joachim Murat

Joachim Murat, Italian Gioacchino Murat, (born March 25, 1767, La Bastide-Fortunière, France—died October 13, 1815, Pizzo, Calabria), French cavalry leader who was one of Napoleon’s most celebrated marshals and who, as king of Naples (1808–15), lent stimulus to Italian nationalism.

The son of an innkeeper, he studied briefly for a career in the church but enlisted in a cavalry regiment in 1787 and, when war broke out in 1792, won rapid promotion. In October 1795 he was on hand in Paris at the moment that Napoleon Bonaparte was entrusted with the mission of suppressing a royalist insurrection; Murat’s contribution in bringing up cannon won him a place as aide-de-camp to Bonaparte for the Italian campaign of 1796–97. In Italy and later in Egypt (1798–99) he established his reputation as a gifted and daring leader of cavalry, and he again served his chief well in the coup d’état of 18 Brumaire, year VIII (November 9, 1799), by which Bonaparte seized power as first consul. Murat’s reward was the hand of Napoleon’s youngest sister, Caroline.

In the Italian campaign of 1800 Murat helped win the decisive Battle of Marengo, and in 1801 he rapidly concluded the campaign against Bourbon-ruled Naples by imposing the Armistice of Foligno. As governor of Paris in 1804, he was included among the first generals promoted to the rank of marshal after Napoleon’s coronation as emperor on December 2. In 1805 he played a conspicuous role in the Austerlitz campaign, helping to pin the Austrian Army in Ulm, where it was forced to surrender, and defeating Austrian and Russian cavalry on the field of Austerlitz. At Jena in 1806 his energetic pursuit completed destruction of the Prussian Army, and at Eylau in 1807 his headlong charge saved a desperate tactical situation.

Rewarded with the title of grand duke of Berg and Clèves, Murat began to have dreams of sovereignty, and when he was sent to act as Napoleon’s lieutenant in Spain he tried to gain possession of the unoccupied Spanish throne. His intrigues led instead to Spanish opposition and a rising in Madrid that, though quelled (May 2, 1808), ended his hopes. Though Napoleon gave the Spanish throne to his brother Joseph, he rewarded Murat with Joseph’s former place as king of Naples, under the name Joachim-Napoléon (or Gioacchino-Napoleone, in Italian).

In Naples Murat not only satisfied his own vanity by a lavish court display but also carried out important reforms, breaking up the vast landed estates and introducing the Napoleonic Code. The administration was opened to advancement by merit, cotton growing was encouraged, and effective measures were taken against the chronic Neapolitan brigandage. Murat even foresaw the unification of Italy, a development at whose head he sought to place himself through the encouragement of secret societies that eventually played a major role in the Risorgimento.

[calacuspr]

Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Thomas Bach & FC Barcelona

Every Monday we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.

HIT – THOMAS BACH

The global pandemic has had a huge impact on sport, not least forcing sport from grassroots to global events to pause.

The Olympic Games in Tokyo was postponed by a year and there have been mixed reports about it going ahead later this year.

Senior Japanese government minister Tara Kono said at a recent press conference that “The Olympic Committee must be thinking about Plan B, Plan C. But the situation is not easy.

“We need to do the best we can to prepare for the Games at this moment, but it could go either way.”

At stake is billions in investment and the hopes and dreams of thousands of athletes.

And that’s the easily forgotten element of the uncertainty – the athletes whose entire lives have been dedicated to being at their peak for the Olympic Games, which are the pinnacle for many of their sporting disciplines.

Just as with political boycotts that marred the game in the early 1980s, for many athletes, this is their only chance to compete on the highest stage.

At the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board meeting last week, it was important to provide certainty and reassurance for those still adapting to be at their physical and competitive best should the Games go ahead in July.

IOC President Thomas Back cannot offer guarantees given the uncertainties of the pandemic but he reiterated his vow that the Games will go ahead as planned when speaking after the Executive Board meeting, focusing on the concerns of the main stakeholders, namely the athletes, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and fans.

“We are fully concentrated on and committed to the successful and safe delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, starting on 23 July with the Olympic Games and 24 August with the Paralympic Games,” the IOC President said.

“Nobody at this moment can predict the health situation in 206 National Olympic Committees for the time of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, from late July until September of this year – not even the most prominent scientists in this area. This leads, you may say naturally, you can also say unfortunately, to much speculation.

“Some even make the proposal to postpone the Olympic Games in Tokyo to the year 2032. I want to say good luck, if you would have to discuss this with an athlete who is preparing for the Olympic Games in 2021.

“We want not to destroy any Olympic dream of any athlete. Our task is to organise Olympic Games, not to cancel Olympic Games...and that is why we will not add fuel to this speculation.

“We are working on how the Games will take place. The priority is always the same – safe and secure Games. Based on the vaccine, based on the counter measures, based on the experience of different sports events that have been taking place all over the world, it is clearly not irresponsible.

“We are in a position to offer the relevant counter measures. If we thought it was irresponsible, and if we thought the Games were not safe, we would not go for it. Principle number one is safe organisation.”

He underlined the importance of collaboration with all the federations responsible for the Olympic sports and NOCs have held consultation calls and that “all of them are fully united and committed; all 206 National Olympic Committees, all the International Federations and the athletes are standing behind these Olympic Games.

“We see the same commitment on the Japanese side with the Japanese government, the Organising Committee and the Japanese Olympic Committee,” he added. 

In these uncertain times, Bach’s comments were as unequivocal as they could be – and while the speculation will continue, he certainly made his and the IOC’s position crystal clear.

The Tokyo Olympic Games are scheduled to open on July 23, with 11,000 athletes competing in 33 sports. 

MISS – FC BARCELONA

It has been a year of upheaval for FC Barcelona.

Their position as one of the biggest clubs in the world endures, but they have been faced with a number of challenges over the past 12 months.

It started when talisman Lionel Messi declared that he wanted to leave Barca where he has spent his entire career, frustrated about the lack of a project to ensure the club can compete for La Liga and the Champions League consistently.  

He eventually withdrew his threat to leave but his actions have since prompted the club President Josep Maria Bartomeu to resign.

Bartomeu’s reign has seen Barcelona go from a wealthy and competitive team to one with debts of around £720m and a £1billion wage bill – the largest in the world – which leaves them at risk of financial collapse.

The soap opera took another twist at the weekend with details of Messi’s contract being publicised by Spanish newspaper El Mundo, prompting threats of legal action.

At 33, Messi is in the twilight of his career and wants to win the top trophies again before he retires and is free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with other clubs with only six months left on his current deal.

Paris St Germain (PSG) are breaking no rules if they are negotiating with Messi and their sporting director Leonardo has admitted that the club are open signing Messi: “Great players like Messi will always be put in PSG's list. Of course, it is not the time to talk about it or to dream about it. But we are sat at the big table of the clubs following this closely.”

PSG dominate the French league and reached the Champions League final last season, helped by Messi’s former Barca team-mate and long-time friend Neymar.

“What I want the most is to enjoy playing with him again,” said Neymar recently, courting the speculation.

“He can play in my role, it wouldn't be a problem with me! For sure, next year we have to do it.”

Messi being free to talk to PSG has not stopped Barca presidential candidate Joan Laporta threatening to take legal action against the Argentine’s potential suitors if he secures a second term.

Laporta believes PSG, who have been strongly linked with Messi ever since his decision (subsequently withdrawn) to hand in a transfer request at the end of the 2019-20 campaign, have overstepped the mark and been “disrespectful” in their pursuit of the Argentina superstar.

Laporta exclaimed: “It is disrespectful to Barca that clubs like PSG publicly say they are going to sign Messi. We cannot allow clubs and states the luxury of destabilising another club.

“In that sense, we will have to speak with UEFA and FIFA to avoid such actions. PSG must abstain from [talking about Messi]. It is out of place for another club to speak about him. And, at the moment, there is no president in place to respond to this lack of respect.

“I find it inappropriate. It shows their lack of experience at this level. They still have a lot to learn in the world of football.”

On the face of it, Laporta’s comments are understandable, even if Messi IS free to speak to other clubs since January. 

But Barca’s own conduct over the years completely undermines their indignation when others are doing to them what they have done to other clubs for years.

Arsenal captain and former Barcelona youth player Cesc Fabregas was linked with a return to the Camp Nou for years.

Star midfielder Xavi said that Fabregas had “Barca DNA” and after winning the 2010 World Cup, defender Carles Puyol was one of many to put a Barca shirt on the Arsenal player before any deal had been sanctioned.

More recently, Brazilian club Gremio threatened to file a formal complaint to FIFA over claims that Barcelona held secretive talks with their highly rated midfielder Arthur Melo.

Melo later joined the club, as did Atletico Madrid striker Antione Griezmann, whose tapping up led to Atletico filing a formal complaint.

“Atlético Madrid wishes to express its strongest disapproval of the behaviour of both [parties], especially FC Barcelona, for prompting the player to break his contractual relationship with Atlético Madrid,” a statement said.

“We have learned that Barcelona and the player had reached an agreement in March, specifically in the days following the return match of our Champions League tie against Juventus, and that they had been negotiating the terms of the agreement since mid-February”.

The impending departure of Messi would certainly be a blow to Barcelona’s status as one of the biggest clubs in the world – and the pandemic has inevitably created financial challenges for clubs reliant on fans for much of their income.

But the hypocrisy of Barca’s frustration at another club flirting with one of their players serves as little more than a distraction with the Catalunya club ten points behind the league leaders, facing financial ruin and without a President.

Rather than publicly picking fights with other clubs, they would be better served on restoring the great club to its former glories.

[bananaipindia]

boAt Splashes Competitor’s Unjust Enrichment Dreams, Brexit to Not Effect UK Trademark System for Now, 'Mambacita' Trademark Filed by Kobe Bryant Weeks Before Death, Little Caesars Pizza Ventures into India with Veg Only Option, and more

New Post has been published on https://www.bananaip.com/ip-news-center/boat-splashes-competitors-unjust-enrichment-dreams-brexit-to-not-effect-uk-trademark-system-for-now-mambacita-trademark-filed-by-kobe-bryant-weeks-before-death-little-caesars-pizza-ven/

boAt Splashes Competitor’s Unjust Enrichment Dreams, Brexit to Not Effect UK Trademark System for Now, 'Mambacita' Trademark Filed by Kobe Bryant Weeks Before Death, Little Caesars Pizza Ventures into India with Veg Only Option, and more

boAt Splashes Competitor’s Unjust Enrichment Dreams, Brexit to Not Effect UK Trademark System for Now, ‘Mambacita’ Trademark Filed by Kobe Bryant Weeks Before Death, Little Caesars Pizza Ventures into India with Veg Only Option, and morebrought to you by the Trademark Attorneys at BananaIP (BIP) Counsel.

INDIAN TRADEMARKS UPDATE:

“boAt” Splashes Competitor’s Unjust Enrichment Dreams

Delhi High Court has passed an interim injunction against Exotic Mile, an audio-gadgets business firm, for violating the registered trademark “boAt” of Imagine Marketing Pvt. Ltd. Imagine Marketing is the proprietor of boAt, a well know electronic products supplier in India. It contended that Exotic Mile had dishonestly adopted the trademark “BOULT”, which is phonetically and deceptively similar to “boAt”. Further, it alleged that the usage of the tagline ‘UNPLUG YOURSELF’ by Exotic Mile was confusingly similar to its tagline ‘PLUG INTO NIRVANA’. The Court while considering the presence of both companies one-commerce platforms,passed an interim injunction restraining Exotic Mile from using the trademark “BOULT” as well as the tagline ‘UNPLUG YOURSELF’.

INTERNATIONAL TRADEMARKS UPDATES

Brexit Not to Affect the UK Trademark System for Now

During the recent ratification of the ‘Withdrawal Agreement’ between the United Kingdom and the European Union, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of the UK has clarified that there will be no disruption to IPO services or changes to the UK IP system during the transition period (1st February, 2020 till 31st December, 2020). Accordingly, the UK will remain part of the EU trademark system and the UK legal representatives will continue to have the right to represent clients before the EU IPO. The International registrations for trademarks and designs designating the European Union via the Madrid and Hague systems will also continue to extend to the UK. The IPO has further informed that the businesses, organisations or individuals, that have applications for a EU trademark which will have a period of nine months from the end of the transition period to apply in the UK for the same protections.

‘Mambacita’ Trademark Filed by Kobe Bryant Weeks Before Death

Kobe Bryant, the legendary basketball player, had filed a trademark application for the word mark “Mambacita” at the United States Patents and Trademarks Office, just weeks before his and his daughter’s death in a tragic helicopter crash in California. Kobe Bryant, who went by the self-proclaimed nickname “The Black Mamba”, had affectionately dubbed his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, “Mambacita”.The trademark “Mambacita” was filed for sportswear including athletic shirts, shorts, hats, jerseys, sweatpants, sweatshirts, t-shirts, etc.

BRAND LICENSING UPDATES:

McDonald’s Ties up with Joester Loria Group to Bring Out Fashion Collection

McDonald’s Corporation, the world’s leading global foodservice retailer, is collaborating with the Joester Loria Group,a premier full-service brand licensing agency, based in the New York to develop collaborations and collection of fashion, accessories and collectibles for adults. McDonald’s first ever brand license was during the 1980’s and ever since has a history of partnering with leading fashion brands and retailers. By entering into the recent licensing agreement, Joester Loria Group would work closely with the McDonald’s global marketing team to tap into the brand’s unique cache, popular characters, and iconic brand campaigns.

Smiley Coming Out with Collectibles for Kids Through Game Maker

The Smiley Company, a London based brand licensing company, is collaborating with toy and games brand ‘Splash Toy’ to launch its first series of The Smileys collectibles. The collaboration will target kids in the 6-12 years age group and help them explore their emotions through a unique mix and match play pattern of The Smileys. The first series will be launched with blister packs, which include a secret Smiley and also blind boxes for toy distribution, and for kiosk distribution.

FRANCHISE UPDATE

Little Caesars Pizza Ventures into India with Veg Only Option

Little Caesars, the world’s third-largest pizza chain, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan has forayed into the Indian market with two stores in Ahmedabad, Gujarat through franchisee Phoenix Nexus. Little Caesars which is popular for its Hot-n-Ready pizza and bread has rolled out its vegetarian menu in the Indian market and is currently focused on the dine-in format of quick service restaurants. With its Indianised menu, consumer-focused strategies and affordable pizzas, the company has aggressive plans and looks forward to join hands with interested entrepreneurs to continue rapid growth throughout India.

DOMAIN NAME DISPUTE UPDATE

Lamborghini Stops Fraudulent Domain from Impersonating It

Automobili Lamborghini, the popular Italian luxury sports car manufacturer, had filed a complaint with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center against jjoest, based in the US. Lamborghini alleged that the domain name “lamborghlni.com”, which is similar to its domain name “lamborghini.com”, was connected to a fraudulent email scheme by jjoest.  The scheme used the mark and the email address to impersonate an employee of Lamborghini to obtain  misdirected payments. The Administrative Panel headed by Nicholas Weston was convinced that the disputed domain was confusingly similar and jjoest used the domain name in bad faith. Thus, the Panel ordered the transfer of the disputed domain name to Lamborghini.

GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION UPDATES

Spiti Chharma (Sea buckthorn) and Its Products Filed for GI

Spiti Chharma (Sea buckthorn) is a perennial, woody, nitrogen fixing and thorny deciduous shrub covered with silvery scales. Sea buckthorn which grows in cold regions is naturalised to snowfall or low temperature conditions. Sea buckthom grows in Lahaul Spiti, upper Kinnaur and Pangi in Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh.While, the Chharma (Sea buckthorn) fruits are used in cosmetics, the high concentration of vitamin C in its juices and squashesare useful for treating blood pressure, heart diseases, ulcers of the intestine, skin diseases, bronchitis and cancer. The Spiti Sea buckthorn Society of Kaza, Spiti, has filed an application for Spiti Chharma and its products under the agriculture, horticulture and forestry products category.

Authored and compiled by Poorvika Chandanam

About BIP’s Trademark Attorneys

The Trademark News Bulletin is brought to you by the Trademark/Copyright, IP Transactional Strategy Divisions of BananaIP Counsels, a Top IP Firm in India. Led by Sanjeeth Hegde, BIP’s trademark attorneys are among the leading experts in the field. If you have any questions, or need any clarifications, please write to contact@bananaip.com with the subject: Trademark News.

The weekly trademark news initiative is a part of their pro bono work and is aimed at spreading trademark awareness. You are free to share the news with appropriate attribution and backlink to the source.

Disclaimer: Kindly note that the news bulletin has been put together from different sources, primary and secondary, and BananaIP’s reporters may not have verified all the news published in the bulletin. You may write to contact@bananaip.com for corrections and take down.

[wiremagazine]

SPOTLIGHT FILMS: PREVIEW 15 OF THE EXCEPTIONAL SELECTIONS FOR MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL GEMS 2019

Photos provided by Miami Film Festival GEMS 2019

BY THE GRACE OF GOD (Belgium, France, 2019) Director: François Ozon In French, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: In By the Grace of God, acclaimed filmmaker François Ozon dramatizes the story of three Preynat victims – Alexandre Guérin (Melvil Poupaud), a lawyer and devoted Catholic family man, François Debord (Denis Ménochet), a declared atheist who wants to bring media attention to the case, and Emmanuel Thomassin, an emotionally damaged younger man who carries the heaviest burden and the effects of prolonged trauma.

CLEMENCY (U.S., 2019) Director: Chinonye Chukwu In English

GEMS Synopsis: Clemency is an indelible character study and a searing look at the toll of capital punishment on the lives of all it touches – including the families of victims seeking justice. Filmmaker Chinonye Chukwu, the first African-American woman to win Sundance's highest prize, is observant to the disproportionate toll death row reaps on black men, but also alive to the possibility of hope, and humanity finding its way back from even the darkest emotional places.

HONEY BOY (U.S., 2019) Director: Alma Har'el In English

GEMS Synopsis: Artists often draw from real-life experience, but few approach this practice quite like actor Shia LaBeouf. Having received court-ordered therapy writing while in rehab, LaBeouf – who over the years has been the subject of numerous public misbehavior headlines – took the mandated writing and turned it into something tremendous: the screenplay for Honey Boy.

LES MISÉRABLES (France, 2019) Director: Ladj Ly In French, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: Victor Hugo's 1862 classic novel Les Misérables unforgettably depicted the abject poverty and state violence endured by residents in the Paris suburb Montfermeil, a setting symbolically representing a greater view of French society. Taking Hugo's title for his fiction feature debut, director Ladj Ly returns to modern-day Montfermeil and finds that the tensions between the racially diversified, impoverished community and the police enforcing the status quo are remarkably similar to the world of Jean Valjean and Hugo's characters, even more than 150 years later.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR (U.S., 2019) Director: Alan Berliner In English

GEMS Synopsis: For 40 years, filmmaker Alan Berliner has clipped out from the pages of The New York Times photos that caught his eye, keeping them meticulously filed and cross-indexed as a self-appointed archivist and librarian. Driven by his obsession, Berliner has completed the work of nearly a lifetime, transforming and reinterpreting his collection of images into a statement about the nature of humankind. Letter to the Editor is a film essay with multiple themes and a stunning array of thousands of photographs from Alan Berliner's collection. This film delivers poignant reflections on the power of photography, the importance of print publications, and what it means when technology brings a dramatic change to century-old traditions.

LITUS (Spain, 2019) Director: Dani de la Orden In Spanish, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: A big chill has descended upon a group of Barcelona thirtysomething friends. Six months before, their cherished friend Litus inexplicably took his own life. His loving friends gather to celebrate his memory, but a bombshell secret awaits them: Litus left behind a goodbye letter for each of them. A moving drama with impeccably timed moments of humor, Litus is an invitation to reflect on life, relationships and our connections to those we hold most dear in life.

MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN (U.S., 2019) Director: Edward Norton In English

GEMS Synopsis: Twenty years in the making, Edward Norton's passion project Motherless Brooklyn finds the famed actor working quadruple duty as writer, director, producer and star of this inventive adaptation of Jonathan Lethem's novel of the same name. Growing up an orphan with Tourette syndrome, Lionel (Norton) spent his early years trying to find his place in the world. Then private detective Frank Minna (Bruce Willis) took him under his wing. Now a full-fledged employee of Frank's agency, Lionel finds his world turned upside down when Frank is murdered. Determined to solve the mystery of who killed his mentor, Lionel sets off on a quest that takes him from Brooklyn to Harlem, where he discovers a trail of shocking political corruption in the process.

PAIN AND GLORY (Spain, 2019) Director: Pedro Almodóvar In Spanish, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: Pain and Glory is legendary Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar's most personal, semi-autobiographical film to date. The film centers on Salvador Mallo (played by Antonio Banderas, who won Best Actor at Cannes Film Festival for this role), a Spanish film director in his 60s. Salvador receives an invitation by the Madrid Cinematheque for a retrospective screening of Sabor, a film that he made more than 30 years ago. The invitation triggers a comical, edgy reunion with Alberto Crespo (Asier Etxeandia), the actor who starred in Sabor, and then later a reunion with Federico Delgado (Leonardo Sbaraglia), the Argentinian man who was Salvador's first adult love just as many years ago. Floating in and out of Salvador's memories is his unresolved relationship with his deceased mother (played in her younger years by Penélope Cruz, and later years by Julieta Serrano).

PARASITE (South Korea, 2019) Director: Bong Joon-ho In Korean, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: At once hilariously funny and nail-bitingly tense, Bong Joon-ho's class satire Parasite is quite possibly the most unique and unforgettable film of the year, and has had international critics swooning since it won the Palme D'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Defying convention and predictability at every step, the film centers on two families whose paths become inexorably linked and the wild events that result: the affluent Park family and the street smart but poor Kim family. The Kim's children, led by college-aged Ki-woo, manage to forge their way into the Park family's lives as tutors and art therapists. In exchange for their services, the Kim family finally has a path out of poverty, but this fragile balance built on lies will quickly unravel.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (France, 2019) Director: Céline Sciamma In French, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: Following the unexpected death of her sister, Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) is brought back from a convent and betrothed to an unknown man from Milan. Héloïse's mother, La Comtesse (Valeria Golina), is set on having Héloïse's portrait painted, but she refuses to pose, in rebellion against the arranged marriage into which she is being forced. So La Comtesse slyly hires Marianne, a rare female professional artist in the period, to secretly paint Héloïse's portrait, all the while posing as her ostensible companion. Through walks, profound conversations, and long-held, tantalizing looks, the relationship between Héloïse and Marianne evolves with delicacy and intimacy.

STAFF ONLY (France, Spain, 2019) Director: Neus Ballus In Catalan, French, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: In a time where new generations are often aggressively pursuing some stark definitions of political correctness, Staff Only hits a zeitgeist nerve with a young protagonist who is as intelligent as she is inexperienced. Catalan director Neus Ballús turns an honest and critical eye to a rich cast of characters, all of them compassionate, flawed human beings trying to live their best lives – yet often at unforeseen costs. Embracing the rich Senegalese landscape, Staff Only is as charming as it is poignant, while asking fundamental questions about how we grow individually, and in relation to others.

TAXI TO TREASURE ROCK (Spain, 2019) Director: Alejo Flah In Spanish, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: Freshly released from a Madrid prison, Argentinian con artist and professional charmer Diego has one idea to rebuild his life: finding a lost stash of gold hidden inside the legendary Rock of Gibraltar. Diego puts his snake charmer ways to convince León (Dani Rovira of the Ocho appellidos vascos films), a misanthropic, miserly taxi driver flooded with debt and rage against the system, to drive him from Madrid to Gibraltar. On their chaotic road trip they meet Sandra (Ingrid García-Jonsson), a runaway bride-to-be who is just enough of a misfit to connect with Diego and León, and join their eccentric, life-changing adventure.

THE TRUTH (France, Japan, 2019) Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda In French, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: To iconic actress Fabienne (Deneuve), nothing is more important than giving the perfect performance. Her commitment to her work has long put a strain on her personal life, and when her new memoir comes out, those closest to her find it harder and harder to stay by her side. When her longtime assistant suddenly quits, her estranged daughter Lumir (Binoche) – who's in town visiting along with her actor husband, Hank (Ethan Hawke) – steps into the role of assisting Fabienne while on the set of her new sci-fi film Memories of My Mother. With a mother and daughter so unable to communicate their complicated feelings to one another, Fabienne's new film (based on the Ken Liu short story of the same name) is a resonant, meta example of life imitating art.

THE TWO POPES (Argentina, Italy, UK, U.S., 2019) Director: Fernando Meirelles In English, French, Italian, Spanish, with English subtitles

GEMS Synopsis: When Pope Benedict XVI (Hopkins) breaks with tradition and decides to retire from the papacy, he invites his soon-to-be successor Cardinal Bergoglio (Pryce) – who will become the future Pope Francis – for a meeting. At first, it seems like an ideal opportunity for the two men to exchange pleasantries and put their differences aside. As one of Pope Benedict's harshest critics, Cardinal Bergoglio is a progressive, forward-thinking leader, one who feels strongly that the Church should listen to its followers instead of blindly adhering to the ways of old. It's an outlook that leads to a fierce debate between the two men – a debate on sticking to tradition vs. growing with the times, and about what it means to pave a religious path for more than a billion followers around the world.

TOP END WEDDING (Australia, 2019) Director: Wayne Blair In English

GEMS Synopsis: Lauren's demanding boss has given her just ten days of leave to get married to her doting fiancé, Ned, before she makes partner. But when Lauren's mother disappears in the midst of a major midlife crisis, leaving her father in shambles, all wedding plans are off until they can find her. Lauren and Ned set off on a breathtaking road trip through northern Australia (the "top end" of the country) in which multiple generations of the family must come to terms with the past in order for Lauren and Ned to be able to forge their future together.

This was originally published in Wire Magazine Issue 19.2019

[junker-town]

A comprehensive timeline of Cristiano Ronaldo’s sexual assault case

Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

Constantly updating the key dates from the alleged incident in 2009 to present day.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of sexual assault by Kathryn Mayorga, who has opened up a lawsuit against the soccer player stemming from a 2009 incident in Las Vegas. Mayorga’s attorney claims she was coerced into a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) shortly following the incident, and that the NDA should now be legally considered void.

Mayorga told her story to German outlet Der Spiegel on September 29 before filing a civil claim against Ronaldo, seeking to void the NDA she signed in 2010. The Las Vegas police department has also reopened its criminal investigation. Ronaldo and his attorneys have denied Mayorga and Der Spiegel’s claims.

This is a timeline of the important events in the story, from 2009 to present day.

June 13, 2009: Kathryn Mayorga reports rape to police, doesn’t identify Cristiano Ronaldo by name

Mayorga contacted Las Vegas police at 2:16 p.m. the afternoon following her assault. She told the dispatcher that she did not want to identify her assailant because he was a public figure. Police drove her to a local hospital, where she had a rape kit examination.

January 12, 2010: Ronaldo, Mayorga’s lawyers agree to terms of NDA

Mayorga, her attorney, and attorneys for Cristiano Ronaldo sign an out-of-court settlement. Both parties agree to not discuss the incident in a non-disclosure agreement, and Ronaldo’s team agrees to pay Mayorga $375,000. Ronaldo is not present at the signing of the agreement.

April 19, 2017: Der Spiegel publishes allegations against Ronaldo

Eight years later, Der Spiegel publishes its first report about the accusations of rape against Ronaldo. The German outlet claims that it got the documents outlining the allegations from Football Leaks, which up until that point had primarily focused on unveiling the financial secrets of soccer. In that report, Mayorga is identified by the pseudonym “Susan K.”, as she had made it clear in both police reports and settlement documents that she wished to keep her identity secret.

September 29, 2018: Mayorga comes forward with her story

A year and a half after Der Spiegel’s first story about Ronaldo, Mayorga decided to reveal her identity and tell her side of the story. This happened in conjunction with Der Spiegel and Football Leaks discovering more documents pertaining to the case and subsequent settlement. In the story, Mayorga gives a graphic description of her assault.

Der Spiegel claims to have acquired a questionnaire from Ronaldo’s attorneys that Ronaldo filled out, in which he allegedly says “she said no and stop several times.”

Ronaldo threatens to sue Der Spiegel

Within hours of the story’s publication, Ronaldo’s lawyer Christian Schertz called the story “blatantly illegal” and said it was “an inadmissible reporting of suspicions in the area of privacy.” He said Ronaldo would seek compensation from the outlet.

September 30, 2018: Der Spiegel editor responds with details of reporting

Following Schertz’s legal threat, Der Spiegel’s sports editor Christoph Winterbach posts a 25-tweet thread detailing the reporting that his team did to ensure the accuracy of their story. It includes screenshots of documents mentioned in the article.

This is a thread about the rape allegations vs. @Cristiano: About our research @derSpiegel, about Ronaldo's reaction and a little insight into why the alleged victim Kathryn Mayorga speaks out about the case nine years later. This is the story btw: https://t.co/fwv26PhCSx 1/24

— Christoph Winterbach (@derWinterbach) September 30, 2018

October 1, 2018: Mayorga sues Ronaldo, seeking to void NDA

Mayorga’s new lawyer, Leslie Mark Stovall, claims that she had inadequate representation in 2009 and 2010, and was bullied into settling. He files a lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada, seeking to have the 2010 settlement and NDA voided.

October 2, 2018: Las Vegas police reopen case

Las Vegas police confirm that they investigated a rape complaint in June of 2009, but could not follow through because “the victim did not provide detectives with the location of the incident or suspect description.” With Mayorga now willing to give details, the case has been reopened.

October 3, 2018: Ronaldo issues his public denial

I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense.

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 3, 2018

My clear conscious will thereby allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations.

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 3, 2018

October 4, 2018: Ronaldo left out of Portugal squad

Portugal coach Fernando Santos confirms that Ronaldo would not play for Portugal for the rest of 2018, ruling him out of November’s matches as well. Santos refuses to confirm or deny that Ronaldo was omitted due to the allegations against him.

Ronaldo sponsors express concern; Juventus does not

Two of Ronaldo’s biggest sponsors, Nike and EA Sports, prepare to distance themselves from Ronaldo.

Exclusive: Nike 'deeply concerned' by Cristiano Ronaldo rape claims. Statement to @AP from Ronaldo's biggest sponsor: "we are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation."https://t.co/dwdQ7SnfNQ

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) October 4, 2018

NEW from Ronaldo sponsor @EA Sports. “We have seen the concerning report that details allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo. We are closely monitoring the situation, as we expect cover athletes and ambassadors to conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with EA's values"

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) October 3, 2018

His club, Juventus, takes a different and rather callous position.

.@Cristiano Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus. 1/1

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 4, 2018

The events allegedly dating back to almost 10 years ago do not change this opinion, which is shared by anyone who has come into contact with this great champion. 2/2

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 4, 2018

October 10, 2018 — Ronaldo’s lawyer claims documents were fabricated

Peter Christensen, who Ronaldo hired to represent him in 2009, releases a statement claiming that documents cited in Der Spiegel’s story are not authentic.

The statement is in Portuguese. Below, a rough translation via Google Translate:

The documents that allegedly contain statements by Cristiano Ronaldo and were reproduced in the media are pure inventions.

By 2015 dozens of entities (including law firms) in different parts of Europe were attacked and saw a lot of information on their electronic equipment being stolen by a hacker. This hacker then tried to sell such information, having now a media outlet, irresponsibly publishing some of the stolen documents, significant parts of which were altered and/or completely forged.

This was refuted a day later in a Twitter thread by Der Spiegel sports editor Christoph Winterbach.

There was a statement released yesterday, on behalf of @Cristiano #Ronaldo, concerning the rape allegations and our reporting at @derSpiegel. #CR7's lawyer claimed that we quoted manipulated documents in our story. This is our answer. 1/11

— Christoph Winterbach (@derWinterbach) October 11, 2018

Portuguese outlet claims Real Madrid forced Ronaldo to settle; club will sue

Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha runs a story claiming that Real Madrid forced Ronaldo to agree to a settlement and non-disclosure agreement with Mayorga. Real Madrid says that this is false and promises to take legal action against the outlet.

January 9, 2018 — Jasmine Lennard comes forward with allegations against Ronaldo.

British model Jasmine Lennard detailed abuse by Ronaldo, saying she has messages and examples of times she was harassed and bullied by him.

Hundreds of messages I have of him taking and laughing about how he psychologically bullies the shit out of his baby mother and treats her like crap. Messages about all the times he’s cheated on her. Stories of sexual conquests that mirror Mayorga’s. In depth convos where he

— QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (@Jasminelennard) January 8, 2019

Acknowledges and shares about having SERIOUS mental health issues. All the LIES surrounding his children and their baby mothers. He’s a BULLY and he’s a LIAR. His whole life is a LIE. Fucking psychopath.

— QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (@Jasminelennard) January 8, 2019

I have had threats against me and my family I have been informed that a file was created on me to try and dig up dirt and that myself and my child are being being followed by detectives he hired. It’s enough.

— QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (@Jasminelennard) January 8, 2019

Told me if I dated anyone else or if I left my house he’d have me kidnapped and have my body cut up and put in a bag and thrown in a river. Yes I have proof of everything I’m saying. He’s a psychopath. https://t.co/SEXdys4JUs

— QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (@Jasminelennard) January 8, 2019

Lennard reached out to Mayorga’s legal team offering her evidence, which she believed could help their care.

On that note and after much thought i am reaching out to Kathryn Mayorga and her legal team to offer my assistance in her rape allegation against @Cristiano please contact me. I have information that I believe will be beneficial to your case and I would like to help you.

— QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (@Jasminelennard) January 8, 2019

January 10, 2019 — Investigators seek Ronaldo DNA sample.

The Las Vegas metropolitan police department asks Italian authorities to collect a DNA sample from Ronaldo to aid in their investigation. “The LVMPD is taking the same steps in this case as in any other sexual assault to facilitate the collection of DNA evidence,” said a police department spokesperson.

January 15, 2019 — Mayorga’s lawyers confirm they’ll speak with Lennard

Six days after Lennard’s accusations on social media and her offer of information to Mayorga’s team, an attorney for Mayorga confirms to USA Today that they’ll be meeting with Lennard and her representatives.

“I can confirm that Leslie Mark Stovall has spoken to Ms. Leonard regarding Cristiano Ronaldo,” Larissa Drohobyczer, an attorney at Stovall & Associates, said in an email. “Mr. Stovall’s travel to London England will be based upon his discussions with London lawyer Jonathan Coad and his client Jasmine Lennard.”

March 12, 2019 — Ronaldo yet to be served notice of lawsuit

Sam Borden of ESPN reports that Mayorga’s lawsuit has stalled because her attorney has found it difficult to serve him without him coming to the United States.

While the criminal investigation slogs on, Mayorga’s civil suit against Ronaldo has stalled as well. That is primarily because Ronaldo has still not officially been served notice of the lawsuit. Serving a lawsuit to someone who lives abroad is a tricky process that requires following rules set forth in international treaties, and Ronaldo has not authorized his American attorney to accept on his behalf ... Stovall and his associates have been unsuccessful serving Ronaldo in Italy. The initial 120-day period expired at the beginning of February, and Stovall has filed a motion asking the court to grant an extension and to allow service by leaving the paperwork at Juventus’ training center or via public notification.

July 22, 2019 — Clark County will not pursue criminal charges

The Clark County district attorney’s office releases a statement that it does not have sufficient evidence to bring charges against Ronaldo. Its statement says that Mayorga’s reluctance to identify her attacker when she first reported the incident caused potential evidence to be lost.

@LasVegasDA Declines to Prosecute 10-year-old Sexual Assault Allegation Against Cristiano Ronaldo. @ClarkCountyNV pic.twitter.com/XXdc8D9Plk

— Clark County DA (@LasVegasDA) July 22, 2019

This timeline will be updated as more information becomes available.

[thisdaynews]

Eden Hazard: Real Madrid sign Chelsea forward on a five-year deal

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/eden-hazard-real-madrid-sign-chelsea-forward-on-a-five-year-deal/

Eden Hazard: Real Madrid sign Chelsea forward on a five-year deal

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Watch: Eden Hazard’s top five goals for Chelsea

Real Madrid have agreed a deal to sign forward Eden Hazard from Chelsea for a fee that could exceed £150m.

Hazard has agreed a five-year contract and will be presented as a Real player on 13 June, subject to a medical.

The Belgian scored 110 goals in 352 games for Chelsea after joining from Lille in 2012, and scored twice as they won the Europa League final last week.

“The memories he leaves us with will not fade,” said Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia.

“He provided all who watched Chelsea play with great entertainment and many match-winning contributions, and for that we thank Eden enormously.

“He has been a model professional throughout his time at the club, a wonderful individual to have around and a joy to work with.”

In seven seasons at Chelsea, Hazard won the Premier League and Europa League twice, the FA Cup and League Cup.

He was also named Chelsea’s Player of the Year on four occasions.

“Although it is with sadness we say goodbye to Eden and we made it absolutely clear to him the club wished him to stay, we respect the decision he has made to take on a new challenge in a different country and follow his childhood dream of playing for Real Madrid,” Granovskaia added.

Chelsea have been placed under a transfer ban by Fifa, meaning they will not be able to sign a replacement for Hazard.

The Blues are banned from signing players during the next two transfer windows until the end of January 2020. They failed with their first appeal to football’s world governing body, and have taken their second to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Hazard’s Stamford Bridge journey

Eden Hazard won two Premier League trophies with Chelsea, with the most recent coming in the 2016-17 season

When the then 21-year-old Hazard made his highly anticipated move to England in June 2012, the Blues had just been crowned champions of Europe for the first time under manager Roberto di Matteo.

The Belgian, who had also been wanted by Manchester United, hit the ground running with two assists on his league debut and went on to register 13 goals and 23 assists in his first season at Stamford Bridge.

A promising debut season was capped by a first trophy, though an injured Hazard had to watch from the sidelines as interim boss Rafael Benitez – Di Matteo’s mid-season replacement – guided Chelsea to victory in the Europa League.

Hazard won back-to-back player of the season awards following Jose Mourinho’s return to the club in June 2013 – an award he went on to win four times in six campaigns.

An improved 17 goals and 10 assists in 2013-14 was eclipsed by the Belgian’s joint-most prolific season for Chelsea the following year, scoring 19 times in all competitions and being crowned Premier League player of the season as Chelsea won a league and League Cup double.

Hazard featured in all 38 games that season, but 2015-16 proved difficult as Mourinho’s second term at Chelsea fell apart. He scored just six goals, enduring a 28-game goalless run for the Blues stretching from August until the end of January.

Antonio Conte’s subsequent arrival brought a second Premier League title, with Hazard returning to form with a record 16 league goals – a figure he matched in his final season at the club under Maurizio Sarri.

A consistent match-winner for the Blues, Hazard scored the only goal to seal an FA Cup final victory against Manchester United last season and starred in their second Europa League triumph in May.

Hazard makes ‘dream’ move

Hazard had made no secret of his interest in a move to Real during his latter years with Chelsea, describing a move to the Bernabeu as a “dream”.

In June 2017, the Belgian said he would “listen” if Real Madrid offered him a deal, before admitting “it might be time to discover something different” after six “wonderful years” at Stamford Bridge following the 2018 World Cup.

Later that year, Hazard admitted he was torn between signing a new deal at Stamford Bridge and heading to Madrid, and believed Real to be “the best club in the world”.

“It is my dream since I was a kid. I was dreaming about this club,” he said when asked about a potential move.

Following victory in the Europa League final against Arsenal last month, Hazard said: “I think it’s goodbye”.

Meanwhile, returning Real boss Zinedine Zidane refused to remain quiet too, telling the media at a press conference in April that he had “always appreciated” Hazard as a “fantastic” player.

The rumours rumbled on and Sarri seemed resigned to losing Hazard following the club’s final Premier League game of the season, insisting the club must “respect” the player’s final decision.

Hazard revealed then that he had informed the club of his decision “a couple of weeks ago”, eager for his future to be resolved as early as possible.

He is Real’s third signing after the arrivals of striker Luka Jovic from Eintracht Frankfurt for a fee reported to be in excess of £50m and defender Eder Militao from Porto for 50m euros (£42.7m).

Real finished third last season in the league, 19 points behind champions Barcelona, and having won the Champions League for three successive seasons, they were knocked out by Ajax in the last 16.

What are Chelsea losing?

Chelsea’s transfer ban leaves the club unable to sign players until January 2020. And even if they could, they would face an enormous task filling the void that the Belgian will leave.

In addition to his 110 goals, he also made 91 assists for Chelsea. Eighty-five of those goals and 54 of the assists came in the Premier League – only Frank Lampard (147 goals, 90 assists) and Didier Drogba (104 goals, 55 assists) have been involved in more Blues goals in the English top flight.

Hazard was involved in almost half of all Chelsea’s league goals during the 2018-19 season – 49.2% – scoring 16 times and making 15 assists as the Blues achieved their goal of a top-four finish.

His 16 goals accounted for 25.4% of Chelsea’s total in the competition, while he also finished top of the league’s assist chart.

‘One of Chelsea’s all-time top Premier League players’ – analysis

BBC Sport’s Simon Stone

This time last year, amid murmurings about a move to Real Madrid, Chelsea were convinced they could persuade Eden Hazard to stay at Stamford Bridge.

However, as the season went on, it became clear the Belgian was determined to pursue his dream move to the Spanish capital.

Once it became obvious Hazard wanted out, senior executives at Chelsea determined they would work with the player to facilitate his move.

Unlike the acrimony that accompanied Diego Costa’s departure 12 months ago, Hazard has never caused the club any issues.

His two-goal contribution in the Europa League final victory against Arsenal – in what turned out to be his final Chelsea game – cemented his status as one of the club’s all-time top Premier League players.

Read More

[torentialtribute]

No respect for big names. Underarm serves. Nick Kyrgios is the man who’s shaking up tennis

Nick Kyrgios is sitting in the bowels of the Miami Dolphins stage and beaming after the reaction to his latest victory – from the courtside security

"Afterwards I had about five of the guards who don't care much about the game tell me how much fun that was to watch," he says. "That's super important because this is the entertainment business."

The 23-year-old Australian had just gone through to the third round of the Miami Open with a win over qualifier Alexander Bublik that had an element of the Harlem Globetrotters about it. The bumper attendance on the secondary arena at Hard Rock Stadium was bigger than that watching Serena Williams competently make the debut on the giant main court.

He has an outstanding career record against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

There was his usual mix of scorching winners, gossamer-touch drop shots, careless mistakes, drives from between the legs and that strange reluctance to chase down every single ball. He has a curious ability to excite a crowd while displaying a certain indifference.

This is perhaps why he can lose to anyone – sometimes in dismal fashion – while enjoying an outstanding aggregate 6-6 record against the sainted trio or Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. He is 2-0 against the latter.

Kyrgios talks like he plays tennis: fast, unpredictable and not afraid to display a wide repertoire of shots. This is particularly the case when assessing how he managed to compile his enviable stats against the big three.

Kyrgios talks like he plays tennis: fast, unpredictable and displaying a wide repertoire of shots

HIGHS AND LOWS

THE GOOD

June 2014 Nick Kyrgios announces himself to the tennis world by knocking world No. 1 Rafa Nadal out of Wimbledon. May 2015 – Comes from a set down to beat Roger Federer 14-12 in a final set tiebreak in Madrid. February-March 2017 Beats Novak Djokovic twice in straight sets in Acapulco and Indian Wells. February 2019 – Back in Acapulco hits an underarm serve on the way to another win over Nadal, then beats Alex Zverev in the final.

THE BAD

Aug 2015 Hurled a barrage of salacious insults at Stan Wawrinka. Given a suspended six-month sentence. Oct 2016 Verbally abused a spectator during a 48-minute defeat by Mischa Zverev in Shanghai. He said: "I don't owe the fans anything." If they don't like it, just leave. "Jun 2018 Fined £ 13,000 for obscene gestures with a water bottle at Queens.

"I just go out there and do my thing and nothing changes or I'm playing Alexander Bublik or Federer or Rafa," he says. I serve big, I back myself, at the end of the day they are only human.

'They don't do anything spectacularly well. Obviously Federer is unbelievably talented and the greatest of all time, but he gets tired in tight situations. Djokovic struggles with short balls, he doesn't like to come forward. Second serve can get a bit shaky.

'Rafa loves to be defensive so you can really push through his forehand and expose how far back he stands. So they do have weaknesses and if you play the right way and execute it right under pressure then they can be beaten.

'You just have to play the right way and for the stars to align. Of course they are a level above all of us, but they are definitely beatable, I don't think they are God's to the sport. "

Late last month Kyrgios went out and beat Nadal amid a febrile atmosphere at the ATP Tour event in Acapulco. On the way he served underarm, infuriating the great Spaniard, who afterwards declared that his opponent lacked respect for both his opponents and himself.

Kyrgios plays around behind the clock during his match against Alexander Bublik in Miami

Unlike many of the present day younger ATP players, you will not find Kyrgios coming off court to describe it as an 'honor' to share the court with them.

'I don't know how much respect the others show them but I'm not going to really respect someone just because they can hit a ball over the net, that's not enough for me to give them respect, "said Kyrgios, who plays today Serbia's Dusan Lajovic.

'Why would I give them an inch? They've already got the advantage with always playing on the best courts in the best conditions, all that sort of stuff, so I don't know why you would give them inches. "

" Obviously what they ( the trio) do for the sport is huge, they inspire millions around the globe. But when I'm on the court we're competing and I'm not trying to be your friend.

'I'm not sure why I would go out there and be very respectful of Rafa to get ready for me to serve. "

Kyrgios throws his racquet during his match against Philipp Kohlschreiber at Indian Wells

It is perhaps counting that Kyrgios's peak this year came when winning the ATP title in the Mexican playground, where there were obviously plenty of distractions away from the gravel of the tennis.

'Acapulco was insane on and off the court, I definitely lost a couple of years off my life that week. I was going jet skiing every day, I had my best friend there, it was like a holiday week, that's when I tend to play well. One of the best atmospheres ever.

'I hit it (the underarm serve) and people say' he's being disrespectful ', but when other people do it they'd say' very technically switched on '. When I did it, it's like the roof is falling in. I'm never going to hit one again because I've got scorched for it … I'm kidding – I'm hitting it again for sure, I was thinking about it all day today.

'At times I think tennis is way too serious. I don't think about goalsetting. There is so much going on in the world that we are so sheltered from, I'm not trying to put my attention into tennis too much, I come in and play my match somewhere like this and I'm out of here. "

Kyrgios has long established a bond with Andy Murray, who believes he is one of the people who 'gets' him. The two have stayed in touch while Murray continues his convalescence.

Kyrgios went out and beat Rafael Nadal on way to winning the Acapulco Open in Mexico

'I had a hit the other day with Amanda Anisimova (the exciting American prospect) at 9am the other day, I never hit that early. Andy in Brisbane this year asked me if I wanted to hit at 9am and I said that's way too early. He messaged me the other day when he saw that I'd hit with her, adding a sad face.

'So I have been in contact with him a little bit, he's obviously a great guy and I wish him all the best. If he can come back and play I don't care if he wins a match, I just want to see him back on the tour and competing. The results aren't something to be concerned about it would be just to see him happy. If you're able to play again that's a success. I think he is someone I will keep in touch with when I have finished playing for sure. "

In his darker moments Kyrgios does not always help himself, putting in halfhearted efforts or descending to puerile antics like making suggestive gestures with water bottles, as he did last summer at Queen's.

But the ongoing debate among some earnest types about whether he is 'good for the game' is tennis's most inane debate – or course he is, for all the undulating behavior.

The Harlem Globetrotters analogy is a fitting one, because he makes no secret that what he would much rather be doing is shooting hoops.

Last week he could be found dispensing wisdom to a group of eleven year-old schoolchidren as part of a Unicef ​​charity appearance prior to the tournament.

After advising them that it was important to always listen to their parents, he also added a note of regret.

'When I was 14 , my parents told me I could play basketball for longer and still it breaks my heart. It was one of the toughest challenges to give that up. I love basketball. "

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