#toulouse control

[nakedcomedy]

This is simply the last time I will tell you to not miss Besitos this Thursday 3/9. This lineup is lightning and it will NOT strike twice. ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

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[okaymeg]

hes truly the stinkiest rat that has ever lived

[mapsontheweb]

The barbarian invasions of the 4th to the 5th century and the Romano-barbarian kingdoms

via cartesdhistoire/instagram

🇩🇪 “TaschenAtlas – Weltgeschichte”, Klett-Perthes Verlag, 2004 

🇩🇪 "Putzger, Historischer Atlas", 1994

4th Century: Barbarian populations begin settling as fœderati (allied peoples) along the borders of the Roman Empire. 378: The Visigoths invade the Balkan Peninsula, reaching as far as Greece. Near Adrianople, they inflict a significant defeat on the Roman army, marking the first serious Roman loss on their own territory. 400: The Burgundians settle in the region between the Rhine and the Main rivers. 402: The Visigoths invade Italy but are stopped by the Roman general Stilicho near Verona. 406: Various barbarian groups, including Vandals, Suebi, and Alans, cross the frozen Rhine, initiating widespread incursions into Roman territory. 407: The Caledonians (native tribes of Scotland) force the Romans to withdraw from Britain. 410: Alaric, king of the Visigoths, conquers and sacks Rome, shocking the empire. 412-418: The Visigoths settle in parts of Gaul and Spain, establishing a federated kingdom. 421: The Franks, led by Clovis, begin settling in northern Gaul. 429-439: The Vandals, under King Genseric, conquer North Africa and parts of Spain. They establish a kingdom that is initially recognized by the empire as federated but later becomes independent. 442: Rome formally cedes all its North African territories to the Vandals. 450: The Jutes, Angles, and Saxons begin settling in the British Isles, marking the start of the Anglo-Saxon migration. 451-453: The Huns, led by Attila, invade the western Roman Empire. 452: Pope Leo I, known as Leo the Great, meets Attila the Hun near the Mincio River and persuades him to abandon his campaign into Italy. 455: The Vandals, led by Genseric, sack Rome and pillage the coasts of Spain, Greece, and Italy. 475: The Eastern Roman Emperor Julius Nepos formally recognizes the Kingdom of Toulouse, established by the Visigoths. 476: The fall of the Western Roman Empire: Odoacer, a barbarian leader, deposes the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, and declares himself King of Italy. 488-489: Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths, invades Italy and defeats Odoacer in battles at the Isonzo, Verona, and the Adda River. 493: Theodoric captures Verona and has Odoacer assassinated. As master of Italy, Theodoric seeks coexistence between the Goths and the Roman population. 496-507: Clovis, king of the Franks, defeats the Alemanni at the Battle of Tolbiac (496) and the Visigoths at the Battle of Vouillé (507), expanding Frankish control over Gaul.

[mythological-art]

Cupid Fleeing from Slavery

Artist: Joseph-Marie Vien (French, 1716–1809)

Date: 1789

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Musée des Augustins, Toulouse, France

Description

"Cupid Fleeing From Slavery" depicts the Roman god of love, Cupid, escaping from a situation where he is being held captive, often symbolized by chains or bonds, usually with a frantic and energetic movement, signifying his desire for freedom and the inherent power of love to break free from constraints; it's a classic representation of love's rebellious nature and its resistance to being controlled

[narrans]

My Borrowed Son | 37 | Borrowing 101

Chapter Thirty-Seven | Borrowing 101

Parker crouched low, hand resting on the cool tile of the kitchen counter. His heart was pumping steadily, every sense feeling heightened as he stayed perfectly still. His entire body was like that of a statue. Everything felt perfectly in place.

Cocking his head to one side, he heard his mom getting her cup of morning coffee mere feet away. He counted the seconds and had everything perfectly timed. Three seconds to pour. Two for the creamer. Five seconds stirring. One quick sip lasting one or two seconds.

He felt himself smile as he spotted the thing he was going for – a sugar packet.

His mom turned and headed for the main counter, book in one hand and mug in the other, and sat down on one of the swiveling chairs. The time was not now, however. She usually forgot something on the opposite counter, which would bring her inches from him, and then it would be time to move.

Sure enough, Parker’s prediction came true.

Amanda turned back to the main counter once everything was on the island counter. She reached for the breakfast bars she had been eating for breakfast for forever, which was directly in front of him. Only two inches from him, Parker felt the urge to flee, but he fought it. He paused and watched as his mom’s fingers lingered there for a long time before she returned to the counter.

This is when Parker made his move.

He darted along the backsplash, ducking behind various jars and even managing a perfect tumble as he cleared the bread bag. Silent and unseen, he managed to make it to the coffee station, snag one of the sugar packets, and slip it into his bag and slide to safety on the other side of the refrigerator and down the safety line before his mom turned around again.

The moment he touched down, he turned toward the awaiting crowd. Kers, Toulouse, Mira, and the two oldest siblings Kit and Finnick, all stood at the end of the line by the base of the refrigerator. He fished out the sugar from his pack and grinned, heart still skipping a beat now and then from excitement.

“So? How’d I do?” asked Parker. Mira was the first to break, naturally, as a maternal smile of pride spread across her face. Kers was the second to break as he stepped up to Parker’s side and ruffled his hair playfully. Finnick, like his father, gave a nod of approval while Kit kept her arms folded.

“Beginner’s luck,” Kit quipped as she turned and headed back for the safety of the walls.

“Don’t listen to her. She’s just jealous that you’re a natural,” stated Finnick. “Just make sure to keep your tumbles to a minimum. They feel cool in the moment, but depending on what’s in your pack it might throw you off and cause problems. Otherwise, good control.” Toulouse smiled and gave his son an approving pat on his shoulder.

“We’ll drill more tumbles tomorrow,” he said gruffly before, like his daughter and his wife, they too vanished into the walls.

Kers nodded as he patted Parker on the shoulder.

“As for borrowing basics, I think you’ve got it, kid,” commended Kers. “Now, the main test is seeing what your mom noticed. So, let’s go find out.”

Parker felt himself beaming as he and Kers both stepped out from the corner of the counter that met the appliance door and headed for the secured lines that had been installed for them. It was hard to believe that it had only been one month since Parker’s return home after his harrowing misadventure.

After Parker’s return, he and his mom had another long talk about what happened. Parker talked about the things he remembered and how he’d been taken by Rachel as well as everything that happened. It took all the strength that Amanda had to not drive over immediately and give Rachel a piece of her mind, especially when she helped Parker change his bandages and she saw the teeth punctures Rachel’s bearded dragon gave him.

Lyn was still permitted to come over later that day where she and Amanda had a long talk about Rachel. Lyn happily informed Amanda that Rachel had to give up her pet and would be talking to some professionals in order to better understand what was going on. While Lyn didn’t have any ideas as to why Rachel was acting the way she was, her parents were absolutely invested in finding the root cause of it.

Apologetic and understanding, Lyn swore she would do everything she could to make sure Rachel was going to realize the severity of what she had tried to do and said she understood if Amanda limited contact with her son, to which Amanda assured wouldn’t happen once Parker had earned back some trust.

The two teens had a chance to talk a bit at the kitchen counter independently before Lyn had to leave to finish some errands for her parents. They promised to talk as often as possible and that things would be back to normal soon.

Normal, however, had taken on a new meaning.

During dinner that very night, Kers had come forward in front of both Parker and Amanda and had proposed that Parker learn more about his Borrower lineage. Though Kers didn’t know Parker’s family and assured he wasn’t trying to cut in where he wasn’t welcome, he offered his services in teaching Parker how to hone his Borrower skills.

“It’ll help keep you safe if you do decide to strike out on your own one of these days and help you in everyday life when it comes to maneuvering in the human world,” stated Kers. “No pressure and no rush. Give a shout when or if you’re ready.”

For both Amanda and Parker, it wasn’t a difficult decision. Now that Amanda knew about Borrowers, she wanted to make sure Paker had all the knowledge and skills possible to help him succeed. The discussion was a brief one, but they both decided that Parker needed to learn from Kers.

It took a week, however, for Parker to begin earning back his privileges. Amanda knew she was being soft on her son, but she’d added additional responsibilities and contingencies for him having some of his freedoms back. Both of them also knew that Parker wasn’t the type to run away to avoid his responsibilities and wouldn’t be running away again anytime soon.

By the end of the second week, Parker was actively training with Kers and, a few days later, the other Borrowers in the house. As soon as school was over, Parker logged out of his devices and went down to the kitchen or the living room where his mom was and, from there, began his training regimen.

Some of it was simple athletics training. Running. Jumping. Pushups. Sit-ups. Squats. Climbing. Tumbling. Anything and everything that he could do to better hone his physical abilities and make him a better Borrower.

Another portion of it was learning about Borrower history; at least, what little of it Kers knew. Kers talked about the stories he’d heard about different Borrower tribes who lived out in the wilderness as well as Borrowers who lived in the walls of human homes. He told Parker about some of the stories his family had told him as well as a little bit of his own history.

The entire encounter felt surreal, like it was out of some kind of weird dream. It didn’t feel real, and yet Parker knew he was awake and taking in everything like a sponge. Hearing about different traditions and rules as well as the daily grind of Borrower life was eye opening. From preserving food to improvised construction, Parker took everything he could get. More than that – he began writing it down.

One thing that he’d noticed with all of Kers’ stories was that they were verbal, which wasn’t good in Parker’s opinion. He started recording everything in his journals at the end of every session, writing down everything from front to finish. It helped the teen’s memory and helped preserve the existence of an entire secret species of being.

So, a month later, Parker had completed his first practical test. With the help of his mom, he had just practiced running along the counter and hiding in plane sight and it was time for the results.

The countertop towered over Parker, but it didn’t instill that same sense of vertigo that it used to. Sure, there was still a bit of swirling that happened when craning his neck upward, but Parker was better prepared now and had been growing accustomed to seeing things both as the son of a human and being a Borrower.

The teen glanced around the corner and saw his mom’s leg bouncing nervously up and down. It made him smile. She’d been told to stay in her seat until the “test” was over unless she heard something, and she was trying to do so even now. Parker cleared his throat and stood out in the open while Kers, on the other hand, stayed pressed along the edge of the counter while he tried out the rope for security purposes.

Amanda’s eyes immediately snapped down to the ground where she spotted her son. The silhouette of his mom brought back the haunting image of Rachel, which made him shudder. It would take more time for Parker to get over that image which now helped fuel his nightmares, but knowing justice was being done was what really mattered.

“Hey, so? How’d it go?” asked Amanda as she leaned forward and rested her hand on the ground. For a moment, she looked like she hesitated as she glimpsed at Kers, who was peering around the corner of the island counter at the two of them. “Oh… were you… going to climb up?”

The thought that his mom was trying to keep the “Borrower rules” intact was nice, but it would be an impossible habit to break. He knew it, and so did she. The exchange made the two of them smile and Parker knew the answer before his mom had even asked the question.

“If it’s okay, I’ll take the lift,” said Parker as he turned to Kers. “Want a lift?”

Kers looked up at Amanda before politely shaking his head, saying, “No. Thank you though.” Parker acknowledged with a nod and climbed onto his mom’s hand. He remembered the feeling of unease when he let his mom carry him from place to place, but now he understood the reason behind it. Still, he fought off his instinct and braced himself by crouching and keeping one hand on the crook of his mom’s thumb.

The lurching sensation his insides gave him was a welcomed and familiar one, and it only lasted for a second as Amanda placed Parker onto the counter. Waiting there were little sandwiches on a clean dish cloth which made the whole area look like a picnic. The memories of picnics in the shady wooded area at his old home made the Borrower teen smile.

Waiting patiently was hard, considering the sandwiches were one of Parker’s favorites, but wait they did until Kers huffed his way up on top of the counter and dusted himself off before walking over and sitting on the cloth beside Parker. The older Borrower’s eyes widened at the feast in front of them. Chips. Dip. Sandwiches. Even pink lemonade. All of this would have taken weeks to obtain, and it wouldn’t have been set out so lavishly or preserved so nicely if not assembled by a human.

Kers knew this and looked up and smiled at Amanda, saying, “Thank you,” before snagging one of the chips and breaking off a piece to chew on.

“You’re welcome,” she replied as she sipped on her coffee. The three of them ate in silence for a few minutes before Kers broke the silence.

“You should consider climbing a bit more just to get into the habit of it,” stated Kers. Parker sighed and nodded as he wiped his face clean.

“I know, but I don’t want to change everything all at once. And I did climb up to the counters twice last night as well as today for the exercise; which, mom, how’d I do?” asked Parker. His mom set down her cup and gave a little thumbs up.

“Honestly, I didn’t notice you. I tried looking around and had an idea that you were hiding near the creamer, but I didn’t say anything and kept going as normal,” said Amanda. Parker couldn’t stop smiling as a surge of pride swelled in him, and Kers knew it too.

Parker wasn’t hiding anywhere near the creamer, and the fact that his mom hadn’t noticed was a true testament that Parker’s training was successful. Phase one was complete, and it was bittersweet because it meant Parker was getting better at vanishing in plane sight.

“Well, Parker, I’d say that your training test today was a success,” stated Kers, not mentioning the fact that Parker was in an entirely different place. Parker nodded and kept quiet as well. Kers probably didn’t want to give away that spot just in case they needed to use it at some point in the future. Parker would probably say something about it later when Kers was back in the walls, but not now.

“So? What’s next?” Amanda prompted.

“Next? Mostly continuing training and enhancing his body. Instinct enhancement and anticipation are going to be key,” replied Kers. “You have an advantage seeing that you’ve been raised by a human. You’ll be better at figuring out what someone is going to do before they do it.”

“So, more practical tests?” asked Parker. Kers nodded quietly as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. His instinct to not waist potential resources for perceived “unnecessary” made for some interesting table manners, but no one said anything about it. It had become normal, which made Parker feel at ease.

“Absolutely,” Kers stated. “Making some obstacle courses with difficult terrain will be the most helpful. Also, we need to work on your hook tossing. So far, you’ve never been under pressure when tossing. A real scenario would have you practice that. Also, fast line descent. We’ll need to adjust your wardrobe and make you some line gloves.”

“Okay. Sounds good, but could we do that next week? I’ve got some papers I need to write for class and Lyn, and I have to finish our science fair report. Well, I need to finish my part of it. So?” asked Parker. Kers sighed and folded his arms across his chest. Parker was starting to pick up on the habit, and it was usually when some “human” thing interrupted a Borrower thing.

Still, Kers nodded in compliance. “Very well. If it’s important for this class stuff, then yes. You need to keep up your presence for a little while until you… what is it? Graduate?”

“Yeah, graduate,” confirmed Parker. The word was a crazy one to say. In a little over a year, Parker would graduate high school. He would be one of the youngest graduates in his classes, but that’s what he got for excelling in his studies. Parker didn’t have the heart to tell Kers that he was actually considering going to college virtually and continuing his studies.

Again, that would be a conversation for another day.

“Well then, that’s just going to have to work then,” sighed Kers. “Apologies I can’t stay longer, but I have a few things I need to prepare in my area. I did want to bring something up for both of you, if that’s alright.”

Amanda felt herself stiffen, and Parker felt a bit of unease settle over him as well. Kers wasn’t usually the bearer of bad news, but he did have some interesting requests when Parker first started training with him, such as Parker keeping Borrower history to himself as well as not disclosing some of the Borrower trade secrets with his own mom because it could be used against Borrowers if the information fell into the wrong hands.

“Um… sure. What is it?” Amanda prompted.

“It’s nothing serious,” stated Kers. “But it would require your permission.”

Amanda nodded as she attempted to keep an open mind about what Kers was about to say.

“We’re all having dinner together tonight. The… others… and myself. I wanted to see if you would be alright with Parker coming along and having dinner with us. It’s just something social and meant to be fun. The kids talked about possibly playing games or something after we eat,” stated Kers. “You’re free to decline, Parker, but I promise you’ll be back before nine o’clock.”

Parker glanced at his mom and then back to Kers. He wanted to go with him, but also remembered the rules and consequences of his actions a month prior. Limiting his external social time was one of those consequences. Except for training, which had a purpose, Parker was supposed to spend most of his time out in the open while he studied and worked.

“I’ll… uh… I’ll see,” said Parker hesitantly.

“Alright. If you’re coming, be on the counter by six and I’ll pick you up.” With that, Kers approached the edge of the island counter and slid down the secured line all the way to the ground. Parker wasn’t sure if it was tension in the air that he was feeling, but something did feel a bit different between he and his mom.

It wasn’t a bad sensation, but it was primed with discussion and words unsaid.

“Well, Parker? How are you feeling?” asked his mom. Parker played with the edge of his plate as he thought about the question. It could be taken in so many directions after all.

“About training? Pretty good. It’s weird. It’s like… all natural. Everything makes sense and my body just knows what to do most of the time; and if I don’t know it, it doesn’t take long for me to get it,” stated Parker. “And, just feeling in general, I feel pretty good. I’m not going to lie. I do miss talking to my friends and writing and everything, but I understand why I don’t get to partake in that stuff anymore.”

Parker noticed his mom shifting out of the corner of his eye and she inhaled and exhaled slowly as if in contemplation.

“Parker, I know this past month has been tough on you with not getting to speak with your friends, and I hope you know that your happiness is what really matters to me,” said Amanda. Parker wasn’t sure where she was going with this. He wasn’t sure why, but an initial sense of worry began to swell in him. When he looked at his mom’s face, however, he already saw her signature smile accompanied with a nod.

“I know you, and I know that you’re not the type to run away. We were both emotionally raw at the time, and while I know it’s only been a month, I think you’ve earned back some of your privileges. You’ve kept to our house rules without complaint, and I think you’ll continue to do that. So, I think that would be acceptable if you want to go have dinner with the others, I think that would be okay.”

Parker felt himself beaming, a smile spreading across his face from one side to the other. He didn’t think that it would be only one month of punishment, and Parker knew it would continue for months to come, but he wasn’t about to complain.

“Really?” he asked eagerly. His mom nodded and smiled. Parker could see forgiveness in her eyes, which made him smile even wider. It would take more time to mend the crack the two of them had between them, but already it was being mended and filled once again with trust.

“Really,” she echoed. Parker leapt to his feet and ran toward his mom’s hand, which she splayed ever so slightly so Parker could throw himself against her palm and hug her fingers as he’d done for years.

“Thank you, mom!”

“You’re welcome, my love. Make sure you’re back by nine so we can finish our book. We’ll see about you visiting a little more for fun and social visits if you’re back on time,” said Amanda. As a mother, she knew it was her job to keep Parker safe and to discipline him as needed when problem issues arose. Frankly, she didn’t think she would even last a month simply because Parker had always been such a good kid except for this one incident.

At the end of the day, all of this was for the best and Amanda knew it. This relative lock down wouldn’t last for too much longer. Parker was almost back to his old self, but now he knew so much more. He knew more about himself through his experiences, and he understood where he came from because of the people around him.

She couldn’t protect him from the world forever, and releasing the reins a bit more every day would be good – for both her and Parker.

“Alright, now go finish your homework and be on the counter at six o’clock sharp. If your science fair write-up isn’t finished before then, you won’t be able to go,” stated Amanda. She saw parker nod eagerly and, from that look alone, knew he was already finished except for the final touches.

“Yes ma’am,” said Parker. With that, he hurried to the edge of the counter and quickly skidded down the line to the floor. The ascent up the stairs wasn’t nearly as hard as it had been before the Borrower teen’s training, but Parker knew it wouldn’t be for long. He already had plans for that elevator he wanted to install from before leading from the kitchen to the second floor by his bedroom. He’d finalize the plans and show them to his mom before too long.

Six o’clock raced at Parker full force and, in no time, he was on the counter ready to be picked up by Kers. He’d already shown his work to his mom, proving he could spend the evening away, and promised he’d be back by nine.

“Mind your manners and have fun,” reminded Amanda. Parker nodded, and just in time too. The electrical outlet cracked open right at that moment and Kers’ face appeared in the darkness. A smile tugged onto the sides of his lips as he held the cover open for Parker. Giving a wave to Amanda, Kers promised to have Parker back in time before the two Borrowers vanished into the walls.

They didn’t say much on the walk there, and it wasn’t until Parker crossed the threshold of the house that conversation really started up. Finnick talked to Parker the most, and it had to do with tumbling and training. His suggestion was having Amanda make an obstacle course that Parker didn’t see her make and have Parker run through all of the blind challenges.

Kit was still being standoffish, but the youngest boy, Reed, said that Kit wouldn’t shut up about Parker when he wasn’t around. This sent the two Borrower kids into a tussling match which Kit barely managed to proclaim herself as the winner.

Meanwhile, Mira pulled Parker into the kitchen and quizzed him on his knowledge of the food they were baking and how to store food in the best possible way. Considering they were having mac-n-cheese, rehydrated beef jerky, and green bean fragments which were also being rehydrated, Parker was able to provide the answer to everything.

It wasn’t until they were about to sit down when there was a knock at the door. It was so unexpected that Parker whipped around and instinctually reached for the pin he now kept at his side. Startled, the Borrower teen glanced around and felt a bit surprised when no one else had the same reaction. It was almost as if it was expected.

“Is that them?” asked Reed as he untangled himself from Kit’s hold and ran for the door.

“Hey! Don’t just charge at the door! It might be a stranger,” Kit scolded as she charged after him. Parker listened to the door open as muffled voices began conversing. Based on their tone, they all knew one another.

“Hey there, bobbins,” said an unfamiliar voice. “What on earth happened to you two? Wrestling again?”

“No! Punishing this one because he was being rude,” Kit replied.

“In your dreams,” snapped Reed. Toulouse and Finnick also approached the hallway leading to the door, postures relaxing as they vanished around corner and into the hall.

“It’s good to see you two, and you’re just in time. We’re about to sit down for dinner. Um… mind if we chat outside for a second?” suggested Toulouse.

“Uh, sure. What’s up?” asked a second strange voice. The door opened and then closed as the muffled voices continued talking outside. Kers followed behind moments later.

“It must be our two friends from beyond the yard,” remarked Mira as she gave Parker a little nudge on his arm with her elbow. “You don’t have to worry. They’re friends. If you feel uncomfortable, we don’t have to invite them in.”

“N-no,” replied Parker. “It’s alright. You said they’re friends from beyond the yard?”

“Yes. Though we don’t know too much about where they’re from since they don’t talk about it much, we do know they’re excellent Borrowers and live somewhere far away. They go around from house to house figuring out what other Borrowers might need and take the risks to get it. They’re very good at what they do. They’re the ones who borrowed the pieces for my leg.”

“Oh,” said Parker as their names came back to him. “It’s… R… Rey? And…”

“Hero,” filled in Reed. “They’re seriously the coolest Borrowers out there, other than my mom and dad. I’m definitely going to try and join their team one of these days. They’ve got so many cool things that they’ve borrowed, and their stories are seriously the best!”

“Alright mister adventure. Would you please set the table and get the extra chairs?” asked Mira. Reed obeyed while continuing to talk about the two newcomers, rambling about this and that as Parker moved to help him.

As he did, Parker glanced over at Mira’s prosthetic leg once more as he placed the cups and plats onto the table. To him, it looked a bit odd. There was something about the way the ridges on the side were put together and the way that it fit Mira perfectly that bugged him ever so slightly. He couldn’t quite place where, but something about it was just different.

It took a couple of minutes, but soon the sound of the door opening and the multiple sets of footsteps following told Parker that the two had decided to stay. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt a bit nervous meeting these two new guys. Maybe it was just because he was still getting used to interacting on a regular basis with other Borrowers or maybe it was because Parker feared the strangers’ reaction if he accidentally let it slip that he was raised by a human all his life.

Whatever the case, Parker took a quick, calming breath as he turned and faced the two strangers. Both of them were dressed in what looked like fortified leathers that covered them almost from head to toe. The top part was obviously a removable coat, which both of them had started to unbutton, and had a hood with a partial face covering that came up to the bridge of their noses.

One of them had pale blue eyes while the other had bright green eyes, and both had light sandy blonde-brown hair. They might’ve been brothers if their features weren’t so different, the one having slightly rounder features while the other’s features were a little more narrow, filled in only by a goatee that was definitely a little scruffy. Parker would’ve guessed they were a little younger than Kers, but it was hard to tell. Both of them looked strong, deceptively so, and full of life based on the twinkling in their eyes.

“Well, hey there. It’s always nice to see a new face. You’re Parker, right? I’m Rey, and this is my friend Hero,” said the one with the goatee. He held out his hand for Parker to shake. Parker reached out and immediately shook the stranger called Rey’s hand. He did the same for Hero.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Hero said. “Sorry to intrude. If we’d known the family was going to have company, we would’ve just camped outside tonight.”

“No, it’s alright. The more the merrier,” Mira stated as she began loading up the table with the prepared meal.

“So? What kind of stuff did you bring?” asked Reed, which earned him a scolding glance from his father. The young Borrower didn’t say anything else and merely took his seat while looking eagerly at Rey and Hero. He was so excited he was squirming in his seat, making it squeak as he did.

Both of the strangers glanced at one another and laughed as the gestured to the hallway. “We do happen to have a few things in our packs that you all might find fun and useful, but we’ll wait for your parents’ permission. Sound good?” suggested Hero.

“Yes!” Reed grinned. Finnick and Kit both attempted to take a seat right next to Rey while Reed elected to sit next to Hero. The squabbling siblings resulted in Parker being placed next to Rey while Kers and the other adults sat on the other side of the table. The cramped quarters made Parker think about how this felt like a real family gathering.

He’d seen it in movies before, but he’d only ever had his meals with his mom.

It felt oddly welcome, and Parker was going to embrace every second of it.

They ate and conversed amongst one another. Mostly, Parker felt himself listening as he heard about Rey and Hero’s travels. They did indeed come from beyond the yard and further beyond that still. They talked about how they were trying to tame birds for faster travel and even showed off some of their scars from recent lizard based encounters.

“I see you’ve got some scars of your own,” Rey pointed out as he nodded his head toward Parker’s left arm. Everything had long scabbed over, but there were still distinct teeth marks all along his shoulder and arm from where he’d almost been taken by the bearded dragon. “How’d you get those? If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Um…” Parker wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something intuitive in those pale blue eyes that were on him.

“It’s okay, little man. You don’t have to say. I think I know what those belong to. Bearded dragon, right? Nasty things if you wake them up and they’re hungry,” stated Rey as he continued to eat.

“You’ve fought one before?” asked Reed.

“Yeah, definitely. A human was walking her pet a while back and let it loose in the grass to hunt bugs. Found my hiding place immediately and grabbed my leg pretty good. Got out in time though, which is the important thing,” said Rey.

“Yeah, I had to carry his pack for the rest of the day while he recovered,” chimed in Hero. Parker felt himself grinning knowing he had something in common with these awesome adventuring Borrowers. He wondered for a moment if it was the same bearded dragon that got the both of them, but that would be too much of a coincidence. “But! Enough about that! Parker, since you’re new here, have any questions for us?”

Parker thought about the question for a second. As he did, he felt a tap under the table as Mira was readjusting herself in her seat, and the nudge was from her prosthetic leg.

“Oh, I’m sorry Parker. I didn’t mean to hit you,” she apologized. Parker waved it away and smiled. He glanced back down at the leg when it finally hit him. He’d seen grooves and patterns like that before – on a 3D printer. Some of his friends had done 3D printing before, and between the color and the custom fit, it seemed like too many coincidences to be brushed off.

Someone who wasn’t familiar with models and the whole process wouldn’t know the difference between a doll leg and a printed one. And, if that was the case, how did Hero and Rey have access to something like that. They needed supplies, electricity, and the programming skills in order to do all of that.

That’s when a question came to mind.

“Um… I do actually. Um… how’d you do that?” asked Parker as he pointed to Mira’s leg.

“Huh?” asked Hero as he glanced over the table at Mira’s leg. His body shifted from openly friendly to a distinct shiver going down his spine. Rey obviously saw that too and smiled politely.

“Ms. Mira’s leg. She said you all were the ones who brought it. How’d you make it? If you’re… wait, what is it? ‘Outies?’ How’d you get the supplies and everything to make it?” asked Parker. The two Borrowers glanced at one another, now a bit tense, which prompted Parker to continue. “It’s 3D printed, right? How’d you manage to pull that off?”

Rey turned toward Parker, a sly grin in the corner of his mouth, as he looked Parker in the eye. Immediately, Parker saw something in those pale blue eyes that told him that there was far more to these two than any of them knew.

“We borrowed it, naturally,” stated Rey. “You say it’s 3D printed?”

“Um… y-yeah,” said Parker. His instincts hadn’t led him astray, and Parker knew he was on the right path talking to these guys about this.

“Well, that’s fun. That’s usually a human thing if I remember correctly,” stated Hero. “You’ve got a good eye for something like that, kid.”

Hero’s words seemed to disperse the relative tension that filled the air and Toulouse and Kers began striking up a conversation with both Rey and Hero, letting Parker off of the hook as he helped clean up after dinner. Parker wanted to stay and talk, but the adults dismissed the kids, even Finnick, to go to the living area to show Parker some games that they had.

Together, they played “Pictionary,” some dice game called “Pig,” and even started their own checkers tournament because they didn’t know how the chess pieces actually worked. The rest of the evening progressed smoothly, each group keeping to their own relatively speaking until the very end when Kers came to the living area to collect Parker.

“It’s time to go, Parker,” said Kers. “Don’t want to make your mom worry.”

“Yessir,” said Parker. “I’ll teach you guys chess next time.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kit said as she rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

When Parker went around the corner to the hallway, he noticed Rey and Hero also loading up their bags, which looked like they were made of some light, durable fabric that must’ve been hard to find. Leaves were plastered on the outsides as well as small bits of grass and twigs. It looked like there was a soda cap shield on the sides of both of them as well as helmets and other useful implements.

“Oh… are you… leaving too?” asked Parker.

“Yeah, we’ll be following Kers out the backway to camp below the floorboards. We’ll probably hang around for a few days just to rest and everything before heading back,” replied Hero. “As long as that’s not a problem.”

“No, not a problem. We look forward to seeing you all around. Don’t be strangers,” said Toulouse. They all parted ways, waving good-bye as they did, as Parker, Kers, Rey, and Hero vanished into the darkness of the walls.

They’d walked for a few minutes when Rey began keeping pace with Parker. The air around him changed, alerting Parker to the fact that Rey was about to say something.

“So, Parker, tell me a bit more about yourself. And, if you don’t mind my asking, why didn’t your mom come with you to dinner? Is she not feeling well?” asked Rey. Something about his pale blue eyes threatened to lure the truth directly out of Parker. He felt his mouth dry as if he’d stuffed his cheeks with cotton.

“Um… well… yeah, she… didn’t feel up to it,” lied Parker.

“Oh, right,” nodded Rey. “And the stuff you said about the 3D printing? You’ve got a keen eye for human construction. How’s that?”

Parker wasn’t sure how to answer. At this point, their group of four had completely stopped. Kers had just heard part of the conversation and had stopped mid-step to turn and look at Rey. Hero was only a few steps ahead.

“Um… I just…”

“You just know? Because you’ve done it? Or have friends who do? Human friends?” asked Rey. The bluntness of his question threw both Kers and Parker off guard, but Hero simply placed his hands on his hips and sighed.

“Rey, I thought we were going to talk about this later before asking Parker and Kers about this,” Hero scolded.

“Wait, what? What are you two…” Kers started as Hero directed his attention to the older of the two Borrowers.

“When Toulouse brought us outside and told us that Parker was in a bit of a unique situation and that we shouldn’t pry too much because it would upset him, we suspected something was a little different about Parker. And not just the normal Borrower trauma thing. Then, Parker said that thing about 3D printing, which only someone who is familiar with the look would really know what to look for. So, we had the same idea,” said Hero. “I thought we were going to talk about this before, but here we are.”

“I… wait… you don’t understand. I… I know humans are dangerous and stuff, but… not all of them are! Please, don’t worry about the whole secret stuff. I…” Parker was interrupted by both Rey and Hero chuckling as they exchanged knowing glances.

At this, Rey crouched and removed his pack, keeping eye-contact with the Borrower teen the whole time.

“Parker, it’s okay. We know,” grinned Rey. “Not all humans are bad. Believe us, we’d know more than most.” Parker’s eyes widened as he looked back from the adults’ faces around him. He and Kers both shared the same look of stunned silence while Rey and Hero looked mildly amused.

“But… how?” Parker stammered. “And why didn’t you just say that in front of the others?”

“Let’s just say our situation is probably not so different than your own,” said Rey. “And it’s a tricky thing bringing up in front of another Borrower family. They’re great Borrowers, but they’re a bit more traditional than Hero and me. How about we all do some training together tomorrow? And then we can talk about it?”

“Y-yeah! Absolutely!” said Parker, his eagerness getting him excited for training the next day.

“Well then,” chuckled Rey. “We’ll see you tomorrow at some point? We’ll be in the crawl space under the house by the backdoor steps. Come outside when you’re ready.”

“Definitely,” said Parker.

“Good. Then I think we’ll take our leave. See you tomorrow, Kers.”

With that, the two Borrowers diverged from the path and vanished into the darkness. The conversation had Parker reeling, but he was more than excited to talk to these new Borrowers and finally talk to others who understood his point of view. For Parker, tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.

He and Kers made quick work of the rest of the trek and, true to his word, Kers had Parker back on the counter at exactly nine o’clock. Parker thanked Kers for bringing him along and asked if he would come by to talk to Rey and Hero the next day, to which Kers agreed. He was also curious about these two and, like he’d promised to himself years prior, he wanted to help protect and guide Parker along his journey.

With that, Parker ran back out to the embrace of his mom and the two of them retreated to the couch to finish their book. Parker couldn’t imagine sleeping tonight but was asleep within minutes.

His future was growing brighter by the moment, and he was ready for every step of it.

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue | Final

Previous

Beginning

[bi-bi-buckleys]

I’ve had Come What May stuck in my head so of course: bucktommy Moulin Rouge! AU (Everyone Lives Edition)

Maddie ran away from her abusive husband (maybe she poisoned him and then ran away) and ended up at the Moulin Rouge! and wrote her little brother letters about how wonderful the Bohemian lifestyle is.

Evan can’t stand being around his parents anymore so he leaves home to join her. He’s a wide-eyed hopeless romantic who dreams of being a famous writer. He’s got love in his heart and stars in his eyes

Eddie is Toulouse, Chimney is the unconscious Argentinian, Hen is Satie the composer

Bobby is of course Zidler and Athena is Marie

I’m so sorry to tell y’all this but Gerard is the Duke

I haven’t decided on Sal. I originally wanted him to be Audrey, the original writer who Evan (Christian) would end up replacing because it works BUT I also like him for Le Chocolat because he’s constantly by Satine’s side because of course…

Tommy is Satine. The most sought after dancer/escort at Moulin Rouge! He’s jaded and doesn’t believe in love. He wants to leave this place and make it somewhere (cue One Day I’ll Fly Away). He’s gorgeous and captivating. He of course draws the attention of Evan and Gerard

Gerard has heard about the Moulin Rouge! and wants Tommy for himself. He’ll support the play so long as Tommy is solely his. Tommy agrees because he sees it as a way out. He’s shocked to meet Gerard and see he’s actually a young, gorgeous, sweet, awkward guy who wants to recite him poetry. Wow he can’t believe his luck! That’s because it’s not Gerard it’s Evan.

Evan had no intention of making a move on Tommy, didn’t know that’s what he wanted until Tommy tried to seduce him thinking he was Gerard. Evan has his oh moment and professes his love to Tommy. Tommy of course is like you can’t possibly love me, we just met, you’re just infatuated but you’re hot and I’m interested. He says yes to having an affair behind Gerard’s back, (never actually allowing Gerard to touch him because he needs to focus on the play of course) and he falls in love with Evan. Oops.

Tommy tries to break it off with Evan because he’s scared of his feelings and what Gerard will do to them, but Evan’s not having it because he knows it’s true love.

This is where the no one dies part comes in: Tommy realizes he wants a life with Evan and can’t stand the thought of leaving him to fake a life with the abusive and controlling Gerard. But Gerard is powerful and he knows he’d never leave Tommy and Evan alone. So he, Bobby, and Athena devise a plan: Tommy will fake his own death. They can’t kill Gerard, he’s too well protected, too well connected. This is the only way. Bobby tells him he can’t tell Evan because Evan’s reaction will sell it. Tommy hates the idea of breaking Evan’s heart like that, but just has to trust that he’ll forgive him.

Tommy is drugged to the point of seeming like he’s dead (yes yes this is Romeo and Juliet hush) and Evan is devastated and sobbing and screaming while holding Tommy in his arms. He’s yelling at Gerard who just gets pissy that he never got to sleep with Tommy and has lost his new toy so he storms off. Everyone has to restrain Evan from going after Gerard for being so callous. He doesn’t care about his safety at this point because he lost the love of his life. That’s when Bobby tells him that Tommy’s not dead, and they just need to wait for the drug to wear off. He tells Evan everything.

Of course Evan’s pissed that Tommy would do this and not tell him, that he’d put him through such heartbreak. But Tommy is crying and begging Evan to forgive him, he saw no other way out of Gerard’s grasp. Evan tries to stay mad at Tommy, but Tommy looks so scared at the thought of losing him and he’s just so relieved that Tommy is actually alive and Tommy is telling him how much he loves him and wants a life with him. Evan forgives him, of course he does. He loves him and just wants to be with him and they’ll work this, they’ll work everything out.

Evan writes their story. He changes names, he changes the Tommy character into a woman so it’s marketable, and he keeps the tragic ending. It’s a massive hit. He continues to write best selling novels while Tommy becomes a successful stage actor. Everyone thinks they’re just really good friends who travel together as perpetual playboy bachelors. There’s always a worry that with their growing fame Gerard will hear of them and figure out who they really are. One night at some gala they run into him. They lock eyes. Gerard looks like his heads gonna explode. Evan and Tommy think their lives are over, this powerful Duke is going to ruin them. Nope, Gerard drops of a heart attack. All is well.

Anyway, that’s what I was thinking about while making and eating dinner!

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Les troubles civils révèlent les fractures profondes d'une nation.

André Gide

Well, living in Paris is never boring. It's been a wild few days. And who knows what the weekend will bring. Where I live in Paris is untouched (so far). But people are rightfully scared as the unfolding violence and chaos spreads across Paris and beyond.

Nanterre, the suburb of Paris where the murder victim, 17 year old Nahel lived - and died - has once again become the scene of unrest. Hours after a peaceful march in his honour ended violence broke out. Office buildings were vandalised and a bank was set on fire. As the evening drew on police officers arrived in large numbers, in vans and on bikes.

Around five thousand officers were sent to Paris suburbs after some 170 police were injured and 180 people arrested overnight on Wednesday, when Mr Macron was at an Elton John concert - the optics of which have just reinforced the view that this is a President who is very much out of touch with his own country.

At a crisis cabinet meeting on Thursday, Mr Macron called the violence “unjustifiable” as scores of cars were set ablaze and police were attacked with fireworks and in some cases firearms. Shops were looted and state buildings, police stations and schools set on fire.

In Montreuil, in the north, some young people armed with batons have destroyed a pharmacy, McDonalds, ATM and other shops. Police have responded with tear gas. The entrance to the town hall of Clichy-sous-Bois, in the eastern suburbs of Paris, was set alight by protesters, according to videos shared online.

Buses and trams in Paris were stopped at 9pm in and around Paris and a curfew from 9pm to 6am was imposed in the Parisian suburb of Clamart until Monday as authorities struggled to keep control. In Nanterre’s Avenue Pablo Picasso, dozens of vehicles burned as fireworks were fired at police lines, along with stones and Molotov cocktails.

According to text messages sent between officers and seen by BFM TV, police said they were totally swamped, had run out of rubber bullets and were forced to withdraw from various districts after being personally targeted.

Conservative politicians have been screaming at Macron’s government to call a state of emergency and send in the armed forces. But so far both Macron and his Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne have ruled it for fear of escalating the situation.

A state of emergency was called by then-president Jacques Chirac during the 2005 banlieue riots. That was the first time the measure had been taken in 50 years. Ten years later, the French government declared a state of emergency following the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. The measure lasted two years. Thursday night, various government ministers said a state of emergency was not being considered. Whether this is still their position as the unrest persists and intensifies remains to be seen.

I suspect the Macron government is haunted by the possibility of a repeat of the weeks of sustained violent protest sparked by the death of two young boys of African origin during a police chase in 2005. That incident, in Clichy-sous-Bois outside Paris, triggered weeks of unrest with France declaring a state of national emergency as more than 9,000 vehicles and dozens of public buildings and businesses were set on fire.

The government seems to be caught flat footed. The riots have spread way beyond Paris and some its poorer and more multi-cultural suburbs to other cities such as Lille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Lyon, Toulouse, and Marseille. It’s a shit show.

The heart of this civil strife is the age old issue of the role of the police in society. It would be a grave misunderstanding to see the French police and all that ails them through an English or especially an American lens. France is not America. This has nothing to do with race or even systemic racism (whatever the lazy way of thinking that is). The police officers in Paris and other major cities are multi-ethnic and many are married with partners across ethnic lines. To think this is white on black is incredibly dumb.

This isn't even about class. The British Met police are now mostly recruited from university graduate class when before they were blue collar. Unlike the British Met, the police in France is overwhelmingly blue collar and live in the same social locales as they ones they police. It's one reason why they don't take any shit when they stop someone. They can be brusque and yes even borderline brutal. But to wrap this all in a bundle and a bow and call it racism is simplistic bullshit.

As one of my French colleagues - who managed to make it out of the banlieues (poor social housing suburbs of Paris) and managed to get good schooling and make a decent life for herself - put it well: the problem with the police is they are meant to protect citizens but they really serve the state. This is the fracture between state and society.

Some say sending more police in is like pouring gasoline on a fire - but what else can a responsible government do to avert chaos and further civil unrest? They have to be seen to act.

And yet that mistrustful relationship is many have with the police which has prompted the anger. People in ethnically diverse neighbourhoods such as Nanterre say officers aren’t working to protect them - it’s a common refrain one hears. However true it may be it doesn’t absolve the rioters themselves - many of who are just looting for the fun of it or are far left agitators - in these areas who have gone beyond protesting a tragic murder of a young man to openly looting and destroying cars, family owned stores, commercial stores, schools, and businesses.

Pauvre France.

[morelikeravenbore]

imma be cheeky and ask for 3 and 4: what’s your favourite lines of narration and dialogue? 💚

Well hello there, small green gremlin, and what a wonderful trench coat you have on today!

Thanks for the question! I'm answering yours first because I thought it'd be the easiest. Plot twist: it was hard af (that's what she said.)

✨ Favourite narration. I loove writing prose. One of my biggest inspirations is L. M. Montgomery and the way every single paragraph she writes is just stunningly beautiful — not that I dare compare myself to a talent like hers, but bloody hell, nothing else inspires me quite like her work does.

I remember being stoked on this description of Hogsmeade when I first wrote it, and I don't cringe reading back on it so, that's a good sign, I guess.

Like everything in the Scottish Highlands, Hogsmeade village appeared to have grown right out of the earth itself, all mossy-greens and earthy-browns as if its architects had been garden gnomes and fairies. Rows of precariously leaning shopfronts lined the cobbled streets, their facades reaching toward the sky like twisted tree trunks, crooked and uneven. Aurélie would not have been surprised to learn that Hogsmeade hadn't been built at all, but grown from the soil up. Where she'd come from, everything had been pink, not green. Her home of Toulouse, whose magnificent terracotta buildings had given it the nickname La Ville Rose, was a far cry from the rugged wilds of Scotland. Though, much like Hogsmeade, Toulouse was a maze of narrow streets, there was nothing organic about the Pink City; everything within it had been meticulously crafted, a living fairytale, a refined work of art that glowed pink and gold whenever the sun set over its stunning facade. A rose quartz city, her mother used to call it. More starkly still, Beauxbatons had been clean and white, adorned with trimmings of gold and powder blues. Grand and imposing with its seven stories of gleaming alabaster marble, soaring windows and endlessly high ceilings, it had surely been built by angels, not garden gnomes. Taking in her surroundings, Aurélie was certain there were no Baroque carvings or gilded mirrors in the Highlands; no silk curtains or velvet sofas, no marble fireplaces or tapestries woven with unicorn hair, and surely when the sun set over the tiny magical village, there was not a shade of pink to be seen. And yet, for all its ramshackle structures and muddy roads, Hogsmeade was not without its charm; uneven and loud, yes - but alive. - How to Make a Villain, chapter 8.

✨Favourite dialogue. I freakin love writing dialogue nom nom nom, especially the flirty bickering between Sebastian and Aurélie. Its my favourite. I could write an entire book of nothing but these two pretending they're not into eachother. No plot, only banter.

Merlin, and here he was thinking that Anne had been the most exasperating girl he'd ever known. 'What rubbish!' she snapped, suddenly sounding very French again. 'You can't seriously believe that nonsense! I'm not going to turn into some soulless creature of darkness just because I want to keep my magic under control! What kind of ridiculous concept is that? What sort of Dark-Arts-loving nutjob wrote this book, anyway?' - Sebastian tried really, really hard not to laugh at this, - 'and why should I believe what's written in some crusty old book, anyway? You know what, just forget I told you anything about this whole stupid magic thing! I don't want to talk about this ever again! And don't you dare tell another living soul, Sebastian Sallow, or I swear -' 'Please,' he scoffed, 'who am I going to tell?' 'I don't know!' she burst out. 'All your girlfriends probably!' Sebastian choked. 'Girlfriends?' he spluttered. 'What girlfriends? You think I have girlfriends? Plural?' 'I don't know!' 'I don't even have one girlfriend, let alone several!' 'Well, you seem...' she gestured at him, visibly flustered, 'popular!' 'I'm not popular!' 'Well, I don't know, do I? I don't know anything about you, but you know all these secrets about me and I don't even know if you-' '-have a girlfriend?' 'No! I mean - that's not - I don't care if - that was just an example!' - How to Make a Villain, chapter 11.

OOP OKAY THIS WAS LONG. THANKS AGAIN FOR THE QUESTION. SORRY IF I WENT OVERBOARD LOL.

How to Make a Villain: wattpad | ao3

[teknikolor-walters]

so. in advance im so sorry if this spirals out of control, but i just... haven't been able to stop thinking about the idea of your podcast, yknow?

i think it's something about knowing that feeling. i have spent a Long time in high school (long enough im wayyy past sick of this place 🙄) and most of that has been spent being bullied by sophomore-equivalents. and what that does is it teaches you a lot of things very fast. well, it taught me a lot of things very fast, certainly. stuff like how i should never actually respond to how my weekend was (nobody actually wants an answer to that, apparently) or what my favourite film/book/game is (nobody actually cares, apparently) and- most aptly- to never, ever make anything that's got more joy, wit, and passion than the of back of a cereal box put into it. i have sat the night before a project was due and rewrote the entire thing because it would be too soul-bearing otherwise. because it would get mocked either way, and i couldn't bear that happening to something i actually cared about.

and i have lived six years like this. six years of supposedly the most creative part of my life have been spent writing, drawing, and talking about stuff that would make wheaties look like an exciting novelty.

and you know what?

it doesn't even work. as my mother puts it, if people want to make fun of you, they'll find a way to do it no matter what. the point is- cicada, i don't want you to ever learn these lessons. ever. the world is not like sophmore year of high school. it is full of people like felix, and toulouse, and everyone else that cares about you. it's full of people that are going to love you for your full and unapologetic self. i promise. i've been there. i'll hold your hand through it and everything. but you have poured your heart and soul into this podcast, and i never, ever want you to stop doing that. fuck. them. they have no right, no place to make you feel shame for being who you are or liking what you do. but they can, and they will, no matter what you stand up there and present.

so you might as well present that podcast proudly. and you might as well continue to make and enjoy things like it for the rest of your life. for yourself, and for everyone who was too afraid to do something similar.

it isn't an easy choice. it is one of the hardest things you'll ever have to do. but i'm proud of you either way. even making it's an act of rebellion. schools WANT cereal-packet crap. don't let them have it. okay?

Okay. I'll try.

[palecleverdoll]

Queens and Princesses of the Spanish Kingdoms: Ages at First Marriage

I have only included women whose birth dates and dates of marriage are known within at least 1-2 years, therefore, this is not a comprehensive list. This data set ends with the transition to Habsburg-controlled Spain.

Sancha, wife of King Fernando I of Léon; age 14 when she married Fernando in 1032 CE

Ermesinda of Bigorre, wife of King Ramiro I of Aragon; age 21 when she married Ramiro in 1036 CE

Sancha, daughter of King Ramiro I of Aragon; age 18 when she married Count Ermengol III of Urgell in 1063 CE

Constance of Burgundy, wife of King Alfonso VI of Léon & Castile; age 19 when she married Count Hugh II of Chalon in 1065 CE

Felicia of Roucy, wife of King Sancho of Aragon; age 16 when she married Sancho in 1076 CE

Agnes of Aquitaine, wife of King Pedro I of Aragon; age 14 when she married Pedro in 1086 CE

Teresa, daughter of King Alfonso VI of Léon & Castile; age 13 when she married Count Henri of Burgundy in 1093 CE

Elvira, daughter of King Alfonso VI of Léon & Castile; age 15 when she married Count Raymond IV of Toulouse in 1094 CE

Bertha, wife of King Pedro I of Aragon; age 22 when she married Pedro in 1097 CE

Elvira, daughter of King Alfonso VI of Léon & Castile; age 17 when she married King Ruggero II of Sicily in 1117 CE

Berenguela of Barcelona, wife of King Alfonso VII of Léon & Castile; age 12 when she married Alfonso in 1128 CE

Urraca, daughter of King Alfonso VII of Léon; age 11 when she married King Garcia Ramirez of Navarre in 1144 CE

Petronilla, daughter of King Ramiro II of Aragon; age 14 when she married Count Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona in 1150 CE

Richeza of Poland, wife of King Alfonso VII of Léon & Castile; age 12 when she married Alfonso in 1152 CE

Sancha, daughter of King Alfonso VII of Léon & Castile; age 14 when she married King Sancho VI of Navarre in 1153 CE

Constanza, daughter of King Alfonso VII of Léon & Castile; age 16 when she married King Louis VII of France in 1154 CE

Urraca of Portugal, wife of King Fernando II of Léon; age 17 when she married Fernando in 1165 CE

Eleanor of England, wife of King Alfonso VIII of Castile; age 9 when she married Alfonso in 1170 CE

Sancha of Castile, wife of King Alfonso II of Aragon; age 20 when she married Alfonso in 1174 CE

Dulce, daughter of Queen Petronilla of Aragon; age 14 when she married King Sancho I of Portugal in 1174 CE

Berenguela, daughter of King Alfonso VIII of Castile; age 7 when she married Duke Conrad II of Swabia in 1187 CE

Marie of Montpellier, wife of King Pedro II of Aragon; age 10 when she married Viscount Raymond Geoffrey II of Marseille in 1192 CE

Garsenda of Foralquier, wife of Prince Alfonso II of Aragon; age 13 when she married Alfonso in 1193 CE

Constance of Toulouse, wife King Sancho VII of Navarre; age 15 when she married Sancho in 1195 CE

Constanza, daughter of King Alfonso II of Aragon; age 19 when she married King Emeric of Hungary in 1198 CE

Blanca of Castile, daughter of King Alfonso VIII of Castile; age 12 when she married King Louis VIII of France in 1200 CE

Eleonora, daughter of King Alfonso II of Aragon; age 22 when she married Count Raymond VI of Toulouse in 1204 CE

Urraca, daughter of King Alfonso VIII of Castile; age 19 when she married King Afonso II of Portugal in 1206 CE

Mafalda of Portugal, wife of King Enrique I of Castile; age 20 when she married Enrique in 1215 CE

Sancha, daughter of King Alfonso II of Aragon; age 25 when she married Count Raymond VII of Toulouse in 1211 CE

Elisabeth of Swabia, wife of King Fernando III of Castile; age 14 when she married Fernando in 1219 CE

Eleonora of Castile, wife of King Jaime I of Aragon; age 19 when she married Jaime in 1221 CE

Berenguela, daughter of King Alfonso IX of Léon; age 20 when she married Emperor Jean I of Brienne in 1224 CE

Marguerite of Bourbon, wife of King Teobaldo I of Navarre; age 15 when she married Teobaldo in 1232 CE

Yolanda of Hungary, wife of King Jaime I of Aragon; age 20 when she married Jaime in 1235 CE

Joan of Dammartin, wife of King Fernando III of Castile; age 17 when she married Fernando in 1237 CE

Yolanda, daughter of King Jaime I of Aragon; age 13 when she married King Alfonso X of Castile in 1249 CE

Isabelle of France, wife of King Teobaldo II of Navarre; age 14 when she married Teobaldo in 1255 CE

Kristina of Norway, wife of Prince Felipe of Castile; age 24 when she married Felipe in 1258 CE

Beatriz, daughter of King Teobaldo I of Navarre; age 16 when she married Duke Hugues IV of Burgundy in 1258 CE

Constanza, daughter of King Jaime I of Aragon; age 21 when she married Prince Manuel of Castile in 1260 CE

Constanza of Sicily, wife of King Pedro III of Aragon; age 13 when she married Pedro in 1262 CE

Isabel, daughter of King Jaime I of Aragon; age 14 when she married King Louis IX of France in 1262 CE

Beatrice of Savoy, wife of Prince Manuel of Castile; age 18 when she married Pierre of Chalon in 1268 CE

Blanche of France, wife of Prince Fernando of Castile; age 16 when she married Fernando in 1269 CE

Blanche of Artois, wife of King Enrique I of Navarre; age 21 when she married Enrique in 1269 CE

Beatriz, daughter of King Alfonso X of Castile; age 17 when she married Marquis William VII of Montferrat in 1271 CE

Esclaramunda of Foix, wife of King Jaime II of Majorca; age 25 when she married Jaime in 1275 CE

Maria de Molina, wife of King Sancho IV of Castile; age 17 when she married Sancho in 1282 CE

Yolanda, daughter of King Alfonso X of Castile; age 17 when she married Diego Lopez V de Haro in 1282 CE

Juana, daughter of King Enrique I of Navarre; age 11 when she married King Philippe IV of France in 1284 CE

Maria Diaz I de Haro, wife of Prince Juan of Castile; age 17 when she married Juan in 1287 CE

Yolanda, daughter of Prince Manuel of Castile; age 12 when she married Prince Afonso of Portugal in 1287 CE

Isabel, daughter of King Pedro III of Aragon; age 17 when she married King Denis of Portugal in 1288 CE

Isabel of Castile, wife of King Jaime II of Aragon; age 8 when she married Jaime in 1291 CE

Blanche of Anjou, wife of King Jaime II of Aragon; age 15 when she married Jaime in 1295 CE

Yolanda, daughter of King Pedro III of Aragon; age 24 when she married Prince Roberto of Naples in 1297 CE

Constanza of Portugal, wife of King Fernando IV of Castile; age 12 when she married Fernando in 1302 CE

Beatriz, daughter of King Sancho IV of Castile; age 16 when she married King Afonso IV of Portugal in 1309 CE

Maria, daughter of King Jaime II of Aragon; age 12 when she married Prince Pedro of Castile in 1311 CE

Constanza, daughter of King Jaime II of Aragon; age 12 when she married Prince Juan Manuel of Villena in 1312 CE

Teresa d'Entença, wife of King Alfonso IV of Aragon; age 14 when she married Alfonso in 1314 CE

Marie of Lusignan, wife of King Jaime II of Aragon; age 42 when she married Jaime in 1315 CE

Isabel, daughter of King Jaime II of Aragon; age 10 when she married King Frederick I of Germany in 1315 CE

Eleonora of Castile, wife of Prince Jaime of Aragon; age 12 when she married Jaime in 1319 CE

Elisenda of Montcada, wife of King Jaime II of Aragon; age 30 when she married Jaime in 1322 CE

Blanca de La Cerda y Lara, wife of Prince Juan Manuel of Castile; age 10 when she married Juan Manuel in 1327 CE

Constanza, daughter of King Alfonso IV of Aragon; age 18 when she married King Jaime III of Majorca in 1336 CE

Cecilia of Comminges, wife of Prince Jaime of Aragon; age 16 when she married Jaime in 1336 CE

Maria of Navarre, wife of King Pedro IV of Aragon; age 8 when she married Pedro in 1337 CE

Leonor of Portugal, wife of King Pedro IV of Aragon; age 19 when she married Pedro in 1347 CE

Eleonora of Sicily, wife of King Pedro IV of Aragon; age 24 when she married Pedro in 1349 CE

Juana Manuel, daughter of Prince Juan Manuel; age 11 when she married King Enrique of Castile in 1350 CE

Blanche of Bourbon, wife of King Pedro of Castile; age 14 when she married Pedro in 1353 CE

Constanza, daughter of King Pedro IV of Aragon; age 18 when she married King Federico of Sicily in 1361 CE

Maria de Luna, wife of King Martin of Aragon; age 14 when she married Martin in 1372 CE

Juana, daughter of King Pedro IV of Aragon; age 29 when she married Count Juan I of Ampurias in 1373 CE

Marthe of Armagnac, wife of King Juan I of Aragon; age 26 when she married Juan in 1373 CE

Beatriz of Portugal, wife of Prince Sancho of Castile; age 19 when she married Sancho in 1373 CE

Eleonora of Aragon, daughter of King Pedro IV of Aragon; age 17 when she married King Juan I of Castile in 1375 CE

Eleonora, daughter of King Enrique II of Castile; age 12 when she married King Carlos III of Navarre in 1375 CE

Isabel of Portugal, wife of Count Alfonso Enriquez; age 13 when she married Alfonso in 1377 CE

Violant of Bar, wife of King Juan I of Aragon; age 15 when she married Juan in 1380 CE

Beatriz of Portugal, wife of King Juan I of Castile; age 10 when she married Juan in 1383 CE

Juana, daughter of King Juan I of Aragon; age 17 when she married Count Matthieu of Foix in 1392 CE

Eleonora of Albuquerque, wife of King Fernando I of Aragon; age 20 when she married Fernando in 1394 CE

Yolanda, daughter of King Juan of Aragon; age 19 when she married Duke Louis II of Anjou in 1400 CE

Blanca I of Navarre, wife of Prince Martin of Aragon; age 15 when she married Martin in 1402 CE

Juana, daughter of King Carlos III of Navarre; age 20 when she married Count Jean I of Foix in 1402 CE

Beatriz, daughter of King Carlos III of Navarre; age 14 when she married Count James II of La Marche in 1406 CE

Isabel, daughter of King Pedro IV of Aragon; age 31 when she married Count Jaime II of Urgell in 1407 CE

Margarita of Prades, wife of King Martin of Aragon; age 14 when she married Martin in 1409 CE

Maria of Castile, wife of King Alfonso V of Aragon; age 14 when she married Alfonso in 1415 CE

Catalina of Castile, wife of Prince Enrique of Aragon; age 15 when she married Enrique in 1418 CE

Isabel, daughter of King Carlos III of Navarre; age 24 when she married Jean IV of Armagnac in 1419 CE

Maria, daughter of King Fernando I of Aragon; age 17 when she married King Juan II of Castile in 1420 CE

Eleonora, daughter of King Fernando I of Aragon; age 26 when she married King Duarte of Portugal in 1428 CE

Agnes of Cleves, wife of Prince Carlos of Aragon; age 17 when she married Carlos in 1439 CE

Blanca II of Navarre, daughter of King Juan II of Aragon and Queen Blanca I of Navarre; age 18 when she married King Enrique IV of Castile in 1440 CE

Eleonora of Navarre, daughter of King Juan II of Aragon and Queen Blanca 1 of Navarre; age 15 when she married Count Gaston IV of Foix in 1441 CE

Juana Enriquez, wife of King Juan II of Aragon; age 19 when she married Juan in 1444 CE

Isabel of Portugal, wife of King Juan II of Castile; age 19 when she married Juan in 1447 CE

Joana of Portugal, wife of King Enrique IV of Castile; age 16 when she married Enrique in 1455 CE

Isabel I of Castile, wife of King Fernando II of Aragon; age 18 when she married Fernando in 1469 CE

Juana, daughter of King Enrique IV of Castile; age 13 when she married King Afonso V of Portugal in 1475 CE

Juana, daughter of King Juan II of Aragon; age 21 when she married King Fernando I of Naples in 1476 CE

Isabel, daughter of King Fernando II of Aragon; age 20 when she married Prince Afonso of Portugal in 1490 CE

Juana, daughter of King Fernando II of Aragon; age 22 when she married Felipe I of Castile in 1501 CE

Margaret of Austria, wife of Prince Juan of Aragon; age 17 when she married Juan in 1497 CE

Maria, daughter of King Fernando II of Aragon; age 18 when she married King Manuel I of Portugal in 1500 CE

Catalina, daughter of King Fernando II of Aragon; age 15 when she married Prince Arthur of England in 1501 CE

Germaine of Foix, wife of King Fernando II of Aragon; age 18 when she married Fernando in 1506 CE

112 women; average age at first marriage was 16. The eldest bride was 42 years old, and the youngest was 7.

[allxgene]

Wriothesley's Blood Siblings

|| under the cut is my giant headcanon for all of Wriothesley's werewolf family. Only his siblings for now

Maxime - Protector Age: 35

Maxime is the eldest of the children, by pack hierarchy he is the one below the alphas to watch over the others, the mentor of the younger. Despite this important role and being the eldest he is held firmly under his father's thumb. Maxime while sentimental about missing his mother visited her birthplace of Morespoke, he was spotted shifting by a local. His father was going to silence her but Maxime butted in saying he'll take her as a mate to spare her life, however it trapped her in the pack. Maxime and his mate had a rough year before eventually falling in love, he fiercely protects her and their children, however that is his weakness Rainier exploits to make Maxime compliant.

Maxime is married to Anya, they have five children.

Clara - 'My father is the worst man alive and I'm his favorite daughter' Age: 35

The eldest daughter Clara is headstrong like her father and makes her a threat to his position. So to get the power advantage over her Rainier forced Clara into a union, she sired a son but her mate abandoned the pack due to the toxic power dynamic. Rainier uses her son to keep Clara in check.

Louis - Brain over brawn Age: 35

The last of the eldest children, Louis didn't excel in strength and instead smarts. Because of this he book keeps for the family with their businesses that Rainier controls. Louis despite his rather boy scout demeanor had a mate at one time, it was a happen chance during the full moon but he didn't wish for her to follow him home becoming trap. He is completely unaware he has a daughter.

Odette - The Ghost Age: 32

Odette is in the same litter as Wriothesley and was the other 'failure'. Born albino she was heavily ostracized by her father because of her appearance. She wouldn't be able to blend in and hunt for the pack, her white fur/hair and red eyes made her look off putting so she wouldn't attract a mate. She however did fall deeply in love with a human and sired one pup with him, her son Toulouse also albino. However her mate didn't like how Rainier treated her and stood up to the alpha which was the last mistake he ever did, Rainier easily killed him in front of Odette. She is still heavily mistreated by her father and is the low rank in the pack, some of her sisters take pity on her and help Odette.

Ashley - lone wolf Age: 32

Unknown whereabouts to the pack, many believe he is dead.

Elodie - all day everyday... Age: 32

Elodie like majority of her sisters are tasked with the home chores of the compound. She is oftentimes cooking, cleaning and tending to the pups. She is unmated and has no children, she doesn't want to be like her other siblings who are trapped in that situation. She is trying very hard for her father to let her be but she is past the age to have children, and a member of the pack that can't contribute might as well be dead...

Delphine - 'you look like your dead mother' Age: 32

Wriothesley is cursed to look like their father, Delphine is cursed to look like their mother. She is the spitting image of Alyona, her eyes are a much lighter shade of blue. Her auburn hair draws the attention of many, its how her poor husband and wife got snatched up into this toxic household. Since she looks like her mother Rainier allows Delphine to keep her two mates. Between the three of them their have seven kids.

Mael - shattered prince Age: 32

Mael was never the same after his mother died, completely shutting himself down. Like Wriothesley he was close to her and took her death the hardest. He's taken a vow of silence until her killer is brought to justice. If Clara doesn't kill their father he's next in line to do so. Mael has a husband.

Hugo - stay loyal, get in line Age: 32

If there is one child loyal to Rainier it's Hugo, not because of any love it all comes down to wanting to survive the longest out of everyone. Hugo has basically lost all loyalty from his siblings because he enforces the rules their horrid father have set.

Colette - a cracking porcelain doll Age: 29

The eldest of the last litter their mother sire she is the only child with the blending hair color of her mother and great grandfather. Colette is another beauty in the family whom her father believes he can marry off to a potential high ranking werewolf clan in Snezhnaya. While Colette could see it as freedom from this steel cage she doesn't want to leave behind any of her siblings.

Genevieve - little woman Age: 29

While werewolves are known to be excellent hunters and survivalist Genevieve wouldn't last long out in the wilds. The epitome of a bookworm she holds herself up in the limited library of the compound. She has taken on the role as the teacher for the pups, wanting all of them to have basic reading and writing skills.

Chole - the spare Age: 29

Chole was born with her mother's auburn hair but she honestly sees it as a curse. Cutting it short because she fears her father terribly and doesn't want him anywhere near her. Another young one that has the faith of getting a mate to have pups that their father will use to control them she is planning an escape.

Philipe - lone wolf Age: 29

Even if Philipe can come and go from the compound he is still on a leash like the rest of his siblings. The only thing keeping him from being scruffed by their father or worst his neck snapped because of his mouthy behavior is he is an excellent informant. He was the one to actually come across of a famous Duke in Fontaine with an eerily similar appearance to Rainier.

Gabriel - last in line Age: 29

Gabriel is trying to keep his head low, he is the youngest son of the last litter so essentially the sparest of heirs when it comes to all of his older brothers. With that mindset he wonders if he could slip away and Rainier not give a care in the world. Though what is keeping him from disappearing into the night is Toulous, he is fiercely protective of that pup and if he dies protecting him so be it.

Aimé - The True Heir Age: 15

Rainier saw that all of his children had been poisoned by their mother's coddling so he went to find someone else to make him the perfect heir. Aimé is the pack's half brother, sired with another unknown human since he was taken from his mother as soon as he was born. Aimé has just recently met all of his older brothers and sisters since Rainier kept him hidden outside of the compound so he won't be poisoned by them. Aimé doesn't know any better and that the way Rainier treats him is wrong, all he wants to do is please his father, no matter what.

[toutov]

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ it's not my fault i have my father's eyes .

toulouse sempre colocou o pai em um tipo de pedestal, como se ele fosse um herói que merecia todos os louros. porque ele era o seu herói pessoal, pelo menos. o admirava e sempre dizia como queria ser como ele quando crescesse. e isso se aplicava a vários aspectos, não só ser forte e bonito como henri era. mas responsável, inteligente, determinado, do tipo que sempre sabia o que fazer, que tinha o controle de tudo. feliz ou infelizmente, quando a gente cresce, percebe que nossos pais são apenas pessoas comuns, que cometem erros e que, em muitas das vezes, também não sabem o que estão fazendo. e mesmo descobrindo que seu pai, eventualmente, meteu os pés pelas mãos e deve ter pago um preço alto demais por isso, seu respeito por henri, seu orgulho por ele, nada disso diminuiu. isso porque, tudo estava carregado por esperança. esperança de que os erros que rodeavam a morte misteriosa do homem eram erros honestos. que ele tinha errado tentando acertar, tentando ser o que toulouse sempre tinha visto dele, um bom pai e um bom marido, que só queria o melhor para sua família. assim, seu pai ainda é seu herói.

[glorioustidalwavedefendor]

On the matter of this reddit post:

someone posted this:

For anyone that isn‘t aware of the story

A man sells his golden watch to buy his wife a comb for her long hair, and a woman cuts and sells her hair to buy him a watch chain, and THEY ARE HAPPY. None of them go "aCtUaLy I wanted a face cream", "And I told you I want a new tie! PURPLE one! PURPLE, WOMAN!!! CAN YOU SEE OR WHAT?".

I don‘t understand where the connection is

If you wanted to compare the story to the reddit post you would have to tell the story like this:

The man deliberately tells his wife to NOT SELL HER HAIR because he plans to sell his watch to buy her „a set of ornamental combs“*

And then wen he comes home to give her the set she has cut her hair to buy him a watch chain for the watch he told her he would sell.

Slightly taken aback he still gifts her the „set of ornamental combs“ because hair does regrow.

She asks him if he is disappointed because he isn’t vocally happy about the watch chain

He answers yes I am disappointed, I specifically asked you to do something and you didn‘t.

And now she is angry because he is an ungrateful piece of shit who wants to control her …

*(It wasn’t just a comb to comb her hair, it was a full set of hair jewelry)

They appreciate each other, because attention and love are more important than going full *insert Harry Potter character whose name I forgot* screaming "But I wanted 25 toys this year and not 20!".

Exactly, paying attention to what someone says, wen specifically asked is an important part of love :-)

But if we pull out the fairytales … don’t mind if I chime in

Cinderella’s father showered the step-sisters with gifts as he traveled, but Cinderella simply wanted “the first twig that brushes against [his] hat on [his] way home.” When her father returned she placed the twig on her mother’s grave and wept over it. Her tears watered the twig so that it grew into a beautiful tree. The tree watched over Cinderella as her mother had promised, sending white doves to her to watch over her and grant her wishes.

SOURCE

So by the logic of some peoples in regards to the AITA, bringing her a random ass stick is even better even though a random ass stick would not grow in to a dress making tree

Because a random ass stick is bigger and therefor better then a specific twig.

Because clearly daddy knows best … and the ungrateful brat should be happy she gets anything at all.

It is the thought that counts after all.

XD

Second story:

This one was recorded by John Rhys in Celtic Folklore, considered by him to be the most complete and representative of its type.

My original link no longer works, but this page here has the same version:

Now the long and short of the story is that:

Man meets supernatural maiden

Man falls for supernatural maiden

Man married supernatural maiden

The maiden's father gave her a dowry of as many sheep, cattle, goats and horses as she could count of each without drawing breath, and reminded the young man that if he ever struck her three times without cause then she would leave him forever and the dowry would be forfeit.

(… )

They were happy (…) but the wife continued to exhibit strange fairy behavior such as weeping at weddings (because marriage often brings trouble) and laughing at funerals (because death brings release from trouble).

At each instance of this her husband struck her a blow, not an angry or harmful one, but enough to break the terms of their marriage contract. Upon the third one she left him forever and took all their livestock back with her to the fairy realm. However, she did not completely abandon her sons.

I have known a variation of this story as long as I can remember

Man meets supernatural maiden

Man married supernatural maiden

Man is told specifically not to use a whip where she can hear it

Man uses a whip where she can hear it

She leaves

Though she comes back once a week on Sunday wen he is in church to do the chores and look after the children

Not good enough for him, so he takes mortal women

And ever since then, all the man in his family are born with a crippled foot …

And I hear you say, no fair you brought magic in to this

Well, you brought stories in to this and an artificial one at at that … barely a century old …

I brought stories in to this that have withstood the test of time for centuries, because they ring true for the experience of thousands and thousands of people …

The clash of cultures between people who are very specific about things and people who decide that they can interpret specific boundaries has been immortalized in countless stories.

Maybe it is time we remember these stories

Maybe it is time we remember

how hard seemingly small challenges can be, but how important they are to happiness.

how differently the same event, can be viewed.

how at times we fail to be fully present and aware of another’s feelings and needs.

Everyone has boundaries, it is NOT ON YOU to interpret them.

Vanilla in a chocolate cage might seem insignificant, same as using a whip where someone can hear it … but the issue is not the vanilla the issue is the breakdown of communication.

The issue is that:

She asked what he wanted

He said what he wanted, very specifically

She then decided to do what she deemed correct, interpreting what he wanted.

He ate the parts of the cake he actually wanted

She demanded to know if he was disappointed, in front of the children, instead of asking him later.

He gave her an honest answer

She din‘t like that.

Those are two people who do not fit together and will never fit together and who would be much much happier with different partners.

[angevinyaoiz]

Watched this Henry II docudrama while working on stuff yesterday and as u all know I love seeing what ppl do with the reenactor drama while Dan Jones walks around like a badboy at Chinon.

The thing is I've been so spoiled by the ugly haircuts and colorful stage camp toot toot music of The Devil's Crown that going to this SUPER grey and gritty modern realism filter is a whiplash haadjdjdidid. Also I realized they recycled a lot of this footage into the Secrets de Histoire video about Eleanor lmaoooo

The narrator talks in very serious voice about how THIS FAMILY DRAMA IS MORE BLOODIER AND DRAMATIC than FICTION which true I suppose but also to me it's Funny. It's Bathos.

We have Eleanor being the Evil Woman in the Yaoi shot here between Henry and Becket

Becket looks EVIL in all his shots and they play like the most foreboding haunting music it's like God damn u guys don't have ANY lighting whatsoever. Bc he comes across so sinister when they get to the part about Young Henry's dadson marriage coronation and they talk Abt Becket being uninvited it sounds like he's Maleficent or something..should show up in announced just to CURSE him (tbh he kind of did that with the excommunication lmaooo)

We get to see Henry Junior ofc which I'm always like yayyyyy it's my glup shitto...this doc really leans on that "Criticizing Henry re his interpersonal faults and internal personality" kind of motivation for his actions which I'm like ehhhh ofc things are more complex politically and I can't help but feel after reading Strickland's TYK book it's more hmmm. But anyways this distracts from the important things which is:

Narrator sticks pretty much to Actual Factual things that happens and the actor scenes follow suit BUT THEN! THERE IS SUDDENLY A FANFICTION (preceded by narrator going "one could only imagine what the heated conversations were like")

The dark ass lighting is annoying as hell but basically Young Henry bursts into Henry's room to be mad about Chinon (Mirabeau and Loudon) being given to John and they argue for a bit and then Henry gets mad and starts choking him???

But then he stops and then they're both like crying and hugging with this foreboding music. Anyways thanks timeline for the completely made up dadson bait for Me Personally

Blabla blah rebellion etc it's very truncated ad most of it is about bullying Henry LMAO

But ofc we get Eleanor helping da Boyz rebel and being mad Abt Toulouse and then there's the obligatory intimate shots w Richard (this also was recycled in Secrets de Histoire)

Also this series ofc follows the grand tradition of letting you know who John is by giving him a smirk and fancy lil fashion accessory in this case his cunty hat

Anyways pretty fun intro and overall generally factual. I nitpick bc I've just come off my reading ofc but djskjf the psychological narrative of "Henry grew up fighting for his throne in disordered times (the Anarchy) so that led him to want to reassert order and control in the lands and also not relinquish control in his family" feels oversimplified modern psychoanalysis storytelling rather than based in the reality, surprised there wasn't really any brief mention of the whole thing Abt the king of the English still being subject to Louis for the French lands thing bc that feels very central??? To the conflicts?? To me??? but it's a fun intro. At least there were no Party City Wigs like in Secrets de Histoire

[lilnasxvevo]

I was on the incel wiki bc one of you losers cross posted a greentext that mentioned negative canthal tilt and I was like “what the fuck is that” and looked it up and didn’t notice that the result I clicked on was incel wiki instead of regular Wikipedia right away bc the themes are very similar. And the article on canthal tilt on incel wiki is surprisingly even-handed so I did a little poking around on the rest of the site to see if it was somehow similarly reasonable and it largely was not.

The reason Toulouse-Lautrec on the homepage made me scream was just. 1) I severely doubt he would identify with incels/as an incel if he was made aware of the movement and 2) I severely doubt he would want That to be the main thing literally anybody on earth knew/remembered him for. Also I am not a Toulouse-Lautrec expert but I don’t think that’s even true. A quick glance at his Wikipedia page shows that he did have at least one legit actual girlfriend in his life. Especially for artists of the era, just because someone hangs out with sex workers a lot doesn’t mean no one wants to date them.

They go on to list Van Gogh as an incel as well which is nonsense. Certainly there was a long period of time in his adult life where he does not seem to have had a partner of any kind but he had so much shit going on that this also doesn’t seem to have been even in his top 20 most pressing personal problems. He may fit some people’s definition of “incel” but the idea that he’d particularly identify with the movement is, again, absurd.

If incels want a poster boy it would be much more logical to find a historical figure who actually wrote or complained about how difficult never being able to find a partner was for them emotionally and the negative impact this had on them. None particularly come to mind, except idk, maybe Petrarch? John Donne? But incels don’t strike me as the kind of people who read very widely, because to me it’s just such an ignorant, self-obsessed movement. I think if incels did things besides thinking about how single they are, they wouldn’t be Like That. For your primary obsession in life to be, essentially, the fact that you can’t control what other people think of you, I think you must be living a life that is tragically very limited, and for most of them I think most of those limits are self-imposed.

This is all speaking about incels as a broad movement and not the very specific Reddit-style incel who are violently misogynist and obsessed with dividing the world into Chads and Stacys and such. I’m just speaking to the very basic definition of making the fact that your dating life is not going well a major facet of your personality.

I think the reason I assume incels don’t read is because many of them act as though they invented loneliness. If they read more widely they would know that pretty much everyone is lonely at least at some point in their lives, and that even the beautiful people, even the rich people, even the charismatic people have significant troubles trying to find someone who will love them romantically.

And like. In my experience if you read ten novels at random, at least three of them will be by profoundly lonely people. And I think that knowing you are not alone in your loneliness makes it much easier to not fixate on it. So I sort of just think that incels should read a book. Nearly any book will do.

[dechagrin]

𝓽𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓫𝓸𝓷𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓮

toulouse bonfamille is based on toulouse from the aristocats. he is a 26 year old human, painter, and uses he/him pronouns. he has no powers. 

penned by HARPER

reflection

face claim: maxence danet fauvel sexuality: bisexual height: 6'0" eye color: blue hair color: light brown piercings: n/a tattoos: tons. treats his body as a living, breathing canvas. he designs them all himself, too.

attitude

positive traits: protective, artistic, poetic, sentimental, sensual, honest, thrifty negative traits: controlling, untrusting, impulsive, anxious, a bit antisocial at times, fussy, insecure, paranoid likes: red wine, oil paints, charcoal, when his siblings are doing well, the sound of true genuine laughter, the sound of a violin, cats, autumn, the art gallery, cigarettes, painting his nails black, fresh baked bread, thunderstorms, being a big brother. dislikes: being alone, people messing with his family, the summer, running, cheap alcohol, people telling him he has a drinking problem ( because he doesn't ), the smell of weed, remembering or talking or thinking about his father, when his siblings don't talk to him, the color purple. phobias:  monatophobia — dying alone hobbies:  painting, drinking, going on long walks to be by himself, thrifting old and fascinating collectables, listening to viola music because he loves the violin and wish he could play it, spending way too much money on art supplies aesthetic: the sound of a paint brush as it is swirled against the edges of a mason jar filled with water, the sound of a deep inhale, a glass bottle shattering against a distant wall, the laughter of what was once an unbreakable trio, oversized clothing that hangs like sad drappings on tired shoulders, a wall used solely to balance hundreds of painted canvases against, the small of a citrus cologne, the crust of a perfectly baked baguette and the aroma that accompanies it, tear drops falling upon worn book pages, a collection of polished off liquor and wine bottles being used to hold dying plants.

relations

mother: duchess bonfamille father:  francois bonfamile sibling(s):  marie bonfamille & berlioz bonfamille. pet(s): an orange tabby named pierre

headcanons

— toulouse is a fiercely protective older brother and no-doubt still tries to parent his siblings despite them being much older and having lives of their own to navigate. he know they can handle themselves, but there is a part of him that doesn’t trust them to make the right decisions, sometimes acting a bit like a helicopter brother in order to ensure they’re not getting into trouble. he tries really hard to backoff sometimes, wanting to be civil with them instead of loathed for being protective, but it’s difficult to separate the two parts of himself from one another. — art used to be what he wanted to turn into his career, but now it kind of just felt like a side hustle. something he did when he found the time and if he happened to make a profit off of it… yipee. toulouse didn’t think himself skilled enough to have a career now, believing he had sacrifice too many years of practice to really go anywhere with it now.  — toulouse is a mama’s boy, and that boy loves his mother more than anyone on this planet. she is his daily inspiration on how to handle even the toughest situations with grace, which is why when he doesn’t handle them with grace, he avoids her at all costs.  —toulouse’s obsession with wine and liquid indulgence is on the brink of being concerning, but he argues its just to help him sleep. the man still finds himself restless, especially now with so much free time not having to raise his siblings anymore, but he doesn’t yet see it as a problem. its just something to take the edge of… and it isn’t HIS fault theres a lot of… edge to be taken off. — as an artist, toulouse has a wild fascination with art history. he’s taken some sit-in classes at the university to fill in some of the ample time he has, on top of just being invested and curious about the subject as a whole. there is nothing he loves more than talking about paintings, and when he has the funds, he does buy a lot of local artists works to support them. the same support he himself wish he had sometimes.  — it isn’t that toulouse expects anything to happen for him, quite the opposite actually. toulouse has spent the better half of his life so focused on every and anyone else that he never even stopped to think about what he wanted. once he got a certain age, toulouse had kind of just accepted that any potential he ever did have had been long lost…so accepting that he’d spend the rest of his life on the sidelines wasn’t particularly difficult for him to do. at least he claims. — toulouse wouldn’t consider himself a social person, given as he is pretty guarded and doesn’t like to give out a lot of information unless he really trusts the person, but he does desperately want some friends. his siblings dont always want to be around him, being as he’s the annoying and overly-protective big brother, so he often finds himself to be pretty lonely. even if he kept them at an arms length….he didn’t think it’d hurt to have some friends of his own.