#victoria bridge

[spockvarietyhour]

Montreal, view from Mont Royal, 1865

[lobotomologist]

watching the finale of under the bridge and god. cam's confrontation of her dad over the adoption papers is heartbreaking. not just the realization that her whole life, her birth family was a short distance away - but her final statement. "but maybe i was meant to be something different."

god that cuts me so deep.

for those interested in reading more, AIM (adopt indian metis) was a real organization and took part in what's called the sixties scoop in canada, which was a mass effort to remove indigenous children from their families and be placed with white adoptive parents, effectively severing the ties of the children to their culture. cam's statement really gets at the heart of the way this robbed those children of any agency in their identity, any choice of it.

i suppose this is my soapbox moment as a canadian to say that canadian history is fucked and rife with racism. since the start, it has been an unceasing effort to eradicate the indigenous peoples from this land. there are those who have experienced this first hand in residential schools and forced adoptions. i am not one of them, but even the barest part of it that i, as a white canadian, can comprehend makes me genuinely sick to my stomach.

we talk constantly about raising awareness about the cultural (and literal) genocide of indigenous people in canada, but we get so detatched from it, viewing it as so far from current day. i hope that if anything, cam's storyline goes to show that it's not far from us - residential schools persisted into the 1980s and indigenous children are still removed from their communities at a disproportionate rate by social services.

there's no eloquent end to this post except to say that cam's story is one of so, so many here in canada.

[abybweisse]

Aby, what do you make of the fact that we never once in the manga saw our earl and Sebastian do actual digging/investigation into possible Phantomhive murder suspects? It’s the whole premise of the story (a soul for a revenge), but so many years in, nothing was shown of our earl’s progress on finding those responsible. Do you think that our earl and Sebastian have already learned everything off-screen?

Plot device to delay the inevitable

That's basically what it is... that when they first make their contract, our earl decides that instead of searching out whoever attacked the Phantomhives, he's going to let them come after him in an attempt to finish the job.

He assumes that all the assassins sent to kill him on a somewhat regular basis are just pawns. He's waiting for the person or persons who ordered the attack(s) to show themself/selves.

Apparently, he and Sebastian realize it's not someone like Haku, either. Because he's out of the picture, replaced by Lau. And they don't seem to suspect Lau, since he's been so useful and helpful. Lau has made asides to himself (or perhaps they were just thoughts) that are very suspicious, but I don't think he could even possibly be the "big bad" here. He wouldn't be behind the original attack, anyway, all the way from China, before he had much power. He was already sending letters back and forth with our earl before leaving China, and it could simply be that our earl was planning to get Lau to England and in charge of the local branch of Qīng Bāng... specifically because Haku needed to be "dealt with". Our earl was trying to put together a loyal network of evil nobles and route out the disloyal members of the extended network, too -- like Haku and Vanel.

His father's network seems to have included some very disloyal members. I believe at least two of them were high-ranking members of the cult that bought the twins. And then Kelvin was in the extended network.

Personally, I think Sebastian has at least an idea about who the true culprits are -- the one who ordered it, at least -- and maybe even someone who was involved in her decision making process. Just like Sebastian figured out, before our earl did, that Jack the Ripper was likely Madam Red and Grelle working together, he might have already figured out the ones who plotted the attack were probably Queen Victoria and John Brown. With John prodding her to it, and then her ordering it. He wants his young master to figure out who Jack the Ripper is. Similarly, he might be waiting for our earl to put the pieces together about the "doting" queen and her odd master of horses... with that damned Prince Albert puppet of his.

Our earl suspects his own aunt Angelina of being Jack the Ripper, but it is some final timing clue presented by Sebastian that tips him off it has to be her and Grelle. Something should finally tip him off about the queen and John. Who knows?

Maybe he finally realizes the puppet serves John in a way that something similar would have served Sebastian... if our earl had agreed to the original offer for the demon to make him think his twin had returned. I wonder who might comment about the puppet and get our earl to thinking about it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Or -- and this is more likely -- our earl thinks about the timeline and circumstances of the Tower Bridge project... and finally realizes how much the queen has gained from having control over the Phantomhive estate, coffers, and entire earldom for a few months. She would do anything for her "Prince Albert", and that bridge is historically dedicated to his memory.

[piqtescue]

If your watching "Under The Bridge" or planning to, here's a PSA from someone born & raised in that city. Oh, and Kelly's personal info and location bc she deserves absolutely no peace✨😊

((if you dont know this series, or who im talking about, I swear to god I do not do reveal personal information lightly and take revealing someone else's very seriously- but Kelly is a cold blooded psychopath and I urge you to google what she did))

I couldn't believe it when I heard the worst crime that has ever happened in my city was going to be made into a fucking hulu drama... I used to be so intrigued by true crime renditions, but this has made me rethink it all. The murder of Reena is something that makes us as locals sick to our stomachs, is still a very open wound to our city and her family and every day so many of us are forced to drive over the Craigflower Bridge, the place where she was brutally murdered. She was 14.

I never plan to watch "Under The Bridge" on Hulu as I really don't need it replayed back to me in a miniseries, but just need to give some PSA's here + gonna give you some recent photos of Kelly/Kerry and her location because she doesn't deserve the luxury of people forgetting what she fucking did:

To start, I'm not throwing shade to anyone watching the show- I know this doesn't affect everyone the same. Just want to make sure this bitch's face & the real story is plastered in your mind so you can publicly shame her if you wish, and realize this isn't just a miniseries- this actually happened.

Though the author who wrote the book this was based on was in search for their "humanity"- there is zilch in that sector for Kelly Ellard. None. See, Kelly was a teen when she lead the brutal murder of Reena and you might be pointing "upbringing and trauma/mental health" to blame- but don't even go there for a second. Warren is 100% holding the same sin for what they did but displayed actual guilt and talked to her parents. He knows what he did wrong and will live for it the rest of his life.

Kelly, a privileged psychopath from birth, is a disgusting, soulless slime who deserves nothing but to suffer for the rest of her days. Go read up on her parole hearings and realize in no way is she remorseful and in no way does she deserve to walk free or be a mother. She doesn't deserve to fucking breathe. Though if you read her most recent parole hearing, you will hear her speak of this series being "disrespectful to Reena's family": I want you to know she has finally learned to say what they want her to say after all these years; she doesn't give any fucks about Reena's family, all she cares about is leaving the past behind her but jokes on her- she will never get that luxury because we as residents won't let her.

✨Here's her new name/photos/insta account/location, ect✨

-She goes by Kerry Marie Sim now

✨Photos of what she looks like presently: here, and here and here.

✨Instagram: kehrisima007

Fun fact! In the second link I provided, she uses the hashtag "legally kidnapping our children" in relation to the Ministry of Child and Family Development's (canadian version of DCFS) involvement in her life. That was posted in 2021. Her day parole was then continued in 2022 & 2024, and it's unknown if she still lives with her children, but lets hope to god not.

✨Location:

Going by this article, she might be serving her sentence in the Fraser Valley Institution for Women, or might just have had her parole hearings there. But apart from the prison she's in, she is most definitely doing her day parole in the lower mainland of BC, from the looks of her instagram she hangs around Surrey and Langley.

----------

To end this PSA, if you ever do visit our city and are intrigued by this case as a true crime story enthusiast, I urge you to not come to the Gorge where Reena lost her life at in interest/excitement, but come with the intention of paying your respects and give a thought on just how far teen bullying can go, and how you yourself can advocate for it not to get to that point. Whether it be awareness, talking to your kids about speaking up or advocating for public discussion.

And if Kerry ever sees this: we will never let you have peace. You get no peace for your acts, and we will never. fucking. forget.

[drewtanakagf]

IN THE END IT WAS NEVER GOING TO BE MAVEN AND CAL. YOU GET IT RIGHT? IT WAS NEVER GOING TO BE CAIN AND ABEL. MAVEN WAS NEVER GOING TO GET BACK AT CAL. CAL WAS NEVER GOING TO SAVE MAVEN.

MAVEN WOULD NEVER KILL CAL. CAL WOULD NEVER KILL MAVEN. THEIR HANDS ARE FREE OF THEIR BROTHER'S BLOOD FOREVER.

CAL TRIED TO SAVE HIM. BUT IT WOULD NEVER BE ENOUGH. MAVEN TRIED TO LOVE HIM. BUT IT WAS NEVER ENOUGH.

TRAPPED BY THE FUCKING NARRATIVE. THERE WAS NO WAY OUT! DON'T YOU GET IT?!?

IT WOULD NEVER BE ENOUGH!!!!!!!!

[td-tbbg-official]

“ come cry to me, baby, cry to me, pretty baby cry to me that you’re born as someone you don’t want to be… ” – 4 Syllables, life of a woman

Back in the first days of Total Drama, you could not go a day without hearing someone call this contestant weird or off-putting in a way. Her poor hygiene, lack of social skills, and her habits of interrupting others to correct them on their mistakes quickly earned her a reputation that she couldn’t be proud of.

Despite this, she actually managed to make some friends on the show, and she fell for one girl in particular… who never saw her as more than a friend, despite kissing her once or twice. Ouch.

Now, she travels the world alongside three fellow former contestants. Their multi-genre band, 4 Syllables, is one of the most famous in the world, their concerts always being outsold minutes after the tickets go live. They’ve visited every continent and made sure everyone knows their name. Most importantly, they’ve shown a younger generation of queer people they can live in pride of who they are.

Fans of TDI and 4 Syllables alike will be happy to hear that our next contestant is… Victoria Meredith Laurel Alice McGrady V! Or Vickie for short… Jeez, that girl’s name is a mouthful.

“I figure everyone will be saying this, but I’m over the show, and I don’t want to come back. I’m more than happy as I am; touring the world with Cody, Trent and Justin, who have become my family, in a sense… But, of course, you’ll need the ratings, won’t you, Chris? And what better member of 4S to have on the show than the publicly trans woman? I mean, I guess the publicly trans man would do, too, but you love the shock, don’t you? You were always the most childish of us all, despite our younger age than yours…

“Well, anyways, I suppose I can come back. There’s not much harm in it… I’m still as skilled yet awkward as I was in my teenage years; the fans will love that.

“Have I said how much I hate you, McLane? Because I really, really do. At least there’s a chance you’ve also decided to invite Leshawna back on... But I know she’ll want to be here even less than I do.”

How far will Vickie get? Only time will tell, here on Total Drama: The Bridge Between Generations!

coming soon to an AO3 near you.

questions, concerns, suggestions to be deposited in the ask box.

TD: TBBG is written by @canonically47. the blog is entirely run by the writer.

note: this AU features harold as a trans woman named vickie who uses she/her pronouns. please respect that and use her name and pronouns when referring to her.

for the type of music 4 Syllables would produce, visit this link!

“ your life is mine, your life is not yours your life is for me, to serve at my feet! so go on, die; go kill yourself in war, that’s the only way you’ll ever get a grave, pretty boy! ” – 4 Syllables, Spartan Education

[lowcountry-gothic]

All Together Now: 25 Years of Photographing American Music by David McClister

[afternoonhorror]

LIBRARY STACK! I just finished The Rules of Magic and lemme tell ya, read it only if you love crying!

[spockvarietyhour]

Victoria Bridge, etching, 19th Century

[bonkobarnes]

After much thought this is how I want Cam and Becca’s storyline to end:

- they have their big blowout fight and then reconcile (not sure what either of those will look like)

- post trial becca starts over with her book, focused entirely on Reena. Ultimately decides to stay in Victoria for at least a couple more months

- cam gets a call from Vancouver, asking her to interview

- we don’t see Cam move away, but it’s heavily implied she’s leaving

- they never really talk about what it means for them, theres no grand gestures or hopes that the other will stay. There’s a silent acknowledgment of the love they have for each other

- Ultimately there is an understanding that now isn’t the right time, maybe there never will be and that’s okay. It doesn’t change what they have but maybe now it’s okay to move on

[grlsbian]

ʾ ִֶָ random women layouts 𖥔 ݁

[lobotomologist]

Sorry if this is stupid to ask but I saw your post about under the bridge and I’m confused…. Is the town on the show where it takes place a made up place? Or is it like a suburb outside of Victoria? Sorry, dumb American here who got D’s in geography…

It's real - there's multiple municipalities inside of Victoria, which is a city at the southern tip of Vancouver Island. The murder of Reena Virk happened around View Royal (neighborhood in Victoria), and her body was discovered in the Gorge waterway closer to Downtown Victoria.

Saanich is the largest municipality in Victoria - that's why Cam's badge says "Saanich Police Department." That confused me at first, since Reena's body was discovered in an area that would have made it Vic PD's jurisdiction - but if her missing persons complaint was filed in Saanich, that makes sense.

What the show gets wrong is the population of Victoria. In the 90s, just over 300,000 people lived there year-round, making it a small city by Canadian standards, definately not a small town. Even Saanich, the municipality Cam lives in, is the University District, meaning it would be largely populated by families who owned property in the area, and college students who rent there.

TL;DR: the entire southern peninsula (below) is Victoria. Saanich, View Royal, Esquimalt, and Oak Bay are municipalities (neighborhoods) within Victoria.

You can actually see the Craigflower Bridge (which we see in the show) on the map, which is getting pretty close to Metro Victoria - it's right near the largest shopping mall in Victoria in the 90s.

Anyway, all this to say - yes, Victoria, and Saanich are both real - but they're a lot more Metro than the show represents.

EDIT;

Adding to this post - Victoria is only the southern tip of the island. Here's Vancouver Island:

The island is larger than several US states for reference. And for the Europeans, it's about the size of Belgium and separate from the mainland of BC by the length of the english channel. It's BIG. Just under a million people live on the island, mostly on the southern half surrounding Victoria and Nanaimo - which is also a city.

[abybweisse]

What do you think, who will be the final villains?

Maybe Queen Victoria will be a negative character in like in the anime?

Could London burn down like in the anime?

I've answered asks like this a few times.

Basically, I still expect the big bads to be Queen Victoria and John Brown, much like the queen and Ash Landers/Angela Blanc were in s1. But I doubt it would include London burning down.

I do, however, expect/hope that Tower Bridge is discussed as part of the reason the Phantomhives were attacked. Because I think that Vincent wasn't as helpful as the queen wanted when she asked for money and workers... and after the attack, the estate was relinquished to the crown, and she moved funds and people from the estate into the bridge project. Which points back to what our earl says (ch85) about how long it's taking to build the bridge -- that humans have priorities. I think that Vincent focused on other priorities, while the queen wanted all the needed resources for the bridge right away... since the bridge was historically dedicated to her dead husband, Prince Albert. There are other clues about this, like the timeline itself for the bridge project in the manga (ch85 again, see below), as well as Vincent saying (ch132) that bridges and ditches take a lot of money and help (manpower).

Sebastian points out in ch85 that the project plans were approved around when the earl was born, so 1875. Then he says construction didn't actually start until 3 years ago. This discussion is in 1889, so construction started in 1886. Well, the twins were born in 1875, and Vincent's priorities were his pregnant wife, the expected child, and their estate's prosperity. The attack happens December 14, 1885, and the demon contract is made ~Jan 20, 1886. Then construction "magically" begins around the time that our earl is working to regain the estate under the Phantomhive name. Vincent had previously (ch132 again) warned Francis/Frances that if he didn't have an heir who could run the estate, they might have to relinquish the property to the crown. That's exactly what happens between the attack itself and our earl officially becoming Earl Phantomhive. Our earl officially gets the earl title on March 17, 1886 (ch63). In the letter the queen sends to our earl, she even confirms that the estate and title were in her hands until it could be returned to the Phantomhives (or bequeathed to another family).

Though there is probably more than one reason for the attack on the Phantomhive family, I theorize that a big part of it is essentially a money (and labor) grab by the queen.

[boneszphoto]

zen gardens at royal roads university

[stardustandrockets]

Do you consider September 1st the start of Spooky Season™ or do you want until October?

Personally, the season officially starts September 1st, but unofficially, it starts when stores start putting out decorations. I couldn't care less about summer, so here are some book recs that are perfect for Spooky Season™ (regardless of when it starts for you)!

This is by no means an exhaustive list or even exhaustive themes. I grouped things into broad categories and am happy to go into more detail if needed/wanted.

All books are listed below the photos.

Photo 1: Perfect Books for Spooky Season

Photo 2: Dark Academia: Vicious by V.E. Schwab, If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio, A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee, Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew, The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore

Photo 3: Witches: Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab, Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu, Crumbs by Danie Stirling

Photo 4: Horror: Alice Isn't Dead by Joseph Fink, Gallant by V.E. Schwab, The Gathering Dark edited by Tori Bovalino, The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

Photo 5: Middle Grade: City of Ghosts by V.E. Schwab, The Devouring Wolf by Natalie C. Parker, The Supernatural Society by Rex Ogle

Photo 6: Pre-orders: In these Hallowed Halls Anthology (out Sept. 12), A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid (out Sept. 19), All that Consumes Us by Erica Waters (out Oct. 17)

[thepastisalreadywritten]

DESCRIPTION:

Silver St Patrick star, set with diamonds; eight-pointed star; centre: ruby St Patrick's cross overlaid with emerald shamrock applied with three gold crowns surrounded by motto QUIS SEPARABIT MDCCLXXXIII, in diamonds on light blue enamel; surrounded by circle of diamonds. Back plate gold; pin gilt.

Queen Victoria was supplied by Rundell Bridge and Rundell with the star of the Order of St Patrick presumably at the same time as the Garter and Bath stars, which had been supplied in September 1838.

However, no invoice to confirm exact delivery survives.

These stars, all of reduced size to a standard star of the time, formed the pattern for the Queen’s subsequent purchases of insignia, including the Star of the Order of the Star of India designed by the Prince Consort.