#we invade france at dawn

[vranias]

he is so shittyprince 'i'll allow it' 'joust for my amusement'-coded. someone get him a goblet of mead, immediately

[girlactionfigure]

THURSDAY HERO: Gino Bartali

Born in a small town near Florence in 1914, Gino grew up extremely poor. He escaped his difficult life by riding his bike from dusk until dawn around the hills of Tuscany. Building up exceptional strength and endurance, Gino started competing and winning races. Only a few years after his first race, he went professional. By the early 1930’s, Gino was a household name throughout Italy. Everywhere he went he was mobbed by fans. When he won the Tour de France in 1938, at age 24, Gino was hailed as the “King of Cycling.”

Gino wasn’t able to defend his title at the 1939 Tour because of worsening relations between Italy and France. He was drafted into the army and worked as a military bike messenger. In 1943, Germany invaded Italy and immediately began rounding up and deporting Italian Jews. A friend of Gino’s asked him to help save their Jewish brethren. Though married and with a young son, Gino did not hesitate. He immediately committed to doing whatever he could to save lives, whatever the risk.

Gino sheltered a local Jewish family in an apartment he bought with cycling money. He then embarked on a dangerous mission smuggling fake identity papers around Tuscany and Umbria, enabling Jews to assume false identities and escape deportation. Using his training routes between Florence and Assisi, Gino made 30-40 trips, saving at least 800 Italian Jews. He carried exit visas in his bicycle frame. Wherever he went, Gino was surrounded by fans, preventing German policemen from looking too closely at what he was doing. On the few occasions he was stopped and searched, Gino insisted that his specially-made bike was too delicate to be touched. A devout Catholic, Gino often traveled from Florence to Assisi and back in one day – a 200 km trip. In Assisi, Catholic clergy ran an underground railroad to hide Jews and provided them with Gino’s fake identity documents.

Gino was extremely modest and rarely spoke about his wartime heroism. He once told his son, “If you’re good at a sport, they attach the medals to your shirts and then they shine in a museum. That which is earned by doing good deeds is attached to the soul and shines elsewhere.” It wasn’t until after his death in 2000 that his family began speaking publicly about what Gino had done. In 2013, Gino was honored by Israeli Holocaust Museum Yad Vashem as “Righteous Among the Nations.”

For using his talent and fame to save hundreds of lives, we honor Gino Bartali as this week’s Thursday Hero at Accidental Talmudist.

[soperatic]

seven minutes (in hell) with you

chapter two

Taehyung was 16 when he first appeared on the cover of a tabloid magazine. 

He was caught in Paris with some model friends, drunk off his ass and laughing on a balcony in hopes that he could party his feelings away. His mother had just gotten engaged for the 4th time to someone much better than his birth father who hadn’t bothered to call him in years. His pictures were blasted on websites, blogs and magazines alike with a bottle of wine and a telltale cigarette between his fingers. 

People stared when he returned, they whispered and spread all sorts of things about him online. 

I heard he left for rehab.

I heard he went to Paris to film a porno. 

I heard that he found his long-lost twin who is the prince of France and they’re going to switch places in order to defeat the aliens that plan on taking over in 2050. 

Some were more realistic than others but they still bothered Taehyung like anything at first. He wanted every single one of those paparazzi leeches to rot in jail for invading his privacy. 

He remembers crying whenever they would charge after him everywhere he went, flashing their cameras and asking the most ridiculously hurtful questions to get him to snap back. Desperate to catch him slip up, for everyone to see the fucked up Kim Taehyung caught on live camera.

But his mother was supportive and reminded him that bad press is still press, and doesn’t have to stay a bad thing. People now have their eyes on you and with that, you can show them anything. So Taehyung walked his mother’s next fashion show for her Spring line, dawning clean-cut pastel tones and using his (at the time) subpar modeling skills to his advantage. After a heartfelt interview with a few teary-eyed answers to some invasive questions, everyone loved him, transforming Taehyung into the It-Boy everyone now knows him as. 

It became his thing to be wild, charming, alluring, and enviable. 

Sure, he still gets caught every now and then but it hurts less because that’s what people expect of him. People follow him. People adore him. 

Who is he wearing? What destination is he traveling to next? Who is he seeing? What is Kim Taehyung doing and how can you, the average citizen, become like him? 

As of right now though, Taehyung hasn’t been doing his usual activities. Last year he was doing a tour of the Mediterranean and getting caught leaving hotel rooms with a handful of up-and-coming idols which skyrocketed his social media following to ten million. But this summer he stayed in more, kept a low profile and only showed up to events thrown with minimal press. 

No one has commented on it yet and he’s enjoying the silence. 

Maybe he can take this time to relax, find himself, hang out with his family more and less with random hookups. Focus more on school and his team. 

Finally fix his god awful sleep schedule which has been on his to-do list for a while now. 

Well, he’s trying to. Maybe if his phone would stop vibrating right by his ear so early in the morning. 

Taehyung grumbles, still half-asleep. His head lifts off his fluffed pillow as he stares at the caseless device vibrating and ringing at a frequency that is offensively loud for way too long right next to his body. The room is cold and barely used, smelling strongly of his lavender pillow spray and his cologne. He flips it over to see Jimin’s contact photo and the time blaring in his unadjusted eyes. 

His hotel room is dark except for a tiny sliver of sunlight peeking through the curtains, revealing a bright Seoul day. Taehyung turns onto his back and presses the green button, blinking up at the ceiling. 

“What could you possibly want at ass o’clock?” His voice is scratchier than usual. “We went to bed at 3 a.m.” The frat party extended longer than usual and Taehyung ended up drinking more than he originally planned with his two buddies so he only got in three hours before sunrise. 

If Taehyung did the math correctly, that’s not enough sleep!

Jimin’s sharp take of breath is heard through the receiver. “How could you?” His voice drips in what, to Taehyung’s half-asleep brain, sounds a lot like genuine anger. 

The remnants of sleep rip away from his eyes, ruining his chances of falling back into blissful slumber once this unnecessary phone call is over. 

“How could I what? What did I do this time?”

Taehyung looks around. His bed is empty so he seemingly didn’t hook up with anyone. His pajamas are on. He feels around his stomach for any stitches, pulling his boxers back to check if his dick is still there and it is so we can cross organ farming off the list. 

There’s an open suitcase with his clothes messily pulled out and some shoes lined by the dresser/entertainment stand. His watch and all of his necklaces sit on his bedside table. Taehyung pats around for the remote to press the button that pulls the curtain out so some sunlight can stream in and wake him up. 

“Everyone else knows before me, your best friend, your soulmate. I can’t believe this.” 

Did I just wake up in a simulation? “Babes, it is way too early for us to be role-playing right now.  What happened last night?” He presses the button and is momentarily blinded. 

There is some more residual grunting and whining when Yoongi takes his phone and switches the call to Facetime. He’s wearing his glasses, bangs framing his clear forehead, clean and presentable as always. While Taehyung has dried drool on his cheek and the messiest bed head he’s ever seen. Great. Awesome. 

“Just go check the GossipBlast account on Insta. It’ll explain Jimin’s soap opera acting.”

“Hey!” The blonde whines.  

Taehyung’s eyes roll at the mere mention of that waste of bandwidth. “Jesus, what have those bitchless cretins posted now? Did the debate team spread an STD to the entire team again?” His fingers move quickly over his screen to his apps, finding the multicolored one and clicking on it. “Wow I have so many notifications,” he mumbles. 

10,000 comments, 3000 mentions, 9000 follows. 

A wave of panic begins to rise. What if Doeun leaked something? He didn’t get to speak to Taehyung at all last night. Is this his punishment?

Oh fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. He shouldn’t have run from him last night.  

He searches up the account quickly while his friends wait. Taehyung clicks on the most recent post and nearly drops his phone on his face.

The pictures are of him and Jeongguk from last night, inches apart from each other, fixing their hair and their clothes suggestively. Cheeks a little flushed, lips parted, eyes avoiding the other. 

His stomach twists in fear and confusion and irritation with every swipe. A moment so small was captured and put on the biggest gossip account at their college. And now it’s been taken out of context and thanks to the caption placed underneath the pictures.

SPOTTED: Seoul’s Resident It-Boy Kim Taehyung leaving the infamous seven minutes closet. But who is the lucky guy? Our sources confirm it’s none other than the swim team’s golden boy, Jeon Jeongguk, who has recently become single. 

Has a new it-couple formed? Or was this lip-lock session only for those seven minutes? 😈  

Taehyung and Jeongguk leaving a closet usually occupied for hookups, the hair tie; it looks sus as hell already but that caption pushes it further with a dating allegation. 

He presses the comment icon and reads down despite Yoongi advising against it. 

Who is this nobody and how is he bagging Kim Taehyung? 2h.  

I’ve been trying to tap that ass for a year and emo boy over here gets a chance before me??? I call bullshit. 4h

If Taehyung is stooping low enough for some rando’s cock then us normal guys might have a shot. 1h

He scoffs. “Okay, so I leave a closet with Jeon and suddenly my standards are six feet under? How does that make any sense?” Taehyung wants to read more but Jimin snatches the phone from Yoongi and in the little video in the corner of his screen he can see a mass of blonde and furrowed brows. 

“So you fucked him?” He asks, clearly still pissed 

Taehyung clicks on the Facetime screen to give his friends his undivided attention. “Why on god’s green earth would I have sex with Jeon Jeongguk?” When there is literally anyone else out there for him. 

“I don’t know, you tell me,” Jimin argues back with a challenging look in his eyes, making Taehyung groan. “You were running around like a fucking headless chicken throughout the party, no one can find you for like half an hour and now these pictures are out and some people are claiming they heard moans. So either you fucked him or you fucked him.” 

Okay yes, the optics are not on Taehyung’s side right now and he’s sure that Jimin is operating fully on anger only because Taehyung didn’t reveal this information to him last night and not because he actually gives a shit about any of this.

They’re best friends, soulmates, they tell each other everything. From the smallest detail to the deepest secret. 

But as of recently, Taehyung hasn’t been telling Jimin everything. 

“Jimin, we didn’t fuck.” He sighs, running a hand through his messy hair. “I needed a breather so I went upstairs but all of the rooms were occupied so I went to the closet where Jeon was coincidentally  hiding from Jae. All we did was talk until his friends told him Jae left and then we parted ways. No sex, nothing even close to that.” He shudders as if the mere thought of doing anything sexual with the other makes him want to hurl.

Taehyung doesn’t give them the full details of what Jeongguk said. No matter what he feels for the guy, it isn’t his story to tell. He isn’t that petty.

Nor does he let them in on Doeun. He simply can’t. 

Yoongi shifts into the frame, shoulders brushing with Jimin. “Why would he be hiding from Jae? Aren’t they dating?”

“Babe, remember what I told you? Jae’s with that tennis team reject Lee Doeun now. They broke up.” 

Yeah, the one that’s been harassing Taehyung ever since the end of tennis camp in June. That guy. 

“Damn,” Yoongi shakes his head and a tuft of hair falls over his face gracefully. “So, what are you gonna do, Tae? Who do you think sent in the pictures?” 

Jimin jumps in. “Could it be your new man?” He gasps overdramatically. 

It sounds absolutely ridiculous to Taehyung. Jeongguk, who used to hide in his closet whenever his mother invited people over for dinner because he was too shy to talk to them, orchestrated this entire thing just so he could climb the social ladder and be higher up on the food chain at their university.  

Jeongguk couldn’t care less about stuff like this. He likes to blend in and not invite attention. 

At least, that’s the Jeongguk that he used to know. A lot can change in seven years.

Taehyung gets up from bed with a deep sigh and puts on his slippers to save his feet from the cold marble. He needs to order room service for breakfast soon and hop in the shower so he has time to do his hair before class today. Josun Palace does a great continental spread, maybe he’ll share it with Yoongi and Jimin today. 

Nothing money can’t buy right? 

Except for good university housing, that is. 

“He’s not the type.” Taehyung positions his phone against the tv and starts searching the mini bar in the entertainment center for some chilled water. He ignores Jimin calling Jeongguk his new man. “There were tons of people on the stairs and in the loft, one of them probably did it. GossipBlast has paid for this kinda shit.” The half-drunk Evian bottle is calling his name. He pulls it out, uncaps the bottle and chugs. The cold liquid does wonders for his parched throat. “He’s gonna get mobbed when he goes to campus.”

Those comments were genuinely angry.

“You will too. Your policy of only fucking the best of the best will bite you in the ass for this.” He stops midway, pondering for a second. “Well, Jeongguk is pretty good looking but people are going to be mad at you for rejecting them now that they think you’re dating someone who barely goes to any parties. It’ll be a hit to their egos.”  

Taehyung ignores the part about Jeongguk. He sets the bottle down after a hearty swig now that his throat doesn’t feel like the Sahara desert. “Look, I’ll just squash this down when I get to campus, everyone will move on and their precious little egos will be saved. Then another scandal will be posted in no time and they’ll redirect their attention there. This really isn’t that big of a deal.” 

People will brush over this the moment it’s proved wrong. It’s like dangling treats over a dog’s head. 

Yoongi gives him a look. One with raised eyebrows that Taehyung has seen many times when he thinks that he’s full of shit. 

“You sure?”

The kind of look that would usually make Taehyung second guess himself but he knows this shit better than anyone else. Popularity, social status, gossip; all combined is like a hungry monster. The more you feed it, the bigger it gets. And in a school that has students from some of the richest families in the country, that monster is bound to feast. 

Whatever this thing is with Jeongguk is just a measly appetizer. His nonexistent status and blatant disregard of social importance turn him into nothing in these peoples’ eyes.  Somewhere along the line, someone will get caught snorting cocaine  on campus or a well-liked couple will break up or  someone will discover a professor’s creepy porn stash on his work computer. News moves fast around here. Taehyung would know. He’s reaped the benefits of it. 

“Totally sure.” He shakes his hair out so that it stops being so matted from his pillow. If he’s going to debunk this nonsense, he needs to look stunning while he does it. “Now, I’ll see you idiots outside at 9.”

⍟⍟⍟

Jeongguk has a terrible habit of leaving his phone on Do Not Disturb for way too long. 

Everyone has scolded him for it; his parents, his sister, his ex and his two friends when he doesn’t pick up their so-called emergency Facetimes or respond to their texts. 

It’s not like Jeongguk does it on purpose! He gets irritated by the constant buzz and sometimes, he just needs peace and quiet before starting his day. 

Specifically in the mornings. Jeongguk likes to take his time, brush his teeth, do his skincare, shower, and laze around in his towel before moisturizing and putting his clothes on. Now that he has mainly morning classes and training, he doesn’t want to get bothered by useless notifications unless it’s the hilarious reaction memes Seokjin manages to find from the dark corners of the internet or a funny tik-tok Hoseok sent. 

He started doing this more often over the summer when he would wake up every morning and check his phone for a text from Jae. It started eating him alive, ruining his day when his empty screen would glare back at him, seemingly mocking him for how bitchless he is. So one day his sister snatched his phone and chided him to stop checking it the moment he woke up. Instead, she told him to start his morning routine earlier and then check it. 

Jeongguk loves it. He gets out of bed faster and gets more things done which, despite his desires to loaf around, really soothes his Virgo soul. 

After his shower, Jeongguk pulls the curtains back in his living room to let in the morning sunlight. Summer is on its last days but Fall in Seoul still allows for streams of warm golden light. It hits the bare skin of his arms, making them shine thanks to his lotion. His apartment wakes up, illuminating the green leaves of his fake plant and the sheen on his counters. A light blue sky with fluffy clouds patterned, trees billowing in the wind, cars going by and students walking on the streets to the bus stop at the end of the block. 

He sighs. There’s no chance in hell he is giving up this apartment. 

Somehow, he’ll find someone to take Jae’s spot. He has to. He’s pretty sure a few students in his university would commit a crime for a room in Paradise.

Jeongguk walks over to the kitchen where he has boiled some water in the kettle, opening his French press to pour it over some fresh coffee grounds. Then he puts a few slices of toast in the toaster and grabs an apple and peanut butter. 

The candle lit on the kitchen counter ties everything together, crackling so it’s not completely silent. 

Peace, serenity, tranquility, harmony–

Someone starts banging on Jeongguk’s front door, startling him while he mixes the coffee in his French press. He glances down at his watch. He isn’t late to grab Hoseok and Seokjin. 

Who could be at his door so early? 

Another round of knocks comes, harder this time, and Jeongguk clicks his tongue. Seriously, he can’t have one morning full of uninterrupted peace and quiet. “Okay, okay! I’m coming, jeez,” he grumbles. His fingers push the chain lock and turn the one on the knob before pulling to reveal none other than his friends. “What-”

Hoseok stumbles in with hurried steps. “Why haven’t you been answering our calls or texts?” he demands angrily, dark brows scrunching. 

Jeongguk’s chin pulls back at the sudden attack. He holds the door open for the two until they are in, letting his hold on the doorknob go so it shuts softly while his hyungs look at him incredulously. 

“My phone is charging and on DND.” They roll their eyes at him heavily. “What happened?” 

He doubts that he missed something important so early in the day. 

“Well,” Seokjin laughs and he’s got that expression on. The one he makes when he’s uncomfortable and trying to turn the situation into a joke. “You, my friend, might need a bodyguard when you go to class today,” he claps Jeongguk’s shoulder. “Ooh, can we have some coffee first?” 

He points a finger to the machine that’s been pressed down so the grounds are separated from the fresh coffee, filling the air with its trademark yummy scent. 

“Y-yeah,” he waves off, “But why would I need a bodyguard?” His toast shoots up out of the toaster as the elder two take off their shoes and enter his kitchen, knowing exactly where the mugs and sugar are. 

Jeongguk puts his pieces of toast on a plate, pressing his front against the counter to spread peanut butter all over the crispy slices. 

There’s a moment of silence where Jeongguk legitimately considers that Hoseok was panicking from a lack of caffeine and the presumed bodyguards were for his own protection from him but after a few sips are taken, Seokjin decides to open his mouth. 

“GossipBlast posted some pictures of you and Kim Taehyung leaving a closet at last night’s party and now everyone thinks you’re either dating or fucking.” 

Their winces make it seem like they’re anticipating the worst possible reaction out of Jeongguk. But he just continues to spread his toast with peanut butter and gaze at them blankly. 

“What is GossipBlast?” 

The elder two replace their winces for a dumbfounded expression. “Are you fucking serious dude?” Hoseok groans. Jeongguk just shrugs in response, setting his knife down on his plate and screwing the peanut butter jar shut. “It’s the biggest gossip account at this school. Their posts get thousands of likes so everyone usually believes what they have to say. One of their posts literally made Nam Joohyun transfer to SNU.” 

Apparently he got caught having a threesome and neither of the people involved were his girlfriend. Now, cheaters deserve nothing but this man was ostracized to the point of leaving which is a testament to the power of GossipBlast. 

They’re treated like a god around here, especially because they only post about the upper-class. So all of those people who are jealous or intrigued by them get the full scoop on all of their shenanigans. 

“Okay, so why is this such a big deal?” 

Seokjin gulps slowly, handing Jeongguk a mug of coffee. “Well, someone sent in  pictures of you and Taehyung and-”

“No, I got that part but why should I worry when we did nothing wrong?” He doesn’t get it. It’s not like he made out with Taehyung on camera or anything. 

“You were seen leaving a closet together,” Hoseok says it like it’s obvious. As if closets are designed for quickies and not for fucking storage or hiding from an ex. “You know? The same one people used to play seven minutes in heaven? That’s why.” 

Oh fuck and Taehyung put that hair tie on the doorknob too. No wonder people are getting the wrong idea about this. 

“What were you two even doing in there?” Seokjin asks. 

Jeongguk scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. The events of last night are clear since he didn’t get wasted. Taehyung never explicitly told him why he was hiding but they sat there and talked. 

They bickered first but then they talked. He told Taehyung about his breakup with Jae and Taehyung was understanding about it. 

It was the first conversation they had in years. He didn’t have the will or time to sit and think about it. Build it up in his head, notice the intimate details of it all. It was nothing compared to how they used to be. 

“We were just talking. I was hiding from Jae. He needed a break or something, I don’t know,” he shrugs, sipping at his coffee to make his building anxiety even worse. “Are people seriously mad about this?” 

He knows Taehyung is well-liked and highly desired by people. He’s rich, captain of the tennis team and a jock– 

Sorry, not just any jock. Kim Taehyung is the jock at their school. The coolest, the most followed, the most liked, the one that gets the most numbers at a party or after a game, the one that everyone  wants to be or be with and the one with the biggest, most enthusiastic audience during every one of his  games. 

The ultimate coolness factor among athletes here, although terribly unfair, will always be the number of people that come to your games. All of your fans on the sidelines holding posters, wearing school colors, making t-shirts with your jersey number on it, cheering your name to egg you on. The more the better. Sure, some of the more boring sports got the short end of the stick but this was the general rule among jocks. 

And no one got more attention than Taehyung. 

Tennis isn’t even that riveting. Not fast-paced like basketball or soccer. But Taehyung has that pretty face and all of that charisma and talent and wit that makes 90% of their school’s population fall to their knees at the mere sight of him. 

He’s the guy at every party with a hoard of people around him. The flirty romantic lead in the university K-drama with the slow music and hair flip. The one that gets numbers handed to him in folded notes throughout class, who skips class later on to have sex in someone’s car in the parking lot, and that cycle repeats for days on end. 

Some jocks hated him and most wanted to be with him. 

Jeongguk on the other hand doesn’t give a shit about Kim Taehyung. Not one small bit.

Hoseok hands him his phone. “Look at the comments. People are pissed.” 

Jeongguk grabs the device and chomps down on his toast, slightly panicked like there’s a mob outside his apartment ready to burn him at the stake. 

Jeon Jeongguk? Does he even go to this school? 4hr 

I swear I’ve never seen this man before. How on earth does he bag the hottest guy at our school? 7hr

Dressed in a leather jacket like some greasy bad boy. I bet his dick is useless.  3hr

He’s floored at the obvious jealousy pouring out of his comment section. Getting angry at him like he did something wrong. Jeongguk hands Hoseok his phone back and his jaw slackens. “God, these people are losers,” he mutters to himself. 

It’s as if there’s a video of him getting down on his knees and proposing to the guy. 

Oh heavens! He brushed shoulders with Kim Taehyung! Sentence him to prison, I say! Prison! 

“Losers or not, you got caught with the hottest guy at this school in a compromising position. It doesn’t matter if nothing happened, they’re gonna make shit up in their head and make you the bad guy because of their attraction to Taehyung,” Seokjin explains. Like when a hot actress gets married or pregnant and suddenly men don’t want them and they spend all of their time online pointing out all of her faults. “So, let’s go to campus and you can let everyone know that it was nothing, okay?”

He really doesn’t have any other option. People are curious and mad and jealous which puts a target on Jeongguk’s back which he didn’t ask for but he supposes that’s the gamble when you hang with popular people.  

This year was supposed to be another year where people live their lives blissfully unaware of his existence. 

He should’ve never hidden in that fucking closet. Nothing has been going right ever since Jae broke up with him.

Jeongguk grumbles. “Fine,” he chews with an annoyed pout, chasing it with some warm coffee.  “I can’t believe people are mad at me for this. I’m sure four guys from the football team were having an orgy in one of the rooms. How is that more interesting  than a few pictures with microwave quality?”

Like, it was a college party filled with over-privileged brats and alcohol. Someone must’ve jumped off the balcony into the pool or had a dance contest or literally anything more interesting. 

“It’s gossip about rich people. Haven’t you seen American reality tv?” Hoseok rolls his eyes, sipping his coffee.

“No, hyung,” Jeongguk argues back. “Unlike you, I have something called taste.” He enunciates the word in his face.  

Hoseok’s fingers wrap around his earlobe and tug for the jab at his tv show taste. Jeongguk winces at the brief jolt of pain. 

“Your taste consists of anime, rom-coms and shitty action films. Some of us like to watch trashy shit to feel better about ourselves.” Seeing people be assholes on your TV is quite the confidence boost.

“You’re right. I’m so sorry Dance Moms isn’t saved on my DVR.” He quips back sarcastically Hoseok takes it anyway, muttering brat under his breath and ruffling Jeongguk’s hair. 

“You should be sorry,” Seokjin sticks his tongue out. “You’re missing out on the guilty joy of watching a grown woman yell at children for money.” 

“Riveting.” 

Jeongguk lets the conversation drift to the show and focuses on finishing his food. He cuts his apple using a cutter and shares it with his hyungs while packing his bag for the day. He lightly tucks in his laptop, his glasses, a few notebooks and pens before going to the bathroom to give his face one last look in the pristine mirror. 

His hair is beginning to grow out. The bangs now reaching his cheekbone. The back is fluffy but not too long that he feels like he looks poodle-y. Jihyo’s been helping him clear his skin up and now, Jeongguk thinks he looks pretty good. Not amazing but passable. 

He’s never going to be as popular as Taehyung and that’s fine. Jeongguk could never handle the pressure of being called one of Seoul’s It-Boy’s and having hoards of people interested in fucking him or watching his every move, waiting for him to fuck up. 

Jeongguk likes being in the background. He prefers it when the spotlight doesn’t shine on him only to highlight all of the reasons why he falls short in front of everyone. He only puts out what he can and what he knows people will find appealing. 

He’s a good swimmer and a good student. But aside from that, no one really knows who Jeon Jeongguk is. 

And he’s going to keep it that way. Even if this pesky rumor has brought his name just a bit closer to that harsh golden light. 

⍟⍟⍟

“How long are we going to sit in here? I have no leg space.”

“You’re short. You don’t need it.” 

Jimin’s grunt is soft but the slap on the back of Taehyung’s head is not. His neck bends forward, pushing his nose closer to his phone while waiting for a text from his good ol’ co-captain Jung Hoseok about the location of a certain doe-eyed swimmer. 

Taehyung and Hoseok get along great and lead the tennis team well. Honestly, he would’ve been pushed to join their group had the brunette not developed a sickly sweet crush on track and field star Kim Seokjin who is always anchored to Jeongguk’s side. 

Apparently, they’ve got some super strong bond or some shit.  Whatever. 

Taehyung swallows the saliva building up in his mouth from nerves. He’s ignored all of his DMs and comments on Instagram, and he’s not liked a single thing on Twitter all in hopes that Jeongguk shows up and is willing to end all of these rumors about them together. Then they can go on their merry way and continue to pretend like they barely know each other. 

Yoongi, Jimin and him wait in the parking structure on campus. The area is filled with parked imported vehicles, some blaring music, some bouncing, some with the windows rolled down to pour out smoke, and some empty. This is the biggest one right across the street from their campus where the main building along with each department’s buildings are placed throughout the uphill climb. 

The streets are lined with blooming blossom trees, sweetening the air and decorating the ground. Fields of green against the gray bricks making up the buildings. It’s beautiful. However, Taehyung is gunning for the main quad. 

It’s where most students congregate around in the early morning to grab coffee or eat breakfast at the cafe and study or trudge to class half awake. 

It’s the perfect spot to talk to the masses. 

Yoongi finishes the last of his americano, staring at the barely melted ice while speaking. “First day of class and you already got yourself a scandal. Proud of you, kitten,” he pokes Taehyung’s cheek with a cold finger. 

“You know me.” Although it would’ve been a lot more fun if his sex scandal involved him actually having sex. 

Not that Taehyung wants to have sex with Jeongguk. Are you kidding? Oh my gosh, he would never. 

Jeongguk has no status at their school. People know him but that is purely because he allowed them to know him whether it was for a school project or being on the team or being neighbors in their dorm. He isn’t well-known. Not like Taehyung is.  

For a second, he wonders what would happen if this dating rumor was true. Would people (and Doeun) leave him alone? Would Jeongguk rise up in the ranks? 

More people would go to swim meets, that’s for sure. With how their students are,Jeongguk would definitely start appearing on fan-made posters and get millions of Instagram followers. 

Taehyung smirks to himself. God, Jeongguk would hate this. He remembers finding the guy on Instagram towards the end of high school. He had 13 followers and two pictures despite having the account for three years already. Living a life like Taehyung’s would burn him out. Constantly having to dodge flashing cameras, pretend like the jagged questions don’t bother you, and try to live a normal life despite everyone wanting to pry. Jeongguk wouldn’t last. 

A dense feeling tugs at his chest, bringing him back down to reality. So, it’s a good thing they aren’t friends anymore. 

Taehyung would just be a bother. 

“If only he actually got dick last night.” To make his point, Jimin kicks his seat, sending Taehyung lurching forward again. “By the way, are you sure you don’t want Mingyu’s number? He was all over you at the party and he’s definitely still down.” 

Taehyung fiddles with his fingers. He swallows shakily, avoiding Yoongi’s slowly turning gaze on his profile. 

He said it before: he wants the first fuck of the year to be attractive, his type, great in bed. Mingyu crosses off all of those boxes. He’s tall and his dad is a famous surgeon. There is no reason for Taehyung to reject his advances, right? 

Well, after everything that happened with Doeun, Taehyung needs to be cautious. 

People have used his promiscuity against him, made a pawn to dig deep and tear down those walls until he’s mush in their hands. Only for them to stomp all over him and walk away.  Having it happen once was pathetic enough, Taehyung refuses to let it happen again. 

He shrugs. “He’s cute but,” his eyes never flick up to his friends, “I just wasn’t feeling it.” 

“You weren’t feeling it last night with that beer pong guy and you aren’t feeling it with Mingyu,” Yoongi points out. “Is there something you’re not telling us?” 

Yes, his brain shouts. Something happened but I can’t tell you about it because then more people will know and that cannot happen. Please help.

But Taehyung just shakes his head, not wanting to burden them with his stupid problems, even though he’s sure they would be glad to help. “Nah, I’m just being picky. Besides, I heard Mingyu’s tryna get back together with his ex and I don’t wanna get in the middle of that rom-com plot.” He jokes. 

Taehyung earns a few lazy chuckles from the others when his phone finally vibrates in his lap. He turns it over and looks at the notification. A text from Hoseok. 

tennis parents 

mommy tennis

hey, we’re parked on the 2nd floor

we’ll meet outside the parking lot

 daddy tennis

yessir 

🫡

“Let’s go, gays.” Taehyung pockets his phone, grabs his backpack, a leather Gucci one he got years ago, and opens the car door. His boots clack on the asphalt and he shuts the door behind him with a simple push. 

Yoongi is kind enough to drive him, Jimin too but they’re dating so it’s different. Taehyung has a license though. He just doesn’t care for driving. He has his own driver and his own limo which he would’ve just used here but there’s never adequate parking for them and some students egg the limos out of spite. 

Most students just end up buying a car or relying on public transport. 

With a sigh, the other two get out and stretch their limbs. It’s a nice sunny yet a little chilly day. Like one of those transition periods from Summer to fall. One of Taehyung’s favorite types of weather.

He’s dressed in an outfit that is sure to turn heads. Black fitted bootcut jeans, heeled boots, a silk tank top tucked in with a cheetah print button-up shirt on top. He chose a classic pearl choker and his usual rings on his fingers. Simple gold hoops and his hair is barely brushed to give his curls some volume. 

He looks fucking good. His ass is shown off and his collarbones are exposed. Taehyung exudes confidence in outfits like this. Like he can take on the world and have men crumbling with a simple walk.

Jimin, in his casual yet styled white t-shirt, sweater vest and white pants, joins him along with Yoongi, in neutral tones, for once, with a light tan button-up and ripped blue jeans. They leave the parking lot together where a pathway goes down to the street crossing. Taehyung has his first class in the Humanities building so he’ll have to make his speech fast if he wants to make it to his class on time. 

He links his arms with the other two, tightly chaining them as they walk to the exit door, leading directly to that path down to the crosswalk. 

And Taehyung can see a small group of people standing by the side of the exit. Hoseok’s trademark baggy jeans standing near someone tall and then someone in a completely black outfit. 

Need directions to the My Chemical Romance concert buddy?

“Hobi!” Taehyung calls. All three of them turn around and only one of them doesn't give him a smile. “Love your outfit, by the way,” he motions to the brunette’s patched beige cargo pants, black t-shirt and black jacket. 

Hoseok gives him a genuine smile. “You too.” His fingers tug at the lapel of Taehyung’s shirt and travel up to flick the pearl necklace sitting on his chest. “Quite the first-day outfit,” he motions. 

“Well, I always dress appropriately for the occasion.” In his best outfit to end a relationship that is completely fabricated. 

“Ready to break a million people’s hearts?” Seokjin asks, slinking a cautious arm around Hosoek’s waist. He smiles at Taehyung, shaggy dark hair combed perfectly to frame his handsome face. A black bomber jacket, white t-shirt and ripped jeans on.  Pretty and clean as always. 

Taehyung laughs. Although this information might actually do more good than harm. “Don’t think I ever will be,” he jokes. Cautiously, he flicks his eyes over to the other, the youngest, for his input. 

He’s been so quiet this entire time, typing away at his phone like an angry business man. He barely even acknowledged Taehyung’s presence. Rude. 

Jeongguk snorts, finally ripping his eyes from his phone and giving them his attention. “They’ll fucking live. No one should’ve sent those pictures in the first place.” He tucks the device in his pocket and fixes the straps of his backpack so they sit perfectly on his shoulders. 

Now, Taehyung gets an actual look at him. His hair curls around his eyebrow, showing off his big clear eyes and flawless skin. He sports an oversized Carhartt shirt that goes down to his elbows and matching black cargo pants, baggy of course, and chunky sneakers. 

That dark, emo, high fashion aesthetic is so.. so quintessentially Jeongguk. It fits him. He looks relaxed and comfortable unlike how stiff he used to sit in the outfits chosen for him. Always tugging and fidgeting. 

He looks good. Not exactly Taehyung’s style but he recognizes its appeal in Jeongguk. 

“True,” Yoongi argues. “But, that’s college for you. The best thing is to shut it down and move on.” 

He nods a head to the campus center where bustles of people group around.

“Yeah. Let’s get this over with.” He raises a hand to tuck some hair away. “I need to get to the housing office before my 9:30 class and put in a roommate request.”

A roommate request? 

Look, there’s nothing wrong with most of the students here but the housing office always seems to randomly select someone that is guaranteed to ruin your life. Either they’re disgusting as fuck or they’re creepy as fuck. Taehyung knew someone whose roommate asked if they could watch them shower for research purposes. Seriously, there’s a reason no one submits those forms. 

But Taehyung rolls his eyes at the other’s hurrying, crossing his arms over his chest. “And here I thought you’d miss our relationship. After everything we’ve been through! You bastard! What about the kids or the house on the beach?” He gasps dramatically, throwing a hand over his forehead in mocked pain. 

Everyone else giggles at his theatrics. Taehyung grows a smirk when he reels back, staring at Jeongguk’s lips set in a hard frown. Not even a muscle twitches. God, who pissed in his coffee this morning?

“Whatever. I feel sad for whatever unlucky soul is forced to deal with all of that later on,” his hand gestures to Taehyung’s entire body and his dismissal hits sharper than he thought. 

His smirk drops. “Me?” Taehyung’s finger points to himself. “Have you met yourself? I think all of that black clothing is getting to your head and wiping all of the fun out.” Whatever happened to the cute Jeonggukie who would play along with Taehyung?

“Well at least I don’t dress like some shitty loveseat from the 80s!” 

Seokjin groans under his breath. “Can both of you shut up already?” His chin rests on Hoseok’s shoulder, holding him close. 

Neither of them hear his grumbling. 

Taehyung points a finger at his body. “You wouldn’t know style even if it rang your doorbell and introduced itself.” 

The younger rolls his eyes. “Oh, you’re such a pompous fucking brat, you know that?” A smirk grows on Taehyung's face. It’s not a forfeit but it definitely feels like a win. 

“Of course I do. Glad to see you finally use your pea-sized brain and figure that out.” 

Part of him wants to pat the younger’s shoulder, really get him agitated just to see how angry he’ll get, but Taehyung holds himself back. 

Touching Jeongguk feels like a somewhat restricted action. 

Jeongguk steps closer, taunting him. “Great, now let’s go tell your fanclub that we aren’t dating so I can spend even less time with you,” he spits out, shaking his head in exasperation. “This is the last thing I wanted to happen.” He nods to his two friends who split from each other and turn with him down the path, leaning on him the entire time instead. 

Taehyung swallows down the pang that cuts deep into his chest, spreading down to his stomach in harsh waves. Jeongguk’s anger is somewhat justified, he wasn’t fair to him all those years ago when they stopped being friends and he isn’t fair now. But that doesn’t take the pain of it all. 

As if the first thirteen years of their lives meant nothing. 

No sleepovers or cuddles. No Mario Kart races or hours jamming to the newest SNSD CDs. No giggles under the covers or playing shark in the pool or warm noodles after a long summer’s day of being outside. It’s all null and void now. 

“Yeah, let’s get this over with.” He’s proud his voice doesn’t waver. Taehyung has gotten better at concealing his emotions over the years, no matter how hard it hurts. 

Jimin and Yoongi join either side of him. They begin a conversation about their Social Psychology class today but he doesn’t pay attention, eyes zoned in on the sight in front of him. 

Taehyung watches Jeongguk walk along the sidewalk next to Seokjin. Their arms are linked and the older is trying and succeeding to make Jeongguk laugh at some corny joke. At some point, his head shakes with a cringed smile.

He can’t remember the last time Jeongguk smiled around him. 

No, you know what? Fuck this. Jeongguk is happy with Seokjin and Hoseok and Taehyung is happy with Jimin and Yoongi and all of his other friends. He has no reason to feel sad. 

People move on, grow apart from each other. There’s no guarantee that you will stay friends forever. He’s made and lost countless friends in his life. Jeongguk is just one of them.

Taehyung just needs to remind that part of his brain. The one that keeps on bringing up the soft moments he had with Jeongguk.  

There’s a nudge against his shoulder. “So have you thought about our offer?” Yoongi asks. “The Josun Palace is nice but you need a home to come to after class or practice.” Fingers brushing wisps of hair out of his face. 

In light of Taehyung’s current homelessness, Yoongi and Jimin have so graciously offered their shared penthouse which has an extra bedroom that he can stay in. All he has to do is pay rent and do chores with them weekly. 

Sounds like a great offer right? A nice room near their university in a swanky penthouse, living  with his best friends all the time.  Fulfilling the American Dream by rooming in with your best friends and spending the nights drinking and watching movies while snuggling on the couch.

WRONG.

Yoongi and Jimin are great but they have one fatal flaw: they fuck everywhere. Literally, everywhere. The couch, the bathroom, the kitchen, the living room, the laundry room, in a gazebo, in the pool, on a pool chair, in the car, on top of their car and every other place imaginable. And poor Taehyung has had the misfortune of walking in on them multiple times and wanting to shove forks in his eyeballs right afterwards. 

He can’t handle that for a whole year. Especially if Taehyung wants to bring home someone of his own. How awkward would that be?

He scratches the back of his neck. “I need some more time,” he excuses, eyeing Jeongguk pressing the crosswalk button with his elbow while he and Seokjin sing the Pokemon theme song and Hoseok laughs. “I think I might try to find a studio of my own.” 

One of his teammates’ dad is a real estate tycoon. Maybe he can find something there. 

“Okay,” Jimin sings. “But just let us know as soon as possible.”

“Why? Trying to turn my potential room into a sex dungeon or something?” Taehyung jokes but Yoongi avoids his eyes and Jimin breaks into a fit of giggles which is good enough of an answer for him. Blech. 

The light turns red and the white signal turns on. The six walk forward, still split into two completely different conversations at first until Hoseok flips around when he reaches the other side before Taehyung.  

“Better plan your speech soon, Tae.” His hair billows prettily in the wind. “People are already staring.” 

He’s right. People leaving campus and going back to the parking lot are whispering, giving him all sorts of knowing, gossipy looks that Taehyung has seen many times before in his life. He’s used to all of this. Jeongguk, however, is not. 

Taehyung looks over at him. He’s holding Seokjin’s hand and playing with his fingers, avoiding all of the looks and chewing on his bottom lip nervously while the other talks to him in a low, soft tone. It’s a swift punch to his gut, contrary to the pleasure he imagined he’d feel seeing him uncomfortable under the spotlight. 

Jeongguk is right. He doesn’t need to be in this kind of environment. 

He exhales sharply. “Let’s do this.” Then he turns to Jeongguk. “Follow me, okay? Don’t say anything.” Jeongguk nods quickly, tailing him without complaint..

Taehyung takes charge. His long legs trek up the slight incline up to the main quad, a terrible decision with heels but hey, it’s a quick calf workout. Sweat beads a little on his forehead from the sun and the exertion but Taehyung keeps a straight face. He’s used to the ogling eyes following his every move on the runaway and on the streets of Seoul so this is no different.  

When people wave to him, he waves back. When people say hi, he responds. No matter what brews inside of him, he has an image to maintain. 

The others linger behind him, doing the same, mostly following Taehyung through campus. If he continues straight through the path, he’ll reach the main building with administrative, housing and student services, surrounded by patches of green grass where students lay blankets to read, eat, study and chill with their friends. 

Before that is the quad, concrete tiles in all the same color except for the ones that spell their school on the ground. To the left is the cafeteria with various cafes and a Subway. On the right side are the stairs that go up to the various department buildings. Students pour out from either side, immediately catching Taehyung and talking, keeping their eyes on his every move. Pointing and buzzing about him. 

The center of the quad has these medium-sized stone planters with a growing green bush with pink flowers blooming on it randomly spliced throughout. There is a bench along the perimeter that Taehyung places his bag on before standing on it. 

He cups his hands around his mouth. “Could I have your attention please?” Taehyung yells, lilting his tone to sound cuter and perkier. As if most of the people here don’t already have their eyes planted on their group.

People all around glance in his direction, pausing whatever they are doing to listen to what he has to say. Hoards of them crowd around the planter, right behind the five Taehyung came here with like he’s a general about to give a pep talk before a sneak attack on the enemy. Almost every person on the quad joins. 

They’re still whispering about it, he’s sure. Words like date, boyfriend, whore, slut, they all come up but they don’t phase Taehyung one bit. He’s got one chance, and he’s definitely not going to fuck this up.

Instead, he smiles brightly.

“First of all, Happy First Day of Fall Semester!” Taehyung cheers, starting a cacophony of shouts, whoops and claps from his fanclub as Jeongguk referred to it. “For some of us, it’s a familiar feeling but to those of you who are new, welcome to KU. You’re going to love it.”

God, he lays it on too thick but this is how he charms people. You tap into the sensitive bits, show you care, and reel them in. This is how he’s always worked and it has never let him down.

A few more people stroll in, noticing the mass by the planter and urge their friends to join in. Increasing the group in size, which is just what Taehyung wants. 

“If you don’t know me, my name is Kim Taehyung,” he places a hand on his chest, putting on his cutest smile and his sweetest voice. “I’m co-captain of the tennis team with Jung Hoseok.” Taehyung gestures to the brunette who shyly waves when people look at him. “And it would really mean a lot to me if you could come to our first game. It’s on the last Friday of this month and tickets are $5 so please come and support.” 

Some more cheers and claps echo. Taehyung looks down at the crowd and immediately finds Jeongguk rolling his eyes at the insanity around him. 

“We love you Taehyung!”

“You’re the best!” 

Taehyung’s grin grows with every bit of praise. It feels nice after spending the last few minutes feeling like shit for all of this even happening. “Aw, I love you guys, too.” The cheers increase deafeningly in volume. 

“Marry me, Taehyung!” Someone shouts from the crowd. Bursts of laughter ring through the air until someone cuts through them.   

“He’s already in a relationship, idiot!” 

A twinge runs down his spine; a mix of panic and fear that spreads goosebumps everywhere. Everyone on this campus knows about that stupid post and, unlike on social media, Taehyung can’t ignore a hoard of people who are angry at him when they are standing right in front of him.   

There is so much damage they could do. Not just to him but to his entire reputation.  

He chuckles. “Now, now,” Taehyung tries to calm them down with his hands. “That was the second thing I wanted to clear up.” Meeting Jeongguk’s eyes, he nods to the bench he’s standing on and the other gulps before handing Seokjin his backpack and slowly making his way to the bench to stand by it. Jeongguk looks up expectantly when he inches closer to Taehyung. 

This is it. This is all he’s here for. All he has to do is clear up all the nonsense caused by one stupid post and live his life without Jeongguk’s presence in it.

But then Taehyung makes the mistake of looking back into the crowd and making direct eye contact with Doeun and Jae. His smile crumbles at the side. 

The latter stands there with a confused yet irritated expression as people push and bat him around. His eyes dance around the crowd until he lands on Taehyung and his stare narrows in bitterness. He’s angry and probably, for some insane reason, probably blaming all of this commotion on Taehyung.

Meanwhile, Doeun just watches with that knowing look on his face. The one makes it seem like he’s the puppeteer behind it all. The arm he has around Jae’s shoulders is snug. He looks comfortable and vice versa. Taehyung wonders if Jae knows what has gone down with him and Doeun. Would he melt into Doeun’s touch or would he push him away in disgust?

Taehyung’s hand clenches into a fist by his thighs when the little fucker sends him a sly wink. A sour taste fills his mouth. 

Fuck this. That asshole can’t have control over him anymore. He seems to be everywhere, in Taehyung’s mind, standing in his hotel lobby, on his balcony, in his sheets, his shower, dark parking lots, on his phone and in his texts and in his head. He can’t handle it anymore. 

Taehyung needs to get away from him. He needs a safe spot, a reason for Doeun to keep his distance. 

But how? Who can help him?

Who is desperate enough to say yes?

Jeongguk shuffles a little closer to Taehyung and nudges him in the side with a soft elbow to his calf, urging him to continue. Taehyung snaps out of his stare. 

“Tell them,” he whispers, blinking up with large bright eyes. 

 Jeongguk!  He can help Taehyung. 

“U-uh,” he stutters. “I’m sure all of you saw GossipBlast’s post last night of me and Jeon Jeongguk and you all are wondering if they are true or not.” Taehyung swallows slowly, pausing for what might seem to be a dramatic effect but in reality he’s thinking. 

If he plays this right, feeds into this rumor and has Jeongguk work to his advantage, Doeun could be off his tracks and leave him alone forever! Then his mother and step-dad can finally relax about the entire thing.

But that’s only if Jeongguk agrees to help him without knowing the full details. Will he? He isn’t the type to do nice things for someone he doesn’t like. And Taehyung is definitely not someone who he’ll do favors for out of the goodness of his heart.

Unless Taehyung does something for him that is. 

And he knows just what he can offer. 

Taehyung gets back in the zone. His audience waits patiently while he can sense Jeongguk getting annoyed at the stalling. God knows how he’s going to react to what Taehyung is about to say. “Although this was sent in secretly and those pictures were taken illicitly, I am thankful because now, I get to tell you all,” he looks down to find Jeongguk’s shoulder a few inches from his body and clamps his hand down on the mass softly, “that it is true! Jeongguk and I are in fact dating.” 

The crowd goes completely silent. Jeongguk’s head snaps up to his, tensing, their friends looking equally as bewildered. 

His mouth shuts and his jaw tenses while a tuft of hair falls over his face. The line of his jaw is so sharp that if Taehyung runs his finger along the bone, he might slice his finger open. The sparkle seems to leave Jeongguk’s eyes, leaving an angry, irritated, furious man. Taehyung immediately bounces back to the crowd. 

He watches the muscles in their faces completely relax from a smile to shock. Some people frown, looking to the side in anger or jealousy, Taehyung can’t really tell. The reaction is mixed and overwhelmingly confusing to navigate. 

But Taehyung knows people and he can work a crowd like it’s his fucking job. Currently, they’re in a fragile state but all it takes is a simple switch to get them on his side. 

Begin the guilt trip!

“I wish I could’ve told you all in a much better way,” he sulks, pouting like a child that was told no. “I know that you all would’ve appreciated something more personal, I would’ve preferred it that way. But I’m very happy right now and I hope you all can be supportive of us in the future.” Taehyung looks down at Jeongguk, whose ears are turning bright red with either rage or shyness (or both), and squeezes his shoulder with a goofy smile. 

The action feels foreign and weird, especially with the discomfort that is so obviously etched in Jeongguk’s ruggedly soft features. If people look closely enough, they’ll sense his irritation and come to the conclusion that this entire thing is a scam. His lips part to let out a shaky exhale and he breaks eye contact. 

He’s not happy with this at all. 

Taehyung pushes down the momentary worry and flicks his attention back to the crowd of people whispering about it. He searches through the slew of people to find Doeun and Jae, the former finally breaking his smug look to furrow his eyebrows while Jae seems to be ranting in his ear vividly. Expressively, he goes off and Taehyung is so curious about what the little shit has to say about him. 

Then, someone speaks up from the crowd. “We,” they start, stumbling over their words for a second, “We will support you and your new boyfriend, Taehyung-ssi!” 

“We want you to be happy!” 

Everyone else breaks out into chants and claps, thankfully agreeing, and Taehyung breathes out a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much. I am so grateful for all of you,” he sends quick flying kisses in their directions before placing a hand on his chest. “I love you all.” 

He feels like an idol that just got over a shitty dating scandal, bowing at the dispersing crowd and sending them his biggest smile. 

Some of them peek over to see Jeongguk and his reactions, maybe stick around to see a kiss or something, but as the crowd moves with satisfaction, all of the stranglers are pushed aside like stray shells with a tide. 

A job well-fucking-done. 

Taehyung jumps down from the bench, landing right next to his brand new boyfriend with a content sigh and an accomplished smile on his face. “Well, that went better than I–”

“What the fuck was that, Kim?” Jeongguk seethes. He turns to look Taehyung directly in the eye now that they are alone and the air around them suddenly goes so cold. “You said you were going to fix it. Now you’ve just made it worse.”

Genuine anger drips from his tone, shoulders hunching in, jaw ticking and strands of shiny dark hair falling over his narrowed eyes. Goosebumps litter Taehyung’s skin and he knows he can’t blame the barely there breeze for them. 

He can, however, blame that jawline. 

The others join to form a circle, arms crossed with disappointed looks on their faces. Even Yoongi who (even though  he says he doesn’t play favorites) always finds a way to absolve Taehyung of anything, stares back in disbelief. 

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I know but just let me explain, okay?” Taehyung looks around to make sure no one is lingering around to listen in on their conversation. The coast is clear. “I saw Jae and his new boyfriend Doeun in the crowd looking all curious about the rumor and it gave me an idea to help you. So I lied and it worked. He got all pissy about it. Look,” his chin juts to the stairs to the cafe. 

Jae sips on a drink, still ranting to Doeun angrily like he’s retelling The Iliad to him. 

Taehyung studies Jeongguk’s reaction. The pinch between his brows melts and his teeth tease the skin of his bottom lip in thought, training on the erratic way that Jae seems to be angrily talking after what transpired. The tension leaves his shoulders, softening and relaxing into a slump and he turns back to face Taehyung. 

“You did this,” he spells out slowly, “for me?” 

It’s sort of laughable. If Taehyung could, he’d pour ice cubes down Jeongguk’s shirt every morning just for funsies. He’s spent a good portion of his teens pretending like the guy doesn’t even exist. 

And now he’s helping him? 

Why? Because he heard about how much Jae hurt him and it awoke some sickly sweet nostalgic protection he has over Jeongguk? Because watching Jeongguk be sad is like digging a knife into his side?

Jimin snorts. “Well, it’s not like Tae’s a big fan of your ex-boyfriend either, JK.” A sly smile threatens to curve his cheek upwards and expose a dimple. “Maybe this was a little for him too.”

It was. It has a lot to do with him too but no one needs to know the real reason why so Taehyung goes with it. 

“Yeah,” he scoffs, “I hate him.” 

“So do I.” Hoseok jumps in. “Jin hyung too.” 

“He’s like the human embodiment of burning your tongue.”

“He’s like the embodiment of what stubbing your toe feels like,” Jimin adds. 

Yoongi ponders for a moment. “I also wondered how someone could be so fucking annoying all the time and not have a single idea about it.” Taehyung laughs softly. 

“Okay wait,” Jeongguk cuts through and his hostility hasn’t gone away yet. “So you lied so I could make Jae jealous?” He asks, Taehyung nods. “But what’s in it for you?” 

If you’ve seen the movies, you know that these sorts of things are always transactional. Each person gets something in return. 

They also always end with the two leads falling in love but Taehyung is going to ignore that for now. He’s positive that’s never going to happen to the two of them, knowing the history they share.

He smirks and flips a curl out of his gaze so he can look into those glimmering eyes clearly. “I was hoping I could get that free room you got,” he asks coyly. 

Living with Yoongi and Jimin was an obvious no for Taehyung. If he walked in on them having sex one more time he might need to somehow get amnesia. And living in a hotel wasn’t going to last forever. He does need a home to come to. 

He needs a kitchen and his own sheets and he needs personality. Not emotionless room service delivery boys and pre-selected paintings that make his brain hurt. 

Taehyung wants to come back home from a long day of practice and crash into his bed, make himself a late night sandwich between study sessions, and watch TV on a small couch. He wants the true college apartment experience that he can’t get anywhere else. 

Expectantly, he braces himself for Jeongguk to flat out reject his idea. To push him away in disgust and regret the moment he handed all of the power to Taehyung to fix the rumor. 

They hate each other after all. 

But Jeongguk tenses and switches his balance on his feet. “Are you serious?” One might mistake a tinge of hopefulness in his tone. 

“Yes, you live in Paradise and you have an extra room so I’m swooping in!”

Seokjin and Yoongi nod their heads impressively while Hoseok and Jimin wiggle their eyebrows at each other. Taehyung does not know what that means nor does he want to. Shitheads. 

“So is that a yes?” He tries. Taehyung gets up on the balls of his feet, tries to use his puppy dog eyes which, from his vivid memory of their childhood, always used to work on Jeongguk. “Please? I won't bother you. I’ll do everything you want me to. Anything you ask.” 

His eyelashes flutter and he tilts his head in a way that’s all sweet and pliant. Taehyung can see the resolve cracking in Jeongguk’s eyes and he turns away, ears turning the slightest shade of red. But he still isn’t 100% sold. 

“And this whole, fake relationship thing.” He raises a hand up to run through his hair. The strands flip back to expose his smooth forehead, pushing it so that it’s more or less out of his face and Taehyung’s lips part as his eyes trail on the motion. “What’s your plan for that?” 

Taehyung glosses over it for a moment, ignoring the way his brain lingers on Jeongguk’s hair and trying to form some semblance of a plan. He knows there’s no point in stretching this for too long but he still wants to keep his room until the end of the year or if he ever finds something better. 

“We date till the end of the semester, have an amicable break-up, stay friendly with each other and move on. Simple,” he shrugs.

Like he’s said, he’s seen all of the movies and he knows how this shit goes. Each tropey thing brings the couples closer and closer together to increase the sexual tension until they fall in love despite all of their differences, with a few moments of angst thrown in, but that isn’t going to happen here. 

Because Taehyung doesn’t really fall in love with anyone. People fall in love with him and he lets them wallow until they move on. It’s going to stay that way. 

“Believe me, I’ve spent my time being scrutinized by the public eye. I know what the people want to see out of this,” he leans in. “They want the opposites-attract aesthetic couple being cute and sappy on Instagram and only tastefully affectionate in public for them to gush over and envy. We can easily do that.” He motions to their opposing outfits. 

Throw in some fake dates where they take pictures, a little hand-holding, and maybe they can each go to their games and boom, everyone believes in their relationship. 

Jeongguk still gazes at him apprehensively. His brain demands that he go over every possible detail before making a decision. He doesn’t want to be brash, it seems, jumping into god knows what with a person that he doesn’t know if he can trust. Taehyung reassures him once more. 

“The moment you want out, it’s over, okay? No pressure to last until the end of the semester . It’ll be simple and quick. That’s all we owe each other.” Taehyung extends his hand out to him, long fingers lonely in the wind, waiting for Jeongguk to securely intertwine with them. “Deal?” 

This will be easy. No awkwardness, no feelings, they barely have to acknowledge each other besides a few measly dates and small moments in public. It’ll be short and sweet and meaningless.  

And then Jeongguk and Taehyung can go back to pretending like the other barely even exists. A perfect plan. 

Now he can get Jae all jealous and a new roommate. Two problems solved in one go. While Taehyung can find a way to get Doeun off his back and find a permanent place to stay that is way closer to campus. 

There really is no reason for him to say no. 

Jeongguk sets his jaw, reaching forward and linking his hand with Taehyung’s. His palm is warm and soft and sure when he shakes it twice firmly. He looks directly into Taehyung's eyes and doesn’t waver. 

“Okay. Deal.”

[witchboxco]

When Witches Fought Hitler

In the summer of 1940, World War 2 was well underway. England had so far managed to stave off the advances of Hitler's Nazi army, but their position was precarious, and they were bracing for a land invasion. Nazi planes were flying overhead. France had already been invaded. Hitler was on their doorstep.

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In the town of Highcliffe-on-Sea, a secretive coven formed a plan to fight the Nazis the best way they knew how: with witchcraft. On Lammas Eve, they agreed to meet in the forest just before midnight to perform a magickal ritual they named "Operation Cone of Power." This ritual was intended to be a magickal assault on Hitler and the Nazis, playing on Hitler's own deep-seated beliefs in the occult and the power of witchcraft.

Author Philip Heselton wrote in his book Witchfather that there were 17 people who participated in Operation Cone of Power. These attendees were mostly Highcliffe locals, and they had ties to various occult organizations like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Rosicrucian Crotona, and the Freemasons.

Gerald Gardner, who many view as the founder of modern Wicca, was amongst the 17 witches participating in Operation Cone of Power. He wrote in his 1954 book Witchcraft Today that this tactic had worked twice before in England's favor: in 1588, when the Spanish Armada was scattered across the ocean by severe storms brought on by the efforts of Sir Francis Drake and English sea witches, and in 1805, when Napoléon was forced to call off his planned invasion of England after English witches cast a spell to prevent his barges from sailing to England.

The coven of 17 met in the nearby area of New Forest, near a former gallows tree called the Naked Man, and they hiked to the ritual site in a forest called Ferny Knapp. They found a clearing in the forest that was surrounded by pines, and they drew a witch's circle. In lieu of the traditional bonfire in the center of the circle, they likely opted for a flashlight or a closed lantern. Light sources at night were dangerous, given Nazi bomber planes were flying overhead at night.

The 17 participants, all of whom were naked (or "skyclad," as it's called in Gardnerian Wicca), began to dance around the circle in a spiral pattern, building upon each other's energy, and reaching an intense ecstatic state that they believed was powerful enough to reach Hitler with force. Their chants grew louder, echoing the previous rituals performed by English witches against the Spanish Armada and Napoléon. As their communal ecstatic state grew in intensity, they raised energy in the middle of the circle, which became The Great Cone of Power. This cone of power was then hurled towards France by all 17 participants, while they shouted, “you cannot cross the sea!  You cannot cross the sea!  You cannot come across!  You cannot come across!” They raised this energy with the intent of weakening Hitler's mind, and consequently, his resolve and his military power. many of them collapsed afterwards, exhausted both physically and emotionally.

Historians note that there is no evidence that this ritual took place beyond Gardner's own writings. We will never know if there is a lack of evidence because of the secrecy of early Wicca, or because it was a work of fiction authored by Gardner himself. Regardless of whether it actually happened, the Nazis never invaded England, and Hitler's mind and body did end up deteriorating over the subsequent five years. Perhaps the Nazis met the same fate at the hands of British witches as the Spanish Armada and Napoléon did.

Personally, I believe Operation Cone of Power actually happened. The New Forest Coven was comprised mainly of members who were too old to be drafted, and as a coven, they were very active in performing rituals, and maintained a substantial amount of secrecy.

[fratboykate]

So i'm very new to these parts (came from ao3) and i just want to clarify a few things lol is the kyau the ao3 fic? is it all on ao3 or is there extras in the tags here? and is the kyfbau exclusively on tumble? is there like a masterlist to read it in order? or is there no real order to read it? what/where is the periodau? and what does cfau stand for? It's clexa right? :) whats the f? lol Also Clara Oswald is perfection

KYAU (On AO3) [There's DEFINITELY a lot of extra shit on here that is not on AO3 but it's just spread out through the tag so it's hard to pinpont]

CFAU (On AO3) [Stands for Clexa Family AU - an INSANEEEEEE amount of extra shit and resources that are just on here]

KYFBAU *is* exclusively on Tumblr. There is no masterlist unfortunately. It's all in the tag. The way I would recommend reading it if people are trying to get into it is open that link on browser, scroll all the way to the bottom, and read it in reverse order. I've been looking for posts sometimes where I click the tag here on mobile and expect it to be there and it's nowhere to be found. Browser and that link is the best way to guarantee you're seeing all of it. (Same goes for all the other stuff I'm about to link)

---

Period AU (this is just the general, catch all tag so no specific stories here btw) is basically soulmates throughout the ages. Two people who have been meeting each other since the dawn of fucking time but keep getting it wrong. The general premise is that we see grand love, insurmountable obstacle, tragic death but these two dumb, madly in love hoes are like "Fuck that, I want more time, we deserve it, DO OVER!" and they keep coming back for each other until they can get it right. As many times as it takes. Rinse and repeat. "Whatever life I'm living? It's purpose is finding you."

Here's the five main points in time that I've decided to write about:

1) KYGAU - 150 BC, Capua/Roman Empire, Roman Times. - Yelena is an iconic Gladiator and Kate is the daughter of one of the most important Roman Senators. They fall in love. It changed later, but during this period in history, Gladiators are the scourge of society so…daughter of a senator and gladiator mingling ISN'T GREAT. IT'S BAD ACTUALLY.

2) KYNAU - 8th Century, Vikings/Northumbria (UK), Early Middle Ages. - Yelena is one of the Vikings who raid England. She's this iconic fighter who is basically royalty back home. Think Lagertha from the show Vikings. Kate is literal royalty in Northumbria. She's the daughter of a duke who is like the fifth in line to the crown. Very NOT COOL of her to be hanging out with one of the invaders lol.

3) KYIAU - 1300s, Siena (Italy), Middle Ages - Basically, Guelph and Ghibelline love story. Yelena is one of the best painters in the city. Kate is a rich girl who just moved there. Then the Black Plague hits. Shit goes down. Basically...Romeo and Juliet vibes-ish except they're not dumb and kill themselves a week into knowing each other lol. But rich families who can't stand each other and them even being in each other's proximity would be SIN.

4) KYFAU - Late 1700s, France, French Revolution - Their husbands were part of Louis XVI's court and they spent SO MUCH TIME fucking around every corner of Versailles.

5) KYVAU - 1868s, New York/Chicago, Victorian Era - Victorian AU lol. It's kinda pretty straightforward...

Again...if you're reading any of these you have to open in browser and scroll all the way to the end and read from the bottom up. It's the only way any of it will make sense.

[bean-na-farraige-agus-foraoise]

Do you have any particular resources for “Eostre” being Bede’s own creation? I know there’s no other attestation and that there are debates among scholars as to this hypothetical goddess’s existence, but if you have the time/energy, I’d love to see more resources on it being definitively a joke / fake from Bede, rather than just a possible goddess we know very little about.

It’s more the use of basic logic, so I’m just going to spell out my argument. I only have one direct quote so one citation, because again, my argument is based on logic and the way one ought to approach medieval sources that then get picked up by 19th century scholars. (I also discussed this at length with an old professor of mine who focuses on medieval theology so much of this is from my notes rather than like textbooks).

I first look at the author, Bede himself. He, like most historians of his day, is not exactly known for being accurate- his other most famous history, the  Ecclesiastical History of the English People is just chock full of propaganda, omissions, and his own personal agendas- he literally avoids talking to native Britons as he’s heavily biased against them. Bede has also been described as having “often used figures of speech and rhetorical forms which cannot easily be reproduced in translation, depending as they often do on the connotations of the Latin words (1)"- which in companion with the propaganda and his own personal agendas makes it very likely that someone unfamiliar with Bede’s writing style like... perhaps a certain German, possibly one by the name of Grimm, would take what he said at face value without taking into account any of the historical and ecclesiastical influences on Bede’s writing. 

The work that Eostre originates in is known as The Reckoning of Time, and focuses on one of Bede’s favorite topics... calendars. And I don’t want y’all to say that I’m making Bede out to be an idiot, because he isn’t, what I’m saying that the man is significantly more reliable as a scientist and a linguist than as a historian. The Reckoning of Time, written in 725, discusses things that a lot of modern day people think that those in the middle ages couldn’t possibly know such as an explanation of how the spherical Earth influenced the changing length of daylight, of how the seasonal motion of the Sun and Moon influenced the changing appearance of the new moon at evening twilight, and a quantitative relation between the changes of the tides at a given place and the daily motion of the Moon.

But the thing with Eostre is that the arguments made by proponents of Eostre’s reality don’t seem to add up. They argue that Eostre is a survival of the goddess  h₂éwsōs, who has a set mythology and role, she is the bringer of dawn, an opener of the doors of heaven, and a goddess of light- and while I have no linguistic scruples with the possibility that linguistically Eostre evolved from h₂éwsōs I do think that there are some issues with this argument. Eostre has no such role and indeed, according to proponents of her existence, like Grimm, has an entirely different role as a goddess of spring, of rebirth, a theme that by the first century AD was associated with Easter (aka several hundred years before we see Eostre being attested, and over a thousand years separated from Grimm’s claims). The associations with Easter and rebirth are what brings the rabbit and the egg into the picture. Furthermore when constructing an image of Eostre, Grimm and Holtzmann the individuals most responsible for the modern view of Eostre, just kinda..... pull aspects of goddesses from other cultures- they pull a little bit from Aphrodite, snag an aspect or two from Freyja. And in fact one of the most popular myths surrounding Eostre, that she turned a bird into a rabbit and that’s why the Easter rabbit lays eggs, was once described as “one of the oldest myths in the world” despite it being a recent fabrication as of 1900. 

Several older texts that mention Ostara such as the Althochdeutsches Schlummerlied announced in 1859 by Georg Zappert is considered a forgery. Grimm, Zappert, and Holtzmann were looking were a common thread of Germanic connection on which to build a German national mythology. Germany would not be a unified state until 1871 and was instead a region of disparate and often un-unified small states that were frequently invaded by larger nations, such as France. A German national mythology and a German national history came to be key points in the unification of Germany, and later became a focal point of German fascism. 

Furthermore much of the arguments in favor of Eostre seem to rely on what appear to me, to be flimsy linguistic claims that were only thought up in relation to Bede’s posited goddess Eostre and Grimm’s claims of Eostre’s importance in Germany despite his.... making up the things about her..... but I digress- many of the things that are held up as “proof” of Eostre’s existence seem to come from hypothetical linguistics, it’s very much an attempt to connect certain sounds and popular German names to a figure who’s existence was not mentioned prior to Bede’s work, who was popularized by a German nationalist, and then whose holiday was taken and used in what was asserted to be a survival of ancient religion (Wicca- as published in Gardner’s Witchcraft Today) just four years prior to the discovery of the artifacts that are shown as proof of Eostre’s existence in 1958. And while many of these inscriptions have been attributed to Eostre, many of the inscriptions are also incomplete, and several of them have been attributed to a social group rather than a deity. Claiming that a deity exists because you see what is believed to be a linguistic connection to their name (which again was not attested to until the 8th century) is just.... it’s like the Danu situation for Gaelpol all over again. Basing linguistic studies off of hypothetical goddesses with highly debatable origins just doesn’t feel like proof to me. 

But back to Bede, Eostre is not the only deity he just creates while writing The Reckoning of Time. And Eostre is not the only deity that Grimm grabs up as being a real Germanic figure who is otherwise unattested- Rheda is also just brought into existence and shoved into a similar situation as Eostre- made into a fertility goddess because of which month Bede ascribed them to and preconceived notions of what would be celebrated at that time of year based on over a thousand years of Christian influence and associations already held with the Easter holiday. Also, Grimm does the same thing to Rheda that he does to Eostre, in that, because nothing is given of her, he pulls aspects from other deities to flesh out her character- giving her similarities to the Roman Mars. 

And even beyond Bede’s writing- some arguments have posited that the age in which Bede was raised (shortly after the conversion was completed) would have allowed him to talk to people about aspects of religion that would have not have fully died out. Which is fair, but one must also keep in mind that Bede was sent to live in a monastery when he was 7 years old, and that he and the Abbot who raised him were among the only survivors of a plague that struck when Bede was 14. This was not a life that allowed for much other than ecclesiastical education- and Bede cites local pagan authors in his his other writing, but none of them discuss Eostre or Rheda. It seems to me as though when writing The Reckoning of Time, that Bede, who was also discussing Greek and Roman cosmology and mythology might have seen the space for a goddess of spring in Anglo-Saxon mythology and just filled in the gaps utilizing the Germanic word for Easter as his base (remember, Bede was a linguist). 

But beyond this, it’s important to me that people remember that medieval monks were human. They were political beings, they were capable of having a sense of humor, they had agendas- Bede’s agenda was calendars, but it was an agenda nonetheless. And historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, they all have agendas, they have opinions, things that influence their arguments- don’t just take what they say at face value but examine why. 

But I raise the bar to you now- why do you believe in a hypothetical goddess, what evidence do you have that says she’s real? 

Ultimately my only dog in this fight is historical literacy and accuracy because I don’t follow the Germanic gods, I’m a Gaelic polytheist. It doesn’t matter to me what gods people follow even if I think they don’t exist, that’s not my fight- but seeing people claim that a holiday was stolen from a hypothetical deity really grinds my gears- particularly when those arguments are coming from people who couldn’t give me a single academic argument for their stance that hasn’t been disproven a thousand times over. 

1. Colgrave, Bertram; Mynors, R.A.B. "Introduction". Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969).

[princesspiratecat]

The Rise and Fall of the Shepard Family Finale Part 1:  Fall 1085 

Part 1& Part 2

Part 3 & Part 4

Part 5 & Part 6 & Part 7

Part 8 & Part 9 & Part 10

Part 11 & Part 12 & Part 13

Part 14 & Part 15 & Part 16

Part 17 & Part 18 & Part 19

Part 20 & Part 21 & Part 22

Part 23 & Part 24 & Part 25

Part 26 & Part 27 & Part 28 

Part 29 

It was a difficult year for the Allard siblings, bittersweet and disappointing. Although Frances had inherited the estate, he learned there was very little else left to keep it running, and even that money would soon run out. His brothers had been left only paltry sums in which to begin their own lives, and his sister Francine had only a small dowry settled upon her- far less than what Frédérique had gotten.

Marcelle had left absolutely nothing for Edyth, or his child with Edyth, Agnes. He had only bothered to write out instructions that she was to be educated alongside her half-siblings. Frances had been shocked at his carelessness and knew that he would need to settle something upon her at some point. Luckily, she was still quite young, so he had time to save.

Marcelle had invested far too much and had bought up additional lands without telling anyone of it, or even what he had planned to do with so much land. In fact, they now owned a vast swath of land outside of Grimsby, all the way up the coast and inland too. There was even a large, stately house about a mile away that had been left unfinished, in addition to the infamous hovel that Gwendolyn had lived in.

She had been painfully right about the hovel, it had been meant for her and her sisters.

Shameful. 

Their own home itself had been neglected for quite a few years now, and some of the outer buildings were in a sad state of disrepair. Frances had had an idea that his father had been lax about everything, but he hadn’t known it was as bad as all this. 

He immediately began to feel the burden of running an estate, and at times it overwhelmed him. He was ashamed that his wife often found him in moments of despair, as he had not wanted to show his weakness and inexperience to anyone. He was not the man his father was, and he blamed himself for that, without exploring why that might be. He felt incredibly guilty that he had been given so much, and his siblings so little.

At night, he came to his bride in their bed the first chance he got. Sometimes he said nothing and simply began caressing her body and undressing her. He let her know by the way he kissed her exactly what he needed from her without using words. She almost always obliged him, and he knew that she often expected he would come to her.

The longing to feel her arms around him, to be inside of her, and to connect with her on a tangible level simply overpowered him most days. He made a point of causing her to cry out in pleasure each night. He wanted to feel something else besides his own grief and emptiness for even just a moment. She reminded him that he was still alive and made him forget it all, until a new day dawned.

Other nights he simply laid down, wrapped his arms around her and was still. She stroked his head and held his hands in hers. The effort of speaking was needless. She knew what he wanted, as it had been just the same with her all those years ago. Only now, their roles were reversed, and she was the one to console him. 

But tonight, he wanted to talk. He needed to confess.  

“I am a weak man, Gwendolyn. I’m afraid you have married a very weak, inept man.”

“You are not a weak man. You simply have not allowed yourself the time needed to heal your own heart. Give yourself the freedom to grieve without placing too much burden upon yourself.”

“But I cannot leave it all unattended. My father has done that for too long.”

“I will run the estate as your mother taught me. She taught me far better than your father taught you. If you are not up to the tasks that come with maintaining a large estate, he is to blame for not preparing you. It is my home now just as much as it is yours. I will carry the burden for you until you are ready to do so yourself.” 

As soon as she said it, he knew she spoke the truth and he felt a huge sense of easement. She was perfectly skilled and capable of doing everything that needed to be done, and now she was Mistress. It was time for him to step aside and let her take control as she was meant to. 

“You must look after your family now,” she said gently. “They need you, just as much as you need me.”

She was right in that as well. His younger siblings had been neglected by their father and alienated by Edyth. They were often alone and had been made to feel like strangers in their own home. So he started to remedy that by arranging for them all to visit their sister at Barton, where they would take a much needed fishing trip together. He would try to be the big brother they needed him to be- especially Fabien.

                               * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

The first thing Gwendolyn did after they left was to clean house, both literally and figurately, and Edyth would be the first to feel the change. 

She used what little money they had to hire workers from the Boarding House to finish the smaller house, which she named Cherry Hill. Then she banished Edith and Agnes to it. It had been a rather ugly shouting match because Edyth insisted she had a right to live at the main house, but Gwendolyn was having none of it. 

“If you wanted to stay you should not have made everyone here your enemy. This is my house now, and you will leave. Go!”

Had she been privy to the role Edyth had had to play in her own exile, or that Agnes was not Marcelle’s child, things would not have turned out the way they did. But for the sake of Agnes, Gwendolyn tread as lightly as she could while still asserting her authority. They would be very comfortable at Cherry Hill, far more comfortable than Edyth deserved to be.

After they were gone there was still much to be done, and part of a thorough  cleaning meant organizing and going through all of the belongings of Marcelle’s in the Lord’s bedroom. She wanted things in order, as it would now be their bedroom, and she hated the memory she had of it when she had last seen him alive.

After a few days Gwendolyn had nearly everything in order, but there was one large wooden box that had been hidden away under the bed a servant had found while cleaning. It looked vaguely mysterious, and she had hoped that it would contain a large stash of jewelry or treasure. 

No such luck. Inside, there were multiple letters dated from the year 1063, just a few years before the bastard King William had invaded England. It was written on very expensive parchment paper in Latin. Gwendolyn had never seen such paper. In fact, paper was a rarity outside of the church. Her father could not read and even if he could, paper had been way beyond his means. 

Gwendolyn had been taught Latin by Aélgarda, but still struggled with it. As far as she could tell, it had something to do with...time...a journey.... and love? Perhaps brushing up on her Latin was in order when she had some time to herself. Frances would be back in a matter of days, and he was excellent with Latin and would be able to translate the letters quickly. 

Until then, she turned her eye to more domestic matters, and arranged for the purchase of additional horses for breeding. Horses were an expensive luxury in these parts because they had to be shipped from afar to the River Trader. Gwendolyn had an idea of breeding horses and selling them, which would fetch a nice price in the long term. She also purchased additional fruit trees and began work on having the pasture enlarged. The more improvements she could make, the more income the estate would bring in come harvest time. 

As soon as Frances got back she gave him the letters and had him translate them. The first one was written as such: 

My Dearest Love, 

I was so happy to see you again at our feast last night. These stolen moments we have together are so precious to me, you cannot know how much I look forward to them. I know you are going away on the morrow, and I pray that you will come back to me safely. I hope my love and this letter will warm you from afar. With all my Love, Aélgarda

At first, they both assumed that the letters had been written to Marcelle, and Gwendolyn thought about the softer, sentimental side of him. He must have really loved his wife, despite all the things he had recently said about her. But as Frances read the other letters, they realized they were not to Marcelle at all, but to a young solider that had served Aélgarda’s father dutifully. The more he read, the more they pieced together that he was a young and handsome Welshman, and eventually came to the conclusion that his name had been... Llywelyn. 

 To Be Continued in Part 2! 

[rubykgrant]

I made a slightly condensed version of my Spooky Ref list; it still has a heck ton of movies and books, but now I combined certain categories, eliminated a few, and removed some of the titles that don’t quite fit. If you are looking for things to watch or read so you can get into the Halloween mood (or of you just like some creepy content), here you go!

Movies and Books for October

These range from children’s media to adult content, so be sure to check the ratings/reviews, this way you’ll find ones that are suitable for the right viewers. The dates of movies and names of authors for books are included to make searches easier

(a * symbol is for when a title is in both sections, a book that got made into a movie, ect)

Halloween and Ghosts

Movies- Hocus Pocus (1993), *the Halloween Tree (1993), the Nightmare before Christmas (1993), Trick r Treat (2007), Monster House (2006), Halloweentown (1998), the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949), Scary Godmother Halloween Spooktacular (2003), Poltergeist (1982), the Haunting (1999), Casper (1995), Ghostbusters (1984), the Haunted Mansion (2003), Thirteen Ghosts (2001), the Others (2001)

Books- How to Drive Your Family Crazy on Halloween by Dean Marney,*the Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury, the Haunted Mask (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge, Stonewords a Ghost Story by Pam Conrad, Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn, Ghost Beach (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn, the Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein, Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

 Witch/ESP/Mental Powers

Movies- *Practical Magic (1998), *the Wizard of Oz (1939), *the Witches (1990), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost (1999) *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), the Craft (1996), the Witches of Eastwick (1987), *Carrie (1976), *Firstarter (1984), *Matilda (1996), the Last Mimzy (2007)

Books- *Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, *the Witches by Roald Dahl, Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones, *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling, *the Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum, T*Witches by HB Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld, the Worst Witch by Jill Murphy, *Carrie by Stephen King, *Firestarter by Stephen King, *Matilda by Roald Dahl, Scorpion Shards (Star Shards Chronicles) by Neal Shusterman, the Witch’s Boy by Michael Gruber

 Vampire and Werewolf

Movies- Blade (1998), the Little Vampire (2000), Hellboy Blood and Iron (2007), *Hotel Transylvania (2012), Fright Night (2011), What We Do in the Shadows (2014), Alvin and the Chipmunks meet The Wolfman (2000), Ginger Snaps (2000), Van Helsing (2004) Wolf Children (2012), the Wolfman (1941)

Books- Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe, Dracula by Bram Stoker, ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, Red Rider’s Hood by Neal Shusterman, the Werewolf of Fever Swamp (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, Werewolves Don't Go to Summer Camp (Bailey School Kids) by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Jones, Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause, Night of the Werepoodle by Constance Hiser

 Zombies and Slasher/Gore

Movies- Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998), ParaNorman (2012), Night of the Living Dead (1968), *Pet Sematary (1989), Zombieland (2009), Resident Evil (2002), Dawn of the Dead (2004) Scream (1996), a Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), *I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Kill Bill (2003), Happy Death Day (2017), the Hills Have Eyes (2006), US (2019), Friday the 13th (1980), the Thing (1982), *the Girl with all the Gifts (2016)

Books- *Pet Sematary by Stephen King, the Haunting of Derek Stone by Tony Abott, Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, *I know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan, the Dark Half by Stephen King, The Dead Girlfriend (Point Horror) by RL Stine, Another by Yukito Ayatsuji, the Prom Queen (Fear Street) by RL Stine, *the Girl with all the Gifts by MR Carey

 Demons/Possession/Afterlife

Movies- the Omen (1976), Insidious (2010), the Exorcist (1973), *Christine (1983), City of Angels (1998), All Dogs go to Heaven (1989), Fallen (1998), *Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Bedazzled (2000), What Dreams May Come (1998), the Book of Life (2014), Flatliners (2017), *the Lovely Bones (2009), Coco (2017), Jennifer’s Body (2009), the Mummy (1999)

Books- *Christine by Stephen King, Needful Things by Stephen King, HECK where the bad kids go by Dale E Bayse,* Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin, Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Paradise Lost by John Milton, Inferno by Dante Alighieri, *the Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

 Monsters/Mythology/Dangerous Animals

Movies- Monsters Inc (2001), Godzilla (1998), *a Monster Calls (2016), *Jurassic Park (1993), King Kong (1933), Doug’s 1st Movie (1999), Darkness Falls (2003), Atlantis the lost empire (2001), Sinbad Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), *the Last Unicorn (1982), Urban Legend (1998), *How to Train Your Dragon (2010), the Flight of Dragons (1982), Shrek (2001), *the Hobbit (1977), Quest for Camelot (1998), Ferngully the last rainforest (1992), Lake Placid (1999), Jaws (1975), *Cujo (1983), Deep Blue Sea (1999), Anaconda (1997)

Books- *a Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, *Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, Sasquatch by Roland Smith, *the Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle, the Moorchild by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, the Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan, the Boggart by Susan Cooper, *How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell, Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville, *the Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, *Cujo by Stephen King, Cat in the Crypt (Animal Ark Hauntings) by Ben M Baglio, Congo by Michael Crichton, Watership Down by Richard Adams, the Dark Pond by Joseph Bruchac

 Dolls and Toys, Circus/Carnival/Clowns, Comedy Horror

Movies- *Coraline (2009), the Adventures of Pinocchio (1996), Child’s Play (1988), Toy Story (1995), 9 (2009), We’re Back a dinosaur’s story (1993), the Care Bears Movie (1985), Little Nemo adventures in Slumberland (1989), *Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983), *Big Top Scooby-Doo (2012), Killer Klowns from Outer Space, *IT (2017), *Beetlejuice (1988), Army of Darkness (1992), Gremlins (1984), Arachnophobia (1990), Jawbreaker (1999), Tremors (1990), the Frighteners (1996), Twilight Zone the Movie (1983), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Eight Legged Freaks (2002), the Goonies (1985)

Books- Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell, *Coraline by Neil Gaiman, No Flying in the House by Betty Brock, Doll Bones by Holly Black, Joyland by Stephen King, *Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, *IT by Stephen King, the Cuckoo Clock of Doom (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, a Dirty Job by Christopher Moore jr, Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Treasury) by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell, JTHM (Director’s Cut) by Jhonen Vasquez

 Gothic/Dark Fantasy, Curse/Transformation

Movies- *the Addams Family (1991), Rebecca (1940), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Mama (2013), the Phantom of the Opera (2004), Crimson Peak (2010), Legend (1985), the Dark Crystal (1982), Labyrinth (1986), *the Neverending Story (1984), *the Secret of NIMH (1982), Anastasia (1997), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Willow (1988), *the Last Unicorn (1982), the Princess Bride (1987), *Legend of the Guardians the Owls of Ga'Hoole, Beauty and the Beast (1991), the Princess and the Frog (2009), the Swan Princess (1994), the Thing (1982), the Mask (1994), Freaky Friday (2003), Song of the Sea (2014), Pirates of the Caribbean the Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Books- the Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, the Shining by Stephen King, Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark, a Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, Well Witched (Verdigris Deep) by Frances Hardinge, Poison by Chris Wooding, *the Neverending Story by Michael Ende, *Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O'Brien, a Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz, the Dark Portal by Robin Jarvis, Zel by Donna Jo Napoli, *the Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle, *Guardians of Ga’Hoole by Kathryn Lasky, Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl

 Mystery/Thriller/Psychological/Suspense

Movies- Clue (1985), *Holes (2003), Get Out (2017), Hot Fuzz (2007), Minority Report (2002), Kidnap (2017), Saw (2004), Wind River (2017), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), the Great Mouse Detective (1986), Eve’s Bayou (1997), Breaking In (2018), Cube (1997), *Secret Window (2004), Silent Hill (2006), the Sixth Sense (1999), the Good Son (1993), Psycho (1960), Donnie Darko (2001), Fargo (1996), the Game (1997), the Invisible Man (2020), Breaking In (2018)

Books- *Holes by Louis Sachar, the Lost (the Outer Limits) by John Peel, We’ll Meet Again by Mary Higgins Clark, When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman, *Secret Window Secret Garden (Four Past Midnight) by Stephen King, House of Stairs by William Sleator, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King, Tangerine by Edward Bloor, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the Girl who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

 Sci-Fi/Space Aliens, Robots and Technology

Movies- I Robot (2004), the Iron Giant (1999), the Terminator (1984), AI artificial intelligence (2001), the Stepford Wives (2004), Wall-E (2008), *Screamers (1995), *Sphere (1998), *Blade Runner (1982), *2001 a Space Odyssey (1968), MIB (1997), Mission to Mars (2000), Galaxy Quest (1999), Alien (1979), ET the extra terrestrial (1982), Independence Day (1996), Spaced Invaders (1990), Buzz Lightyear of Star Command the Adventure Begins (2000), Chicken Little (2005), *War of the Worlds (1953), *Contact (1997), Signs (2002), Treasure Planet (2002), Frequency (2000), Back to the Future (1985), the Time Machine (1960), Planet of the Apes (1968), Lost in Space (1998)

Books- the Terminal Man by Michael Crichton, Feed by Matthew Tobin Anderson, *Second Variety (Screamers) by Phillip K Dick, *I Robot by Isaac Asimov, Cell by Stephen King, *Sphere by Michael Crichton, *Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner) by Philip K Dick , *2001 a Space Odyssey by  Arthur C Clarke, a Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, the Dark Side of Nowhere by Neal Shusterman, *War of the Worlds by HG Wells, *Contact by Carl Sagan, Childhood’s End by Arthur C Clarke, Aliens Don’t Wear Braces (the Baily School Kids) by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Jones, the Invasion (Animorphs) by KA Applegate

 Dystopia/Disaster, Other Worlds

Movies- Waterworld (1995), the Matrix (1999), Escape from New York (1981), *Demolition Man (1993), the Day After Tomorrow (2004), Volcano (1997), the Fifth Element (1997), Titan AE (2000), Armageddon (1998), Twister (1996), the Birds (1963), the Book of Eli, (2010) Spirited Away (2001), *Alice in Wonderland (1951), Pleasantville (1998), *the Phantom Tollbooth (1970), *the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), *Hook (1991), the Pagemaster (1994), *James and the Giant Peach (1996)

Books- Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, the Road by Cormac McCarthy, the House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, 1984 by George Orwell, Armageddon Summer by Bruce Coville and Jane Yolen, the Giver by Lois Lowry, the City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, *Brave New World (Demolition Man) by Aldous Huxley, Malice by Chris Wooding, * the Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, the Golden Compass (His Dark Materials) by Philip Pullman, *The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (the Chronicles of Narnia) by CS Lewis, *James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

 Anime/Manga and J-Horror

Movies- Akira (1988), Perfect Blue (1997), Ring (1998), Dark Water (2002), Ghost in the Shell (1995), Tokyo Godfathers (2003), Cat Soup (2001), *Cowboy Bebop the Movie (2001), Blood the Last Vampire (2000), Pokemon the First Movie (1998), Sailor Moon R Promise of the Rose (1993), DBZ the World’s Strongest (1990), Digimon the Movie (2000), Ju-On (2000)

Manga- Claymore by Norihiro Yagi, Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, *Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi, *Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa, *Blue Exorcist by Kazue Katō, *Soul Eater by Atsushi Ōkubo, *Inuyasha by Rumiko Takahashi,

Anime- *Yu Yu Hakusho, *Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, *Soul Eater, *Blue Exorcist, *Inuyasha, *Cowboy Bebop, Mob Psycho 100, .hack//SIGN , the Promised Neverland, Paranoia Agent, Tokyo Ghoul, Hellsing Ultimate

 Super Hero

Movies- Hellboy (2004), Ghost Rider (2007), the Incredibles (2004), Batman Beyond return of the Joker (2000), TMNT (2007), Logan (2017), Black Panther (2018), Sky High (2005), Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse (2018), Justice League Crisis on Two Earths (2010), Batman Under the Red Hood (2010)

Comics- Animal Man (New 52, 2011) DC Comics, Swamp Thing (New 52, 2011) DC Comics, BPRD Dark Waters (2012) Dark Horse Comics, Nextwave (Agents of HATE, 2006) Marvel Comics

Animated Series- Batman the Animated Series, X-Men Evolution, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), Darkwing Duck, the Powerpuff Girls, Teen Titans (2005), Static Shock, Green Lantern the Animated Series

 Cartoons and TV shows

Over the Garden Wall, The Simpsons (Treehouse of Horrors), Regular Show (Terror Tales of the Park), Adventure Time (Stakes), Scooby-Doo Where Are You/What’s New Scooby-Doo,  El Tigre the Adventures of Manny Rivera, Phineas and Ferb (Night of the Living Pharmacists), Gravity Falls, Good Omens, Miracle Workers, Grimm, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, What We Do In the Shadows, Hotel Transylvania the series, Wolf’s Rain, Danny Phantom, Aaahh Real Monsters, the Munsters, So Weird, Tutenstein, Gargoyles, Xena Warrior Princess, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Tales from the Crypt, Goosebumps, Samurai Jack, Metalocalypse, Super Jail, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Futurama, the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, *Beetlejuice (animated series), Sabrina the Animated Series, the Owl House, Bewitched, Growing Up Creepy, the Addams Family (animated series), a Series of Unfortunate Events, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Star VS the Forces of Evil, Amphibia, Infinity Train, Penn Zero Part-Time Hero, Murder She Wrote, the Venture Bros, Avatar the Last Airbender, Invader ZIM, People of Earth, Star Trek Next Gen, Rick and Morty, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

[belgianreader2]

My friend @asmicarus and I came up with a list of things you can see in every European city

when we went on our trip to France this summer and decided to share the gloriousness with everyone else

medieval street n°7182389498

old building (but rebuilt after war n°49549)

cathedral n°54854398

castles (so many castles)

all of the above except they were rebuilt after x, y, z war

that one baker/restaurant open since the dawn of time

cobblestones

statue of a person no one knows why is important

war memorial

Grand Street leading from old station to main monuments

Jewish quarter

old station

hates their neighbouring town

Has that one very strange custom that is still somehow law

old torture tower kept just to be able to say there was one

37 tourist shops that sell the exact same thing

locals that hate tourists

tourists hating each other 

obscure saints

that one special dish

that one special dish (except it’s just something from another country with a different name and both claim they had it first)

tour guide: “we were invaded by *neighbouring country* but it’s fine we invaded them back”

street names that don’t make sense given the spoken language

multilingual displays everywhere mostly with english, german and *insert country*

except france

that one song everyone knows

lost tourist figuring out the train system

trains. trains everywhere.

fancy city hall

Ghost stories

fancy palace of justice

[hetamavi]

The History Behind “Useless Italy”

Introduction

This post will go into detail on the World War II era history behind the stereotypes that defines Italy’s character and his relationship with Germany. Both during and after covering the history, I’ll go into how Italy’s character reflects that history and point out some inaccuracies in regards to him and his relationship with Germany (Spoilers: There’s a lot). The point of this post isn’t to condemn Hetalia, it’s to inform the people reading this post. The core of the series, and even the name, come from how useless Italy is portrayed as. When consuming this sort of content, I think the actual background behind it is worth knowing. Hetalia is a lighthearted series in large part about stereotypes, but stereotypes can have some very not lighthearted origins. It’s also true that if you’re a Hetalia fan, and you never really look into this history, you’ve been massively misinformed. Hetalia can serve as inspiration to look more into history, but it is not to be treated as a legitimate source for learning history. 

One extra note. For most of this post, in regards to Hetalia, I’ll be talking about Italy as in the titular character who represents northern Italy and not Romano. I will briefly bring up Romano as well, but his existence doesn’t detract from anything said here. 

Translated panels are taken both from Hetarchive and the Tokyopop translation of volume 1.

The Historical Background

Italy’s character seems to largely be based on stereotypes that Italy’s blunders during World War II were a result of character flaws such as cowardice on the part of Italian soldiers. Factually, however, these stereotypes don’t seem to hold much truth to them. This isn’t something I’ll spend too much time going into detail on, but the actual reasons Italy struggled during WWII has to do with factors such as its involvement in wars in Spain and Africa which came before WWII, lack of resources, and lacking in industrialization. Before even entering the war, it was understood that Italy wouldn’t be prepared for a major war until 1943.

Adding onto the practical reasons mentioned above, Italians really didn’t want to enter the war.

“In fact, few Italians – including Mussolini and Ciano – had much taste for either the war or their ally, and the Italians continued to build fortifications in the Tyrol and contest German influence in the Balkans.” (Understanding Defeat: Reappraising Italy’s Role in World War II)  

So why would Italy get involved regardless of all these factors? Fascists leaders such as Mussolini were imperialists who wanted Italy to maximize its status and power within Europe. After Germany had successfully invaded Paris, it looked as if there were an opening for Italy to join in, have a series of quick victories, and then get a share of the success. That political calculus certainly sounded more appealing than potentially allowing only Germany to reap the benefits of the win, leaving a neutral Italy’s future uncertain under German hegemony. So despite the lack of resources, the outdated equipment, and the hesitant Italian public, they entered the war.

To say Germany and Italy’s relationship within Hetalia has some inaccuracies to how Germans and Italians actually interacted throughout the war would be an understatement. In a quote from “Of Myths and Men: Rommel and the Italians in North Africa, 1940-1942”, the relationship is described. “There is no question that the Germans looked down on their ally as racially inferior and friction between the two was endemic and pervasive; Vice Admiral Nomura noted ‘rivalries between Italian and Germans everywhere’ during his trip through the Balkans in late 1942.” There is an abundance of information and quotes supporting this claim, including a German general’s, Christian Eckhard, attempt to explain the friction. His explanation was that Germans held contempt for their allies because Italians knew of the superiority of the Germans and were insubordinate in reaction to that knowledge.

A quote from a German commander and noted Italophile, Albert Kesselring, is “The Italian is easily contented. He actually has only three fashionable passions – coffee, cigarettes, and women.” Another quote from this same commander is that Italians are likable “if one is not repelled by his naturally inherent attributes which are in sharp contrast with the characteristics of people from the North”. Kesselring would later be indicted for his involvement in the Ardeatine massacre which took the lives of 335 Italians (put a pin in that, I’m coming back to it later).

As evidenced by the already described friction, the contempt wasn’t one sided and the Italians were well aware of the hostility and racism towards them. “Count Ciano continually complained in his diary, and popular writers like Aldo Lualdi leave no doubt, that Italy’s German ally was not ‘simpatico’ (‘likable’).” (Of Myths and Men: Rommel and the Italians in North Africa, 1940-1942 )

The racism towards Italians at the time directly relates to the image of them as having been cowardly during the war. German commanders were prone to blaming Italians for whatever failures they endured, whether giving them the blame was warranted or not. Erwin Rommel, also known as the “Desert Fox”, was one notable commander who made a habit out of this. “Rommel increasingly blamed the Italians for his woes, and his disdain reflected the attitude of the German high command. Easily caricatured, Italian soldiers in fact showed flashes of ferocity and tactical competence in North Africa, particularly in infantry skirmishes.” (An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943).

Alongside bigotry and finger pointing occurring on the Axis side, both Allied (most notably British) and German propaganda overstated German competence. “The tendency to attribute Axis successes to the Germans and failures to the Italians seems to have its roots in the conviction that Rommel was a genius who could do no wrong, and the belief that Italians were subject to excessive Latin nervousness and made pitiful soldiers. It is thus normal to dismiss as loss of nerve Graziani’s request for permission to retreat in late 1940, even though a retreat seems to have been what was needed. At the same time, Anglo-American writers tend to depict Rommel’s various retreats as evidence of military genius.”  (Understanding Defeat: Reappraising Italy’s Role in World War II)

These interpretations benefited both sides propaganda wise. “Perhaps Faldella was correct to see the myth of Rommel as necessary to allow the English to rationalize their defeats as due to the presence of a genial enemy commander rather than to the valor of German and Italian troops. And the Rommel myth also serves the Germans, who can blame the Italians for their own errors and pusillanimity, even though German commanders such as Paulus and Kesselring found Rommel less than an ideal army commander.” (Understanding Defeat: Reappraising Italy’s Role in World War II). 

"We have a very daring and skillful opponent against us, and, may I say across the havoc of war, a great general."

- Winston Churchill on Erwin Rommel

With all that said, this section would be incomplete without talking about the Cold War and how the image of the German military, particularly figures like Rommel, as brilliant and super competent, especially compared to their Italian ally, has been prevalent for so long. After the end of WWII and around the beginning of the Cold War, West Germany was seen as a desirable ally against the Soviet Union (having already fought against them) and the conditions for that to happen involved the rehabilitation of the image of the German military, giving German senior military officials more control over the narrative concerning the events that took place during the war. This also led to the myth of the clean Wehrmacht, the idea that the German military had no culpability in the war crimes that had occurred. Bringing back Kesselring and the massacre he had a role in which resulted in a trial held against him by the British, he was one such war criminal who had his image rehabilitated and there was public sympathy for him, including from Winston Churchill. After initially receiving the death penalty and then having that punishment reduced to life imprisonment, he was released in 1952 despite protests in Italy. Another convicted commander, Max Simon, would have a similar fate to Kesselring in that he was released despite his role in the  Marzabotto massacre which took the lives of at least 770 Italians.

Summarizing everything up, the Italians were not prepared for a major war and it was known at the time they wouldn’t have been ready until at least 1943. Despite that, what seemed to be the increasing chance of a Germany victory upon the defeat of France led to Italy entering the war in order to not be left in the dust of potential German hegemony. Alongside being not prepared and being on the receiving end of bigotry, the reputation surrounding Italy’s performance in the war was further damaged by propaganda occurring on both sides that exaggerated German competence and the Cold War making it beneficial for British and Americans to allow biased (often including racially biased) German senior officials to have a major role in defining the narrative concerning what happened during the war.

Italy in Hetalia

Italy’s personification gives the racial biases and misinterpretations against Italians a face and then puts him next to the super competent Germany. Germany is focused and serious. Italy is easily distracted. Germany is tough and brave. Italy couldn’t even endure a cat licking him. Italy is cowardly and incapable of keeping secret information a secret when pressured. Germany is strong-willed and will keep important information a secret no matter what he’s put through. Germany can also tie his shoes. Italy can’t.

Germany is reliable. The name of the series is literally “Useless Italy”.

Putting aside their individual characteristics, as mentioned above, Germany and Italy’s very romanticized relationship within Hetalia isn’t exactly accurate to what took place between the two countries in real life. In Hetalia, the two share a genuine and very close friendship. There’s even Buon San Valentino which showed Germany being willing to enter a romantic relationship with Italy when he misunderstood some friendly gestures on Italy’s part.

Mixed in with those feelings, Germany takes on an almost paternal role towards Italy which further places emphasis on the difference in competence between the two. This goes as far as having Germany having specific instructions for how Italy should be taken care of which he gives to the Allies when they capture Italy. In return, Italy admires Germany, not just for his clear competence, but for his ability to do even things as basic as tie his own shoes.

Here’s where Romano comes in because he is a completely different story when it comes to his relationship with Germany. He hates Germany and he made that clear from the moment they met. However, Romano disliking Germany doesn’t suddenly make Italy’s fondness of Germany make any more sense given the history (especially since Italy represents the half that was occupied where events like the Marzabotto massacre took place).

Conclusion

When consuming media such as Hetalia where the characters are meant to have some relation to real life events, it’s important to understand what you are consuming might not actually reflect reality. What I’ve covered here isn’t the only case of Hetalia not being accurate. But Italy and his characterization as useless in the given historical context (Word War II) was at one point a major feature of the series. Italy was the face of Hetalia and his relationship with Germany was also a significant part of the series. Those facts are what make this specific case of inaccuracy something worth talking about.  There is an addition I need to make before closing this out. A lot of this post covers historical information that can almost make fascist Italy seem like another victim of Nazi Germany above all else. And clearly, there were some ways in which Italy was victimized, But Mussolini and other fascists leaders had imperialist ambitions which was motivation for Italy’s involvement in the war. With those ambitions and Italy’s involvement in not only World War II, but the wars preceding it, (the sames ones that were partly why Italy wasn’t prepared for a major war) came war crimes in the countries that were invaded. Just like how it’s untrue that the average Italian was a coward and subject to “Latin nervousness”, it’s also untrue that Italy was harmless.

[cincinnatusvirtue]

Culture in Focus: Al-Andalus; an overview of Muslim rule in  The Medieval Iberian Peninsula (Spain/Portugal) (711-1492 AD) Part I: A confluence of peoples and traditions...

The historical memory of Medieval Europe is varied in terms of focus and broader knowledge in the modern era.  The cultures and various peoples that existed during the centuries known as the Middle Ages are varied and rich in complex interwoven societies.  The focus of this post shall be what constituted the primary polity for much of the Medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula of southwestern Europe, in modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and even the south of France.  Though we more or less regard these countries today as traditionally bastions of the Roman Catholic religion with Latin based Romance languages.  The fact is from the early 8th to nearly the end of 15th centuries, the Iberian Peninsula had been dominated by an Islamic polity, one in which Arabic was the lingua franca among the elites and the majority population of parts of the peninsula were Muslim, with Christians and Jews living and interacting within that society too, at times relatively harmoniously and other times violently.  A well honed hierarchy was established between the three Abrahamic religions and a complex society was formed that lead to some of the most advanced and cultured learning in language, literature, history, science, math, art, religion, philosophy and economics during the Middle Ages took place. That society and region became known as Al-Andalus, the Arabic word from which the region of southern Spain known today as Andalusia takes it name.

Al-Andalus came to be the confluence of many societies in an era so often viewed in black and white terms of an us versus them portrayal between Christianity and Islam.  Indeed, these two religions would drive events in and define many aspects of society in Al-Andalus but they were not the sole factors in its being.  In fact, it was the fall of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century would in part set the stage for Al-Andalus.  The Roman Empire has been the world’s foremost political, cultural and military superpower, certainly in Europe for several centuries.  However, internal strife, corruption and civil war had lead to the empire being divided and co-ruled between two halves, a Western and Eastern half.  The empire had transitioned from Roman polytheistic paganism to Christianity with Rome itself being the symbolic head of Christianity with the Papacy.  However, the West and East divide became a more practical than just symbolic division as the years rolled on.  The Eastern capital became Constantinople and in time the Eastern Roman Empire known to history as the Byzantine Empire would persist in a largely Greek influenced context quite separate from the Latin influenced Western half although it would maintain Roman political machinations.  

The year 410 was regarded as a watershed year, Rome, the Eternal City itself was sacked for the first time in 800 years, by barbarians.  Namely, the migratory Germanic tribe known as the Visigoths.  The Visigoths and the related Ostrogoths were part of a Germanic barbarian confederation called by the Romans, the Goths.  They had possibly come from Scandinavia and northeastern Germany and moved down to the Balkans and eventually into Greece and Italy, alternately serving and fighting against the Romans as auxiliaries and eventually partial conquerors.  The Visigoths under their King Alaric sacked Rome after a siege in 410 AD.  Rome was not even the capital nominally of the empire at the time but the symbolic fall out was tremendous.  Migrations of peoples over the next couple of centuries became the dawn of the Early Middle Ages also known as the Dark Ages when classical antiquity of Greece and Rome was said to be lost on the greater whole of Europe for centuries to come.  Many of these migrations included Germans, Huns, Slavs and Avars among others.  The Visigoths eventually moved from Italy into the south of France and the Iberian Peninsula.  Long the Roman territories of Gaul and Hispania respectively, the locals were a mix of Celtic and Iberian peoples who intermixed with Romans and adopted Latin and other Roman cultural aspects.  Now the powerful Visigoths ended their migration and established their own kingdom, the Visigothic Kingdom, long promised by those in Rome they had once served.  Their Germanic language was the that of the political elite whereas the majority continued to speak the local dialect of Latin while the coexisting Jewish community spoke Hebrew and Aramaic.  These descendants of Roman Jews from Judea and Syria and parts of Roman North Africa settled in Hispania forming a community that became known today as the Sephardic Jews.  They were subjected to increasing persecution under their Christian overlords.  The Visigoths themselves eventually adopted Christianity and for the next 300 years ruled the bulk of the Iberian peninsula.

The Visigoths continued many Roman traditions, such as bathing, use of aqueducts and indeed the Latin dialect persisted among the majority of the populace with the Germanic Goth language being relegated to the German minority in power.  The Visigothic nobility was also quite learned and well versed in politics, history, philosophy and science, even later Muslim sources regarding the city of Seville attest to this, dispelling the notion that the ancient Germans were entirely barbarians with no education.  However there were also political rivalries and civil war amongst its leadership.  Overtime, the Visigoths were increasingly absorbed into the Hispano-Roman culture leaving only traces of their Germanic origins overall.  By the time of the 8th century AD, these civil wars would weaken the state for new invaders.

Elsewhere in the world was the Arabian Peninsula and the various Arab tribes that inhabited it, long pagan and polytheistic, they also had Jewish and later Christian influences among their varied nomadic tribes.  In the 7th century AD, an Arab named Muhammad begin preaching the core tenets of a new Abrahamic religion of which he was prophet, this religion became of course Islam and in its founders wake the new religion unified the Arabs and later spread rapidly throughout much of greater Eurasia and Africa, forming a religious-political empire known as a caliphate.  In the midst of the rise of Islam, the Eastern Roman Empire was at war with the Persian Sassanian Empire for control of the Middle East, wars which exhausted both empires and with little concentrated military force on their southern borders, the Muslim armies post-Muhammad advanced within a few decades time from Arabia into Persia and the borders of India to parts of Anatolia, almost all of Palestine, Syria and Egypt and across the whole of North Africa to the Atlantic Ocean in modern Morocco.  The Arab Muslim conquest overran Roman citizens who lived on the coast of North Africa and it also ran into locals, an Afroasiatic people who were the true native inhabitants of the Sahara Desert, various mountains and coastlines of North Africa.  These people went by many names and were quite varied, divided into tribes and kingdoms known variously as Numidians, Libyans and Mauri among other names but were collectively, ethnically and linguistically related.  They called themselves the Amazigh or “free people” but the Romans called them what translates today in English as the Berbers, a variation of the word barbarians.  The Arabs and the Berbers began a long and complex history during the Muslim conquest of North Africa.  Many Berbers gradually converted to Islam and many adopted Arab culture and language as part of a cultural synthesis, though the Berbers would retain their own ethnolinguistic and cultural traditions too.  They remain the majority population of North Africa outside of Egypt to this very day.  Also the view of all Muslims being Arab was challenged even in these early days.  Arabs, Berbers, Persians, other Iranians, Syrians and later Turks along with various Europeans who converted to Islam were all different in their culture and language even if united by their religion at least nominally.

The first major caliphate was the Rashidun dynasty, overthrown by the Umayyads in 661 who made Damascus their capital in Syria.  The Umayyads controlled lands bordering India in the east all the way to Morocco in the west.  It was in the year 711 AD that from Morocco, part of the caliphate’s African province that an Arab and Berber army would turn its eyes northward to Christian Europe, specifically the Iberian Peninsula under the increasingly divided Visigothic Kingdom.  A Berber general, by the name Tariq Ibn Ziyad lead an expeditionary force into Hispania, by order of the Arab governor of the city of Tangier, Musa Ibn Nusayr, under the overall rule of Caliph Al-Walid I.  The army was made up of mostly Berbers newly converted to Islam and consisting of excellent light cavalry and numbered roughly 7,000 or so troops.  The Muslim army in the name of Umayyad Caliphate was according to legend helped by a renegade European count named Julian of Ceuta who supposedly wanted to avenge the dishonoring of his daughter (meaning rape) by the hands of the Visigoth king, Roderic.  Julian supposedly ferried and provided the Muslims with intelligence in an effort to overthrow the Visigoths.  The extent of truth to this tale is debated but it is the commonly cited source for the Muslim invasion of Iberia.

Tariq landed in April 711 AD near the modern day British territory of Gibraltar, indeed the famed Gibraltar Rock, one of the Pillars of Hercules in antiquity gets its name Gibraltar from Tariq himself (Djabal Tarik). His force began raiding and sacking Iberian towns, necessitating a Visigoth response.  Roderic met the Muslim force within a few months with an army numbering 25,000.  Exact sources on the battle that followed, known as the Batlle of Guadalete in July 711 aren’t definite in its details.  Most typically it is said that Roderic lead his troops in the center pushing against the Muslim force, only to be betrayed and abandoned by his subordinates on the wings due to their own personal reasons and deceit supposedly prearranged.  The Berber cavalry charged at the “sudden” opening on the now abandoned Visigoth center and what followed was a surrounding and destruction of the Visigoth force that remained loyal to Roderic, the king himself being slain, dying valiantly in battle.  Visigoth losses were high while the Berbers lost nearly 3,000 of their own men.  Those who betrayed Roderic were eventually pursued and slain too by the Muslim forces who got fresh Berber and Arab reinforcements from Tangiers.  The military rank and file was predominantly Berber with Arab and Arabized Berbers in command.  However, the Arabs and Berbers had an ethnic and cultural tension that persisted not only in the military but would exist throughout Al-Andalus’s history.  Arabs typically though numerically inferior were viewed as the top of the hierarchy, with Berbers and other non-Arab Muslims enjoying a second tiered but still relatively privileged placement in Al-Andalus society, though more on this social hierarchy and its implications later on.  For now, the Muslim conquest spread rapidly in Iberia like almost anywhere else.  The truth lies in the fact that civil war had indeed weakened the Visigoths and their disunity against a mostly unified force was their undoing.  Many cities were taken in rapid succession, most notably Cordoba which was to become the center piece and capital of Al-Andalus in the coming years and indeed an important Islamic city on par with Damascus and Baghdad, rivaling Constantinople in terms of size.  Tariq served as temporary governor of Iberia as the Visigoths fled north retreating to the mountains of the Spanish and French border, the Pyrenees.  Musa Ibn Nusayr took over governorship in 713 though both were recalled by the Caliph back to Syria in 714 where they lived out their remaining days.

The Muslim foothold on Iberia was firmly established within a couple year span, forming the basis for a new society, Al-Andalus.  With its new Muslim overlords of Arab and Berber extraction, its Christian majority of mostly Hispano-Roman origin, their former Visigothic rulers and a Sephardic Jewish community that had been long persecuted by the Visigoths and other Christians, new questions were being raised...What would this new society look like?  Could these various peoples coexist?  How far would Al-Andalus and by extension Muslim rule spread into Europe? Especially since Muslim Arabs had attempted and failed to take Constantinople in the east on more than one occasion, this expansion into Iberia was seen as a vindication of sorts.  Iberia had become a confluence of at least five different peoples with three religions between them, the coming decades would answer the aforementioned questions in the cementing of a new polity...

[girlactionfigure]

Hero on a Bicycle – Gino Bartali

Used his skill to save lives.

Gino Bartali was an Italian cycling star and two-time winner of the Tour de France, but his greatest accomplishment was saving the lives of 800 Jews during the Holocaust.

Born in a small town near Florence in 1914, Gino grew up extremely poor. He escaped his difficult life by riding his bike from dusk until dawn around the hills of Tuscany. Building up exceptional strength and endurance, Gino started competing and winning races. Only a few years after his first race, he went professional. By the early 1930’s, Gino was a household name throughout Italy. Everywhere he went he was mobbed by fans. When he won the Tour de France in 1938, at age 24, Gino was hailed as the “King of Cycling.”

Gino wasn’t able to defend his title at the 1939 Tour because of worsening relations between Italy and France. He was drafted into the army and worked as a military bike messenger. In 1943, Germany invaded Italy and immediately began rounding up and deporting Italian Jews. A friend of Gino’s asked him to help save their Jewish brethren. Though married and with a young son, Gino did not hesitate. He immediately committed to doing whatever he could to save lives, whatever the risk.

Gino sheltered a local Jewish family in an apartment he bought with cycling money. He then embarked on a dangerous mission smuggling fake identity papers around Tuscany and Umbria, enabling Jews to assume false identities and escape deportation. Using his training routes between Florence and Assisi, Gino made 30-40 trips, saving at least 800 Italian Jews. He carried exit visas in his bicycle frame. Wherever he went, Gino was surrounded by fans, preventing German policemen from looking too closely at what he was doing. On the few occasions he was stopped and searched, Gino insisted that his specially-made bike was too delicate to be touched. A devout Catholic, Gino often traveled from Florence to Assisi and back in one day – a 200 km trip. In Assisi, Catholic clergy ran an underground railroad to hide Jews and provided them with Gino’s fake identity documents.

Gino was extremely modest and rarely spoke about his wartime heroism. He once told his son, “If you’re good at a sport, they attach the medals to your shirts and then they shine in a museum. That which is earned by doing good deeds is attached to the soul and shines elsewhere.” It wasn’t until after his death in 2000 that his family began speaking publicly about what Gino had done. In 2013, Gino was honored by Israeli Holocaust Museum Yad Vashem as “Righteous Among the Nations.”

For using his talent and fame to save hundreds of lives, we honor Gino Bartali as this week’s Thursday Hero at Accidental Talmudist.

[davidshawnsown]

MESSAGE IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 81ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND IN ANTICIPATION OF THE DIAMOND JUBILEE OF ITS TERMINATION

Ladies and gentlemen, to all the people of the United States of America and Canada, to all our remaining living veterans of the Second World War of 1939-1945 and of all conflicts past and present and their families, to our veterans, active servicemen and women, reservists and families of the entire United States Armed Forces and Canadian Armed Forces, and to all the uniformed military and civil security services of the Allied combatants of this conflict, to all the immediate families, relatives, children and grandchildren of the deceased veterans, fallen service personnel and wounded personnel of our military services and civil uniformed security and civil defense services, to all our workers, farmers and intellectuals, to our youth and personnel serving in youth uniformed and cadet organizations and all our athletes, coaches, judges, sports trainers and sports officials, and to all our sports fans, to all our workers of culture, music, traditional arts and the theatrical arts, radio, television, digital media and social media, cinema, heavy and light industry, agriculture, business, tourism and the press, and to all our people of the free world:

Our greeting to the millions who today celebrate such an important day in our history.

It was on this very important day that we mark -

The solemn anniversary of the 1604 transfer of the Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred book of the Sikhs, to the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, Punjab,

The anniversary of the 1715 death of King Louis XIV, the longest ever European monarch of his time,

The 1772 founding of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa,

The anniversary of the 1774 Powder Alarm by Massachusetts citizens,

The day in 1864 in which the 4-month old Siege of Atlanta ended,

The anniversary of the opening of the Tremont Street Subway in 1897 in Boston,

and various other events including: The anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake (1923), the anniversary of the the ANZUS Treaty (1951), the day of the historic SR-71 Blackbird world record flight of 1971, the anniversary of the Pioneer 11 arrival in Saturn in 1979, the final stage of the Marathon of Hope in Ontario (1980), the 1982 raising of the USAF Space Command, the anniversary of the tragic 1983 shoot down of Korean Air Lines Flight 007, and the beginning of the 2004 Beslan hostage crisis.

On this day in 1937 the founding president of the International Olympic Committee and the father of the modern Olympic Movement, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, passed away after many years of faithful work for the sake of international sports, having been at the helm when the Olympic Games were formally reborn for the modern era beginning in 1896.

And ladies and gentlemen, as we one united people of the world, await the celebrations of the upcoming 75th year since the termination of the Second World War and the Allied victory over the forces of the Empire of Japan,  as we continue to endure the greatest health crisis of our time, in solidarity with all the millions of medical workers and professionals who are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries across the world, and in remembrance of those who have fallen due to this virus and in prayer not just for the recoveries of those who are ill but also for the success of the vaccines against this virus and its effects on the human body, for it is by this pandemic and the crisis it has brought has resulted in the cancellations and postponements of many important events and celebrations and brought untold pain and suffering to millions around the world, we today celebrate the historic 81st year of the beginning of this long and bitter global conflict, for just as war was already occuring in parts of China and then-occupied Korea between the Japanese and the Chinese armies together with partisans from within China and Korea, this long war began on this exact day in 1939 when the Wehrmacht, acting to implement the provisions of the just recently signed Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, invaded western portions of Poland  (on the same day as the official launch of the Nazi program Action T4, aimed for forced euthanasia of the disabled and the mentally ill), which in turn led to declarations of war pronounced by the governments of France and the United Kingdom against the Axis Powers, marking the official commencement of hostilities of this war in the European contingent and in northern Africa. It would be the beginning of a long and lengthy conflict that would forever change the history of the human race for generation after generation, in a war that would cost millions of lives and tons of economic sectors devastated and cultural relics destroyed. It cannot be denied that the opening shots of this war fired on this day in Poland was only the start of one of the bloddiest chapters of human history, a long chapter that would last 6 years and cost millions of lives.

These 6 years and 2 days of a war that forever changed the world and saw the continous evolution of warfare in these modern times was indeed a war that will forever be a part of our history and affected millions of people all over the globe. For as the new ways of conventional, non-conventional and partisan warfare stunned the world, so too were the millions who suffered under the cruel hand of the Axis Powers in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, especially Jews in Europe, minorities, and political prisoners, as well as the Japanese who were interred by the Allies as well on suspicions of sympathy for their compatriots in the homeland and those serving in the armed forces, and millions of military service personnel and civilians also suffered and died in the fields of battle as well. But that cost would lead up to the long victory against the Axis Powers by the strong and determined men and women of the Allied Powers  - the Greatest Generation – helped and supported by the men and women of the home front, within just 6 years and a day later, the 2nd of September. For this year, that day marks the diamond jubilee year of the end of this long and painful war, which has dramatically changed the history of the human race and of the whole war, a war that must never be forgotten generation under generation. Looking onwards thus to the 80th anniversary and even futher to the centennial celebrations, in recalling the millions who perished in this war and the Allied heroes of this conflict, of which only a few thousands still live, we must therefore uphold the enteral memories of the fallen and the legacies of heroic battles in which courage and bravery defined the victories of this war against the Axis aggressor.

Today, marking the 81st year since the beginning of thus war leads us towards the diamond jubilee of this conflict’s historic conclusion, wherein as we remember the heroes and martyrs of the beginning of this war in Poland, we also honor the millions of Allied men and women under arms who fought the Axis aggressor towards the goal of achieving today victory for the cause of freedom and independence of the peoples of the free world. As we reflect upon the millions who perished in this long conflict 80 years on since its beginning, we remember the millions of heroes of the Allies who fought night and day in conventional and unconventional military operations,  and worked tirelessly in the home front to support the men and women in the battlefields, supporting the wounded and comforting the families of the deceased, as well as providing entertainment and material support to all the servicemen and women fighting the Axis Powers, no matter who they were and where they came.   They, the millions of soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, coast guardsmen, paramilitary service personnel, policemen and women, firefighters and intellgience personnel who risked their lives for the sake of the future of our people against the Axis political, military, ideological and economic might, they who served in the uniformed services and in the partisan resistance movements within the Axis-occupied territories in Europe, northern parts of Africa and the Asia-Pacific, and those who sustained the war effort in their homes, in industries, culture, the press and mass media and in sports are the ones that we always honor and remember, especially today and tomorrow as we mark once again as one the bookends of this very long conflict in these two important days of our history. Even as only a few remain of the millions of participants of this war from the victorious Allies, in light of recent events and the rising tide of polarizing politics and ideologies of these current days even more important it is now for us to forever perpetuate the eternal legacy left behind by the victorious generations who fought the war to the very end. In addition, due to the fact the whole world is currently facing one of the greatest health  crises of our times in this COVID-19 pandemic, we also honor the modern day heroes of the medical profession and the uniformed organizations who have been at the forefront of this tough and dangerous period of our history, remembering those who have died, honoring the strength and determination of those who survived and recognizing the determination and hard work of millions working to ensure the success of medication and vaccines against the virus and to help in the recovering the economy, culture and the arts, and sports.

The eve of the great victory over Japan and the end of that great and terrible war is upon us and the dawn is about to rise of a world of peace and prosperity, progress and care for the enviroment that we have been called upon to build upon the sacrifices made by the millions who perished in this long global conflict. For as we anticipate this historic 75th  year anniversary since the victory over the Empire of Japan and the conclusion of the Second World War, with great respect to the millions who died and the millions of heroic men and women who fought till the end, as we recall the beginning of this long global war that changed forever the face and destiny of this planet we today take vigil preparing for the festivities of tomorrow as we prepare to mark  the day of the last page in a long history that will forever be a part of our heritage and patrimony, the end of the six-year long global war that forever bears a mark in the historic books and archives all over the world, the diamond jubilee of which will be marked next year. For it is such a day that we indeed remember the conclusion of a huge part of these years of our history, wherein our ancestors and forefathers fought against the Axis menance that exactly eight decades ago threatened the very existence of our freedom and independence and the future of our generation, and made their contribution to the defeat of international fascism, imperialism, racism, xenophobia, dictatorship and totalitarianism symbolized by the Axis Powers. Tomorrow’s anniversary is a reminder to all, especially with the decreasing numbers of living veterans of this war from the millions in active service by the time of the conclusion of this war, to always uphold the values they fought and risked their lives for and to work towards continuing the legacy of the struggle in which they undertook for the sake of our future generations. Indeed, the sacrifice and hard work that these millions of military and police personnel and home front workers did that helped the Allied Powers win this great war against the military forces, governments and people of the Axis Powers, as long as we remain alive and as long as we’ll continue to honor them and their service to their country and people, will remain forever in our hearts and memories for generations to come.

The sacrifice of the millions of servicemen and women of the Allied armed forces and all our milions of Allied partisans and home front workers who helped win this great war, and most of all, of our millions of Allied military personnel and partisans who perished in the field of battle, must never be forgotten, for their contributions to the great victory gave us the freedom and liberty that we all enjoy and cherish this day and for every day of our lives. For as long as there are people forever honoring the memories left behind, the lessons taught to us by this war and the legacies of these millions of heroes will be passed on to future generations.

In conclusion, as we, one united people of the world, mark the 81st year anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War and await with great joy the 75th anniversary of the victory over Japan and the official conclusion of thislong and bitter global war that changed the destiny of humankind, as we once more recall the moments of this war from its beginning in which we mark today up to its conclusion that will be celebrated tomorrow, and remember with our words and actions these very important days in the history of humankind especially to all who served in this war we today hope that with the legacy bequeathed to us by these men and women who served in this great global conflict and keep these sacred  and memorable days of such a great victory with respect and reverence especially for those who went before us we shall be worthy of what they fought for, for building a world of peace, harmony and progress, a clean and preserved  environment, and a brighter future for all our children and grandchildren - truly the very future that is truly worth defending and the very future our forefathers fought with their very own lives. With our greatest gratitude may we always and forever treasure in our hearts all those who have gone before us and have entrusted to us the spirit of defending our freedom and liberty in all those years from the beginning of the war up to the great victories in which we honor today, everyday and in the years and decades to come, and therefore become successors to the legacies of the great victories won in the past and the generation that will bring humanity towards a brighter tomorrow as one united people.

As the men of Easy Company would always say:  WE STAND ALONE TOGETHER!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF THE MEDICAL WORKERS AND PROFESSIONALS AND PERSONNEL OF UNIFORMED SERVICES WHO PERISHED IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO PERISHED IN THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN POLAND AND EAST ASIA!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MLLIONS OF THE FALLEN AND THE HEROES AND VETERANS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN EUROPE, NORTHERN AFRICA AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC FROM 1939-1945, WHOSE LEGACY WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN BY ALL OF US TODAY AND BY ALL THE GENERATIONS TO COME!

ETERNAL GLORY TO ALL THOSE WHO GAVE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR THE FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE OF OUR WORLD AGAINST FASCISM, NAZISM AND IMPERIALISM IN THE FIELDS OF BATTLE, THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS, AND IN THE HOME FRONT!

LONG LIVE THE VICTORIOUS MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICE OF THE ALLIES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN EUROPE, NORTHERN AFRICA AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC!

LONG LIVE ALL THE ALLIED MILITARY, PARAMILITARY AND CIVIL VETERANS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR!

LONG LIVE THE INVINCIBLE AND FOREVER VICTORIOUS PEOPLE OF THE FREE WORLD AND ALL OUR SERVING ACTIVE AND RESERVE SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN AND VETERANS OF THE ARMED SERVICES OF ALL THE COMBATANT ALLIED COUNTRIES THAT HELPED WIN THIS GREAT WAR AGAINST FASCISM, NAZISM AND IMPERIALISM, AS WELL AS ALL OUR ACTIVE AND RESERVE SERVICE PERSONNEL, CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES AND VETERANS OF THE POLICE, FIREFIGHTING, FORESTRY, BORDER CONTROL, CUSTOMS AND RESCUE SERVICES AS WELL AS OUR YOUTH OF TODAY AND THE CHILDREN OF OUR TOMORROW WHO WILL CARRY ON THE LEGACY OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE THEM, ESPECIALLY TO THE MILLIONS OF MEN AND WOMEN WHO TOOK PART IN THIS GREAT WORLD WAR!

LONG LIVE THE GLORIOUS 75TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS AND THE GREAT VICTORY OVER THE FORCES OF THE EMPIRE OF JAPAN AND THE AXIS POWERS!

GLORY TO THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND AND FRANCE, TOGETHER WITH THE ARMED SERVICES OF THE OTHER VICTORIOUS COMBATANT COUNTRIES OF THE ALLIED POWERS, GUARDIAN DEFENDERS OF OUR DEMOCRATIC WAY OF LIFE, OUR FREEDOM AND OUR LIBERTY AND GUARANTEE OF A FUTURE WORTHY OF OUR GENERATIONS TO COME!

TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO ALL OVER THE WORLD, AN ADVANCE HAPPY  75TH VICTORY OVER JAPAN DAY!

And may I repeat the immortal words of the Polish National Anthem:

Poland has not yet perished, so long as we still live!

CURRAHEE! AIR ASSAULT! ARMY STRONG! SEMPER FI!

Ooooooooooooooooooraaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

  1000, September 1, 2020, the 244th year of the United States of America, the 245th year of the United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps, the 126th of the International Olympic Committee, the 124th of the Olympic Games, the 102nd since the conclusion of the First World War, the 81st of the beginning of the Second World War in Europe, the 79th since the beginning of the Second World War in the Eastern Front and in the Pacific Theater, the 75th since the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and the victories in Europe and the Pacific, the 73rd of the modern United States Armed Forces and the 53rd of the modern Canadian Armed Forces.

   Semper Fortis

JOHN EMMANUEL RAMOS-HENDERSON

Makati City, PH

  (Requiem for a Soldier) (Honor by Hans Zimmer)

(Slavsya from Mikhail Glinka’s A Life for the Tsar)

(Victory Day by Lev Leshenko)

(Last Post) (Taps) (Rendering Honors)

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

After the Fall Ch.19 Monsters and Men

LoganLight, AO3

This is a bad idea.

I don't care.

He'll akumatize you.

That's why I'm doing this while he's got an akuma already out.

It's reckless.

Yes. Yes, it is.

It's pretty convoluted.

Actually, it's pretty straightforward. And that describes every Ladybug plan ever.

You're not Ladybug.

No, I'm me.

Adrien emerged into a room full of butterflies wearing thick clothing and his arms crossed. The man in front of him stared in shock. Adrien felt too many emotions at seeing the suit he'd only laid eyes on once before to properly feel any of them.

"Adrien . . ." Papillon stood frozen.

"Le Papillon. I wonder who could be behind that mask?" Adrien asked sarcastically.

An explosion thundered from outside. The akumatized villain's laugh echoed unnaturally.

Papillon glanced from him to the window. "I . . . I don't . . ."

"Don't have time for me? I understand. You're work has always been more important. Why should now be any different?"

Papillon's eyes narrowed. "You will not speak to me this way."

"I'll talk to Le Papillon any way I want!" Adrien snapped.

". . . Very well." The hated butterfly mark appeared around Papillon's mask. "Box them in! Don't let up! I have some . . . urgent business I need to handle."

Papillon regarded Adrien for a moment. His too warm clothes, his arms held close to his chest, the accusation in his eyes.

"Nooroo, detransformez-moi."

A flash of light and Gabriel Agreste stood next to a purple kwami that looked at him with sad eyes. A mouth-less kwami. Adrien felt bile rise up his throat.

"Eat," Gabriel commanded dismissively and the kwami floated to a nearby stand to do just that.

I'll get you out of here, Nooroo. I swear.

"So," Gabriel began. "How did you find out?"

Adrien felt disappointment at the question. "Really? With the butterfly symbols you spammed everywhere, the Miraculous Grimoire you akumatized yourself over, the fact that you never once tried to kidnap me after you found out I was Chat Noir."

Gabriel flinched.

"Or how akuma stayed as far away from me as possible . . . until they didn't. Oh! Let's not forget the first thing you asked me immediately after dying! 'Where is your ring, son?' I'm disgusted I didn't figure it out sooner!" Adrien breathed heavily as he shifted his grip.

Gabriel's struggle was written plainly across his features. "It . . . It doesn't have to be this way."

Adrien scoffed. "Oh, no?"

"No, I . . ." Realization dawned on Gabriel's face "You told her . . . That's why there are so many heroes active. You know who Ladybug is!"

A shiver of fear shot through Adrien's body. He kept his face carefully neutral.

"How did you know it would be today, though? I could've done it at any time."

"After that business with Miraculer? The Bourgeois's anniversary was the only . . . possible . . ."

Gabriel grinned at Adrien's unintentional admission. "Tell me who she is! Help me defeat Ladybug! Together we can bring back Emilie! We can make it so none of this ever happened! We can be a family again!"

Adrien hated the small part of him that was tempted to accept Fa- Gabriel's outstretched arms. Hated the weakness inside him that would pretend all the pain he'd suffered at the hands of this man had never happened. Hated himself for even considering bringing Maman back by sacrificing someone else.

But the rest of him knew better.

"I don't want Maman back like this. She wouldn't want it either. Maman would be ashamed of what you've done."

Gabriel snarled and took a step towards Adrien. "How would you know what she would want? You think Emilie was some sort of saint!? You're just a child!"

". . . I was a child," Adrien admitted heavily. "You killed him."

"NO!"

Adrien was surprised at the remorse in his father's voi-

"Weredad did that! I tried to stop him!"

Disgust filled Adrien as even now Gabriel denied any responsibility for what he'd done. "You have the Power of Transmission! That means you empower people with your own emotions! All the rage, all the selfishness, all the apathy, that every one of your akumatized victims have inflicted on this city, all of that comes from you!"

"So, you'll turn your back on your family and go running back to Ladybug!?" Gabriel sneered. "You think she'll take you back!? She'll abandon you! Just like she did before!"

Marinette's not the one who abandoned me.

"And what have you been doing for the past four years?"

"DON'T TALK BACK TO ME YOU REBELLIOUS LITTLE INGRATE! I AM YOUR FATHER! I DON'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN MYSELF! IT'S YOUR JOB TO OBEY ME!"

Adrien's eyes burned, his heart ached, throat constricting. It did not come naturally to Adrien to confront his sire. His very being rebelled against it. All his life he'd tried his best to make Gabriel proud. To be the perfect son.

But Adrien's relationship with Gabriel had been antagonistic for a long time. Whether they understood that or not. He felt the familiar rhythm of the game.

Villain and hero.

Monster and knight.

Father and son.

Adrien pushed it up. Forced it out. Something he hadn't said to Gabriel in years.

"No."

". . . It appears I've been neglecting your discipline," Gabriel said through gritted teeth. "I'll correct that oversight as soon as Ladybug and Panthera's Miraculous are mine."

Gabriel turned his back to Adrien, dismissing him. Adrien shifted his grip on the weapon he'd concealed. Nooroo's eyes widened in surprise. Adrien aimed.

"Nooroo, transf-"

Gabriel jerked and spasmed as electricity coursed through him. Nooroo reentered his Miraculous in a flash. The taser clattered to the floor as Adrien's arms went limp.

He stared at Gabriel's immobile, drooling, blurry body. Not quite understanding. There laid Le Papillon, the terror of Paris, invader of minds, Ladybug's archenemy, France's first supervillain in decades . . . And he was beaten by a taser.

How mundane.

Explosions from outside snapped Adrien out of his trance. Wiping away his tears he turned Gabriel over and there it was. The source of so much sorrow. The Butterfly Miraculous. Adrien removed the brooch and held it in his hand.

Besides Ladybug this Miraculous was the only known way of stopping the akumatized victim.

I wonder what her powers are that she's giving so many holders this much trouble.

All he had to do was put it on and dispel the akuma . . .

The Power of Transmission gains its strength from the emotions of its wielder.

Adrien's emotions we're not stable.

I . . . I don't want this.

But this wasn't about him. Adrien put on the Miraculous. Nooroo materialized, with his mouth this time.

"Thank you, Master," The kwami said earnestly.

Adrien shook his head vigorously. "Adrien . . . please."

Nooroo smiled. "Thank you, Adrien."

He's so warm. How could anyone do this to him!?

Shoving the thoughts away before they overwhelmed him, Adrien focused. "How do I stop the akuma?"

"My Miraculous is more intuitive than most. Just transform and concentrate on what you want to do."

"R-right . . . Thank you . . ."

Adrien could feel it. Even without transforming, the emotions of so many people whispered in the back of his mind. The civilians' fear and hope, the heroes' determination even in the face of fallen comrades, the akumatized victim's single-minded devotion to her ideal. All of Paris in all it's imperfect glory . . . And he understood Gabriel even less.

Adrien took a deep breath.

"Nooroo, transformez-moi!"

Ch.1  Ch.2  Ch.3  Ch.4   Ch.5  Ch.6  Ch.7  Ch.8  Ch.9  Ch.10  Ch.11  Ch.12  Ch.13  Ch.14  Ch.15  Ch.16  Ch.17  Ch.18    Ch.20  Ch.21  Ch.22

[inkstaineddove]

Through Thick and Thin

Characters: Germany, Prussia

Summary: Germany and Prussia have never felt able to express their frustrations with one another. Finally, they're able to have the heart-to-heart their family desperately needed for either of them to move on and heal.

Prussia walked out onto the balcony. He came up behind his Germany and dropped the note onto the table next to the ashtray. Gilbert couldn't hide his smirk. "We live in the same house. You could come into my room and ask, though I do appreciate the extra work." Germany looked up at his brother. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You know I've never been good at asking for things out loud. Beer? They're ice cold." Gilbert took him up on his offer, cracking open the bottle that was laid out for him. He slunk down in the chair besides his brother and kicked his feet up onto the rails. In silence, they gazed out across the Berlin skyline. The stars were barely visible beneath all the lights, but it was beautiful in its uniquely artificial way. It was home, after all.

"So, West, why'd you wanna talk? Something on your mind?" Prussia assessed Germany out the corner of his eye. Physically, he seemed in perfect shape. Gilbert never knew what was going on his head though, so how he was really doing was anyone's guess. "No one's been giving you shit right? I've kicked everyone's ass on this godforsaken continent and I'll do it again if I gotta, just say the word." He wrinkled his nose. "Is it Feliks or Francis? They're always starting shit." Ludwig was thankful that the night made it harder to see. He couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes and wincing. Why would he expect dissolution to calm his brother down, even after all these years? Gilbert, for better or worse, was Gilbert and that meant he was always itching for a fight. Still, Germany couldn't hold back his tongue. "And if it is them? What are you going to do? Invade them? With what army?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to force out any irritation he was feeling. "No, they're all pricks. I've learnt to ignore them. I just...wanted to talk. We're family, we're allowed to do that." He received no answer. For his part, Gilbert was still nursing his wounds from that surprise attack. Really, going after the fact that he didn’t have a body politic anymore? What a low blow, especially considering who’s fault that was. He pushed the growing fire to the bottom of his belly, smiled and raised his glass. "Yeah! Of course we can! I was just caught off-guard since you always prefer radio silence, but we can try talking!" He clinked his glass with Ludwig's. "Cheers, West!" In unison, they drank. Each chugged down half of their beer and tried to focus on the positives of what this could be and ignore any resentment they held for the other. They hadn't actually talked in half a century. Why would they be able to now? Nothing had changed for them substantially to bring it about. It would be another failed attempt at family reunification, with both of them calling up Roderich tomorrow to complain about each other to him. That would be better than fixing anything. Ludwig sighed. If he'd really believed that, he wouldn't have asked. They used to be close - incredibly close - and could get that way again. He'd have to force himself and his brother to be honest with each other, a difficult task but not impossible. He set down his glass and ran a hand through his hair, letting some slicked-back strands loose. He'd take a cue from America's playbook. "Gilbert, is there any reason you hate me or is this who you’ve become?" Gilbert spat out his mouthful of beer. Foam dripped down from his chin as he turned to Ludwig, making him look like a wolf sick with rabies. "The fuck did you just say to me? You're not too old to get hit!" "That was harsh, my apologies." Germany flinched at the sound of his own voice. He spoke to his own brother like he spoke to some ally. “What are your issues with me? Your resentment towards me makes living with you unbearable at times.” Prussia finished his bottle of beer. He'd need some alcohol in his veins to make it through this conversation. He looked back out over Berlin, imagining what it used to be like when he was still a nation and his royal family was still important. "Well, Luddy dear, this may come as a surprise to you, but I'm essentially dead. I've got control of a section of my old kingdom that doesn't even bear my name. I'm seen as some militaristic outcast when France and Britain are as guilty of the same. And, worst of all, my name has become synonymous with crimes you committed without hesitation! Ones that I never wanted part of and took part of multiple efforts to sabotage." He glanced at his brother sharply. "I do hate you in a way cause you've been nothing but trouble for me. I wish Austria had been your brother instead, unification was the worst mistake of my life." Gilbert got up and opened another bottle. He swigged down half of it, looking anywhere but at Ludwig. "Germany was supposed to be a vehicle of power for me and my leaders. Initially, it was. But then we were forced to officially lose the war and my leaders let Germany grow into its own thing, fucking it all up for me. You were meant to be a puppet and nothing more, Holy Rome with a new name and under new ownership." He smiled sadly at the sky. "Though, I can't blame France and Britain for seeing through that plan. I didn't really try to hide it, but it did hurt when they destroyed it.” He winced. “Twice." Germany realized he was laughing. He was running on autopilot, unaware of what he was doing until after. "You piece of shit, you still blame me for the war? The war that's been over for more than seventy years?" He launched up and began pacing the length of the balcony. His blood was boiling, he hadn’t allowed himself to feel this enraged in decades. "Take the blame for something for once in your life! There's blood on your hands too! That hatred, that anger was something your people already had towards every group we - yes, we, Gilbert! - targeted! I don't care if you were selling secrets to Churchill and de Gaulle, you followed orders!" He took a deep breath, calming himself considerably so he was no longer shouting. "Fine, you were morally superior to me from the 1930s till 1945. Does that make you happy? Are you satisfied? What will make you feel better about that, Gilbert? Because how you feel about your involvement is more important than how the rest of the world - the rest of the world on the right side - saw your actions." Prussia lit a cigarette slowly. He took a deep drag and lifted his middle finger up. "Kiss my ass, you little shit." He let that hang there while catching his thoughts. It took every ounce of strength in his body to not throw Ludwig off the building. He would if he knew it would kill him. "See, I was selling secrets. I'd bring food and medicine to the camps and smuggle people out of ghettoes on inspection. I did what I could. So, I'm a bit better than you because I wasn't evil. I was disgusting, but not soulless. But, if you'd kept my fucking government, it might've been different because those assholes would have faced some resistance. That couldn't happen though because big, bad Ludwig wanted to prove himself as the strong leader of the Totally-Not-Prussian-But-German Republic." He smiled like a wolf. "You sure proved yourself, West. Did a real great job with the reins." He snorted. "If I had it my way, I wouldn't have trusted you to lead a horse, much less a people." Germany snapped. "I've got it now! I know who you remind me of!" "A competent nation who can actually win a war?" He waved his hand. "Please, you gave up that title with the Schlieffen Plan. No, you remind me of Britain. Washed up, stuck in the past, and full of distaste for your successor. No wonder you two were allies for so long. Though, I suppose you'd blame me for that falling through as well. Do you blame me for Fritz's death and Napoleon's destruction of your washed-up army too?" Germany smiled when he saw that got his desired reaction. "Shouldn't you be proud of me? I'm now able to do with peace what you could never achieve through war. Finally, a truly essential part of Europe and I haven't had to invade anyone for it." “You wouldn’t have to be such a pussy if you could actually win! What a shame you’re more Saxon and Bavarian than Brandenburger or Prussian! Besides, don’t you just act as a sugar daddy for half of the EU while selling yourself out to Russia and France? That’s a real-” Prussia cut himself off. The absurdity of the entire situation dawned on him when he looked at Germany, really looked at him for the first time this evening. Seeing his younger brother looking so angry and understandably upset at him sent a wave of nausea over Gilbert. If they really wanted to repair things, this wasn’t the way to do it. It was time he swallowed his pride and acted like the older sibling. Gilbert took a deep breath and opened the door to the living room. “Come on. Shouting at each other for all our neighbors to hear isn’t doing anything. We can stop being dicks now. It’s obvious we’re both hurt.” Taken aback, Ludwig complied and made his way to the couch. Gilbert took over the opposite end and let out another long exhale. “Alright, I’m gonna try to be an adult so have some mercy on me, alright?” Happy that that got a smile out of brother, Gilbert proceeded. “It’d be bullshit to try and act like I didn’t mean all that cause I did. I’ve been feeling like that for decades now. And we can deal with that later, but let me answer your original question without having a tantrum. “Yeah, West, I am pissed at you and a part of me really hates you. You took my job and left nothing for me to do here. And, when I did have power, you stripped that away from me the first chance you got because you thought your way was better since you needed to prove yourself. I know I’m guilty of a fair amount - I wouldn’t argue that, I’m haunted by a lot of that just like you - but that doesn’t erase what I, as Gilbert, tried to do. And that’s what gets thrown away and...why? Because I’m related to you means what I did to try and help meant nothing? That because my state was being occupied and I couldn't lead my people in revolt discounts what I did as a person? That my personal rebellion doesn’t matter because it was small? Then, on top of all this, being called blood-thirsty and the source of all your worst traits and having you agree with it! For fuck’s sake, why would I wanna talk to you? You’ve got this picture of me in your head, doesn’t seem like you need the real deal anymore.” Germany had been looking at his hands the entire time Prussia spoke. What Gilbert said hurt, especially because he knew this was the truth. The real truth, not spun in a way that was meant to cut as deeply as possible. Still, a little voice nagged in the back of his head that this wasn’t fair and he couldn’t resist giving in. “Gilbert, if you had told me this earlier then I would’ve been more understanding and have let you help out with various things. I didn’t realize this meant so much to you. You always said you were happy having the house to yourself and about finally being free from the burdens of nationhood.” Prussia winced. Ludwig really believed those transparent lies. Everyone else knew he was so obviously faking it, everyone except the one person who mattered most. He shook the hurt out of his head. They were slowly fixing that problem now. He smiled. “You say that, but you’ve never told me why you’re so pissed at me. Hell, you still haven’t.” His face turned pink. Now was as good a time as ever. “Ah, well, how do you think it’d feel to live in the shadows your ‘awesome’ brother? I’ve known since the beginning everyone preferred you. Russia and Britain were the most obvious ones. Neither of them could trust me as far as they could throw me and they’d constantly ask me about you or look disappointed when they saw me walk into the room - hell, Russia still does that. Even our leaders wanted to work with you. Bismarck saw me only as a tool, as did each kaiser and the military establishment. When the empire fell, they were desperate to cling onto their Prussian titles, but not the German ones. Especially Wilhelm. He was fine with abdicating as emperor, but losing you?” He scoffed. “Well, we all know you’re the real prize. “Then, when I finally had something that was unmistakably my own, you opposed it. You wanted to continue doing things your way. I was done with your way - your way caused us to lose the Great War. I wanted my people to stop being proud of being Bavarian or Saxon or Prussian and instead be proud to be German. That...didn't work out as planned and I was naive enough to believe you and Austria would stand by me, admit that we’d all done wrong, and work to make amends with the rest of the world. His maneuvering out of it didn’t surprise me, nor did the Allies accepting it contrary to fact, but your attempts to disgusted me. As far as I’m concerned, there’s blood on your hands. I believe that you helped people, but I also saw you when you didn’t find it advantageous to be the hero, when you seemed to have no reservations in participating in all those horrible things we did. You’re better than me for trying to fix what you did immediately, but you were still part of the machine.” Neither of them spoke. They were mulling over each other's words, trying to figure out where they fit in their perceptions of how the last century had gone. Their messy relationship was beginning to make sense and they could feel their family slowly melding back together. Gilbert chuckled and leaned back into the couch cushions. He grinned wide at the ceiling. "I've been holding that in since you fucked up the march into Paris in 1914. I really do hate your dumbass. I don't get how you can be related to the greatest military mind of all of continental Europe and then lose every battle against a real opponent." He laughed a bit harder. "I wouldn't have trusted you against the Swedes in Pomerania." Ludwig opened and shut his mouth like a fish. That blindsided him. Was it an insult, a joke, a mix of both? He began mapping it out in his mind and started stuttering out a defense. Gilbert hit him in the side of the head with a throw pillow. "It's a joke! Kinda. Seriously though, who invades Russia? You're so intelligent and then you do stupid shit like that." Germany threw the pillow back. "Shut up, please. I have to hear it from every enlightened World War Two historian, I don't need to hear it from the most awesome and powerful of all the European armies, the general who commanded them all with grace and courage. Have I kissed your ass enough yet to get you to drop it?" He couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from lifting up into a smile. Prussia leaning over and throwing him into a good-natured headlock was the answer he needed. They laughed and the tension started to leave the room. Optimism for the future began to fill them both. Gilbert freed Ludwig from his grasp and crossed his arms behind his head. "It's gonna be a bitch, but we'll get through this. You and I, we can survive anything." He winked. "We're pretty awesome like that." Ludwig smiled at his brother, enjoying Gilbert's presence for the first time in years. "Yeah, it'll take time. But, we'll be alright. One way or another we always are."

[blueboxesandtrafficcones]

Barcelona is for Lovers - Chapter 10

Many thanks to @stupidsatsuma for beta’ing.  @doctorroseprompts​

This is it, folks!  The final chapter.  Thank you very much for joining me on this journey, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this story!

General warnings for: hanky panky.  Take the ‘lovers’ part of the title seriously.

Masterlist

Summary

Three months after Rose and the Doctor are reunited and promptly ditched on a beach in Norway, they are still trying to find their feet.  Rose plans a trip to Barcelona for them to relax, reconnect, and hopefully consummate their relationship.

-*-

“Rose.”  Her shoulder shook, waking her, and she groaned miserably.  “Rose, wake up.”

“Fu’off,” she whined, wriggling away from whoever was disturbing her sleep.  She’d been dreaming about making love with the Doctor in the doorway of their new TARDIS in orbit around Earth.

“Sweetheart.”  Lips touched her shoulder and she sighed, grumbling as she sat up and fought to open her eyes.

“What?”

“Come with me.”

She managed to half-open them, enough to see it was still plenty dark out.  “I don’ wanna.”

“Rose.”

“Fine.  Arsehole.”  She climbed slowly out of bed, smiling involuntarily at the ache in certain muscles as she moved towards the bathroom.  They were still working on quality when it came to sex, but more than made up for it with quantity and enthusiasm – as always the Doctor was a quick learner, and Rose already had plans to take up yoga to keep up with his clever imagination.

Returning to the bedroom she pulled on her dressing gown, scowling at him.  “Where’re we going?”

“Come on,” he said, a tad impatiently, looking far too wide awake for the early hour.  And when the fuck did five a.m. stop being a late night and start being an early morning?

She let him lead her through the house, stopping dead when he tried to tug her outside.  “Doctor!  I’m naked under the dressing gown,” she hissed.

“Would you just trust me?  Have I ever led you astray before?  Don’t answer that.”

Rose huffed, rebelting the gown before moving forward again.  “If we get arrested for public indecency you can be the one to call Mum and tell her.”

He ignored that, tugging her down the path to the beach.  It was dead silent and dark, and she almost tripped over something before he brought her to a stop.

“What’s all this?”  Battery-operated pillar candles were half-buried in the sand, giving off just enough light to illuminate a blow-up mattress covered in blankets.

The Doctor turned her towards him, leaning in for a deep kiss she happily reciprocated before pulling back enough to whisper against her lips, “I thought we could watch the sunrise.”

Blinking at the still-dark horizon, she tried not to pout.  “That’s still a ways off though, I think.”

“Hmm, you’re right,” he pretended to consider, tapping at his chin.  “Whatever shall we do to pass the time?”

Rose looked at the mattress with new eyes, bursting into giggles.  “Not sure it counts as sex on the beach if you’re on a mattress.”

The Doctor grimaced, eyes darting in the direction of the rock outcropping they’d made love behind.  “Yeah, but I’m still finding sand.  I thought this might be a good compromise.  And!  I already put up the perception filters, so hopefully no arresting.”

She thought about it for a moment, but in the end, her answer was a given.  “Well, if you insist…”  Undoing the tie to her robe she let it gape for a tantalizing moment before rolling her shoulders, sending the fabric tumbling to the ground.  Ignoring the sand invading it, she wiped her feet mostly free of sand on the blanket under the mattress before climbing on, turning onto her back and laying as seductively as she could manage.  “Care to join me?”

He was staring, eyes and mouth open wide and sending her confidence soaring.  “Uh huh!”  Pushing his boxers down his hips, he didn’t bother trying to kick them off – and promptly stumbled in his haste as Rose hid a giggle behind her hand.  “Hang on, hang on…”  Hopping around he managed to free himself, and once he was naked in front of her she stopped laughing, licking her lips.

“This will never get old.”

He joined her on the mattress, and they giggled at the slightly surreal bouncing that came with it being full of air.  “Hi.”

“Hello.”  It was cool in the pre-dawn air, and Rose scurried under the blankets set up, waiting until he joined her to cuddle against him.

“Wait.”  The Doctor pulled back from their kiss breathless, and Rose tried to tug him to her.

“What?”

“Other end.”

“Huh?”

He shifted, putting his head at the end of the mattress closest to the water, gesturing for her to turn as well.  “So we can see the sunrise.”

-

They came together, crying out their pleasure, and Rose fluttered her eyes open after a moment, tilting her head back to see the very top of the sun peeking over the horizon.  “Doctor, look.”

He raised his head from where it rested on her breast, panting softly as they both watched it climb.  “Beautiful,” he murmured, and she hummed in agreement.

They shifted around until they lay side by side on their stomachs, following it’s path until everything was bright.  “Good idea,” Rose conceded, turning her head to smile at him and catching him already staring at her.

“This trip was a good idea,” he replied, making her grin brighten.

“Thanks.  I’m sorry it has to end.”

“Does it?”

“What do you mean?”

The Doctor licked his lips, giving her a hesitant grin reminiscent of how he’d looked every time he’d asked her to travel with him.  “I was thinking… if there’s nothing to rush back to, maybe extend the car rental and drive back? Take our time going through France, or along the coast to Italy, or… anywhere.  Just keep going.”

Reasons why they couldn’t sprang to mind, forming and dying on the tip of her tongue, never escaping.  Job.  Responsibilities.  Family.  Torchwood, Tony, Mum and Dad.  “We’ll have to go home for Tony’s birthday.”

“When’s that?”

“August.”

“So… is that a yes?”

Rose grinned brightly.  “Where should we go first?”

-

By the time they made it back to the house the sun was blazing, and they were quickly running out of time to pack their things and vacate the house.

After a detour on the outside sofa reminiscent of their second night in the house (with a few key differences) and a lingering shared shower, they finally managed to track down all of their things and get it stuffed into the car.

“Ready?” the Doctor asked, leaning in the bedroom door as Rose did a final check for forgotten items.

“Almost.  The cleaning agency’ll be here in ten and we need to be gone by then.  And no,” she added when he moved towards her, “that’s not enough time for one last shag.”

He sniffed, crossing his arms and leaning against the dresser as she moved towards the closet.  “If you say so.  I talked to your dad’s assistant – we’ve got the rental car until Monaco, then we pick up the one she bought.  Supposed to be similar, but better? I don’t know.”

“Perfect, thanks for taking care of that.”  Rose kissed him on her way out of the room, doing a final lap through the rest of the house – in the end, only the bedroom and outside ended up getting much use, though she did find bits of clothing scattered throughout the other rooms.

“I was thinking…”

“Yeah?”

The Doctor shuffled his feet again.  “Maybe we could come back here at some point?  To this house, I mean?”

Stopping her search Rose returned to his arms, going up on tiptoe and kissing him sweetly.  “Sure.  Maybe our honeymoon?”

“Seems appropriate.”  They kissed again until an alarm on Rose’s mobile beeped.

“Okay, we’ve got to go.  Can you take this out to the car?”

Rose waited until she was alone to take one last look around the house, reflecting on how far their relationship had come in the week they’d been there, and how it had far surpassed even her wildest dreams.

“Yeah, we’ll be back.”

Smiling, she settled her sunglasses on her nose and pulled the door shut behind her, dropping the keys in the designated box and walking towards the purring sports car.

“So, where are we going?” the Doctor asked as she settled into the passenger seat, and she grinned at him.

“Breakfast?  Then, who knows?”

It didn’t matter, as long as she was going with him.