#welsh king of tennis

[nibblette]

WTH???? Idk what’s going on but I love this, lol

why did i do this

[cabeswaterdrowned]

if my non trc followers aren’t doing anything they should vote for Blue/Gansey/Adam in that poll! For feminism

[houseofbrat]

12 JULY 2024: William plays polo at a charity match. Kate and the children do not attend.

William confirms he will attend the Euro final on Sunday, 14 July 2024.

13 JULY 2024: Kate confirms she will attend the men's final at Wimbledon.

14 JULY 2024: Kate attends the Wimbledon men's final with Charlotte and Pippa.

William attends the Euro final with George to watch England lose to Spain.

15 JULY 2024: Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair, "Kate Middleton Is Now “On Summer Break” After Wimbledon Appearance" [archive link]

Kate Middleton’s appearance at Wimbledon on Sunday delighted tennis and royal fans, but it may be some time before we see Kate in public again. According to royal sources, Prince William and Princess Kate are planning to spend most of the summer “below the radar” at their Norfolk bolthole now that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are out of school and Kate continues her course of preventative chemotherapy. While Kensington Palace would not give details on the family’s plans for the summer, a royal source confirmed that the Wales family are now “on summer break.” Sources close to the family say that although they will not be traveling abroad this summer while Kate undergoes treatment, they are excited to visit King Charles and Queen Camilla in Scotland next month. Sunday’s appearance at Wimbledon is likely to be Kate’s last official engagement until later this year.

16 JULY 2024: Will & Kate are looking to hire a new Assistant Private Secretary that can speak "conversational Welsh." [archive link]

Although the new hire would be responsible for Prince William and Catherine's public engagements in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the future King and Queen want their new Assistant Private Secretary to specifically focus on Wales and believe it is "essential" that they speak conversational Welsh. [...] Almost two years after taking on their Wales titles, and after a testing year so far with The Princess' major abdominal surgery and cancer diagnosis, it appears Prince William and Catherine are driving forward with their plans, seeking "specific expertise on Welsh communities, affairs, government, and business". Handled by the largest executive search firm in the United Kingdom, Odgers Berndtson has posted a job advert for an Assistant Private Secretary ("APS"), Wales & UK on behalf of Kensington Palace.

18 JULY 2024: The attempted Donald Trump assassin had searched for images of Kate according to investigation.

23 JULY 2024: William announces more patronages. Kate does not announce any new patronages.

24 JULY 2024: Victoria Ward, The Telegraph, "Prince William refuses to reveal how much tax he pays." [archive link]

The Prince of Wales has chosen not to reveal how much tax he pays on the private income he receives from his vast property portfolio, marking a notable change in approach from when his father was heir to the throne. Prince William’s Duchy of Cornwall estate, the billion-pound business empire he inherited on the death of his grandmother, Elizabeth II, generated profits of £23.6 million in the last financial year. He is understood to pay income tax on the full amount, less household costs, which have also not been disclosed.

26 JULY 2024: Robert Jobson's book excerpt in The Daily Mail, "How the Queen and Charles clashed with William after he refused to stop flying his young family around Britain in his helicopter." [archive link]

One courtier explained: 'The King's relationship with both his sons has been difficult over the years. Even now he is King, with the Prince of Wales, there can be differences of opinion and tensions. Of course, they love each other, but they clash, and sometimes William needs handling with kid gloves.' Another courtier confirmed: 'You have to check first which way the wind is blowing with the prince. They don't see eye to eye on several issues, but why should they? [Prince William's] moment in the top job will come — perhaps he would do well to remember it is not yet. This is His Majesty's time.' When he loses his temper, William is a bit of a shouter — and his father tends to give as good as he gets. The difference these days is that their arguments usually blow over quite quickly. One recent source of disagreement is William's stubborn refusal to take his father's advice on safeguarding the succession. Earlier this year, the King had raised concerns with his son about the wisdom of William using his helicopter to fly his entire family around the country.

27 JULY 2024: People magazine (US), "Prince William and King Charles Clashed Over Use of Helicopter for Kate Middleton and Their Children, New Book Claims". [archive link]

According to Robert Jobson's soon-to-be-released biography, Catherine, The Princess of Wales, the King, 75, “raised concerns” with William, 42, over his helicopter use with Kate Middleton and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, that sparked a tense disagreement between the pair.  In an excerpt from Jobson’s book, per The Daily Mail, King Charles brought up his worries on the matter after coming to terms with his mortality following his cancer diagnosis, which was announced in February. The King even presented experienced pilot William with “a formal document acknowledging the risks involved and taking full responsibility for his actions” amid their dispute, the new book claims.   Charles’ concerns echoed that of his late mother Queen Elizabeth, who previously requested William not fly with his family on a helicopter from Kensington Palace to his former residence of Anmer Hall in Norfolk, which is a 115-mile journey, according to Robson.  [...] It is also understood that the palace has fully evaluated the risk of the family flying together, compared with implementing a policy where separate travel assets are provided for one or more members of The Prince and Princess of Wales’ family.

30 JULY 2024: The Prince's Trust announces the date for its annual Christmas Carol concert, 09 December 2024.

Hilary Rose, The Times, posts an article about William van Cutsem, friend of Prince William and recently appointed as an adviser to the Duchy of Cornwall. [archive link]

The Earthshot Prize tweets about their third annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, which mentions no commitment by William to attend.

03 AUGUST 2024: Daily Mail's Natasha Livingstone

07 AUGUST 2024: Tom Sykes, The Daily Beast, "Princess Kate Will Focus on Her Kids After ‘Brush With Mortality’: Sources" [archive link]

It is thought the smaller Wales family are unlikely to travel this year to Tresco, a small island off the coast of Cornwall, where they have often spent summer holidays. However, The Daily Beast has been told that the couple are aiming to be in Balmoral either for the opening of the grouse-shooting season on Aug. 12 or shortly thereafter. William and Kate both shoot. One friend of the couple told The Daily Beast: “Kate has been exceptionally open and honest about her health. Making two appearances before the summer break, at Wimbledon and Trooping the Colour, was a clear signal that she is doing well. That is what we are hearing privately as well—it’s not over but there is lots of optimism, lots of positivity.” [...] Another source, a Buckingham Palace insider, said they understood there was no sense that Kate was expected to be back on duty for the traditionally busy period of royal engagements that kicks off in the first week of September and runs through to Christmas.

11 AUGUST 2024: William & Kate appear for less than ten seconds in a video message for Team GB with multiple celebrity appearances, after the end of the Olympics.

13 AUGUST 2024: Lucie Heath writes about the Duchy of Cornwall.

The Duchy of Cornwall’s largest single landholding is 27,300 hectares on Dartmoor, which accounts for approximately one third of the National Park. Last year the Government published an independent review of Dartmoor, which concluded the landscape was “not in a good state”. Dr Alexander Lees, a biodiversity expert at Manchester Metropolitan University, said the Duchy of Cornwall has a big part to play in turning things around at Dartmoor and other sites it owns. “As one of Britain’s biggest landowners, the Duchy of Cornwall is in a position of strength to combat the entwined biodiversity and climate crises. However, massive additional investment in conservation is needed across these landholdings,” he said. Dr Lee said: “clearly there is a need to generate income to leverage restoration and rewilding across the estate”, but added it is “questionable” that some of this income comes from a car dealership when the Duchy has promoted reduced car use through its flagship Poundbury housing estate in Dorset.

14 AUGUST 2024: Rebecca English, Daily Mail, "Why Kate's year has been tougher than anyone realises - and why she's starting to glow again." [archive link]

What most will not appreciate is that Catherine had actually been unwell for some time in the run up to her initial abdominal surgery in January (further details of which have not been made public yet by Kensington Palace). It was only after that ‘planned’ operation, of course, which left her in hospital for two weeks, that her cancer was discovered.

The Daily Beast rehashes the "exclusives" from the Daily Mail.

16 AUGUST 2024: Dan Wootton reiterates that Kate may "NEVER" return to full-time royal duties.

Tusk Trust CEO says William wants to introduce his children to Africa.

"He is very knowledgeable and passionate about conservation and the environment,” Mayhew said. “He has a particular love for Africa. He has been incredibly supportive as our patron and proactive in supporting us. We find ourselves incredibly lucky.” Mayhew plans to meet up with Prince William in Cape Town, South Africa, when the Prince of Wales hosts the fourth annual Earthshot Prize Awards there in November. Soon enough, the Prince of Wales will want to introduce his three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — to the continent, Mayhew said. “I think it won’t be long before, you know, he will want to introduce them to Africa,” he said.

17 AUGUST 2024: Natasha Anderson, Daily Mail, reports on how Will, Kate, George, Charlotte, and Louis, spent the day at a large Nerf battle. [archive link]

The Royal family had a bit of a rumble last weekend as the Prince and Princess of Wales faced off against their children in a Nerf battle. Prince George, 11, Princes Charlotte, nine, and six-year-old Prince Louis joined in the festivities at the Gone Wild Festival at Holkham Hall, Norfolk for a high-intensity Nerf war with toy guns and smoke bombs. Excitable and 'unforgettable' Louis ran around yelling 'Nerf or nothing, let's do this!', according to Norfolk Nerf Parties boss Georgina Barron. The Princess of Wales, who has been battling cancer, even 'grabbed a Nerf gun, ran around, and played stuck in the mud with her kids', Ms Barron added, noting that hosting the family was the 'biggest honour' and 'unforgettable'. Ms Barron said the royals, who were not photographed at the event, had wanted to enjoy a 'wholesome family day like any other normal family'. Kensington Palace has been approached for comment. 

19 AUGUST 2024: People magazine (US), story about who's who in the Middleton family.

The Mirror, "Kate Middleton's 'tough' side and unlikely inspiration for 'ambitious' plans" [archive link]

The Princess of Wales has rapidly ascended the Royal ranks, becoming a favourite among the Royal Family due to her sense of humour and evident respect for her role. Even during her cancer treatment, she has displayed nothing but strength and determination. Kate, once shy and reserved, has transformed into a confident, playful, and occasionally assertive figure, commanding as much public respect as King Charles or Prince William could ever wish for. This trust that the King places in his "darling daughter-in-law" reportedly leads to her frequently being asked for her opinion due to her relatability.

20 AUGUST 2024: "Princess Charlotte, Lady Louise and the Duchess of Edinburgh go on special trip" [archive link]

Princess Charlotte, Lady Louise and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh went on a special shopping trip in London, according to a source. Charlotte has a good relationship with her great-aunt and the two royals were joined by Sophie's daughter Louise during a trip to Chelsea. The royals headed to the Peter Jones store on King's Road which is said to be one of Charlotte's favourite stores. A source told The Sun: "There is a really warm connection between Sophie and her great-niece, which is very touching."

21 AUGUST 2024: Tom Sykes, The Daily Beast, "Princes William and Harry May Only Reunite at King Charles’ Funeral: Source" [archive link]

Asked about the reports that Harry would not be invited to William’s coronation, the source said: “I believe it 100 percent. Why would William and Kate want all the distraction and circus that his presence would bring? I suspect that William will see Harry one more time in his life in the flesh—at their father’s funeral.” A former Buckingham Palace staffer told The Daily Beast: “Planning for William’s coronation is well underway, and as I understand it there are no plans to invite Harry. It’s hardly surprising when you look at how poisoned the well has become.”

US Weekly (USA) has cover story on William & Camilla, with sourcing from Christopher Andersen's book.

23 AUGUST 2024: People magazine (US), "Prince William's Return to Work Plans Revealed After Summer Break with Kate Middleton and Their Kids" [archive link]

On Aug. 22, Kensington Palace announced that the Prince of Wales, 42, will visit the Homelessness: Reframed exhibit at the Saatchi Gallery in London on Sept. 5. The display highlights the complexities of homelessness across the U.K. and offers the public an opportunity to better understand the stories of individuals who have been affected. Homelessness: Reframed is a collaboration between Prince William's Homewards program, which he launched with the Royal Foundation in June 2023 to help end homelessness for good, the Saatchi Gallery and the Eleven Eleven Foundation. The presentation opened on Aug. 7, and Prince William will visit before it closes on Sept. 20.

25 AUGUST 2024: Kate seen in a car on the way to church 'at Crathie Kirk, Balmoral, Scotland.

Daily Mail, "Inside Kate's slow and steady return to public life: How the Princess of Wales has won over the nation's hearts with appearances at Trooping the Colour, Wimbledon and Crathie Kirk following cancer diagnosis" [archive link]

Her appearance had been in doubt after she missed the final Trooping rehearsal the weekend prior to the celebration, with confirmation that she would attend only given at 6pm the evening before.  [...] And now, Kate has been seen in public for the third time since revealing that she has cancer - just two weeks after her video message praising Team GB.  The royal appeared in high spirits as she was pictured arriving for Sunday service with her husband William at Crathie Kirk today.  William drove the car, smiling as he chatted with his wife and opting for a navy blue suit for the occasion.  The Princess sported the same hat she donned last year for a Sunday church service, when she donned a beige tartan Marlborough trench coat from Holland Cooper with  dark brown wool felt fedora with feathers.

28 AUGUST 2024: The Daily Mail's royal editor, Rebecca English, confirms that William "never planned to" attend the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in September 2024.

29 AUGUST 2024: Matt Wilkinson, The Sun, reports that both William and Harry attended their uncle's funeral in Norfolk, "Warring Prince William and Harry REUNITE at their uncle’s funeral after Duke of Sussex makes secret dash to UK" [archive link]

The Duke of Sussex, 39, flew from his US home to join his brother, 42, at the service for Lord Robert Fellowes. A local in Snettisham, Norfolk, said: “We never saw them speak to each other and they kept their distance.” The princes both “discreetly” attended the funeral for Lord Fellowes — who was their mother Diana’s brother-in-law. They were said to have kept their distance from each other and sat at the back of the church. Sources close to US-based Harry had previously claimed he would not attend. But a close family friend said they were “very happy to confirm both princes were there”. Another source told how they only saw them at the end of the service at St Mary’s Church. They said: “I didn’t know they were there. They arrived very discreetly.” One local said: “William and Harry were both there but we never saw them speak to each other and they were keeping their distance.”

TIMELINE:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

[aclockmaker]

just some quick raven cycle au thoughts Under the Cut

Nancy is hunting Welsh kings, pouring over maps of Indiana sketching ley lines. When she talks, people listen.

Steve sacrifices himself to the Upside Down (agrees to be its hands and eyes) to save Dustin and Erica. Let’s say Henry Creel is hunting ley lines too and he tries to perform some really dangerous ritual and that’s when Steve made his sacrifice. It’s not as sinister as the UD on the show, it’s more like a mirror-verse of their town but with the addition of a magic forest everywhere. But still—Steve is possessed by it, sometimes.

Robin comes from a family of psychics but she’s not one, she’s a mirror, she reflects back and increases the power of any psychic—or any magician, so she’ll sit with her back touching Steve’s while he reads tarot cards, or hold his hand while he looks into the depths of a cup of coffee and tries to see what the Upside Down is asking of him today.

Eddie who pulled his electric guitar out of a dream. A thief, just like his dad. He takes things for Steve: a new deck of cards, a pair of tennis shoes, salve for the scars Steve has around his neck, the perfect hair product.

There’s all this magical stuff happening in town, like cars turning up flipped over with no one in them and undamaged, and it’s clear that the ley line is troubled—eventually they learn that Tommy H is taking things from the Upside Down just like Eddie, except he’s draining its energy. Tommy has like a field full of tricked out cars that he’s stolen. He basically does all of it to get Steve’s attention, and he has this rivalry with Eddie because of it.

[17goiingunder]

W.IMBLEDON, 1987.

His appearance at the W.imbledon winners’ gala has become a regular occurrence these days, despite the fact that Dave is only twenty. He greets the members of the Royal Family with a fluid bow of the head and a familiarity in his handshake, and the tuxedo he’s wearing no longer feels ill-fitting and foreign like it did only three years ago. 

Dave Talbot is right when he says playing at W.imbledon is like playing in his living room. This isn’t his home Slam, but the poms have taken him to heart as one of their own. If they can’t have an English winner, then maybe a Welsh-German-Aussie is the next best thing. He’s the new King of Grass, an indomitable force at the very top of the world. Even though every movement makes his sore muscles ache and his dodgy ankle is only held together by a whole wad of sports tape, Dave feels fucking amazing. Winning never gets old.

He holds the trophy aloft for the cameras and poses in front of the pair of Australian flags, set up in honor of him and his compatriot, Sophia. Sure, she’d won R.oland-Garros last month, but nothing compares to the pomp and circumstance that the English do so well. She’s just as wide-eyed as Dave was three years ago, but the grin on her face is unshakable. She’s only a year younger than Dave; this is the age of the young guns. The new generation has arrived, and it’s arrived in style.

The flashes from the cameras are blinding, but Dave’s used to it. Blink, and keep smiling. These photos are going to be on the front page of every newspaper tomorrow, so he hopes to God he looks good. He’s slicked his ginger hair back in an effort to make himself look older, but Sophia had vetoed the Blues Brothers shades he’d intended to bring along. Maybe the All England Lawn Tennis Club doesn’t have the same sense of humor as him. Oh, well.

There’s barely a quiet moment for the two winners, but when Dave manages to extricate himself from a conversation with two older ladies, he finds Sophia standing right behind him. “Oh, thank God. I was looking for you.” He grabs her hand and darts through the crowd. Never mind the fact that he stands at six-foot-three and looks painfully obvious anywhere he goes, he still feels very Bond-like.

A darkened balcony provides a perfect escape for the pair, and Sophia carefully shuts the French doors behind them. “You looked like you needed a rescue.” She laughs.

“Yeah, well, when one of the ladies asked me if it was true that redheads have a higher sex drive, I knew it was time to leave.” Dave shakes his head, scratching a spot behind his ear in slight embarrassment.

“Look at you, Davey. You’re all red!”

“Nah, it’s just hot in there. Too many people, too much noise.”

“Thought you liked that sort of thing. I know what you get up to back in Melbourne.”

“That’s different, though. You can act like an animal in the pubs and no one will pay you any attention. Here, every time I turn around, someone wants a picture or autograph or handshake. It feels like it gets worse every year.”

“Oh, the pains of being a winner.” Sophia smacks him on the arm playfully.

“Fuck! That hurts!” He winces. “You’re a daft cunt.”

“Dave!” Sophia can’t stop the fit of giggles that overtakes her. “You’re not supposed to swear here. It’s a respectable place.”

“Oh, fuck that. I’m half man, half sports tape at this point.” Despite the shooting pain, he gives Sophia a smile of his own. “You’re lucky I like you.”

“Oh, really? Or what?” She rubs the spot on his arm where it supposedly hurts.

“Or I’d have thrown them over that balcony.” They’re looking over Centre Court, the site of their triumph. “Like this.” Dave picks Sophia up, bridal-style, causing her to kick her legs and laugh in mock protest.

“Davey! My hair!” She’d spent three hours on it earlier this evening, after all. “You fucker!” She’s barely audible over the sound of her own laughter. “Put me down!”

“All right, all right.” He puts her down with a chuckle, and leans his arm against the balcony railing. “Sorry about your dress, Soph. You look very lovely tonight, and I mean that.”

“Sure you do.” Sophia retorts, trying to smooth the ruffles on her elegant black dress. A moment of calm falls over both of them, as they admire the view of the stadium. It’s much quieter and much nicer here with just the two of them. The brown-nosers inside are too much to bear. “I’m really happy we won this together, Davey.”

“Yeah. Me too.” His hand goes to rest on her shoulder, and she leans into his touch, resting her head on Dave. “You know this already, but I’m always so proud of you. This is just the beginning.”

“I’m proud of you, too. Always have been. Except maybe when you climbed the stands today.”

“What, did I embarrass you?”

“A little bit.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“No, I guess not.”

He gives an amused snort. “Hey, Soph. I’ve got a stupid idea.”

“What now?”

“We should get married.”

“You’re joking.” She steps away from Dave and cups a hand over her mouth to suppress a laugh. “You’re mad, Davey.”

“A little bit, maybe. But why not? It would be fun.”

Sophia pauses, as if she’s considering the wisdom of explaining to Dave that people don’t just get married “for fun.” Instead, she just shrugs her shoulders. “Just listen to yourself.”

“You don’t have to tell me yes or no right now. We’ve got a long flight home. Think about it.” He’s so cavalier about this whole thing, like he’s too immature to fully comprehend the weight of marriage. “I think we make a pretty good team.”

“I’ll be honest with you, Dave. This wasn’t quite the romantic proposal every girl dreams of.” She cocks her head to one side, trying to figure out what the hell is going through the mind of her childhood friend.

“You’re not every girl. You’re Sophia. You’re a fucking W.imbledon winner, for fuck’s sake.” Dave shakes his head. Never mind the fact that they’d never so much as been intimate, or exchanged “I love you,” or even officially dated. “Just think about it, that’s all I ask.”

“Why? Why now?”

“Why not? I want a reason to come back to Melbourne. You’re— you’re real. You don’t bullshit me. You know me for who I am. You understand me in a way no one else does.” Dave pauses, trying to think of the right words. The copious amounts of champagne he’s consumed aren’t helping. “We could get that house in Prahran you wanted. You know, the one with the swimming pool and the grass court? But, uh, most of all— hey, are you listening, Soph?”

“Yeah. Every word.”

“Most of all, I want to be with you, because there’s no one like you and there’s no one who ever will be like you. You mean the fucking world to me. More than any of this.”

Sophia is silent as she takes in his words, her eyes searching his. His earnestness sends her heart racing, and suddenly all the other sounds around them are drowned out. She can only hear the blood rushing in her ears. “I don’t know what to say, Dave.”

“You don’t have to say anything.”

Sophia wraps her arms around his neck and cranes her head upwards to press a kiss to his lips. They stay locked in that embrace for what seems like an eternity, his arms cradling her waist. Inside, the organizers are probably looking for the stars of the show, but out here, they’re just two kids caught in the heat of the moment. Pausing for breath, Sophia pulls away from Dave, but doesn’t let him go.

“Yes, of course I’ll marry you, you stupid bastard.”

[popatochisssp]

if/when you get the energy/time to- im really curious; what kinda fuzzy friends do the newer skeles have? does pitch have a seeing eye-dog version of princess? or does ell and/or nemo have a fuzzy buddy to help with their anxiety or anything similar or in-between? spare fuzzy friend hcs for the poor, ma'am????

Well, you asked for it!

Ash (Undergloom Sans): A cat named Annie (Ragdoll), adopted as an emotional support buddy! She picked him, really, just ambling right on up to him, and it was love at first flop-over-his feet. Having a little sweetheart like her to take care of has really helped to pull Ash out of the doldrums and he loves her a lot. She’s a big-time cuddlebug, just like he is, and they definitely spend a ton of time napping together, everywhere and anywhere.

Annie’s Quirks: Extra chunky (master of the ‘I haven’t been fed yet 🥺’ con), stockpiles socks and undies beneath the bed, shameless catnip junkie

Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus): He feels like he’s not as active as he should be, lots of time spent indoors doing academic things, when there’s a whole beautiful world out there that he should be getting out to see at least sometimes... He has the idea that maybe an animal companion would be the right motivation to get up and out at least a couple times a day, and Cannoli (Pembroke Welsh Corgi) is the solution to the problem! They click pretty much immediately and are just very well-suited to each other, especially as exercise partners.

Cannoli’s Quirks: Loves (short) walks, rests his head on any feet that stay still long enough, must sleep in the same bed as the people and will hop/bark/cry if he can’t get up there himself

Brick (Horrorfell Sans):He doesn’t know too much of the story himself, he’s sure he was told in more detail but probably forgot. All he remembers is, a friend of a friend had a dog who had an accident...or maybe it got sick? Either way, it went deaf, and the dog was too big and unwieldy for them to try to retrain themselves. But they had a friend who was HoH, and that friend was active in the community with lots of other signing and HoH folks and could ask around about someone who might be up for the challenge of having and training a real big dog that couldn’t hear a word you said to it. That’s how Brick heard about it, anyway, and he’s not deaf but he’s big, and he figures he probably knows at least enough sign by now to train a dog. And that’s how Tiny (English Mastiff) comes to stay at his place. They clumsily work on understanding each other, it’s definitely a Process, but there’s plenty of fondness there to make any difficulty worth the trouble.

Tiny’s Quirks: Bit of a digging problem, gets very excited about balloons, likes to sit near people and lean his entire weight into them

King (Horrorfell Papyrus): This one may look familiar, but it’s fate-- Doomfanger (Persian) belongs with him and could find her way to him in any universe. ...But King was a little later getting to the Surface, and wasn’t there to pick her up when she was freshly on the streets. She spent awhile longer being an alleycat, a few years of living the rough life, and one day when she’s not quite fast enough to scurry out of the way of an oncoming car, it probably would’ve been the end for her... if not for the kind Samaritan skeleton who was just passing by that scooped her up off the pavement and brought her to a vet. King tried very hard not to get attached to her, especially when it was still looking like she wouldn’t make it, but he kept moving the goalpost of when he’d let himself care about her. ‘IF IT LIVES UNTIL MORNING,’ ‘IF IT MAKES IT TO THE VET,’ ‘IF SHE SURVIVES HER SURGERY,’ ‘IF--’ and then she looks at him, with her goofy drugged up face, freshly missing the foot of her back paw so that they even match now, and... And just like that, Doomfanger has a home and a devoted cat-dad owner and anything else she could possibly need.

Doomfanger’s Quirks: Likes to be raked, makes an incredible fuss when shut out of any room for any reason, very spooked by loud noises and immediately runs and hides under daddy’s bed

Merc (Horrorswap Sans): He wanted a pet, especially when things were still a little strained with his brother and the nature of his...condition...made it difficult to make friends. He was lonely and a little pal would be very welcome in his home, but he’d also really hate to curse a furry friend with the ever-present threat of being dripped on and getting nasty bone-goop stuck in their fur... Ella (Sphynx) is the workaround to this unusual problem and makes herself right at home with Merc, happy to love on him whether he’s solid or sticky.

Ella’s Quirks: Has an extensive collection of sweaters that she adores (will sit by her dresser and meow until she is clothed), great sense for emotions and tends to appear whenever she’s needed, transfixed by mirrors

Ell (Horrorswap Papyrus): He didn’t choose Ripley (Maine Coon), Ripley... well, he’s not even sure Ripley chose him. He definitely chose Ella, because that pretty little sweater-wearing vixen in the window is what drove him to bust into Ell and Merc’s house and start sauntering around like he owned the place. Ripley (named before they realized he was a boy-cat) was definitely feral, with a notched ear and a missing eye, but he just keeps coming around, breaking and entering, cuddling with Ella and sharing her food, and when he one day hops into Ell’s lap and curls his big fluffy body up there... Ell makes the (possibly bad) decision to just shut the doors and windows on this mean, fat bastard and make him commit to the self-domestication he’d started. Ripley’s fickle, anti-social, and nine times out of ten mean as hell, but despite it all, Ell’s attached to the fucker. Doesn’t stop him from talking mad shit about his demon-cat to anyone who’ll listen, but y’know, there’s a weird sort of love there, between them both.

Ripley’s Quirks: Hates other cats and people, with Ell and Ella as the only exceptions (Ell sometimes, Ella always), does truly heinous things to birds and rodents and even bugs if the opportunity presents itself, an escape artist who is not to be trusted around doors or windows

Pitch (Horrorswapfell Sans): Ms. Sandy Peaches (Golden Retriever) is a service dog, trained to assist people with visual impairments in a variety of tasks. Pitch, who’d long been mulling over the idea of getting one such dog, eventually follows through, and as soon as he hears her name, he’s decided-- Sandy Peaches is the one for him! He’s been blind awhile by the time he gets her and generally knows his way around things, but she’s very helpful in his day-to-day and some of the things that were moderately inconvenient to get through before are only mildly inconvenient now, and her value as a helper and a companion is much appreciated.

Sandy’s Quirks: Gets excited when it’s time to put her vest on and go work, thinks the appropriate amount of brushing time is probably about three hours, loves to go swimming

Nemo (Horrorswapfell Papyrus): He found Dizzy (American Shorthair) after an accidental click led him to a local shelter’s Instagram, where they had a video of her playing and a few hashtags that explained her condition. He learned a lot about cerebellar hypoplasia, aka ‘wobbly cat syndrome,’ and when he eventually made it back to her video and watched it again... it was too late, he was already half in love with her. He contacts the shelter and after a couple weeks making arrangements, purchasing necessities, and wobbly-cat-proofing the house, he braves the outdoors to go get her and bring her home. She’s probably 100% his baby within the first hour and he loves being able to take care of her and help a kitty that not everybody would have the time or dedication to take in. The love is very much mutual and Dizzy’s tail does the ‘omg it’s you, I love you!’ tail-quiver whenever she sees him and trots on over.

Dizzy’s Quirks: Sixth sense for when there’s clean laundry to be laid on, likes to hold extended warbling and yowling conversations with people, chews on anything that crinkles (keep plastic wrappers out of reach!)

Sunny (Gastertale Sans): As soon as he knew he wanted a dog, he knew he wanted to pick up one of the less adoptable ones. Skipper (Beagle mutt) was certainly that, with only two legs--one in front and one in back. Sunny had a play session with the little guy and admired his energy and how enthusiastically he played, like his missing legs didn’t even phase him. Whatever happened in Skipper’s past, he’s not letting it be his problem now, and needless to say, he’s adopted and taken home in pretty short order. No holds barred fetch and spontaneous frolicking in open fields are a great bonding activity for these two, probably a match made in heaven.

Skipper’s Quirks: Tennis ball fiend (literally can never have enough), chews on unattended shoes, loves to sing (read: howl) along to music

Aster (Gastertale Papyrus): He wanted a guard dog, some big intimidating-looking thing that would look really, really cool guard the house. He finds Ace (Doberman/Great Dane), unfortunately with his ears already cropped (Aster wouldn’t have chosen the procedure himself), but otherwise a very handsome fellow and still definitely in need of love and a home, both of which Aster was willing and able to provide. He’s attentive with all the care and training his new pup needs, and when Ace grows up just as huge as predicted, looking like a cross between a panther and a hellhound, he’s become an extremely well-mannered and obedient dog, full to the tips of his pointy ears with love for Aster.

Ace’s Quirks: King of naps, the worst nightmare of any strangers at the door (but very affectionate and loving once they’re in!), will tell you if you’ve stopped petting him too soon, boofing and trying to put your hand back to make you resume

[daisyapples]

“Ronan’s week had started badly and kept going downhill.

Adam hadn’t spoken to him since the market. He hadn’t realised how used to Adam’s presence he’d gotten until Adam was no longer sitting across from him in the mornings, rolling his eyes at him in Latin, or chatting to Gansey about Welsh kings while Ronan pretended not to care. He’d stopped Adam from studying with him first, but Adam not wanting to be around him somehow made it worse. And it wasn’t that they weren’t talking, it was just that Gansey or Noah had to be there to drive the conversation, and Adam and Ronan never actually spoke to each other. Like some terrible game of doubles tennis.

Ronan felt Adam examine him sometimes; felt it like a trail of fire across his skin when he considered Ronan’s chapped and callused hands, he burned as Adam watched Ronan draw ideas for sculptures on the corners of books, and sought out the heat of his gaze when Adam stared at him like Ronan was a puzzle he could figure out.

Ronan wanted to tell him to stop. He wanted to tell Adam to take his fill, and then take more.

Ronan ached.

Ronan had wanted Adam since his first day in Aglionby. He cycled down dusty paths, ignored the cars that overtook him with a roar of speed, and raven boy taunts, and reminded himself this was for his brothers. Declan and Matthew had gone on early; Declan to prove they belonged and Matthew because Declan had the shitbox to drive him. Ronan hadn’t wanted to leave Mountain High. He’d already left his house and his parents in fresh graves and everything he’d ever called safe. He wanted to continue sitting with Blue at lunch and laughing at everyone else with harsh, judging eyes. But the offer to attend Aglionby was for all three Lynch brothers or no Lynch brothers so he’d swallowed down the bile burning his throat, and agreed for Matthew, if not Declan.

It would be weeks before he and Declan began repairing their fractured relationship.

That morning, Ronan hurt in every way that mattered and he’d turned that hurt into a shield of scalding anger that would burn anyone who got too close. He made sure he was unapproachable and unlikable so no one would try to welcome him or greet him or befriend him.

Ronan Lynch would endure this school. He would not like it.When he paused for a breath at the edge of campus, Adam had appeared like an avenging knight out of the stories his mom used to tell. Head held high and fluttering raven boys around him. Hair glinting in the morning sun and mouth stretched in a careful smile.

Ronan had wanted wanted wanted.”

New chapter of Choices is up!! 

[tabloidtoc]

Star, May 10

You can buy a brand new copy of this issue without the mailing label for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Meghan Markle having twin girls (oops!)

Page 1: Famous for doing his own stunts, Tom Cruise helicoptered in to the tiny English village of Levisham to film aboard, or rather hanging off of, a vintage train and along for the ride was his Mission: Impossible 7 costar Hayley Atwell, who was spotted running along the top of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway car and while the pair, surrounded by crew and tech experts, were total pros, it's an open secret on set that their romance is going strong and Tom and Hayley hang out non-stop when the cameras are off and are pretty much joined at the hip but not in a showy, PDA way; it's a very discreet thing they've got going on -- off-camera, 58-year-old Tom and 39-year-old Hayley enjoy quiet nights holed up in Tom's London digs, eating meals specially prepared by his private chef and they'll watch movies or read books or just chill out doing their own thing -- chilling out isn't Tom's forte, as audio leaked of him berating the film's crew for violating COVID-19 protocols, but things have calmed down considerably as the spy flick, due in theaters May 2022, closes in on its wrap date, but the ensuing publicity push will put Tom and Hayley's relationship front and center, but don't expect the devoted Scientologist to jump on any couches (a la Katie Holmes) announcing wife No. 4 as Tom has learned the hard way about putting everything out there and getting picked to pieces; this time, it's all about subtlety

Page 2: Contents, Cher got up and personal with the World's Loneliest Elephant Kaavan, who she helped relocate to Cambodia

Page 3: Brie Larson in a swimsuit with butterflies on it during a getaway to Hawaii, with headphones at the ready Brooke Burke was itching to cut a rug with friends before teaching a silent disco cardio party at the Rafi Lounge in Malibu, Maria Shriver and Christina Schwarzenegger enjoyed some quality time on a stroll in L.A., Boy George sporting a bold look on The Jonathan Ross Show in London

Page 4: In a recent interview, AnnaLynne McCord revealed a shocking diagnosis: for years, the 90210 alum has been battling dissociative identity disorder (often erroneously referred to as multiple personality disorder) -- she told Dr. Daniel Amen she is absolutely uninterested in shame about opening up despite the stigma surrounding mental-health issues because that's how we get to the point where we can articulate the nature of these pervasive traumas as horrible as they are -- for her part, the 33-year-old traces back her troubles to sexual abuse she suffered as a child and as had many of the 200,000 people diagnosed with DID each year, she suppressed those horrific memories and it was only within the past few years that they began to resurface, largely after she sought treatment for PTSD related to another sexual assault and she doesn't have any memories of abuse until around 5, then from 5 to 11, she recounts incidents throughout and then, when she was 13, she has a singled-out memory and it was at that age that she developed what doctors call a second personality identity: as Little Ann, the Georgia-born daughter of a pastor said she was balls to the wall, middle fingers to the sky, anarchist from hell who will stab you with the spike ring that she wears and that helped her survive her nightmarish situation -- ironically, acting created the same dynamic, making it sometimes difficult for AnnaLynne to let go of characters she'd played and all of her roles were splits but she didn't even realize she was doing it

Page 5: Jennifer Aniston wasn't exactly touched when Justin Theroux gushed about how much he still loves her in the issue of Esquire -- complaining about feeling like a hermit during the pandemic, 49-year-old Justin nearly got misty discussing FaceTiming and texting his ex, saying he cherishes their friendship and they can not be together and still bring each other joy and he'd be bereft if they weren't still in touch and he'd like to think the same for her -- but 52-year-old Jen, whose love life has been low-key since the pair's 2018 divorce, has stayed on good terms with most of her exes including Brad Pitt but doesn't want anything more than a friendship with Justin and sure, it's flattering but she's just moved on and wishes he would too, and that goes double for some of her friends who griped that Justin tried to milk Jen's connections to further his career -- in the end, Justin needs to know he's got no chance whatsoever of winning Jen back and she doesn't feel anything remotely close to passion for him anymore

* Roseanne Barr showed off her newly svelte frame on Instagram -- back in 1998, she lost 100 lbs after undergoing gastric-bypass surgery, but yo-yo'd over the next decades but now she's determined to keep the weight off by totally changing the way she eats and she's growing her own fruits and vegetables and has a whole new appreciation of food

* Five months after he entered the Federal Correctional Institution, Mossimo Gianulli finished up his stint at his plush Hidden Hills home and now, the 57-year-old, who along with wife Lori Loughlin, pleaded guilty to paying a $500,000 bribe to get their kids into USC, can't wait to get back to normal and his biggest priority, besides spending time with Lori and the girls, is to get out there on the golf course -- the designer, worth a reported $70 million, still has to perform 250 hours of community service while Lori, who finished up her prison stint in December, is chipping away at hers, doling out meals at L.A.'s Project Angel Food -- Lori and Mossimo have resolved not to dwell on the past and they want to move forward with a positive and grateful attitude

Page 6: Fans of Angelina Jolie's stunts in movies like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Mr. & Mrs. Smith are looking forward to her return to the screen as a wildfire fighter in Those Who Wish Me Dead and in the upcoming Marvel flick Eternals but 45-year-old Angie would rather be behind the camera and she explained the real reason behind her comeback is she loves directing, but she had a change in her family situation that's not made it possible for her to direct for a few years and she needed to just do shorter jobs and be home more, so she went back to doing a few acting jobs -- that change in her family situation, of course, is her divorce from Brad Pitt, ongoing since their 2016 split and with no bitter end in sight and it could drag on for years

* Catherine Zeta-Jones says it's no secret her 20-year marriage to 76-year-old Michael Douglas hasn't been easy and it wouldn't be normal if there weren't any ups and downs -- it's another Michael, her Prodigal Son costar Michael Sheen, who has friends whispering as both are Welsh and only a year apart, the two have been having a lot of fun shooting the serial-killer drama and they had never met before the series but they keep discovering how much they have in common -- while Michael, who has been linked with Kate Beckinsale, Rachel McAdams and Sarah Silverman, has been with Anna Lundberg for two years, friends can't help worrying because it's a little to close for comfort

Page 8: Star Shots -- Marlee Matlin kicked back during a portrait session in La Canada Flintridge in California, a loaded-down Irina Shayk in a Victoria's Secret photoshoot in NYC, Gavin Rossdale and his dog Chewy leaving tennis practice in L.A.

Page 9: Kelly Clarkson and her battle advisor Luis Fonsi on The Voice, John Stamos at the drive-in premiere of his new series Big Shot in L.A.

Page 10: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley toting her $3800 Bottega Veneta Shell bag in NYC, Niall Horan and Anne-Marie jumped into a classic Jaguar XK120 for a music video in Essex in England, Adam Driver as Maurizio Gucci on the set of House of Gucci on a bicycle in Rome

Page 11: Jay Leno takes a selfie with a fan, Kate Hudson and her daughter Rani busting out some mommy-and-me moves

Page 12: David Beckham filming a commercial for Maserati, Kaley Cuoco working out with ropes, a windswept Olivia Culpo held on tight to pup Oliver while enjoying a sunset ride aboard a boat named after her dog, Miles Teller looked both ways during a cruise in his blue Ford Bronco which is the same car he flipped in a 2016 accident

Page 13: Garrett Hedlund hit the pavement in a jog in Hollywood, Johnny Depp got behind the camera at the photocall for his film Minamata during the Barcelona Film Festival, friendly exes Sara Gilbert and Linda Perry masked up for a walk in L.A.

Page 14: 2021 ACMs -- country celebrates its best in Nashville -- Elle King and Miranda Lambert kicked off the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards by rolling up in a hot ride before performing, Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley, co-host Keith Urban

Page 15: Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd performed together, Carrie Underwood

Page 16: Margot Robbie inline skating during a beach day in Malibu, Kate Beckinsale carrying her two cats and her dog as she tried to read, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend and their daughter Luna took a silly mid-game family selfie while playing Hedbanz

Page 18: Normal or Not Normal? A sleepy George Stephanopoulos was caught yawning on the Good Morning America set -- normal, Emily Blunt kicked back a little too much at The Jonathan Ross Show -- not normal

Page 19: With a $1400 rainbow Gucci sweater wrapped around her shoulders Selling Sunset's pregnant Christine Quinn with her dogs in L.A. -- normal, Chelsea Handler works out with her dog on her back -- not normal, Zach Braff stuck his tongue out as he took a silly selfie filming the Cheaper by the Dozen reboot -- not normal

Page 22: Fashion -- stars shine in metallic frocks -- Becky G, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Karen Gillan

Page 23: Miranda Lambert, Cynthia Erivo, Renee Zellweger

Page 26: Travis Barker didn't hold back in his birthday tribute to girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian -- sharing a series of sexy shots with 42-year-old Kourtney, including a NSFW video of Kourtney sucking his thumb and the rocker's risque pics quickly went viral, as did Kourt's TMI essay posted to her health and wellness site Poosh titled "Rough Sex: Love It or Leave It?" -- definitely leave it, if it were up to the pair's kids; 17-year-old Landon and 15-year-old Alabama, who are 45-year-old Travis' children with ex-wife Shanna Moakler, are mortified by their dad's behavior and like most teenagers, the two are active on social media and can't avoid the new couple's loved-up posts and Travis' kids are happy that he's happy, but the PDA is weird and takes some getting used to, while Travis' stepdaughter Atiana De La Hoya, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have a problem as the 22-year-old posted a heart-eyes emoji -- as for spending time with Mason, 11, Penelope, 8, and 6-year-old Reign, Kourt's kids with ex Scott Disick, the pair try to restrain themselves but still the lovebirds are happily oblivious and have a hard time toning it down and Kourt and Travis are just being themselves and going with the flow; they're in love and want the world to know it

Page 27: After 10 months of dating Australian model Vanessa Valladares, Zac Efron is officially back on the market -- 33-year-old Zac called it off with the 25-year-old after things got too serious, too soon and they spent every moment together and it was too claustrophobic for him, as Vanessa, who quit her job and gave up everything to be with Zac, became a fixture on set as he worked on Down to Earth with Zac Efron and he felt guilty that she was giving up her dreams and aspirations to be with him -- despite their split, Zac, who had put his L.A. home on the market and extended his stay in Australia after meeting Vanessa, has no plans to rush back to the States because he has made a lot of friends there and feels at home

* Like many planning their vows during the pandemic, Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost had to get strategic when it came to their big day -- Scarlett said they wanted it to feel like it had an intentional intimacy as opposed to being something that felt like they were restricted by all these things -- the intimate and small event the pair threw was at their $4 million Palisades, N.Y. home in October and the ultra-private pair kept their guests safe, and the guest list was tiny and it was understated but lovely, just what they wanted -- now Scarlett and Colin have settled in to married life and Scarlett and Colin both like to steer clear of the spotlight which makes them perfectly suited for each other

* Vanessa Hudgens revealed the surprising way she was introduced to boyfriend Cole Tucker, who she's been dating since November -- 32-year-old Vanessa and 24-year-old Cole met on a Zoom meditation group and Vanessa admits that the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop is just perfect for her and Vanessa and Cole, who debuted their romance on Valentine's Day, moved their budding friendship offline after feeling sparks via the virtual meeting app and they started communicating on their own and found out they have a lot in common -- now Vanessa, who dated Austin Butler for nine years before their 2020 split, is zooming ahead and she doesn't want to rush or jinx things, but she's saying Cole could be The One

Page 28: Cover Story -- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Twin Girls -- it was a somber, but loving occasion as the royal family celebrated the life of Prince Philip and amid the pomp and truly touching moments, like Queen Elizabeth sitting frail and alone, viewers waited to see what would happen when Harry and Prince William reunited for the first time since Harry and Meghan stepped down from senior royal duties in March 2020 and just weeks after their bombshell TV interview rocked the monarchy and tensions had been running high before the funeral, but everything went better than expected as William and Harry bonded and united in grief at the loss of their beloved grandfather, the estranged siblings along with William's wife Duchess Kate Middleton, waved away their waiting cars, opting to walk the half-mile from St. George's Chapel to Windsor Castle together and the trio chatted easily as they strolled -- back home in Montecito, Harry has been by pregnant Meghan's side around the clock making sure she takes it easy and the couple are in full-blown prep mode and Harry has been helping baby-proof their mansion and designing the nursery and Harry's been on his hands and knees making the house baby-friendly and he's got the latest, state-of-the-art safety devices installed around the pool -- Harry's promising visit with the royal family has given him one less thing to worry about, but still he and members of The Firm will always have different perspectives and after dismissing William and dad Prince Charles as trapped by the monarchy, Harry was persuaded by Kate to take the first step and she went up to Harry to suggest he have a heart-to-heart with William and their father, then she stepped back; Harry felt nostalgic being back home and it's a work in progress -- Harry made headway with his grandmother as well as he and Queen Elizabeth had a private meeting and spoke for three hours and seeing Harry's face made her smile again and Harry loves his grandmother very much and he's promised to bring his kids back to England later this year and he wants the Queen to spend quality time with them

Page 31: The Home Birth Brigade -- Who needs hospitals? These fearless celebrity moms opted to welcome their babies in the comfort of their own homes -- Ashley Graham, Eva Amurri, Hilary Duff, Gisele Bundchen, Gigi Hadid

Page 32: Kim Kardashian: Billionaire Bachelorette -- months after officially filing for divorce Kanye West, Kim is majorly ready to mingle -- Kanye's miffed that fans think he's the one who got dumped when he simply let her file first

Page 34: Not Boyfriend Material -- celebs share tales of dates gone bad, and guys who definitely didn't deserve a second chance -- Patricia Arquette, Mindy Kaling, Jenny Slate

Page 35: Awkwafina, Emma Watson, Kelly Clarkson

Page 36: For Mom -- for Mother's Day, express gratitude to the No. 1 lady in your life with the perfect gift -- Naomi Watts cofounded the ONDA Mama Box

Page 40: Entertainment

Page 48: Parting Shot -- in honor of Earth Day, Alison Brie kicked off the second year of the Planet Oat Project by planting trees at Rancho Sierra Vista -- the 38-year-old also took to Instagram to bring awareness to the wildlife restoration initiative, noting that a startling three million acres of trees in California have been destroyed by recent wildfires

[tillman]

i kinda rly wanna learn more about arthuriana stuff bc of ur posts but i have almost no idea where to start 🥺 do u have any recs or links?

YES ill copy and paste my usual answer under the cut real quick cus its . late and im tired . maybe tomorrow ill make a doc explaining this better actually...

sorry to mobile users fr the read more <3

i think the best two starting options involve the same strategy of “pick a knight you like the most and consume all the content you can find on them until you get bored/think of another knight and repeat” and its as simple as “do you want to start with sir gawain or do you not know who you want to start with.”

sir gawain i think is the best starting knight if you wanna go the route of reading as much as u can about one and moving on, since theres a LOT of varied content and hes just in a lot. hes important! anyways the first recommendation i have to start with is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. its a wonderful piece of poetry about a homoerotic beheading game, getting a movie this summer! its fucking gorgeous and a really good introduction if youve never read this old of texts before. i have a few different links so you can take your pick of what you prefer :-)

heres it in the original middle english, its beautiful and if you get the beat down sounds fucking gorgeous but i understand how hard it is to get through if youve never read through it before.

lou recomends Raffels translation above all others which i kinda have to agree with. heres part one and heres part two of that.

and the other link i have directly on hand atm is tolkiens translation which ive skimmed before and it seems really solid.

if you dont want to start with a short and tender christmas party, consider another text most arthuriana fans will consider a must read. its a bit more intimidating than sgatgks poetry but like. hey. its Sir Malory’s Le Morte D’arthur.

this is more on the level of most of the story things youll find for arthuriana and a good starting point to get an overview of a lot of major plot points and characters that show up time and time again in the legends, all of the major knights are covered through malory’s own spin on them and he tries to cover a lot of older tales in his weird fanfiction.

the text can be weird ESPECIALLY if you arent used to middle english since he …. used some weird as fuck words? even for the time. but thats malory.

I highly recommend, if you can get a copy, Kieth Baines modern retelling of Le Morte, it rewords things to make more sense to those used to a more modern prose and while it takes out some of the nuance of some scenes, its way easier to pick up and read. were working on a full scan of it atm actually but the book of arthur is up in our shared drive :-) ill shove a link down here for u

heres the first bit of baines rendition. honestly if u can find a copy for cheap grab it is a fun time

heres the pdf i use for the full text, warning for how weird its structured? its long paragraphs with no quotes around text but if you have no problems with that go for it. heres book one and heres book two.

from there, theres a ton of different options you can follow, but again i think the least overwhelming way to go about it is pick a knight you like and read whatever seems fun that has them in it !

best choices include gawain again, the marriage of sir gawain and dame ragnelle is fun, l’atre perilleux is so fucking wild and just a fun time, the turke and sir gawain has gawain playing tennis? like what more do you need

lancelot has a decent collection of old stories including the entire vulgate cycle (my favorite piece of arthurian lit, im working on scanning the entire english translation ;-)), lancelot and the hart with the white foot IS SO FUCKING GOOD and i have scans of most of the lancelot compilation works, if you have like 10 bucks to spare, Lancelot and the lord of the distant isles is on amazon for cheap and retells the book of galehaut section of the vulgate and its . so good. please care about galehaut.

tristan as wild as he is is also a really good choice for how popular the Tristan and Isolde legend was in europe. you can find a ton of versions of it, though i prefer the german one by gottfried von strassburg, another amazing one is the povest o’tryschane which is a slavic take on the legend that weirdly throws sections of the vulgate and some italian romances in? i adore it either way.

uhmmm some more off the cuff recommendations include Troyes four romances and also Perceval. as much as i bully troyes knight of the cart, knight of the lion, and knight of the grail are some of my favorite words. skip cliges if youre doing that though it sucks so bad. troyes hated his version of tristan and isolde so much he wrote cliges. that alone should keep you from it. eric and enide is ok but eric sucks SO HARD. i hate that bitch.

more modern but tennysons Idylls of the king? fucking stellar. i recently got a copy and its really gorgeous poetry. kinda like le morte in having a good overview of key events in the texts and some notable characters so this works as a good jumping off point

and finally one i cant really speak on much due to my preference of the romances, but i have many good friends who say the welsh sources are REALLY REALLY good and worth checking out :-) the mabinogion mainly, but a lot of the scattered poetry is really fun!

for finding pdfs for some of the ones i just named, u can check out my doc of whatever sources i have on hand. im missing quiet a few but i got most of the ones i recommend at least io3hewt. heres the link to that. ill post a link to the vulgate when i can finish up scanning the prose merlin !

anyways mwah feel free to msg me if u have questions im insane and like researching this stuff for hours and am willing to find out any information

[human-trash-fire]

Beautiful Disaster: Chapter 5 (Pynch Soulmate AU)

Alrighty my loves, this chapter has been a labor of love from the beginning. As you continue reading you will see art pieces and each is correlated with a song (those will be at the end), and references yet again will be made to the EMFS playlist (Ronan’s rehab playlist- I’ve actually made it on spotify! you can find it here)

As usual you can find this story on Ao3 @ glam_reaper 2 if you’re interested <3

TW: Mention of suicide attempt, a panic attack though not super descriptive, cannon typical language.

Iv.

You,

I made a friend last week.

I know for most people that wouldn’t be a big deal, but I assume by now You understand what that means for someone like me. I guess “friend” may be a generous term? I don’t know if we are there yet, Blue definitely disagrees with him “on principle.” 

You see, President Cellphone as she calls him, or Richard Campbell Gansey III (I know, what a douchey fucking name) is all boat shoes and privledge and perfect teeth. Gansey isn’t someone I’d normally associate with mind you, Henry kind of met my quota for rich extroverts in the inner circle, and yet…

So, here’s the story. I’m writing my last letter right? And I was so fucking lost. I decided to walk home from Nino’s- I thought maybe it would help me settle. And there, right around the corner is this fucking ‘73 camero. It should have been beautiful, really.. A classic like that? It’s a dream to look at. Only this fucking thing is the UGLIEST color of candy orange you could ever imagine… And it’s blowing smoke all over the damn place. I was honestly going to leave boat-shoes to call his daddy or mechanic or what have you, but he looked so confused. I offered to help him out and was able to get it running long enough to get to Boyd’s.

I expected him to just drop off “The Pig” (the car) like any normal person and come back for it, only I apparently made “quite the impression.”

Gansey ended up staying with me, prattling on about his Masters History program and some welsh king the ENTIRE time I worked on the damn car. At first I was tuning him out, but without realizing it I became completely entranced by the whole story. I’ve never seen such passion for anything, and I have VERY spirited friends.

He has one of those voices you know? The kind that can stop a room, raise an army, lead a nation. The kind that demands to be heard without ever having to raise itself.

That’s Gansey though.

I think he’ll be good for me, I don’t think he’d give me much of a choice in the matter though to be honest. He kind of adopted me this week? That should bother me and yet, being around him is just… It’s being included. It’s a sense of purpose.

I think he needs it too, he doesn’t seem to talk about negative things but you can tell, he’s haunted by something. That’s what solidified it for me really. He may be a senator’s son but he’s seen some shit. 

I wish you could have met him, I wonder if you would have been as intrigued by him as I find myself. 

Blue is being a total idiot about him, but I’m about 82% sure it’s because she is into him. I know for sure the feeling is mutual. It took Gans approximately 15 minutes after meeting Blue to ask me for her life story, offend her beyond measure, and then haul ass out of Nino’s. It was the first time I’d seriously laughed in so long. Have you ever been second-hand embarrassed for someone? It was that. 

I’m going to wrap this up now though, I need to head to Nino’s for my shift, Blue’s working so of course Gans is stopping by. He said he’s bringing one of his best friends with him, some dude named Noah. Apparently he’s pretty cool, so I’m moderately less apprehensive. He said he wished he could bring his other best friend/ his and Noah’s third roommate but the guy is staying with family for a few months or something. Idk? He doesn’t talk about the other roommate much. I honestly don’t even think he’s ever said his name. Who gives a shit though, I can barely handle one new friend, let alone a 3-pack of Ganseys. Good God… I hope Noah isn’t another Gansey…. Fuck.

Welp.

Here goes nothing.

*****

It started with a not-so-subtle idea from the esteemed Dr. Allen. “Show me what happened.” Ronan was never great with words before all this, and since… When he spoke it was usually a litany of curse words. So Dr. Allen had suggested art. In the weeks since his entombment in this fine rehabilitation center, Ronan had kind of already been doing what he was being asked to do now. Though, he didn’t mention it to Allen. He’d spent countless hours sketching his life, the whole thing, in snapshots inside that beautiful leather sketchbook Gansey had given him. 

He started at the beginning, pictures of Aurora and his brothers, the Barns, his father playing guitar by the fire. He drew their family vacations, the cows he used to sneak out and sleep beside when he was a child, the feeling of winning the Tennis State Championship when he was 15. He drew the bad things too, his nightmares, his drug-trips, that old stained couch in the basement of Kavinsky’s house. He put every piece of himself, all 22 years of memories down in that book, woven together with song lyrics in the margins. 

So when Dr. Allen asked him to look specifically to his addiction and create, he didn’t see a problem. He needed to return to school with a series anyways, Declan had called to inform him that strings had been pulled to allow him to finish his final semester at Georgetown, but he needed to walk in with something to show at the January exhibition. Two birds, and all that.

He settled on 7 pieces, each done in oils on canvas, each accompanied by a song. 7 moments in the life of his battle with addiction, from the beginning to now. With each stroke of his brush he felt infinesmally lighter, pouring his grief into the images before him. 

It started with “The Fall.” His father’s murder in reds and greys; fracturing lines and deep shadows. He mixed his paints with tears and used his heart to drag color across the canvas. For the first time in years, Ronan allowed the memory to consume him. He’d re-lived it plenty of times in his nightmares, but this was different. His hands shook, jagged strokes of anger and confusion bleeding through. He painted the brief moment, the final moment, when his world was whole before his teenage mind finally realized what it was he was looking at. His last free breath. And he painted his screams, the cacophony of pain, endlessly mixing with sirens until his vocal chords gave out. 

He drowned the canvas in un-kept promises and hung it out to dry with childhood dreams.

Then came “Chasing the Void.” It was a story told in stark lighting. High beams on a backroad, swirling smoke and broken bottles. It was white glasses and white-powder lines on shark-nosed hood. It was going 115mph, bones rattling with the beat of the bass in his sound system. Ronan painted a black tattoo, used the blood on his knuckles to tint bloodshot eyes. His brush moved with his mother’s disappointment and his brother’s anger. Whimsical lines and Gansey’s head shaking when he found Ronan passed out yet again. He painted the highs and lows when sobriety reminded him that he hated the face that stared back at him in the mirror. 

Each new piece he added to the collection was brought to Dr. Allen’s office. Together they worked through each memory associated with the piece and slowly Ronan felt the weight on his chest lighten. 

Gansey visited every Monday and Friday like clockwork. He kept Ronan apprised to all the goings on of Monmouth and updates on Matthew and Declan. Ronan never asked for them, but he appreciated it regardless. His current obsession though seemed to be a new friend, Adam something. He had been going on for 30 minutes now about how this man single-handedly raised the Pig from the dead. Ronan tuned out most of the conversation, but nodded at what he assumed were appropriate moments while sketching.

“Ronan, are you even paying attention?” Gansey asked, irritation only slightly evident.

“Mmm?” Ronan hummed. “For sure. Pig. Smoke. Some new guy.”

“Essentially. I was saying that Noah and I are heading to his second job, the man works 2 jobs and is getting a masters can you believe it? Anyways Nino’s, so Noah can finally meet him and Blue. Have I mentioned her yet?” 

Blue? He thought. Who the fuck names their kid Blue. “Once or twice.”

“Well they both work this afternoon, so I assume we’ll just hang there until they get off. Then maybe grab a bite. I wish you could come, I’m sure you’d get along nicely with Adam.” Gansey said, choosing to ignore the previous sarcasm and barrell on. Excelsior. 

“Doubt it.” Guy sounds like a douche.

“On that note, thank you for another lovely visit. I’ll see you Monday, Ronan.” Gansey gathered his coat and made his way to the door with a final wave.

Ronan waved back with a single finger and a saccharine “Bye, Dick.” Then shoved his Airpods back into his ears and lost himself in the EMFS playlist.

*****

As Adam gathered the tub of dirty dishes from above the trash and made his way back to wash them, he was lost in thought. These last two weeks, recent events, had been so much and yet he strangely was beginning to feel some semblance of peace. He knew that Blue had wanted him to write letters to help him cope. If he was admitting to it helping, he also needed to be honest with himself in noting that it may have been hurting just as much. He was falling in love with a ghost. A figment of his imagination that he could tell his every secret too, someone who listened without judgment; Someone who never asked more of him than he could handle. It wasn’t healthy, wasn’t what Blue had intended, of that he was sure. But, if it brought him peace and allowed him to sleep without seeing cold, dead eyes, then what was the harm?

He rinsed the mugs and plates loading them efficiently into the dishwasher, and dried his hands. As he moved to toss the towel into the bin, he heard the bell chime above the cafe door. He made his way slowly to the front, knowing that Blue was currently handling the register meant that he didn’t need to rush. On his way down the hallway he stopped to straighten a missing cat flier on the community bulletin board, taking a moment to snap a picture of the cat in question so he could be on the lookout, then continued toward the front; eyes glued to his phone.

He rounded the corner towards the coffee bar to the tune of laughter, it seemed Gansey had arrived. His eyes found Blue first. For all her insistance that she loathed the man in question, she was positively glowing, head tossed back in a hearty laugh. Lost in the bubble of charm Gansey operated in. 

“-And so I asked him, mind you I’ve had a lot to drink at this point, ‘Hey senator, why do you fucking hate poor peo-‘ Oh! Adam” Ganseys story of embarrassing his mother at one of her Republican fundraisers interrupted, as he caught sight of Adam sliding behind the bar.

“Hey Gans,” He smiled. 

“My apologies, this is Noah.” Gansey stepped to the side to reveal the man in question, and Adam’s breath stopped. 

There, eyes blue and wide with shock, mouth agape stood the man from the alley. The one whose scream still haunted Adam in the dark, solitary hours of sleep. The one that began his every nightmare of that night.

He was different now, tears weren’t pouring from his eyes to dance across the plains of his smudgey face. His blonde hair free of blood was slightly tousled, and his clothes were clean, albeit a little disheveled. 

“No,” the word was a broken noise, barely a word at all, closer to a sob. Gansey and Blue looked frantically between the two for what seemed like an eternity before Noah spoke.

“It’s you…” 

“Who? Noah, you know Adam?” Gansey’s voice was quietly confused.

Adam began to shake his head slowly, increasing with speed as his breath finally returned to him; Erratic and wild. Crocodile tears blurred his vision, and he finally croaked a simple question, “What… What was his name?”

“Ronan.”

“Oh, god” Blue breathed. 

Adam ran, desperately fleeing the scene and chorus of his name called from the front. Ronan, his name was Ronan. Adam couldn’t breathe. His pain fresh, an un-mendable wound reopened now that he had a name to grieve. He paused, only long enough to grab his messenger bag from the back, and took the alley door. 

Then he ran, faster than he’d ever remembered running. Tears turning the colors of the world around him to a haunting watercolor. His breath came in painful stabs, each beat of his bleeding heart an excruciating truth.

He somehow made it back to his apartment. The moment the door closed behind him he fell against it and slid to the floor. Ronan Ronan Ronan-

“R-Ronan.” He spoke the name the first time aloud, the feeling of its weight on his tongue was an answer to a question he’d been asking for a month. For a lifetime.

Adam didn’t know how long he sat on the floor, grief taking time and twisting it in on itself. An amalgam of pain, hopelessness, and questions. Gansey, Gansey knew Ronan, knew Noah. Noah the boy he’d last seen carted away in the back of an ambulance covered in red red red. Noah, who’d screamed for help like the world was shattering. Noah, who’d clung tightly to the shredded arms of a bleeding man in a dark alley.

Help me, his mind screamed, his internal voice morphing into Noah’s from that night. 

Help me, I’m not okay…

A key twisting in the lock above his head brought his attention to the present. Adam pushed away from the door, and waited as Blue made her way into his dark apartment. Night had fallen sometime since he’d been here, on the floor, lost in the alley. Lost in a name.

“Hey,” she whispered.

“Th-that was-”

“I know. Noah told us after you left. Adam, there’s… Adam. I need to tell you something.”

It was a concentrated effort to drag his gaze from the space between their bodies on the floor to meet her eyes. Lights from the street poured through the window in the living room, painting Blue’s honey warm skin in a haunting glow. He couldn’t bring himself to ask, so he waited. He watched. She brought a trembling hand to his, her brown eyes lined with silver, she squeezed.

“Adam, he’s alive.” 

A sob born of heartbreak and pain tore from his chest, he couldn’t form words. He broke then, completely and wholly. Blue came to cradle his head against her chest as he cried. Every hope he’d killed since the alley came barreling to the surface; All the pain and confusion, love and questions, beating like waves against the shores of his mind. Some minutes later he finally raised his head and met Blue’s eyes, her smile was wet and broken. He dragged his hand under his nose, across his eyes, and finally found the word to the question he needed to ask. “How?”

So Blue told him. Apparently, him finding Noah and Ronan in that alley, the tourniquet he’d made of his scarf, that extra minute he’d bought him had been enough. The doctors were able to stitch his wounds, and though it had been a close call, he’d pulled through. She explained that he’d had a hard life, though Gansey wouldn’t give details because he insisted those were Ronan’s to share when he was ready. He did however give her basic facts. Ronan Niall Lynch is an artist, a senior at Georgetown. He’s an orphan, and a brother. He’s an addict in recovery at a facility in Arlington, and Gansey’s third roommate. 

Blue explained that, when Adam was ready Gansey and Noah wanted to meet with him, to talk more. She offered to accompany him when that time came, but they all agreed they wouldn’t push him until he was ready. “Thank you,” he’d said to Blue. For getting the information. For telling him. For allowing him space. She understood that his history made this difficult, an addict for a soulmate was something he would need time to process. She eventually asked if he wanted to be alone and when he’d told her “yes” she kissed his forehead, and made her way to the door.

“Adam,” she paused, and he looked up. “We’ll wait on your text okay? Whenever you’re ready. But please check in so I know you’re safe.”

“I will.”

With a perfunctory nod she slid back out the door. 

Adam spent another minute in silence before dragging himself from the floor. He made his way in a daze to his desk and he collapsed into his chair. Slowly, he pulled out a blank sheet of paper. 

His hand shook.

He took a deep breath.

He wrote.

V

Ronan,

You’re alive…

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

Art Pieces and their correlating songs (linked):

“The Fall”  The War- SYML

“Chase The Void”  For What It’s Worth- Malia J

[robinsversion]

@interstellerace tagged me :D

Rules: we’re snooping through your playlist. Put your entire music library on shuffle and list the first ten songs, and then choose your victims!

1. Hardest Part - Laura Welsh

2. Your Reality - Dan Salvato

3. The Silence (Bonus Track) - Bastille

4. Never Gonna Happen - Lily Allen

5. Sky Full of Song - Florence + the Machine

6. World Gone Mad (King Arthur Remix) - Bastille

7. San Francisco Tennis Club - Owl City

8. Without Your Love - Ellie Goulding

9. Netflix Trip - AJR

10. Umbrella Beach - Owl City

Tagged: @enby-buddy (don’t stress yourself dude 🙂), @nerdy-or-geeky @is-death-an-option @lilith-of-netherwood @bismuthisgay

[morfinwen]

#4 for Lanzo, 8 for Q, 16 for Niner, 18 for Nate, 19 for Connie, 25 for Ian, 35 for Susanna, 36 for Kira, 38 for Amanda, 45 for Darcy, and 50 for Lauren; if you please, and thank you! :)

I hope you don’t mind, but since two of these questions were already answered, i’ve swapped them with different ones.

4. Lanzo's favorite season?

Answered here.

Alternate question, what languages does he speak?

Lanzo’s native language is medieval German. He learned Latin in his youth, picked up French when he moved to France, and more than a few words of other European languages in the periods in-between leaving his manor in Germany and moving to France, and leaving France and moving to the United States.

There have been enough centuries between those days and now that he’d need to pause to think if asked for a word or phrase in one of those languages, but once he gets into the swing of it, he’s as fluent in French and German as he is in English. He almost never speaks either of them, but on occasion he’ll pick up a book or watch an undubbed foreign film in its original language.

8. What is Q's clothing style?

Jacket, t-shirt, jeans, tennis shoes. That’s pretty much it.

He wears the same jacket, and all of his t-shirts are band name t-shirts, whether or not he’s listened to or even heard of the band in question. A notable percentage of the bands are foreign, courtesy of his rich cousin who sometimes struggles with the concept that other people don’t import their food/clothes/furniture/etc. from other countries at a whim.

16. Niner's favorite comfort food?

Cheese. She won’t touch American cheese (and who can blame her), but any other kind of cheese, in any form, especially if it’s hot. If she’s in a particularly bad mood, she’s been known to spread cheese on a baking sheet and heat it in the oven until it starts melting.

18. Nate's music taste?

I can kind of feel the answer here, but finding the accurate terms is difficult.

Pop rock/punk -- Panic! At the Disco, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, Blink-182, Owl City, bands like that. Some synth, some electric, but not the full-blown artificial sound of techno or electronica. His favorite songs tend to be less loud and angry, and more sad and emotional.

He visits a lot of music sites to find new indie groups, too, mostly to find artists with more ingenuity or talent than tend to end up on Billboard’s Top 40. Not that he doesn’t like the sound of a good acoustic guitar well-played, but it means more intellectually than emotionally.

19. Is there a story behind Connie's name/meaning?

His full name is Conrí Rhys Lowell. Conrí is Irish, meaning “wolf king”. Rhys is Welsh, “enthusiasm”. Lowell is English, adapted from a French nickname meaning “wolf”.

It’s rare for a werewolf family to have a last name that doesn’t connect back to wolves somehow, or at least apply to wolves (Gray, Hunter, etc.). In most cases, giving your child a first or middle name that also refers to wolves or dogs is seen as poor taste, certainly leaving the poor kid open to lots of teasing. But clan leaders like Connie’s parents tend to use many of the same names that their families have been using for generations, some of which can be a bit on the nose. In Connie’s case, his parents were looking for old family names connected with royalty and leadership for their last litter, and liked the sound of Conrí. The “wolf” part was a bit inconvenient, like your child having a similar name to someone infamous or their initials forming something stupid, but not bad enough to put them off the name.

25. Does Ian have any allergies?

He’s not allergic to any animals, but that’s the only exception. Technically he’s not allergic to food either (‘intolerant’ is the better term), but his stomach doesn’t like fish or dairy, though he still eats the latter. But whatever the season, something in Nature seems to be gunning for him. Fall is the worst -- there are days he walks around so stuffed up he can’t taste or smell anything.

35. Does Susanna like musicals?

Nope. Partly because Kira loves musicals, and as an Official Annoying Younger Sibling™, Susanna feels obligated to dislike them, but also because they’re so unrealistic. Not because of the singing, but the plots of some musicals just seem to go from one incredibly unlikely situation to another with hardly anything connecting them. There’s also this tendency for characters to sing about stuff instead of doing something about it.

36. Does Kira like marmite?

I’ve never had marmite, so i can’t comment on my characters’ opinions of it.

38. Does Amanda believe in the supernatural?

In her junior and senior years of high school, Amanda was looking to develop her investigative skills and also for ways to defy her overly strict mother -- staying out past curfew, hanging out in the more dangerous parts of town, and trespassing on private property was a way to do both. (Incidentally, this is when she interviewed the drug kingpin mentioned here.) She had no particular interest in the supernatural, but some of her friends were believers, and as a thrill-seeking teenager with an underdeveloped ability to make good judgement calls, more than a few of the things she investigated were supposed hauntings, ghost sightings, aliens, etc.

She never saw anything explicitly supernatural, but some of the places had an atmosphere she couldn’t shake, and more than once there were odd coincidences or unlikely occurrences. By the time she moved on to college, Amanda was not a believer, but less of a skeptic than she had been.

45. Does Darcy consider himself popular?

No, especially not after moving.

He was reasonably well-known and well-liked back at his old elementary school, where he’d spent enough time around the same people that he felt comfortable with them. He still wouldn’t have said he was popular, but he did have a reputation as one of the smartest kids in school.

50. Is Lauren good at remembering significant dates? Anniversaries, birthdays, etc.?

Answered here.

Alternate question, what is her favorite thing to do after a breakup?

Roller-skating.

The first time she had a break-up, she was in high school. Looking back, the relationship had been a bad idea to begin with -- they were both fifteen, he was new in town and to the school, she had even less grip on her temper than she would as an adult, about all they had in common was attending the same church and siblings on the same sports team -- and it had ended very badly, with a lot of harsh words on both sides. Though Lauren refused to admit it, a lot of what her ex-boyfriend had said about her hurt her deeply, and had her doubting her ability to have friends, let alone find romantic love someday.

One of her friends was having her birthday party at a local roller rink, and Ian half-convinced, half-pushed her into attending with him. It was a small, low-key group, and they were all very happy she came, and the one time the ex came up, they all agreed that he was a jerk who didn’t deserve her. It came as close to fixing her emotions as a single event could.

Her second break-up was in college. It didn’t end as badly, but they didn’t stay friends, and in the immediate aftermath Lauren missed a few classes because she refused to leave her dorm. When her roommate reached out in frustration to Ian, he came and dragged her out to the first roller rink he could find.

She complained that he couldn’t expect her to go rollerskating after every single break-up, to which he grinned and asked why not.

Lauren hasn’t had a relationship since that one, but if she ever has to break up with someone again, roller-skating is probably a given.

Thanks for asking!

[bibliolokust]

‘the ledge.’

much has been made of king’s tendency to thread connections (and hints of connections) through his work in the past few decades so it was a bit of a surprise to see such a thing happening as early as the mid 1970s with ‘the ledge’ (1976) being connected to ‘battleground’ (1972) by way of a vague criminal network called ‘the Organization’ (capitalisation his.)  in the previous tale, we know only that this crime syndicate is the employer of the main character (an assassin named renshaw that meets his ridiculous doom at the hands of tiny living toy soldiers) and, here, we are introduced to cressner, referred to as an ‘Organization overlord’ by our narrator (one stan norris, a luckless [or profoundly lucky] tennis instructor who has fallen ‘like a sack of mail’ for cressner’s wife.)  by keeping the details of this crime syndicate vague and nebulous, king leaves a raft of unexplored potential that he largely abandons (with only a few other stories, i believe, directly referencing the group.)

‘the ledge,’ however, shares more in common than just this criminal organisation and explores a lot of the same sort of masculinity as the previous story only far more effectively.  cressner, having discovered the affair of his wife and norris (and prevented their attempt to get out of down) holds norris in his high rise penthouse apartment (echoing back to the location of ‘battleground’) and offers him a wager- he can have the wife, 20 thousand dollars, and his freedom if he circumnavigates the ledge below the penthouse, all the way around the building or the police will be notified of a quantity of heroin that one of cressner’s employees had placed within the spare tire in norris’ trunk, after moving the car a suitable distance from the high rise.

king clearly revels in the hard boiled dialogue of cressner and norris and that helps it work better, i suppose, than it should, and the moment when, after realising how cold the wind would be, norris inquires if cressner has a coat is king at his most gleefully sardonic.  what follows is one of the most intense explorations of acrophobia ever written, with cressner popping back up, briefly, to mug like the cocksure antagonist of some brilliant low budget noir (honestly, this is king’s first truly great villain.)  as norris moves along the ledge (which is only a few inches wide) king’s writing becomes remarkably tense and much more tightly controlled than in much of his early work, allowing the reader to feel both the height and nightmarish cold that norris deals with.

as norris is almost startled to his death by a 'raspberry,’ he looks up to see cressner, jovial as ever with noisemaker in hand, king manages to deepen the tension and the sense of urgency as norris steels his resolve and continues.  now, what really strikes me here is how similar this is to the scene in ‘battleground’ in which renshaw, escaping the bathroom of *his* high rise penthouse, manages to make his way along a similar (or, perhaps, the same?) ledge and the success of this scene is in stark contrast to the failure of that from the previous story and i cannot help but think that king, being fully aware of how that previous work failed, saw a chance to take this idea and make something of more value from it.  

and, make no mistake, he does.  norris’ two page confrontation with an angry pidgeon that tries to peck him off of the ledge is a scene that, by all rights, should have been slapstick at best but king manages to make it work and creates a bodily existential nightmare equal to any one of those in which one of his other characters encounters some hideous monster and the implacable naturalness of the bird manages to make it more frightening than a good many of his unnatural antagonists and when he finally manages to kick the poor bird from the ledge, it’s as deeply felt a victory as those in any of his novels (and no permanent harm comes to the bird who returns to his perch with only some ruffled feathers after norris moves on.)

when norris finally climbs back into the penthouse, having won the wager, the sense of relief is short lived as cressner reveals that he has had his wife killed, a thug named tony pointing a handgun at norris.  upon hearing this, norris’ first thought is disbelief and then a cold strength pours through him, he throws the money at the thug, grapples the gun away (cracking the thug’s face with it, felling the large man) and points the gun at cressner, who quickly drops the pretense of world weary mafioso as he believes norris is about to kill him.  while begging for his life (offering up as much as two million dollars) norris, instead, offers him a simple bet (having been told, earlier, that Gentlemen make wagers.  Vulgarians place bets’)- if cressner can make his way around the building on that very same ledge, norris will let him live.  and, as cressner begins to make his way along the ledge, norris thinks that, while cressner has never welshed on a bet, he, himself, has been known to.

an interesting and successful meditation on competing strains of toxic masculinity (or, really, the same strain only seen differently by each man) with an undertone of disgust toward the way both men see the (possibly late?) mrs. cressner, ‘the ledge’ is one of king’s more successful character studies, a work in which the plot is almost absurdly simplistic, leaving room for him to explore norris’ interiority and create a situation where a he is so profoundly changed within the span of four hours and thirty-nine minutes (king does a wonderful job at marking off the time through norris’ views of brightly lit clocks in the skyline) that we can only think that, regardless of whether or not mrs. cressner is dead, surely, a large part of norris is and king’s final touch of not actually letting us know if cressner makes it or not (although norris *thinks* he hears a scream at some point, but can’t be sure) is brave and elegant and manages to elevate the story above the standard revenge plot and the entirety of it is masterful exploration of tension and acrophobia and points the way, more than any of his other early shorts, to the longer explorations of crime fiction and noir that he would engage in in the decades to come.

[skeleton-richard]

Seeing Henry V last night just solidified in my mind how... tired? I am of darker interpretations of Henry and of the actual history. Let me have Henry as someone I can like. Give me a king who gets in way over his head and has to follow through now, and somehow live up to the examples of his great-grandfather Edward III and his great-uncle the Black Prince.

Give me Henry still coming to terms with the past and his father, and having inherited so much sorrow and guilt from something he didn't do. And being faced with people from his past, and reminders of his own less than stellar behavior just years before when he's given the tennis balls.

Give me Henry trying desperately to figure out how to be a leader with no real example and no one to fall back on, just his own trial and error and bravado and determination.

Give me Henry completely alone in the universe the night before battle, talking to the people who are probably going to die while following his orders and then talking to himself about the horrible responsibilities a king and a soldier has, and realizing what his father said about how uneasy lies the head.

And definitely give me Henry pleading with God, please, give us strength, let my father's actions and Richard be put to rest. Forgive us. I can't do anything else.

Give me Henry, who's learned to speak both as a king and as a common man, having to address his troops and nobles and his own family and tell them of how much he trusts them, and reflects what his grandfather said at the very beginning of this cycle about this happy breed of men-- we few. These are the men of England and he would have no other.

Give me Henry, who once nearly died in civil war as a teenager, knowing he might not survive this-- but he has refused ransom and will fight as the soldier he is, just another man, no ceremony.

Give me Henry, exhausted from battle and grief reading the names of the names of the English killed, and seeing the list of the French dead, and comprehending the weight of his actions. And filled with something beyond anger on seeing the slaughter of noncombatants-- children.

And also give me Henry and Fluellen, Fluellen remembering of his majesty that look you, the Welsh served valiantly at Crécy, and Henry, who had said he was Welsh and Fluellen's kinsman the night before, confirming his Welshness and solidarity with a nerdy pedantic captain.

Give me Henry two years later trying to strike a treaty with France and thinking it's easy until the end when he has to take on the hardest challenge yet-- wooing Catherine. He wants her to like him, but he turns into a stammering doofus and can't talk to girls. And knowing he doesn't deserve her, but he wants to be a better man and that might just make it possible.

And finally give me the five minutes of hapoy ending where the knight has been forgiven and now seeking peace, and wins the princess, and can look forward to a long and prosperous reign, with all the war and sorrow and friends lost, noble enemies defeated, family torn apart, all of it is in the past.

So yeah. As much as I like stuff like a Vietnam AU my friend and I have been developing, which in some layers includes a really ruthless, more historical Henry, I really like a decent, human Henry. He's not perfect, but everyone in the Henriad is messed up and does shitty things. He's human and he knows it, but he can become a good leader and be forgiven-- else why am I going to care about him through the whole story? I'm a historian and my job is dealing with unpleasant things and tragedy and goddammit for just let me have a flawed man who's a hero not for the war he fights but for the leader he becomes and what spiritual things he achieves-- and has a cute happy ending, short as it is.

[arbores--loqui--latine]

before everything went to shit for gansey and ronan, and when they weren’t insomniacs yet, I bet their sleepovers were incredible. climbing the barns at midnight and jumping off the roof, ronan teaching gansey how to roll when he hits the ground. tennis matches in the back garden, adventures in the fields at the edges of The Barns. boxing matches in the kitchen, lightsaber duels with pool cues until they snap one and have to hide the evidence. prank calling declan’s girlfriend, gansey helplessly giggling in the background as ronan impersonates declan incredibly and decimates his relationship. ronan helping gansey with his latin homework, because it was still when he cared about school, very obviously stealing nialls whiskey and getting drunk after two sips (and maybe practicing kissing before ganseys date next week). most importantly tho, at 4am, as they would both be on the edge of sleep, gansey would ALWAYS break the silence to whisper “hey ronan.....you ever heard anything about welsh kings?”

[universeconspired]

Description

Holt Manor is a significant Grade II listed manor house which dates back to the 17th century with later additions in the 18th and 19th centuries. The house sits in an extremely private and peaceful setting on the edge of the village of Holt.

The house is approached over a gravelled carriage drive through impressive entrance gates to a turning circle which reveals a stunning picture of a very pretty house. The driveway continues to a courtyard to the side of the house which is surrounded by outbuildings. The house is constructed of traditional stone with a Welsh slate roof. The house has been modernised beautifully and has retained all of its charm and character, including original sash windows and high ceilings. The accommodation at Holt Manor flows very neatly, the impressive hallway is at the heart of the house with a fine cantilevered staircase which leads to the galleried landing. The principal drawing room has five French doors which lead out to a beautiful formal garden with charming views of the parkland beyond. The dining room leads from the opposite side of the hallway, and gives access to the library and study. Near to the family sitting room and playroom the kitchen is perfect for family life and is fully equipped with integrated appliances. From the kitchen there are excellent views of the walled garden. Domestically the large boot room and utility room are beyond the kitchen and a vital part of family life. Upstairs the master bedroom has a lovely view of the gardens and parklands to the east and south. This bedroom is filled with a wealth of early morning light. The impressive bathroom leads to an excellent dressing room. There are 4 further bedrooms (3 en-suite) on the fi rst fl oor, a further family bathroom and 2 separate dressing rooms. The second floor offers an attic flat with sitting room, 2 bedrooms and bathroom perfect for guests or teenage children. Holt Manor is located in a private and peaceful setting on the edge of the village of Holt, in a part of Wiltshire known for its pretty villages and large country estates. It sits in an elevated position, enjoying beautiful views over its parkland and the surrounding countryside. The historic town of Bradford-on-Avon is 3 miles away and is famed for its Georgian architecture and historic bridge over the River Avon. It has excellent local shopping and an array of superb restaurants. Further afield is the Georgian City of Bath which offers an extensive range of amenities including shopping, restaurants and theatre. There is Premiership rugby on the Recreation Ground and Bath also has two excellent universities. The area is renowned for its well regarded schooling with Stonar School within 3 miles. In addition Prior Park, King Edwards, Monkton Combe, Kingswood and The Royal High School all in Bath. Further afield are St Mary’s Calne, Dauntseys, Millfield and Marlborough College. There are also good state schools in the area. Road and rail links from Holt Manor are excellent. There is a regular service to London Paddington both from Chippenham and Bath Spa stations. Access to the M4 is via junction 17 (15 miles) providing a fast link to Bristol, London and Heathrow Airport. Bristol Airport is 30 miles away. Gardens and Grounds The gardens at Holt Manor have been designed and maintained beautifully over the years. The gardens are separated from the parkland on the eastern boundary by a stone ha-ha. The main terrace, which leads from the drawing room, overlooks the Italianate garden and parkland beyond. Neat gravel paths intersect the immaculate lawns. The terrace leads through to an arboretum which provides a peaceful woodland walk surrounded by a number of mature deciduous trees. The walled garden to the rear of the house is a perfect hideaway, with intricate planting, a neat vegetable garden and an automatic watering system. Beyond the walled garden is an orchard with a number of mature fruit trees and the hard tennis court. Outbuildings There are a number of beautifully constructed and maintained outbuildings at Holt Manor. Directly north of the main house is a former Brew House and nearby is a former stone built stable block of similar proportions.