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amarriageoftrueminds · 1 year

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Significant aspect of Steve being Irish-Catholic:

As well as having branches of the Nazi party (ie. the German-American Bund), the Brooklyn of Steve’s day also had a big problem of antisemitism amongst the local Irish-Catholic population.

Examples:

There was a Canadian-American Catholic priest and demagogue named Charles Coughlin, who received indirect funding from the Nazi party. Up until 1939 'Father Coughlin’ had both a regular right-wing talkradio programme, and a matching newspaper (ironically called Social Justice), broadcasting pro-fascist, anti-communist, virulently antisemitic diatribes. (He was the inspiration for the character Brother Justin Crowe in the show Carnivale.)

In New York, Coughlin’s writings prompted the creation of an antisemitic organisation called the Christian Front, which held public rallies on the intersecting corners of Jewish/Irish neighborhoods in Brooklyn, with the specific intention of drumming up conflict. And just as in Nazi Germany, this indoctrination started young: there were Hitler Youth summer camps in both New York and New Jersey.

In wider pop culture, the most successful broadway play for a long time was Abie’s Irish Rose, a “schmaltzy interfaith romantic comedy" about the conflict between a Jewish family and Irish-Catholic family when a Jewish boy marries an Irish girl (so, that generation’s equivalent of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.) It was so successful that it was mentioned in the lyrics to songs of other broadway shows, spawned a long-running series of tie-in movies, and had its own radio show.

Similarly, the musical West Side Story was originally titled ‘East Side Story’ and was about a star-crossed Jewish/Irish-Catholic couple in the Lower East Side of Manhattan (where Jack Kirby lived, and Cap too, before he was later moved to Brooklyn. Those other kids Jack Kirby grew up fighting? Probably Irish-Catholic.)

This is also why, when Jewish writer Norman Lear came to rip off UK sitcom Till Death Us Do Part to make US sitcom All in the Family, in the 1970s, his choice to play the role of the bigoted father -- even though he was inspired by his own, bigoted Jewish father -- was an Irish actor whose face “screams ‘Irish.’ (Lear kept being encouraged to use that and make the character Irish-Catholic in the show, but he refused.)

Context:

That rise in Irish-Catholic antisemitism originated with the Fascist conflation of Jews with Bolshevism, and of Communism with the persecution of Christians.

(All this while Russian-Jewish immigrants to NYC were moving into traditionally Irish-Catholic areas, competing for jobs and housing, and their success was resented.)

This also tied into the Spanish Civil War, when Russian and Communist Front groups in America aided the Loyalist forces instead of the Fascists (the Abraham Lincoln Battalion, for example, was made up of American volunteers who fought for the Loyalists, and was 25% Jewish).

In New York, the fact that the Communist party membership was mainly Jewish was treated as proof that all Jews were Communist, (and therefore enemies of Catholics), even though the majority of Jews in New York were not Communists.

In fact, it was more the case that Jews were drawn to what they perceived as progressivism -- grounded in a history of discrimination -- and since they saw Fascism as their chief threat, they were more likely to accept Communists as allies in the fight against it (just as Catholics were more likely to ally with Fascists against Communism).

Amongst American Catholics there was also distrust of FDR's liberal New Deal policies, regarded as a wave of Communism sweeping the country, since the government’s helping of the poor post-Depression was seen as a deliberate infringement upon what was traditionally the territory of the Catholic Church. (I kid you not.)

And then, since Ireland was a neutral country, the Irish-Catholics in New York were able to continue to espouse such views during the war. Unlike them, the Germans and Italians suddenly became more circumspect (as they had during WWI), for fear of appearing to support America’s enemies, and suffering reprisals as a result.

And all this was not helped by the fact that the Pope shared this view of Communism, and collaborated with Hitler on the Reich Concordat, an authoritarian pact wherein the Vatican vowed to forbid Catholics in Fascist Germany from interfering in politics.

All of which is to say:

It’s a BIG DEAL for Steve’s Jewish creators to make Steve Irish-Catholic.

It means that, on top of being a Nazi’s worst nightmare (disabled, blonde, blue-eyed, turned into a supersoldier and yet still antifa), and fighting Bundists, Silver Shirts and ANP members, as you’d expect, Steve often would've been fighting his own people, as well.

That takes an even greater strength of character and commitment to left wing ideals.

tl;dr: in historical context, Steve being Irish-Catholic is hugely significant.

sources:

https://muse.jhu.edu/book/67077.

https://crimereads.com/forgotten-history-of-the-far-right-pro-nazi-anti-semitic-christian-front/

https://www.jstor.org/stable/25154932

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/06/american-nazis-in-the-1930sthe-german-american-bund/529185/

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/gabrielsanchez/american-hate

https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/bcoppola/2019/01/01/father-coughlin-is-already-explaining-it-to-the-american-people-june-13-1939/

https://twitter.com/TheNormanLear/status/1582494950649757696

https://www.history.com/news/west-side-story-was-originally-about-jews-and-catholics

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/captain-america-getting-real-life-statue-some-say-its-wrong-place-180959706/

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Abie%27s_Irish_Rose

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/The_Cohens_and_Kellys

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/1999/10/pope-pius-xii-199910

#irish steve #steve meta #historically accurate stucky tag #steve rogers #mcu meta #meta #mcu #dat's me #this is JEWISH NEW YORKERS picking this identity for steve this is not a coincidence they didn't just pick one out of a hat it's IMPORTANT #so mcu bucky being based on jewish arnie roth while steve is irish-catholic = HUGE deal #steve and bucky = STAR CROSSED AS HECK #the only way they could've made it any more significant (and explicitly about being an ally to jews no matter ur background)#is if they made steve german-american #yet each man queues the thing he loves

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annoyinglandmagazine · 1 year

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The Rings of Power Should have been a sitcom

I love the second age and I feel like if it had been turned into a workplace sitcom like Brooklyn Nine Nine or the Thick of It it would have been incredible.

youtube

That’s the theme song that plays over an intro that shows all the characters in battle mixed up with going through there everyday life in court.

They could have a running gag of everyone being sort of terrified every time Galadriel comes to visit. Gil Galad scrambling to make it look like they have everything under control so she doesn’t decide to intervene. She is politically at least a few millenia ahead of everyone and has a tendency to talk to them like their exceptionally smart children. She is involved in power plays with everyone simultaneously and is usually winning.

The Gil Galad who’s the father joke is brought up frequently. Elrond seems to know something but he’s not talking. After several episodes it becomes apparent that Gil Galad hasn’t got a clue. Almost very week they will be trying to convince everyone that it’s someone entirely different. They once suggested Oropher.

Elrond refers to every single person by varying familial titles on different days. Some days he’ll start calling Gil Galad brother and people will be thinking, shit is our king a Feanorian, and the next he’ll be calling him uncle. He does this the most with the Numenoreans and makes them all very uncomfortable because why is this random elf acting like we’re at a family reunion? They generally think that elves just have weird diplomatic customs.

Elrond and Celebrimbor having really disturbing feanorian inside jokes that freak everyone out. Elrond just generally has a sense of humour that freaks everyone out. His occasional jokes about his childhood just make everyone more and more concerned because they really don’t know as much about him as they should. The aggressive throwing of knives at family trees doesn’t help.

The worst kept secret in Middle Earth is that Maedhros and Fingon were together. ‘Elrond you can’t let the minstrels play a song implying the high king and the leader of the Feanorians were fucking!’ ‘But they were!’ ‘That’s not the point!’

They keep trying to hide Elrond and Celebrimbor’s Feanorian loyalists in the closets whenever Galadriel’s around.

No one is straight. They are the queer friend group. Elrond and Gil Galad spend so much time flirting most people assume they’re together. It is occasionally alluded to that Galadriel may have had a thing with Elrond’s great great grandmother. This is never addressed.

On the rare occasion where they all work together they are unstoppable. Galadriel intimidates, Gil Galad charms, Celebrimbor knows a guy and Elrond is probably the heir to their throne.

#Silmarillion #headcanons #sitcom #second age #lindon #galadriel #celebrimbor #elrond #gil galad

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 1 month

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Steve Brodner

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

April 15, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

APR 16, 2024

April 15 is a curiously fraught day in American history.

In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to put down a rebellion in the southern states.

In 1865, Lincoln breathed his last at 7:22 a.m., and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who adored the president, said, “Now he belongs to the ages.”

In 1912 the British passenger liner RMS Titanic sank at 2:20 a.m. after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic.

In 1920, two security guards in Braintree, Massachusetts, were murdered on this date; Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti would be accused of the crime, convicted, and, in 1927, executed.

In 1947, Jackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color line in baseball’s major leagues.

In 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and wounding 264 others.

And on April 15, 2024, the criminal case of The People of New York v. Donald J. Trump began in Manhattan.

For the first time in history, a former president is facing criminal prosecution.

The case has been dubbed a “hush money” case by the media, but it is really a case about election interference. In 2016, shortly after the Access Hollywood tape in which then-candidate Trump boasted of sexually assaulting women became public, Trump allegedly falsified business records of the Trump Organization to hide payments to individuals who possessed damaging stories about him, especially about his behavior with women, before the election.

Then–Trump fixer Michael Cohen paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who alleged she had had an affair with Trump, $130,000 through a shell company. He also set up a $150,000 payment from the publisher of the National Enquirer to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also claimed to have had an affair with Trump. That money would give the National Enquirer exclusive rights to the story, meaning they could decline to publish it and she could not take it elsewhere. This practice is known as “catch-and-kill.”

Trump then allegedly falsified business records to reimburse Cohen for “legal expenses.” Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg has charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying those records. The case might last as long as 8 weeks.

In many ways, this trial is a vindication of the rule of law. Despite his many attempts to delay it, a former president is facing accountability for his actions just as any American should.

The trial schedule reflected that standard practice. Presiding judge Juan Merchan set out the terms of the trial, covering what information the jury can hear about Trump and reminding Trump that, per the laws of New York, if he fails to appear in court as required, a warrant will be issued for his arrest.

But as jury selection began today, it was also clear that this is no normal trial. The names of the jurors will not be released outside the courtroom out of concerns for their safety, underscoring the degree to which Trump has urged his supporters to violence. And the country is so deeply divided over Trump and his movement that more than half of the first batch of jurors were excused when they said they could not judge the case impartially. No jurors were chosen today.

Trump has used this case—like his others—to try to undermine the rule of law. Rarely arguing that he didn’t commit any of the offenses for which he was charged in four different cases—two civil, two criminal—he has insisted instead that he is being unfairly prosecuted. The Democrats have rigged the judicial system against him, he repeatedly claims, and enough of his loyalists have bought that idea that today some of them urged Trump supporters in the jury pool to undermine the rule of law by lying to get on the jury, then refusing to convict (a plea that observers noted sounded like jury tampering).

Trump’s effort to signal that he remains disgusted by the charges against him continued today. New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman noted that “[s]hortly before court adjourned for the day, Trump’s campaign sent out a fundraising email falsely claiming he had just stormed out of court.” But it was notable that only a few dozen of his supporters showed up at the court today, and they did not stay long.

Trump has also refused to stop attacking the judge and other participants in the trial despite a gag order imposed by the judge. Today, even as prosecutors were asking Judge Merchan to find Trump in contempt for violating the gag order, Trump posted a video in which one of his allies attacked the judge’s wife as well as primary witness Michael Cohen.

Judge Merchan has scheduled a hearing on potential violations of the gag order for the morning of April 23.

Trump is trying to undermine the rule of law not only out of apparent fear of the outcome of his trials, but also because his appearance in court is likely to hurt his popularity. Last month an Ipsos poll showed that 32% of respondents said a conviction in this case would make them less likely to support Trump for the presidency. And that is before we have heard any of the new evidence that various sources have said we will hear, and which, by the nature of the case, is likely to be sordid.

Seeing Trump treated like any defendant is almost certain to damage his brand as a man who commands his surroundings. Today, Haberman noted: “One thing that is striking: Trump has used the previous court appearances in other cases to project an image of grandeur. That is hard to do in this dingy courtroom, which smells slightly off and where he is an island amid a sea of people.”

Further, the public nature of this trial will make it harder for Trump to present himself only through carefully curated appearances. Haberman also noted that Trump, who has repeatedly attacked President Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe,” appeared to fall asleep during today’s proceedings. “Repeatedly, his head would fall down,” Haberman said. “He didn’t pay attention to a note his lawyer…passed him. His jaw kept falling on his chest and his mouth kept going slack.” (While Trump was nodding off in court, President Biden was meeting in the Oval Office with Prime Minister Mohammed Shyaa al-Sudani of the Republic of Iraq, and then with Prime Minister Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic.)

Outside of this case, Trump’s image as a wealthy man is also crumbling. Today was the day by which Trump’s lawyers needed to prove that the $175 million appeals bond he posted against the $454 million judgment in the fraud case would really secure the judgment. Late tonight, his lawyers filed their justification of the bond, insisting it was secure and saying there was no need for the hearing about it, scheduled for April 22. Legal analysts on social media immediately found errors in the document.

Trump’s lawyers also filed paperwork today with the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue more than 20 million more shares of common stock in the Trump Media & Technology Group. The price of the company’s stock has been dropping since the spike after the initial public offering of March 26. Upon today’s news it dropped another 18%. It has dropped 62% since public trading began.

Although news from Manhattan took up most of the oxygen today, the Commerce Department also made a major announcement: through the CHIPS and Science Act it is investing up to $6.4 billion in a Samsung Electronics chip manufacturing and research cluster in Taylor, Texas. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the two proposed factories will create at least 17,000 construction and 4,500 manufacturing jobs.

In addition to its historical significance, April 15 is also Tax Day. Biden reinstated the tradition of voluntarily releasing tax returns after Trump ended it, and today Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff all released their taxes, revealing that their salaries make up most of their income.

Ken Thomas and Ashlea Ebeling of the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump campaign did not answer questions about whether Trump would release his tax returns.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #tax returns #legal jeopardy #Trump Trial #steve brodner #TFG #Tax Day

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stealsbreeches · 1 year

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Fanfic Masterlist

Fandom: American Girl

Pairing: Benjamin Davidson/Felicity Merriman

I haven't personally read many of these (yet!), so this isn't a recommendation list. The relationship may be in the background, and fics might feature other pairings. Word counts have been rounded.

Remember to check all tags and warnings before reading.

Authors love kudos and kind comments. Please let me know if I've missed anything or if you would like to be tagged!

❧ = posted on both AO3 and FFN

AO3

Green Thumb by thelovelylonesome. G, 1k words

Hasty Plots by thelovelylonesome. T, 2k words

Anchor by thelovelylonesome. T, 300 words

Always So Quiet by MackenzieL. G, 4.6k words ❧

Balm & Bridles by thelovelylonesome. T, 20.4k words ❧

A Winter's Ball by LadyReisling. G, 3.2k words

029. Prospects by aimmyarrowshigh. T, 100 words

058. Consuming by aimmyarrowshigh. T, 100 words

069. Soaked by aimmyarrowshigh. T, 100 words

Heart's Desire Beach by FriendvilleFan. G, 4.7k words

A Real Rain by localsportsteam. T, 3.6k words ❧

I Heard A Tapping by (orphaned). T, 3.5k words. WIP

Role Play by MelyndaR. G, 4.1k words ❧

Redbird by MelyndaR. G, 300 words ❧

Ride to the Rescue by ami_ven. G, 500 words

Silk Breeches and Everything After by SaraJaye. G, 2.2k words

Wrongheaded by Lunarblue21. T, 1.8k words ❧

Annabelle’s Surprise by DaggerQuill. G, 1k words ❧

Freedom for Felicity by osprey_archer. G, 9.4k words

Furlough by mrstater. T, 1k words ❧

Doll Story (Or, How Felicity Merriman Found Love) by automaticdoor. T, 1.3k words

When they are both full grown by lesspopped. G, 1.2k words

The Blessings of Liberty by Jougetsu. G; 1.3k words

FF.net

Balm & Bridles by thelovelylonesome. T, 20.3k words ❧

A Real Rain by localsportsteam. T, 3.9k words ❧

Nonsense by Kierielle Huntington. K+, 1.4k words

Pursuit by localsportsteam. K+, 2.7k words. WIP

The Autumn Maiden by fringebenefit. T, 5.9k words. WIP

The Ceiling by fringebenefit. K+, 6.4k words

Scoundrels by fringebenefit. T, 270.9k words. WIP

Westward Escape by Princess.Leia.D. T, 8.1k words. WIP

The Best Intentions by localsportsteam. T, 24.1k words

I Will Wait for You by Cookiecutter97. K+, 59.5k words. WIP

Ben's Proposal by darkknightsrevenge. K, 900 words

Annabelle’s Surprise by DaggerQuill. K, 1k words ❧

The War by The Kinetic Violinist. T, 7.9k words. WIP

The Loyalist and the Patriot by audemady. T, 10.7k words. WIP

Death of a Merriman by Beth Poppet. T, 12.8k words

Sparks by Saizo's Little Lady. T, 9k words. WIP

Lissie Nye by Beth Poppet. M, 24k words

Letters to Lissie by Katy Rose15. T, 150k words

O Come, All Ye Faithful by Ryan Brooklyn. K+, 5.6k words

Felicity Grows Up by quinnyandcompany. K+, 11k words. WIP

Bananabelle Davidson by kmckissick. K, 7.8 words. Originally posted as Bananabelle Davidson by ballerinastar7. Revised as (NEW) Bananabelle Davidson by kmckissick16. Same author.

It's Hard To Refuse You by MRSTJ1. K+, 79.2k words

Before I Say Goodbye by Grania. T, 200 words

Firelight by Argentus. K+, 600 words

War and Peace and the sequel War and Peace revised by bookfaerie. K+, 4.3k words combined. WIP

Felicity's Search and the sequel Finding a New World by FallRose. K+ and T, 19k and 13.8k words

Can You Hear The Liberty Bell Ringing? by KnifeInTheCrayonBox. T, 4.5k words. WIP

Redbird by Kathryn Claire O'Connor. K, 300 words ❧

Granted by SummerStarWatcher. K+, 6k words

Flour for Blackberry Pie by LinleyHamilton123. K+, 1k words

Courtship by TotallyNonchalantFBI. T, 53.8k words. WIP

Role Play by Kathryn Claire O'Connor. K, 4.5k words ❧

The War Is Over by ILoveWillRiker and LinleyHamilton123. K+, 300 words

Inevitable Predictability by schaferdramaqueen. T, 38.5k words

Fear Makes You Strong by darkknightsrevenge. K+, 1.7k words. WIP

Always So Quiet by Mackenzie L. K+, 4.7k words ❧

Flipping by TotallyNonchalantFBI. K+, 900 words

Furlough by MrsTater. T, 1k words ❧

Battlefield by TotallyNonchalantFBI. T, 28k words

Wrongheaded by DiegoRedeemedLover. T, 1.9k words ❧

A Kindred Romance by RedeemedHeartOfPaper. T, 2.3k words. WIP

Mistletoe A young Benicity oneshot by felicityphoenix. K, 5k words

Here's Your Gift by AwkwardTurtle007. K+, 1.5k words. WIP

A Year To Live by P.B. Fluff. K+, 3.4k words. WIP

His Excellency's Orders by Commander Cody CC-2224. T, 47.3k words

Duel For You, Ben Davidson by Commander Cody CC-2224. T, 80.8k words

Felicity: An American Girl ROMANCE by felicityphoenix. K-M, ~585,000 words for the 5-part story. Part 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5

Felicity: The Continuing Story by Jordannn. K, 6.3k words

Save her by darkknightsrevenge. K, 2k words

The Wedding Of Felicity And Ben by Commander Cody CC-2224. K+, 17.2K

More Than This by DaggerQuill. K+, 15.9k words. WIP

Why Do We Think About Age by Esme123 (revised and reposted by Captain Jag CT-55-11 9009 with permission.) K+, ~9k words

Benstown by Commander Cody CC-2224. T, 25.3k words

Felicity And Ben's Romantic Honeymoon Moment by Commander Cody CC-2224. T, 1.8k words

The Silent Romantic Moment of Felicity and Ben by Commander Cody CC-2224. K, 3.8k words

The Return of Bananabelle by MackenzieW. T, 30.9k words

Three Things That Last by MackenzieW. K+, 5.6k words

A promise and a future by Liberty Ferall. K+, 600 words

The Perils of Love by burlesquexprincess. T, 3.4k words. WIP

Felicity Meets her Match by Rose103. 50.2k words

All That He Taught Her by tigersmeleth. K, 2.2k words

When Your Life Ends by Peridot Tears. T, 800 words

#american girl #ben x felicity #felicity merriman #ben davidson #benicity #fanfic

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tricksterontheweb · 8 days

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The First Harvest in the Wilderness Asher B. Durand. 1855

"Asher B. Durand’s composition depicts an expanse of rugged terrain and forests under stormy skies. This American wilderness yields to progress as a lone farmer reaps his first harvest in a field, still dotted with the stumps of recently cleared trees and gleaming under a sudden shaft of light that penetrates the heavy clouds. A boulder resting by the side of the road identifies our glorified pioneer by name as “Graham.” Using funds bequeathed by one of its founders, Augustus Graham, the Museum commissioned Durand to paint this work in 1855, thus officially establishing its collection of American art. Durand’s dramatic landscape pays tribute to Graham’s efforts as a cultural pioneer."

Brooklyn Museum

authors note: this reminds me of the show "Alone", and the conception of "wilderness" in its relationship to settler colonial conceptions of land (resources), and "mans" domain of/over land. I am also reminded of the many people I work with/around, living rurally and working on a farm-in place dominated by British Loyalist Settlers.

#asher b durand #oil painting #1800s art #manifest destiny #settler colonialism #colonization #brooklyn museum #brooklyn

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revolutionarywarhistory · 1 year

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"I never forgot that I was an American": the story of the Maryland Loyalist Regiment [Part 2]

Continued from Part 1

Reprinted from my History Hermann WordPress blog.

Notes

[1] Report on American Manuscripts in the Royal Institution of Great Britain, 422; Stuart Salmon, "The Loyalist Regiments of the American Revolutionary War 1775-1783," Ph.D Dissertation, 2009, University of Stirling,p.94.

[2] Salmon, "The Loyalist Regiments of the American Revolutionary War 1775-1783," pp iii-vii, 55.

[3] David W. Guth, Bridging the Chesapeake: A ‘Fool Idea’ That Unified Maryland (Blomington, IN: Archway Publishing, 2017), 64.

[4] Sina Dubovoy, The Lost World of Francis Scott Key (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 53; <Sabine, The American Loyalists, 410.

[5] Sabine, The American Loyalists, 633-634, 650; Report on American Manuscripts in the Royal Institution of Great Britain, 336, 423, 428.

[6] The latter link cites James Moody, Lieut. James Moody’s Narrative of his Exertions and Sufferings in the Cause of Government, since the Year 1776, Richardson and Urquhart (London, 1783), 8-9.

[7] Siebert, Wilbur H. “The Loyalists in West Florida and the Natchez District.” The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, vol. 2, no. 4, 1916, pp. 473;Guth, Bridging the Chesapeake, 64-65.

[8] René Chartrand, American Loyalist Troops 1775–84 (US: Osprey Publishing, 2008), 8, 14, 16; Siebert, "The Loyalists in West Florida and the Natchez District," 474. Seibert talks about PA Loyalists at entrance to harbor

[9] Siebert, "The Loyalists in West Florida and the Natchez District," 476.

[10] Sabine, The American Loyalists, 204; William Odber Raymond, The United Empire Loyalists, 36; Report on American Manuscripts in the Royal Institution of Great Britain, Vol. III (Hereford: Anthony Brothers Limited, 1907), 87, 107, 280; Siebert, "The Loyalists in West Florida and the Natchez District," 481.

[11] "Subsistence Due the Commissioned and Non Commissioned Officers and Private Men from 25th June 1782 to the 24th of August, all days included being 61 days," August 1782, British Military and Naval Records (RG 8, C Series) - DOCUMENTS, p. 8. Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada; "Abstract of 61 Days Pay for the Commissioned Staff and Noncommissioned Officers and Private Men from the 25th of June to the 24th of August 1782, inclusive," August 1782, British Military and Naval Records (RG 8, C Series) - DOCUMENTS, p. 9. Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada. This calculation comes from 2016 US dollars according to Measuring Worth.

[12] Lorenzo Sabine, The American Loyalists: Or, Biographical Sketches of Adherents to the British Crown in the War of the Revolution; Alphabetically Arranged; with a Preliminary Historical Essay (Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1847), 60-61; Robert S. Allen, Loyalist Literature: An Annotated Bibliographic Guide to the Writings on the Loyalists of the American Revolution (Toronto: Dundurn Press Limited, 1982), 44. Other units created at the same time included the Roman Catholic Volunteers unit and the First Pennsylvania Loyalist Battalion/Regiment.

[13] For more see Ford, Paul Leicester, ed. Orderly Book of the “Maryland Loyalists Regiment” . . . 1778. Brooklyn: Historical Printing Club, 1891. The book is also mentioned here, here (full book), and here.

[14] Siebert, "The Loyalists in West Florida and the Natchez District," 482; Guth, Bridging the Chesapeake, 65; William Odber Raymond, The United Empire Loyalists (St. Stephen, N.B.: Saint Croix Printing and Publishing Co., 1893), 38. The Provencal Archives of New Brunswick, Canada adds that "one unfortunate ship, the Martha, having on board detachments of the Maryland loyalists and of de Lancey's third battalion, was wrecked on a ledge of rocks near Yarmouth, and out of 174 souls about 100 were lost. The other vessels arrived safely after a voyage of from ten to twelve days."

[15] Sabine, The American Loyalists, 62, 634; Theodore Corbett, Revolutionary Chestertown: Loyalists and Rebels on Maryland's Eastern Shore (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2014), 120; William Odber Raymond, The United Empire Loyalists, 43.

[16] Guth, Bridging the Chesapeake, 65; Sabine, The American Loyalists, 118.

[17] Maryland in Prose and Poetry: Recitations and Readings Pertaining to the State, pp 222-223.

[18] Other sources include: Kathleen DuVal, Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution (New York: Random House, 2016, paperback), 113-114, 155, 165, 182, 204, 215; issue 68 in 1973, article in Maryland Historical Magazine by Mayer and Bachmann titled "The First Battalion of Maryland Loyalists"); Murtie Jane Clark, Loyalists in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1981), 16-17; Mary K. Meyer and Virginia B. Bachman, "Genealogica Marylandia: The First Battalion of Maryland Loyalists," Maryland Historical Magazine Vol. 68, No. 2, summer 1973, 199, 209; M. Christopher New, Maryland Loyalists in the American Revolution (Centreville, Maryland: Tidewater Publishers, 1996), xi, xii, 20, 45-46, 49-51, 57-58, 63, 65, 82-83, 89-95, 100, 151, 148; Albert W. Haarmann, "The Siege of Pensacola: An Order of Battle," The Florida Historical Quarterly 44, no. 3 (1966): 193-199; Timothy James Wilson, ""Old Offenders:" Loyalists in the Lower Delmarva Peninsula, 1775-1800" (PhD diss., University of Toronto, 1998), 116, 179-180, 182-183; Richard Arthur Overfield, "Loyalists of Maryland During the American Revolution" (PhD diss., University of Maryland College Park, 1968), 207, 214-215, 234, 237-238, 243; Robert Mann, Wartime Dissent in America: A History and Anthology (New York: Palgrave Macmillian, 2010), 15-17; David H. White, "The Spaniards and William Augustus Bowles in Florida, 1799-1803," The Florida Historical Quarterly 54, no. 2 (1975): 145-155; Major Walter Dulany, Maryland Loyalists to General Carleton, New York 13 April 1783, PRO 30/55/10078; nd Major Walter Dulany, Maryland Loyalists to General Carleton, New York 13 April 1783, PRO 30/55/10078. Sadly I can't access this, this or this.

#maryland #loyalists #maryland history #revolutionary war #american revolution #british crown

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zumpietoo · 2 years

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viridianllamasinthesilentspace · 2 years

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Sorting Bucky Barnes (MCU)

Note: I’ve had some exposure to the comics, but pretty minimally, so this Sorting is mostly based on Sebastian Stan’s portrayal of him in the MCU. Especially because according to the few of my friends who are either really into the comics or who are really into all things Bucky, the Bucky in the 616 comic universe is portrayed differently enough that it would likely affect his Sorting.

※

From what we see of him in “The First Avenger”, Bucky Barnes’ prioritizing of Steve is unchallenged, and one of the most telling scenes of his Slytherin Primary is in the bar after his rescue, when Steve asks him if he will “follow Captain America into the jaws of death?” and Bucky responds:

“Hell, no! The little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight. I’m following him.”

This isn’t Bucky being willing to go back to war because it’s the right thing to do, or because he’s driven primarily by any kind of idealism or altruism—with a statement of both affection and purpose, he’s saying that he’s going to war because Steve is going to lead him there. He’s in it for Steve, and not Captain America. He’s there as the person who got into fights, not when someone was wrong like it was for Steve, but when Steve needed someone to bail him out. And, not just confined to showing his priorities, that line is Bucky reminding Steve that he was worth following before he was Captain America, too. It’s affection and expression of worth, and in this context, is an example of how warm Slytherin Primaries can be from inside their inner circle.

Bucky stepping in when Steve is having trouble with bullies is the loudest place where we see him taking a protective stance, but not the only place; he protects Steve emotionally, too. This nuance is mostly attributed to Sebastian Stan’s acting, but post-rescue when Steve is leading them all back to the camp and they cheer for his success, Bucky is only smiling until Steve is no longer looking at him. Immediately after he’s unobserved—by Steve, not by everyone else around them—his face falls and we see how hard the whole situation has been on him.

This is a type of self-sacrifice that we see commonly in both Loyalist Houses. Their care and drive to protect the people important to them (even if that’s just about everyone) will trump their own self-care in situations where those people need them more, or when the risk or harm their helping places them in is (in their own eyes) easily outweighed by the good of helping their important people. This behaviour points to Bucky being a Loyalist (Slytherin or Hufflepuff) Primary, but without the evidence of Bucky doing it for many people, or feeling guilty about not doing it for many people, the signs point to Slytherin over Hufflepuff.

His Secondary is likely also Slytherin, as he falls into the “always a joker” category of social interaction, poking fun despite all circumstances, even dire ones.

[Steve finds Bucky strapped to a table in one of Schmidt’s testing labs and quickly releases him from it.]

Steve Rogers: It’s me. It’s Steve.

James ‘Bucky’ Barnes: [groggily] Steve?

Steve Rogers: Come on.

James 'Bucky’ Barnes: Steve.

Steve Rogers: I thought you were dead.

James 'Bucky’ Barnes: [aware of Steve’s new size] I thought you were smaller.

This continues when he’s uncomfortable and when he’s bantering. It’s a very “Slytherin Secondary” type of defensiveness, with an intentional edge of being untouchable. Bucky presents himself as too witty, too sharp, too able to bat back everything that gets thrown at him, and therefore safe—even when he’s not.

Johann Schmidt: No matter what lies Erskine told you, you see, I was his greatest success!

[Schmidt removes his face mask and reveals his face as the Red Skull to Steve and Bucky.]

James 'Bucky’ Barnes: [to Steve] You don’t have one of those, do you?

We don’t get to see much of him before he goes off to war, but what we do see seems to have a Hufflepuff Primary model. Shown as the one to tug Steve off to just have fun for once and to socialize, Bucky enjoys being with people and out in crowds and events. He cares about whether or not the girls he brings as dates for himself and Steve have fun. Steve isn’t his only priority.

But Steve is his main priority. Bucky is less invested in the moral part of his Hufflepuff Primary model than he is in the social fun of it. We have very little material to work with, but it seems like he mostly thinks that caring about other people and valuing their happiness is a fun thing to do while Steve doesn’t need him. When Steve leaves and goes after the enlistment center to try to join the army again, Bucky hesitates only briefly before following after him. The girls having fun and being happy matters—as long as Steve doesn’t need him.

That could also be Hufflepuff need-basing: since Bucky knows that the girls are okay at the moment, he can take the time for his friend. But given the amount of other evidence we have for Bucky’s Primary, a model makes the most sense here.

Without a good enough look into his head, you could even argue that this is a performance and not a model; but if it’s a performance, it’s one he thoroughly enjoys. He seems to like living there, and not just acting like he’s living there.

We get hints of a Ravenclaw Secondary model, but they’re really just hints. The biggest one is also the iffiest one: that at the very end of “The Winter Soldier”, Bucky goes to the museum and starts researching himself and who he was—data collecting.

Someone without any Ravenclaw Secondary in them at any level could have still made the same choice, but with his very recent escape from active abuse and brainwashing, it’s possible that it’s a pattern he’s falling back on. (See how iffy that is? It’s so iffy.)

And, honestly, sorting Bucky at any point after he is the Winter Soldier is inherently iffy. We’re unsure how much of his actual awareness and personality was present during that whole ordeal and how much of him really was just machine-like, acting on orders. There is too much abuse and trauma and mental illness complicating anything that we might come to understand from his decisions during that second movie, so I’m only going to hazard vague guesses at what happened to his Sorting during that, and I’ll write another post after we see what the writers do with him in “Civil War”. Because while Sorting still works on people who’ve been traumatized and abused and are mentally ill, it’s much harder to sort those people from a position outside their head and without access to more of their layers and complexities than they are perhaps showing. This movie left plenty of ambiguity in where the writers are going to take Bucky’s personality now that he’s out of Hydra’s direct control.

If there were ever a person to have a burned Secondary, a traumatized war veteran brainwashed into being an assassin for decades would probably be it. We don’t see any particular patterns in how the Winter Soldier goes about things—he seems to be doing whatever it is that is most effective and will get the job done. Preference doesn’t come into it, and neither does personality.

We also see hints of what is probably his remaining Slytherin Primary. His jumping after Steve and saving his life, even while not understanding why, is a good example of how, stripped down to the base of it all and despite our calling it a “constructed” Primary, Slytherin loyalty is intensely felt. Through all of what Bucky has been through, Steve is still deeply, viscerally important to him.

※

So, pre-Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes: Slytherin Primary/Slytherin Secondary, Hufflepuff Primary Model, and a very iffy potential Ravenclaw Secondary model.

Post-Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes: Slytherin Primary, burned Secondary? Ravenclaw Secondary model? I’m uncomfortable doing anything other than “the most-conjecture of conjecture” here, because of the ambiguity of his agency.

#shc repost #not my sorting

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dawningsoul · 2 years

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Featured Dawning Soul: Sheryl

A Style Force...Our latest Featured Dawning Soul is Sheryl Roberts. In her own words, this is who she affirms herself to be. “I AM everything my ancestors prayed for. I am whole. I am unique. I am courageous. I am grateful. I am persistent. I am a woman who has a story to tell. I am me.”

Sheryl is the owner of IndigoStyle Vintage. She has an incredible store in Brooklyn and online shop called The Collective at IndigoStyle. Through global sourcing, creative entrepreneurship and teamwork The Collective at IndigoStyle offers unique and distinctive vintage pieces, custom clothing, home, beauty and more. She focuses on one-of-a-kind items from local indie artisans/emerging designers.

Her customers range from local neighborhood loyalists to fashion forward industry/celebrity clientele. The boutique serves as an inclusive meeting place for all to shop, educate and commune.

Sheryl is a professional model and actress with more than 20 years of experience, as well as an ex-wife, mom and entrepreneur with a passion for vintage fashion! She graced the covers of magazines such as Ebony, Essence Total Makeover, and Heart & Soul to creating the lifestyle brand and eco-conscious vintage clothing company IndigoStyle Vintage. Her mother is an antiques dealer so she grew up going to garage sales and flea markets. As an avid vintage shopper, she developed a keen eye for quality. Traveling for years as a runway, showroom and print model helped her create the foundation for sourcing stylish eclectic apparel at affordable prices.

If you’d like to learn more about Sheryl, visit her site https://thecollectiveatindigostyle.com/

And also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indigostylevintage/

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laresearchette · 2 years

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Saturday, February 26, 2022 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: 53RD NAACP IMAGE AWARDS (BET Canada) 8:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT? GIRL IN THE SHED: THE KIDNAPPING OF ABBY HERNANDEZ (Premiering on March 06 on Lifetime Canada at 8:00pm) THE HUNT FOR THE CHICAGO STRANGLER (TBD - Investigation Discovery)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA THE WEEKND X THE DAWN FM EXPERIENCE

CRAVE TV THE JUNGLE BUNCH 1 (Episodes 21-40) TALL TALES (Episodes 1-20)

NETFLIX CANADA BOMBSHELL

NHL HOCKEY (SN1) 12:30pm: Oilers vs. Panthers (SN/SN1) 3:00pm: Rangers vs. Penguins (SN/CBC) 7:00pm: Leafs vs. Red Wings (SN1/SNEast/City TV/SN Now) 7:00pm: Habs vs. Sens (SN360) 7:30pm: Lightning vs. Predators (SN/CBC) 10:00pm: Wild vs. Flames (SN Now/SN/SN360) 10:00pm: Ducks vs. Canucks

MLS SOCCER (TSN4) 1:00pm: Philadelphia vs. Minnesota (TSN/TSN4) 3:30pm: Columbus vs. Whitecaps FC (TSN/TSN4) 5:30pm: FC Dallas vs. Toronto FC

FIBA BASKETBALL (SN360) 5:00pm: Canada vs. Dominican Republic

W5 (CTV) 7:00pm: Mykola

NBA BASKETBALL (TSN2/TSN4) 7:30pm: Raptors vs. Hawks (SN Now) 8:00pm: Spurs vs. Heat (SN Now) 8:30pm: Nets vs. Bucks

CROSSWORD MYSTERIES: RIDDLE ME DEAD (CTV) 8:00pm: Tess gets invited to be part of a popular game show, but when the host is unexpectedly murdered, she and Detective Logan O'Connor try to discover who was behind it all.

WELCOME TO MAMA’S (W Network) 8:00pm: After inheriting an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, N.Y., a woman teams up with a master chef to relaunch the establishment and make her loved ones proud.

CARNIVAL EATS (Food Network Canada) 8:00pm/8:30pm: Noah visits the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver and gorges on the Big Pickle Dog, then samples the Colonel Katsu Bao, before trying the Deep Fried Margarita for dessert; Noah visits the LA County Fair in Pomona, Calif. In Episode Two, Noah visits the Prince William County Fair in Manassas, Va. and tries the Monumental Grilled Cheese and the Chesapeake Bay Poutine; at the Western Fair in London, Ontario, he dives into a Poutine Dog, the Bacaroni Bowl and Cherry Cheesecake Tempura.

A ROMANCE WEDDING (Super Channel Heart & Home) 8:00pm: Helping out at the family café in her hometown, wedding planner Zoe is reunited with aspiring chef Will, her old sweetheart.

LACROSSE (TSN) 8:30pm: Colorado Mammoth vs. Saskatchewan Rush

BLK: AN ORIGIN STORY (History Canada) 9:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): Descendants of the Black Loyalists, Jamaican Maroons, and the Black Refugees represent Canada's largest Black population, and their incredible story begins in Nova Scotia in the 1700s.

THE WAY OF THE CHEETAH (Nat Geo Wild) 9:00pm: A cheetah mother and how she protects her cubs.

CRY MACHO (Crave) 9:00pm: A one-time rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder takes a job from his ex-boss to bring the man's son home from Mexico. Forced to take the back roads to Texas, the world-weary horseman finds unexpected connections and his own sense of redemption.

MY MOM, YOUR DAD (HBO Canada) 9:00 - 11:10pm (SERIES PREMIERE): In search of love, seven single parents head to the Second Chance Retreat, completely unaware that their adult children are keeping tabs on their every move.

THE QUARRY (Super Channel Fuse) 9:00pm: After murdering a traveling preacher, a fugitive drifter assumes his identity and becomes the new cleric of a small-town church. While he wins over the congregation, the police chief starts to link the mysterious stranger to a crime investigation.

HOT ONES (Global) 12:30am: Dave Grohl

#cdntv #cancon #canadian tv #canadian tv listings #carnival eats #hot ones #nhl hockey #mls soccer #fiba basketball #nba basketball #W5 #nll lacrosse

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bytheangell · 4 years

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Feel It in My Soul

(Read on AO3)

Losing his soulmark was the second-best thing to happen to Simon Lewis, though it didn’t feel that way at the time.

Soulmates aren’t a thing in the Shadow World. Something about the supernatural properties of the blood must override the mark because not a single Nephilim, vampire, werewolf, warlock, or Seelie has one.

When Clary finds out she’s a Shadowhunter it explains her lack of a soulmark at birth, something she assumed meant she was destined to never fall in love and often lamented to Simon over.

When Simon claws free of his own shallow grave the change he’s most distraught over is the loss of the abstract, crescent moon-shaped mark on his arm. He knows it’s ridiculous given everything else happening in his life just then, but it feels like he lost a part of his identity. He wonders if he lost the connection to his soulmate, too. He certainly doesn’t expect to find them now, even if he hasn’t.

It isn’t all tragedy, however. Losing his soulmark has surprising positives, such as allowing him to be fully open to the idea of developing serious feelings for someone who doesn’t share, or doesn’t even have, a mark.

Someone like Raphael Santiago.

At first, Simon thinks what he feels is gratitude - gratitude for Raphael not leaving him to die, for taking him in and teaching him the ropes, for protecting him. It isn’t long before Simon admits to himself it’s more than that; he misses Raphael when they’re apart, misses the Dumort which, at some point along the way, shifts from a place Simon has to be to a place he wants to be.

There are moments Simon thinks that Raphael has feelings for him too, but they’re always fleeting, gone as quickly as they happen, leaving Simon with nothing but constant doubt.

That is, until the day Simon messes up and ends up nearly dying, but forever this time. It’s a stupid mistake, being out alone and letting himself get cornered by a few Clave loyalists who don’t like the idea of a Daylighter existing in their world. Clary and Alec show up just in time to save his life, but it’s in Raphael’s bed at the Dumort that Simon wakes up a day later. It’s Raphael’s voice that wakes him, Raphael’s face that greets him.

“You need to wake up,” Raphael’s words reach Simon through the darkness of his unconsciousness. They’re soft, reverent, half-pleading and half-prayer; they sound like words being spoken for the 100th time. “I need you, Simon. I don’t want to lose you...”

It takes a lot of effort for Simon to force his eyes open. “Can’t… get rid of me… that easily,” he manages, his throat dry and strained.

Raphael nearly jumps up from the chair next to the bed, surprised but relieved. No, it’s more than just relief… Raphael looks happy.

Happy. Simon can’t remember the last time he saw actual joy on Raphael’s face, but it’s there now, and he put it there, simply by being alive.

“I should’ve known better,” Raphael says. He tries to control his features back to something neutral but even the sarcastic words hold a fondness to them.

Simon considers all the things he can say at this moment: about what happened to him, about what he just heard Raphael say, about all the moments before Simon reflects on with new meaning. He doesn’t say any of it. What comes out is:

“I need you, too.”

Raphael looks surprised, hesitates for a moment, then nods once.

An acknowledgment. An admission, or as close to one as Simon’s going to get just then.

He’ll take it.

---

There’s no doubt in Simon’s mind that he loves Raphael. It’s clear the moment he risks his life to go undercover and rescue him. The fear Simon feels over not knowing whether he’s safe, whether he’s even alive, leaves no room for doubt.

When Simon finds Raphael standing in the sunlight, now entirely human, the relief at finding him alive is all Simon has time to process.

Raphael’s new mortality only really hits Simon after Raphael turns down an offer from the Clan to turn him back into a vampire and give him his title back. Simon isn’t surprised at Raphael’s decision, but he’s surprised how real this makes it feel, and how much it feels almost like a death sentence.

“Are you upset?” Raphael asks Simon, who has his head on Raphael’s chest to listen to his heartbeat while they lounge on the sofa. They just got back from the Dumort a few minutes ago, the conversation with Lily and the others still fresh in his mind so that he doesn’t have to ask what Raphael’s referencing.

“Of course not,” Simon says. He isn’t, not really. He wants Raphael to be happy, and if this is what’s best for him then Simon supports it 100%. He is, however, also a little distraught that the eternity he thought the two of them would share has now turned into an eternity for one. “If this is what you want then it’s what I want for you. I just want you to be happy, Raphael.”

“I am,” Raphael admits.

As far as Simon’s concerned, that settles it.

“Then so I am,” Simon reassures him. Raphael reaches a hand over to lace his fingers through Simon’s and gives them a quick squeeze in thanks.

Then, after a moment of contented silence, the sound of his stomach growling fills the room. “...I’m also hungry, apparently” Raphael adds, wincing at the embarrassingly loud interruption.

Simon laughs, shifting to sit upright and giving the hand still linked in his a tug to follow as he stands. “You’re always hungry. C’mon, let’s go give that new 24-hour diner a try.”

---

There are a surprising amount of things to do once one is no longer a vampire, Simon learns. It isn’t as easy as saying goodbye and walking away - first, Raphael has to hand over the leadership of the Clan by appointing someone to take his place. His second in command is Lily and Simon imagines that should be an easy enough decision, but apparently there's some contention as to whether or not it should go to Simon, of all people.

Simon balks at the idea. "Absolutely not," he says. "I'm not ruthless enough... not that you were ruthless or anything, but-" Simon starts to backtrack, tripping over his words. Raphael laughs, and it makes the slight embarrassment Simon feels entirely worth it because there are few sounds Simon enjoys more than Raphael's laughter.

It's a sound Simon hears more and more as the days go on. Everything about Raphael feels lighter now, from the way he carries himself to the way he speaks, the wonder with which he looks at simple things in the daylight he's been deprived of for so long. It's like a new appreciation for the world fills him, an almost child-like sense of wonder that Simon wishes he could bottle and keep forever. Instead, he captures it in photos and videos on his phone.

Lily is appointed the leader of the Brooklyn Clan, as she should be, and Raphael is given permission to stay at the Dumort for however long he needs to figure out alternative arrangements for himself. Instead of offering to help him look for a place, Simon jumps two steps ahead.

"You could move in with me,” Simon offers. “I never sold my apartment when I started spending all my time with you at the Dumort..." He isn't sure why Raphael moving in with him at the apartment feels like such a bigger step than Simon essentially living with Raphael at the Dumort. Maybe because there were always other people at the hotel, plus the excuse that Simon was there because he was expected to, being a vampire and all. But this... this would be a commitment, an unmistakable step forward in their relationship.

Simon knows that it'll be an adjustment, he's afraid it might be too much too quickly, that maybe he's overstepping and Raphael will want the time alone at the start of figuring out his new life as a human.

Simon begins to brace himself for a gentle let-down, but it’s one that never comes.

"Alright," Raphael says, and Simon's surprised at how easy it is. There's no debating, no convincing, just an effortless acceptance Simon grows more and more used to by the day.

---

Things are simpler without a clan to lead and a war to fight. An impressive amount of their time is spent in local restaurants while Raphael tries every new food known to mankind. Eventually, Raphael starts to make himself at home in Simon’s apartment, filling the space with a few things he takes from the Dumort and even more new things the two of them start acquiring together.

All the while Simon does the best he can to help Raphael adjust to his new life. It wasn’t too long ago Simon was the mundane, after all. They try to go to new parks whenever they can. As simple as it is, laying in the grass on a sunny day quickly becomes one of Raphael’s favorite things to do. One day Simon plans a trip to the zoo, and others often include aimless walks around the city. Sure, Raphael’s lived here long enough to be familiar with it even if he’s only experienced most of it at night, but there’s a reason the saying is ‘the difference between night and day’. That reason is obvious in the way Raphael looks at everything around them on these walks as if he’s seeing it for the first time, even when Simon knows he isn’t.

Simon falls a little more in love with Raphael every day. He doesn't mind making little, or sometimes huge, changes to make Raphael’s shift back to normal life as easy as possible. When Raphael admits he can't fall asleep with the streetlight that bleeds in through the curtains at night Simon immediately buys a set of blackout curtains for the bedroom. He makes sure to keep the fridge stocked with all of Raphael's new favorite foods and drinks. The smell of blood makes Raphael nauseous now so Simon keeps it in a separate mini-fridge in the spare room and does his best not to drink when Raphael is home.

"You don't have to keep doing all these things just for me," Raphael says one day while they walk around a nearby park. The comment comes in response to Simon telling him about a vineyard an hour away he researched after Raphael mentioned once, in passing, that he was really enjoying a lot of new wines he’d been trying.

"I know I don’t have to," Simon admits. "But I want to."

It's as simple as that. He likes spending time with Raphael. He likes watching Raphael experience new things for the first time, the way a slow, considering smile spreads across his face at a new taste he likes or the way his nose scrunches up when he tries something he hates. He loves hearing Raphael's heartbeat slows down in calm satisfaction when the sun breaks through from behind a long cloud and bathes them in warmth.

He loves Raphael. He knows that, and even though he’s never said it out loud he’s positive Raphael knows it, too. But in this particular moment, Simon feels it stronger than he ever has before. He can't imagine loving anyone the way he loves Raphael, he can't imagine there's anything he wouldn't willingly do or sacrifice for him, not that Raphael would ever ask him to. Simon doesn't need a mark on his arm to tell him what he knows in his soul to be true - that he and Raphael are meant for each other.

"What is it?" Raphael asks, brow raised.

"Nothing," Simon says, which is a lie because it isn't nothing. It's everything. But that's the problem because Simon has a lot of big, overwhelming feelings he can't quite put into words... and even if he could, the middle of the park isn't where he should say them.

"Doesn't look like nothing," Raphael prods, just a little.

"Just thinking about how much I love you,” Simon says. He doesn’t mean to say it. In fact, he’s positive it’s too much too soon, but it seems wrong to feel it so strongly and keep it from the person it’s meant for. “It’s okay if you don’t… you don’t have to say it back,” he adds quickly.

Raphael stares at Simon for a moment, and then starts slowly, "I know I don't have to." He's mirroring what Simon just said to him, and that realization has Simon grinning like a fool before Raphael finishes his sentence. "But I want to. I love you too, mi sol."

Living up to Raphael’s nickname for him, Simon is pretty sure he's beaming brighter than the sun itself for the rest of their walk.

---

Simon can’t remember the last time he saw Raphael with a tank top on. The New York fall has been colder than usual, and with Raphael adjusting to feeling temperatures with his human body it’s been all suits and dress shirts, and even long-sleeved pajamas to bed under Simon’s thick comforter.

Today, however, the sun is blazing and the weather’s uncharacteristically warm. Simon has an errand to run at the Institute but agrees to meet Raphael afterward. He’s shocked to find Raphael waiting for him in a plain white tank top and jeans. He’s also surprised to see a plate with avocado toast and what smells like… yes, that’s definitely a turmeric latte on the table in front of Raphael. If Raphael trying out all the new, trendy flavors now that he can eat food again makes him look like a bit of a hipster Simon isn’t going to be the one to point it out to him.

None of that is what stops Simon dead in his tracks about a foot away from the table, however. Simon isn’t staring at the food or Raphael’s clothing - his eyes are glued to the black mark on Raphael’s upper arm.

Raphael follows his gaze, confused until he catches sight of his soulmark. “Oh, that,” Raphael says. “It came back when they cured me. I had it before I turned, but… well, you know. Not that it matters - they probably aren’t even alive anymore.”

Of course Raphael had a mark before. Why hadn’t he ever thought to ask about it?! Simon can’t take his eyes off of it, afraid it’ll disappear if he looks away and back again. He should say something. He needs to say something… but he can’t make the words come.

He must look visibly distraught because Raphael’s brow furrows. “Simon? What’s wrong? If it’s about the mark, don’t worry about it. It isn’t like I’m going to go looking for them now or anything.”

“It’s…” Simon starts, not sure why he’s so afraid. It shouldn’t change anything, but there’s still a certain weight to the knowledge. Simon knows Raphael’s still adjusting to his new life, and part of Simon is always mentally braced for the moment Raphael decides he wants to distance himself from the Shadow World - and by extension from Simon - for good. Simon isn’t sure Raphael will do what’s best for himself if he feels obligated to stay with him not out of love, but out of a universal bond. Deciding to walk away from a boyfriend would be one thing, but deciding to walk away from a soulmate…

“You don’t have to look for them,” Simon finally manages. “We’re soulmates.”

“Of course we are. I don’t need some ridiculous mark on my arm to tell me who I'm meant to be with. As far as I'm concerned, you're my soulmate, Si. I can't imagine anyone else I'd rather be with for the rest of my life." Raphael says, misinterpreting Simon’s words. Misguided or not, Simon thinks it’s probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to him and he’s so beside himself with love and acceptance that he almost forgets why they’re having this conversation in the first place.

Raphael’s words ease something in Simon, quelling that initial fear that this new knowledge might change something between them. Knowing that Raphael would choose Simon, soulmate or not, makes his next words come that much easier.

"No, I mean we're soulmates. That's my mark. At least, it used to be," Simon clarifies.

Raphael nearly chokes on his toast. “What?”

Simon doesn’t answer, already pulling out his phone and going through his Facebook photos until he finds the picture of him from high school captioned: ��Alright, which one of you unfortunate souls are stuck with me forever?’ with a focus on the soulmark that used to be on his arm.

The one that matches Raphael’s perfectly.

Raphael takes the phone and stares at the mark for a very long time.

"I know neither of us needed marks to tell us we're meant to be, but there's a certain comfort in knowing the universe agrees with you, isn’t there?" Simon says, mostly to fill the silence. Raphael still hasn’t said anything and because Simon is, well, Simon, he starts to ramble. “This doesn’t have to mean anything, though. I know you love me, but if there’s ever a point you don’t want to stay with me, I don’t want you to just because of this,” Simon says, motioning to the phone Raphael still holds in his hands. Even though Raphael just said he wants to spend the rest of his life with him, in light of recent developments this is still something Simon feels like he needs to say, just in case.

“Me? Not want to stay with you?” Raphael scoffs. “You're the one who didn’t sign up for a relationship with a mortal.”

Simon smiles softly. “I signed up for a relationship with you. I fell in love with you. You, not your-” Simon pauses, finally unrooting himself from the floor to sit in the chair across from Raphael, lowering his voice in case anyone is close enough to overhear. “-your immortality. And I’ll always choose you, even when it means sitting here and suffering the smells of the world’s strongest turmeric latte known to mankind.”

“Even if I’m going to grow old without you?” Raphael asks, his voice much softer now, his eyes not quite meeting Simon’s. Simon can tell he wasn’t the only one thinking about this lately even if neither of them brought it up before now.

“You’re going to grow old with me,” Simon corrects. “I might not age but I’ll still be there every step of the way. If you let me.”

“I might allow it,” Raphael says, but the smile pulling at the corners of his lips betray his attempted coyness.

Just like that, things are fine again. Not that they were ever not fine, but now there isn’t any doubt in Simon’s mind. Simon isn’t sure why he dreaded this talk for so long, he should’ve known that it’d be just like everything else between the two of them: as easy and instinctive as the steady rise and fall of Raphael’s chest.

“And you won’t have to worry about the lattes,” Raphael adds. “This is horrid and I’m never going within 10 feet of one ever again. The avocados we might have to start keeping at home, though.”

Home. Raphael’s never called it that before - ‘the apartment’, or sometimes ‘our place’, but this is the first time he’s called it home.

The word feels like the final piece of a puzzle finally clicking into place, and the ease Simon felt moments before is nothing compared to the way everything in him settles now, completely and perfectly content.

---

The second best thing to happen to Simon Lewis was losing his soulmark, a fact he can state with absolute certainty because it led him to the best thing to happen to him.

It led him to Raphael.

#saphael #simon lewis #raphael santiago #shadowhunters #soulmate au but WITH A TWIST #HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOBY <3 <3 #elle writes a few deadbeat lines #long post

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wordywarriorwrites · 4 years

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Chapter 8: The Fall

Masterlist: The Boss of Brooklyn A03 Story Link Author: @wordywarriorwrites Summary: When it comes to being The Boss, James Buchanan “JB” Barnes rules with an iron fist. For him, there’s no room for sentiment, and certainly no time for distraction, even if it is in the form of an old flame. Steve Rogers had bowed out of the life a long time ago, but a twist of fate brings him right back into the fold, and face-to-face with a man he once loved. When a game of cat and mouse turns into a matter of life and death, both will be forced to decide whether they’ll be loyal to the business, or faithful to each other. A/N: Bucky Barnes Mob Boss AU. Stucky. For: @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan Star’s Multi-Fandom Follower Celebration & @sherrybaby14 Sherry’s Fall Into You Challenge. Warnings: Language, violence, drug use, alcohol, smoking, explicit sexual content, illegal activities. *Re-blogs are welcome. Plagiarism isn’t. *

Four Months Later...

Slick walkways, sharply-pointed icicles, and bone-chilling temperatures.

The first gust of frost-bite-inducing wind had been a hard slap to the face, and even with all the seasonal-appropriate garb, Steve still couldn’t manage to keep warm. He hadn’t forgotten how brutal the weather could be, but he’d spent a long time in the tropics, and was struggling to readjust.

Fuckin’ Brooklyn…

Steve had run from it, tried to get the damn city out of his blood and bones, but both his former home and the past had come back to haunt him.

Even with all the careful calculation and planning, he’d gotten caught, and after a month of torture, he’d been forced to sign a “peace treaty.” The contracts had named him liaison for and ambassador to the Bosses, but in the months since pen had been put to paper, contact with the Families and Fury had been nonexistent.

They continued to keep him in the dark, and in addition to being kept out of the way, they’d voted to restrict access to the funds he’d amassed. Without money, he was trapped, but even if he managed to get out of New York, Steve knew he wouldn’t be able to get very far. They’d gone to great lengths to ensure he would stay put via confiscating his passport and cutting him off from all modes of transportation.

They’d shut him down and pushed him out, and as a result, life quickly became very lonely and mind-numbingly boring. The only person who still spoke to him was Sam, and with very little to do, the visits with his old buddy were consistent and helped keep him sane.

They always took turns choosing the meeting place, and for some insane reason, Sam suggested they get together at Old Glory Lookout. When Steve questioned it and remarked on the strangeness of the location, Sam left no room for argument and told him to, “just fuckin’ be there.”

The walk was a short, slippery one, but he managed to make it just before the agreed-upon time. Getting together at a place without central heating was bad enough, but when Sam approached cautiously and sans a good-natured attitude, Steve knew something was very wrong.

“There’s a lot of chatter on the streets,” he declared gravely. “And none of it’s good.”

Steve let out a low curse and listened intently as Sam continued to share the latest gossip. The rumors varied, but the most popular – and thereby most disturbing -- was that Steve was gearing up to take both JB and Fury down, and had recruited Sam to help him achieve his goal. As a result, they were being surveilled, and even though there was no proof of treason, the Bosses were ready to shoot first, ask questions never.

“How can I be a threat when they’ve cut me off?” Steve bit out angrily.

“I think you’ve forgotten how badly people wanted you to be Boss,” Sam reminded him. “And from what I’ve heard, Fury’s crew is itching to change allegiance.”

“I don’t have a death wish and I sure as hell don’t want to start a war.”

“It doesn’t matter what you want – or haven’t you figured that out yet?”

He snorted and stared out at the water, “Whatever, man. It’ll blow over.”

“I don’t think so,” Sam countered.

“Why?”

“Because they’ve redistributed long-held territories and keep hiking up dues. They press issues best left alone and rivalries put to rest years ago have started up again,” Sam ticked off in a matter-of-fact tone. “Hell, even the loyalists are chafing under the new regime.”

“Sounds like a fuckin’ powder keg just waiting to explode,” Steve sighed.

“And they think we’re gonna light the fuse,” Sam muttered.

Any further conversation was cut off by the sound of a revved engine and the screech of rubber against pavement. Bits of tree bark and leftover dead leaves suddenly spewed into the air and the series of shots were muzzled, incessant, and well-aimed.

Without hesitation, Sam threw himself forward, and the ice-encrusted sidewalk meant there was no stopping the fall. Steve hit the ground hard, Sam’s weight collapsed on top of him, and the force of both punched the air from his lungs.

Another hail of bullets. A car peeling away. Everything quiet again.

With a knot in his stomach and a lump in his throat, Steve carefully rolled Sam onto his back, and one glance into his vacant eyes was all it took for Steve to know his friend was gone.

Sam had jeopardized himself by befriending him and had risked his own standing by feeding him information. As a consequence, he’d gotten caught in the crossfire, and whether he liked it or not, Steve knew Sam’s death was just the beginning.

He’d been dubbed persona non grata, but someone out there had believed the rumors, and while there was a lot of unresolved animosity, Steve knew the Families would’ve never done sanctioned something so haphazard. It just wasn’t how they handled things.

A despicable act fueled by greed; a complete disregard for innocent bystanders; a public execution to incite fear and reassert dominance. They were the hallmarks of Fury’s modus operandi, and while Steve may have escaped the first time, he knew Fury never left behind witnesses and would send someone along to tie up loose ends.

Tears welled hot and fast, and right on the back of it came a wave of bitterness and regret. It was far too late for should’ve, could’ve, would’ve, and the chasm Steve had been teetering on the edge of for months had finally, wholly, and irrevocably engulfed him.

There was only one person he could turn to, and even though everything inside him was screaming not to, he retrieved his phone, and made the call.

“What?” Bucky answered acerbically.

Steve kept the explanation brief, and after a lengthy pause, Bucky dictated terms.

“If I do this, you’ll owe me,” he snapped. “And I choose the manner in which I collect on your debt.”

Steve clenched his fist and swallowed hard. He should’ve known Bucky wouldn’t let death prevent him from getting his due. Sure, he would see the body collected, if only for the sake of appearances, but if Steve didn’t agree to his demands, Sam would be deemed as nothing more than collateral damage. There’d be no reprisal, never mind a proper burial, and while he hated giving Bucky carte blanche over the situation, Steve owed it to Sam and would see it through.

“Do we have an agreement?” Bucky prompted impatiently.

He sighed with resignation, and as soon as he said the word “yes,” the line went dead. Less than five minutes later, a crew arrived to retrieve Sam and clean up the scene, and a separate car came for him not long after.

Before he could meet and ingratiate to the Boss, he had to get cleaned up, which meant a quick pitstop back home. Though the hot water and change of clothes took care of the outward stains, nothing would wash away the blood on his hands and Steve knew he’d carry the shame and sorrow with him for the rest of his life.

Back in the car, the driver headed away from Bay Ridge and toward downtown Brooklyn. Steve had no illusions and the slow march toward the inevitable was accentuated by expensive Italian leather and tear-blurred cityscape. He knew whatever price Bucky exacted would obliterate what remained of his dignity, and the entire ride to the penthouse felt like one, long trip to the gates of hell.

He’d made a deal with the devil and selling his soul?

Well, that was just the cost of doing business.

Chapter 9: On the Run

Everything: @jennmurawski13 @nerdy-bookworm-1998

Steve Rogers: @patzammit @hearttoearth The Boss of Brooklyn: @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety @captain-rogers-beard @lilliannaansalla

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