#Levi and hazels proposal

[trystcnthorne]

choices li tag game

got tagged by my bff @bryceslahela love u babes <3 (not tagging anyone else i’m lazy)

the freshman series - kaitlyn at first then i dumped her for zig my prince <3

tc&tf - kenna dated val dom dated sei

most wanted - dilf dave and milf sam endgame

rules of engagement - mc dated leo, the brother with elena, party twin with chef mira and loser twin with annoying audrey they deserve each other

endless summer - ESTELABEAR

love hacks - ben… but brooke in my heart

the haunting of bw manor - my ghost gf eleanor

the royal romance - king liam FUCK THE REST! (not u hanakins)

hero - both kenji and eva i’m a whore i fear

high school story - michael harrison

it lives in the woods - i didn’t care for the romances but ava

it lives beneath - again i didn’t care but danni i guess

home for the holidays - fuck this book

red carpet diaries - my queenie victoria

perfect match - hayden was my main damien and alana were my sidechicks i love being a pixel whore

bloodbound - KAMILAH MY GODDESS

veil of secrets - flynn, he repulses me now

america’s most eligible - mackenzie/beautiful contestant. i also did a dump adam for goddess bianca route

desire and decorum - ANNABELLE PARSONS… SUCH AN UNDERRATED ROUTE

across the void - i hate this book so much and the siblings lis but i chose kepler for mc

big sky country - i hate all of them but i chose juliette

the elementalists - shreya mistry

a courtesan of rome - i’ve romanced both syphax and sabina

the heist: monaco - MY PRINCESS SONIA ENEMIES TO LOVERS EXCELLENCE

ride or die - colt kaneko

open heart - jackie varma

passport to romance - i didn’t care abt any of them but i picked marisa

wishful thinking - was whoring between anna jaime and ellen

nightbound - all boring, i chose katherine

platinum - RALEIGH MY BF

sunkissed - eliana flores. barely had scenes but she was so cute

bachelorette party - ash, he was the best of the bunch i fear

mother of the year - levi but i kinda wish i did a thomas route

save the date - simon hendricks. hate this book and justin btw

the royal masquerade - male!asian hunter was very cute but black!female kayden was too gorgeous i can’t

baby bump - mr. convington. i changed his name to james bc clint is a fugly name. i hate this bitch but i hate the mayor even more

hot couture - luz but it should’ve been milf hazel

with every heartbeat - rip dakota 😔🙏

blades of light and shadow - malkins my silly thief <3

witness - FUCK YOU CASSIAN

distant shores - captain edward at first then i chose charlie

the nanny affair - female!latina sam

a very scandalous proposal - black!male simon, he was cute idc

queen b - zoey my princess 🫶

the unexpected heiress - john at first but gemma’s route was too good i love a forbidden romance

my first two loves - noah harris FUCK YOU MASON

ms. match - male!latino jack monroe

rising tides - i blind tapped through the whole book not even kidding so idk who i ended up with

wolf bride - FUCK YOU BASTIEN AND MORGAN

foreign affairs - blaine hayes my poopoo bear 🤭

slow burn - both julia and everett but juliakins my endgame

laws of attraction - GABE MY SEXY AND SMART KING

shipwrecked - boring romance between the captain and mc SNOOZE

wake the dead - all of them but i ended up with eli

surrender - FUCK YOU REAGAN

crimes of passion - TRYSTAN MY FOREVER ANGELBEAR I LOVE YOU

untameable - kit jackson you are a loser

the princess swap - speed tapped through the whole book idc about both lis

the cursed heart - YOU ARE A LITTLE BITCH KIERAN

immortal desires - both cas and gabe but i liked cas a tad bit more

#this took me forever for real #playchoices #pixelberry #choices #choices stories you play #choices tag #choices tag game

[warmshadcw]

some small statistics.

name: ira evans. age/dob: 40 / october 2. occupation: mortician. sexuality: demiromantic heterosexual. nationality: dutch-american. languages spoken: english, dutch, conversational spanish. hair color: dark brown. eye color: hazel, favoring greys and greens. height: 6′0″. build: athletic - lean muscle.

a chicago native. ira is the son of a detective and a veterinarian, and the eldest child out of two. he took the first opportunity he could to hightail it out of the city when it presented itself ---that came in the form of his parents divorcing when he was 13.

his younger brother stayed with their father in chicago while ira went and lived with his mother and step-father in maine. it was a sleepy change, and a nice pace away from consistently turning on the tv and hearing about the crime rate ... or hearing it at the dinner table with his father talking about his case load.

perhaps ira began to flourish more without the consistent presence of his father: less time keeping his hobbies and interests to himself in lieu of feeling pressured to conform to his father’s wants and desires, more time to discover his own avenues of self ... he was always a bit of an odd boy but kept it so tightly under his thumb that he didn’t quite feel as if he had his own personality until he was away from home.

attending mortuary school was not a thought during his childhood, at all. initially his interests lay with forensic science but he was turned off from the idea of involving himself with crime with his father around. the first 13 years of his life seemed to tip the scales drastically in favor of what he’d do with his future more than the time away - the damage had been done.

always an observant individual, ira learned how to apply that into some form of charm or charisma as he got older. people were easier to talk to, to get to leave him alone if he added a nice smile ... if he said a few nice things to butter them up along the way out the door.

his preference for the mortuary sciences (or rather, working with the recently deceased) comes from the same place his initial interest in forensic science came from --- he prefers the company of the dead. they’re quiet and non-judgmental. he can work at his own pace (within reason) and essentially be left alone to do so. while there’s less discovery with this avenue, and while part of the appeal of forensic science was helping with cases, ira at least takes solace in knowing that he provides a measure of peace to the grieving families. he’s alright with that.

he only recently moved to heartsdale (within the two years) because of his brother’s passing - having learned that levi escaped chicago in his early 20′s and had moved down to the sleepy georgia town. perhaps because it was off the grid ---luck had a job opportunity pop up in atlanta, an hour and a half away.

you can find him at work pretty much always. he’s taken to throwing himself into his business to settle out with having to deal with the emotions of loss: he may have had a strained relationship with his brother, but he’s still bothered by his death. it’s an added bonus that he’s actually quite talented at the mortuary sciences.

some fun small facts:

very good with his hands, be it fixing things or making them or tinkering in general. he prefers to do most housework himself. sink broken? he can fix it in an afternoon. wall need sheetrocking? he can do it. car need fixing? he’ll do that, too. it comes with being a self-appointed loner, honestly.

lived in vermont before being called to heartsdale. he plans on going back home as soon as he can, as soon as his brother’s estate and affairs are officially settled.

was in a relatively serious relationship with a woman he’d met through work for about five years. they lived together, and he’d planned on proposing to her, but it didn’t quite work out. they barely spoke thereafter, but were mostly amicable when they did. since then he’s been more of a one night stand kind of man, with little interest in opening himself up again.

has a cat he took from home with him. a little black cat named nyx.

wears glasses when he’s home, otherwise always has contacts in. you won’t ever see him with his glasses on unless you drop in unexpectedly on him.

he plays piano, and favors jazz. he picked it up in middle school and has stuck with it ever since. an avid music fan, he was incredibly amused to see his brother kept the old piano they had in their house from his youth. it’s one of his favorite hobbies.

#hdintro

[phoenix-reburned]

The Eagle: An Alternate Take to the AnR Theory

Before I begin this post, I want to preface this by saying that if the AnR ending happens, I will be sad but not disappointed, this is simply a thought I had that I hadn’t seen anyone else propose. I won’t be discussing why people believe that the eagle is Eren, although I know that there’s a lot of symbolism regarding it. This is simply my own thoughts on how Isayama could have a tragic ending that destroys us while also keeping some people alive.

Spoilers under the cut for both the manga and season four of the anime, you’ve been warned. Also long post, sorry.

First of all, if you have not yet watched the Akatsuki no Requiem video, I highly recommend you do that before continuing to read this post. Here’s the video:

For those of you that don’t know, the AnR theory states that the eagle in this video represents Eren and that this video basically spoils the entire ending of AOT. But what if the eagle isn’t actually Eren? What if it’s another character, telling the story of how they ended a war through bloodshed and lost their closest friends on the way? What if the same person telling us this story in the video is the same person who’s been telling us this story the whole time?

I believe that the eagle in this video is actually Armin Arlet, and that this is him recounting how he stopped the rumbling. This mixes in some of the Lebouch (?) theory, but not in the way you think.

Let’s start with something most people overlook about his character: Armin is extremely manipulative when he needs to be. He was able to convince Pixis that Eren wasn’t an enemy, quickly became a strategist that even Erwin trusted, and told Bertholt that someone he cared about deeply was being brutally tortured to save Eren. In his current position in the manga based upon the 137 leaks, he’s been able to take control of some of the titans away from Ymir. Whether or not he’s really done this or this is apart of Ymir’s plan is up for speculation, but for now let’s just assume that he did this of his own accord. He was able to talk Zeke into dying for humanity, a literal nihilist who killed countless people. Armin clearly will get his hands dirty if it benefits his plan, as shown multiple times. He’s not innocent.

Something else that helped me come to this conclusion, although this isn’t necessarily a huge reason I believe it, is that Armin is the one telling us this story. He’s been our narrator since season one. If Isayama wanted to kill him, why not just have Eren be the narrator? If Armin’s dead it makes no sense for him to be able to tell us the story even if you take the paths into consideration, since you can’t interact with anything or anyone in there.

Last thing before I get into the video is that Armin is being treated like a god right now by the titans on Eren in 137. The creator of the trojan horse theory (@/localhangeluvr on twitter), which is another inspiration for my theory, made a thread showing this and the similarities between Armin and the devils in Ymir’s story. This shows that he is going to be extremely important to the ending, whether or not he lives or dies. This thread also discusses the idea of Armin being the eagle, but we came to different conclusions based upon that idea.

Now let’s get into the video. The first thing I want to point out is the appearance of the color blue. We first see this when the eagle cries and dyes the baby eagle(?) blue. Later on, it reappears on the butterflies. The character that is most associated with this color is Armin, through his love of the ocean. His eyes are also blue in the anime, although blue for the ocean fits better since they’re hazel in the manga. The first time we meet Armin, he’s also wearing blue. Maybe this represents him wishing for a simpler time, before the fall of wall Maria?

Another thing, the grave the eagle visits. Look at the symbol on it.

To me, it resembles a snake eating it’s own tail. This makes me think of Eren, someone who ended up becoming what he hated most. First in the form of a titan, then in the form of a mass murderer. This could very well be Eren’s grave that the eagle visits, meaning he could be crying because of the knowledge that he killed the person that was once his best friend.

Next, let’s examine the thing on top of the baby eagle’s head, which also reappears later in the eagle’s library.

This clearly is supposed to be the wings of freedom. If Eren was the eagle, why would he hold onto the wings? At this point, he’s completely abandoned the scouts. Why would he want to keep anything what reminded him of what became his enemy around? These questions disappear if this is actually Armin though, as he would have no reason to renounce the scouts.

Another interesting thing is that the eagle has blue eyes when he has the lizard/frog mask on, but his actual eyes are brown. As I mentioned before, Armin has blue eyes in the anime but hazel in the manga. This could be another subtle hint to the eagle’s identity.

Next, the lack of walls in the sky city, or the fact that this is what it represents. This is when the Lebouch theory comes into play. While I don’t necessarily believe that Eren wants to be stopped, I do believe that if he is killed and the rumbling ends, that this will create peace. A scene all the way back in season one makes me believe this. After Eren agrees to try to seal the wall, he takes a walk with Pixis. To paraphrase what is said, Pixis states that only a world ending event could truly bring humanity together. Well, I do think an attempted mass genocide would be world ending enough to do it. Plus, there’s the fact that if the alliance stops it, that would put Paradis and the eldians back into the world’s good graces. And if one of them gets their hands on the founding, there’s also a possibility that they could completely remove all titans from the world.

The family is another reason a lot of people assume that this is Eren we’re watching because of his and Historia’s possible relationship in the manga, if you believe that Historia’s child is his (which I do, but that’s not super relevant right now). But that’s not necessarily what’s happening here. If someone’s able to reverse the curse of Ymir, then this COULD be Armin and Annie’s family. If Armin and Annie’s feelings for each other wasn’t important, why bring it up right at the end of the story? At this point there’s no reason for Isayama to show us that they like each other UNLESS it plays a role in the prologue. Or, maybe it’s to make Annie’s death sadder if he does kill her, but since she’s still alive I’m sticking with option a. I’m not sure if the cat means anything, however black cats are usually regarded as an omen of death. This could be a reminder that Armin killed Eren.

Another clue is the library.

It’s shown to be very expansive, clearly showing that whoever owns it loves to read. Only one character comes to mind when you think about books.

The lizard family is next.

Notice that it’s a father, mother and child. Maybe Armin will have to end up killing both Historia and her child along with Eren? Or this could just show Armin’s regrets at the deaths he’s caused in general.

In the ruins, we again see the image of a snake eating it’s tail. Possibly representing the damage that Eren caused with the rumbling?

Now the butterflies. Possibly one of the biggest reasons why people believe that Eren is the eagle.

In total, we see 10 butterflies. I believe that this does represent the alliance as they attempt to stop Eren, and shows that about 5 of them will die. I believe that the first death is either represented by Hange or Zeke, depending on how you view it. Maybe Zeke, as he was an outlier to the group until his death. I believe that Levi, Reiner, and Pieck will be the last three deaths. To add to this, the ground shot also only shows five butterflies, meaning that more than likely the rest of the alliance will live.

Right after these deaths, the baby eagle is shown preparing to fight. I believe that this means that these last three deaths will happen in quick succession and drive Armin overboard, causing him to do what Mikasa won’t and kill Eren.

Next, we see both eagles in a field of graves, showing that Armin regrets not being able to save more people. Maybe he even blames himself for their deaths, wishing he had stopped Eren earlier.

While I know that Mikasa is the one to wake Eren up from under the tree, maybe this shows that Armin is the one who says ‘see you later’ before she does?

I believe that this represents Armin realizing that, without Eren’s destruction, they never would have gotten peace. I believe that him dropping the arrow represents him feeling a kind of gratitude towards him, in a weird way?

And then the end of the video just shows us again that, while Eren did ultimately bring about peace, it came at a heavy price.

A few more things to mention:

1. The lyrics DO tie into chapter titles, while I won’t list them here going through the comments of this video will show all of them to you.

2. Armin’s last name literally means eagle.

That’s the end to my theory! Basically, I believe that Armin will kill Eren and that peace will be achieved, however it won’t be a happy ending for anyone involved.

There’s a few things about the video that I can’t necessarily explain, like the eagle’s lost leg. Though maybe, if they do rid the world of titans, if Armin is injured while killing Eren he’ll end up losing it? It’s something I’ll keep an eye out for over these last few chapters. Another thing is the revealed last manga panel. Most people do believe that it’s Eren (for good reason), we never get that confirmation. If this is after another time skip, that could be another character, hell maybe it’s even Armin talking to his and Annie’s child.

That’s it from me though. Let me know what yall think, if you think it’s plausible or tell me that I’m wrong, I don’t care lol. Proofs to either disprove or prove this would be great if yall find any! Thanks for reading my longass post.

#aot #attack on titan #attack on titan manga #attack on titan spoilers #aot manga #aot manga spoilers #aot theory #anr theory #attack on titan theory #akatsuki no requiem #armin arlet #aot armin #eren jaeger #eren yeager #aot eren #okay im going t bed now lol #e rambles #aot stuff #e theories #idk i like this post i want to keep it

[tayab12]

Drawings on my blog (commissioned or gifted)

Since I’ve been posting a few of them and I plan to post more in the future, I thought it would be convenient to make a Masterpost. So here are all the drawings you’ll find on my blog!

A Very Scandalous Proposal

Ava Montjoy

Bloodbound

Rheya Apostolous

Kamilah Sayeed in the twenties

Kamilah Sayeed in a uniform

Hot Couture

Hazel Nguyen

Mother of the year

Levi Schuler

Oper Heart

Naveen Banerji

Esme Ortega in a Halloween costume

Rising Tides

Charlie Thompson

The Elementalists

Dean Swan

The Royal Masquerade

Theodosia Nevrakis

Cyrus Vescovi and Renza Fierro

The Royal Romance

Maxwell and Bertand Beaumont

The Unexpected Heiress

Amelia, Gemma and John

I’m committed to commission drawings of side characters/characters that don’t have much art (and Kamilah because... yes), so that’s what you can expect to find here.

[mochasandwords]

Hello, Dolan!

Heyo, it’s me again! Yes with another AU! (I need to stop...) I’m still working on my Greater Beings AU and a one-shot I’m debating on doing, but my school is putting on Hello Dolly and this idea came to me. I want to do more of these, but I don’t know which scenes to do more of. I will definitely be taking suggestions if anyone has a preference!

Dolly Levi= Deceit (Dolan) Lyre

Horace Vandergelder= Logan Vattel

Irene Molloy= Roman Monarch

Cornelius Hackle= Remy Hiatos

Minnie Fay= Emile Falloppio

Barnaby Tucker= Virgil Turnus

Ambrose Kemper= Remus King

Ermengarde = Patton Bennet

Ernestine = Wade Sanders (Wrath)  

Words: 1818

Pairings: Intruality, platonic Sleepxiety, implied Logince, implied Loceit

Warnings: death mention, kinda mean rich person? Idk let me know if I need to add anything!

Logan sighed and rubbed his eyes, moving his glasses as he did so. The sound of his nephew sobbing next to him was preventing him from working. He stood up, turning to look at Patton.

“How can I be expected to work with all that bellowing in my ears?” He asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

“I can’t help it, Uncle! I love Remus King!” Patton cried, tugging at his light blue dress.

“And I say you’re too young to be in love with anybody!” Logan said, groaning. He had fallen in love way too early in life. While he had loved his wife in the ways required of him, the two never truly connected. Logan was gay.  

His wife had died a decade ago, and Logan was finally ready to try again at love. That did not mean Patton was ready though. Logan did not want his nephew to jump into love as he had.

“I’m not too young! I’m seventeen, and in another year, I’ll be an old bachelor!” Patton stomped his foot, and Logan tried not to crumble under Patton’s puppy-dog eyes.

“Well, I forbid it! And stop crying near the store windows!”

“I can’t help it! I’m unhappy!” He announced.  

“Then by the stars, you’ll go and weep for a while in New York! Now go upstairs and start packing your trunk, and don’t get any tears on the lock! It was just oiled!” Logan called after Patton as the young man rushed upstairs, still crying. Logan sighed and sat back down at his desk. He hated being harsh on Patton, but he followed his heart too much. Remus King was a painter and brash man. Logan was afraid he would hurt Patton. Intentionally or unintentionally. He turned his mind to New York, where he and Patton were going soon to meet Logan’s fiancé: a hat maker named Roman.

“Speaking of being away….” Logan muttered, stomping his foot three times, “Remy! Virgil!” A muttering came from the basement, and a few seconds later, the trapdoor to the basement opened and two men emerged. Both wore brown pants and a white shirt and apron. Remy’s apron was black while Virgil’s was a pale purple. Remy was the taller and older one, he was also the more experienced one, having worked with Logan longer. They were both hard workers, usually. Virgil went into anxiety attacks when he did something wrong or Logan raised his voice too much. Remy worked late and ended up falling asleep during the day. Logan tried to tell him to leave when his shift was over, but the man wouldn’t let himself be convinced.

“You stamped, Mr. Vattel?” Remy asked, voice gravelly as if he had just woken up. His sunglasses were slightly askew but still hid his eyes. Logan suppressed a sigh.

“I did. I have news for you both. As you know, I am going to New York this afternoon to march in the Nineteenth Street Association Parade. What I haven’t told you is when I come back, you’re going to have a paramour.” Virgil’s green eyes grew wide.

“I-I’m too young Mr. Vattel!” He stuttered. Logan groaned.

“Not yours, Virgil, mine! I mean,” he turned to Remy, “I’m getting married again. And in honor of that occasion, I’ve decided to promote you, Remy, to chief clerk.” Remy’s eyebrow raised.

“And what am I now…?” He asked, slightly sarcastic.

“You’re an exhausted fool, that’s what you are. And I’m promoting you from exhausted fool to chief clerk. Any more questions?” Logan stood up and held his hands behind his back. Remy yawned slightly.

“Yeah, actually.”

“What?”

“Does the chief clerk get one evening off a week?” Remy asked. Logan paused and took a deep breath.

“You already have that, Remy. More than one, in fact. You refuse to take them. So no, you’re not getting an extra one. Now, get back to work, your break was over a while ago. And don’t forget to put the lid on the sheep dip.” The two went to the back of the store to work, Remy saluting Logan as he left. Logan ran his hand through his hair and decided to get some fresh air. He walked outside of his store and stared at the small town around him. A band marched by, playing a familiar tune.  

“Three cheers for femininity! Rah! Rah! Rah! – Rah! Rah! Rah! FEM-ITY. / And in the winter…” They sang. Logan snorted at the misspelling of femininity and watched as the band continued on. Clapping from next to him caught his attention and he turned to see Mr. Dolan Lyre. The man he had hired to find Logan a husband.  

“Amusing, aren’t they? Though I do not like the hidden message of women being more maids than wives…. Anyway, a thousand congratulations!” Mr. Lyre greeted. He wore a yellow button-up blouse with a black, long skirt and a black hat that had black lace that covered half of his face. A golden necklace with a snake charm hung around his neck. Logan’s stomach did a summersault but he pushed it off.

“What?” He asked, bringing his mind back to Mr. Lyre’s mismatched eyes. One hazel and one green.  

“I said congratulations, Mr. Vattel! All New York is buzzing with the news that you’ve practically proposed to Roman Monarch. The streets are lined with eligible young men prostrate with grief. All my congratulations and sympathy-.”

“Sympathy?” Logan asked, fully turning to Mr. Lyre.

“Did I say that? A slip of the tongue, that’s all. No, I’m delighted with the happy news, after all, he wasn’t easy to unload – by that I mean you know what people said. Although I for one never believed the rumors, no, I didn’t.” He hummed, placing his hand on Logan’s arm and guiding them to sitting on the steps that led to Logan’s store.  

“Rumors? What… rumors?”

“Oh, nothing to be upset about, Mr. Vattel. I mean according to all known facts, his first husband passed on quite naturally. It’s just that he went so sudden…. A few spoons of chowder he made special for him and well…. But it could happen to anyone. No, there’s no truth in it. Though, just one word of advice, Mr. Vattel: eat out!” Mr. Lyre chuckled at his joke. Logan raised an eyebrow.

“Now hold on, Mr. Lyre, you mean to say that Mr. Monarch-?”

“I mean to say nothing, Mr. Vattel. Just friendly advice. Keep away from the chowder. Oh! By the way, he’s just ordered his wedding gown, beautiful; you should see it – black! Being a hat designer you’d think he had more taste.” Mr. Lyre stood up and brushed off his skirt, “Well, as I said before, rest in… I mean, may guardian angels watch over you both. Particularly at dinner.” Mr. Lyre muttered, a hint of resentment in his eyes. He started to walk away, but Logan scrambled to his feet and grabbed Mr. Lyre’s arm.

“Look here, Mr. Lyre. You introduced me to Mr. Monarch, and rumors or not I intend calling on him this afternoon as arranged!” Mr. Lyre pulled himself out of Logan’s grip. He seemed to stiffen slightly, but the lace was covering the part of his face that was toward Logan, preventing him from seeing Mr. Lyre’s eyes.

“Very well, Mr. Vattel, then there’s nothing more for me to do but go back to New York, after I finish my other errands of course, and tell the other man, the heir, not to wait….” Logan froze and walked in front of Mr. Lyre, stopping him.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. Well, a word. Heir.”

“His name?”

“His name? Um… Sanders? Yes, that’s it. Wade Sanders.”

“…A lovely name.” Logan hummed. While he was rich, he could always use a bit more. Especially to find Patton a good school and a proper match. Patton would need the money as well as a second parent.

“Picture, if you will, hair as shiny as a newly minted penny… eyes as big as round silver dollars… skin as soft and mossy as an old greenback. Age 36; weight, a hundred and eighty-six -. Now, I could arrange for you to meet this Thomas this very afternoon.” Mr. Lyre said with a slight smile.

“I don’t have the time, Mr. Lyre. I have to bring my nephew Patton to New York this afternoon until he forgets a certain Remus King!” Logan sighed, remembering his previous plans for the day.  

“I could do that with you, Mr. Vattel.” Mr. Lyre said, moving a bit closer to Logan, “I know just how to handle such things.” Logan felt himself gulp.

“I’m marching in the Nineteenth Street Association Parade after.”

“Well, what an amazing coincidence. Mr. Sanders has been chosen to ride the float for the parade. His mother was a Cash you know.” He spoke that last part quietly. Like he was sharing a secret. Logan bit his lip then nodded.

“Alright, Mr. Lyre. I’ll meet Mr. Sanders at the parade, but I still intend on paying another meeting with Mr. Monarch first.” Logan said, voice unwavering. Mr. Lyre pulled back abruptly and turned to Logan’s store and home.  

“Oh dear, what races you make me run!” He sighed, “Very well, Mr. Vattel! I’ll meet you on that bench in front of Mr. Monarch’s hat shop at two-thirty as usual.” The two walked into the shop together.

“One more thing, Mr. Lyre. Suppose I decide against Mr. Monarch and I don’t like Mr. Sanders either?” Logan asked quietly. He didn’t know what pushed him to ask, but something had forced it out of him. Mr. Lyre paused from grabbing Logan’s hat and coat from the coat rack.

“Well, I happen to have one more name on my list, Mr. Vattel. A name I know as well as my own, but let’s not go into that now.” He handed Logan his hat and helped him into his coat, “It’ll come up by itself all in good time. Don’t you worry about it!” Mr. Lyre patted Logan on the back and started to push him out of the store, “Oh! But wait until you see Wade, Logan! A vision! A dream!” Logan chuckled.  

“All right, all right. I’ll leave it up to you. I’m trusting you, Dolan.” He smiled. Mr. Lyre smiled softly back.  

“You can, Logan. Patton will forget about Mr. King and you’ll find your husband all before the end of the day.” He announced. Logan tipped his hat and walked out of the store. He hadn’t even gotten a few feet when he heard Mr. Lyre start to sing.

“Yes, it takes a man… to bring you the sweet things in life.”  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@queer-sprite hey girl you wanted to read this when I was done?

#death mention #ts logan #ts emile #ts deceit #ts roman #ts remus #ts patton #ts remy #ts virgil #ts wrath #intruality #platonic sleepxiety #implied logince #implied loceit #hello dolly #CaffinatedWords

[eotheria]

The World of Eotheria According to Lady Valentine

Part 17: The Republic of Creat Pristan

And now we come to the lesser four of the seven human nations. Though the smallest, Creat Pristan is an interesting nation with a strong cultural identity and a great love for the arts. It’s also become a very notable nation in recent days, for reasons I will discuss here.

Humans of Pristani ethnicity have olive skin with brown hair that ranges from blond to almost black. Most are tall and slender and have green or hazel eyes, but these traits are hardly universal. Though obviously quite well represented in Creat Pristan, they are also a common sight in Kresnik and Laguna as well.

As stated, Creat Pristan is the smallest of the seven human nations, and also the only one that isn’t a monarchy. However, neither were always the case. Creat Pristan once held a powerful empire throughout central Suvitha that rivaled that of Kresnik. Founded in 1099 BGE, the Pristani Empire began small, encompassing Rahm and the surrounding cities. It quickly expanded, conquering other regions and assimilating their populations into the Pristani Empire. At its height in around 700 BGE, the Pristani Empire included Laguna, parts of what is now southern Kresnik, and even parts of Avaniel and the current Kordran Empire.

The Fall of the Monarchy

So what happened to reduce the mighty Pristani Empire to the small nation it now is? A number of things, but the greatest catalyst was the dissolution of the monarchy. Before the founding of the republic, Creat Pristan had an emperor and an elected Senate, both of which saw themselves as the rightful rulers of the Empire. The emperor had a great deal of power over the governing of Creat Pristan, but there was one thing he could not do: he could not levy taxes on his people. Only the Senate could do that. As such, while the emperors of Creat Pristan saw the Senate as a hindrance at best and traitors at worst, they needed the Senate to raise funds for the empire, making them a necessary inconvenience. And the Senate were more than happy to hold tax policy for ransom in order to get the emperor to agree to social and economic reforms.

And then in 611 BGE, Emperor Tommas Aurelian had the bright idea to dissolve the Senate entirely, turning to old, archaic laws in order to levy taxes. This was an extremely unpopular decision, as the Senate had a great deal of public support, and the archaic tax laws were seen by many as an attempt to defy the will of the people. To make matters worse, Laguna, whose people had never been happy under Pristani rule, saw its independence movements bolstered by the emperor’s decision to dissolve the Senate. Additionally, Kresnik had taken notice of everything that was going on. It was well known that then-Emperor Victor Kresnik had the idea to retake the southern portions of the Kresnik Empire that had been taken by Creat Pristan roughly a hundred years ago.

Another thing was happening during this time that contributed to the tensions. Worship of Zasiri (now known as Zasriel, one of the Seven Goddesses) was becoming very popular among the Pristani, particularly the nobility and the educated. The Emperor and his followers, however, worshiped the Kresnik pantheon, particularly Mariel, and was not shy about imposing what he felt the Pristani religion should be upon the public. This only further complicated things in Laguna, which had its own pantheon independent of both Zasiri and the Kresnik gods. Said pantheon was a trinity of goddesses that included Aine, deity of love and compassion (now known as Amriel, one of the Seven Goddesses); Leannan, deity of knowledge and inspiration; and Niamh, deity of battle and mercy. Most of the Pristani emperors were willing to allow the Lagunese to worship whatever they chose, but Aurelian’s zealotry towards Mariel (and the fact that he very publicly considered the Lagunese Trinity heathen), did not help to cool the flaring tempers. 

In 607 BGE everything came crashing down at once when Amara, the largest city in the Laguna region, declared independence from the Pristani Empire and took much of western Creat Pristan with it, effectively driving a wedge into the empire that separated Rahm from the southern Pristani holdings in what is now part of the Kordran Empire. In response, Emperor Aurelian sent his forces to Laguna to deal with the dissenters. Almost immediately after this, Kresnik made its move, invading northern Creat Pristan to retake land that had been lost to the Pristani. Because much of northern Creat Pristan considered itself Kresnik, most cities, such as Arseniy and what is now Bondapolis, welcomed the Kresnik forces and allied with the invaders. Forced to fight a war on two fronts, Creat Pristan was rapidly running out of time and money, as the archaic tax laws that Aurelian was enforcing could not raise money at a fast rate. With no other options, Aurelian called a meeting of the Senate.

The Senate did not forget what Aurelian had done. They held the emperor to ransom, refusing to entertain any notion of raising taxes until Aurelian agreed to a series of reforms that would, among other things, guarantee total freedom of religion, make it impossible for the emperor to raise taxes himself, greatly reduce the executive power of the emperor, and making it illegal for the emperor to dissolve the Senate. In short, the Senate had every intention of crippling the monarchy for good. In response, the emperor ordered the entire Senate arrested for treason. When the city guard refused to cooperate, Aurelian realized he had lost the support of the people and fled Rahm with his family.

In early 606 BGE, the Pristani Senate announced the dissolution of the monarchy. A new republic was born and a new constitution was wrote up. Aurelian was eventually captured and sentenced to death for treason. His son, who would have been his heir, agreed to abdicate all claims to the throne, and the monarchy was no more. The war was soon resolved relatively peacefully after this. The Senate met with Emperor Victor Kresnik and the Lagunese governors to redraw the boundary lines between Creat Pristan, Laguna, and Kresnik. Roughly a hundred years later, the Kordran Empire would retake the Pristani holdings in Avaniel and Kordran, leaving Creat Pristan the smallest of the seven human nations. Ever since, Creat Pristan experienced a renaissance of art and learning, and though it maintained a strong army in case anyone wanted to test them, it was easily the most peaceful and enlightened of the seven human nations. And it would remain so. Until the Cataclysm happened.

The “Liberation” of Creat Pristan

I suppose the time has come to discuss the recent change of control in Creat Pristan. I am reluctant to call it either occupation or liberation, as which one it is seems to depend on who you talk to. It occurred only a few months before the time of this writing, on the nineteenth day of the second month of the year 984 GE. A large contingent of Mjollnir forces led by Mjollnir head Anselim Seere, numbering some ten thousand strong, along with allied kobolds and orcs, laid siege to the walled city of Rahm, being defended by Prince Adrian Kresnik, his unit, and Pristani soldiers loyal to Kresnik.  Despite being outnumbered and having disadvantage of terrain, the Mjollnir factions succeeded in routing the Kresnik forces and taking the capital in only five days, effectively declaring Creat Pristan an independent state. Adrian Kresnik was captured, but returned to Kresnik a tenday later in a prisoner exchange.

In gathering information regarding the battle at Rahm, I came to the conclusion that discussing it could not be properly done without first discussing Kresnik's annexation of Creat Pristan in the first place. The seeds were sown forty-five years ago, when the great Cataclysm occurred. Of all the human nations, none were as hard hit by the coming of Malenom as Creat Pristan. The Great Scar created an unnatural border between Laguna and Creat Pristan before tearing into the Aesir Mountains, effectively leaving one third of the small nation uninhabitable and cut off from its neighbors, with the exception of the Kresnik Empire to the north. Those that survived would have to deal with crazed elementals coming through the scar, attacking anything near them. Though Creat Pristan's army was quite strong, it was meant for fighting goblinoids, and the small nation was not the most magically inclined and had little experience in handling elementals. Particularly in the magnitudes from which they flowed from the Scar.

At first, Creat Pristan held their own against the elementals and began to rebuild their nation. However, it soon became apparent that they were rapidly running out of money and resources, and that there was no end to the crazed elementals. The nation was deep in debt to Kresnik and could do little to stop the bleeding. Then-tribune Marcus Aenolas, backed by a number of senators, passed a series of tax reforms to attempt to stop the bleeding. Not only did they prove ineffective, but the taxes were levied at the wealthy and the clergy, rather than the poor. While this was a noble gesture, it also meant that everyone in Creat Pristan who had money and power hated the tribune. It was at this point, in the year 975 GE, that Emperor Karol Kresnik offered to annex Creat Pristan to remove their considerable debt.

Unfortunately, problems arose as a result of a disagreement between the senate and the tribune. The senate, hoping to quiet the discontent of the upper class and improve lives for the poor with the offer of Kresnik's considerable wealth, largely agreed to the proposal of annexation, but at the last moment,  Aenolas blocked the proposal, claiming that Creat Pristan was free and would always remain so. The senate attempted to override his veto, and failed by a single vote.

And this is the part where all hell broke loose.

Three days later, Aenolas delivered a speech at the Rahm Coliseum announcing the decision to remain independent, thanking the senators who supported his decision and acknowledging the discontent among those that didn't. In the middle of the speech, an arrow flew from the stands and struck Aenolas in the neck. He died almost instantly. Attempts at using magic to revive him failed. And if you're thinking that the clergy that held a grudge against Aenolas might have been lying about the effectiveness of revivification, well, you're not the only one to think that theory. The shooter was found two days later, having died of a self inflicted stab wound through the heart. Rumors abound that someone had hired the Blood Pact to do the job, but I can tell you personally that is not the case. There are lines that my Blood Pact will not cross and the murder of a world leader is one of them. I much prefer not to stir up human affairs too much, thank you. Regardless, Tribune Aenolas was dead, the assassin was revealed to be an unknown, no one could determined who, if anyone, had hired him, and everyone in Creat Pristan was pointing fingers at everyone else.

An emergency vote was cast to declare a new tribune to serve in the interim. This man was Henrik Cassius. Coincidentally, he was one of the senators who pushed strongly for annexation. Indeed, only sixteen days later, another vote was cast to decide on whether to be annexed by Kresnik or not. This time, the motion passed with little opposition.  This did not sit well with the poor and the middle class of Creat Pristan, who saw Aenolas as a martyr and accused Cassius of being a puppet for Kresnik. By all accounts, Kresnik would largely allow Creat Pristan to govern itself and give financial aid when needed, and the nation did well enough under Kresnik rule. This did not, however, prevent a group of Pristani Separatists from emerging with the intent to declare Creat Pristan an independent state.

There would be growing discontent in Creat Pristan between the Loyalists and the Separatists, but nothing would ever amount to civil war until early in the current year when the Separatists officially became a part of the anti-Kresnik group Mjollnir and its leader, Anselim Seere. Seere, a Pristani native himself, promised to take control of the Pristani capital of Rahm and make it the base of operations for Mjollnir. In response, Kresnik general and prince, Adrian Kresnik, arrived with his unit to fortify the walled city. To bolster his ranks, Seere allied with the Irontooth Clan, a local orc tribe that had long suffered under Pristani rule, as well as a conclave of kobolds called the Cobalt Picks Mining Authority, who had been forced out of Rahm by Cassius. Even with these additions, however, the Kresnik forces outnumbered Mjollnir considerably, and had the advantage of being in a walled fortress. It is quite a testament to Anselim Seere's charisma that he was able to convince his forces to go on what was largely seen as a suicide mission.

What they did not know was that Seere had a double agent on the inside who could turn the tide of the battle easily, and Prince Adrian never saw it coming. One of his own lieutenants turned once the battle began and took much of her unit with her. Those that didn't turn were captured. Adrian lost one third of his standing forces before he knew it, and that lieutenant allowed the Mjollnir forces to enter the walled city unabated. That woman's name was Veronica Lecarde, who is now the second-in-command of Mjollnir. Having been outsmarted, Prince Adrian's forces surrendered in only five days. Most of the Loyalist forces were given the opportunity to serve under Mjollnir, and Adrian Kresnik was captured and then returned to Kresnik in a prisoner exchange. As a result of the change in power, the Tribune and the Senate were all subject to emergency elections to determine whether they would still have a place in the Pristani government. A little over half of the Pristani senators were replaced, and Tribune Henrik Cassius chose to resign rather than attempt to retain his position. He was succeeded by Portia Septimus, one of the most vocal senators for independence. Some see her as a puppet and claim that Anselim Seere holds the real power in Rahm, but whether or not she is has yet to be seen.

Of course, the hard part now is keeping hold of Rahm, and Kresnik has not made it easy for them. Prince Adrian insisted on being the one to retake Creat Pristan, but his father, Emperor Karol Kresnik, rightly believed he was acting out of vengeance rather than reason, and instead appointed a half-orc general named Edwin Varguk for the job. This may well have been a mistake, as the change in command allowed Mjollnir time to fortify the defenses of Rahm, and Varguk is finding out that the walls around the city that protected it while under Kresnik rule are doing just as excellent a job protecting while Mjollnir has the city.

Creatures of Creat Pristan

Being such a small nation, there aren’t many creatures that are unique to Creat Pristan. There are, however, some that appear in much greater numbers here than elsewhere.

Harpies are especially common in Creat Pristan, and much to the dismay of all who live there, the Great Scar has forced many of them further north, making them even more of a problem than usual. Though rarely actively malicious, they are quite a nuisance to all who come across them, as they have a tendency to rob travelers of food and valuables (especially shiny trinkets) and to kidnap young men to propagate their species. Unfortunately for the Pristani, they can fly and tend to nest in high mountaintops and trees, making it quite a hassle to root them out. Fortunately they tend to stay well away from urban areas, and they tend to harass individuals rather than people traveling in groups. So long as one takes precautions, one need not fear harpies. And even if you do fall victim to one, they’re mercifully not all that interested in killing and eating people, despite what you may have heard from the local Pristani.

Hill giants are also very common in Creat Pristan, and like harpies, they have found themselves displaced from their homes by the Great Scar. While they aren’t entirely unreasonable, the problem is the hill giants are a dangerous combination of stupid and gluttonous. They require far more resources to sustain themselves than a human, and when times are tight, they’re more than happy to take said resources from human communities. While some hill giants are entirely happy to live peacefully as shepherds and cowherds in rural Creat Pristan well away from human society, and a few are even intelligent enough to trade wool and leather with nearby human communities, others look on humans with jealousy and aim to take everything that the humans have. Luckily, hill giants are highly disorganized and tend to be solitary by nature, making large hill giant raids unheard of.

Zasriel, the Teacher

I’ve discussed Zasriel earlier in the chapter. Once known as Zasiri, Zasriel is the goddess of knowledge, learning, and art. In fact, she’s the main reason that some of the most prestigious universities in Suvitha are found in Creat Pristan, as well as why some of the most beautiful art can be found here. Artists and scientists pray to her for inspiration. She’s depicted as a Pristani woman with long, dusty brown hair and gray robes, and is usually holding a quill pen and an open book.

Despite her reputation, there have been, sadly, a number of intellectuals who see her as ineffective, and point to a demon lord, Mephis, as being one far more likely to impart knowledge. These people miss the entire point of Zasriel. She isn’t just a goddess of knowledge, but the pursuit of knowledge for its sake. She inspires as much as she teaches. In contrast, Mephis has knowledge but hoards it for himself. Go ahead and beseech Mephis for knowledge and see what happens. Make sure you have someone on hand to send you to a sanitarium when your mind is completely broken by the massive amount of knowledge that Mephis gifts to you.

That’s all for Creat Pristan. In the next chapter I will talk about the oldest of the human kingdoms, Ledo.

#eotheria #homebrew

[lindoig7]

Friday/Monday 4-7 September

Friday

TGIF – although I have no idea why.  Every day is like every other day at present.  We had planned to take a long drive to Dargo today, but I think we were both still suffering a little from being thrown around on the rough roads on Wednesday so we decided to take another day to recuperate.

We went out for a 3+ km walk in the afternoon, just around the district nearby, but apart from that, we were in and around the van all day.  We watched a DVD before our walk and I made a few phone calls and paid some bills including our unit levies. There is a different way of paying them from this quarter and it took me over an hour to set up and pay the 5 invoices for our apartment and each of its appurtenances.  At least that was a one-off and it should make payment easier in the future.

Saturday

We took a really long drive today – just a shade under 600 km.  We wanted to check out some of the caravan parks further east from here in case there was an easing of the lockdown rules when Dan announces his proposed way out of the crisis tomorrow.

We needed to buy a few comestibles in the morning and ended up at both Coles and Woolworths without quite completing our shopping list at either.  After examining the map, our main objective was Marlo.  We were looking for a central location a fair bit further east in the hope that we could base ourselves at a place where the rest of Gippsland was within comfortable reach.  Orbost looked to be about the most central, but Marlo looked to be a little more scenic.

We started out on the main highway but detoured through Bruthen after Sale and thence more-or-less straight through Orbost and on to Marlo.  We sat by the mouth of the Snowy River and ate lunch and then checked out the local caravan parks.  They were passable but really nothing special so we decided that the scenic aspect would not trump the extra 40-odd kilometres we would need to drive every time we went for an outing.  We looked at the only caravan park in Orbost and it looked quite acceptable so when we are able to move, I think that will be out target.  We went on to check out several more parks at Lake Tylers, Nowa Nowa, and Lakes Entrance but none of them really looked any better than the Orbost one. By then it was getting dark so we basically hit the highway and headed straight back to Warragul, stopping only at Traralgon to top up with more cheap fuel.  We had planned to get fish and chips for dinner, but we knew that the shop closed at 8 pm and we may not have got back in time to purchase anything.  In desperation, we had another superb meal of kofta that we had cooked a couple of days ago.

We never even put a DVD on after dinner.  It was getting late (for us) so we just read until we fell asleep.

Sunday

What a beautiful day it was!  Warm and sunny all day with hardly a cloud to be seen.  It was Father’s Day.  Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there, including to a few of the female fathers who had to be mother and father at times.

We went for a long walk after breakfast.  It was a slightly truncated version of the 8 km walk along the Hazel Creek that we did a couple of weeks ago.  It is just along the track behind the caravan but then across the highway and up to the northern edge of town.  We didn’t go quite to the end but it was still some worthwhile exercise and an enjoyable walk.

We had a few little tasks to do around the van.  We defrosted and restocked the fridge, did some hand washing, cleaned a bit of mould off some normally unseen damp surfaces, repacked most of our liquid refreshments under the bed, and so on.  I also washed thousands of squashed bugs off the windscreen and lights on the car.  (That was the second time I have had to do that in two days – and they are really hard to remove for some reason.  Maybe a special breed of Gippsland insects whose corpses stick to glass like limpets.)

I had some lovely Father’s Day messages and phone calls from the kids and we spoke to almost all of them on the phone so it was a lovely family day and I felt quite special despite the limitations on contact.  The news from the Premier that we had all been pinning our hopes on was really discouraging and it is so hard for the family and everyone else in Melbourne.  At least those of us in regional Victoria have retained the same level of freedom we had, even if there was no relaxation of the rules and little prospect of (ever) meeting the somewhat absurd and unrealistic targets.

In the absence of any good news, we made our own! We had another serving of our wonderful home-made meatloaf for dinner!

Monday

It was another wonderful sunny day and we made the most of it.  We had been deferring any exploration of Nayook because the Rainforest Walk there was classified as level 3 with very steep climbs and descents.  But it was only about 2 km long so we decided to give it a go.  Glen Nayook is about 10 km from Noojee on a road we have travelled quite a few times.

The walk was a little challenging, but a lovely place to wander.  There are some very steep parts and the track is nearly always narrow and single file.  It has lots of steps, but they are not well-maintained and potentially quite hazardous in numerous places.  There are very few handrails although some that were there had obviously fallen down the hill (hopefully not when walkers were holding on to them).  We were serenaded by a full orchestra of birds for much of the route, but they were very high in the trees and I only had fleeting glimpses of two birds during the whole walk – both much too far away to identify.  There were lots of tree ferns and most of the trees were mammoths, beautifully smooth and straight for what seemed to be 50 metres or so before the first branches appeared. Magnificent and obviously quite old.  There was a delightful creek gurgling through the undergrowth at the bottom of the descent.   The creek almost glowed in the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy - but it was all uphill from there!

One interesting feature was the amount of biggish animal droppings on many of the steps.  No idea of their origin though.  They looked to me most like emu droppings, but there would certainly not be any emus in the area.  Definitely not wallabies, wombats, koalas, etc., so it is intriguing what other animals might be there that were large enough (and plentiful enough) to leave the deposits.

We ate our lunch in Noojee and then drove up the Loch Valley road.  It was a very interesting drive through the forest with the road deteriorating as we drove north.  There were several signs warning of logging operations but we saw none – other than a few clear-felled areas and the obvious damage to the roads.  We branched off on a road (technically, a track!) that went through to Tanjil Bren that we had visited a few weeks ago.  It is as far as you are allowed to drive into the mountains without chains.  It was a rather adventurous drive, requiring pretty focussed attention, along a very narrow, rocky track with lots of potholes, water hazards, a few patches of snow and fallen trees partially across the track.  We love this sort of place.  It feels very remote and isolated, although we did encounter a few cars, fortunately all in places where one of us could get far enough off the track to let the other pass.  One place where we encountered a small truck was just after I had run over a shiny black snake.  I saw it slithering across the road and braked to avoid it, but I think I may have driven over the end of its tail.  I stopped to look back at it and saw it slither into the gutter with the tip of its tail at an odd angle.  While i was watching it, a truck came the other way so I had to leave the snake and drive a 30-40 metres to a place where we could pass.  We told the chap about the snake and he said he would look for it, but obviously it was gone by then.  Interestingly, where we stopped, we saw several small birds – probably more birds that we had seen all day.

From Tanjil Bren, we just took the main road back to Warragul.  We called in at Rokeby to suss out a longish walk we are considering and found that there is another shorter one there too.  We will probably give that a try before doing the longer one.

Back in Warragul, we went to Bunnings to return a ceramic radiator we had purchased a couple of months ago.  We had tried it a couple of times but Heather can’t bear the smell of it so we returned it with the intention of getting a non-ceramic one.  Alas, radiators have been replaced with fans and cooling devices in Warragul so we will have to make do with our other forms of heating until Autumn.

[whereisthefood123]

Clearing

A little bird told me that @pocketwoman7 is going to have a very special day soon. This is for you! Hope you like it!

 Word count: 2.8 k

FFnet

“Psst, Lily…”

“What now Gajeel?” The battle-form Exceed sighed growing more and more tired from the dragon slayer’s attitude with each passing minute.

“I don’t think I can do this.” Gajeel whispered in a panicked tone. He was looking over his shoulder to keep talking with his friend while he shifted uncomfortably where he was standing.

Lily sighed once again. “Gajeel, we have gone through this already.” Juvia looked their way when she heard part of the conversation. Her eyes asked Lily what was going on and he just rolled his eyes and pointed his chin towards Gajeel muttering silently to her ‘this idiot again’.

“Yeah, I know. And I heard that, cat!” The dragon slayer turned his head around to growl at his friend.

The click-clack of a pair of heels made Gajeel turn to the other side and see Juvia closing the small gap between where she stood a couple seconds before to where the dragon slayer was. This earned quite a few strange looks from the people in the building but the water mage ignored them.

“Is everything alright, Gajeel-kun?” She placed a hand over his shoulder, patting lightly the black suit jacket he wore. Lily also closed the gap between them with two steps and Gajeel turned slightly to his side to face both of his closest friends.

“He’s getting cold feet.” Lily smirked when Gajeel looked at him with wide eyes and spluttered a bunch of words that made no sense.

Juvia gasped and placed her hand over her mouth. “Is it true?!” Her voice was low to avoid creating a commotion, but Gajeel could bet that if they were someplace else she would have yelled at him in a high-pitch tone.

“It ain’t that!” Gajeel clenched his jaw, clearly irritated to be accused of something like that. Still, his posture remained the same, standing tall with his back straight and hands clasped in front of him. He needed to pretend that he was calmed and relaxed. He couldn’t let any of the guests see there were these strange feelings inside him eating him alive.

“It’s just…” He sighed and looked to the side, brows furrowing in thought. “What if I ain’t good enough? What if she decides to leave me?” His chest tightened painfully at just the mere idea of something like that happening. “She deserves better.” He muttered sadly.

“She does.” Lily teased him and Gajeel quickly shoot him a deadly glare. Still, the Exceed could see the pain and the doubts clouding his partner’s soul. His tone changed as he placed a large hand on the other’s shoulder. “We’ve been through this, Gajeel. You thought the same thing when you asked her out.”

“Yeah, but-”

“And when you asked her to be your girlfriend.” The Exceed continued.

“I know but-”

“And when you moved in together.” Juvia added.

“Still, she-”

“And “ Lily emphasized the word cutting Gajeel short, “when you proposed to her. And you know what her answer was every time?” The Exceed quirked an eyebrow questioningly at his friend.

Gajeel pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. “Cut the crap, Li-”

“Language, Gajeel-kun!” Juvia hushed as she slapped him lightly on his arm.

“Yes.” Lily continued. “She said yes every time to you, you lughead.”

Gajeel smiled at remembering all those occasions where he was terrified of being rejected, of making a fool of himself, of being left alone, and how with one single word she was able to change his life for the better. Those three letters meant nothing in anyone else’s mouth, but her voice has this power that made that one syllable be so important for him. In exchange, Gajeel wanted to be someone worthy of her; it was the least he could do.

“Levy-san loves Gajeel-kun.” Juvia stated.

And that was a fact that he knew was as real as the ethernando in the air.

“Levy-san thinks Gajeel-kun is good enough for her. That’s why she’s marrying you today, Gajeel-kun.” Juvia smiled at him and he found himself returning the gesture.

Gajeel smirked and looked at both of his friends, “Thanks, I appreciate it guys.”

“Wow, big word. Are you trying to impress Levy?” Lily teased him and the glum mood of the dragon slayer vanished from existence.

“Agh, shut up Lil!” Gajeel glared at his friend and Juvia giggled at the scene.

Suddenly, their attention was drawn by Warrod coughing into his hand, an obvious attempt to signal them that it was time. He looked at Juvia and she nodded in understanding. She fixed the quirked white rose that was perched on the front pocket of Gajeel’s jacket and he nodded in gratitude for the gesture. Then, with one last pat on Gajeel’s shoulder, she made her way to the opposite side of the aisle, returning to her place beside Lucy while smoothing down her light pink dress. The stellar mage asked her if everything was alright and the bluenette nodded happily. “Perfect.” She whispered to the blonde and both laughed lightly.

“Everybody rise.” Warrod’s voice boomed through the building and soon everybody stood up and looked towards the doors. Lily took it as his cue to retake his place behind Gajeel and next to Natsu who seemed to be oblivious about the conversation with the iron mage.

Gajeel held his breath and felt how his heartbeat sped up in anticipation. His eyes were glued to the enormous double-doors. He barely registered how the room grew silent in eager anticipation.

Then, the doors of Kardia Cathedral opened and Gajeel really thought that he had just died for what he was seeing could only be described as ethereal.

Levy stood there in all her less than 5 feet-tall glory looking even more gorgeous than usual. Her wild blue curls were held back by a light pink bandana with a flower on the side that matched Gajeel’s white rose. The white dress with delicate floral engravings hugged her figure just perfectly; the delicate halter neckline exposed her shoulders and back, and white detached sleeves covered her arms just flawlessly leaving her lovely hands bare.

The afternoon light filtered through the opened doors creating a golden hue that outlined Levy’s figure. She looked like an angel in that moment and Gajeel realized his jaw had dropped at some point while taking in her appearance.

Then, she lifted her beautiful hazel eyes and looked straight at him. And she smiled. At him. And even when he was standing by the altar and a great distance kept him apart from his fiancé, Gajeel could feel how that simple gesture knocked the air out of him.

He started to lean backwards, surely about to fall flat on his back, when a big hand was placed on his back, holding him in place and helping him regain his balance. He looked over his shoulder and saw Lily smiling at him reassuringly. Gajeel nodded at his best man in gratitude, regaining his footing, and looked back at her soon-to-be-wife.

Levy giggled at the dumbfounded expression of her fiancé. Then, she looked at Jet and Droy as each of them took their places at either side of her. They offered her their arms and she gladly took them, wrapping her hands around their forearms.

Jet nodded to the chorus and the piano started to play an especially beautiful song. The Bridal Chorus. Then, the three members of Team Shadow Gear started to walk down the aisle towards Gajeel.

Levy’s veil trailed behind her as they walked to the altar, resembling a pair of fairy wings leaving traces of fairy dust in her wake. Gajeel was proud to have thought of such an accurate comparison, for he considered Levy as his fairy, his angel, his light.

Jet and Droy walked with their chests puffed out in pride and they were smiling with barely contained bliss. Levy was the perfect image of happiness as she looked from guest to guest muttering a ‘thank you’ and smiling kindly at them for their presence at the ceremony. Still, her gaze was continuously drawn back to the handsome black haired man that waited for her anxiously by the altar.

Gajeel had to remind himself how to breath several times as he felt how the time seemed to go slower with every step the three mages took. He wondered if the two males were doing this on purpose since he knew Jet was able to get Levy to the altar in a blink of an eye. Still, Gajeel took in every prolonged second admiring how beautiful Levy was and contemplating how fucking lucky he was for even been able to be in the same room with her. Heck, he was the luckiest bastard in the whole Earthland as he was about to marry this amazing, smart and gorgeous woman. She would be his, and he would be hers.

And he kept wondering dumbfoundedly how they got to this.

Gajeel was a man full of regrets. He committed many sins in his past and understood the severity of his actions. But somehow along the way, he must have done something right, for here he was about to marry Levy, the woman he had hurt, who had forgiven him a long time ago, and the same woman that loves him so freaking much for who he is.

Yes, he is the luckiest man alive and while his mind wandered to the past, a lingering thought returned to him.

I’m not good enough for her.

His expression most likely showed how he felt on the inside for Levy looked at him with confusion written all over her face. Somehow, she figured out what was going through his mind and she gave him her ‘everything is okay’ smile. (Oh, yes, Gajeel knows what each of her smiles mean).

And just like that, all his doubts and worries flew out the window. It was as if she had lighted up a candle in his mind and made all the shadows recede into nothingness. She loves him and he loves her and that was all that mattered at that moment.

Finally, Team Shadow Gear took the final step and stood next to Gajeel in front of the altar. The dragon slayer smiled down at his fiancé and then looked up to meet Jet and Droy’s eyes, silently thanking them for trusting him with such a precious treasure.

Before they released Levy from their hold, Jet spoke, his words were directed to Gajeel. “If anyone have told us that there’ll be a day where we would be giving Levy away to marry you Gajeel, we would have laughed at their faces.” He chuckled and Gajeel grinned in response.

“But here we are. And in all honestly, neither of us could picture this any other way.” His tone was warm and pleased. It made Gajeel look from one male to the other, waiting for a teasing remark that never came.

“We’ve been a team since we were kids.” It was Droy’s turn to speak and he directed his words to Levy who looked up at him with her big eyes. “And we’ve been happy to consider ourselves as your brothers. It gives us great joy to have walked down the aisle with you today, on the happiest day of your life.” Levy smiled at the plant mage.

“We wish nothing else but happiness for you Levy.” He looked up to meet Gajeel’s red eyes before continuing. “And we know Gajeel is that for you.”

“We’ll always be family.” Levy turned to see Jet looking down at her. “We’ll always be here for you whenever you need us.”

“And definitely,” Droy added, “we’ll be thrilled to watch as you start this new adventure with the man you love.” At the last part of his statement, the three of them looked at Gajeel who was breathing with some difficulty, the men’s words having a huge effect on him. Levy’s eyes prickled with unshed tears of happiness.

“And you metalhead,” Jet reached out and placed a comforting hand on Gajeel’s shoulder, “if you thought you were going to get rid of us that easily, you were wrong.” Some guests chuckled at the joke and the dragon slayer rolled his eyes good-naturedly and grinned.

Droy also reached out and placed his hand on the other shoulder of the iron mage. His voice lacked the teasing tone from his friend and showed appreciation for the man in front of them. “Today you’re not just marrying Levy. Today, you’re also gaining two brothers.” He smiled affectionately as Gajeel stared wide-eyed at him. “So, welcome to the family Gajeel.”

Gajeel smiled at them, one of his truest and gentlest smiles. He willed himself not to wipe away the small droplets that gathered at the corner of his eyes and took a deep breath. He nodded, accepting their conditions and thanking them for their words, for them had hit home within the dragon slayer. They were giving him their blessing to marry Levy and, even when he had told himself time and time again that he didn’t care about that, their words eased his heart. They made him feel welcome to another piece of Levy’s world, one that he never thought he would ever be accepted to.

Jet and Droy dropped their hands from Gajeel’s shoulders and squeezed Levy’s hand affectionately one last time.

“Oh, and one more thing, Gajeel.” Jet commented. “There’ll be days when you’ll feel yourself unworthy of Levy,” Gajeel tensed up at his words. Was he that easy to read? How could Jet know about the thought that had clouded his mind for a long time now?

The speed mage grinned at Gajeel’s reaction. He had hit right on spot. Then, he softened his eyes before continuing. “In all honesty, that feeling will never go away.” Gajeel’s eyes saddened. “But don’t feel bad about that. Instead, use that. Use that feeling to become a better man for her.”

Gajeel stared expectantly at the orange haired man. “It’ll help you work hard each day so you’ll feel worthy of her.”

The iron mage closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. He felt how the last traces of doubts left his body at that moment. When he looked up again, he saw Jet’s toothy grin, surely proud to have calm the dragon slayer down with his words.

Then, Droy bended down slightly for Levy to be able to reach him and give him a warm hug and a gentle kiss on his cheek. She repeated the same treatment with Jet and then they let go of her hands; this was the moment they would leave her in Gajeel’s care.

The two males shook their hands with Gajeel and smiled happily at the iron mage; Gajeel returned the gesture.

“Wait.” Just when Jet and Droy were about to walk past him and take their places with the rest of the groomsmen, Gajeel called after them. They looked at him questioningly and got surprised when the dragon slayer suddenly wrapped his arms around their shoulders and brought them close into a tight hug.

Gajeel wasn’t one to demonstrate his affections to anyone but Levy. Nevertheless, their words had such a huge effect on him that he didn’t care if anyone called him a softy after this. To been given their blessing and Jet’s advice on his insecurities, lifted the weight on his heart and gave him that extra confidence that neither Lily nor Juvia had been able to provide for him. He was ready now, more than ever, to marry Levy and work his ass off each and every day of his life to be a better man for her.

After the initial shock, both Jet and Droy returned the hug and patted him on his back. Gajeel’s face rested on their shoulders, between the two males.

“Thank you.” He muttered just for them to hear.

“Just make sure you make her happy.” Droy whispered back and Gajeel nodded.

“I promise.” And he meant it with every fiber of his being.

He released his hold on the two mages and the three of them grinned playfully at each other. Finally, Jet and Droy took their places next to Natsu and Gajeel returned to his bride’s side.

Levy looked at him with so much love and admiration as he took her hand and together they walked the last two steps to the altar.

The ceremony went by quickly for Gajeel since there was no more dreadful feelings dragging him down anymore. They exchanged vows and he gladly wiped away the tears of happiness that trailed down Levy’s face. In a blink of an eye, Warrod’s voice declared them husband and wife and Gajeel had to suppress the urge to whoop and shout in excitement.

And then, he was allowed to kiss his bride. And when he placed his lips on hers, everything fell into place. Right at that moment, Gajeel knew everything will be alright as long as he’ll stay by his wife’s side.

A/N Happy wedding @pocketwoman7! Hope you have a wonderful day!

WTF (Where’s The Food)

#gajevy #ftfanfics #Gajeel Redfox #Levy McGarden #fanfic #fairy tail #where's the food fanfiction

[rxpunzelwrites-blog]

what my kiddos are doing for valentine’s day!

laura tagged along with lydia and rosy for a lot of the day because she normally spends the day with lydia and felt a little lonely probably. but then she left the two of them to do their own thing and now she’s scotty’s valentine and eating donuts with him.

audrey isn’t even aware it’s valentine’s day. she was probably alarmed by the all the paper hearts in messina then eventually shrugged it off and went to work.

harper spent it with toby of course, and baked him heart shaped cookies and they probably went for lunch with their kiddies! she also baked rhodes a batch as well and kissed him all over his face and told him she loved him no less than thirty times.

reuben had to help bill pick out a valentine’s day gift from tori and suggested that he take her on a ghost tour. whether or not he took that onboard is up to jenny :’) and then reuben pulled himself to dinner and asked daisy on a second date and probably just took her somewhere nice for dinner.

mickey didn’t celebrate valentine’s day because it’s shane’s birthday which is a hundred times more important to him. he saved up his money and bought him a vintage signed photo of gregory peck.

dennis went right ahead and bought bret flowers and they weren’t crumpled this time and he says that he’s only making up for squashing them on their auction date and that he didn’t even know that it was valentine’s day but he said all this with a stupid smile on his face and probably helped with the rosy surprise even though he complained the whole way through it.

alice spent the whole day making out with jay. probably in front of quinn at some point. i am so sorry.

leon sent an anonymous card to freddie because he’s in way over his head. silly boy.

atticus kissed eeeeeeveryone on the cheek today. but finn and reggie and amelia and annie got TWO kisses. he didn’t get anyone any gifts bc he claimed that he is their gift and that they should feel blessed.

wren claimed quinn as her valentine like she usually does. she made him a card like she usually does. and she kissed him like she usually does. later on, she went birdwatching with henry and tried to ignore all the flutters in her tummy.

rosy spent her day with lydia and got the best surprise EVERRRRR. she definitely cried. and then when laura left them alone she demanded that she and lydia cuddle in bed for the whole night and then told lydia that it’s the best valentine’s day she’d ever had. also realised she’s in love with lydia but didn’t say it out loud because she wants to tell bret first and ask if he thinks she should tell her.

wilhelm literally just spent the day with ringo starr. his ankle still hurts so he couldn’t even dance, poor bb.

felix wrote little valentine’s day cards for raegan, hazel and monica and then he sent one to eddie ‘from mallory’. but yeah it’s mostly from him. felix loves valentine’s day oh my gosh.

jack sang love songs all day, i’m not joking. he probably shyly serenaded ivy as well.

justin definitely asked raegan out on a date. and then as a joke he’d pretend he’d asked colton out as well and then he’d pretend to be worried about being double booked and then insist that indy needs to come now as well so there’ an even number. it probably wasn’t even his idea because he’s too dumb for that so raegan is welcome to take the credit.

callum debated asking what scotty was doing and then decided against it and just wished kai a happy valentine’s day through the wall before ultimately just going to work and spending his night on the docks.

brody lmaaaao okay so brody bought hunter a bunch of the saddest looking daffodils in the whole entire world because that was all he could afford. and he left them at her desk and claimed that it was so he could ‘keep up appearances’ oh my god i’ve been waiting to type this all day.

riley received lots of valentine’s cards from his students and took them all home with him and pinned them on his wall after he conferred with barry just to make sure that none of them were serious love letters. he sent monty a card and said he only did so because that’s what the two of them usually do.

sutton probably went to hang out with kara and ollie fully aware that it was valentine’s day but didn’t mention it and if it was brought up he would feign ignorance like ‘oh??? it’s valentine’s day???’

let’s not talk about how greyson is doing today

elsie kept herself to herself even though she contemplated wishing tara a happy valentine’s day but decided against it. angelica probably tried to corner her for a kiss but she ran away.

wardo is the most loved up fucking goober right now. he spent the whole day kissing louis and then dancing with cecily and ivy and was even nice to ulysses. wardo was in the best mood ever today okay.

elliot cooked chicken nuggets for melody and then took her to a monster truck rally. he asked for a kiss from raegan and was probably denied it, but he definitely gave rhodes a big kiss. and he’s super worried about him after the break up.

pace and cece didn’t give each other valentine’s gifts, but pace wished everyone he came across a happy valentine’s day. he filmed a lot of people getting their gifts and even caught a proposal on camera so he’s had a good day living through other people’s happiness.

angelica gave everyone all the kisses including lizzie, bea, jess, seth, katie, carter, cassie, conrad, melody and nearly elsie. basically if you think there’s a chance that angelica would have reason to kiss your oc then she definitely did.

dean spent the day watching finding nemo with mellie and baby hadley :)

joe hooked up with someone he can’t remember the name of. very romantic.

sybil went ghost hunting as usual, possibly with byron and if anyone tried to suggest something about that she’d threaten to curse them.

ella had class but brought hazel cupcakes home for her to decorate. she probably uploaded the footage to her youtube channel.

aaron is spending the day with his girlfriend but let it be known that he text astrid saying, ‘happy valentine’s day, maine x’

harvey was working but as you can see, he’s talking to kenny which means he’s very happy about that.

nathaniel spent the day with will and jane and kissed them both and basically just tried to keep will’s spirits up.

will isn’t doing good right now and he misses alex a lot and he feels edgy and anxious but he spent time with nathaniel and jane anyway bc he knew it would make nate happy.

dixie was working but when she saw séamus in the lobby, she definitely wished him a happy valentine’s day and then spent the rest of her shift blushing about it. also her momma made a sculpture in her pottery class and ‘in the spirit’ of valentine’s, she gave it to mr croft. innocently, of course, but dixie knows better and wasted no time in telling cassie and david.

cecily spent her day playing with apollo and smiling and giggling at wardo and louis. she let wardo dance with her and she hugged ivy and after some encouragement from her brother, she got brave enough to kiss louis on the cheek and wish him a happy valentine’s day before all the excitement got a bit too much for her and she scurried off to the museum. but then she saw david and got all frazzled again :’)

levi IS GOING ON A SORT-OF DATE WITH AMELIA AND THAT’S THAT ON THAT.

dustin is making fun of all his students’ valentines. because he’s a dick.

diego probably isn’t doing a lot bc when is he ever but i like to think he enlisted caroline’s help to draw a picture of a butterfly so he could give it to cedric.

chase is getting high af and hooking up with whoever wants him. mess.

max is having the time of her fricking life and sent valentine’s to practically all of messina. she’s wearing heart themed everything today and her muse is through the roof so she’s probably planned like six new novels and she’s LIVING. and she’s asking after everyone else’s valentines and how they’re going and fangirling over all the cute things.

holly walked into a novel idea. glared at katie. left.

benji probably got another kiss of david because i say so that’s why.

jutta has no valentine but she plans to find one when she goes out clubbing tonight so really she’ll be fine.

taylor sent valentine’s to both darren and ronnie from BOTH her and james because she knew james wanted to but wasn’t brave enough, and it also helped her feel less guilty about everything that’s happened between her and the boys lately.

bennett got piss drunk then found some randomer to sleep with so he can forget about calvin and hero.

kit is in a surprisingly good mood today. simon gave her chocolates which she didn’t eat, but gave them to cody instead. then she baked cakes for daisy, simon, lo and beau. she was probably super shy about giving lo one but again, she’s in a good mood, she got over herself and did it.

simon woke up feeling sad but he still went into work and bravely wished billy a happy valentine’s day AS A FRIEND before saying the same to everyone else in a novel idea. then he went home and gave chocolate to kit and beau to be a gentleman.

evie demanded that jax be her valentine because she knew he hasn’t quite managed to work up the courage to ask ronan out and ronan remains oblivious.

oz gave out free candy to everyone and tried not to be sad when daisy told him she was going on a date with reuben so there’s that.

caroline heard that amelia and cassie were both otherwise preoccupied but decided that was okay because she woke up and tackled jason and gave him a big kiss on the cheek as well as a card that says ‘i love you to infinity and beyond’. she also bumped into gabe and pretended to not know it was valentine’s day pls just give me this.

mellie is probs very anti-valetine’s day right now. she’s avoiding che and probably pouted if indy did end up giving into justin and going out, so she watched finding nemo with dean instead.

ronan was working and being oblivious about jax and i hate him for it. he probably spent what free time he had attempting to find a date for his cousin, abel.

alfie baked all his friends a heart shaped pie and gave them all kisses even though he’s a little bi awkward around scotty rn because he’s not sure if he’s allowed to kiss his cheek anymore, but his spirits were up anyway!

emma was on set and i’m sure that drew did something charming so there’s that :’)

ellis arranged so many flower bouquets today and you can bet your goddamn ass she went to pick clara up at school and gave one to barry whether he liked it or not. she also graciously camped out in calvin’s room in order to give rory the space should he bring someone home :’) and because of that she probably bulled calvin into letting her braid his hair.

seth spent the day with all of his friend - not just katie. he gave all of his friend a valentine’s day hug - not just katie. he went out at night with all of his friends - not just katie. AND YES HE’S SURE HE STARED LONGINGLY AT /ALL/ OF HIS FRIENDS NOT JUST KATIE, THANKS VERY MUCH.

noah literally spent the whole of rehearsal belting every single iconic broadway love song at isaac just to get a reaction from him.

conrad was bullied by anya into wishing lizzie a happy valentine’s day. he’s going to be embarrassed about this for the next three months.

carter as we know was cassie’s valentine and the two of them shared alllll the candy and chocolate together. and then he met teddy and let a stranger hug him and that’s very important for him. also, he pined over jess. as per.

kevin WAS SNAKED BY CARTER FUCKING HEFFRON. he’s v displeased and pouted at katie for being the mastermind behind the whole thing.

piper probably took a selfie with hunter and sent it to brody saying that she was stealing his valentine. 

robbie spent it with blair and was appalled when jimmy showed up to ask if he could take blair out because EXCUSE ME CATTLE MAN THAT’S MY VALENTINE AND I NEED TO MAKE ALL THE MEMORIES WITH HER. so my headcanon is that he obnoxiously tagged along.

beau got cakes from kit and chocolate from simon and bought lo a big tub of marshmallows :) she’s not really up for celebrating though after her break up.

bailey sent all of her sisters gifts and then went to the stables so she could assist couples going on valentine treks together. she briefly contemplated how lonely single life can be but swiftly got over it.

adam definitely gave mack a card and a teddy literally just to piss off roy because he’s awful.

sawyer was in the ER and probably walked in on bennett and someone on the on-call room and is scarred for life. she debated going to see lux but then realised caleb might be working and decided against it.

micah spent the day at home with jd. he feels bad about not really checking on greyson but he knows he doesn’t treat jd the way he should or spend that much time with him on a good day and he wants to make that up to him on the national day of romance.

foster was working and probably received an inappropriate valentine’s from one of his students that probably left him close to tears because NO THIS IS WRONG WHY CAN’T I JUST HAVE AN EASY LIFE. he probably debated shoving himself back in the janitor’s closet before ultimately deciding to hide away at lunch time and share his babybel with ryke.

jimmy decided to ask out blair for the day and then realised that meant robbie would be tagging along. he was only a little annoyed.

#valentine's day;

[tentativi-vani]

Boobala Darling's Long Awaited Proposal - Part 2 Of 3 - A Short Story

Boobala is at last on the voyage that she has needed to take as long as she can remember, however up until this point, it hasn't gone that well. She's been embarrassed by the Captain, and disturbed by different visitors. To a limited extent 2, however, her journey takes an amazing turn Darling in the Franxx As Boobala pigs out on her nourishment, a tall thin respectable man by the name of Irving Levy goes into the lounge area. He is helped by his quad stick. Irving, a resigned multi year old affluent stock merchant, is known by the Captain as a result of the various excursions he takes on board the Empress Carinthia, yet since his absolute hip substitution medical procedure and broad exercise based recuperation, he had not had the option to go as much as of late, up to this point. Appreciative that the most exceedingly awful has passed, he despite everything utilizes his quad stick for help for now. Wearing a boisterous multi-striped shirt with a tie, plaid pants and ludicrous suspenders, he sees Boobala sitting without anyone else. He rearranges over to her table.

"Reason me, is this seat taken?" he asks in a polite voice.

Boobala gets irritated as she truly didn't need him or anybody at her table. She reacts snidely, "Do you see a hold sign?"

"Why no," stammers Irving, shocked by her reaction.

Boobala looks Irving over, entertained at his outfit, however she needs to concede he is somewhat adorable. He is carefully prepped. His silver hair looks refreshingly solid. He is spotless shaven face with a flimsy mustache. She loves the sound of his voice and the aroma of his cologne.

"Not terrible, Not awful for an old person," she thinks.

"So tank are you sitting tight for, feel free to stop your Tuchis."

Irving pulls out the seat and sits at the table with Boobala. "Much obliged to you, Thank you," says Irving.

Boobala speaks harshly to him, "Okay as of now, stop with the much obliged. You're giving me a cerebral pain."

Irving goes to Boobala and presents himself, "My name is Irving Levy. May I ask, what is yours?"

"Boobala Finkenberg Darling."

"Darling,That's not a Jewish name, right? Irving inquires.

Boobala gets pissed by his numerous inquiries. She lashes out at him with an edge in her voice "Tank, would you say you are composing a book? You get some information about my private life. I don't have any acquaintance with you? My significant other was English and he was a sluggish bum. He beat me up and made my life exceptionally troubled. It was a cold marriage of seventeen years. Since he was unable to hold down a vocation, we wound up living with his Uncle Jake all through our marriage. We survived awful occasions where even a penny was viewed as cash. I worked, and he took my checks to bet. Harry kicked the bucket from a respiratory failure at age 36 in light of the fact that he owed cash to an advance shark who was going to cut him up. I ought to have tuned in to my mom, she didn't care for him, however I was so youthful thus infatuated, I stole away with him. My folks were rich, they claimed a first class apparel business in Brooklyn, yet they excluded me when I ran off with Harry. Think about what, I didn't pay for this excursion, I won it. There you go, as long as I can remember basically!" Boobala rapidly puts her hand to her mouth, stunned by what she just said to a complete outsider. It slid out like oil over water. She felt humiliated, needing the ground to open up and swallow her. She trusted the women at the other table hadn't heard. What was there about this man, caused her to feel so immediately agreeable that she proclaimed as long as she can remember to him?

Irving took a gander at Boobala with empathy and loving eyes, "The world is delightful Boobala, yet the individuals make it appalling." He was entranced by this feisty lady. Without precedent for some years, he accepted that he was infatuated. His hazel eyes sparkled as he kept on conversing with Boobala.

'What a beguiling grin,' she thought, as she saw his face. 'Pleasant dental work. At any rate his breath doesn't smell, and there are no hairs jumping out of his ears and nose.'

"I see you are a decent Jewish lady. Do you speak Yiddish?" Irving inquired.

"How might you reveal to I'm Jewish?

Irving focuses to her chest, "You're wearing a catch that says: "Kiss me I'm Jewish", in addition to it's composed all over you." Boobala looks down at her chest, grinning as she recollects Myrtle nailing the catch to her. She could in any case hear Myrtle giggling and saying: "Here Boobala, a consideration grabber. It will be an extraordinary discussion piece to assist you with meeting somebody. Mazel Tov!" she had said as she embraced her adored companion farewell.

Irving kept on speaking, "Also, you help me to remember my 'Libe Mameleh'." (Yiddish term: adored mother). He takes an enormous cloth out and wipes away tears and cleans out his nose, returning the hanky to his pocket.

In the wake of making a sound as if to speak he asks, "So let me know, did you remarry?

Boobala answers briefly not surprisingly. "Would I be here alone, on the off chance that I was hitched?"

"Apologies, I was not thinking. Simply attempting to make little discussion." he reacted.

Boobala, presently bothered, keeps on enjoying her dinner. She out of nowhere puts everything on hold to let out a burp, and says to Irving "Pass me a roll and the salt shaker if it's not too much trouble and wipe your jawline, you're spilling. "

After she completes, she gets up suddenly and leaves the lounge area region to return to her lodge, halting to buy a ticket for the land journey. Irving, then again, is so stricken by Cupid's bolt that he follows her like a lost little dog hound. Boobala stops at the photographic artist's segment to appreciate the photos taken when the travelers boarded the Empress Carinthia. She recalls her harsh trial and shouts, "They didn't snap my photo. I don't see it here."

She pivots and sees Irving behind her. 'No chance to get on earth he can be my Mr. Perfect. Those outfits and the quad stick need to go.' She is beginning to get irritated and stays away from him continually to the point of inconsiderateness. Regardless of the amount he is offended, he generally rearranges his way back to her.

Consistently they would meet in the lounge area. Boobala began to loosen up her monitor and get used to him as they became more acquainted with one another better. She was beginning to anticipate that him should appear. She truly started to like him. As a matter of fact, Irving had a fantastic comical inclination, which Boobala right away revered. He got enchanted with her grin. He was a man in adoration, and she was the lady he needed to wed. He would trust that Captain's night will propose to her.

My, my, what will occur straightaway. Will Boobala acknowledge Irving as her Prince Charming? Has Boobala discovered genuine romance? Will Boobala at last get a fantasy finishing off with her grieved life. You can just discover by perusing section 3.

[warmshadcw]

some small statistics.

name: ira evans. age/dob: 40 / october 2. occupation: mortician. sexuality: demiromantic heterosexual. nationality: dutch-american. languages spoken: english, dutch, conversational spanish. hair color: dark brown. eye color: hazel, favoring greys and greens. height: 6′0″. build: athletic - lean muscle.

a chicago native. ira is the son of a detective and a veterinarian, and the eldest child out of two. he took the first opportunity he could to hightail it out of the city when it presented itself ---that came in the form of his parents divorcing when he was 13.

his younger brother stayed with their father in chicago while ira went and lived with his mother and step-father in maine. it was a sleepy change, and a nice pace away from consistently turning on the tv and hearing about the crime rate ... or hearing it at the dinner table with his father talking about his case load.

perhaps ira began to flourish more without the consistent presence of his father: less time keeping his hobbies and interests to himself in lieu of feeling pressured to conform to his father’s wants and desires, more time to discover his own avenues of self ... he was always a bit of an odd boy but kept it so tightly under his thumb that he didn’t quite feel as if he had his own personality until he was away from home.

attending mortuary school was not a thought during his childhood, at all. initially his interests lay with forensic science but he was turned off from the idea of involving himself with crime with his father around. the first 13 years of his life seemed to tip the scales drastically in favor of what he’d do with his future more than the time away - the damage had been done.

always an observant individual, ira learned how to apply that into some form of charm or charisma as he got older. people were easier to talk to, to get to leave him alone if he added a nice smile ... if he said a few nice things to butter them up along the way out the door.

his preference for the mortuary sciences (or rather, working with the recently deceased) comes from the same place his initial interest in forensic science came from --- he prefers the company of the dead. they’re quiet and non-judgmental. he can work at his own pace (within reason) and essentially be left alone to do so. while there’s less discovery with this avenue, and while part of the appeal of forensic science was helping with cases, ira at least takes solace in knowing that he provides a measure of peace to the grieving families. he’s alright with that.

he only recently moved to heartsdale (within the two years) because of his brother’s passing - having learned that levi escaped chicago in his early 20′s and had moved down to the sleepy georgia town. perhaps because it was off the grid ---luck had a job opportunity pop up in atlanta, an hour and a half away.

you can find him at work pretty much always. he’s taken to throwing himself into his business to settle out with having to deal with the emotions of loss: he may have had a strained relationship with his brother, but he’s still bothered by his death. it’s an added bonus that he’s actually quite talented at the mortuary sciences.

some fun small facts:

very good with his hands, be it fixing things or making them or tinkering in general. he prefers to do most housework himself. sink broken? he can fix it in an afternoon. wall need sheetrocking? he can do it. car need fixing? he’ll do that, too. it comes with being a self-appointed loner, honestly.

lived in vermont before being called to heartsdale. he plans on going back home as soon as he can, as soon as his brother’s estate and affairs are officially settled.

was in a relatively serious relationship with a woman he’d met through work for about five years. they lived together, and he’d planned on proposing to her, but it didn’t quite work out. they barely spoke thereafter, but were mostly amicable when they did. since then he’s been more of a one night stand kind of man, with little interest in opening himself up again.

has a cat he took from home with him. a little black cat named nyx.

wears glasses when he’s home, otherwise always has contacts in. you won’t ever see him with his glasses on unless you drop in unexpectedly on him.

he plays piano, and favors jazz. he picked it up in middle school and has stuck with it ever since. an avid music fan, he was incredibly amused to see his father kept the old piano they had in their house from his youth. it’s one of his favorite hobbies.

#iii. intro

[oldreddlyon]

The name Curlswood, or Curleswood, evolved over the centuries from its  Old English name: ‘Crudes wudu’, meaning Cruds Wood. Crud was the surname of a tenant family who lived there at the time of Archbishop Pecham’s survey in the 1280’s.

Over the centuries several variations of the original name were used in documents and on maps with Crudeswod; Curlswood; Curleswood Park: Turleswood Park: Crowds Wood Park, Charles Wood Park and Curleswood Park  being  but a few.  On some maps dating from the early 19th century it is referred to as Nonington Park, but  later in the 19th and early 20th centuries it was generally referred to as Park Farm with the Park suffix as a reminder of its use as a deer, or hunting, park by late medieval Archbishops of Canterbury. The village of Aylesham now covers most of the old deer park, which was part of the six hundred acres of farmland acquired in 1924  from Henry FitzWalter Plumptre of Goodnestone by Pearson & Dorman Long for the building of houses for miners at nearby working Snowdown Colliery and a proposed new mine at Adisham which was never developed.

Curlswood Park, later Old Park Farm: from the 1877 OS map.

Curlswood Park had a boundary with the hamlet or vill’ of Ratling and may have been included in the vill’ in pre-Norman times. Ratling is said to derive its name from the Old English (O.E.). ryt hlinc; literally a rubbish slope, an area of little use for agriculture. Further evidence of the poor nature of the land within the park can be found on an 1807 map made by Thomas Pettman  for the Charles Manners-Sutton, Archbishop of Canterbury., see below, which records the field enclosure names at the southern end of the park as “Small Profit” and “Little Gains”. These same names are recorded on the 1839 Nonington tithe and the 1859 Nonington Poor Law Commissioners maps.  “Small Profit” and “Little Gains” are now covered for the large part by the Aylesham industrial estate between Spinney Lane and the B2046 Wingham Road.

Curlswood Park. An 1807 sketch map made by Thomas Pettman on behalf of Charles Manners-Sutton, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Curlswood Park, house and gardens in 1807. Ratling Street is in the top right.The road going to the left is the present footpath out to the B2046 Wingham Road and on the Adisham.The hedge on the left of the footpath as you walk towards the Wingham Road is one of the remnants of the deer leap that once enclosed the park.The eastern [right hand] boundary is now the Ratling Road from Aylesham.

Small Profit and Little Gain. The road along the western [top] boundary is the B2046 Wingham Road.

The Kilwardby Survey of 1273-74 contains the manorial accounts for most of the Archbishop Kilwardby of Canterbury’s demesne manors in South-East England;  a demesne was a holding directly under the control of the lord of the manor providing him with both food and income.  The following extracts refer in part to Crudeswood (Curlswood) as a demesne of the Manor of Wingham. Amercements, farms, and pannage*:- “And of 25s from John Dene, the reeve, for a false presentment upon the account and of 12s for the farm of a curtilage and of 9s for the farm of the same in the previous year and of 18s for pannage in the Weald, the tithe having been deducted and of 24s for pannage in Crudswood, the tithe having been deducted and of 18s for the pannage of Wlveche, the tithe having been deducted and of £11 13s 4d from wood at Sandhurst sold. Wood, item underwood sold. And of 59s 6d for 18 [acres -omitted] of underwood in Wlveche sold and of 10s for 3 acres of underwood at Crudswood and of 34s for 8 acres, half a perch of underwood sold there“. *Ammercement was a money fine levied in the manor or hundred court for a misdemeanour and  Pannage was a tax paid for the right to graze pigs in woodland.

Swineherds beating down acorns for their pigs:from the Queen Mary Psalter, written between 1310 and 1320.

The cutting and sale of the underwood, such as hazel and ash, appears to have been quite lucrative. The woodland would have been harvested [coppiced] on a regular rotational basis and sold for use in fencing, wattling for building, and for fuel. Pigs would have been grazed in the woodland during the autumn when they would have fed on acorns and other autumnal fruits and fungae.

Medieval coppicing

Oak trees would have been allowed to grow to maturity for use in the building of houses and possibly ships, and as they grew to maturity the oak trees would have had their larger lower branches harvested for use when smaller pieces of oak were needed. Elm and lime were other important species of trees with a variety of domestic and other uses that would have been allowed to grow to maturity. 

In 1282 Nonington became one of the four separate parishes making up the College of Wingham. Shortly after this  Archbishop Pecham commissioned a survey of his possessions. Crudes Wood, as Curlswood Park was then known, was part of the Cotland of the College. Cotland was an inferior type of land tenure, usually in woodland, with some rights such as grazing attached. There appear to have been two large local woodland areas of the manor of Wingham, one of some 244 acres at Crudes, and another at Wolnuth (Woolege Woods near Woolege Green) extending to 296 ½ acres. Curlswood was bordered to the east by the Wingham manor’s North Nonington holdings and by its holdings at Ackholt to the south-east.

A transfer of land in 1425 records:“Akholte, June 21, 3 Hen. VI. (1425) John Helar, son of John Helar, late of Akholte in the par. of Nonynton, Kent, grants to Thomas Hunte parcarius* of Cruddyswood a croft** of 5 acres with appurtenances at Akholte between the common way of the vill of Akholte on N. and land of Thomas Hopedey on E. and Court land of Lordship of Akholte on S. and W. Warranty against all men. Witnesses: John Orlyston, John Marchaunt, Thomas Hopedey, John Cook, John Veryar’, Gervase Dudeman, Richard Guodhyewe. Thomas Lewar’, John Bery, Richard Beniamyn and others” *A parker or park-keeper; a pinder; a foldkeeper.  A pinder was an employee of a landowner who would go around and collect the rental dues from the tenants on the land. If the tennants could not pay in money, the pinder would take livestock in lieu of payment and put them in the pinfold until they could pay. Also, the pinder would catch any livestock that had got loose and put them in the pinfold and would charge a price to the animals owner to get it back.  **A croft:- a small enclosed field or pasture near a house.  A small farm, especially a tenant farm. Thomas Hunte’s profession of “parcarius”  indicates that Curleswood had become a  park for hunting deer at some time prior to 1425. To establish a deer park a Royal licence was required, known as a “licence to empark”. The purpose of a deer park was to keep deer, usually Fallow or Red deer, for the land-owner, usually the lord of the manor, to hunt for sport and to use as a source of fresh meat during the winter. The deer park was generally an area of mainly woodland that was usually totally enclosed by  banks with an inner ditch and with the bank having either a pale or thorn hedge, or sometimes sections of each, on top of it. The pale or hedge were to stop deer from escaping from the enclosed deer park or prevent two and four legged predators and foraging livestock from entering. A pale was a fence made by driving stakes close together into the ground to form a barrier. These banks were known as deer leaps and substantial lengths of the deer leap bank enclosing Curlswood survive and are, at least at present, still clearly visible along the old estate’s north-eastern boundary with Ratling Court’s land and along its boundary with the B2046 Wingham road.

Curlswood or Old Park Farm, from the 1859 Poor Law Commissioners Map of Nonington. Just to the north-west of the farm buildings is the remains of the deer leap which formed the boundary there with the land attached to the Canonry of Wingham, part of the College of Wingham founded  by Archbishop Pecham in 1287.

Edward Oxenden de Dene, the eldest son of Thomas Oxenden de Dene, of Dene near Wingham, was appointed Warden of Cruddeswood [Curlswood] in 1501. A warden was usually a favoured appointee chosen by the park’s owner from a local land-owning family to be  in overall charge of a deer park and to be in charge of the arrangements for deer hunts. Wardens usually had a deputy whom they paid to deal with the day to day administration and security of the park.  The Oxenden family originated from Oxenden, or Oxney, another of the vills on the Archbishop’s manor of Wingham about a mile and a half to the south-east of Cruddeswood.

Pursing a stag on horseback with hounds. Fallow and red deer were the usual quarry, and hunting them was exclusively the preserve of  royalty and the rich and powerful aristocracy. Strict laws governed who was allowed to hunt. When the quarry was brought to bay the chosen hunter would despatch it with a hunting spear or  hunting sword.

The College of Wingham was broken up during the reign of Henry VIII but the Curlswood deer park was retained by subsequent Archbishops of Canterbury and the land was leased out to a succession of lessees over the following centuries. The granting or leasing of land and property at favourable rates was frequently used by the Archbishop of Canterbury as a form of patronage. This appears to have happened with regard to Curlswood, which appears to have ceased to be a deer park in, or slightly before, 1586.

In 1586 Archbishop John Whitgift granted what appears to be the first lease for Curlswood Park, which then comprised of 180 acres of woodland and 60 acres of arable land, at a nominal rent of 20 shillings a year for twenty-one years to Miles Sandes, possibly a member of the Archbishop’s retinue who was the Member of Parliament for Queensborough on the Isle of Sheppey in that year.

Another recipient of this beneficial lease was Richard Massinger, who became lessee of Curleswood in 1595. He was a member of the Archbishop’s household and was elected Member of Parliament for Penryn in 1601. In 1604 “Charles Wood Parke House” was occupied by John Cox, presumably as  sub-tenant.

A survey of the Archbishopric of Canterbury’s lands in 1617/18 recorded Curlswood as consisting of 60 acres of arable land and 180 acres of woodland with 1 acre of woodland grubbed up. Curlswood was noted to not be part of any manor and leased from Archbishop George Abbot by William Selby, with Pownall as under farmer or sub-tenant. The lessee was probably Sir William Selby, who had inherited Igtham Moat in 1611. The lease was on the same beneficial terms as contained in the previous two leases.

However, it appears that Archbishop and his tenant fell out because there is a record for 1617 in the Exchequer Bill Book registering a legal dispute between the Archbishop and William Selby regarding Curlswood. The nature of the dispute is at present unknown, but the outcome seems to have been that William Selby lost his lease as another lessee is recorded in that same year.

The second lessee during 1617 was Sir Robert Hatton, another member of the Archbishop Abbot’s entourage who was knighted in 1617. Possibly the lease was taken in connection with his newly acquired status. Sir Robert served as Member of Parliament for Sandwich in the early 1620’s.

Subsequent Archbishops of Canterbury continued to lease out Curlswood, but at present there is a long interval of almost a century and a half during which time to whom and on what terms is was leased out is unknown.

From around 1758 Edward ffinch, a trustee of the estate of a Mr.  C. Fielding, took the land on a twenty- one year lease at a rent of £ 954. 8/-. However, after only five years or so the lease was surrendered and re-assigned in a document dated March 15th, 1763 for the same rent to Sir Brooke Bridges, bart., of Goodnestone.

The lease was for: “all that messuage or tenement called the lodge. And all that land and pasture enclosed by pale and hedge and sometimes therein is mentioned used as a park for deer commonly called Turlswood Park or otherwise Crowds Wood Park situated lying and being in the parish of Nunnington aforesaid in the county of Kent. Containing by estimation two hundred and eighty acres of arable and pastureland”.

It’s interesting to note that some two centuries after it had been “deparked” that reference is still made in the lease to “the lodge”, presumably used as the farmhouse, and also to the pale, or fence, and hedges enclosing the old deer park. This reference to both pale and hedge indicates that both types of barrier were used to enclose Curlswood. To function as a deer park it would have been open woodland, to allow for the pursuit of the quarry  on horseback, with large trees grown for use in building [oak?] and under-wood [hazel, ash, and other useful species] for other purposes, such as fencing, wattle and daubing, or fuel for the Archbishop.In 1617 a survey recorded 60 acres of arable land and 180 acres of woodland, while this lease states that the estate contains “by estimation two hundred and eighty acres of arable and pastureland”. It is therefore apparent that the park was predominantly woodland well into the 17th century, if not later.

The 1758 lease refers to it as arable and pasture. Pasture would be the first use after the woodland was cleared. A possible reason for clearance could have been the sale of timber to the navy followed by use as grazing land and then arable as agricultural practices became more advanced and agriculture more profitable. The difference in acreage from the 240 acres at the time of the 1280’s survey to 280 acres in 1763 would be accounted for in the variations in the size of an acre over the centuries until measurements were standardised in the United Kingdom in the nineteenth century. The actual total of acreage recorded on the 1807 map adds up to a fraction of an acre over 284 acres in total, including the house and gardens.

The Bridges’ continued to lease Curlswood from the Archbishop until the later part of the nineteenth century when they purchased it outright. In later years Curlswood was known as Old Park Farm. Various members of the Pepper family, later tenants of the farm in the 19th century, are buried near the rear gate of Nonington church yard and have Park Farm on their headstones.

The village of Aylesham now covers most of the old deer park, which was part of the six hundred acres of farmland acquired in 1924  from Henry FitzWalter Plumptre of Goodnestone by Pearson & Dorman Long for the building of houses for miners at nearby working Snowdown Colliery and a proposed new mine at Adisham which was never developed. Sir Patrick Abercrombie, the renowned architect and town planner, was commissioned in the 1920’s  to design the new mining village of Aylesham, and he derived inspiration from new towns such as Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire. The building of houses to accommodate the expanding labour force at Snowdown Colliery began in 1926.

Henry Fitzwalter Plumptre had inherited the Goodnestone estate in 1899 as heir to Sir George Talbot Bridges, the eighth and last Baronet. He was the grand-son of Henry Western Plumptre, a younger brother of John Pembleton Plumptre of Fredville, who had married Eleanor Bridges, the only daughter of Sir Brook William Bridges, fourth baronet, in 1828.

Old Park Farm  after the the building of Aylesham had begun. Aylesham Holt railway station, just below Curlswood Park Farm, opened in 1928.

The last occupants of the Old Park Farm house and remaining buildings were the Hillier family who ran a fruit and vegetable business from there until after the Second World War.  The house and farm buildings were eventually demolished in early 1950’s.

Curlswood Park, Nonington. Further revised plus new maps & illustrations 26.11.19 The name Curlswood, or Curleswood, evolved over the centuries from its  Old English name: ‘Crudes wudu’,

#Curlswood Park #Curlswood Park Aylesham