#impress that lady frances

[tinycoffeeroom]

café de paris | max verstappen

face claim: none ᡣ𐭩

request: here !

a/n: all french / dutch is google translated blame them if it's wrong! race order is completely random here !

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📍café de paris, monaco

liked by bffstagram, friend1 and 294 others

y/nstagram me 🤝 café de paris

bffstagram bro those croissants look Fire ↳ y/nstagram my main source of sustenance in these hard monaco streets!

friend1 i have yet to see evidence of you shaking ass on a yacht miss y/n!! ↳ bffstagram so real... we're meant to be living vicariously through you!!! ↳ y/nstagram student finance doesn't stretch to yacht ass shaking, i can barely afford my daily caffeine fix 😭

friend2 oui oui hon baguette how is france? ↳ y/nstagram never let a monagesque hear you say that,,, bro i can't fight ↳ friend2 🫡 ... how is monaco?* ↳ y/nstagram 🫡 it's good!! def happy i chose here over france, even if my wallet doesn't agree 😭 ↳ friend2 we feeling fluent yet? ↳ y/nstagram oh god no, the other day this poor old lady tried explaining how to find the art museum to me and i just stared at her like 😶

friend3 spotted any f1 hotties yet? i hear they all camp out in monaco 👀 ↳ y/nstagram considering i have never watched a Single f1 race i couldn't tell you HAHAH i'm sure they're around here somewhere though ↳ friend3 dude i told you to brush up on f1 😭 how am i supposed to come visit you and have a meet cute with mr lando norris if you don't do your RESEARCH ↳ y/nstagram damn i see how it is,,, using me to get to your vroom vroom men,,,

3 weeks later

📍café de paris, monaco

👤 alexandrasaintmleux liked by bffstagram, alexandrasaintmleux and 270 others

y/nstagram finally found someone else to join my café de paris obsession 🥐

bffstagram next bff sweetie run while you can... ↳ y/nstagram stop scaring the pretty bitches off damn 😔 ↳ alexandrasaintmleux bffstagram she won't let me leave 😭 ↳ y/nstagram i deserve better friends ↳ bffstagram you couldn't live without us xx ♥️ y/nstagram

alexandrasaintmleux la prochaine fois, nous irons au casino ! (next time, we go to the casino!) ↳ y/nstagram finance étudiante a dit non (student finance said no) ↳ alexandrasaintmleux 😔 s'il tu plait... pour moi? 🥺 (please... for me?) ↳ y/nstagram pray for my wallet guys...

friend3 wdym you just casually befriended The Alexandra Saint Mleux??? ↳ y/nstagram i thought her skirt was pretty and had no idea she was like famous 😭 then we just kept running into each other !! ↳ friend3 i need to fly out to monaco damn you can't even see her in the pic but ik she looked So pretty... ↳ alexandrasaintmleux i like your friends y/n :p ↳ y/nstagram just wait til you see them drunk,,,

📍 jimmy'z, monaco

👤 alexandrasaintmleux, landonorris liked by alexandrasaintmleux, landonorris and 2,962 others

y/nstagram started the night in a night club and ended on a yacht,,, just monaco things (apparently) 🛥️

friend3 y/n if you don't answer my texts RIGHT NOW !!!! ↳ y/nstagram 😉 any reason ml? ↳ friend3 i'm gonna swim to monaco and bite chunks out of your ankles what the FUCK ??? when were you gonna tell me you were just casually hanging with [REDACTED] ↳ landonorris i'm guessing i'm redacted? 😎 ↳ friend3 i need to go lie down ↳ y/nstagram landonorris dude 😭 ↳ landonorris was it something i said? 😉

alexandrasaintmleux meilleure amie 💗 (best friend) ↳ y/nstagram merci de m'avoir invitée ! je t'aime ! (thank you for inviting me! love you!)

maxverstappen1 was lovely meeting you last night schat x ↳ y/nstagram you too max! don't forget to send me those pics of the kids! x ↳ bffstagram kids? ↳ y/nstagram his cats! jimmy and sassy! 🐱❤️🐱 ↳ bffstagram your knack for finding cat people never fails to impress me ♥️ y/nstagram

danielricciardo dude my liver actually hurts... ↳ y/nstagram hey you're the one who suggested a drinking contest ↳ danielricciardo yeah because i normally WIN you freak ↳ y/nstagram i'm a broke uni student, my drink of choice is normally vodka so cheap it's legally paint stripper

georgerussell63 carmen's phone died but she said to remind you about brunch today ↳ y/nstagram on it!! alex is gonna come round and bring me 😊

👤 maxverstappen1 liked by maxverstappen1, bffstagram and 2,938 others

y/nstagram met some VIC's (very important cats) today! 🐱 also f's in chat for my café de paris 😔

bffstagram f ↳ danielricciardo f ↳ georgerussell63 f ↳ landonorris f ↳ carmenmmundt f ↳ alexandrasaintmleux f ↳ maxverstappen1 f

friend3 babies!! the second pic oh i could cry ↳ y/nstagram she slept there for like 3 hours 😭 managed to actually sit through a whole gp though so a wins a win! ↳ friend3 y/n watching f1?? who is she?? ↳ y/nstagram their dad forced me 💔 ↳ maxverstappen1 um who cheered so loud when i won that she woke poor sassy up?? ↳ y/nstagram 🤐

charles_leclerc i didn't know café de paris do takeout? ↳ maxverstappen1 they do if you're me :) ↳ y/nstagram the only reason i'm considering keeping him around 😉 ↳ alexandrasaintmleux charles_leclerc and why have you never used your influence to get ME takeout café de paris "prince of monaco" ↳ charles_leclerc look what you've done... y/nstagram ♥️ y/nstagram

fan they're definitely max's cats but who is she? ↳ fan she knows alexandra so maybe they're in the same friendship group??

3 months later

liked by maxverstappen1, bffstagram and 308 others

y/nstagram working hard or hardly working 🌸

alexandrasaintmleux quand avez-vous passé votre examen ? (when's your exam?) ↳ y/nstagram lundi prochain,,, mon ami du café me manque 😔 (next monday,,, missing my cafe friend) ↳ alexandrasaintmleux nous fêterons cela quand tu auras terminé 💗 (we'll celebrate when you're finished)

bffstagram the red bulls... i wait 3 years white man does it in one week ♥️ maxverstappen1 ↳ y/nstagram hey! made him wait at least 2 months :p

friend3 the f1 book.. one of us one of us!! ↳ y/nstagram apparently i can't keep saying "the one with the red cow on it" when talking about his car,,, ↳ maxverstappen1 its a bull... literally a red bull... ↳ y/nstagram blah blah blah it's red and goes moo ↳ maxverstappen1 everyday i wake up to such disrespect ↳ charles_leclerc i'm just glad someone's keeping your ego in check ♥️ y/nstagram

friend1 when are you coming back to england :( ↳ y/nstagram i'm hoping to come visit next month! ↳ maxverstappen1 about that...

📍 jeddah, saudi arabia

👤 redbullracing, mine liked by redbullracing, y/nstagram and 1,928,385 others

maxverstappen1 First P1 of the season at the first race! Always grateful to stand on that top podium, especially today 🙂

see 14,936 other comments

fan sorry WHO is that in the third pic????

fan bro soft launching on a race win post...

y/nstagram trots op jou ❤️ proud of you ♥️ maxverstappen1 ↳ fan 🤨

fan did you guys see the way his girl jumped the fence to get to him after he won? relationship goals fr

schecoperez another red bull 1-2! 💪 ↳ maxverstappen1 you gave me a run for my money at the end there old man! ↳ schecoperez less of the old thank you

redbullracing rue when was this ↳ fan admin finding out about max's relationship at the same time as us is so on brand ↳ redbullracing and here i thought we were besties 😔 ↳ maxverstappen1 😉

danielricciardo you look hot in the second photo and it's not just the heat 😍 ↳ fan maxiel lives on ❤️

fan he tagged her as mine BROOOOOO who's got this man so down bad??

👤 maxverstappen1 liked by maxverstappen1, bffstagram and 194 others

🔒 y/nstagram account locked DOWN but it's so worth it for you ❤️

maxverstappen i'm sorry liefje i should have thought about this before inviting you... ↳ y/nstagram i don't regret going maxie,,, and i certainly don't regret hugging you after the race,, i knew what i was getting into, it's just a lot ❤️ ↳ maxverstappen1 ik ben gek op jou ❤️ (i'm crazy about you) ↳ y/nstagram mijn charmante prins ❤️ (my prince charming)

alexandrasaintmleux you do what's best for you ma cocotte 💗 honestly going private at the start of mine and charles' relationship was one of the best things for us ↳ y/nstagram the woe of being a wag 😔

daniel.jpg dude can you accept my follow request ↳ maxverstappen1 you followed her from your jpg acc but not your main? ↳ daniel.jpg never said i was smart ↳ charles_leclerc ^ ↳ georgerussell63 ^ ↳ landonorris ^ ↳ alexandrasaintmleux ^ ↳ carmenmmundt ^ ↳ maxverstappen1 ^ ↳ y/nstagram ^ ↳ oscarpiastri ^ ↳ daniel.jpg oscarpiastri HOW DID YOU GET HERE?? you haven't even MET y/n yet ↳ y/nstagram that's my son watch your tone. ↳ daniel.jpg i am very sorry miss y/n l/n PLEASE let me in ↳ y/nstagram oscarpiastri shall i? ↳ oscarpiastri lemme think on it ↳ daniel.jpg i hate it here

📍 suzuka, japan

👤 maxverstappen1 liked by maxverstappen1, y/nstagram and 1,394,582 others

redbullracing a quick look into max's garage! already over halfway through the season and your current world champion is on track for his 4th year running 💪

see 59,203 other comments

maxverstappen1 you know how we do 👊

fan i see a y/n at the back!! ↳ fan who is y/n? ↳ fan his gf! she was first spotted in jeddah and she's been to quite a few of his races this year! ↳ fan do you have her ig? ↳ fan y/nstagram but it's private!

fan 4 time world champ incoming! ♥️ redbullracing

user lewis is gonna reclaim his title! ↳ fan ok gramps lets get you back to the home

fan best team in the world

user oh the gold digger is back ↳ redbullracing blocked, deleted and reported ↳ fan red bull stand on business ↳ redbullracing no one messes with OUR redbull girl! 👊

👤 maxverstappen1 liked by maxverstappen1, charles_leclerc and 274 others

🔒 y/nstagram did you know red bull gives you wings? 👼

maxverstappen1 must have taken you forever to think of that caption ↳ y/nstagram what can i say you're dating a comedic genius

friend1 damn ma lend me one of those jackets xx ↳ y/nstagram omg pls take one he won't stop giving them to me,,, ↳ friend1 i'll take the white cap too if you're offering 👀 ↳ y/nstagram 🫡

bffstagram the third pic... y/n STAND UP ↳ y/nstagram he has the prettiest eyes 😍 my man my man my maaaaan ↳ bffstagram we've lost her boys...

alexandrasaintmleux i see the ferrari jacket 👀 ↳ y/nstagram max nearly threw me out of the room fr ↳ maxverstappen1 you deserved it ↳ maxverstappen1 also i'm burning it when you're not looking ↳ y/nstagram charlie gave it to me :((((( ↳ charles_leclerc yeah max you wouldn't burn sweet charlie's jacket would you? ↳ maxverstappen1 i'd burn you IN the jacket if you don't stop ↳ charles_leclerc 🫦 damn i love when you talk dirty to me ↳ y/nstagram ,,, alexandrasaintmleux should we leave them to it? ↳ alexandrasaintmleux after what you showed me on tumblr... yeah maybe we should

daniel.jpg loving the drip ↳ maxverstappen1 has she still not accepted your main follow request? ↳ daniel.jpg no... i know it's oscars fault somehow ↳ oscarpiastri why am i catching strays? ↳ y/nstagram i watched baku 2018 ,, you're lucky i don't block your jpg account ↳ daniel.jpg THAT WAS SO LONG AGO LET ME INNNNNNN

📍 zandvoort, the netherlands

👤 maxverstappen1 liked by y/nstagram, maxverstappen1 and 1,998,928 others

redbullracing and maxverstappen1 getting P1 and being crowned a 4 time world champion at the final race of the season AND your home race? max verstappen we tip our hats to you 💙

see 98,284 comments

fan him lifting the trophy and mouthing "this is for you" to y/n i am so lonely oh my god

y/nstagram mijn kampioen ❤️ (my champion) ♥️ redbullracing, maxverstappen1

fan max verstappen world domination!! lets go champ!!!

fan y'know maybe the dutch national anthem isn't too bad...

👤 maxverstappen1 liked by bffstagram, maxverstappen1 and 290,948 others

y/nstagram i moved to monaco for a degree in french and fell for a dutchman,,,

max, it has been a privilege to know you, to share your happiness and to love and be loved by you. watching you do what you do best fills me with so much joy and i can't wait to see you dominate the track for many more years. here's to you. ik hou van je, mijn kampioen ❤️ (i love you, my champion)

(also hi fans of max, i am very scared about being perceived by so many of you, please be nice ❤️)

maxverstappen1 mijn hart en ziel, ik weet niet hoe ik het in het Engels moet uitdrukken maar bedankt dat je in mijn leven bent gekomen, je maakt alles een beetje mooier. ik hou van je ❤️ (my heart and soul, i don't know how to express it in english but thank you for coming into my life, you make everything a little brighter. i love you) ↳ y/nstagram maxie 🥹 can't wait to celebrate you tonight ❤️

fan hi y/n!!! glad you felt comfortable enough to come off private! we're a nice bunch i promise! (at least most of us are) ♥️ y/nstagram ↳ fan also if anyone is mean to you i will do something that puts me on the national news 🫶

fan we've only seen glimpses of her on tv, max you bagged a baddie DAMN ♥️ maxverstappen1

fan mama y papa ↳ landonorris real ↳ oscarpiastri real

danielricciardo I'M IN !!! ↳ danielricciardo WAIT YOU WENT OFF PRIV??? y/n thats so mean wtf :(

alexandrasaintmleux mon couple préféré 💗 (my favourite couple) ↳ y/nstagram c'est grâce à toi alex, je t'aime 💕 (it's all thanks to you alex, love you)

👤 y/nstagram liked by y/nstagram, landonorris and 1,386,297 others

maxverstappen1 an appreciation post for mijn liefje. being able to put up with me dragging her halfway across the world nearly every month so i can drive fast cars whilst studying for her degree. graduated top of her class (with an elective in dutch 😉). here's to you and to us. (oh and happy 11 months, i may love you a little bit) ❤️

see 10,827 other comments

y/nstagram my boy ❤️ could't have done it without your support ↳ maxverstappen1 i know, i am an Amazing boyfriend 😉 ♥️ y/nstagram

landonorris congrats y/n! knew there had to be a big brain in that ol' noggin of yours ↳ y/nstagram thanks lan! maybe i can actually teach you some french now 🤓

fan taking a long walk off a very short bridge

redbullracing congratulations to the brains of the couple! hoped you liked the gifts 💙 ↳ y/nstagram a dutch for dummies book, you think you're so funny don't you 😐

fan the flowers 😭😭😭

fan doesn't post about his championship but posts about his girl... need me a man like that

#max verstappen smau #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen imagine #max verstappen fanfic #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fic #max verstappen x you

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Catherine Deneuve (Belle de Jour, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Young Girls of Rochefort)—Say what you will about the French but they really went off with Catherine Deneuve

Setsuko Hara (Tokyo Story, Late Spring, The Idiot)— "'The only time I saw Susan Sontag cry,' a writer once told me, his voice hushed, 'was at a screening of a Setsuko film.' What Setsuko had wasn’t glamour—she was just too sensible for that—it was glow, one that ebbed away and left you concerned, involved. You got the sense that this glow, like that of dawn, couldn’t be bought. But her smiles were human and held minute-long acts, ones with important intermissions. When she looked away, she absented herself; you felt that she’d dimmed a fire and clapped a lid on something about to spill. Over the last decade, whenever anyone brought up her lips—'Setsuko’s eternal smile,' critics said, that day we learned that she’d died—I thought instead of the thing she made us feel when she let it fall." - Moeko Fujii

This is round 3 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Catherine Deneuve propaganda:

"One of the greatest european actresses of all time. Famous for portraying 'aloof and mysterious beauties', she could play both the innocent and adorable and the cold and erotic parts. She was so beautiful she was chosen to be the face of Marianne, France's national symbol."

"She was a French movie star famous for icy and aloof roles and worked with some of the greatest international directors in the world (Jacques Demy, Luis Buñuel, and François Truffaut to name a few). She could kill you with her gaze and her bone structure should be studied by painters"

"One of the most famous of French actresses that has grace the film screen. She is just stunning and beautiful."

Setsuko Hara:

One of the best Japanese actresses of all time; a symbol of the golden era of Japanese cinema of the 1950s After seeing a Setsuko Hara film, the novelist Shūsaku Endō wrote: "We would sigh or let out a great breath from the depths of our hearts, for what we felt was precisely this: Can it be possible that there is such a woman in this world?"

One of the greatest Japanese actresses of all time!! Best known for acting in many of Yasujiro Ozu's films of the 40s and 50s. Also she has a stunning smile and beautiful charm!

Linked gifset

Linked gifset 2

She's considered by some to be the greatest Japanese actress of all time! In Kurosawa's The Idiot she haunts the screen, and TOTALLY steals the show from Mifune every time she appears.

"No other actor has ever mastered the art of the smile to the same extent as Setsuko Hara (1920–2015), a celebrated star and highly regarded idol who was one of the outstanding actors of 40s and 50s Japanese cinema. Her radiant smile floods whole scenes and at times cautiously undermines the expectations made of her in coy, ironic fashion. Yet her smile's impressive range also encompasses its darker shades: Hara's delicate, dignified, melancholy smile with which she responds to disappointments, papers over the emotions churning under the surface, and flanks life's sobering realizations. Her smiles don't just function as a condensed version of her ever-precise, expressive, yet understated acting ability, they also allow the very essence of the films they appear in to shine through for a brief moment, often studies of the everyday, post-war dramas which revolve around the break-up of family structures or the failure of marriages. Her performances tread a fine line between social expectation and personal desire in post-war Japan, as Hara attempts to lay claim to the autonomy of the female characters she plays – frequently with a smile." [link]

Leading lady of classic Japanese cinema with a million dollar smile

Maybe the most iconic Japanese actress ever? She rose to fame making films with Yasujiro Ozu, becoming one of the most well-known and beloved actresses in Japan, working from the 30s through the 60s in over 100 hundred. She is still considered one of the greatest Japanese actresses ever, and in my opinion, just one of the greatest actresses of all time. And she was HOT! Satoshi Kon's film Millennium Actress was largely based on her life and her career.

#setsuko hara #catherine deneuve #hotvintagepoll #fuck that old woman #ladies 3

[warwickroyals]

Sunderland's Royal Jewel Vault (18/∞) ♛

↬ Countess Wynn's Meander Tiara

The majority of the tiaras in the Sunderlandian collection were inherited through members of King Louis V's family, mainly previous queens Matilda Mary, Anne, and Katherine. This meander tiara however represents the current Wariwcks' French heritage, as it belonged to Queen Irene's mother, Marguerite Wynn. Countess Wynn was born in 1914 as Marguerite Delphine Lucie Chevrier. She was the eldest of four children born to industrialist  Phillipe Édouard Chervrier (1880 - 1950) and his El Salvadoran wife, Consuelo Romana Gomez (1892 - 1979). Margurite's family claims ancestry from both French and Spanish nobility, although the bulk of their impressive fortune was derived from Phillipe's ceramics factory in the south of France. Much of Margurite's early life was disrupted by the First World War, during which the Chevriers settled in Mexico City with Consuelo's sister. Following the war, Marguerite flourished in high Parisian society, becoming well-versed in the arts and fluent in several languages, including English and Spanish. Expected to marry into the French aristocracy, Marguerite made waves by instead marrying John Wynn (1911 - 1973), a career soldier from Sunderland whose great family had fallen on hard times following the deaths of John's three older brothers in the war. When the couple met in 1931, John was on a mindless trek across Europe, in search of a wealthy bride. Despite their differing backgrounds, Marguerite was smitten by John's optimism and good humour. The pair married a year later, with John even converting to Catholicism to appease Marguerite's parents. Their wedding was held at the Chapel of the Palace of Versailles, one of the last grand society affairs of interwar Paris. The tiara, which featured a Greek key design punctuated by a central emerald-cut yellow diamond, was among Marguarite's wedding gifts. The jewel is ambiguous in origin but is agreed to be an early twentieth-century creation, likely from Cartier. It became a useful tool in Margurite's arsenal as she erupted in Sunderland as one of the country's wealthiest society ladies. Pearlie, as she became known, was noted to be arrogant, intelligent, and ravishing. Pearlie is more "royal" than the rest of us combined. She drenches herself in jewels as if she were the ghost of the last Tsarina. — Queen Katherine, 1970

The Countess owned the tiara until 1968, when she gave it to her youngest daughter, Lady Irene, also as a wedding present. Irene's marriage to the future King Louis V was Pearlie's greatest life achievement and she became increasingly boastful. Maman Wynn, as she was called by the press and public, was known to meddle in royal affairs, especially the personal lives of her daughter and son-in-law. By the early 1980s, she was on bad terms with both. Irene was never seen wearing her mother's tiara, but she kept it in her own personal possession for almost thirty years. In 1997, Irene continued the tradition by gifting the tiara to her only daughter, Princess Jacqueline, ahead of her wedding to Lawrence Belmont. The wedding was coincidently the last public appearance of the old Countess Wynn. She died peacefully at Chester Palace the same winter. Since then, Jacqueline has worn the tiara regularly at state functions and in official portraits. It's among the princess's most cherished pieces.

The Countess Wynn wears the tiara in a portrait, circa October 1943, eight years before the birth of her youngest daughter, Queen Irene

HRH Princess Jacqueline wears the tiara while attending a gala dinner & dance in July 2026

#warwick.jewels #✨ #ch: irene #ch: jacqueline #ts4 #ts4 story #ts4 royal #ts4 storytelling #ts4 edit #ts4 royal legacy #ts4 legacy #ts4 royalty #ts4 monarchy #ts4 screenshots

[channieandhisgoonsquad]

With Felix 🥺

YES MA'AM! 🫡

Je t’aime.

Word Count: 1.2K

Warnings: Nope, it's FLUFF

Comments: I'm always down to write something about Lixie! He is Han's twin, after all. He is just so fucking pretty and like that one guy on youtube said "Sorry to all women, but you will never be prettier than Felix."

As soon as you got off the plane in the Paris airport, you were immediately overwhelmed. You had never ridden a plane by yourself, let alone going to a different country by yourself.

The truth is, you're not really alone. The manager that had been charged with traveling with Felix was meeting up with you while Felix was doing some shoots with their photographer. He told the young Aussie that he had to go meet up with someone to discuss the tour he was taking tomorrow.

When you passed security, you made your way to the exit, hoping to find the manager in the chaos. To your surprise, he was already in the building looking for you. You waved at him, but the man had already seen you coming.

"Hello, miss y/n. Glad to see another familiar face in this bustling city!"

You shook his hand nervously and giggled at the formal greeting. "Hi! I should say the same thing. I was just going outside to look for you."

He smiled, "No way! You are precious cargo and needed to be found as soon as you arrived!" He ushered you in the direction of the car parking ramp he had left the car in.

The city was magnificent! It was the first time you had been to France, and you were snapping as many pics as you could with your phone. You drove through a large roundabout that was surrounding the Arc de Triomphe and you couldn't stop trying to look through the manager's window to get a better look. "Do you think we can come back here?"

He looked out his window with you for a moment, "I will try to make it happen if time allows it."

When you pulled into another much smaller parking ramp, you got excited. The giddy bubbly sensation of surprising your lover was growing within you at the realization that it was so close. You only had a purse and a carry-on due to the shorter-than-you'd-like trip, but Felix's manager grabbed the bag from the trunk and demanded he hold onto it.

He looks down at his phone, tracking the location of Felix and their photographer. They were a block away wandering the local markets. "This is perfect! You can surprise him while shopping, miss."

You smiled anxiously, seemingly feeling like he was more excited about this than you. Your hands were already playing with the hems of your sleeves in anticipation of his reaction. The man had already sent you a couple of idyllic photos of the city and you couldn't believe you would be here with him.

The streets were bustling with all sorts of people on this warm, but windy, Wednesday afternoon. You had decided to dress to impress, wanting to feel like you belonged in this very luxurious space.

As you rounded the corner, you were overwhelmed by the lack of personal space created by the crowds. Thank god you had put your purse under your jacket, hearing of all of the pick pocketers that were in touristy locations such as Paris. That was a fear you had in this chaos.

Amidst such craziness, you saw your boyfriend, the man you hoped to marry someday. Of course, he stuck out like a sore thumb to you, but it couldn't be helped that he may stand out in general.

His style was not matching the others around him, and his blonde hair looked fluorescent in the midday sun. You could watch him all day; just bask in his ethereal appearance and attitude. He was so humble despite looking like a literal walking anime character. You continued observing him from ten feet away now, just watching him being so sweet to the lady running the stand he was at.

She seemed to be selling sweets of all kinds, and the man always wants a little bit of everything when he's travelling. She seems excited to tell him about everything, despite the slight language barrier. You're sure he had tried speaking some of his limited French, and that must've wooed her over.

You couldn't blame her! He is the essence of grace.

After watching creepily, you decided to just walk up to him while he chose his sweets. "Bonjour!" You yelled over the crowd to the woman behind the booth and she smiled sweetly back.

Felix was surprised at the sudden person so close to him and looked up questioningly. He gasped loudly and threw his arms completely around you! "Y/n? Wait… What the hell! How? When? What?!"

He couldn't decide what he wanted to say, so you just pulled him into a sweet kiss on his flustered face. He returned your kiss with numerous pecks on your whole face while you giggled at his happiness.

Lix grabbed both sides of your face with his hands on your cheeks, trying to make sure you were real. "Sweetie! I can't believe you're here! I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack you scared me so bad!" He let out a long breath through his mouth while he wrapped one arm around your waist and turned back to the woman, "Claudette, this is y/n. She's my lovely, wonderful, gorgeous, and insane girlfriend!"

"Hello again." You smiled at the lady that just shook her head at you two.

"T'amante. Ahhh young love." she sighed as she put together all of Felix's goods. He gave her his card and she finished the transaction with him. He gave her a ten-euro bill to add on for how kind she had been to them. When she saw it, she handed him two lollipops back.

He smiled, "Au Revoir!" and she blew a loving kiss back at him. He turned back to your face, “I suppose I should remind you, je t’aime, y/n.”

You fanned yourself dramatically, “God, I don’t think you understand how hot that sounds with your voice. Be careful around your Stays.” He made a disapproving noise, blushed profusely, and nudged your shoulders together because of your teasing.

Felix found a cafe with four available seats and went to the counter to order the drinks. On his return, everyone began talking about the schedule and Felix showed you more pictures of the things he's seen.

You also were treated to the news that you could go on the tour with them. Louis Vutton rented an entire double leveled bus for the interview they were planning to do with Felix, and you were welcome to sit behind the camera and take in the site. You were so excited to be here.

Felix couldn't let go of your hand the entire time, rubbing the back of your palm absent mindedly while confirming timings and locations with the two JYP staff.

Once finished, everyone continued roaming the streets together, taking in the sights and sounds of the ancient city. Felix pulled out the two suckers and you unwrapped them both since Felix was taking photos of everything still.

He took a photo of both of your heart-shaped lollipops. They were adorable and tasted like strawberry. The city of love, with your love, and these heart shaped lollipops was everything you needed at that moment.

You remembered what Claudette had said to you two, and searched it up on google, "Lixie, she said 't'amante' and that means your lover."

"Well, that's what you are. My light and my love."

My Spooky Pookies: @2chopsticks2eyes @moonlightndaydreams @mae-is-cute980 @noellllslut @caitlyn98s @chansmanda @chaotic-world-of-the-j @lyramundana @linlinaert @diorrxluvskz @sweetracha @stolasisyourparent @antoniorhinothethird @queen-in-the-shadows @queenmea604 @thightswideforhanin @yourarmsmyhome @its-hannjisung @idkluvutellme @pearbunny

#stray kids #skz #i love him #loml #lee felix #i love felix #felix lee #felix #yongbok #lee yongbok #skz yongbok #yongbokie #felix yongbok #stray kids yongbok #stray kids x reader #stray kids x y/n #stray kids fluff #stray kids fanfic #lee felix fanfic #lee felix fluff #felix x reader #felix x y/n

[bambi-kinos]

@yulia-k-blog

Sorry it took me a while to answer this, I wanted a short break from meta and there's more to write still. John and Yoko's relationship eh.

I think they had a genuine camaraderie and artistic connection. Yoko was doing something interesting when John was bored, frustrated, and angry. I think that her ideas genuinely excited him especially since she was using abstract thinking in her art, as well as focusing on audience participation in a way that John had never thought of before. What I noticed from reading about Yoko's exhibits and props was that she wanted to invoke reactions and emotions in the audience. Like she once constructed a box made out of plywood and stuck it full of pickles or something and the whole deal was that you were supposed to stick your hand in it. Feels creepy and gross but at least you felt something right? That's what she wanted.

Now whether Yoko's art was actually any good is a completely different question. She was not the only or first performance artist to be creating exhibits with the idea of making audience participation as the focal point. She wasn't the only or first abstract thinker to come out of Japan at that point either. John was kind of a dumbass for being so taken with her honestly because by the time November 1966 rolled around, Yoko wasn't doing anything new or even interesting. John met her at Indica because other performance artists setting up their crappy little exhibits there. Yoko's whole thing was that she came to the UK because she deduced that the British were more willing to put up with her half baked ideas. She couldn't get traction in the United States specifically because artists from France and Germany and other Western European nations had moved to New York City to GTFO out of their wartorn nations and find their fortunes overseas. So it wasn't just that Yoko was behind the curve and trying to play catch up, it's that the sophisticated international globetrotters in New York City spent a lot of time putting her in her place with regards to her art hustle lmao.

But anyway. John and Yoko, they had a genuine connection. I think that was real. John couldn't make anyone give a shit about her but hey, he was impressed with her. Can't fake that. I think Yoko had a genuine affection for him too, even if it was more like a Hollywood actress doting on her purse puppy a la Paris Hilton.

The problem is that this was manufactured lmao. Yoko pestered Paul for manuscripts in 1965 or thereabouts (yes it really was that early), he deflected her to John, and she began stalking John at his fucking house to the point he changed the phone number a few times and she sent him tampons, once jumped into his car and demanded a ride while Cynthia was also in it, and other crazy shit like that. Yoko was really, really desperate for his attention but she was also desperate for his money: she wrote up a goddamn contract with her then husband Tony Cox where they agreed to split the proceeds that they got from John Lennon 50/50. I don't know if this was before or after """meeting""" John at Indica in 1966 but Yoko's original plan was to steal everything she could from John and split it with her husband. What a nice lady looking after John's money for him like that, making sure it wouldn't get stolen, huh.

I do wonder sometimes if the Beatles thing got out of Yoko's control and if she was just as much along for the ride as Paul was. But anyway. Again, sorry, about myself, I editorialize.

Yoko wanted a patron and she decided to aim high for a Beatle. John wanted to escape the Beatles and go on a "fuck Paul" spree. They both gave each other that. And I think they both succeeded admirably in what they wanted to do. Yoko got to have her Beatle and she has never been without money ever since. John got to jump on the "fuck Paul" train and he never got off it, regardless of what his true feelings about the matter were.

It was not a phony relationship by any means. I think that John legitimately respected Yoko as an artist. He saw something there that no one else does. It's just that it was always lopsided. Yoko liked having John as her pet and he liked being her pet. It was never a relationship between equals like it was with John and Paul.

And I mean. To John's credit he did not want a relationship between equals. Multiple reports from the Dakota confirm that John actively wanted Yoko to handle everything and he resented the idea that he should take charge of his finances and his diet and his life. When Yoko fired John's lawyers so he would have no legal representation in her impending divorce plans (god that was a quagmire) he did not raise a peep as far as we know. What makes their relationship so baffling is that Yoko did so many awful things to John and the worst he would do in response is use their tarot reader Charlie Swan as a marriage counselor and vent his feelings about his wife before quietly returning to their dynamic.

How do you keep a man like John Lennon? How do you make him stay? Yoko shows us how! Ignore him! Do not speak to him for weeks on end! Insult him and call him names! Give him a limited allowance of money and unlimited drugs! Take over his legal and financial representation and absolutely do not allow him the choice to take it back!

tl;dr Cyn and Paul loved John and he ran from them. Yoko squeezed John for everything he had and he clung to her. That is their relationship.

#john lennon #yoko ono #paul mccartney #dakota days #my meta #beatles meta

[greatbritishsimchallenge]

As they arrived in Tartosa, the first thing that struck Margaret was the wonder of the sea. While they had been on the ship travelling to Tartosa, their mother had kept both Margaret and Frances in the safety of their cabin. Now back on land, Margaret was able to properly admire the scenery and it stood out to her as greater than anything she had ever seen in Newcrest.

The next thing to strike Margaret was the place that they would call home. The open extravagance went so against the required humility and modesty of the Pure Faith that it had never even occurred to Margaret that such beautiful homes were possible. Lady Catherine was less impressed, tutting her disapproval at the splendour.

The final thing to strike Margaret - and the one that struck her most - was their host. Lady Margaret swept towards them with such a grace that Margaret thought she must be floating. Her whole attire was brighter and more colourful than anything Margaret had ever seen worn in Newcrest.

Lady Catherine curtseyed deeply at Lady Margaret's arrival, "Please accept my sincerest thanks for welcoming us to your home."

"Nonsense!" replied Lady Margaret cheerfully. Lady Catherine was clearly taken aback by the informal joviality with which Lady Margaret spoke. "We are family!"

Unsure of how to respond, Lady Catherine cleared her throat and then said, "May I introduce my eldest daughter, Lady Margaret, and my youngest, Lady Frances."

Lady Catherine and Margaret watched on, stunned, as Lady Margaret got down onto her knees in front of Margaret and kissed her once on each cheek.

"I see we have the same name! Très bien! Though, that might get a touch confusing sometimes. We can't have everyone running to you to lead Tartosa all of a sudden, can we? Though I would appreciate getting to skip all those long meetings, I couldn't possibly put you through all that!" Lady Margaret leaned in slightly and lowered her voice, as if proposing a secret plan. "How about I call you Maggie? And me... what shall we call me?"

Margaret blinked quickly, speechless. Lady Margaret laughed kindly and then said, "I've always fancied a name that sounded very English. How about you call me... Peggy?"

Margaret let out a small laugh, which made Lady Margaret's smile widen.

Margaret quickly stopped laughing when she caught her mother's eye. Lady Catherine cleared her throat again, "It has been a long journey, Lady Margaret. I would greatly appreciate if you could show us to our rooms."

"Bien sûr! You must be exhausted. I shall have your lunch sent to your rooms so you can focus on resting and unpacking. Tonight we can have a lovely supper and 'getting-to-you-know' chat. Perhaps my husband might even consider parting ways with the gambling table and whiskey to join us!"

As Lady Margaret laughed, Lady Catherine's jaw tightened.

Start (Iron Age) | Start (Roman Britain) | Start (Anglo Saxon) | Start (Medieval) | Start (Tudor) | Start (Stuart)

Previous | Next

#Yep that is Isabeau and Nicholas' daughter #and her French accent is thicker than her father's #and she is stunning #great british sim challenge #sims 4 history challenge

[thatgordongirl]

BBC Ghosts Season 2 : Life references

After months of putting it off, Season 2 is finally finished!

Episode 1 - The Grey Lady

Captain’s “For King and Country” is in reference to George VI

Thomas references Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare 

Julian plays ping pong and says it takes him back to the David Lloyd in Chelsea 

Julian spoils the World Cup quarterfinals for Pat, implying he watched it when alive 

Mary was mostly illiterate

A 14th century grindstone is found in the cellar 

Captain unsurprisingly mentions the war again

Julian thinks he can do an impression of Nelson Mandela 

Thomas does an impression of an earl, but I couldn’t find anything on them so please excuse my lack of British know how 

Fanny appears in photos 

Julian didn’t believe in ghosts when he was alive 

Pat lists his skills in life: knot-tying, tent-pitching, archery 

Julian references Newsnight 

Fanny has been to a sideshow 

I’m assuming Pat and Julian are referencing Bruce Forsyth, which Julian has before 

Not a life thing, but I find it interesting that both Robin and Captain have said ghosts can’t feel the cold, only for Captain to question it 

Side note: Thomas’ cheese commercial made me hungry

Fanny’s dress is made of silk 

I like to think Captain talking to Dante’s taxidermy means he likes dogs

Pat likes pop quizzes

Captain likes running, a no brainer 

Captain remarks that he’s in his prime and that’s he’s still got it, implying that he at least believed he was in good health when alive 

Episode 2 - About Last Night 

Mick the plague ghost comes back the village they’ll eventually die in

Mick claims to have had an orange, have seen a bear kill a man, and met the king and went fishing 

He brought salt and clothes for the other plague ghosts, which led to their deaths 

Side note: Mick coughing up the blood was so scary to me, dying from a sickness 

Thomas may be able to cook, since he says he wished he could make Alison breakfast - lamb’s kidney and onion- before being cut off. I wonder if Thomas learned or liked to cook 

Thomas acknowledges he wasn’t formally invited to the party, a custom he’s used to

None of the surrounding villages were struck with plague 

Captain asks to watch a war documentary while Pat wants to watch football 

Julian believed that you should drink more alcohol when hung over

Mary offers a remedy: mushrooms soaked in goats milk and vinegar till it’s warm 

Pat says that cola is good for a hang over 

Side note again: Thomas is really sweet when he informs Alison of Dante’s disappearance, or the multiple times he’s wished to help her with things like cooking and cleaning. We love a helpful king 

Fanny loved Dante like her own child according to Thomas, and she once told Julian she loved Dante more anything else in the world. If she did have kids, I wonder if the relationship was strained. Also, it’s such a notable fact that everyone knows it, including ghosts that weren’t around for Fanny’s life

I know he’s easily coerced into not doing it, but the fact that Captain wanted to tell Fanny immediately that Dante was missing is very sweet 

Julian has extensive experience in public inquiries, specifically being the one getting asked the questions

Julian describes how it make an alcoholic drink to Alison 

Kitty’s heard white wine helps with stains

Fanny is not fond of mice

Mary thinks Veronica, Clive and Annie are nice names. I won’t include Daniel because it was her having a close call with Daniel 

Dante used to like sitting by the fire 

Episode 3 - Redding Weddy

Captain’s soldiers at Button House were apparently prone to giggling and horseplay 

Introduction of Captain’s Lieutenant, Havers 

We see Captain being informed that France has surrendered, which occurred in June 1940 

Captain requested a service revolver

Lieutenant Havers had an emergency lockdown initiated shortly after 

Havers informs Captain he wants to be involved in fighting, and has put in a transfer for the North Africa front 

Pat is, unsurprisingly, well versed in activity badges, and everyone else can recite them 

Robin knows how to skin a mammoth 

Julian, my dear, you are way off. It took Mary more than 300 years to talk about the witch trial if she did indeed die in the 1610s 

Pat likes Top Gun 

Julian references Chariots of Fire from 1981, Mississippi Burning from 1988 and The Towering Inferno from 1974

Little reference to the next episode when Thomas says he would show Julian his glove if he had one. Also, the wedding guy says the backyard looks like a bomb site, when it literally is one. Stuff like that make the show so much cooler

Julian used to do boxing for Cambridge 

Pat says s'il vous plaît

Fanny and Kitty read Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence 

Julian references the Suez crisis

Thomas references Jack and the Beanstalk

Pat calls the laptop the computer that folds

Pat was with Carol at her parents’ house when the moon landing happened, eating fish and chips and trying a jumbo battered sausage for the first time

Julian was a student at Cambridge when the moon landing happened and having his first threesome 

Captain claims that his dog Barry is buried where the bomb is, which is obviously untrue, but he also says that where they buried their pets, plural. I like to think Cap’s soldiers had a few dogs about

Captain has a letter with William written on it, which he tucks into his clothes. Captain says he was just thinking about Havers, which would later link to how they both knew about operation William 

Havers gets a new service revolver 

Captain has poster in his office about men wanted in the army, and also a wall full of books

Captain and his soldiers played cricket 

Julian references 9 1/2 weeks, a 1986 erotic movie 

Thomas always chooses pistol

Julian sold 50 crates of AK-47 assault rifles to the Libyans in 1983 to pay for his orangery 

Julian uses a grenade and a flamethrower on Thomas, I don’t know if his “I’m melting” line is meant to reference the Wizard of Oz or not

The statue outside, Florence, was one of Kitty’s best friends 

Kitty’s sister would pretend to not be able to find her when playing hide and seek

Kitty once hid for a whole day and night, and got so hungry she had to eat a bit of her purse 

I mean it’s just meant to look funny and be a reference but Julian can canonically spin a ball on one finger 

Nobody has ever found Kitty during hide and seek 

Nice canon Cap in a coat, love a bit of that

He also smokes, or at least fiddles the occasional pipe

Oh and he threw that envelope into the hole with the bomb

Captain buried a prototype limpet mine, which was so secret only he and Havers knew about it, along with the blueprints 

Captain talks bomb mechanics with Robin, the cutest thing I’ve ever seen

Pat knows about 2001: A Space Odyssey 

Robin thinks the earth is flat 

There’s a bit of speculation here: I can’t actually say with absolute certainty that Captain really saw Havers go. Maybe it’s wishful thinking that Havers would turn back and salute one last time, maybe it did happen, maybe it didn’t 

Episode 4 - The Thomas Thorne Affair

Robin would wear a space suit, Mary a seashell dress, Tom double denim with aviators, Julian misses pants, Pat’s wearing his lovely gist, Kitty wears the same as Alison, and Captain would wear his uniform 

Julian is unsurprisingly well versed in political tactics like the spin 

Captain identifies a musket ball

It’s the one that made Thomas very dead

This is another thing I’m uncertain about: whether Thomas feels pain or just does it for dramatic affect 

Quick side note before sad Thomas lore, I think I forgot to mention last time that Julian mentioned Great Expectations 

Thomas died October 10th, 1824

Thomas came to Button House when it was owned by the Highams’, Thomas and Francis were invited

They can both ride horses

Thomas had stated the house was pleasant to look at, but he wouldn’t want to live there (rippppp)

Thomas was in love with Isabelle Higham 

Thomas wrote a poem called Hermione and Roger and recited in front of everyone ( turns out he always sucked, but his poetry didn’t really sound that bad to me in this episode ) 

Isabelle played the harpsichord 

I always wonder during this episode how Thomas remembers his death so wrongly, whether he’s lying about it or simply so horrified he forgot I don’t know 

Even so, I think Thomas genuinely was in love and didn’t misinterpret as much before Isabelle

Thomas challenged some guy to a duel, we love a gun brandishing king 

Francis is a bitch- anyway back to Thomas

Thomas went twenty paces instead of ten, should’ve listened to ten duel commandments Thomas

The first animation with the spinning paper thing was shown

Monster munch, no words

Julian with his bloody playboy magazine, I’m not surprised 

First mention of Annie, Mary’s bestie

Humphrey is such a lovely soul, learning to admire the little things like shoes 

Okay wait, Alison says “you’ve literally got forever” which parallels Captain’s “we’ve got forever” 

HOLD UP THAT DUEL GUY WAS INSULTING MARY SHELLEY 

HOW DARE HE 

Thomas shot a bird and apologised before he died 

Isabelle never came to see Thomas before he passed, he was left alone to die

Julian cried at Thomas’ death 

Francis rigged the whole thing to trick Thomas and Isabelle in order to get Higham House

Francis and Isabelle’s son was George’s grandfather 

Everyone is related through Robin and his sister 

Poor Tom, you stay how you die and that letter isn’t going anywhere 

Episode 5 - Bump in the Night 

Cap likes to count with Humphrey’s hands 

Captain tells Alison of life from the knees “Trust me, you don’t want a hernia” either he had one or knew someone who did

Humphrey knows that hedgehogs will leave flees in the rug 

Also Captain and Humphrey’s exchange “Pick me up at six. Literally” “Very good” is so cute 

Fanny references oyster forks

She assumes they’re eating oysters at the wedding 

Julian sings “I’ll make love to you” by Boyz II Men

Humphrey on guard is cute 

Captain does his own little vocalisation of what I’m assuming is a long way to Tipperary 

Kitty assumes the intruders are there for a masked ball 

Julian references the Bramptons and assumes it’s insurance fraud 

Captain knows it’s a burglary 

Pat tries to put them under a citizens arrest, so cute 

Pat references Borstal 

Alison taught Kitty acronyms - Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain 

Captain calls the police the constabulary 

“Burglary in process”

Captain - “why is no one ever alive when you need them?” Very telling, Cap

Julian gets worried Margaret Thatcher is dead. Too late Julian 

Fanny admires the brushwork of her portrait

Cap and Pat watched Star Wars 

Julian worries about getting RSI 

Pat, Cap and Julian know Morse code 

Julian lobbied against an animal welfare bill 

Robin always gets excited by fire 

Captain says he could have Robin shot off desertion, scaring Thomas 

Alison meets a ghost who died hitchhiking. I find that to be an interesting concept, as the ghost is more based on the archetype. Makes me think about if Robin’s ability or character was created first

Robin howls for the dogs

Uh, Pat talks about drugs going in unsavoury places 

Fanny would make a good criminal 

Captain says he fought in an actual battle, it’s difficult to hear but it’s there

Julian loves a good sauna 

Episode 6 - Perfect Day

Mary believes that bad weather means bad tidings for the wedding

Fanny believes marriages should be at churches 

Pat’s wedding day was the best day of his life, Carol wore velvet and he wore a brown three piece 

Julian was drunk on his wedding day 

Fanny’s wedding day was at Winchester Cathedral and she was given away by the Marquis of Granby 

Robin had at least thirty children

Kitty can throw up, and had food in her stomach when she died

Robin says that’s never happened before

Captain is very good at decorating, no surprise

Pat recognises the kid who killed him 

Mary and her wedding superstitious 

Both Pat and Julian talk about Dennis Waterman

Robin and Julian talk about Mick Hucknall

Kitty’s dress is burgundy 

Captain has great fashion sense

Thomas references Whitechapel 

You know, Thomas’ explanation of how Clare looked was pretty accurate, he’s quite aware of emotions

Fanny stops in front of George’s portrait, just an interesting detail 

Fanny had high expectations placed on her since she was a child 

Alison and Mike got married young 

Alison had second thoughts on their wedding day

Mary had a husband, who was crushed underneath a plough three years after their marriage 

The man Pat recognises is Keith Darren Dean 

First time hearing about Humphrey’s marriage: it was arranged, they were both from noble families, he was fourteen she was twelve 

They didn’t love each other, and Humphrey believed she didn’t like him, they couldn’t understand each other because she was French 

Course later we find out she thought highly of him

Keith has guilt that has lasted decades, that sounds so painful 

Fanny and Thomas exchange a look when she finally comes around to the wedding, it’s just so sweet I had to mention it

Keith remembers the knot tying Pat taught him

Episode 7 - The Ghost of Christmas

Julian is giving a speech for a bill at the start of the episode, referencing saying goodbye to Margot the day before 

He refers to her as ‘this woman from my wedding’ and implies he’s about to sleep with another woman by the end of the scene

Nickname count: Dearest, darling and dear

The baby, Rachel, is heard crying on the phone

Margot asks when Julian is coming home, so he lies to her and says he won’t be back for days

Pat loves Christmas cooking, such a dear

Captain wishes he had a whiteboard

Julian points out the humbugs, and says he hates Christmas 

Captain misses hearing the King’s speech on Christmas

Pat liked playing games with his nephew and his son, Daley

Games like Buckaroo, Boggle, Yahtzee and KerPlunk 

Thomas misses the mistletoe, implying he’s been kissed before

Kitty used to open presents in the morning and then after lunch Eleanor would pick the ones she wanted

Mary says that some babies can see ghosts until they start walking 

Julian is in the warmest room in the house due to his legs

Julian was in Brussels once at a strip club,  but he tells Margot he’s at a restaurant eating moules-frites and drinking a Sancerre 

Margot seems at least skeptical of him

This is one of the Christmases he misses, the last four of his life that involve Rachel 

Julian references the European Union

Fanny convinced Alison to follow the tradition of chopping a tree down and bringing it on for Christmas

Fanny planted at least fifty saplings in her time

It’s kind of funny that Julian is horrified by Mary getting naked

Thomas’ Christmas recital thing wasn’t that bad 

From inference, it’s implied that Julian believes Margot wanted the baby, and that he had it thrust upon him

And if “I know, darling, I know” represents Margot, and Julian thinks that’s a reaction she would have, damn is that sad

She’s practically taking the blame for his misery

Julian would go for a drive if the baby got too irritating to him 

It appears that out of the four Christmases away from Rachel,  one was to do oil deals, one was to be in Brussels, one at Colonel Gaddafi’s palace, and possibly another in Brussels 

Pat loves Twister

Thomas and Cap have physical discipline 

Pat would go to the shed to drink a Watney’s 

Julian being considerate of Angela sleeping is either a new development, or something he was never pushed to do in life

The PC brigade may have interrogated Julian

Fanny seems to hold her Christmases in a high regard, despite George. Maybe it wasn’t always bad

Julian has kissed the wrong people under the mistletoe 

Alison plays In the Bleak Midwinter on the piano 

Rachel Fawcett is an MP for the Green Party, she’s a Major Leader of it 

#bbc ghosts #mike cooper #alison cooper #the captain #julian fawcett #pat butcher #margot fawcett #rachel fawcett #humphrey bone #mary bbc ghosts #kitty bbc ghosts #robin bbc ghosts #thomas thorne #fanny button #george button

[barnxyes]

moth to a flame - dark mob andy barber x fem actress reader | Chapter 2 SNEAKPEAK👀

- Summary: You have captivated the boss’s heart much to your obliviousness.

A/N: So sorry it took me so long to get back to y’all! Here is a sneak peek for part two of MTAF! Chapter 2 should be here soon. :)

“Welcome, make yourself at home, my lady. Mr. Barber will be here shortly. In the meantime, he left this here for you.” In the center of the foyer, a round table sat, an envelope and a velvet blue box in the middle as a flute of champagne awaited you. “We were made aware that this is your favorite.”

You nodded, mumbling a small shit when you took a hold of the velvet box, the weight making you place it on the table where it sat. Gasping at what lay inside the box: a tremendously beautiful necklace, a grayish sapphire blue diamond surrounded with a halo of sixteen smaller white stones.

The chain seemed to follow with similar stones, only bigger and with square cuts and ovals.

It’s beauty was almost indescribable.

“Le bleu de France.” Nora announced.

“The Hope Diamond.” You muttered, taken aback by such surprise. “Isn’t this worth millions of dollars?” Though the career as an actress gave you a fortune, you could not imagine spending such a big amount of money on a necklace, even more so gifting it to a random person you’ve never even met.

“I believe so.” She smiled. “Come, we must sit you for dinner.”

With a shaking leg, you studied the dining room, messing with the silverware whilst doing so. “Mr. Barber will be here shortly, madam.” Sensing your uncomfortableness from the lengthy wait, she simmered. “Can I get you anything?”

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

Before you, the epitome of a gorgeous man walked in, tall and lean. You blinked, taken aback by his appearance, dark blue suit fit on his body. He offered his hand. “Andrew Barber, it’s a pleasure. Forgive me for the wait. I had things to take care of.”

He seemed so incredibly familiar, like if he was someone known, hidden in the back of your mind.

You stared causing the gentleman to chuckle lowly as he kissed your knuckles, gently caressing the side with his thumb. You smiled of course, always set to perfect first impressions, ignoring the dollop of what seemed to be blood on his white dress shirt, almost hidden behind his blazer.

Andrew Barber

You were so incredibly fucked.

#soft dark andy barber x reader #dark andy barber x reader #andy barber x reader #yandere andy barber x reader #yandere andy barber #dark andy barber #dark fic #yandere #yandere x reader #mob boss andy barber #mob au #actress reader

[sea-lanterns]

Getting fucked and pampered by the Fontaine women would be enough to please my sapphic little heart for decades 💙

FONTAINE WOMEN 💕💕

They’d be so romantic and sweet but wow can they fuck you like crazy. Since Fontaine is based off France (the country of love) I like to think Fontaine women are experts in seducing and flirting when it comes to inside the bedroom…

Expect things like rose petals and candles on your bed, because these ladies know how to impress. Call it cheesy if you will, but that’s just their personal love language! They love spoiling you in all the riches they can offer, so if you see your bedroom filled with roses, candles, and expensive toys, then you’re in for a treat 🩷

#🫧thought bubbles

[justmeinatree]

05 - the greatest show : the moment you’ve waited for

Summary : a group of misfits, a mysterious leader, a string of murders, and a life on the road.

previous part /// jump to pt. 1

Word Count : 3.5k

Series Masterlist

“ahh, here they all are,” harry hums, finally finding the boxcar that everyone’s seemingly chosen to gather round in tonight.

he’s ushered ladybug into the small space, the fairly large group of people sitting on a bunch of different pieces of furniture strewn around the room. they’re all speaking to each other animatedly, laughing, passing around a dark bottle filled with something fairly potent, based on the smell.

“hey,” harry hums, a bit louder than the overall buzz of mingling people, grabbing everyone’s attention, and making them turn to look over at harry and ladybug.

she grows nervous again, unsure of what they’ll all think of her, if they’ll like her, if they’ll get along with her, if they’ll welcome her. she’s made it past harry, but she’s not sure that that was the hardest part. in all honestly, a one on one conversation with him was nowhere near as bad as clara described it. but now that she’s faced with all the lovely people she’s supposed to be calling family, now that she actually has to meet everyone and make a good impression, she’s a bit tense.

“harry,” a young woman smiles, accent making her obviously italian, “who’s your friend ?” she asks, nodding towards ladybug.

“everyone, this is ladybug. she’s joining our little family. gonna be drawing caricatures of our guests. let’s all welcome her, yeah ?” he hums, patting her on the shoulder. “now, i know you’ve met clara,” he murmurs in thought.

“hi, i’m tom,” he cuts harry right off, offering ladybug a large smile, and extending his even larger hand.

she takes it, shakes it kindly, eyes flicking over tom’s frame. he really is tall. taller than she remembers from hours ago. she notes the slight chuckle from him, “m’7ft. 6inches. it’s pretty impressive the first time innit ?”

she laughs, nodding, the tense air around her seemingly deflating, as she can’t help herself but banter, “surprised you even fit in these cars.”

that manages a laugh from everyone, tom’s smile stretching wide, “s’better than curling up under a bridge.”

she giggles, nodding, “yeah, i’ll give you that one.” her eyes do linger for a moment though, because really, how many people can say they’ve been in the presence of someone so tall ? it really is a sight to take in. harry seemed fairly tall to her, but he doesn’t even reach tom’s shoulders.

and then, like the largest stroke of whiplash, she meets adriana, a lovely lady from romania, standing at only 2ft 4inches, a sight her eyes struggle to adjust to after having just laid their gaze upon tom. she can’t help but think it’s some kind of show trickery, keeping them side by side so that the overall shock factor is that much larger.

next, she meets a group of young women, not much older than her, if at all. women from all over europe. maria and vittoria from italy, louise, jeanne, and catherine from france, and marta from germany. they make up the group of burlesque dancers, if their leotards were anything to go by. 

finally, she meets jose and javier, two spanish boys that couldn’t be much older than 8, twin heads, sharing only one body. jose’s neck has been growing out of javier’s left shoulder since they were born. the complications of raising conjoined twins, with only one body mind you, was a struggle that their parents could not continue with. she learns that they were left abandoned in toddlerhood. a piece of information that was not easy to obtain seeing as they seem to love bantering and poking fun, making up riddles and playing games, not many serious sentences coming out of either of their mouths. although, really, what was she to expect ? they were so young after all.

sergey introduced himself a moment later, almost cutting off the twins, “if nobody jumps in, they’ll just keep babbling,” he laughs, getting up to shake her hand. sergey was born in russia, just a few years before her. she doesn’t seem to note any deformities just by looking at him, but she’s also not one to pry. and how could she ? s’not a good question to ask when you’re trying to make the best first impression. she does learn though, that he’s a master card dealer, and that no matter what, he will always win at any card game. 

“i love a challenge,” she giggles, noting the glint in sergey’s eyes, as he adds, “can’t wait to see you try.”

“you love when someone new comes along, don’t you ?” adriana giggles.

“love the flash of an exciting challenge that flicks through everyone, yes,” sergey smiles smirkingly. 

“we’ve all tried,” maria hums, turning her attention to ladybug, “more times than anyone can count. seriously, nobody can beat him.”

“i’d still like to try,” ladybug shrugs, “what do you do all day anyway ? when the show’s not happening, i mean.”

“lots of travel,” tom hums, patting the spot next to himself, “have a seat, don’t have to stand there all alone, join us for real.”

she furrows her eyebrows, because no she wasn’t alone, harry was right here with her. wasn’t he ?

as her gaze flicks as far back as she could without actually turning around, she notes that at some point, harry’s disappeared. he isn’t in the room at all anymore. she never heard him leave, never heard the door click, never noticed that his presence was missing. he never said goodbye, never excused himself. maybe he just needed a wee and he’ll be right back ? 

better question, why is she so caught up in the fact that harry stepped away. he didn’t owe her anything, didn’t owe her an explanation. didn’t owe any of them an explanation. so she shakes the feeling out of her body, plopping herself down between tom and clara.

“we sleep mostly during the day,” catherine hums to answer her question, french accent present but fairly subdued, “s’a bit of an adjustment at first, but you do get used to it. it’s just easier that way since we’re usually rolling down the tracks while the sun is up.”

“we do all of our set up at night time,” clara jumps in. “it’s a nice way to surprise the town with our presence in the morning. then we sleep and prepare during the day, and do our show the next night. and so on, and so on,” she chuckles. 

“it’s a lot more fun than it sounds when she lays it out like that, i promise,” louise smiles wide, significantly stronger accent than catherine. or was it jeanne ? fuck, she’s already unsure. she thinks those 6 burlesque girls will be incredibly difficult to differentiate. they all look so much alike. especially in their matching show outfits. she hasn’t really had the chance to hear them speak yet, but she’s betting it’ll be the only way to truly tell them apart. they all have brown eyes, more on the rounded side, their hair, also brown, slightly wavy and very long. honestly if it weren’t for their accents, she’d be ready to bet that they’re sextuplets. 

“oh, no, it is fun !” clara laughs, “it takes a bit of adjusting at first, like catherine mentioned, switching your days with your nights and getting used to the constant travel, never really knowing where we are.”

“gotta listen to the accents,” sergey hums, “we’re in france tonight, in case you hadn’t noticed,” he adds playfully, earning a smack to the arm from clara.

“so, how was the meeting with harry ?” clara turns her attention to ladybug, everyone sporting different levels of smirks and sympathetic eyes. “was he an asshole ? i told him to tone that shit down.”

“actually, no,” she shrugs, “he was really sweet. i don’t know what you’re talking about at all. we just had a really nice, quiet chat. he kind of seemed to feel bad for me from time to time. really wanted to help me find my talent.”

“WHAT?” “fuckin guy” “THAT’S NOT FAIR, i want a redo” “what are you ? a witch ?”

“woah, woah,” she laughs, eyes growing wide, hands coming up in surrender, as everyone starts shouting at her.

“think our little harry has a crush on someone,” sergey smirks, everyone’s attention turning to him. 

mental note, they might be a lovely bunch of respectful misfits, but they are not immune to gossip. in fact, they seem to be thriving on it right now. a little glimmer of fun and excitement in their otherwise fairly mundane lives.

adriana gasps excitedly, one of the french girls doing so as well, “it’s about time someone catches his attention. poor lad seems really lonely, doesn’t he ?”

the room buzzes with a simultaneous sad hum, a few people nodding along. marta breaks the silence, “it’s not like we haven’t all tried to make him less lonely,” she snickers playfully, suggestively, the ladies giggling along as if it was some kind of inside joke.

“c’mon love, you can’t be that blind to his charm,” sergey nudges her, “i’m not interested in men but i can say with complete certainty that harry’s absolutely gorgeous.”

she huffs out a laugh, feeling a slight blush rising to her cheeks, “well, i do have eyes.”

as people keep mingling around her, she takes a moment. a moment to absorb. a moment to appreciate. a moment to examine. a moment to come to terms with her new life. something she randomly stumbled upon. something that she joined on a whim, with the promise of family and love and belonging and caring. a judgment free zone for the rejects of the world. 

for the first time in weeks, she feels a sense of normalcy. the adrenaline of being on the run, finally at bay. fuck, when did she become so tired ? her brain feels slow, heavy almost. with the threat of danger waning, her alertedness is no longer needed, her body understands that it can sleep again.

“the first night sleepies,” vittoria giggles, catching everyone’s attention, as she nods towards ladybug. “you’ve gone quiet, the excitement is over.”

her eyes grow wide, “n-no, it’s not like that,” she stammers, feeling bad for a moment. she should be more lively with them, make a good impression and all that.

“we know,” clara smiles, patting her thigh, vittoria jumping in quickly to add, “i didn’t mean it like that. we’ve all been there, on that first night, we know exactly how you’re feeling right now. we would not be offended if you wanted to sneak off to your space and sleep. don’t have to be shy around us.”

she contemplates that for a moment, because they really all are just understanding people. they don’t sweat the small stuff, the annoying societal rules, the stupid little formalities that make you miserable. like forcing yourself to stay awake because it would be the polite thing to do. it’s a breath of fresh air really. she thinks she’ll really like it here.

“oh, okay, yeah,” she shakes her head, “i don’t have a space yet though. nobody’s shown me anything. m’not really sure where to go from here.”

“christ, did harry not explain anything ?” tom asks, shaking his head.

“probably too busy making heart eyes at her,” javier laughs, the others joining, clearly enjoying a bit of playful fun at harry’s expense.

“c’mon, i’ll show you,” clara stands with her, both of the girls waving their goodbyes at everyone, clicking the door shut behind themselves.

“it’s down this way,” clara smiles, heading down the line of cars, “it’s the last one for now, hope that’s okay. when we reach the next destination, we’ll reorder the carts, have yours up with everyone else’s.”

“it’s fine, really,” she nods, “you’ve all gone so out of your way to make me feel welcome. comfortable.”

clara stops in front of the last cart, resting her hand softly on ladybug’s shoulder, “we’re not doing anything special. and i’m sorry that your life so far has made you believe that we are. but really, we’re just showing you the same respect that we got when we first joined, the same respect we’ve been waiting to feel all our lives.”

“it’s so easy. why can’t the world be like this ?” she ponders out loud. why couldn’t harry just be the leader of the world ? seems like it would be a pretty nice place for everybody.

“the world isn’t ready for it,” clara shrugs. “or that’s what i tell myself. that maybe we just have this different way of seeing things. but one day, in the far far future, i like to believe that people will be more understanding, more caring.”

“it’s definitely a nice thought,” she nods, biting her lip, “i like to think that maybe we’re all different because we’re meant to show them something. maybe they have a lesson to learn. one that can only come from change and differences.”

at that, clara smiles, a warm loving smile, one that almost feels sister like, “m’gonna like having you around. but for now, rest,” she hums, nodding towards the door. “it isn’t much yet, just a bed and a dresser bolted to the floor. but it is yours, and you can do what you please with it. it’s always fun to pick up little things wherever we go. make it more your own with time.”

“thank you clara,” she smiles wide, reaching out to wrap her arms around clara’s shoulders. a hug quickly received and reciprocated, a promise of home, locked into the arms of her new sister. “thank you for everything.”

as they pull away from the hug, clara gives her a playful shove towards the door, “right, now go, before you make me cry.”

ladybug laughs, wrapping her hand around the door handle, taking a deep breath, before opening it. upon looking around, clara was right, it wasn’t much. but it was hers. the first time she has a space. 

she makes her way further into the small room, eyes gazing around each and every corner, her brain working tirelessly on overdrive, imagining all of the little things she wants to do with her space.

she’s not sure how long she’s been looking around, picturing brightly coloured curtains over the small window, drawings and paintings and art pieces of every kind lining the walls, trinkets from her adventures around euro-

“here.”

“fucking-“ she feels herself being jolted out of her body, startled into reality, noting harry standing in her room, holding out an envelope for her to take.

“sorry,” he murmurs quieter, eyes growing concerned for her, clearly in a state of distress, “did i scare you ?”

“christ, harry,” she puffs out between ragged breaths, hand on her chest, “how do you do that ?”

“do what ?” he asks, eyebrows furrowing, his hand dropping down to his side.

“you’re so quiet,” she exclaims. “never hear you coming or going.”

“i’m sorry,” harry laughs softly, face tilting down slightly, in a bashful way, “i’ll try to be louder for you.”

she breathes out a chuckle, shaking her head, “are you like a ghost something ?”

and at that, harry laughs louder, his turn to shake his head, “m’not a ghost, promise,” he smiles, stepping closer to her, patting her arm, as if to say, i’m very much here, “see ? m’as real as you are.”

“i’ll figure you out eventually,” she hums, raising her eyebrow, never having shied away from a challenge.

“or you could just ask,” harry smirks, raising his eyebrow right back at her.

“alright then,” she nods, “how do you do your trick ? how do you not show up in photos or in mirrors ?”

“s’something i’ve practiced for a long time,” he explains. leaving it at that. no real explanation. something that frustrates the living hell out of her.

she squints at him, nose slightly furrowed, “s’that how you answer all your questions ?”

harry takes a moment, eyes roaming her face, his heart somehow growing at the expression she holds. how was she so fuckin cute ? and why on earth does he think so ? hasn’t thought of anyone as “cute” in longer than he can remember.

“you’re feisty aren’t you ?” he giggles. actually giggles, and he wants to kick himself for it. but it’s when he sees her grow shy, gaze flicking down, blush rising on her cheeks, that’s when he really wants to kick himself.

harry’s finger tips reach out tentatively for her cheek, grazing her skin so delicately, giving her every chance to pull away if she’s uncomfortable. in contrast, he can feel her leaning into his touch, his fingertips gliding down to her jaw, to her chin, lifting her face, eyes stuck on his, “don’t ever lose that,” he murmurs.

and for a moment, they just stare at each other, his thumb softly strokes her skin, fingertips pressed under her chin. he can’t stop looking at her, and frankly he doesn’t want to. a feeling he doesn’t remember ever feeling. it wasn’t like she was going to complain, harry was breathtakingly gorgeous to look at. he was fairly pale, but really they all were, spending little to no time in the sunlight has its effects. his eyes were a piercing emerald green, chocolate curls atop his head, hair so shiny, she was dying to run her fingers through it. 

and then harry’s hand left her chin, and his eyes flicked down, and the moment was over when he remembered his reason for being here in the first place, “brought you this,” he explains, holding out the envelope for her.

“what’s this ?” she hums quietly, still not fully recovered from her little stare down, voice a bit croaky.

“whenever someone new comes along, whoever can donate a little money, does so. s’just a bit to get on your feet before your first show. get yourself some food and some drinks, maybe even a little something for your room. s’real gloomy at first,” harry emphasizes by looking around the dark cart, placing the envelope in her hand.

her eyebrows furrow, because really ? she was content with waiting, just having a roof over her head was more than enough. but then she remembers her little talk with clara, about how different things were here, and she figures it’s something she’ll be able to pass along to another new comer some time. and that will feel nice. and honestly, so does this. the fact that they all already care about her enough to donate a little bit of what they have, just to help out, is incredibly heartwarming in itself.

“wow, yeah,” she nods, a bit agape, “that’s so sweet, thank you.”

harry smiles, “s’what family’s here for,” he hums, adding, “we’ll be moving soon, probably arriving at the next destination around nightfall. will you be okay until then ? do you need anything else ?”

“no, no, you’ve all been so great already,” she sighs happily, “i’m good, don’t worry about me, i’m exhausted anyway.”

he nods, knowing all too well about the first night sleepies as they’ve all started calling it, “right, well i wont keep you,” he smiles, heading for the door, “there’s a joke to be made about beg bugs, but instead i’ll just go with, sweet dreams, little bug.”

and before she even has the time to respond, he’s gone, the door shut behind him. with a little chuckle to herself about the joke, rolling her eyes and laying in bed. in her bed. she did it, she made it. 

Part 6

……

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

tags : @daphnesutton @niallthebadboi @gorlsinmultifandoms @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @cc-horan28

#harry styles #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles writing #harry styles x mc #harry styles series #harry styles masterlist #harry styles one shot #harry styles blurb #harry styles imagine #one direction #hs #writings #justmeinatree

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot

By Ben Johnson

Published 30 October 2020

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot!

Fireworks can be seen all over France every July 14 as the nation celebrates Bastille Day.

Across the USA some ten days earlier on the 4th of July, Americans celebrate their Independence Day.

In Britain, the words of a children’s nursery rhyme “Remember, Remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot” are chanted as fireworks fly and bonfires gradually consume a human effigy known as the ‘Guy.’

So who was this Guy? And why is he remembered so fondly 400 years after his death?

It could be said that the story started when the Catholic Pope of the day failed to recognise England’s King Henry VIII‘s novel ideas on separation and divorce.

Henry, annoyed at this, severed ties with Rome and appointed himself head of the Protestant Church of England.

Protestant rule in England was maintained and strengthened through the long and glorious reign of his daughter Queen Elizabeth I.

When Elizabeth died without children in 1603, her cousin James VI of Scotland became King James I of England.

James had not been long on the throne before he started to upset the Catholics within his kingdom.

They appear to have been unimpressed with his failure to implement religious tolerance measures, getting a little more annoyed when he ordered all Catholic priests to leave the country.

A group of Roman Catholic nobles and gentlemen led by Robert Catesby conspired to essentially end Protestant rule with perhaps the biggest ‘bang’ in history.

Their plan was to blow up the King, Queen, church leaders, assorted nobles, and both Houses of Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder strategically placed in the cellars beneath the Palace of Westminster.

The plot was apparently revealed when the Catholic Lord Monteagle was sent a message warning him to stay away from Parliament as he would be in danger, the letter being presented to Robert Cecil, James I’s Chief Minister.

Some historians believe that Cecil had known about the plot for some time and had allowed the plot to ‘thicken’ to both ensure that all the conspirators were caught and to promote Catholic hatred throughout the country.

And the Guy? Guy Fawkes was born in Yorkshire on 13 April 1570.

A convert to the Catholic faith, Fawkes had been a soldier who had spent several years fighting in Italy.

It was during this period that he adopted the name Guido (Italian for Guy), perhaps to impress the ladies.

What we do know is that Guido was arrested in the early hours of the morning of November 5th 1605, in a cellar under the House of Lords, next to the 36 kegs of gunpowder, with a box of matches in his pocket and a very guilty expression on his face.

Under torture, Guy Fawkes identified the names of his co-conspirators. Many of these were the relations of a Catholic gentleman, Thomas Percy.

Catesby and three others were killed by soldiers while attempting to escape.

The remaining eight were imprisoned in the Tower of London before being tried and executed for High Treason.

They experienced that quaint English method of execution, first experienced almost 300 years earlier by William ‘Braveheart’ Wallace.

They too were hanged, drawn, and quartered.

*Hanged, drawn and quartered:

Victims were dragged on a wooden hurdle behind a horse to the place of execution where they were first of all hanged, then their genitals were removed.

They were disembowelled and beheaded.

Their bodies were finally quartered, the severed pieces often displayed in public.

—

Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes while fighting for the Spanish, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was an unsuccessful attempted regicide against King James I by a group of English Catholics led by Robert Catesby, who considered their actions attempted tyrannicide and who sought regime change in England after decades of religious persecution.

The plan was to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament on 5 November 1605, as the prelude to a popular revolt in the Midlands during which King James's nine-year-old daughter, Princess Elizabeth, was to be installed as the new head of state.

#Guy Fawkes #Guido Fawkes #Gunpowder Plot of 1605 #Gunpowder Treason Plot #Jesuit Treason #King James I #Robert Catesby #5 November 1605 #House of Lords #State Opening of Parliament #King Henry VIII #Queen Elizabeth I #King James I of England #Palace of Westminster #Lord Monteagle #Robert Cecil #Thomas Percy #Tower of London #High Treason

[charlescoded]

Lestappen concept snippet: Max moves to Monaco as a kid. Childhood rivals to friends to roommates to fwb to lovers?

The first time you meet someone, it often leaves a lasting impression. Meeting Charles, it was the second time that mattered. He remembers both, of course, but only the first one was a fond memory.

He’d been nine-years old, in a new country, far away from home—Belgium wasn’t home anymore, but he hadn’t accepted that quite yet—, missing his mum and sister, all alone surrounded by unfamiliar people, and stumbling over the language. His French wasn’t that great, it was passable, but he was shy and had a bit of a lisp, and it made people struggle to understand him.

The lady that had introduced him to his new classmates had reminded him of scarecrow, and she sounded like one as well. Her nails had dug until his shoulders as she announced his name, and he’d almost tripped over her feet when she screeched about behaving, before promptly leaving the classroom. Max had just sat down at an empty spot and kept his head down. He didn’t know anyone, and he didn’t care about school either, what should it matter that everyone was whispering about him, why should he care that he didn’t even know what they were saying.

Karting, getting to Formula One, that was the thing he needed to focus on, not on learning stupid French.

He’d resented his dad for that, at the start, moving them to Monaco as soon as he’d finalised the divorce. Max would come with him, and Victoria would stay with mum. Een grote mogelijkheid, he’d said, a big opportunity. All Max had heard was loneliness.

It wasn’t all bad. His dad had been right, after all, it had been a big opportunity. Living close to Italy meant that he didn’t need to spend hours holed up in their van, travelling to and from the tracks, and with the garage they now had access to in bordering France, he could spend more time racing.

But on the Friday morning of his first day of school, when his dad left him with the principal, Max hadn’t known that. He’d just been scared, even if a boy his age shouldn’t be scared.

Not knowing what the others kids were saying behind his bad wasn’t that bad, he didn’t care what other people thought of him, but when someone tries to talk to you, because they’re curious, because they want to make fun of you, because they want to be friendly, that is when he felt flustered and disappointed in himself.

It was a little bit different with Charles, who’d approached him during the lunch hour. He hadn’t been the first boy that knew English that had approached him—there were plenty of international students here, the children of people who came from all around the world—, but he’d been the first to keep trying. The first who cared to go beyond an introduction, who didn’t give up when he didn’t understand, or when Max didn’t. 

They spend their lunch talking together, mostly about karting, because Charles liked racing just like he did. Both their dads used to race, and Charles was quick to say that he was going karting that weekend. Max was too. That was the problem.

It was the second time that they met that mattered, and it still stands: If Max Verstappen hadn’t won their first ever race together, Charles Leclerc would never have seen him as a usurper, someone to beat. If Charles Leclerc hadn’t fought tooth and nail, if he hadn’t been angry about losing, Max Verstappen would never have seen him as a worthy challenger.

#lestappen #my writing #something something predestined meeting that forged the path they would take idk #anyway this is what i wrote instead of focusing on the fic i need to update...

[mariana-oconnor]

The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax pt 3

Last time we came to the conclusion that she's either dead or she's not dead. Much like Schrödinger's cat. Shlessinger's Lady Frances is in a state of superposition and is both dead and alive at the same time. However, the purchase of a coffin for what appears to be an entirely legal burial does suggest that she may not be in quite as much of a superposition as we might like.

It was opened immediately, and the figure of a tall woman was outlined against the dim-lit hall.

Does she have the eyes of a ferret? And if so what happened to the poor ferret?

“I'd be very glad if you could tell me where that lady may be,” Peters answered coolly. “I've a bill against her for a nearly a hundred pounds, and nothing to show for it but a couple of trumpery pendants that the dealer would hardly look at. She attached herself to Mrs. Peters and me at Baden—it is a fact that I was using another name at the time—and she stuck on to us until we came to London. I paid her bill and her ticket. Once in London, she gave us the slip, and, as I say, left these out-of-date jewels to pay her bills. You find her, Mr. Holmes, and I'm your debtor.”

Look, the guy is a murderous dickhead who makes overly complicated plans to commit crimes that are essentially just theft, but you've got to admit he's a competent murderous dickhead. He's cool under pressure. He has a full prepared and plausible explanation for his ownership of the stolen goods. If the woman isn't found then there's literally no evidence to disprove his statements.

I do like it when a villain is competent, y'know.

“Where is your warrant?” Holmes half drew a revolver from his pocket. “This will have to serve till a better one comes.”

There was a whisk of feminine skirts down the passage, and the hall door was opened and shut.

May I take this moment to say how ahead of his time Watson is as he specifies that the skirts are feminine. Very progressive of him. How the sound of feminine skirts differs from masculine or non-binary skirts I am unsure, he clearly has impressive hearing.

"We ordered her funeral to be carried out by Stimson and Co., of the Kennington Road, who will bury her at eight o'clock to-morrow morning. Can you pick any hole in that, Mr. Holmes?"

Oh come on, Mr Peters. You're better than this. Don't start gloating now. You've got to keep up the pretence as totally as you can. Asking provicative questions like that might be tempting, but you should be acting as though you're horrified by this man disturbing the peace of the dead woman. You should be confused that he could have any possible reason to be acting like this. Even Holmes himself should have a doubt in his mind that you've done anything wrong.

👏Commit👏to👏the👏bit!👏

“We know where to lay our hands on this gentleman if he is wanted,” said the sergeant majestically, “but you'll have to go, Mr. Holmes.”

Majestically is such a strange adverb to use here. I'm not even sure how you would say that majestically. I guess Watson is just talking up the police because they helped them out.

So ended the day, save that near midnight our friend, the sergeant, called to say that he had seen flickering lights here and there in the windows of the great dark house, but that no one had left it and none had entered.

Demons. Clearly it's demons.

Look, obviously the pair of them have gone to great lengths to procure a body that died of natural causes in an irrefutable way. Clearly they're intending to swap the bodies because once the body has been checked once, no one's going to check it again. And Lady Frances will be buried under the identity of... Rose Spender and the woman they are claiming is Rose Spender is going to be weighted down and thrown in the Thames... or something like that. Or maybe they'll just put two bodies in the coffin. idk.

“What time was the funeral? Eight, was it not?” he asked eagerly. “Well, it is 7.20 now. Good heavens, Watson, what has become of any brains that God has given me? Quick, man, quick! It's life or death—a hundred chances on death to one on life. I'll never forgive myself, never, if we are too late!”

Given that you wasted time by giving this case to Watson in the first place and could have cleared everything up far more quickly if you had remembered that Watson is not good at investigating things, then yes. You shouldn't forgive yourself if she's dead.

With a united effort we tore off the coffin-lid. As we did so there came from the inside a stupefying and overpowering smell of chloroform. A body lay within, its head all wreathed in cotton-wool, which had been soaked in the narcotic.

Soaked in chloroform in a coffin?

Chloroform does not fuck around. Sure, you can't just knock someone out immediately by putting it over their mouth. But she's been in there for a while, I assume, and she's getting a concentrated dose that's wrapped around her entire face? No ventilation. Yeah, she's dead. Or she's at least got liver failure.

What with actual suffocation, and what with the poisonous fumes of the chloroform, the Lady Frances seemed to have passed the last point of recall. And then, at last, with artificial respiration, with injected ether, and with every device that science could suggest, some flutter of life, some quiver of the eyelids, some dimming of a mirror, spoke of the slowly returning life.

Zombie Lady Frances! The miracle of modern science strikes again.

Get the woman some brandy!

"It is new to me in the annals of crime. If our ex-missionary friends escape the clutches of Lestrade, I shall expect to hear of some brilliant incidents in their future career.”

Super weird note to end on. But I guess hurrah she lived... for however long before the combined liver and kidney failure killed her. But she wasn't dead when they left her, and that's the important thing!

And our villains may or may not escape. Shlessinger's villains to join Shlessinger's Lady Frances, I guess. ACD can't have been making a Schrödinger reference because Schrödinger's cat wouldn't be thought up until decades after this story was published, but it's all very Schrödinger.

#Letters from Watson #The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax #Sherlock Holmes #long post

[teawithmagician]

The table was plenty. Full of food: delicacies, poultry, aged cheeses, fruit. Bottlenecks stuck out proudly as soldiers at a parade. Raphael let go of her shoulders, transforming into his devil form with smoke and cracking, fire in the fireplace roaring and changing colours.

“Since we’re here to talk business maybe let's skip the seduction part and go directly to drinks?” she asked, taking off her gloves. She was strikingly beautiful despite her age, and the grey streaks in her raven-black hair only added to her beauty. But there was something to her that was unpleasant and sharp like a blade and crunchy-cold like first ice.

“We have things to discuss, that for certain, my lady,” Raphael smirked. He ignored her lack of acknowledgment of his transformation, yet he couldn’t say it didn’t disappoint him. It was his favourite trick in the end.

She nodded, earrings in her ears swinging.

“Anyways, some small talk for starters? What you've been up to? Seducing some easily impressed maidens with fulfilling their deepest desires?”

“Oh, you've been asking around then? I like your attitude, but no. I have been working on some other things” he brushed it off with slight annoyance.

“Oh, you did, you fiend”, she chuckled in good humour, examining the bottles. Raphael watched her, enjoying the familiarity of the feeling.

“You have champagne from that one world? I always loved it” She looked at him over the shoulder saying 'I always loved it' as if it meant not quite champagne. But the impression only lingered for a second and passed quickly.

“I have many things, I have enough to satisfy any taste,” Raphael boasted casually, signalling the champagne to open itself. “It’s from that silly little place called France. I think I took you there at least once?”

“Self-driving carriages” she snapped her fingers. “Yes! I was so scared.”

“Love to see you scared, a rare sight,” he laughed. They lingered by the chairs in silence. He waited until the glass poured itself and gave it to her. She drank, looking aside. Her black velvet jacket seemed dusty, as if after a long journey. Raphael looked at her, sipping on his champagne. For some reason, neither of them sat: he was leaning on the chair, and she leaned on the table.

“I'm under a rather strange predicament these days. I'm responsible for a bunch of troubled kids, including a vampire, a Shar priest, a mage, a vigilante, a spectral warrior, and Zariel’s protégée. And now I need to decide on their behalf. And on behalf of humanity, I guess.”

“I remember the vampire boy, Astarion, right?”

“The boy wants to talk to you about his master. Devil tongue, I remember you've been good in it considering it's not your primary language.”

“My dear, I think you know that another one hinting at me being half-blood would not live long enough to enjoy the joke,” he reminded her, but she brushed his threat off.

“If you wanted to kill me, you would have already done that. But I admire human souls, so take it as a compliment from someone who doesn’t have one anymore.”

“That kid and his master. Their souls are interesting. I could help, yes. But what do I get in return? You know, I don’t particularly do favours.”

“Raphael,” she frowned slightly, looking at him. “You don’t have to be stingy. You’ll get the world, figurally speaking. You can help the vampire kid. He is a nice kid after all.”

“Oh, I would do anything for you” Raphael laughed, playing courteously. “But I don’t quite trust your judgement. Once you considered me a nice kid too.”

“You were one… to a certain extent.” She shrugged.

“What can I say? I’m my father’s son” he spread his arms jokingly.

“But then do you remember the last time you did something you truly wanted? Not to spite your father, or to prove him he was wrong about you?” she looked at him sharply.

“I do remember. I do remember well. I was young and innocent back then. I had dreams, you know? I had the wish to be a famous musician and sing in front of thousands of people. However... I was forced to be what I am by my father, and I had to make him happy.”

“Yes, with a father like yours, it's a matter of survival. I remember how I was a young bard and a spy. I made a deal with you to live forever and you warned me I may find it a burden. And the moment I regret it, my soul is yours.”

“So, do you regret your deal?”

Somehow, he wanted to hear both ‘yes’ and ‘no’. And, yet he’d rather she said ‘no’. Strangely, he didn’t want her to regret anything. To his relief, she shook her head.

“No. I still find my life entertaining”.

He moved the chair, finally inviting her to sit. But as she sat, he didn’t take a chair, still holding her chair’s back in his hands.

“I liked you back then” she mentioned it casually, but he fell silent for longer than a conversation could allow.

“And I liked you as well”.

It felt like a confession, and it was one.

“Hold me close and hold me fast,” she sang quietly, “the magic spell you cast, this is la vie en rose.”

“Give your heart and soul to me, and life will always be la vie en rose,” he finished with a soft chuckle. It was ironic how it was exactly what she did. But it never was her heart.

She sat on the edge of the chair, turning to him, and asked.

“You really want this crown, do you? Become the ruler of the nine hells and the rest that goes with.”

“I want everything. And that never would be enough” he snapped. “It belongs to me. By the birth right and by the right of the fittest.”

There was sudden sadness to her gaze, her dark eyes were starless as she looked at him. Driven by impulse he leaned in to her.

“And you know what is the next thing I’ll want.”

“You never change, you cocky unreadable man,” she laughed. He finally took the chair, turning it to her and sitting next to her, feeling outraged for no particular reason. Yet, the reason was too clear, he just couldn’t admit it. It was like stepping on pride.

“Watch your tongue, dear. I’m not a tame cat.”

“No, you write silly poems and you never clean your House properly, and your ego is in a size of a continent. What a curse you are, really,” she sighed.

“Curses are my job, darling,” he leaned to her, and she smiled with the corners of her lips. The dimples on her cheeks was almost girlish. That brought back memories. “And my ego is of proper size for my plans.”

“Don’t be silly” she ruffled his hair. “I lied and you believed me. That proves my hypothesis of you being silly.”

“What did you lied about?” he asked in a relaxed tone, yet he was immediately alerted like a hellhound on a track.

“That I don’t have a heart to love you.”

The response was like a slap. And even a devil could be taken by surprise.

“How do you think I would put up with you for so long if I were not even a little affectionate about you? How do you think you convinced me into this deal of yours in the first place? I wouldn’t lose my soul to miscalculation. As a secretly dramatic nature, I would only go for a dramatic cause.”

She sipped on her champagne, leaning her elbow on the back of her chair.

“So, you say you are in love with me and expect me to believe you?” he raised his brow. He only needed to win some time to truly assess the situation. But time was what they were always short of.

“I don't expect you to believe anything,” she fixed his collar, her confidence always swept him off his feet. “You were a boy. And I was in love with you.”

“Why would you lie then?” that was the only question that was on his mind.

“To have the upper hand, naturally,” she shrugged her shoulders. “You know how you are at times. Just can't help to use every leverage you have. I couldn't give you that. You men can't handle a graceful surrender.”

“You got me. I do like to think, I am always right. But you know what's really funny?” he chuckled. “I lied too. And that said, I didn't even have a reason to do it.”

“I know. I was quite striking back then. And I counted on you to fall for me to get a better deal. Seems like we both miscalculated.”

#raphael bg3 #raphael x tav #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 tav #bg3 #la vie en rose #there's no chance i'm gonna proofread that

[random-of-random]

The Pirate Queen

Chapter 2 - About the Topic of Pirates.

This time in a gold dress that fit her like a glove, Alice made her way out of her temporary home with Edward in tow. Both wanted to walk, so she gave Charlie the night off.

“Have fun and don’t get into too much trouble.” She had told him with a wink. She needed a break from being nobility, and would rather have spent the couple precious minutes walking with Edward than the thirty seconds it would take to ride in a carriage. The sun setting did nothing to stifle the heat and humidity. Alice found herself, once again, wondering how her fellow women survived in clothes like this while in the islands.

“Remind me, Edward, when we get back to the ship?”

“Yes, Captain?”

“We’re burning this corset in particular.” It seemed to be slightly tighter than rest.

“Will do, ma’am.”

As they were almost to the door, Alice slipped into her posh accent. “You don’t have to stay here, Edward.”

“Are you sure?”

“It will be a quick walk home and anyone who dares try to mess with me well-“

“At their own peril.” Edward agreed with a chuckle.

“Go get drunk, have some fun for both of us.”

“Is that an order, Captain?” He whispered and she gave him a soft smile before walking toward the servant at the door.

When the servant announced her, the first one to greet her was Elizabeth.

“I am so happy you came.” She said with a bright smile. The lights flickered behind her, casting a glow of gold over the room. Alice could feel the eyes of the guests on her, but she tried to ignore the sensation.

“I was delighted to get your invitation. Thank you.” They both curtsied. “The invitation said a small guest list?” Alice joked.

“I know compared to the parties you have probably seen back home this is not grand. There will be dancing after dinner though.”

“My dear Elizabeth,” she said with a smile, “I am happy to be here with you. That is enough in itself.” Elizabeth smiled and walked arm in arm with her into the dining room. Alice got a sense about Elizabeth. That, despite her upbringing, the pomp and circumstance didn’t sit well with her. She seemed to go along with it for her father, but she was clever and funny. Though, she tried her best to conceal it around Alice. No doubt thinking she should impress Lady Frances, the noble, with being as mild mannered as she could be.

Norrington had already arrived, dressed in his Navy blues, and Alice couldn’t deny that she was happy to see him. He gave her a polite bow as the two women walked up to him.

“I want to thank you again for the tour today.”

“As I said before, the honor was mine.” His green eyes took in her dress. “You look lovely, Lady Frances.”

“Thank you, Captain. You look quite handsome yourself.”

“Lady Frances!” Governor Swann’s voice caused her to break eye contact. “A delight to see you.”

“You as well, Governor. Thank you for the invitation.”

“Of course. Come, you will be sitting next to me.” He led her to the end of the table. Governor Swann sat at the head. With Alice to his right, his daughter to his left, and Norrington beside Elizabeth. To her surprise, on the other side of Norrington was a man she recognized as Lieutenant Gillette, one of Norrington’s men.

As everyone took their seats Governor Swann stayed standing. “I am delighted to see all of you here this evening. To be dining with friends old and new, on this joyous night. I have wonderful news.” He took a beat to let the tension build. “The ceremony to promote Captain James Norrington to Commodore James Norrington is to take place in three days time!” There was a round of applause and several people immediately congratulated James. “Now, don’t you all worry, the plans for the ceremony have been carefully kept quiet for some time.” Alice stifled a laugh. “I could think of no one better to keep Port Royal safe than our dear James Norrington.”

“It is truly an honor, thank you so much.” There was a tinge of red to James’ cheeks and he looked to Alice who mouthed “Congratulations” before standing herself.

“Governor Swann, if I may?”

“Of course, Lady Frances.”

Alice took a steadying breath. “I did not know what to expect when coming to Port Royal. But, I can say for certain just how warm and inviting the people here are. I have been welcomed with open arms and I couldn’t be more grateful. Particularly by Governor Swann and dear Elizabeth who are the embodiment of kindness. Captain Norrington, you as well have gone above and beyond in your kindness to me. So, in your honor I would like to have a ball at my home.” A delighted murmur ran through the people gathered. “You are to be celebrated. As you should be.” Her eyes seemed to burn as she said it. James didn’t miss a moment. “So, the night before your ceremony we shall have a ball.”

“Can you get everything together that quickly?” Governor Swann asked.

“Watch me work miracles, Governor.” She said with a smile and the group laughed. “I shall invite the whole Navy stationed at Port Royal, it will be a grand event.” She grabbed her wine glass. “So, let’s raise a toast to Captain Norrington.” The group followed her lead. “To a good man, who has earned this.”

“To a good man.” The crowd echoed before she sat down. James just smiled at her.

“Of course, Governor,” Alice said as she leaned toward him. “I shall need your recommendations for the best caterers.”

“And you shall have them.” He replied back with a smile as the first course was brought out.

The conversation flowed with the wine. Some smaller groups broke into different topics. By the third course the topic had shifted… to pirates.

Alice tried not to let his discomfort show as she carefully ate her food and drank her wine.

“Well, I just don’t understand why the Navy can’t catch more of them.” A woman at the end of the table was saying. “They deserve to all be put in prison.” Alice was determined to never learn her name.

“They have no respectability to them.” A man beside her said. “Can you imagine a pirate sitting down to a nice dinner such as this?” The group laughed. “They would be eating with their fingers like barbarians!” The sudden urge to eat with her fingers just to see that man scandalized crept into her brain and she pushed it away.

“The Navy has been doing quite a good job at successfully getting rid of Pirates.” Norrington asserted. “Most of the pirates of any renown have been killed or captured.”

“As they should!” Governor Swann proclaimed. Alice took a steadying breath in. She knew some of those pirates, and sailed with some of those pirates. She looked up and to her surprised Elizabeth seemed as annoyed and frustrated as she felt. “Let them come to Port Royal.” Governor Swann joked. “Any pirate. They will be strung up and put on display.” Elizabeth actively stopped eating.

“Father!”

“Have you at all considered,” Alice started before taking a sip of her wine. “what could make someone turn to a life of piracy?”

Governor Swann laughed. “Because in their heart every pirate knows they are hell bound.”

“It’s simple Lady Frances,” James started. “Pirates are not decent people. They could choose another way, but they don’t. Which means, they do not deserve any sympathy from good people like you and me. Trust me, I know. I have met my fair share of pirates and they’re… they’re not like those gathered here.” Alice took in a deep breath as the conversation continued down the table. She could feel the anger coursing through her. The rage threatening to burst, mixed with an urge to laugh. Pirates weren’t barbarians. Little did they know who sat amongst them, portraying a noble no less. She knew pirates that were worth ten Navy sailors for their courage and loyalty alone. She stood slowly and carefully.

“Please excuse me, I would like to get some air.”

“The back balcony has a beautiful view of the garden.” Elizabeth recommended.

“Thank you, Elizabeth.” She had a feeling Elizabeth had used this escape more than once. Alice put on the best fake smile she could and forced herself to walk slowly toward the back of the house. The small breeze in the air carried the scent of the ocean and Alice breathed it in as deeply as she could. She missed her ships, she missed her crew. The group in that dining room, wishing death on her and her friends, would think it backward, but she missed the more caring and happier atmosphere on the ship. The music playing at night and stories being told. The men playing cards and telling jokes. How everyone was equal. It didn’t matter their background or who their parents were.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a set of boots and James Norrington’s voice. “Lady Frances, are you alright?”

“Yes.” She said turning to face him with a smile. “I am quite fine.”

“Is it the heat?”

“The heat?” She asked.

“Most, when they come to the Islands from England, find the heat hard to contend with.” Alice gave him a genuine smile. He was right. When she was first in the Caribbean at a younger age, the heat had been hard to deal with.

“I am sure that plays a part.” She replied with a nod.

“About the topic of pirates-“

Alice held up her hand. “If we could not continue that line of conversation, I would be grateful. I don’t expect a man of the Royal Navy to have a differing opinion.”

“Nor do I expect a Viscountess to have a differing opinion.”

“I wasn’t always a Viscountess, Captain.”

He looked at her carefully. He couldn’t be sure what made his next sentence tumble from his lips. “But you have always been a Craven… haven’t you?” Her stomach sank to her toes. In letting her mouth run away with her, she had forgotten she was supposed to be the daughter of Baron Craven. For a moment her mind raced until she let out a small laugh.

“I am going to let you in on a secret, Captain, that most nobles don’t want you to know.” She took a few steps closer to him and he almost seemed to hold his breath. “The children of nobility aren’t all angels.” She whispered and he let out a laugh, the tension seeping from the situation.

“No, I should hope not.” He couldn’t stop the smile on his face. While James had his suspicions, he found Frances so charming and lovely. They did say every noble had their secrets. Alice’s mind was still racing. He came dangerously close to putting two and two together. Music began to play from the ballroom and he held out his arm.

“May I have the first dance, Lady Frances?”

“You may.” She took his arm as they walked back into the grand home. The scariest part of that interaction for her was how much she wanted to tell him. How much she wanted him to know her. The same man who just said she had no decency and he had no sympathy for her… if he knew.

Several couples were already dancing when the two came in and they joined. The tension of the previous situation all seemed forgotten as they moved about the room together. Their eyes not parting for a moment. It was as if they were made to dance together. It couldn’t have been more than a minute before Norrington felt a tap on his shoulder. Lieutenant Gillette stood with a strained smile. “May I cut in?”

“Of course.” Norrington said and Gillette leaned in to whisper to his Captain.

“Governor Swann wishes to speak with you.”

Gillette then bowed to Alice who curtsied back before they begun dancing. Alice caught the tension in the conversation between Governor Swann and James.

“That doesn’t look good.”

“I dared not ask.” Gillette said carefully. “But I can promise Governor Swann was not happy when he demanded me to ask for this dance.” His face flushed. “Not that I am not honored to be dancing with you, Lady Frances.”

“It is quite alright, Lieutenant.” She absolved him of his worry. “You, so far, are a marvelous dance partner.” He let out a small breath of air as they continued to dance.

“Do you have any idea what that looked like, James?” Governor Swann was saying. “You followed a married woman outside in the dark, where you proceeded to stay for some minutes. Then the two of you come back arm and arm and share a first dance!” He was trying to keep his voice low.

“There was nothing improper, Governor, I assure you.” James was saying carefully. “I was asking the Viscountess if she was alright. That is all, and then I escorted her back in.”

“Might I remind you, Captain, that you have made it know to me your intentions with my daughter?”

“Yes, sir. I apologize, sir.”

“I suggest you go ask my daughter to dance and ignore the pretty eyes of Lady Frances for one night.” James clenched his jaw and gave a strict nod before making a bee-line for Elizabeth. He hadn’t realized his transparency. He would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t feel something for Frances. How could he not? Still, the Governor was right. He needed to focus on his priorities.

As the night wore on, Alice found herself increasingly in need of a pair of trousers and to be out of a corset. Since his quiet argument with Governor Swann, Norrington had been avoiding her, and she was pretty sure he had already made his exit.

When Elizabeth was between dances, she pulled her carefully to the side.

“You have to forgive me Elizabeth, but I must away.”

“Are you alright?”

Alice smiled. “Yes. I just would like to be rid of this dress and comfortably in bed.”

Elizabeth laughed. “I understand completely.”

“Think you can help me sneak out of here so I can avoid the long goodbyes?”

“Say no more.” She carefully and slowly led Alice toward the kitchen and out the side door.

“Thank you. I shall see you soon, Elizabeth.”

“Good night, Frances!” Elizabeth whispered excitedly.

“I knew I would get you to call me Frances.” Alice said with a small laugh as she walked into the darkness. Her home was on the other side of the Swann residence so she took the path slowly.

“Lady Frances?” Norrington’s voice startled her.

“Captain, you gave me a fright.” Alice had taken a few steadying breaths. Despite what she told Edward, she wasn’t exactly sure how to fight in this kind of dress.

“My apologies. Are you heading home?”

“I am.”

“Where is your bodyguard?”

Alice smiled. “I gave him the night off.” Norrington looked scandalized in the light of the outside lamps.

“I must insist that I accompany you on your walk home.”

“It’s only a minute’s walk. Plus, I fear I have gotten you in trouble enough with your future father-in-law.”

“How did you know?” He asked.

Alice smiled softly. “Governor Swann is not a subtle man. I take it Elizabeth has not been made formally aware. Though, she is smart as anyone I have met, so I’m sure she knows as well.”

James looked troubled for just a moment. “Still, I insist, please let me walk you back. It would be ungentlemanly if I didn’t.”

Alice couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “Well, if it would call into question how much of a gentleman you are, I see no other choice than allow you to accompany me.” He held out his arm. His other priorities be damned, so it seemed.

“May I ask you something, Lady Frances?” He asked as they began to walk.

“You may.”

“Why did your husband send you here alone?” The question had been plaguing him. What husband would? If he were honest with himself, if he was married to Frances he would never want to be parted from her.

“I’m not alone.” She responded. “And I promise you, I am more than capable of taking care of myself.”

“I am noticing that.” He chuckled.

“Congratulations again, on Commodore.”

“Thank you.” He responded, and she felt a bit of sadness go through her. Soon he would be hunting her. As they got closer to her house he noticed it was dark, no servants to greet her. From a small, well designed, bag hanging around her waist she pulled a key.

He smiled, torn between impressed and concerned. “Your servants aren’t here to do this for you?”

“Captain, my servants are my friends. They are my family. They deserve the night off too.”

“You continue to surprise me, Frances.”

“I make that a goal when I meet people.” She jested. He took a step forward, crossing into her space. Instantly she wanted to kiss him. He was close enough. He was right there. In the darkness, with just moonlight, they seemed to feel emboldened. She knew he felt it too, the way his eyes flickered down to her lips and back up. Instead, she took a small step back which he mimicked.

“Thank you for walking me home, Captain Norrington. Your status as a gentleman is no longer in danger.” They both took in the double meaning of that sentence.

He let out a breath of air and tried not to laugh. “Good night, Lady Frances.”

“Goodnight, Captain. I will see you at the ball.”

#james norrington x reader #james norrington imagines #pirates of the caribbean #james norrington

[greatbritishsimchallenge]

One morning, Lady Catherine had Margaret called to her sitting room.

"I have been very impressed by Lady Margaret's reports. She presents you as a diligent and hard-working student."

"Thank you, mama."

"Alas, the time for your lessons is coming to a close. This is a winter of many significant birthdays - soon Frances will be a child. Then there will be my birthday to an elder. Then yours, the most important of the three, for it will be time for you to become the Lady of Newcrest. We must begin your training for the role immediately."

Margaret fought to hide her devastation: she knew her mother strongly disapproved of outbursts of emotion.

"But, mama, could I not continue my lessons with both you and Lady Margaret?"

"Between your Watcher Guidance lessons with Lady Mary, church and the lessons you will need with me, I doubt you will have the time. Besides, I am sure Frances would benefit from the lessons you have had too."

Margaret fought back her tears. She knew there was no arguing with her mother.

"Very well, mama. May I have one final lesson with Lady Margaret?"

"No," replied Lady Catherine. "We must begin in earnest today."

Margaret waited until she could go to bed that night to cry. Her sobs were so heavy that she did not hear the gentle tap at her door.

"Maggie?" whispered Peggy, quietly sliding into the room. When she saw Maggie crying, she rushed to her bedside. "Oh, ma cherie. Ça va aller."

"It's not fair," Margaret cried. "I don't want to be Lady of Newcrest."

"We first-borns so rarely take up our titles willingly," Peggy consoled. "But, remember, this is a great power and a great honour that we possess."

Maggie sniffed, "It is?"

"Mais, oui! My mama was the Lady of Tartosa before me - a title she took from her mama. She never really cared for it: she let her council run Tartosa while she stayed in Champs les Sims with my papa. But when I became Lady of Tartosa, it felt as if I was fulfilling my destiny. I am no painter, but I knew I could be a good diplomat and leader. And so I left Champ les Sims for Tartosa. I built magnificent buildings. I married highly. I furthered my education. I have seen Tartosa become a respected heart of the sciences and arts. I could not have done any of that if I was the second-born or not even a noble at all."

"And... and I will get to do those things too?" sniffed Maggie.

"You may have to wait until your mama has passed and you are the sole Lady of Newcrest, but yes. You will get to lead and shape that realm into the way you believe the world should be."

"But... but I won't get to see you anymore."

"Nonsense - I may not get to be your mentor, but I am still your cousin. I will be at your wedding. I will visit Newcrest all the time. You will be sick of the sight of me!"

Maggie laughed a little then continued to sob.

"Here," said Peggy, removing the necklace around her neck and pressing it tightly into Maggie's hands. Maggie surveyed the string of pearls with a golden 'M' in awe. "Take this. You are too little to wear it now, but one day you can wear this necklace and remember that I will always be with you and I will always love you. You are my Maggie."

"And you are my Peggy," cried Margaret, hugging Lady Margaret tightly.

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#sims 4 history challenge #great british sim challenge