#they’re all turning into medieval peasants as we speak

[lunasglow]

Mind you, these are the same people who will write literal essays on how Alicent is flawed and complex. They would rather defend Alicent’s assumption that a gay man—who was in the sea going mad with grief hours before—was away ‘entertaining young squires’ than admit that an aspect of her character is that she is bigoted.

Like, why are YOU—a 21st century civilian—agreeing with the conclusions of a woman clearly just trying to out Laenor/shock people???

#it makes sense for Alicent to say this but why are you agreeing? #holy hell this show is making people say weird shit #they’re all turning into medieval peasants as we speak #hotd #house of the dragon #asoiaf #house targaryen #rhaenyra targaryen #team black #anti team green #pro team black #alicent hightower

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

Frank Castle NSFW Alphabet

The Punisher Masterlist

Check my page but drabbles are usually open.

Not beta read, we die like medieval peasants who spelled everything phonetically. This is my first NSFW alphabet so be nice.

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Affectionate, Frank will rub his hands up and down your back and arms, press kisses all over your face and speak soft praises in your ear but he won't talk too much. If you're both not tired, it's daytime, or he's domming you, he'll get you a snack and something to drink and if he was particularly passionate, he'll take extra time cleaning you up, kissing the bruises his fingertips left behind.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

On you, it's your eyes; he loves the way they crinkly with a smile when you first see him or get watery when the sex is hitting just right. He loves the fire in them when something makes you mad or the way they light up when you're curious.

On him, his hands; before he met you, he hated them and the things they had done but the way you pressed kisses to his fingertips or reached for them in the middle of sex changed his mind. He loves the way you relax when he holds your face and how your mouth feels around his fingers.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He prefers to cum inside you but he's powerless to resist when you ask him for something different. He loves watching you lick it off the corners of your mouth after you suck his dick and he's not above feeding it to you off your body after he does cum on your skin.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He likes to watch you when you're doing something mundane and imagine what would happen if you were doing it naked. You've enacted many of his fantasies where he 'catches' you cooking, cleaning, working out or answering work emails.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He's been around, he was married so he knows how to fall into a routine and he's happy to learn every inch of your body so he knows exactly what you like.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Anything with a lot of eye contact, he likes to see the pleasure take over your face and see the love in your eyes as you look back at him. He also likes to hold your face in his hands so he can regard you while you contract around him.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

It totally depends on his mood, if it's been a good week and he's not too busy he'll laugh and joke with you. Again, he's been married so he understands the need for lightness and fun. If it's been a rough week or he's busy, he's right down to business.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Well groomed but not bare, he keeps his happy trail longer than his pubes because he likes the way you stare at it when he's shirtless.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Super loving, he'll heap on the praise, he'll run his fingertips over your skin and stroke your skin with the back of his fingers when he wants to tease you. He likes it when things are calm and he can focus all his energy on you and making you feel good.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Only when he's away from you, he'll call you with a certain tone in his voice and you know he slowly stroking himself. He'll ask you about what you're wearing and thinking, then tell you to go into detail about what you want to do with him when he gets home.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Superduper praise kink, he wants you to know how much he loves you but he also needs to hear that he's doing a good job and that you love him. Size kink, he likes knowing that you know he's bigger and stronger than you and how that makes you feel both safe and turned on.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

At home where he feels safe and knows you are too, it can be on any surface but he needs to be able to let his guard down.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

You just spending time with him doing nothing, when you're really happy and are just walking around smiling, when you listen to him and accept him.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He never wants to hear the word no out of your mouth even if it's part of the play and he's not sharing you.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He's a giver, it lets him turn off his brain and gives him a clear goal but he won't say no to you getting on your knees from him.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Again, it depends on his mood. He's up for whatever you want but he tends to be slower and deliberate.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He likes them but not too often, when things are calm and the urge just comes up he's happy to pound you into the couch then go for a walk in the park.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

He's up for experimenting with different things but there's no way he's putting you in a situation he thinks might put you at risk of anything even if it's just embarrassment.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

After a long day, not much but he can go for a few rounds when things are good. He prefers to get the job done well the first time then keep going and going.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Yes and no, he prides himself on knowing you and being about to get you off in record time so he'll only use them if that's what you want. He doesn't see them as competition, nor is he a prude, he just thinks he can do better.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Unfair as a motherfucker but can't hold up when you start begging unless he's in a mood and then good luck. Most of the time he's powerless and just gives you whatever you want.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Soft grunts and groans, he prefers to whisper praise into your ear.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

He really likes it when you're on top and he's laying down so he can run his hands over your torso and look into your eyes, he also likes the way your hair looks when you're moving above him.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Slightly longer than average but it's the grith that really hit.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Again, it depends. If he's dealing with something really upsetting, he'd rather cuddle with you but most of the time he's up for it whenever you are.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He'll stay awake if you need him to or if he's got things to do but he prefers to pull you into his arms and fall asleep.

#frank castle #fluff #smut #the punisher #the punisher imagine #frank castle smut #frank castle imagine #frank castle x you #frank castle fluff #the punisher x reader #frank castle x female reader

[raeynbowboi]

Dating Disney: The Sword in the Stone

As per a request, I’ll be examining Disney’s 1963 film The Sword in the Stone, based on T.H. White’s tetralogy The Once And Future King. In particular, the first book titled The Sword in the Stone, written in 1938. In the novel, Merlyn ages backwards through time and teaches Wart by transforming him into various animals to prepare him for this future as king.

The Mytho-History of Arthurian England

(image courtesy of Legends Summarized: King Arthur)

So, to keep the history lesson as short and non-boring as possible, let me try to give you the diet bullet points version of early English history. So, England used to be called Albion, and Rome ruled it for a time, even building Hadrian’s Wall to keep the Picts in Scotland out of their territory. Eventually, the Romans pulled out of Albion, and England was ruled by quasi-Roman Britons. Then, with the Fall of Rome on September 4th, 476 AD the Medieval period officially began (yep, the Middle Ages is a Virgo) and England was later sacked and partially conquered by the Angles and Saxons sailing in from the Jutlands in Germania. The Britons were predominantly Celtic, while the Angles and Saxons were Germanic. The Angles and Saxons eventually overtook England, resulting in Anglo-Saxon (aka Old English) to become the official language of England. Don’t worry though, they got what was coming to them in 1066 when William the Conqueror came from Normandy, France, and kicked the Anglo-Saxons out of power and French-speaking rulers had power over England for the rest of the Medieval period. This is also why French names for things are the fancier or more classy words for something. Simple words came from Anglo-Saxon while “fancy” words used by the ruling class come from French. Which is why it’s more “fancy” to call yourself intelligent instead of smart.

So, how does this all pertain to Arthurian Myth? Well, the roots of Arthurian Legend supposedly come from Welsh folklore. One need only look at some key players’ names, such as Guinevere’s original name Gwenhwyfar. Arthur is also frequently referred to as King of the Britons, which is important to remember that the Britons did not refer to the land, but rather to the Celtic peoples living in England before the Anglo-Saxon incursion. So, as a mythos, Arthur has his roots in Welsh-speaking Celtic origins as a Pseudo-mythic king. This is actually not uncommon in Celtic culture, as Ireland has a long and proud history of High Kings of Ireland that very likely never existed, claiming to be ruled from 1514 BCE - 841 AD by legendary mythic kings of Ireland, with the first actual historical High King of Ireland not appearing until 846 AD with Máel Sechnaill I. Arthur’s wife, Guinevere, is supposedly descended from an important Roman family, and thus her marriage to Arthur could also be interpreted as the bond between the Britons and their status as quasi-Roman citizens.

The idea of Arthur as an actual living breathing person first appears in the Annales Cambriae, which states that in the year 72 (c. 516 AD) Arthur won the battle of Baddon, and in the year 93 (c. 537 AD) Arthur and Mordred fell in the Battle of Camlann and there was death in Britain and Ireland. The Annales Cambriae were written around the middle of the 900s AD, so they’re already about 400 years late to the party for being trustworthy eyewitnesses to any shenanigans involving Artie. Arthur’s mythos began to be fleshed out more by Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae in the early 1100s, which lays a lot of the groundwork for Arthurian myth, introducing Guinevere, Merlin, and Caliburn, that would later be Frenchified into Excalibur. This is, however, not a book of Arthurian Legend so much as a largely fictitious account of all of the kings of England from Brutus, who settled England, up to Cadwaladr who ruled until 682 AD. This source is a large part of why people suspect Arthur might have been a real person, as he was essentially included in a textbook of England’s kings. There were later stories and updates to the tradition, but the last version came from Thomas Malory’s addition to the Arthurian Mythos in Le Morte d’Arthur at the end of the Medieval Period in 1485. Which also means that yes, Arthurian Legend actually spans the entire breadth of the Medieval Period. From the Fall of Rome in 476 to the end of the War of the Roses in 1485. Le Morte d’Arthur is the most famous version of Arthurian legend, and served as the major inspiration for T.H. White’s Once and Future King. The key feature we’re focused on is that like Le Morte d’Arthur, Arthur was taken from Uther and Igerna and raised by Sir Ector in the country-side until such a time that he pulled the Sword in the Stone, and was deemed the one true King of England.

So, if Arthur was based on a real person, he was probably a quasi-Roman Briton living in the 6th century, and fighting against the Scandinavian invaders. However, there’s also a reason for Arthur to not have existed. The Anglo-Normans who ruled England from 1066 onward had a very low opinion of England. It was rainy, dreary, and full of sheep. It’s speculated that Arthur was hoisted up as a real life legend of British history to effectively give England a more interesting and glorious history and make itself look and/or feel more important, and possibly even to promote nationalist pride. Whether he was a real man turned into a legend, or completely made up, he still is important to English history even to this day. However, as the Arthurian myth grew up, Arthur became more and more distant from his Celtic roots, and it’s not hard to say that the Arthur in the Disney Film is probably an Anglo-Norman, rather than a Celtic Briton. The technology and fashions are simply far too advanced for the 6th century.

Merlin

During his squirrel lesson, Merlin teaches Wart about the principles of gravity, referencing Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation, first published in 1687. Upon meeting Wart, he also displays a Da Vinci flying contraption, and a wooden toy train engine. One might assume this is an anachronism, as Merlin also states while lecturing to Wart about his future “in these dark, uncertain medieval times”, and very firmly setting the film between 476 - 1485 AD. However, in the source material, Merlin ages backwards through time. And in other accounts of the Arthurian mythos, Merlin is gifted with a perfect knowledge of the past and future, making him essentially omniscient. The movie takes this a step further, as he not only sees into the future, but can travel through time as well. So, it’s perfectly valid for him to spout off knowledge and lessons that mankind would not discover for centuries afterward. We also see in Merlin’s possession a great number of books. This is important because in the medieval period, books were incredibly valuable, as they had to be written and copied by hand, and were so valuable that libraries chained them to the wall to keep them from being stolen. However, the sheer volume of his collection suggests that the printing press may have been invented, and thus, the film taking place after 1439. However, Merlin’s ability to travel through time makes his ownership of books hard to discern, as he could have easily brought those books back from later time periods.  

Fashion

We see Sir Ector wearing faulds under his cuirass. Faulds are strips of plate armor tied at the hip to protect the hip from harm, looking something akin to skirting. Faulds first appeared in 1370. Sir Kay is wearing a Great Helm, noted for its very bucket-like shape, worn from the late 12 to 14th centuries.

However, during the fish lesson, Merlin takes cover inside of what appears to be an Armet helmet, developed in the 15th century. Which means that either Merlin found a helmet from the future, or Kay is training in a century old helmet. Which is why you can’t just throw medieval stuff willy-nilly onto the screen. the Medieval Period covers 1,009 years.

Toward the end of the film, we see Sir Ector wearing a Bycocket, a unisex hunting hat preferred by the nobility of the 13th and 14th centuries.

Culture

We can see in Arthur’s throne room the Fleur-de-Lis, a symbol of French royalty. The symbol emerged as a symbol of French royalty in the late 13th century. In England, the Fleur-de-lis was used in the royal standard for the Plantagennet family, which ruled England from the Norman Invasion of William the Conqueror in 1066 until Henry Tudor won the War of the Roses in 1485. The Fleur-de-lis was used in the Plantagenet standard beginning in the 13th century.  Merlin also specifies teaching Wart English, Latin, and French. As the Plantagenet family were Anglo-Normans, they all spoke French, and all of the nobility also spoke French. Having Wart learn French would allow him to converse with his royal court, English with his subjects, and Latin with his faith. These three languages would be the most vital tools of an English king in this period to rule justly and to hear the voices of all of his subjects. Too bad the Plantagenets were notorious for not speaking a lick of English. Most of the nobility didn’t. The Peasants and the Aristocracy didn’t even speak the same language, making the gap between the classes wider. However, during the 13th century, the French language finally began to take a backseat to English among the royal court, and the Hundred Years War between England and France (1337-1453) bolstered nationalist pride for the English language among the ruling elite. By the end of the 15th century, English had finally become the mother tongue of the English nobility. So, young Wart living in the 13th or 14th century would certainly have a reason to learn English as an English King.

Conclusion

For the most part, like other Medieval-based movies from older Disney, they didn’t do enough research to really pin-point a clear time period. The movie sort of wants to be in this nebulous timeless part of England’s mytho-history, so I’m really left with guessing a time period based on the general clothing, look, and feel of the setting, which feels like it could be set at the same time or even slightly earlier than Sleeping Beauty. The most things seem to line up with a late 13th, early 14th century setting. So, I’ll conclude that we’re slightly ahead of the Italian Renaissance, as Arthur Plantagenet takes up the English Throne. In fact, this also aligns with the real life history of England. In 1377, Edward III died after his eldest son, causing a succession crisis that sparked the War of the Roses. Likewise, the Sword in the Stone was used in the film to prevent a war for succession after the King of England died without a known heir. The parallels line up nicely enough that since Disney tends to run on its own logic that the succession of King Arthur would likely be their alternate history solution to the War of the Roses. More still, after Edward III died, 12-year-old Boy King Richard II was chosen to succeed Edward III, and his uncles who had been passed over for the crown opposed his rule. Likewise, Wart is 12 in the film, becomes king, and Arthur did canonically have to fight dissenters who opposed his claim to the crown. So, Wart is, according to this movie, a very nice stand-in for Richard II of England. Both Arthur and Richard II were also eventually foisted from his throne by power-hungry relatives. In Arthur’s case, his nephew or illegitimate son Mordred tries to usurp his throne and both kill each other in the process. In Richard’s case, he was deposed by his cousin Henry IV in 1399. They even ruled for about the same amount of time, as Arthur became king canonically in 512 at the age of 15, and died in 537 at the age of 40. Arthur ruled for 25 years, and Richard ruled for 22. So that’s an admittedly uncanny series of parallels. So, Wart is the Disney Alternate History version of Richard II the Boy King of England. (reign 1377-1399) And to think, the same king helped inspire the sadistic boy king Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones.

Setting: England Kingdom: The Kingdom of England (927 - 1707 AD) House: House Pendragon/House Plantagenet (1066-1485) Era: the War of the Roses Period: The Late Middle Ages (1250 - 1500 AD) Year: 1377 AD Historic Counterpart: Richard II of England (1377-1399) Language: Middle English (1150-1500 AD)                        Anglo-Norman French (1066-1500 AD)                        Medieval Latin (927 - 15th century)

#dating disney #disney #the sword in the stone #th white #t.h. white #wart #king arthur #arthurian legend #excalibur #sir kay #sir ector #the once and future king #merlin #plantagenet #medieval #medieval history #history #middle ages #annales cambriae #geoffrey of monmouth #thomas malory #le morte d'arthur #the volgate cycle #guinevere #lancelot #lady of the lake #briton #celts #celtic #anglo-saxon

[carewyncromwell]

[Carewyn had actually intended to see Torvus before hearing Trelawney’s prophecy -- she hadn’t gotten around to visiting him at the end of the school year, so it’d be polite to give him an update. Plus the centaur had been a good enough of a friend to her over the last two years that she'd looked forward to them meeting again under less dire circumstances. Just because these circumstances weren’t less dire didn’t mean she had to change those plans.

Carewyn found Torvus in a glen of the forest they’d met in before, which likely wasn’t far away from the centaurs’ camp, although Carewyn had personally never seen it. The Slytherin Prefect had two glass jars tucked under her right arm.]

Torvus: “(with a smile) Of course, Carewyn.”

[The centaur’s face then grew more grim.]

Torvus: “Were you able to defeat the dragon in the Cursed Vault and break the curse trapping those students in portraits?”

[Carewyn gave him her best smile.]

“Yes. I couldn’t have done it without your help.”

[She adjusted the glass jars under her arm.]

“That’s actually why I’m here -- I brought you these.”

[She handed Torvus the two jars. The centaur peered at them curiously, rotating one in his hand and looking through the glass at its contents.

Carewyn’s gaze drifted away uncomfortably, but she kept her voice as level as she could.]

“It’s apple and cranberry chutney -- you can put it on just about anything, like bread or cheese...even some meats, I think -- if you eat meat, that is. I probably would’ve baked you some biscuits, but I wasn’t really sure if chocolate chip would be to your taste.”

I think chocolate is bad for horses, but I don’t know if it is for centaurs.

[Torvus blinked up at Carewyn, taken aback.]

Torvus: “You made this, for me?”

[Carewyn felt her cheeks flushing slightly, but she smiled fully.]

“Well, Pitts helped me. I just wanted to thank you, for all your help...reckon I probably could’ve done more to say ‘thank you,’ earlier, but...well, better late than never, right?”

[Torvus considered Carewyn for a moment, still clearly a bit stunned. Then his face broke into a smile as he looked down at the jars again.]

Torvus: “...I appreciate the gesture, Carewyn. You are truly a kind human.”

[Carewyn smiled in relief.]

“Then it is okay?”

Torvus: “Yes. You said that humans eat this ‘chutney’ with bread, correct? Bread is a staple of our diet.”

Thank Merlin!

“(through a soft laugh) Great!”

[Torvus glanced down at the two jars, thinking. Then he secured each jar to his quiver with the ribbons Carewyn had tied onto them, so that they wouldn’t fall and break.]

Torvus: “...I must ask, though...what of your brother? Did you manage to find him, when you discovered the Vault?”

[Carewyn felt like a cold stone had plopped down into the pit of her stomach. Her gaze drifted to the ground.]

“...Yes. But...”

[She took a deep breath, and settled down on a large tree root so she could sit comfortably. She rested her head in her hand.]

“In the Vault, Rakepick -- our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher -- turned on us. She would’ve killed us, if we hadn’t been lucky enough to overpower her...but she still escaped.”

Escaped back to R...

“I found Jacob in the Vault...but as soon as he learned that Rakepick got away, he immediately ran after her.”

[She swallowed back the lump in her throat.]

“...I haven’t seen or heard from him since.”

[Although Carewyn had managed to keep her voice level, Torvus spoke very gently as he stood over her.]

[Carewyn shook her head, her gaze still lingering on the ground rather than on Torvus.]

“You had it so much worse, though. Your whole family shunned you...I can’t imagine how hard that must have been...”

Be grateful for what you have, Carewyn. At least you still have Mum. At least you still have the others to look after. And at least...at least you know Jacob left because he was trying to be helpful -- no matter how wrong he was --

[She scolded herself internally in a vain attempt to tamp down the pain and self-pity she felt.]

Torvus: “We’re together now -- that’s all that matters. (more softly) I hope you’re able to have a proper reunion with your brother too, Carewyn.”

[Carewyn looked up at him, touched by the smile on his face.]

“Thank you, Torvus.”

[She decided to change the subject.]

“Oh yeah...forgot to mention, I’m taking Divination this year.”

[Torvus raised his eyebrows.]

Torvus: “Oh?”

“(amusedly) I admit, I wasn’t that impressed with tessomancy, but...well, I guess there’s a whole term still to go. Do centaurs read tea leaves too?”

Torvus: “No. We read the stars -- from there, the best of us use Sage and Mallowsweet to refine their findings.”

[Carewyn listened in great interest.]

“(with a wry smile) So no dredging up shapes in moldy tea leaves or reading palm lines, eh?”

[Torvus’s nose wrinkled in disgust.]

Torvus: “(derisively) Most human branches of Divination are considered...unreliable by my herd.”

“(laughs) Well, you're not the only ones: a lot of people in my class don’t put stock in what Trelawney says, either.”

[Now that the topic had been smoothly brought up, Carewyn finally felt comfortable enough to bring up her question. She really didn’t want Torvus to think she’d come all the way out to see him just to ask him about it, not only to spare his feelings but also because she herself hated putting so much weight on it when she didn’t even truly believe Trelawney’s prediction in the first place.]

“...Torvus...may I ask your opinion, on something?”

Torvus: “Certainly.”

“How valid are prophecies? At least, to you.”

[Torvus raised his eyebrows.]

Torvus: “You have heard a prophecy?”

“I’m not sure. Trelawney claimed she’d had a vision and gabbled a bunch of stuff...but I’m not positive she wasn’t just acting out. I mean, considering my history with the Cursed Vaults, I’m sure she assumes I’ll be involved with the last one, so -- ”

Torvus: “The last one? Has there been another curse?”

“Yes. A Statue Curse. My friend’s sister found a student turned to stone in the courtyard the other day.”

Torvus: “I see...”

[He looked thoughtful.]

[Carewyn recited the prophecy to Torvus, just as she had to Percy earlier that day. The centaur considered the words carefully.]

Torvus: “...I’m afraid this is beyond my capabilities.”

[Carewyn couldn’t fight back a grin.]

“I personally suspect ‘fake’ myself.”

[Torvus, however, didn’t smile.]

Torvus: “Even so...it wouldn’t do, to dismiss it out right. At least until you have confirmed otherwise with someone else who is gifted in Divination.”

[Carewyn frowned.]

“Could you maybe ask a member of your herd what they think?”

[Torvus didn’t look very enthused about this chain of thought.]

Torvus: “Centaurs do not usually share their opinions of the night sky with humans. My herd would not take kindly to me speaking for you, particularly when you’re not known to them. And humans -- with the exception of Hagrid and a few others -- aren’t welcome in the Centaur Camp.”

"(very firmly) Then I won’t have you speak for me. The last thing I want is for you to get in trouble on my account.”

[Carewyn had been ready to close the book on the discussion, coming to the conclusion that learning more about Trelawney’s so-called “prophecy” wasn’t worth risking Torvus getting in trouble -- but Torvus spoke up again.]

Torvus: “However -- if you presented them with suitable offerings, they might be persuaded to permit you to visit our camp.”

[Carewyn blinked.]

“Offerings?”

“Well, I s’pose it is polite to bring some sort of a gift, when you visit anyone’s home for the first time...”

[Carewyn brought a hand through her ponytail thoughtfully.]

“I just wish I knew what gifts your herd would like.”

[Torvus smiled slightly as he pointedly adjusted the jars of chutney tied with ribbon to his quiver.]

Torvus: “I have faith in you, Carewyn.”

((OOC: According to Greek myth, centaurs are known for eating meat, bread, and wine. I imagine the bread these centaurs make would be slightly different than most modern bread recipes, though, likely to better resemble medieval peasant bread (which was made by grinding different grains and then kneading them into a dough with water and yeast and then baking it over a fire or in the sun) or Ancient Egyptian bread (a similar mixture baked over hot ashes).

Although in the game, Torvus dryly references that MC only comes to see him just to ask for his help (not like you give us a choice, Jam City!), Carewyn most definitely is not that way -- she is way too much of a Mama-Bear-type and way too sensitive about other people’s feelings to make anyone feel like they’re just a tool to her.

But yeah, just like with Duncan and Pitts, I demand more Torvus content! I want him on our friends list, damn it! YOU HEAR ME, JC??))

#carewyn cromwell #jacob's sibling #torvus #sybill trelawney #roleplaying #gameplay #my art #hphm #hogwarts mystery

[fyrapartnersearch]

Hey guys! My name is Bambi, I'm a 22 year old student living in San Francisco and I'm a cisgender woman who goes by the pronouns she/her/hers! I'm currently studying for the LSAT so I am not available 24-7 but in most scenarios you can usually talk to me throughout the day every day, especially if we communicate via discord! My email is [email protected] and my discord (preferred method of communication) is bambi#3780

I've been roleplaying for ten years and I absolutely love one-x-one roleplays because I adore getting to know all you creative people! Generally speaking, I think you could consider me as a literate roleplayer, often times my posts are over five hundred words and I once did a thread where the average post length was over 1500 words. However, quality over quantity and I'm not going to turn my nose up at you over length as long as I think I can respond to it. However, don't ever feel embarrassed about giving me a rambling post because I will gush over it!

Overall, my ocs do tend to be women, however I am willing to play men, especially if we do multiple rps together. I prefer ships that are enemies to lovers, or rivals to lovers or just anything that leads to slow burn such as two characters being from opposing families. However, it's characters that make the RP so if you're super excited about an idea I'll usually end up being excited about it too! Side note, I am someone who is down with toxic relationships in literature and if we write we can talk about boundaries and personal triggers!

In terms of plots, broadly speaking I like plots that take place in a Dark Academia style or plots in the urban fantasy genre. I can enjoy medieval plots as well but generally only if there is a royal involved or fantasy elements. Ever since I was a child, I've been a big superhero nerd so I also enjoy superhero based plots such as villain x hero or vigilante x journalist.

While I would also be excited to work out a plot with you, here are some specific plots that I've come up with.

Character A grew up in a cult as the "golden boy" and was raised to believe that one day he would have to vanquish the "dark one" and bring peace. Character B is a runaway who was prophethized to be the one to bring darkness to the world. I was thinking this rp would be interesting because it would explore things like privilege, balance and prophecies and growing up as "the one". I also enjoy the aesthetic of villains having the golden/light imagery. This RP could take place in any time!

Character A and Character B are academic rivals at another school, it could either be they're both the star students or that one of the students has blackmail on the other (just Dark Academia stuff in general tbh).

Character A and Character B are friends but they also both have superhero/supervillain alter egos (I'm okay with being either), and the drama is them dancing around each-other.

TLDR:

Name: Bambi (She/her/hers)

Age: 22

Timezone: Pacific Time

Availability: Every Day

Preferred genres: Romance, drama, fantasy, sci-fi, horror, mystery.

Preferred pairings: Hero x Villain, Enemies to Lover, Rivals to Lover, Royalty x Peasant/Bounty Hunter, Slowburn

Once again my email is [email protected] and my discord (preferred) is bambi#3780

#oc rp #multiple paragraph #long term #literate #action #adventure #drama angst #fantasy #horror #modern #original #romance #scifi #submission

[especially-in-heaven]

‘She was Marian’

Let’s talk about Robin Hood shall we,

We’re all here for a reason. We love this show and are so loyal we’re still here are 10 years of no new content (and we have to listen with eye rolls about the Harry potter fandom, and the Merlin fandom suffering without content). And all of us are all really pathetic sentimental people who just can’t let go

This show literally changed me. I’m now doing a television production course because of this damn show, because my 7 year old self when it first came onto my television was blown away by how good this show was. It was my first introduction to complex interesting characters, female heroines and storylines that still amaze me. I’ve now made a vow to myself that I won’t stop my career in television until I get to be part of a new version of a Robin Hood production, because I’ve always been a fan of the legend but since this show I’ve not seen any re-make that compares to this wonder (I’m probably going to be here a long time).

But as I was thinking about what I love about this show, all I could think about was Marian’s death (The scene that broke us all) and how Marian’s character had a big impact on me growing up and my perception of what a woman should be.

And whilst she dies to further a male’s story (BBC I hate you), her death was the reason some of us are still here. Would this show have stuck with us for so long without it? How many of us would be writing fanfiction to improve it? Her death was imperfectly perfect for the fans and keeping us in love with this show.

And okay so I KNOW Robin Hood isn’t exactly teaming with female characters but I was a child at the time I watched this and had no knowledge of the patriarchal society.  But the 2 (let’s not count season 3. Season 3 sucks) female characters they do have, they are perfectly done. Marian is the reason I keep coming back to this show, she was my role-model growing up and no matter how many complaints you have about how the show represented female character, it was nothing but positive for me growing up with it. Calling Marian just headstrong and ‘fiesty’ (which is the most basic thing I could ever call a female character) doesn’t even begin to go into her storyline as a trapped life of a woman in the medieval ages. Stuck between doing what she wants and protecting her family and self. As Aarya Stark says in game of thrones, “The world doesn't just let girls decide what they're going to be”.

Marian is not only a strong female character;

She is vulnerable: the moment Guy finds out she’s the nightwatchman, she is scared. She doesn’t move. She doesn’t shout and get to business like when Robin found her out. She sits there, still. When she must walk out and have her hair cut (one of my favourite scene) she takes it but the tears are in her eyes at the humiliation… and yet still she doesn’t talk about it with Robin when he asks about her hair. She is vulnerable when Gisborne threatens to burn her home and does everything she can to stop him taking it from her 

She is scared: Did you see the quiver of the lip when she saw how she wasn’t going to survive the blow to the stomach, or how she turned to Robin with fear in her lives when she’d been stabbed the first time and says ‘never lie to a dead man’. Or how she fights to escape execution, the look of fear she has when she looks out of the window and sees the hanging rope getting ready for her. She’s not ready.

She is brave: ‘I was trying to be brave’ she tells Robin honestly when Robin asks her how she’s okay with this marriage. She’s brave when she walks down the aisle, she’s brave when she walks out to her execution, and she’s brave when she looks the man she love in the eye and reaches down to the sword to pull it out, making sure his eyes are on her… because she knows no one else will do it for her and she bravely knows she can’t avoid the inevitable.

She is manipulated: Gisborne knows that Edward won’t survive if the Sheriff’s plan to kill all his traitors works in 1x13. But he tells Marian anyway that if she stays and marries him, Edward will be protected. Gisborne waits until she’s most vulnerable to kiss her, after she lost her father – I don’t care about how many Guy/Marian fans are out there… or how many times you compare it to beauty and the beast… just stop promoting an abusive relationship.

She is manipulative: As does she has to be to survive in the castle. She uses Gisborne’s feelings against him to get what she wants, to do what she needs to be done. She tries to control Gisborne by offering to marry him, if he kills the Sheriff. Once again, showing her braveness. She doesn’t want to marry him, but knows the bigger mission and loyalty to the king (a man who really did not deserve this loyalty). The show never sexualised her visually (I mean the only complaints that people have about her outfits are how ugly some of them are – can we please forget that awful jumpsuit) but Marian knew how to use her femininity to her advantage and turned the male gaze around to suit her own needs. Whilst this isn’t a very good trait a woman should be showing to kids who are watching the show that they should use the femininity to get what they want… it’s a reflection of Marian’s character and her survival instinct. And I never said she had all good traits.

She is conflicted: She wants to do good by the poor, but knows the Sheriff won’t allow it and must protect her father. She wants to be free, but knows if she leaves Gisborne at the alter her loyalty will be questioned and her father’s life could be in danger. She also wants to love who she wants to love but Robin keeps doing illegal things (godamn it Robin!), but knows her neck will be on the line if she shows it. Her death scene wraps this up perfectly, her story arc and no matter how much we hate that scene, the writing is so perfect here. Whilst Marian knows she loved Robin before this moment, hearing her say it out loud like she did brings the biggest smile to her face. She no longer cares about the consequences of her saying those words… because now she doesn’t have anything to hide, her father is dead and no longer needs protecting, they know about the nightwatchman and she just wants to be herself. She came once before to being free, just before she marries Gisborne… ‘you really want to know the truth?’, she speaks. But alas Gisborne forces her to marry her instead (fuck you Gisborne). The relief of being herself out loud in 2x13 is what brings that smile on her face. She’s free and no longer conflicted for a split second before Gisborne stabs her.

I think actually, Marian being uncomfortable being in the forest was she didn’t quite understand how to be living there. She had been so used to being in the castle and playing a ‘false life’, in ‘Get carter’ when she runs into the village to save the peasants I felt like it was a sudden expel of all the pent up frustration at living in the castle and finally being free to do what she wants. When she tells Little John ‘I can’t breath in here’, it’s because Robin is suddenly placing restrictions on her again. However, I think this all changed when she sees Gisborne again in the castle and he ‘forbids her to go’, and Marian realises in that moment she can actually walk away. That’s when her feelings about being an outlaw in the forest suddenly turn as she realises for once, there is no pretending.

She is loud: No matter how many men tell her to shut up during council meetings she will still give her opinion. And as much as I love you Edward… please don’t give your daughter a ‘be quite’ look when she says what she wants to say. She’s probably the only person in the world who’ll tell Robin he’s being an idiot (or preferably a ‘fool’). She angrily speaks out when Gisborne doesn’t save lambert and doesn’t hold back despite the fact that he’s her betrothed. This was the first time Guy saw first hand how she won’t turn a blind eye to his wrong doings and it’s probably another reason he fell in love with her.

She is quite: She runs to stop the Sheriff hitting Gisborne (In treasure of the nation) but holds herself back at last second, remembering there’s not much she can do if the Sheriff wants to hit Gisborne. Another example is when Much comes to stop her wedding, she holds herself back from speaking the truth. She also tells Robin that ‘he must do nothing’ when he wants to stop the execution of Will and Allan in 1x01… in this scene, we are reminded that she’s a character whose lived under the Sheriff’s rule for a number of years and we know she’s a character that learns from her environment and how to act to keep the small amount of influence she has, because she knows that her influence as a rich noble woman helping the poor is too important to lose. Perhaps calling her quite isn’t the right term, because it’s not that she’s quiet, she’s screaming inside that the world is wrong. It’s her intelligence that holds her back… something that the sometimes very rash Robin doesn’t have (sorry, Robin)

She is a woman. Or as Robin puts it to Isabella… ‘she was Marian’

My point here is, Marian’s characterisation whilst has its negatives of being stuck in a love triangle with 2 men (screw the love triangles. Every female character in the show for some reason gets stuck in one of these. The show would have been 100% better if the love triangle had still been Djaq/Will/Allan but if Allan and Will were getting it on too… but I suppose you can’t have everything.)/ her death serving to cause angst and being a stereotypical ‘fiesty woman’… she’s so much more. The show never screams ‘feminism’ (they need more female characters for that) but they don’t ever turn her into a mary-sue… Marian’s character is quietly powerful through how they show her very human emotions which I think a lot of TV shows are missing these days. Watching her as a child taught me a woman should fight to be herself and that women can be complex without having to apologise for it. and I love her so very much. #pleaseprotecther

And when I get around to one day making my own stories, I’ll always remember how it was Marian taught me how to write a good/ complex/ human female character (from learning from the mistakes the show made, as well as the perfect choices)

I honestly don’t know what this rant was and if it makes any sense. I just really love Marian and wanted to get her characterisation of my chest… That’s it.

#my gang to me 2019 #don't know if i'm too late for this now #robin hood bbc #BBC Robin Hood #robin hood #marian #mythoughts #my ramblings #s1 #s2

[magicmadagan]

✧･ﾟ: * plot masterlist!

hi there, lovely people of tumblr! click this link right here to find a masterlist of plots and aus i’d love to explore with my muse owen. feel free to check out his stats and bio, along with my rules. you can also click the "keep reading” marker at the bottom for the list if you’d prefer to stay on tumblr. and please, like this post or message me if you happen to like any of these ideas! 

all plots are open unless otherwise noted; favorites have markers in bold!

basic / realistic plots

college: in canon verses, owen goes to a university for the children of disney characters, which is certainly something i’d love! but even him at a regular university would be fantastic. late-night study dates, holding hands under the table at the back of classes, project partners who can’t stand one another - all of it, please!

fanboy: owen is a massive geek for plenty of things, and i would love to see him meeting an idol of his, followed by the two of them falling in love! we could go sweet, with dates all over the world and spoiling each other, or angsty with maybe a hidden relationship. red carpets or concerts or premieres or awards shows - and perhaps owen getting some fame of his own!

online friends: given how shy owen is, he would probably do well with meeting some friends online! the two of them flying out to meet one another for the first time, and all of that awkward cuteness. long-distance skype dates. maybe they’ve both hidden things from one another?

fantasy plots

cinderella: owen basically already is cinderella tbf but let my boy have a night at the ball. maybe a prince wandered off the trail one day and found owen, face smeared with soot, as kind to him as he would be to anyone else. maybe they become friends and it takes until the ball for them to realize they love each other? or maybe the prince doesn’t recognize owen (masquerade of some kind perhaps?)

rapunzel: again not too different from owen’s actual story, but give me long haired owen locked in a tower by mim. we could do the traditional story of a royal finding and visiting him over time, or the tangled route where he falls for a rugged thief who sets him free and they bond over their journey.

merman: what can i say, i adore naive mermans-turned-humans who speak in dolphin clicks and don’t know how to work a toaster! there’s three versions of this plot i would love:

a little mermaid-esque plot where owen willingly leaves the ocean to be with a beautiful human who falls for him too

a storm or outside circumstances bringing owen to shore where he turns human, and having to struggle to fit in

owen dating a human who comes to visit him in the ocean, and eventually leaving to join them on land

historical plots

medieval: princes betrothed since birth who try to fight their growing feelings for one another? shy royals flirting through letters afraid that their relationship will break apart when they are married off only to get permission to marry one another? a prince and a knight, or maybe a prince and a wizard’s apprentice? one of noble birth falling for a peasant? the possibilities are endless!

time travel: owen’s powers do include traveling through time, but they’re not quite as developed as his dad’s. i’d love to see him back in the 1970s or 1980s, turn of the century, colonial times or medieval eras. another possibility: him traveling back to the present and accidentally bringing someone from the past with him!

it’s a long shot, but an absolute dream would be a ship with owen and a member of the band queen, especially brian may!

reincarnation: i adore soulmates who find each other through the years. we could factor in owen’s immortality and have him meet a past lover, or do an alternate universe where they’ve found each other in lifetime after lifetime, having dreams about one another until finally their paths cross

futuristic plots

post-apocalypse: zombies or nuclear or whatever, the cause really doesn’t matter. maybe owen was already in a relationship before everything went wrong. maybe he meets someone while scavenging. maybe he reunites with an old friend or lover he thought was lost!

hunger games: sweet innocent owen having to learn how to fight and kill to survive. he falls for someone (from the same district or another, both are angst-ridden) who he’s supposed to kill and who wants to kill him back. do they pull a katniss-peeta and threaten suicide? do they have to go back into the arena? how do they survive after everything they’ve seen?

dystopian: honestly give me any sort of dystopian world and i’ll more than likely be all over that.

theater plots

broadway: fresh faced owen making his broadway debut, either as an actor or choreographer. does he fall for another actor, maybe a seasoned pro? or maybe the writer who keeps showing up to rehearsals? perhaps his roommate is starring in another show? give me long practices and duets and dates to the tonys!

small town: owen being one of about five people who actually care about their tiny local theater, and him deciding to throw his all into a magnificent season. perhaps he falls for a local critic who wants to give their shows a chance, or a fellow actor, or a playwright who wants to premiere his work!

ballet: owen being his ballerino self! would love to put him opposite another dancer, a director, a choreographer, a very wealthy patron, etc. modern or victorian era!

phantom of the opera: owen as christine. that’s it that’s the plot.

miscellaneous plots

abo: yep i love me some alpha/beta/omega verse. including but not limited to:

childhood friends who grow up to become mates

matchmaking service pairing ideal combos of alphas/omegas (or betas!)

broken omega owen who dealt with an abusive alpha and finally gets to know what love is really about

anything really!

superhero: owen fighting crime as the masked hero known as magic man! of course his partner also has powers - bonus points if they don’t know the other’s identity, extra bonus points if they’re rival heroes (or one is a villain!)

hybrid: give me baby cat-hybrid owen please and thank you. is he adopted from a shelter or found shivering in the cold? who knows but let him be loved!

#indie rp #1x1 #discord rp #disney rp #plots #r: plot ideas

[transboygenius]

SE4SON: Chapter 20

Jimmy, Nick, and everyone else sat at the main dining room table, helping themselves to a bowl of warm soup, and leafy green salads. Diana refused to eat anything prepared in the king's domain. Benson was sipping his soup slowly. Rodent Girl slurped hers in one gulp, then asked when's dinner ready. Sally merely swayed her spoon back and fourth in the bowl. Jimmy and Nick hardly touched their soups, for they were too disturbed by the painted portraits of the king. He was even naked in some of them. Despite Nick's lost of appetite, he felt like he needed something to drink. He slowly reached his hand towards the wine glass, before having it slapped by Jimmy's. No matter what century they're in, Nick is still too young for the consumption of alcohol. Jason was getting testy over this silence.

"Hmmmm... Seems to be getting awfully too quiet in here. I know! How 'bout a little story to lighten the mood? *Ahem* One time, on a dull summer of July, I had evicted a family of six because of a two day rent due and-"

King Jason's story was cut off as the servants carried the dishes to the table. There were large assortments of meat, vegetables, seafood, and dessert. Some dishes looked scrumptious, while some looked disgusting. Although, the "disgusting" ones were considered normal to medieval standards. The new cook, Stuart, helped Jimmy and Nick to his special of the day: Stewed rabbit meat served in bread trenchers.

"It's really badger meat. I couldn't catch the little rascal. But hey, fast food isn't good for you anyways. Please don't tell the king."

Every meal made it to the table, but King Jason wasn't ready to let anyone eat yet. No, ever since that incident with the last cook, the king came prepared. He called in the royal taste-tester. The royal taste-tester was a skinny, pale 17 year-old young man who looked like he hasn't been fed enough. When granted permission by Jason, the royal taste-tester was very excited to check for poison, as if he hasn't ate all day. One dish by one, he took a tiny sample from each of the food, trying it, and savoring it. Jimmy and Nick were weirded out. After letting Jason know that the cuisine is safe, the king asked him to leave. Everyone, excluding Diana, dug in. Jimmy and Nick started with their stewed badger meat, which was very hard to work down due to its "unique" taste. Nick traded in his stew for a turkey leg, and managed to feed himself without revealing his face. He just stuffed the drumstick into his helmet, then 10 seconds later, he pulls out a clean bone.

Benson was trying to decide on what he wanted to eat, before Rodent Girl eats it first. Speaking of Rodent Girl, she's just enjoying herself like a hungry hog, with the most ghastly table manners Jason ever witnessed. Diana stubbornly sat in her seat, arms crossed, refusing to touch the tainted food in front of her. Butterscotch took big bite chunks out of any dish he looked at, without even bothering to finish the whole thing. He delivered a forthright critique to the king about how his cook's meals tasted cut-rate compared to Nick Dean's gourmet art of gastronomy, but of course Jason only heard "Neeeiiigh whiiiineeey." Sally, being such a child she is, decided to skip to dessert, and grabbed an entire plate of shortbread cookies. She then accidentally dropped her napkin. Sally dove under the table to retrieve it, when suddenly, she saw that Jimmy and Nick were holding each other's hands. It was out of intimidation, but it looked like intimacy to her. She covered her mouth to drown out her squeal of excitement. Meanwhile, the king spoke silently among his chancellor.

"Look at them, Richard. Look at them. *At Rodent Girl* Disgusting. *At Diana* Arrogant. *At Sally* Immature. They're all a bunch of circus freaks. Who ever gave them the right to exist? But it's okay. I can tolerate their actions a little longer, *Points to Jimmy and Nick* just as long as these two sickos will take me to my awaited treasure. You can't find the nest unless the PIGEONS lead you to it. After that, I won't have to deal with them, or their reject friends, anymore."

Jason shifted an eye to the right to find that Benson was sitting at the far right of the table, close to the king. We all know what he was doing.

"Were you eavesdropping on the king, peasant?!" Asked Jason, in a strict tone. "N-no, your greatness! I j-just wanted to get away from Miss Oona's messy station!" Stuttered Benson. "There are plenty of empty chairs around! Now begone, before I have my guards escort you out!" "Y-yes, your greatness!"

Benson got up and ran to the farthest seat of the table. Meanwhile, the king was ready to make his proposal. He tapped his spoon on his wine glass to get everyone's attention.

"Good now. As did promise-"

Jason was then interrupted by Rodent Girl's noisy eating. That died down eventually.

"As did promise-"

This time, he was interrupted by Rodent Girl's loud slurping. That died down, too.

"As did promise-"

Now Rodent Girl was hacking.

"SILENCE, VERMIN!"

Rodent Girl then hesitated.

"As did promise, we shall be discussing the other half of our negotiation! Richard! Present to them the diagram!"

Richard was excused from his seat, then he gave Jimmy a piece of paper with a sketch drawing on it. It seems that Jason has never improved, cuz the boy genius thought he was a bad artist himself. He couldn't make out the object in the sketch.

"You want us to get you a headband with a heart patch on it?" Asked Jimmy. "No." Replied Jason. "Maybe he wants us to draw a better picture." Nick added. "NO! You mean you don't recognize it?" "Well, sometimes we have trouble reading certain art styles. We're not saying it's bad. *Nudges Nick* Wouldn't you agree, my fair knight?" "For crying out loud. You should know by now, you made it! It's the Amulet of Bind!" "Oh! That! Now rings a bell! That thing I made, a long time ago! For a special happy time!" "I hope it isn't too much to ask, but, I need this amulet. Please, this amulet is worth more to me than my own life! Ever since as a child, it's all I've been thinking of! Please, noble ones!" "Alright, it's yours!" "You mean... ...just like that? You want me to take it off your hands?" "Yeah, of course! Why would we miss one piece of jewel? I make plenty of other jewels for a living, and thinking of opening a jewelry store! We allow credit." "If there's anyone who knows how to turn coal into diamonds, it's him!" Nick added again. "Then what, after we retrieve this so-called amulet, bright eyes? You'll 'redeem yourself and become a more gentle king of milk and honey?'" Diana questioned the king. "Nah! I wast bethinking of packing up everything I owneth, departure this fusty village, and then opening up a new kingdom someplace else! I couldst make a much bigger one, with the fortune pawned from that rare amulet! It's worth at least a billion nowadays!" "You mean... ...you'll be leaving us?!" "That, and thee shall be free to doth whatever thee wishes! I'm taking everything, and throwing away the key! You could even elect a new king!" "YIPEE! *Jumps up from her seat* Boy, that sounds-! Wait a minute, your greatness. Why the heck would you want to leave your own village anyways? You were here long enough for the cemetery to run out of spaces, and burial was replaced with cremation! You said so yourself that you devoted your name to this village!" "Well that devotion was a lie, woman! I'm tired of being cooped up in this stinking four wall prison you call a township!" "(Even though you constructed those walls yourself.)" "I wanna step up my game! I want a big land to take charge of! Millions of people to worship me! They will be my new walls! I want not to be superior of just some dinky dram village! I want to be superior of a whole land, and then allow my kingship to grow until I'm known throughout the world! Wherefore am I talking to you anyways, mistress?! I shouldst be talking to them!"

Jimmy hesitated for a moment, before he was ready to say something. Nick stopped stuffing bits of food into his helmet and joined his friend. Everyone laid eyes on the two carefully, except Rodent Girl, who was still eating. With the king gone, everyone can now live in peace. The Faithful Five may never have to steal again. Of course, they may need to elect a new decent king, just to keep the whole village system arranged. This sounded like a too good of a deal to demur at. Having Jason out of everyone's hair could be what the peasants need. Jimmy was about to come to terms, but then he began to have a second thought. Jason may leave these people alone, but will he put his newfound town through the same jeopardy? What if he resorts back to hanging, capitalism, and leaving misfits to die? Rulers like him, who commit terrible atrocities, don't change that easily.

"Your greatness!" Jimmy spoke up. "Yesssssss?" Answered Jason. "You can have the amulet if you promise your new citizens: No more strict rules with overzealous penalties! Nourishment, medical management, and housing must be affordable! You have to provide equality for all if you're gonna be a good republic representative!" "Well,I'll be blown. What shall befall of me if be true I hold not my gage?" "Then I'll... ...summon my magical spies on you! That's right! I have spies everywhere! In the trees! In the skies! Did I mention they're also invisible? Once they report your actions to me, I'll cast a spell that'll morph you into a big pile of cow pie!" "Besides, the more people die, the less of the population to worship you!" Said Nick.

The guards felt threatened, but the king managed to calm them down. After that, Jason got up from his seat, and walked towards Jimmy. The boy genius began sweating in anxiety. Nick also got up from his seat, then stood in front of his friend with his life. The king looked very menacing. Nick was so scared, his armor was clattering. Jason shoved the tiny knight aside, and then offered Jimmy his hand.

"It's settled."

Forcing a smile upon his face, Jimmy shook the king's hand out of respect.

"Alright! *Claps hands* Chop-chop! Dinner is officially over! Time to give me what I've been patient for!" Shouted the king. "You want it now?" Asked Jimmy. "No, I plan to wait another year- Of course, I mean now! We're heading straight to your Research Edifice!"

...............................

The king invited everyone on a carriage ride. Butterscotch, already being a horse, had to walk on foot. Jimmy read through Mr. Philips' diary again, so he could learn anything about this Amulet of Bind, and the history behind it. Sure, it's worth a fortune, but the king acted as though it was much more important than that. Not even Sally knew about this amulet.

"Are you really gonna turn the king into cow pie?" Whispered Sally. "No, but I thought I could scare him into believing me." Jimmy whispered his response. "Ughhhhhhh, I hope you guys gain your memories back soon."

The carriage eventually came to a stop, and everyone stepped out. They made it. They've reached the Wise Wizard's Research Edifice. At least that's what it said on the sign. Jimmy and Nick studied the building up close. It was shaped differently from all the other architecture in the village. This tower was built in a cylinder form. The building had been abandoned for so long, it was now covered in moss and flowers. It was also huge. Almost bigger than the king's castle. It was tall enough to reach the clouds. The boys were both surprised King Jason hasn't torn this place down yet.

"Sure takes you back, doesn't it?"

Sally accidentally startled the two boys. Jason then ordered everyone to enter the edifice, and then brought his guards in with him. The place was all gloomy from the inside. There was dust, cobwebs, withered flowers, and rats everywhere. Rodent Girl didn't mind. She made new friends. Sally looked around for a while. There were some painted portraits of the Wise Wizard and Silver Knight, either holding hands or hugging. Benson stayed close to Diana as possible, in case anything decides to jump at him. The building looked haunted from his point of view. Jason commanded the squad to stop sightseeing and said they should stay on task. The king then led them to a staircase. There were so many flight of stairs, they couldn't see the top. Rodent Girl just scurried up ahead. She was particularly fast.

"THIS ISN'T A RACE, VERMIN!" Jason screamed his lungs out. "Do this wizard and knight fella live like this everyday?" Nick sassed.

Later, the squad had been climbing up the stairs for about an hour. Even Diana herself was hitting exhaustion. Jason was being lifted up the stairs by his two faithful sentries, who are now in great pain due to how much he weighs. Richard was glad he didn't have to take part this time. Sally hitched a ride on Diana. Nick supportively carried Jimmy on his shoulders.

"I can walk on my own, Nick. No need for this." Said Jimmy. "No... You have... ...the shortest legs... I won't let that happen." Nick breathed.

As soon as the squad made it to the top floor, everybody, who'd been walking, laid flat on the floor, taking a break to rest for a moment. However, Jason wouldn't let them. Both Jimmy and Sally helped Nick back onto his feet. HIIIIIIIII! They heard Rodent Girl's voice. She was waving at them. The squad, seeing her, all groaned in annoyance. Not because she made it before them. Rodent Girl was waving at them, from the other side of a bridge, dangling over a black pit that led to who knows where.

"This is suppose to be their security system?" Nick groaned. "No, I think it's yours." Replied Sally. "Can you stop talking for 10 minutes? Please?" "Okay, everyone! Ladies! Gentlemen! Listen! This faulty bridge can only contrive enough density to hold together. It'll be safe if we all walked across one at a time!" Jimmy explained.

The squad agreed to Jimmy's notion. Jason made the children cross the bridge first, since they were the lightest. Jimmy went first, then Nick, Sally, Benson, Richard, guard #1, guard #2, Jason, Diana, now it's Butterscotch's turn. Diana was giving him emotional support from the other side. Nick promised he'd cooked something for him. Rodent Girl started motivating him like a gym coach, in order to get him to "horse-up." Jason then insulted Butterscotch, calling him a "filthy animal." That made the stallion mad enough to gallop across the bridge. His stomping hooves, combined with his rage, applied too much pressure.

"BUTTERSCOTCH! NOOOO! THE BRIDGE WILL-"

Jimmy tried to warn the horse, but it was too late.

"BUTTERSCOTCH!!!" Diana cried, trying to get to him.

The bridge broke, and then Butterscotch met with a falling fate. She dropped to her knees, with tears cascading from her eyes. Her friends immediately showered her with comfort, but Jason and his authorities were getting impatient.

"LET'S GO! We're way behind schedule!" Barked Jason. "Can you be anymore INSENSITIVE?! We've just lost a trustful steed!" Diana replied. "It's just a horse! You can just get a new one!" "Just a horse?! Mister, Butterscotch was family! You can not replace family, or a scrapbook full of memories!" "You can, if you were living the majestic life like me!" "That's it! I've darn had it with this skin flint ficklepuss!"

Diana was about to charge Jason with her fist, but her friends, including Richard, had to restrain her. The two guards pointed their spears.

"A BUNCH OF POINTY STICKS WON'T SAVE YOUR HIDE FROM ME! YOU'LL BE ALL OVER THIS PLACE BY THE TIME I'M DONE TEARING YOU LIMB FROM LIMB! HANGING OR NOT, DEATH WOULD BE BETTER THAN SHARING THE SAME PLANET WITH YOU!" Diana raged. "Diana! It's not worth it. You don't wanna prove you're just as bad as him. C'mon, we're almost there." Said Jimmy, trying to calm Diana. "But, Butterscotch! IF NOT FOR HIM, HE'D STILL BE HERE!" "I liked Butterscotch just as you did. He was the second best four legged friend I've ever made. When this is all over, I promise there will be a funeral arranged, in honor of a brave, fun horse." "Yeah, and we can invite everyone in the village! Horses, too! I'll even cook up a collection of his favorite foods! Anything for Butterscotch's good name!" Nick added.

Diana took a couple of deep breaths.

"Okay. I'll keep my cool. Butterscotch was a pacifist anyways, so he wouldn't like seeing me kill a man." Said Diana, with pride. "Maybe when your amnesia is cured, you could probably bring him back." Sally whispered to Jimmy.

The squad then entered the next room, which appeared to have light. It was an empty library, and the room was lit from the sun shining through a strained glass window, also providing some color. All the books had been packed, and the shelves were left empty. A big vault door sat in the center of the room. A door King Jason tried to open for years. When Diana turned the handle, it didn’t budge, not even from her strength. She tried harder, but only succeeded in tearing it off. The door can only open from a password. Jimmy found writing was increst on it. A hint, maybe?

A special profound charm, in no need of a spell, that unites us together. It makes the world go around. This emotion is the strongest fuel of human power.

"Go on!" Jason commanded. "What?" Jimmy blurted in confusion. "Feed it the password! You still remember it, right?”

Jimmy hesitated, while sweating. Nick placed an arm around him, giving the boy genius a pat. If Jimmy doesn't know the password, then they're sure to expose themselves as frauds. Jimmy decided to do what he hasn't done in a long time.

"Think... Think... Think..."

Based on the info he learned from Joseph's logs: The Wise Wizard, although happy with his formal life, was extremely lonely. The Silver Knight, a well known celebrity at that time, was one of the most miserable men in the village. Ever since they met, they found themselves to have comfort in one's company. They were both powerful in their own ways, but they also had flaws that the two acknowledged with one another. The knight would put his life against his wizard, and the wizard would do the same. They cared for each other very much, for it was fate that united them. The pair has made themselves one. The Wise Wizard and Silver Knight cared for each other romantically. Joseph cared for them like fathers. Diana cares for the Faithful Five as family. Jimmy and Nick cares for Diana, Rodent Girl, Benson, and Butterscotch like they were best friends. Jimmy cares for Nick from the pumping feeling in his h-

"BRAIN BLAST!" Shouted Jimmy. "Is that the password?!" Asked Jason. "No! But I figured it out!"

Jimmy cleared his throat before saying

"L-O-V-E! Love!"

A few seconds later, a golden light started illuminating from the gaps of the vault door. Everyone stepped back as the door slowly opened on its own. The glow eventually stopped, and the object was revealed. There was the amulet, sitting on a display. It was a beautiful golden chain necklace, with a heart shaped ruby in the center. It looked nothing like the one presented in King Jason's drawing. It was better than imagined. Shedding tears of joy, Jason grabbed the amulet for keeps, then placed it around his neck. Other than the amulet, there was also a piece of paper lying around. While the king modeled around with his new jewelry, Jimmy and Nick read the paper together. It was a log, written by the Wise Wizard himself!

Before the Wise Wizard and Silver Knight were ready to leave the village and travel the world, they presented King Todd with the Amulet of Bind, something they made together. Todd's 14 year-old son, Jason, seemed to have found interest in the jewel. The two had told the king that their love was extracted into the amulet, which possessed a far greater power known to man. It is to be used for an emergency only, in case the whole village gets caught under carnage. They also noted that the amulet must not fall into the hands of evil. If it does so, then the amulet must be touched by a pairing of two, who hold a strong built-up bond. It is their love that will drain the evil of its magic. The two then whispered the password to the king, for Todd could be trusted. However, they never thought about his power hungry son.

"Pffffffft. Magic." Jimmy joked. "Yeah. An amulet that stores powers made by love." Nick joked back. "It's absolutely ridiculous."

Just then, Jason pointed his finger at the two boys, and conjured up a chain, linking them together. A cage appeared around Sally. Diana was about to strike, but the king used a stun spell on her. Rodent Girl scurried over to Jason, ready to bite. With the magic point of a finger, Rodent Girl's leg was suddenly shackled, attached to this heavy ball. Also, her mouth was muzzled up. He didn't have to do anything with Benson. The man just got petrified with fear.

"What the heck is this?!" Questioned Jimmy. "It's magic, you bafoon." Replied Jason. "Not that! Is this suppose to be the other end of our deal?!" "Young man, when will you ever learn that there are certain people you're not suppose to trust? You should know that people like me don't change their heart overnight! It seems to me you don't really know me at all!"

Jimmy looked at the friends he got in danger, also he thought about the one horse they just lost. The boy genius was so up in his pride, he didn't bother with the facts. His friends tried to warn him about this man. The red flags were right there. All he thought about was outsmarting the king into having a heart with his psychology. Jimmy needs to learn that it's his friends he should listen to.

"You know what's so precious about magic, Richard?" "Uhhhhhhh, it can give you anything you desire by just a slight gesture of the hands, sire?" "Correct! You get a raise!"

The king snapped his fingers and a bag of money appeared in the chancellor's hands.

"Wow! Bless you, sire!" "Don't mention it. Magic could make me a whole new man! For instance, I could change my shape into something I've always dreamed of!"

The king turned his tubby figure into a more muscular shape.

"It can also enhance my senses! *Sniffs the air* Let's see, *Points at guard #2* you had a tuna hero for lunch!" Said Jason. "By George, he's got it!" Spoke guard #2. "And, uh... *Sniffs again* Hold on."

There's something about the way the "Wise Wizard" and "Silver Knight" smelled that puzzled the king.

"You're not the noble Wise Wizard and Silver Knight, aren't you?" The king asked in an ominous tone. "What makes you ask that? We are wearing the clothes, and my partner here did figure out the password!" Said Nick. "Silence! If you were the legendary heroes, you'd have their scent! I've been there, and you two smell nothing like how I remembered them! As a matter of fact, I think I smell a little fear in you."

Jason lifted up Nick's visor, so he could look at both of their faces of shame. He glared at the boys with red eyes.

"You two are just a pair of pathetic, scared, commoner children. And to think I let you go, trespassing in my domain, posing as fake authorities! If I knew, I would've had your skinny necks hanged by then. But good news: It's your lucky day today! Since you've led me to the power that's rightfully mine, I'll give you a whole day to live before I ready the gallows. Your friends can join you, like a big happy family! Now's the best time to use that dungeon." "Your greatness?" Asked guard #1. "What?" "How are we going to get them out of here? The bridge is done for, and there's no way I'm carrying her down the stairs. *Points to Diana*" "Have you fools learned nothing on what magic can do?"

King Jason then teleported everyone out of the library.

#Jimmy Neutron #Boy Genius #Nick Dean #Cindy Vortex #Libby Folfax #Sheen Estevez #Carl Wheezer #Season 4 #fanfic #romance #adventure #TVverse #TVEE

[chameleon-carol]

A Medieval Arrangement (ch. 1)

The western kingdom of Skystead was a beautiful place in the middle of the beautiful, green rolling hills of the highlands. Today was one of the few days where the weather was warm and inviting and not even a single cloud in the sky. Merchants were shouting to announce goods that the townsfolk may want and you could hear the blacksmith hard at work in his shop making weapons and whatnot while at the same time a mouthwatering scent filled the air as the bakers were baking fresh breads and pies and scones. It was also one of those days where all of the townsfolk stared and watched in awe as their ever beautiful, elegant, and kind princess walked among them, buying some of their goods and speaking with them as if she was one of them. 

Her name was Carolyn, but she preferred to be called Carol for short. It just felt better to her, for whatever reason the castle staff would never know. Her light red hair was down and flowing freely as well as her elegant, royal red gown. Her kind, gentle smile and other features made her close to approachable despite being royalty. 

“Princess!” One child ran up to Carol, a little girl with blonde pigtails and a simple peasants dress came up to her and tugged on her dress. “Princess, my daddy made some really yummy pies and he said that he really hopes that you’ll buy o-” she was cut off when her father ran up to her and put one hand on her shoulder and one over her mouth.

“Please, excuse my daughter. She just overheard me talking to my wife and-”

“I would love to buy one of your pies, and maybe one extra as a treat for my father.” Carol smiled at the man, whose face lit up with happiness and excitement. His hand left his daughter’s mouth and he nodded quickly. 

“Yes, my lady! Please, right this way.” he said and motioned for Carol to follow him to his bakery. He let her inside first and Carol inhaled the scent, closing her eyes for a moment and letting out a happy hum. Everything here smelled delicious, somehow even better than the baked goods she would be served at the castle. These must be made with more love put into them. “Here, these apple tarts were just taken out of the oven. Careful, they’re still quite warm.” said the baker as he put the pies into a basket for Carol, covering it up with a cloth to keep them warm and to protect it from the flies and other bugs...and rats. 

“These look and smell delicious, sir. Thank you.” The red haired princess took out her coin pouch and pulled out twenty whole shillings. “Here, for all of your hard work and for your kindness.” Carol took out twenty shillings and handed them to the shocked baker.

“P-princess! I-I..this is far too much! Please, you don’t have to pay me anything.” He tried to hand the money back but Carol just let out a soft laugh and gently pushed the money back to the man, making her to close his fingers around the coins. 

“Please, I insist.” she spoke softly and so kindly, the man couldn’t refuse. 

“Thank you, princess. Thank you so mu-”

“Princess,” The man was interrupted when a strong, male voice spoke up from the doorway. “Your majesty the king wishes to speak with you as soon as possible.” It was her father’s servant, sadly coming to retrieve her when she just now got to bond with her people. 

Carol let out a deep sigh and thanked the baker before one more time before taking her leave. “What is it? Is it a matter of the upmost urgency?” Carol sounded slightly annoyed when she asked this and the servant sighed before responding.

“Yes, it is, actually.” He had a smirk on his face and Carol furrowed her brow in confusion as they entered the gates, leading to the castle’s courtyard and front steps that led to the large doors. The two knights standing at the door opened them for their princess and she walked inside, immediately seeing her father on his large, magnificent throne. 

“Carolyn, come here. I must speak with you.” said the king, whose name was Alistair. Carol nodded and walked forward to stand in front of her father. 

“Yes, father?” she asked. 

“You are eighteen now, my dear. You are well past the time for marriage.” the king began. Carol’s heart dropped and a lump formed in her throat when she started to realize what her father wanted to talk to her about. “I have recently came to an agreement with the king of the eastern kingdom. To unite our kingdoms, you will be wed to his eldest son, Leonardo.” Carol’s eyes widened and she took a step back. She couldn’t even seem to form the right words to show her displeasure in this whole agreement. 

“Father, I-I’ve never met the prince.” she said. Her father just looked at her, wondering what could be so wrong with that. “What if I don’t love him? Shouldn’t I marry the one I love?” Alistair just let out a deep sigh and he stood from his throne and walked over to his daughter, giving her a serious and matter-of-fact look.

“Dear, that is for peasants.” he began. Carol frowned and looked away from him. “We do not marry for love. We marry to keep our money and our kingdoms. Our duties must always come first. Even before our feelings.” Alistair had a stern and emotionless expression. Carol teared up and the king turned on his heel, leaving the throne room completely before stopping at the door. “You get to meet Leonardo tomorrow morning along with his family. I suggest you wear your finest gown, and please,” he paused. “Do not mess this up.” 

That night Carol laid in her bed crying softly to herself until she fell asleep. She tried to tell herself that maybe she will end up actually liking Leo. It’s possible that he could be a kind gentleman who had a chance at winning her heart. Still, she would be marrying a stranger. 

‘This isn’t what mom would have wanted for me...’

#tmnt #tmnt au #tmnt oc #tmnt carol #tmnt donnie x oc #tmnt donatello #tmnt leonardo #tmnt 2016

[amemixfan]

First words soul mate Au with Alain pls??

Name used is Hannah. ——An arm slings across my shoulder just as I leave my workplace. I jolt in surprise before recognition dawns on me. My best friend since college, Sophie, appears at my side with a friendly grin on her face. “Hey stranger, you ready for our movie date?” She tilts her head and shows me her phone screen. A fantasy movie poster greets me on the screen. The premise is yet another Soulmate Movie. I grimace and fix the zipper on my coat. While I have nothing against fantasy romance movies, Soulmate movies are an entirely different can of worms. “Right, I promised you we’d go to that one,” I shrug my shoulders and try to seem nonchalant. In truth, I want no part in a movie that glorifies soulmate stamps and pushes the agenda than a non-mark will be forever alone. Sophie’s lips purse in a mock pout and she flicks her cellphone screen. She matches my pace evenly as we walk. “You don’t seem excited. This movie has been advertised since last year and it’s reeled in thousands on the opening weekend. You should be thrilled that I booked our tickets in advance,” she wags her fingers at me playfully. “Soulmate movies aren’t really my thing. I don’t need some Hollywood screenwriter bashing non-marks and portraying soulmate stamps as a perfect gift from God. There’s enough politicians out there trying to outlaw non-mark marriage as it is,” I remark. My fingers close around my wrist where my soulmate stamp should be. It’s not. Soulmate stamps, markings on a person’s wrist which denote the first words their soulmate will ever speak to them, are prized in the world. Less than 59% of the world’s total population has them, and less than 12% of the remaining 41% will develop them later on in life. I, unfortunately, am not one of the 12. While Sophie and my other friends were born with theirs, my soulmate stamp never developed. My wrist remains unmarked and blank. Non-marks, those born without stamps, are seen as cursed. We are the people that do not deserve a soulmate according to many politicians. Society deems us as undesirable and movies exploit the tragedy that they believe our lives are. Movies like the one Sophie wants to see mock our existence by portraying lovey-dovey Soulmate couples on the big screen. Sophie must realize my line of thinking because her mock pout suddenly becomes true. She rubs at her own wrist briefly, where her soulmate stamp is emblazoned across the skin like a tattoo, and blushes. Like most of the world, she finds it awkward to bring up her own stamp before a non-mark. “I didn’t think about it that way, sorry Hannah,” she murmurs. I shrug and nod at her cellphone. The movie poster is still displayed across the screen. A pair of actors decked out in armor pose for the camera with their soulmate stamps revealed. The banner reads something about “true love” and “destiny.”“Did you already buy the tickets?” “I can get a refund. I wanted to see if you still felt like coming. Do you want to skip the movie and watch some horror thing instead?” Sophie moves to close out of the tab. I stop her with a shake of my head. “Nah. I’ll go with you,” I relent. While I’ll probably hate every second of the movie, I can at least pretend to like it for my friend. Sophie brightens at my decision. “Good because I’ve been waiting for this one to come out. I know the whole soulmate thing is a touchy subject, but the movie doesn’t focus on it. It’s mainly a fantasy war movie. Our protagonist is a hero who discovers that her soulmate is on the opposing side. She fights her feelings and destiny and tries to prove that soulmate stamps aren’t always right.”I snort and trace my finger over my unmarked wrist. There were times I had cried as a kid for not having one while my friends did, but now it’s just a bitter pill I have to swallow. Soulmate stamps aren’t necessary, my parents met each other without them, and the whole concept of love is overrated. I slip my hands into my pockets and give Sophie a noncommittal response. Once her phone beeps with the ticket purchase, she slings her arm around my shoulders. Her wrist displays ’Oops. Sorry, I didn’t see you there.’ in dark letters. “You know, you still could get a soulmate stamp. Some people are destined to be with younger lovers,” she teases me. “I’m 25. If I suddenly wake up tomorrow with a soulmate stamp, I’m going to throw up,” I make a face. Sophie laughs and opens her mouth to rebuff something. All of a sudden a downpour of rain cascades around us. I shriek and dive for the roof of a nearby restaurant. The weather forecast had predicted sunny skies, so I have no umbrella to shield myself with. Sophie holds up her purse on top of her head and looks soaked to the bone. “Jeez, it’s strong! We’re going to have to take a raincheck on that movie. There’s no way I’m walking halfway across downtown for a movie. Meet here tomorrow?” She shivers in place as her thin blouse is soaked. “Yeah!” I call back. The wind is picking up now and it is freezing. Sophie nods and spins around. She runs as fast as she can across the street in search for her apartment. I echo her and go the other way. As soon as I leave the alcove of the restaurant, a clap of thunder sounds above me and my entire vision turns white. I have no time to scream before I go falling and the world disappears before me.

I squeeze my eyes shut and expect to get a face full of cement but instead land on soft grass. I freeze in place and shake when I realize the rain is gone and the sounds of people surround me. My heart skips a beat. Instead of the rain soaked Chicago streets, I am greeted by a town that looks like it stepped out of a history book picture. Medieval looking peasants stand stock still gaping at me and the sounds of scuffling armor register somewhere away from me. I freeze and gape. Wherever I am, I am not in Chicago anymore. Feeling more than a little lightheaded and confused, I stand. My muscles ache from the fall and my head swims with the effects of confusion. Breathe, Hannah, breathe. I pinch my arm and take hesitant steps back. The crowd around me continues to stare and shocked murmurs greet me. It looks like the medieval renfare people are more afraid of me than I am of them. For some reason, that makes everything worse. I must have been hit by lightning. I am probably plugged up to thousands of machines in some hospital room. When I wake up from this weird Medieval Times knock off, I will have a looong hospital bill to stress about and Sophie will have the number of the cutest doctor in the hospital. Everything will be fine as soon as I wake up. I take a step towards a woman near me and raise my voice. “Where am I?” I ask. My voice sounds raspy and I cough. The woman jerks away from me and turns white. She opens her mouth to scream something, and the sound of pounding horse hooves and armor grow louder. I turn and see two people approaching on horseback. One man is wearing armor and has an actual sword strapped to the side. The other one looks like the protagonist of one of Sophie’s fantasy movies and wears green. The man wearing armor all but jumps off his horse and rushes at me. I take steps away from him as he draws his sword. “Witch Queen! Stop right there and surrender!” He waves the sword at me and I have a feeling it isn’t one of those Halloween props you buy at Walmart. “What’s going on?!” I raise my hands up before me to show that I am unarmed. My heart begins to race and the pounding headache developing comes full force. I almost black out. Breathe, Hannah, this is probably just some really bizarre fever dream. I am probably in a medically induced coma right now and will wake up any minute. The green-decked companion leaps off his horse with more grace. He looks more composed than his partner and offers me an amused smile. I almost relax for a second, content with the beautiful smile that spreads across his face, but tense as soon as I catch the spark of something dark in his eyes. Like his armored friend, this one doesn’t like me ether. “Now, now, August, that’s no way to talk to a lady. No wonder you have no soulmate stamp,” the man teases. He moves towards me and extends his hand with a flourish. When he bends down to bow at me, his long white hair parts and I see his ears. They’re pointed like that of an elf. My breath catches in my throat. Jeez, I really am in a fever dream. The man-no, elf-moves his hand towards me. “What my socially inept friend is trying to say is that you should probably come with us,” he blinks up at me. I take a step back from his hand and begin to shake. The action makes the armored one tense and his sword moves in his grip. His scowl is amplified and he looks like he’s getting ready for an assault. “Don’t move. Either come with us willingly or by force,” he grinds it out like it’s a threat. Judging by the tight grip on his weapon, I’m sure it is. “I have no idea what’s going on,” I repeat. I suddenly feel very ill. The green dressed one takes a step closer to me. “Then perhaps you should come with us and we can explain it to you at the castle.”I bite my lip. His companion takes a step closer and the blade looks more menacing than before. I look around. I have three options. I can run although the crowd around us doesn’t look like it would part so easily for an escape, plus I have no idea of where I could go. I could fight although I have no weapon and the two strangers do. Or I could comply. My raging headache gets worse and I bite the inside of my cheek. This is the stupidest dream I’ve ever had, but I might as well play along. When in Rome do as the Romans. “Fine,” I agree. The armored one sheaths his sword and narrows his eyes at me. He turns to his horse and pulls out iron shackles-Actual, iron shackles-And nods at me. He takes tentative steps forward as if preparing for a fight. I don’t give him one. The shackles are terrifying but the sword at his hip is more so. “Excellent choice, my lady,” the elf remarks. He places his hands at his hips and purses his lips at his companion. “Yet the shackles may be a bit much, August.”The man, August, sends him a dirty look back and motions for me to extend my hands. “Precautions, Iseul. Do you want her magic to attack us?” I frown in confusion about the magic charge and extend my hands. The shackles clamp down on them painfully-But I no longer care about the pain. Instead, my attention falls across my wrist. The breath leaves my lips and I feel dizzy. There across my skin is the phrase, ’I finally found you.’

The cell door clangs behind me yet I barely hear it. My fingers are too busy tracing the soulmate stamp across my wrist for the hundredth time. Soulmate stamps don’t just appear over night, not if a person’s soulmate is already born. The entire thing is incredible and more than a little daunting. The elf, Iseul, leans across the bars to peer at me. His eyes read the stamp silently and he quirks one eyebrow. “So even people like you have a soulmate? There really is someone for everyone,” he remarks. For some reason, his voice sounds bitter when he says it. His own wrist is blank, no stamp in sight, yet I have a feeling it’s more than just bitter jealousy. “Where am I?” I ask. Now that the shock of an appearing stamp is fading, I am starting to come to terms with the fact that I am locked up in a dungeon and have no idea what is happening. My head feels like it’s underwater and I feel dizzy. The knight from before, August, gives me a dirty look. He places his hand on the hilt of his sword as a warning and narrows his eyes. There is no love lost between us. He looks like he hates me more than his companion and does not even pretend to be civil. “You are under arrest by Lord Reiner’s orders. You will be tried for your crimes and executed-““You can’t execute me! I’m innocent and I have a soulmate,” I raise my wrist. Iseul sniffs at me and his lips purse in disgust. While he tries to act more cordial than Sir-bitches-a-lot, he still makes it no secret that he doesn’t like me. Whatever these two think I have done, they hate me for it. “The law says we can’t kill you because of your soulmate, but we will try you anyway. Fear not, if your soulmate ever appears, we’ll lock them up here with you. Whatever wretched creature is unfortunate enough to end up with you must be as vile as they come, Witch Queen,” he hisses. Witch Queen. There’s that word again. I squeeze my fists. “Who the hell is that?” I approach the bars of the cell-And August yanks Iseul away from them. His hand goes for his sword and he warns me to stay back. I freeze with one hand on the bars. “Your acting is not convincing, Witch. We will not fall for your lies. Bite your tongue and await for your trial,” he hisses. I scowl at him. “I’m not lying. Whatever you think I did, I’m innocent.”Iseul yawns into his hand although he also looks tense. Like August, it appears his own patience has worn thin. He takes a few step towards me and offers me a charming smile that has a razor’s edge to it. “Tell that to our Lord although I am sure he will not believe you either. If you are innocent, we will release you. For now, enjoy our castle’s hospitality.”“How charming. This place really owns up to its five stars on Yelp,” my voice drips with sarcasm. They both frown, perplexed, before spinning away. As they begin to leave the dungeons, I press a hand to my head. Whatever dream I am in, it sucks.

Once left alone, I am free to piece together what has happened. I was in Chicago an hour earlier and was hit by lightning, I’m probably in the middle of a very bizarre drug induced dream complete with dungeons and shackles, and I have just received my soulmate stamp. The stamp is the most shocking part. Setting aside the Renfare mess, the soulmate stamp is what worries me the most. I have lived much of my adult life without a stamp, but now it appears after I was hit by lighting? “The Universe has a twisted sense of humor,” I remark. My fingers trace the wording on my wrist for the thousandth time. A sound before me makes me look up and I see a figure crouched on the wall. A pair of mismatched eyes peer at me and the stranger raises an eyebrow. “Who are you?” I jolt from my seat and tense. The stranger peers at me for another second before straightening. There’s a curiosity to his gaze but also an edge. He’s come here to observe me but won’t have any qualms with hurting me. “My name is Saerys,” he remarks. He continues to stare at me as if sizing me up. I cross my hands in front of myself and hide my soulmate stamp from view. His gaze seems wrong somehow. I clench my jaw. “Is this how all your guests are treated? You throw them in the dungeons on false accusations?” “August and Iseul would never have imprisoned someone falsely,” comes the simple reply. The stranger spins on his heels and looks away from me. Whatever he has come to see, his curiosity has been sated. I press against the bars and call out to him. “What am I in here for?!”My voice echoes against the empty dungeon and the stranger halts at the door. He doesn’t turn around but he does move his head to the side where he can see me from the corner of his eye. His arms lift in a shrug. “You should know, your Majesty.”His voice drips with sarcasm and I frown to myself. What exactly do they think I have done? I open my mouth to ask something else but the stranger has slinked back into the shadows and is no where to be found.

It is another half hour before a fourth figure appears. She arrives in a shower of sparks and flower petals. I hardly have time to gape at the magic she has before she is before me. Her mouth is quirked up in an amused smirk and her fingers twirl her staff to one side. “Magic,” I breathe out. It makes no sense. Magic does not exist asides from the card tricks you see at Vegas, yet this stranger has just appeared out of no where. This dream keeps getting weirder and weirder. The girl moves one leg beside her and lowers herself as if in a mocking curtsy. She rises after a beat and stares at the bars of the cell. Her lips purse. “It looks like someone is having a bad day?” She sounds almost amused as she asks this. Her fingers touch the metal before me.“Who are you?” I ask. I meet her halfway to the bars. The girl presses a hand to her chest and a bright smile illuminates her face. “I am Altea Bellerose. You are?”“Hannah,” I answer. She murmurs back a ‘charmed’ and twirls her staff once more. Sparks and flower petals rise in the air around her and I have to gawk again. “Are you normally surrounded by flowers and lights?” I breathe out a laugh certain that I am losing my grip with reality. The girl, Altea, winks conspiratorially. “Only when I want to make a good first impression,” she taps the bars with her staff and I hear a lock come undone. The door swings open moments later. “You’re letting me out?” I can’t help the surprise in my voice. I take a tentative step forwards and wait for a trick. When none come, I move again and again until I am outside the cell. “I opened the door didn’t I?” Altea remarks. She presses a finger to her lips and drops her voice to a whisper. “Someone has to help you find that soulmate of yours.”I stare back at the stamp on my wrist still mystified. The words greet me silently back and I half expect them to disappear when I blink. None of this feels real. Altea nods her head at me and motions for me to follow. I do so.

The outside of the castle looks authentic. Intricate details are laid out before me, details my mind could have never come up with on their own, and I stare around myself in wonder. Altea leads me down a few hallways and taps her staff on the floor as she walks. We pass by several doors leading outside but she never stops at any of them. I frown. “Why are you helping me?” Altea hums at the back of her throat and sends me a teasing smile. “Perhaps I like helping damsels in distress.”I bristle. “I’m not a damsel in distress.”“Right. You certainly looked plenty capable of helping yourself in that cell,” she teases. I bite my tongue and flush. She has a point but I will never admit to it. I am saved from having to answer back when two figures appear before us. They are dressed as a maid and butler but that’s not what catches my attention. A woman that looks exactly like Sophie greets me with a weary look. “Sophie,” I whisper her name under my breath in shock. Altea greets them with a nod. “Solaire. Ryland. Has the meeting started?” The woman, not Sophie but Solaire, nods at a door at the end of the corridor. The harsh murmur of voices can be heard past the wood oak. I recognize two of them, August and Iseul, but can’t make the third one out. Realization dawns on me and I clench my fists. “You tricked me.”Altea shrugs and gives me a smirk. For the first time, her polite facade gives way and a cold light shines in her eyes. Like her friends, she harbors resentment. “I do the best with what I have,” she remarks. “What is happening? Why am I here?” I dig my heels into the floor and refuse to approach the door. “You should know, Witch Queen,” Altea shrugs. Witch Queen. There’s that name again. “You all keep mentioning this Witch Queen but I have no idea what it is. Who is she?” My question earns a laugh from Altea. It is a bright giggle that somehow sends a shiver down my spine. Her fingers clench against her staff and she beckons me towards the door once more. “That is a funny jest. I did not expect you to be this amusing,” she quips. I have no more time to ask anything before her hand tugs me towards the study. She opens the door and ushers me inside.

Inside the study are four figures. I recognize three of them, August, Iseul, and Saerys, but the fourth is unknown. He leans against a large window and glances at me as I enter. I can sense power radiating off of him in waves. Whoever he is, he seems important. Altea gives me a light shove further into the room before closing the door. She leans against it with one heel against the wood and digs her staff into the floor for balance. Her position could be seen as casual, but I know she is just leaning against the door as a warning to me. If I try and make a run for it, I will have to get through her first. Altea smiles past my shoulder at the man. “Our guest is here.”The man turns his head to see me. A large scar runs jagged across one eye and his jaw is fixed. He steps away from the window and approaches me. “So I see,” he remarks. His voice is a commanding baritone that demands attention. His eyes scan me from head to toe as if searching for something. I tense and clench my fists. “What are you staring at?” I hear a hiss from next to me. August has one hand on the hilt of his sword and sends a venomous glare at me. “Watch how you speak to Lord Reiner, Witch.”Lord Reiner? The name means nothing to me and I give him a confused stare. The man, Reiner, lifts a hand at August in a warning. He regards me again and comes to a stop a few steps away from me. His hands clasp behind his back giving him an air of authority. “I am the Lord of this domain. The title once belonged to my father and brother but I assumed the mantel when they died. Together with my companions, I defeated a very powerful enemy,” he takes a step forward, “I defeated YOU.”His words register somewhere at the back of my mind. I frown and suddenly feel very irritated. This dream makes no sense and I can’t wake up no matter how hard I try. “I have no idea what you are talking about,” I murmur. My fingers press to my temples where the beginning of a headache makes itself known. “She plays the fool well,” August remarks. Next to him, lazily lounging against a bookshelf, Iseul smirks. “The same can be said for you, August.”August turns to him about to start an argument. I cut through it feeling confused. “You think I’m the Witch Queen?” I breathe it out and shake my head. None of this makes any sense. Altea frowns. “This joke is not funny a second time.”“It’s not a joke,” I snap at her. My irritation is peaking and I press a fist to my temple. Saerys, lurking at the back of the room, purses his lips. “I am not quite sure she is jesting,” he murmurs. His gaze is boring into me as if daring me to prove him wrong. Reiner rubs at his scar and his jaw tenses. “I have no way of knowing if she is lying,” he admits. His eyes go to my wrist where I am trying to rub the headache away. My soulmate stamp is visible in the low sunset and he frowns. “Either way, the law states we cannot execute someone with a soulmate stamp.”August sends me a sneer. “It must be an illusion. She never had it in battle before, so how did she acquire one now? She knows what our law says about Soulmate Marks and she is trying to take advantage of it.”“There is an easy way of knowing,” Altea quips. She kicks off her place at the door and extends her hand to me. For some reason, I really don’t want her to check. I have lived my entire life without a stamp and to have one now seems personal. My fingers clench against the stamp and I bite my lip. “Show her your hand,” Reiner orders. He tenses. The room has grown tense. August looks like he is looking for an excuse to unsheathe his sword and Altea looks suspicious. I have no choice then. Slowly, very slowly, I extend my hand. Altea’s fingers press into my soulmate stamp. Pink sparks dig into my skin and a faint light emits from the stamp. I’ve seen that light emit from Sophie’s hand before. Altea murmurs a spell under her voice and the light grows in intensity. She rubs her finger across the words on my hand but they don’t disappear. She frowns and turns over her own hand where I can see her own stamp. She releases my hand and presses her fingers to her own. Her stamp glows exactly like mine. The room grows quiet and she retreats back to her place at the door. “It is authentic. The mark is real,” she concludes. She sounds mystified as she says it. A breath I hadn’t realized I was holding escapes me. I press my fingers to the mark on my wrist suddenly very relieved. A part of me was worried the stamp wasn’t real. I’ve lived so long without one that to lose it now would be a cruel trick of fate. Reiner rubs at his jaw and presses his lips together. I can see millions of thoughts swirling around his head. The fact that I have a soulmate has brought problems to whatever plans he had. I remember his words from before. If he was telling the truth, then he cannot do anything to me. Soulmate Laws are strict in my world, a huge privilege is awarded to those with stamps, and the look on his face indicates that they may be harsher here. “Then we cannot imprison her. She will have to be guarded by one of us until the time comes,” he decides. He lifts himself to his full height, towers over me, and opens his mouth. As soon as he begins to speak, a harsh horn sounds out. The sound is so loud my hands press to my ears. The room jolts into action. Weapons are drawn and the door is flung open. The sounds of metal hitting metal can be heard from deeper in the castle. A hand clamps on mine and yanks me to one side. Iseul has his grip on me and his eyes are narrowed. “They’re attacking.”He is right. I can hear a battle from deeper within the castle. Reiner runs for the window and peers down. His jaw clenches. “The courtyard. The Generals are here.”A harsh atmosphere descends on the room. Whoever the Generals are, they are bad news. I can see everyone glare at me with accusation. “You think I’m working for them?” I try to pull my arm free of Iseul’s grasp. “The other way around, my lady,” Iseul’s voice drips with sarcasm. I glare at him as the others launch into action. August draws his sword and runs outside, Altea is at his heels, and Saerys follows with a dark glint in his eyes. Reiner walks towards us and nods at Iseul. The hand on my arm lets go although Iseul stays at my side in case I dare to escape. “The Generals are your servants. They have waged wars across this domain and committed the genocide of Saerys’ people. They are here for your return. Did you contact them?” Reiner’s eyes are narrowed. I spread my hands in front of me. “How? I was locked up! Sprint Unlimited doesn’t exactly cover calls within dreams,” I hiss. Another confused frown, my words don’t make any sense to them, but the two don’t pause to mull it over. Iseul tugs at me again and clamps his hand on my arm. This time, however, his grip isn’t as harsh. “Keep an eye on her,” Reiner orders. He moves past me to rush into the courtyard. The sounds of fighting grow louder. Iseul moves too and I am dragged behind him. “Come, my Queen, it is time your servants saw you,” he hisses.

The courtyard is animated in fights. Magic spells whizz past us and stray arrows miss us by an inch. It is chaos and carnage. The scent of blood hangs heavy in the air and the sound of striking steel resounds everywhere. Knights in red and green armor battle those in whites and teals. The reds are outnumbered yet they are changing the tide of battle. For some reason, I feel like that is a good thing. Perhaps it is what the others said earlier, but I have a feeling nothing good will come out of the blue army winning. “Stay close,” Iseul warns. He pulls at an arrow and strings it on his bow. I press behind him, shaking to the bone, and watch as he takes down one soldier. I hate war movies, always disliked the blood and shrieks of the fight, and now I am seeing one play out before me. How great. I can see the others facing off opponents. Reiner battles a man who looks like a watered down and rejected version of Doctor Strange. Altea faces a woman who flashes a little thigh as her dress moves with the force of her magic. Saerys faces an unsettlingly handsome man dressed as a creepy choir boy. And August faces off an opponent with pointed ears and an almost feral grin. “What’s happening?” I voice out. I am still pressed to Iseul’s back and am using him as a human shield-or Elven shield. Iseul fires another arrow and tugs me along. His entire body is tense and he weaves me past fights. He is trying to get to the thick of the battle where his companions are. “The Generals are here,” comes his reply. He does a mental tally in his head and scans around him. His eyes are narrowed. “There is one missing.”I grind my teeth together and cower. From the way he speaks about the Generals, I know they are bad news. Reiner had mentioned wars and genocide before. Are these the fantasy version of nazis?I take a step away from Iseul as another arrow surges past me. Iseul fires back and takes down the archer who had dared to attack. He points a finger at me and presses his lips together. “Lord Reiner has offered you protection because of your mark. Do not betray him now by running back to your servants. We have defeated all of you once and can do it again,” he warns. I clench my jaw at him. “I am not working with them!”Iseul doesn’t waste time arguing with me. Next to us, one of the Generals has spotted me. He is the one facing Reiner off with a large axe. His eyes widen in shock and he calls for the others around him. “The Queen!”For some reason, the cruelty and delight in his tone seems more terrifying than anything I have ever heard before. I suddenly am very in agreement with Iseul. Being locked up in Reiner’s dungeon seems like a better alternative than working with these people. Iseul swears out a curse in a language I do not understand. “You were spotted. If you do not want the might of the council against you, I suggest you run back into the castle. Do not betray Lord Reiner, Witch. If you try to run to your companions, I will have an arrow at your back before you make it two steps.”I nod at him feeling dizzy. Without needing to be asked a second time, I turn around and bolt back to the castle.

I almost make it there, am only feet away from the door, when I trip. I crash hard against the dirt floor and almost bang my head against a bench. My hands catch myself in time and I am frozen in place. I have criticized girls in horror movies for falling and not getting back up, but now I understand. Fear is a paralyzing thing and sometimes adrenaline freezes you in place rather than pushing you to flee or fight. The sounds of battle are drowned out around me as a figure approaches. His blue eyes are wide with shock, his blonde hair is illuminated in the low, dying sunlight, and his armor shines with blood. It is like the world slows down as our eyes meet. The battle suddenly seems so far away and my previous fear dissipates. This feels both wrong and right somehow. The man wears the colors of white and teal, a combination I have learned to fear in the short day I have been here, yet something about him almost seems welcoming. My mind says to run away from this enemy soldier yet my heart skips a beat and orders me to stay. The soldier makes it to where I am, moves his double bladed weapon aside, and a breath leaves his lips. “I finally found you,” he remarks. His words spill from his lips and I feel something burn on my wrist. My soulmate stamp illuminates in a harsh blue light and electricity courses through my skin. I taste the magic, sense an emotional cord snapping into place between us, and feel a mixture of fear and wonder. The man’s eyes widen when he sees my stamp glow and he extends a hand to me. I stare at it wondering whether I should take it or not. The connection between us, the one I can feel through our soulmate link, tells me to do so. The mark on my wrist pulses with the indication that this is my destiny and I must accept it-But something primal screams at me not to. Thousands of generations of ancestors warn me against this aggressor in enemy colors and bloody armor. Fear overrides my senses and I move away from him. “No!” I hurl the word at him and cower. He stops suddenly and his own stamp glows. A light emits from his skin and I feel our connection solidify between us. Our soulmate stamps bleed blue into our skin indicating that we have been matched. He stares at his hand with wonder and awe. And I stare at his own mark, illuminated by my words, with growing revulsion and fear. I feel my eyes burn with unshed tears and I scratch my nails into the skin of my stamp as if I could claw it out from existence. My breath comes short and panicked. I repeat my earlier words in my head and draw blood as my hands try to rip my stamp out of my skin with my nails. No.

#alain richter #request #soulmate au #love and legends #lovestruck voltage #voltage amemix

[wanderingaxiety]

Peasant Quotes

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He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Peace

Home

King

All men are by nature equal, made all of the same earth by one Workman; and however we deceive ourselves, as dear unto God is the poor peasant as the mighty prince.

Plato

Nature

God

Men

Every marriage tends to consist of an aristocrat and a peasant. Of a teacher and a learner.

John Updike

Teacher

Marriage

Aristocrat

A peasant becomes fond of his pig and is glad to salt away its pork. What is significant, and is so difficult for the urban stranger to understand, is that the two statements are connected by an and not by a but.

John Berger

Difficult

Stranger

Pig

I want there to be no peasant in my kingdom so poor that he cannot have a chicken in his pot every Sunday.

Henry IV

Chicken

Poor

Kingdom

Scratch a Russian, and you'll find a peasant.

Milla Jovovich

Find

Scratch

Russian

They're thinking of turning the peasant into an educated man. Why, first of all they should make him a good and prosperous farmer and then he'll learn all that is necessary for him to know.

Nikolai Gogol

Good

Man

Thinking

I mean, my people were very, very simple. They were peasant people, you know?

James Earl Jones

Simple

People

Know

I believe in reincarnation. In my last life I was a peasant. Next time around, I'd like to be an eagle. Who hasn't dreamed they could fly? They're a protected species, too.

Lee Trevino

Life

Time

Fly

The peasant must always be helped technically, economically, morally and culturally. The guerrilla fighter will be a sort of guiding angel who has fallen into the zone, helping the poor always and bothering the rich as little as possible in the first phases of the war.

Che Guevara

War

Angel

Rich

My wife was the first art collector in the family, and I didn't become interested until around 1973. The first important artwork we bought was a Van Gogh drawing of two peasant houses in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.

Eli Broad

Family

Art

Wife

They eat the dainty food of famous chefs with the same pleasure with which they devour gross peasant dishes, mostly composed of garlic and tomatoes, or fisherman's octopus and shrimps, fried in heavily scented olive oil on a little deserted beach.

Luigi Barzini

Food

Famous

Pleasure

What motivated me? My mother. My mother was an immigrant woman, a peasant woman, struggled all her life, worked in the garment center.

Al Lewis

Life

Mom

Me

I cook a little bit. I make a Hungarian dish called chicken paprikash that's out of this world. I'll give a heads-up to all of your readers that it doesn't have to be between Thai and Mexican every night. Toss some Hungarian in every once in a while. You will not be sorry. Good, solid peasant food.

Adam Carolla

Good

Food

Night

You know most of the food that Americans hold so dear - things like hamburgers and hot dogs - were road food, but even before they were road food, they were peasant food.

Alton Brown

Food

Hot

Road

We must always remember that the Chinese revolution was not a peasant's revolution, but one of the extreme Right.

Salvador Dali

Remember

Always

Revolution

We want to overthrow the imperial power not because it is Manchurian but because we want republicanism... We republican revolutionaries can never have the notion of becoming emperors after the revolution, like all the peasant rebels did in the past.

Sun Yat-sen

Power

Past

Never

There is but one stage for the peasant and the actor.

Henry David Thoreau

Stage

Actor

I don't ever want to be like a peasant. I want to always be all right. But motivation is fans - not your kids, your mum, none of that. All of that matters, but number one is your fans.

Young Thug

Fans

Always

Right

That a peasant may become king does not render the kingdom democratic.

Woodrow Wilson

King

Kingdom

Become

I am an African-American woman of dark skin tone, and there are very specific roles that are usually given to African-American women of a darker hue. Let's start with 'Once on This Island': peasant girl. Let's go to 'The Color Purple': young girl, beaten. Let's go to 'Ragtime': Her baby's taken.

LaChanze

Women

I Am

Skin

The earth is the earth as a peasant sees it, the world is the world as a duchess sees it, and anyway a duchess would be nothing if the earth was not there as the peasant sees it.

Gertrude Stein

World

Earth

Nothing

For an Italian peasant a telegram from anywhere is a wondrous thing; and a cable from the terrestrial paradise of America is not lightly to be disregarded.

Howard K. Smith

Paradise

America

Anywhere

I come from a long line of below-stairs maids and gardeners. Good ol' peasant stock. My mother and her sister made a quantum leap out of that life. Then I made another quantum leap.

Julie Andrews

Life

Good

Long

Remember the valiant Iraqi peasant and how he shot down an American Apache with an old weapon.

Saddam Hussein

Remember

American

Down

I am a peasant from the Auvergne. I want to keep my farm, and I want to keep France. Nothing else matters now.

Pierre Laval

I Am

Nothing

Want

The poor peasant here hives under conditions quite different from those of Russia. Though often terrible, they are not as appalling as they were there.

Herman Gorter

Poor

Russia

Terrible

If ever there was a slamming of the door in the face of constructive investigation, it is the word miracle. To a medieval peasant, a radio would have seemed like a miracle.

Richard Dawkins

Face

Door

Radio

I like army boots, I like peasant skirts - sometimes together! So I do know that I have odd taste.

Mayim Bialik

Together

Sometimes

Know

I like Sicilian food. It's real peasant food.

Raymond Kelly

Food

Real

Like

I do not have voice for Russian music; I cannot be cute little peasant like in operas of Glinka or Rimsky-Korsakov. I am now never in Russia; I am Austrian citizen. But definitely I am Latin!

Anna Netrebko

Music

I Am

Cute

There aren't many great passages written about food, but I love one by George Millar, who worked for the SOE in the second world war and wrote a book called 'Horned Pigeon.' He had been on the run and hadn't eaten for a week, and his description of the cheese fondue he smells in the peasant kitchen of a house in eastern France is unbelievable.

Sebastian Faulks

Love

War

Food

I am for poetry that is admired by peasant and aristocrat alike.

F. Sionil Jose

Poetry

I Am

Aristocrat

To me, the most critical thing in agriculture is investing in the peasant agriculture, transforming peasant agriculture.

Jakaya Kikwete

Me

Agriculture

Critical

The whole world feels that it knows Francis, not so much because he follows Francis of Assisi but because he is always himself. We have seen him pay his own hotel bill and heard that Francis called Buenos Aires for a pair of ordinary black shoes, like John XXIII, who preferred stout peasant shoes to the traditional papal footwear.

Eugene Kennedy

Black

World

Shoes

The Breton peasant is said to have a hard head. He is obstinate and resists outside pressure to alter his creed or his customs.

Sabine Baring-Gould

Pressure

Hard

Outside

I remember I once went to a nutritionist who said I come from good Russian-Jewish peasant stock, which means I can hold a potato in my body for a week, if need be.

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Good

Remember

Body

Border collies predate the British Kennel Club. They've been bred consistently for 100 years. They're the last working dogs in the world, with some minor exceptions. Bench shows, dog shows have ruined the other breeds, like the hunting dogs. Border collies are peasant dogs, and that's protected them.

Donald McCaig

World

Dog

Bench

The knish is a classic example of peasant food evolving into comfort food and even sophisticated fare.

Gil Marks

Food

Comfort

Comfort Food

You go to Europe, and they have their very wealthy elites, and then everybody else is, you know, a couple of steps above a peasant, basically.

Ann Coulter

Know

Go

Europe

There are two classes of women in Soviet Russia. There is the professional class, which has taken the place of the nobility and includes government officials, artists, doctors, composers and writers as well as former members of the old nobility whose sympathy is with the Soviets, and also the peasant class.

Elsa Schiaparelli

Women

Government

Sympathy

Tolstoy didn't know about steampunk or cyborgs, but he did know about the nightmarishness of steam power, unruly machines, and the creepy half-human status of the Russian peasant classes. In 'Anna Karenina,' nineteenth-century life itself is a relentless, relentlessly modern machine, flattening those who oppose it.

Elif Batuman

Life

Power

Know

Most people, throughout history, haven't learned one language to the exclusion of another. You learn to speak differently to a peasant and to a shoemaker. You speak differently to your mother, who comes from Burgundy, and to your father, who comes from Swabia.

[mermaidsirennikita]

are you an art historian? sorry if I got that detail wrong but I was wondering if you knew how people know the identity of a person in a portrait? For example, how do you know if a medieval portrait is of the queen or a noble and not an imaginary person or someone unknown? sorry if my question makes no sense

No, it’s a good question!  And I wouldn’t call myself an art historian yet, but I’m a tentatively aspiring one.  I might be one later if I do a fuckton more research and/or… get up the energy for grad school.  But I have my B.A. in art history!

SOOOOOO, spiel below.

Unless there’s an inscription, note, title, etc. written on the portrait it’s technically impossible to be 100% beyond a shadow of a doubt sure about a sitter’s identity…  I actually ranted about this eons ago because people on Tumblr are super desperate to find new portraits of Anne Boleyn (why Anne?  why not literally any other famous lady whose face has been largely lost to history?  because she’s Anne Boleyn, and since several probably authentic images have not proven that she’s super foxy hot people are looking for something that will).  It usually takes years for art historians to come to a consensus about the identities of unidentified sitters, and EVEN THEN, people still argue about it.  I’m sure this painting of Mary, Queen of Scots took tons of effort to uncover and based on what little I’ve read there’s great reason to believe that’s Mary (it even looks like other images we have of her) but I’m sure someone will write an article about how it’s REEEALLY someone else entirely.  I researched Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci for my capstone project, and even tho we have letters from Cecilia Gallerani, a mistress of the man most likely to have commissioned the portrait, saying “yeah so you have this portrait of me painted by Leonardo when I was younger” clearly referring to Lady with an Ermine… but there will still be outliers who say it isn’t her.

So.  In more conclusive cases, there will usually be records in place that let us know that a portrait was commissioned in the first place.  In the case of Isabella d’Este, we know that she was after Leonardo to paint her portrait and that it never happened but was in the planning stages–which leads to the conclusion that there are probably preliminary drafts in existence.  You find a preliminary draft of a woman matching Isabella’s general description and age, dating to the right time…  You can probably guess that the woman is Isabella.

Today, we also have technology that can help us guess how old a work is–it’s way harder for forgers to do what they once did because art historians can test for pigments and other materials that were only in use for certain time periods, and that helps narrow down the era.  Before then, there were stylistic notes that could give you an idea of when a painting was made.  For example–prior to the popularization of the three-quarter pose by artists like Leonardo, female sitters of Italy were usually in profile.  So if you find a portrait of an Italian lady sitting in a three-quarters pose, you can probably date the portrait to the late fifteenth century or later–and then you go into things like her style of dress, etc.  Style of dress goes a long way towards identifying a person’s place of origin, especially for women–English women dressed very differently from Italian women of the same era, and so on.

Most European portraits were of a certain class, up until some artists and patrons started playing around with everything from idealized peasant scenes to like... the proto-gritty shit Rembrandt dabbled in.  This is especially true for Catholic nations.  You had to be AT LEAST of the upper middle class to afford to commission a portrait, and for that matter, many artists tended to court a certain specified clientele.  Raphael spent much of the prime of his career working for the pope, and so that meant that he spent a lot of time in Rome, and that in turn meant that he was often in the service of glittery rich Romans.  Now, does this mean that the sitter is always rich?  No.  Raphael also painted a famous nude, La Fornarina, and the sitter was quite possibly his lower-class mistress.  But in that case, the person commissioning the painting was probably a rich guy who wanted a nude, and Raphael was like “fuck yeah getting a chance to paint Margarita naked and get paid for it, life is sweet”.  Patrons normally had $$$, basically, so if we see a typical portrait we know that we’re looking at that class, most likely, and the more expensive the portrait looks, the richer the sitter (and the patron) likely was.  Rarer pigments indicate more money spent, more detail on the clothing equals greater $$$.

When it comes to incredibly important families, there are spmetimes dead giveaways.  Bronzino’s portraits of Cosimo de’ Medici I’s household often featured details like rubies and pearls among the women, which one art historian I read from theorized was a signature of the Medici at that point in time.  It wasn’t unusual for women in particular to wear emblems of their families, because the portraits of them were usually commissioned by fathers or husbands, and essentially these were ownership tags.  That’s what Cosimo was doing, most likely.  If you know the artist–in this case, Bronzino–you probably know where they worked at a certain point in their lives.  If you know when the painting was executed, you know the artist was probably in X city.  Who would be most likely to employ Artist X during that time?  A small cluster of families.  You sort of have to narrow it down.  Most important families of Europe also had coats of arms, which can show up in their paintings–but unfortunately these are often the first to deteriorate and they begin to look similar.

When an artist was painting a famous sitter like Mary, they might include her initials somewhere, maybe in the case of a king or queen with a good Rex or Regina for measure.  Kings and queens are often given little identifiers, too, though these aren’t always consistent.  In several portraits of Mary her hands are emphasized because beautiful hands were prized at the time, Mary was considered a beauty, and so on (also Elizabeth’s hands were rumored to be scarred after her bout of smallpox, and whether or not this was exaggerated I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a dig after her reign began).  Mary is also often depicted in widow’s wear; now, this doesn’t mean that she wore those clothes often, but she was an iconically beautiful young widow after her first husband died, and then she *oh so tragically* lost another…  A lot of artists probably worked off of one painting Mary actually sat for in widow’s wear to have shopped around to potential suitors.  From what I read of this newly discovered portrait, Mary probably never sat for it; it was a tribute/propaganda piece by a support, and most likely the artist was working off of copies.

It’s kind of like how many portraits of Elizabeth I during her reign depict a few of the same things; grand red hair, magnificent clothes and jewels, flawless skin, dark eyes, the same basic facial features.  Did Liz have the time to sit for umpteen portraits?  No!  And she didn’t want to.  She didn’t want the reality of her aging appearance, she wanted the iconic Elizabethan image circulated, and so it was.  Art historians can later pick up on the commonalities between these propaganda pieces and figure out who they’re of.

In the case of this newly discovered work, I imagine the art historian also did a lot of research about the patron’s potential ties to Mary, the political climate at the time, whether or not the artist had materials to work from regarding Mary’s appearance, and so on.  Like I said, the painting looks like Mary, though that… doesn’t necessarily mean much–but the eyes are similar to the other portraits we see, the profile is right, her hair is styled as it was in other paintings, the outline of the clothes seems fine.

Basically, there is soooo much that goes into “proving” a sitter’s identity and even then you’ll never be 100% right in the eyes of everyone.  For years, people thought a portrait was of Katherine Howard, and recently that was debunked.  Everyone shops that portrait of a blond lady with one tit out as Lucrezia Borgia; it’s not.  Identifying people is cool but for a lot of art historians it’s somewhat irrelevant, because we’re more looking at what a portrait reflected about the times and that’s why Mary’s identity IS relevant in this particular case.  Going back to the Secret Anne Boleyn Painting conspiracy theories–people just wanna see a hot Anne there, and that’s what’s frustrating.  By showing us Mary here, this art historian has also given us an example of people showing their support for this embattled queen through propaganda commissions, and for that matter getting scared and covering it up.  That speaks to the political, social, and cultural goings-on of the time.

Some art historians love to find SEKRIT IMAGES because that sells books, but when you ask a lot of professors “do you think that’s a portrait of JANE SEYMOUR” or whatever they’ll probably be like “eh idk man”.  The identity is less important on its own than it is as it relates to the reasons by a commission.  I mean in my case the identities of portraits I studied in school were only really relevant in that I was able to discuss the political constructions that wives and brides became in one Italian court.  Otherwise identity didn’t matter at all.  And tbh, that ambivalence towards identifying people probably makes it even harder for the art historical world to come to a consensus on ANYONE.  But this new discovery sounds pretty solid and honestly, it’s really cool.

#Anonymous

[neural-novella]

The Marked 2

Lee gestures me to open a metal door on the side of a seemingly abandoned warehouse on the far outskirts of the city. I smile “you were the one showing me around” as I return the gesture. Lee sighs and opens the door ushering me behind him. As soon as the door is merely a crack ajar, I hear the hustle and bustle inside. “The Society” as the Magus have so affectionately referred to it, is far more than I expected. It’s reminiscent of a large indoor market with makeshifts stalls and buildings scattered throughout without 100′s crammed into the walkways pottering about to-and-fro.

Lee leads me the the makeshift streets; I notice up above small globes on light, some made of fire, others of pure light and others of whatever magic the Marked who conjured them could muster to produce light. On top of every perimeter wall of the warehouse are armed guards, keeping watch for any unwelcome company incoming be it human or mage. I ponder the thought of whether they are truly there to protect the interests of “The Society” or if they are there to make sure things don’t get out of hand inside, to make sure any disturbers of this “peace” don’t get out.

Lee glances back at me, “2 moments, stay right here I’ll be back. No one will be happy you are here, No one will be happy I brought you and should anyone know there’s a Mage in here then all hell will break loose.”

I nod in agreement and see Lee enter a corrugated steel and tin shack a few yards down. I watch the Marked civilians as they push past me and their peers. They live like the rats they are, in filthy dark conditions. Even humans live better than this and they don’t possess half the power one Marked can wield. Then again if the Magus Council had their way this entire place would be flattened with every Marked in it, without mercy. I’m counted within a small percentage of Mages, I’m happy to allow the Marked to live and let live given that they become self governing or else have the Mages govern for them. Therefore making sure the Marked do not give away the secrets of magic to humanity by using it when they should not. As mages we have already had quite a few close calls, Mages who thought they’d be the perfect soldier, using their magic on the battlefield in front of potentially 1000′s of human soldiers.

Back in medieval times we were called wizards, warlocks or witches. Before that it was oracles, masters of the dark arts, alchemists. We were seen to be special, seen to be what we were, what our abilities made us. Unfortunately as time’s continued we had to go into hiding, humanity grew scared of itself and the power nations could have over one another. How dare someone who look human possess more power than they should be allowed....

A small child tugs at my coat, looks at up at and smiles. Drawing me out of my thoughts. Their scruffy blonde hair and brown eyes are unfortunately overshadowed by the Mark on their face.

“Can I help you?”

“Food? Money?”

“Where are your parents?”

“Haven’t got none” The child garbles out.

I sweep through the crowd trying to find the adult who may have put this child up to this, or someone more responsible. I sigh, and reach in my pocket and pull out a £5 note. “Here, now go look after yourself”. The child snatches the money from my hand and runs off quicker than he appeared. Lee approaches me chuckling “ Any new face, they’ll see how much they can millk ya for.”

“Where are their parents?”

“Human, They give birth to a child who has a horrible Mark on their face or some such, the kids are put up for adoption or eventually end up with social services. Somehow they end up here, at least someone her can keep and eye on them perhaps show them how to control their powers. I think that’s idea anyways...

He’s ready to see you now, there’s 3 of them, I won’t be allowed in with you so watch what you say.”

“Three?”

“Yeah Grimmal, Jonas, and Sable. Grimmal’s the main guy you came to speak to, the other two are just his subordinates. I think they’re trying to intimidate you.”

I thank Lee for what he has done and allow him to continue with his own matters as I approach the makeshift metal shack. I pull aside the rags hanging to separate the interior from the street. The smell of smoke from inside is eye wateringly strong. As I enter the interior, which is lit by old gas lamps and small controlled fire pits, I see a muscular red headed and bearded man; “Grimmal, i do believe it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance”. I semi-bow, no need to lower myself to the standards of a peasant but on formal business it seems appropriate to show respect. Grimmal grunts and gestures to two shadows stood besides him, “Jonas” on his right “and Sable” on his left. I sit in front of him and begin to offer the negotiations the Magus Council are willing to offer.

The bare essentials of it:

- Something must be done about rogue Marked, on a global scale. If the Marked don’t police themselves the Magus Council will be forced to send swift and strict justice.

- The Society must work with the Mages to set up neutral ground, a staging area where leaders of both sides can meet without threat or incident.

- The Society must also notify the Magus Council of any and all locations they have set up, such as this warehouse. In order to keep track of where large numbers of Marked may be found.

After seemingly hours of conversations, discussion and flat out arguing, Grimmal laughs in my face. “Then you give me no choice but to offer you this ultimatum, at the very least begin to show that you will police yourselves and contact the Magus Council with proof you have contacted the leaders of The Society in other countries so that they will do the same-”

“Or what?!” Grimmal sizes me up.

“-Otherwise,” I continue “I will report this location to the Magus Council and they will be nothing but cinders and ash left. No Marked will be alive to call this place home.”

Grimmal Leans back, “Do you know what this place is? How it began? I started it I am the one who brought these people here for safety, from you! I have killed plenty of arrogant Mages in my time and I will not hesitate to protect this place from you. That said however, Do you also realise how simple it would be to move everyone here to a another place?”

I turn to walk out of the door. “The demands have been made, either live to them or suffer. It is not my choice to make”.

...

I manage to find my way out of the warehouse. The heat within made obvious by how cool the summer air now feels. The Magus Council will not be happy, they did not think the negotiations would go well and were already in preparations to commence extinction against the Marked. My job was to make contact, which I did. Open up a channel of communication, which I did. Make the relevant offers I was allowed to make, which I did. And yet it still is all going the Council’s way. Towards war....

I close my eyes and through my eyelids I can see the bright blue light that’s engulfing my body. A teleportation spell back to the Mage city. Time to report back. But first, I have a family matter to take care of.

#short story #novella #author

[togekissies]

i read the red queen today.............. and, i mean, i read all of it in one day, but i didn’t like it much and i don’t know what i’m gonna tell sarah tomorrow lol (she’s been bugging me to read it)

the premise is: the peasant class (”reds”) has red blood. the upper class (”silvers”) (not all are nobles) have actual silver blood, and with it, neat powers. the silvers force reds that don’t have a job or apprenticeship by age 18 to conscript in the war that’s been going on for 100 years blah blah blah. before anyone asks, yeah, the author’s white.

the main character, mare, is a red living in poverty. she has no skills other than pickpocketing, so she steals things for her family. she’s 17 and knows she’ll be sent to war when she turns 18. she has a younger sister that can embroider, which is a lucrative trade. she also has a male childhood friend who is annoyingly cocky. the story opens with them going to a mandatory event meant to show off the might of the silvers, to scare the reds into submission.

YUP, it’s so blatantly inspired by the hunger games it makes me wonder if it didn’t start off as fanfic.

mare doesn’t get sent to fight to her death or anything--she actually gets a job as a servant by happenstance, serving the silvers. her first day on the job is the... whatever dumb name for the queen choosing ceremony the book had, where basically the noble houses send the ~most talented~ daughter to show her her super awesome powers to try to get one of the princes to want to marry her. and mare, predictably, ends up demonstrating she has powers over electricity even she didn’t know about. (the twist was so damn obvious, like, the fuck)

oh, and she gets the nickname “little lightning girl” from this. hello again, thg.

blah blah in order to hide that a red has powers they decide to claim she’s the lost daughter of a noble house that died out recently, and betroth her to the younger prince. 

it started out kinda interesting? but i couldn’t really shake how the premise was that an actual superpowered human caste was oppressing a non-powered human caste, and the way the narrative presents as the best way to fight it is by... giving some of the oppressed caste powers too. like, it just misses why thg worked. the citizens of the capitol weren’t any better than the citizens in the districts. they were just born into riches. the red queen tries to make us (via mare) care about the silver nobles, by making them feel human, but... they are biologically different from the reds. for no good reason? they have the literal power to destroy innocents with their mind--and a lot of them do!--and that’s why they’re incapable of seeing the reds as fully realized humans. by making the caste system involve ACTUAL SUPERPOWERS......... it really doesn’t make me appreciate the whole “but it turns out murdering silvers is wrong too, it turns out sometimes they have families and feel the occasional human emotion :(” bit the book tries. there’s just no overcoming that power imbalance, why is why the goddamn main character has to get superpowers of her own. 

also, some of the names are just. hilariously first draft. like the author got too attached and kept these hilariously bad names. for example, the town mare comes from stilts. fuckin STILTS. because the buildings are built on stilts, you see. cause i think it’s built on marshy land or something? idfk. then we have characters named will and lucas next to characters named kilorn and ptolemus. there’s just no consistency to it. even within mare’s own family: her siblings are gisa, bree, tramy, and shade. like............. what? honestly i like the punchiness of mare and shade and would have liked to see that sort of thing throughout the reds, while the silvers can get the fancier names. 

oh god and you can totally tell which scenes the author thought of and wrote first, before writing the rest of the book, cause they feel a bit jarring. they don’t quite match, like instead of rewriting or even scrapping them, the author jammed them in to make them fit. 

not only that, but i feel like mare is a weak protagonist. not because she’s actually weak or anything, but because i can’t get a good grasp on her character. you can SO tell the author was trying to write a katniss type character, but trying to shove katniss into acting like a noble wouldn’t have worked, so the author just kinda... makes mare good at it, for no reason? like she gets one morning’s worth of etiquette lessons and then is thrown to the wolves and doesn’t actually do a bad job. it’s so jarring because the mare in the first few chapters i read as always up for a fight, if she needs to. well, it’s textual she always runs if she gets in trouble, but she was down to tussle if she couldn’t. and she’s snappy. but this hardly ever manifests after she has to pretend to be silver, and it devolves into political drama, which i feel the mare of the first few chapters wouldn’t be suited for, and her character changes accordingly. at first mare seemed like an interesting character that wasn’t TOO much like katniss, but now she’s just kinda... half a character.

oh, and the other twists were kinda super predictable, and not in the fun and exciting way they can be if you see them coming. like (SPOILERS) her brother shade not actually being dead. god did i see that coming from the moment someone was like “btw ur bro’s dead.” or maven actually being evil. that felt like hans from frozen all over again. with slightly more hints, but still--the actual betrayal felt super out of left field cause it was all one character telling mare “i don’t trust him” and maven’s mask never ever slipping around her. 

speaking of maven (the second prince, ftr), i can’t tell who he’s supposed to be if this is a thg au. maybe an oc or something. cause the au peeta is obviously the older prince that mare is ~REALLY~ in love with. oh and au gale isn’t actually an irritating piece of shit, mostly cause he has no actual character. this book is about as long as thg is, but it sure sucks at establishing character & dynamics quickly. 

not to mention! basically ALL of the main players in this story are dudes, except for au peeta’s betrothed and the queen, both of whom are baddies. and the leader of the rebels is a woman too, but she has noooo characterization. she’s tough i guess? oh and there’s a female side character who is captured and then takes a cyanide pill.

the aesthetic this book tries to portray is weird, too. like i think everyone is supposed to be wearing kinda medieval-y clothing? but they have technology. like, they have airships and radiation detectors. au peeta fuckin invented a motorcycle. it seems really arbitrary too, since they have lightbulbs and shit but i don’t think they have computers? so like........... how

oh and there’s a line in there about rebellions and sparks becoming fire and shit. it’s so. just. how did it end up in the final copy. just. just cut it. don’t wear the “thg au” badge pls

the writing seems fine, though i have some gripes. like mare will start a paragraph saying one thing, then repeat it at the end like it’s supposed to be a revelation. uh... no? some lines feel really awkward and out of place. it’s in first person present, which i was surprised to discover. most people don’t do either of those things, much less both at once. i don’t actually hate first person like most people seem to (why...?) and write in present tense myself, so i’m cool with it, but i feel like the story isn’t done any favors by being in mare’s head, since, again, i don’t feel like she’s actually a solid character. third person limited may have served this story better. actually i feel like this entire book should have reached the editor and the editor going “alright. now rewrite the entire thing, from scratch.” woulda had a stronger product. 

i know there’s two other books in the series, but i don’t really have much hope it gets better because my biggest gripes are with the premise itself. i’m down for the “young girl destroys and oppressive government” story, hell yeah, i’m not sick of it yet. but damn. do it well. and can we let the katniss and the johanna get together for once? thanks.

#text please! #don't click this it's a lot of words about a book i didn't like