#also Anne having a love interest that is like twenty years older than her

[taruusmoon]

REWRITE THE STARS

Masterlist

BALLERINA TATTER! x RICH OC!

OC: Juliana Choi

Summary: After ending her secret relationship with Taeyoung, Juliana attends the Giselle ballet in which her ex stars, without knowing that it is possibly the last time she will see her.

Warning: angst, bad English, exes to…

˗ ˏ ˋ ♡ ˎˊ ˗

Juliana Velez grew up as a child who lost everything. At the young age of five, her father died, and the following year, her mother remarried a man who took them to live on the other side of the world, far from home. She lost her home, her family, and her last name when her mother's new husband legally adopted her at the age of six, becoming Juliana Choi. There was nothing that really belonged to her, not even her life or her decisions. She grew up studying what her mother wanted, what she commanded, and what she thought was best.

Juliana was barely six years old when her mother decided that she would take ballet lessons. Even though the girl had no interest in dancing, Victoria insisted. Much to her dismay, Juliana traded her afternoons of writing with Professor Park for long, boring ballet classes.

The first day at the ballet academy was chaotic; her teacher was quite old and strict and did not hesitate to whipped her students legs with a ruler that she always carried in her hands. She hated it. Juliana was always sure that she detested ballet; however, when four years later an eight-year-old girl with beautiful eyes appeared in her classes, she began to like it a little.

Kim Taeyoung was a child prodigy in ballet; every time teacher Jung asked her a question or addressed her, the girl raised her head proudly and obeyed her orders. Juliana loved it because she had never met before someone as disciplined and consistent as she was in writing. The girl showed an innate talent for ballet, and in a short time she became the favorite of Mrs. Jung and also of the parents, including Juliana's. At every recital, the girl would get at least one solo, and every time she went on stage, Juliana felt that she hated to dance ballet but loved to watch Taeyoung dance, even though she didn't say so.

But they were not close at first, and it was not until Juliana turned fifteen that things changed, and the two teenagers became inseparable after playing the black swan and the white swan in a play that made them quite popular among the students of the National Ballet Academy. However, their separation was imminent when, two years later, Victoria finally made the decision that Juliana should start focusing on her real studies as heiress to half of her husband's emporium. They remained friends, though the closest of friends.

But one night, on Juliana's twenty-first birthday, things changed.

“Is it weird that I feel like kissing you right now? ” Taeyoung's voice came out in a whisper and was barely understandable to Juliana. The two of them are on Jul's bed, quite dizzy because, in the middle of the party that Juliana's mother organized, they sneaked into the wine room of the older girl's stepfather. “I don't think I should have drunk so much wine.”

“I don't think it's weird because I want to do it  too." Juliana took a long breath because, finally, after many years, she could finally express what she felt. “But I don't know if it's the right thing to do, Tata. I don't even think it was right to let you drink alcohol without being of legal age to do it in the first place.”

“Is there ever a time when you stop thinking about doing the right thing?” Tatter reached out and grabbed Juliana's hand and pulled it to her chest, where the girl could feel Taeyoung's heart beating excitedly. “Sometimes you should follow what your heart is trying to explain to you.”

“And what is yours trying to explain?”

“That I like you," the words came out of Taeyoung's mouth without shyness, and Juliana felt her heart start to beat much faster than before. “Bada said that if your heart beats fast when you are with someone, then it means something.”

“So you think you like me because Bada said so? ”She tried to question the girl. “Your heart beats fast every time you dance.”

“And I love to dance. Then that only confirms my theory.”

Juliana sketched a soft smile, not knowing exactly what she should do next. Taeyoung stared at her with a peculiar gleam in her eyes, still holding Juls' hand against her chest, while thinking that it's time for the older one to take the next step because she already did enough that night. For a long time, they have carried that rare relationship between friends and something more, where there were more than friendly frictions, furtive glances that meant something more, and hidden feelings.

“I hate you, Tata" Juliana said softly, leaning back on her elbow quickly and then pressing her lips against Taeyoung's without hesitation.

At first, neither of them moved; both were anxious and a little shy. Although it wasn't the first kiss for either of them, it was the first time they felt so many emotions with a simple kiss. Taeyoung parted her lips and was the first to move her mouth, catching Juliana's lower lip, who is still a little uncomfortable, not knowing what to do. Juliana's hand on Taeyoung's chest is no longer just there; it is now squeezing her pajama shirt tightly. In an attempt to tell her that everything was okay, Taeyoung gently stroked her knuckles. Then Juliana managed to let go, and the kiss became mutual, soft, and intoxicating.

They both know they have a lot to lose because Juliana has a life grounded in her family's customs and her mother already has her life planned, and Taeyoung doesn't even appear as a friend. But still, once they let the feelings come out, they decided that it might be worth a try and that they were going to enjoy it for as long as it lasted.

“Tell me you're not going to forget this tomorrow when we wake up." Taeyoung mumbled against Juliana's mouth “I don't want to forget it.”

“I won't, Tata.”

˗ ˏ ˋ ♡ ˎˊ ˗

Three years later, Taeyoung and Juliana are in the same place, but the situation is totally different. They are not on the older girl's bed sharing their first kiss and with emotions running high; instead, Juliana is standing in front of the window of her room with her arms crossed and her chin trembling from the tears she is trying to hold back. Taeyoung is sitting in the middle of the bed, confused by Juliana's elusive attitude towards her since a week ago.

“Why did you call me so suddenly?” Taeyoung asked after a long silence that made her very nervous. “My practice for Giselle starts in two hours, and the academy is not close…”

“There's something we should talk about, Tatter" Juliana interrupted ignoring the fact that Taeyoung tensed up when she heard her say the nickname she never used with her unless a fight was about to break out.

“You never call me Tatter” the girl stood up and walked slowly towards Juliana. “You can tell me whatever you want, Juls. I don't know what happened these days, but it doesn't matter. If there's something that's bothering you, then we can talk about it, and we'll work it out.”

Taeyoung's words hit deep inside Juliana; unintentionally, her eyes started to fill up with tears that she tried to hold back but couldn't. She wished they could actually talk and solve what was bothering her, but it was impossible because that discomfort had a name, and that was Victoria Choi. Her mother. The person who had discovered them a week ago among the rose bushes in the garden while they were sharing a moment alone had nothing wrong with it, but in the woman's eyes, it had been enough to understand the unlabeled relationship her daughter had with her best friend.

That same night, Victoria decided to confront her eldest daughter about the affair, and even if Juliana tried to deny it at first, she ended up confessing everything to her mother, with the slightest hope that she would understand. But it was quite the opposite, because the woman simply warned her that she would end Taeyoung's career if she did not stay away. And even though her mother didn't have a single piece in her favor to ruin Taeyoung, Eunwon, her stepfather, did.

“Juls…” she tried to speak again, but Juliana turned away with a wet face before she could say anything. “Why are you crying?”

“My mother knows, Tata” she finally muttered with a frown and shining eyes. ”It's over, Taeyoung, I'm sorry.”

“What do you mean it's over?” Tatter felt her hands shaking, and her heart began to pound harder against her chest. “Did you talk to her? You have to explain to her; maybe if I talk to her, then she'll understand" she mumbled, waving his hands under Juliana's bright gaze.

“There's nothing you can tell her to change her mind" Juliana denied, lifting her shoulders. “I've tried everything, and there's nothing we can do.”

“No, there must be something Juliana" she insisted. "This is yours and mine; no one can decide about our feelings or even less about the relationship we have." Suddenly, Taeyoung's eyes started to fill with tears too, but she struggled to hold them back as she tried to find a solution. "Juliana, why don't you say anything? Don't you want to do anything about this?”

“I don't know Taeyoung.”

“What do you mean you don't know?” Taeyoung became desperate when she sees the calm in Juliana's eyes, the girl doesn't answer her question, and then fury invades her body. “Are you telling me that you're going to let your mother define the future of our relationship?” She mutters in disbelief and turns around to turn her back to Juliana in an attempt to prevent her from seeing how disappointed she is.

“It's my mother Taeyoung" Juliana's voice sounds so calm that Tatter's skin crawls. But in reality in her heart she always knew that her relationship with Juliana was not going to last, because at any moment her mother would tell her what to do and Juliana would follow her without hesitation. “You think it's easy Tata, but it's not just my mom, what will we do when everyone ends up realizing it? Your career would be over along with my family, and I can't ruin us for this.”

“So that's it? You're so afraid of facing your family and the world that you find it easier to throw away everything we are” Taeyoung says with a lump in her throat. “We could leave here, get away from what your mother expects you to be, and I could make my career somewhere else. We can rewrite our history, but you're such a coward, you won't do it. You prefer to lose me”

“I’d lose you either way Tata. Everything you say feels impossible.”

Taeyoung bites his tongue and clenches her jaw as hard as she can. She wants to keep talking, to repeat again to Juliana that other people and her family don't matter, but she knows that for the girl, there is no one more important than her mother. Even though the woman won't even appreciate her. Without saying anything, Tatter closes her eyes, taking a long breath. Juliana knows that this is the end of everything, even though she doesn't want to admit it.

“Do you even care about this, Juliana?” The question takes the girl by surprise, and then she hesitates. “Because I'm sure that if you cared, you would try to find a way to solve this. But then you come and talk to me about my career and what people will think when they find out. Shouldn't you have thought about that three years ago? But of course, it's because you never thought this was serious, you knew from the beginning that as soon as your family found out, you were just going to leave me with some stupid excuse. I was such an idiot to think that Juliana Choi with her perfect life, was going to ruin her future for me.”

“It's not like that, Taeyoung, I really tried to fix it, but it's not that simple” Juliana tries to say, but Tatter's hurt look leaves her speechless. She remains silent for a few seconds, not knowing what to say, while tears begin to fall down her cheeks. “We can be friends; after all, before this, we were friends for a long time. I don't want us to stop talking; you are an important part of my life Taeyoung and you know it," she said as she tried to get closer, but Taeyoung denied taking a step back.

“I just don't want to be your friend; I'm sorry, Juliana” she whispered with a shrug, and with nothing more to say, she turned to grab her backpack.

If Juliana had been braver, she would have had stopped Taeyoung when she left her room; she would have told her that she didn't want to be her friend either, but “what if” doesn't exist, and she knows it. With an intense pain in her chest, she lay down on her bed, her hand on her neck, clenching the necklace Taeyoung had given her for her birthday. After a few minutes, Eunbyul walked through the door without knocking, encountering a scene she had expected.

“You look terrible, sis" she said in a soft voice, and then Juliana let out all the sobs she had been holding back.

And so the following week passed. Juliana stayed in her room every day alone with Eunbyul by her side, attending the university in the mornings and coming to her room every noon. She felt nothing; it was as if her body was anesthetized, but every night she cried because her mother again ruined something she wanted, and she had done nothing to stop it. Every day she tried to call Taeyoung but the girl never answered her calls or her texts; it was as if she had disappeared from the face of the earth.

She only saw her again when Taeyoung's face appeared on the banners advertising the Giselle ballet to be performed at the National Theater of Korea. A show her stepfather insisted on attending as a birthday present for Victoria who, even if she hated Juliana's relationship with Taeyoung, still considered the ballerina one of her favorites.

When the night of the show finally arrived, Juliana managed to sneak into the show's dressing room after convincing her old dance teacher, Ms. Jung. Luckily for her the place was a bit empty since most of the dancers were near the stage, except for Taeyoung whom Juliana knew liked to stay alone until the last minute before performing.

“Do you need help with that?” she said as she opened the door and watched Taeyoung try to put Giselle's headdress in her hair.

“What are you doing here?” The girl asked with a frown as she saw Juliana through the dressing table mirror. “I thought you didn't want to see me anymore.”

“I never said I didn't want to see you” she replied taking the headdress from Tatter's hands to place it in the tight bun she was wearing. “Unlike you, who haven't answered any of my calls or messages”

“Bold of you to asume that I wanted to talk to you after everything that happened." Taeyoung stood up and walked to the back to start stretching a bit since Juliana's appearance made her tense up a bit. “I think you said enough that night, Juliana.”

“I think there are still things we can talk about.”

“No Juliana” she spat a little rudely. "There's nothing to talk about anymore, but I'll give you some advice you didn't ask for; I don't think this is the way you should live your life, so take charge of it before you regret it. But I am not the one to decide how you should live. Goodbye Juliana.”

Without another word, Taeyoung walked past Juliana and out of the dressing room, leaving her alone. The former dancer felt as if the girl's words were a farewell and inevitably felt afraid of losing her, even though in reality she didn't even have her anymore. She took a long breath, smoothed the skirt of the long red dress her mother had recommended her to wear, and then left the place with a firm step. She made it as far as the balcony when Giselle's first act began.

“Where were you?” Eunbyul asked her in a whisper to avoid getting dirty looks from her parents. “Bada and Lusher are downstairs with Jessica, they asked me how you were”

“I'll look for them later to say hello” she answered, ignoring the question. Eunbyul understood instantly and decided not to insist any more.

The Giselle ballet was a tragic love story, and it was also Juliana's favorite work. It was the one leading role she always wished to have when she was still dancing, but she never got it because Taeyoung always beat her. But that didn't make her feel bad because, as much as she wanted to be the lead, she also enjoyed seeing the girl as Giselle. Taeyoung had beautiful eyes that managed to express all the pain of a broken heart, like Giselle.

When the second act started, Juliana sat upright on her chair, expectantly watching the Wilis dance which was her favorite part. Minah one of Taeyoung's close friends was in charge of playing Myrtha the ruthless leader of the spirits of the maidens abandoned by their lovers. She couldn't take her eyes off Taeyoung at all times, who danced with energy, giving her the air of youth that Giselle had.

“Taeyoung really has a bright future as a dancer" Juliana heard her mother say as she stood up to applaud when the play finally ended.

Everyone who attended the play stood up and applauded loudly when the dancers came out to bow their thanks. Juliana could not feel anything but proud of Taeyoung who had given an amazing lead role to everyone there. As the curtain closed, people slowly began to file out. Juliana sat back down on her chair as her stepfather was talking to an associate of his company. She didn't know how long she stayed there, but all the time she kept her eyes on the stage in an attempt to relive Taeyoung's performance. Deep down she felt that it was the last time she would see her. 

“Your phone is ringing Juliana," her mother's gruff voice interrupted her, making her quickly pull out her phone from the handbag she was carrying. She had five messages from Bada Lee; Taeyoung's best friend.

     Bada     

Tatter was offered a place at the Royal Opera House in London.      

I didn't want to get involved, but this is your last chance.     

Juliana answer the phone   

Her flight leaves at 9:30 pm   

Juliana!

The messages came one after the other twenty minutes ago. Without another second's thought, she stood up, walked past her stepfather and the man she was talking to, and ran down the stairs to the balcony as fast as she could, ignoring the voice of Eunbyul and her mother calling her name. There were still a lot of people among the aisles of the theater, She stopped for a moment among the people to grab the skirt of the long dress and pull it up to her legs so she could run with a little more ease, although the heels she was wearing made it a little difficult for her still.

Once she reached the outside of the venue, she felt anxious as there were a lot of people outside the theater. She tried to locate Taeyoung among the many women walking back and forth; even though the girl had long red hair it seemed impossible to find her. Se walked back and forth in circles hoping to see her but she couldn't find her, possibly Taeyoung had already left home.

”Juls!” she heard at the bottom of the stairs and when she turned her gaze she found Bada calling out to her with an effusive hand.

“Where is Taeyoung?” she asked as soon as she arrived with Bada, Lusher and Jessica.

“She's gone, she took a cab home about ten minutes ago to pick up her bags” Lusher took her hand and pulled her along the sidewalk. ”That's our cab, you take it and leave right now. But don't screw it up Juliana because this is really the only chance you have”

Not knowing what to say, Juliana just nodded and got into the cab. Lusher closed the door to indicate the direction to the driver, who started as soon as he sensed the importance of the matter. During the whole trip, Juliana's chest was rising and falling rapidly. She felt anxious to finally arrive at Taeyoung's apartment, but she felt the minutes passing too slowly. Every now and then, the driver would look at her and repeat that they would be at their destination soon and not to worry since there was not much traffic on the streets. He managed to calm her down a bit and used the remaining fifteen minutes of the trip to think about everything he had to say to Taeyoung. She wanted to apologize for putting her mother's wishes above what they had, to tell her that she loved her, and that she was sorry she hadn't tried a little harder to save their relationship. 

Once she was clear on what she wanted to say, she tried to calm down, but the driver's voice telling her that they had arrived at their destination made her nervous again. She paid the man, and without waiting for the change, she got out of the cab and rushed to the apartment building where Taeyoung lived. When she entered, the doorman greeted her as usual and let her in without asking her any questions. Juliana had spent so many days in the apartment that the apartment workers and Taeyoung's neighbors already knew her.

She entered the elevator with shaky legs and gasping for breath as she prayed that Taeyoung was still in the apartment. Once she reached floor three, she stepped out into the hallway and walked as fast as she could, her eyes on the floor, as it was very difficult for her to walk fast. Taeyoung's apartment was just around the corner, and when she finally stood in front of the door, she stood there, her heart pounding anxiously. She put in the code, and seconds later, the lock opened. She grabbed the knob, turning it to open the door.

“Taeyoung” she shouted in the darkness of the room, but no one answered. "Kim Taeyoung!” she shouted again, her voice shaking, but again there was only silence.

She ran to the main room of the apartment, and when she entered, she found nothing. The white sheets were perfectly laid out on the bed; on the dresser, there was no trace of Taeyoung's personal belongings, and when she opened the closet door, she found only the hangers. It was too late; Taeyoung was gone, and she could do nothing to stop her.

Her legs faltered and she slowly fell to her knees, she brought her hand to her chest as she felt an intense pain spread from her throat. At first it was only tears but soon her body shook from the uncontrolled sobs coming from her throat. She laid her head on the bed mattress and berated herself countless times for doing things wrong. She didn't know how long she lay there, but she was so deep in thought that she didn't hear when the door opened. But suddenly, a girl's arms wrapped around her body. 

 “It’s gonna be okay Juls" Lusher's voice came out in a soft tone lulling her into her arms.

“It hurts Lush"

“I know”

˗ ˏ ˋ ♡ ˎˊ ˗

[shirbertshitposts]

I haven’t watched the Sullivan films in a while, well I did watch the first half of the first one a few months ago, but I’ve forgotten some of the scenes and like *deep sigh* choices were made that I Do. Not. Get.

Specifically I was just reminded of Sullivans adaptation of how Anne and Gilbert finally become friends and it involves Gilbert caressing Anne’s cheek and calling her carrots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh3eb4DZTLw

Let’s break that down. 

Anne has been holding a grudge against Gilbert for FIVE YEARS because he called her carrots and the moment she finally accepts his friendship Sullivan thought oh Gilbert should call her carrots but affectionately and she won’t get mad this time...like bitch what? Anne was deeply upset not only when Gilbert called her carrots but also when Rachel Lynde called her carrots. Clearly she takes deep offense to this seemingly innocent characterization of the color of her hair. Why would anyone ever want to bring that up again knowing that? In the books Anne is still sensitive about the color of her hair well into adulthood, so much so that here is a quote from 15 YEARS into Anne and Gilbert’s marriage, in Anne of Ingleside 

"Oh, it is too bad my hair is red," said Anne icily.

Gilbert thought he was wise in dropping a dangerous subject. Anne, he reflected, had always been a bit sensitive about her hair.

Also have you ever had someone you JUST became friends with lovingly caress your cheek? That’s weird as hell. You’d probably slap their hand away. There is literally a scene in Anne of the Island, at which point in the story Anne and Gilbert have been best friends for two years already, where Gilbert touches Anne’s hand and she immediately rejects his touch.

Gilbert suddenly laid his hand over the slender white one lying on the rail of the bridge. His hazel eyes deepened into darkness, his still boyish lips opened to say something of the dream and hope that thrilled his soul. But Anne snatched her hand away and turned quickly. The spell of the dusk was broken for her.

In the Anne of Green Gables scene of them becoming friends they say non-offensive things to each other and shake hands. You know like friends would, because they’re friends now. There’s not supposed to be romantic tension between them yet. 

Here is the Anne of Green Gables scene this is supposed to be based off of:

Halfway down the hill a tall lad came whistling out of a gate before the Blythe homestead. It was Gilbert, and the whistle died on his lips as he recognized Anne. He lifted his cap courteously, but he would have passed on in silence, if Anne had not stopped and held out her hand.

“Gilbert,” she said, with scarlet cheeks, “I want to thank you for giving up the school for me. It was very good of you—and I want you to know that I appreciate it.”

Gilbert took the offered hand eagerly.

“It wasn’t particularly good of me at all, Anne. I was pleased to be able to do you some small service. Are we going to be friends after this? Have you really forgiven me my old fault?”

Anne laughed and tried unsuccessfully to withdraw her hand.

“I forgave you that day by the pond landing, although I didn’t know it. What a stubborn little goose I was. I’ve been—I may as well make a complete confession—I’ve been sorry ever since.”

“We are going to be the best of friends,” said Gilbert, jubilantly. “We were born to be good friends, Anne. You’ve thwarted destiny enough. I know we can help each other in many ways. You are going to keep up your studies, aren’t you? So am I. Come, I’m going to walk home with you.”

Marilla looked curiously at Anne when the latter entered the kitchen.“Who was that came up the lane with you, Anne?”

“Gilbert Blythe,” answered Anne, vexed to find herself blushing. “I met him on Barry’s hill.”

“I didn’t think you and Gilbert Blythe were such good friends that you’d stand for half an hour at the gate talking to him,” said Marilla with a dry smile.

“We haven’t been—we’ve been good enemies. But we have decided that it will be much more sensible to be good friends in the future. Were we really there half an hour? It seemed just a few minutes. But, you see, we have five years’ lost conversations to catch up with, Marilla.”

Yes, Anne blushes in the scene but I think it’s more out of embarrassment that she’s been so mean to someone who is willing to do something so nice for her. She is embarrassed that she held onto her grudge for so long. And look at the way Gilbert speaks to her. It’s just friendly. Gilbert literally uses the word friends three times. I mean it’s a little bit funny that he doesn’t let go of her hand after shaking it, but he’s not flirting with her here. Even though he is in love with her, he is not actively flirting with her in this scene because he knows she wouldn’t be receptive to it. She has just accepted his friendship. It took them five years to get to this point. He wouldn’t want to jeopardize that in any way after it took them so long to get there. Gilbert is receptive to Anne’s response to him and he knows the boundaries he can’t push with her. In the later parts of Anne of Avonlea and the beginning of Anne of the Island we him struggle with trying to push their relationship towards romance but Anne responds negatively each time so he keeps toning it back until the fateful first proposal where he can’t take it anymore and ignores all Anne’s signals telling him to stop and just steam rolls ahead declaring his love. And that ends badly for both of them.

Also let’s talk about how in the Sullivan scene Gilbert rode up on a fucking horse literally like a hero out of a romantic story. The WHOLE CRUX OF ANNE BEGINNING TO REALIZE SHE LOVES GILBERT IS HER SAYING THAT ROMANCE ISNT LIKE A GAY KNIGHT RIDING DOWN

Here is that quote from Anne of Avonlea

For a moment Anne’s heart fluttered queerly and for the first time her eyes faltered under Gilbert’s gaze and a rosy flush stained the paleness of her face. It was as if a veil that had hung before her inner consciousness had been lifted, giving to her view a revelation of unsuspected feelings and realities. Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps . . . perhaps . . . love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.

Ahhhhh what the fuck

WHAT THE FUCK

I would say why would Sullivan do this when there is so much textual support against it in the later books but I bet that motherfucker hasn’t even read most of the later books because they butchered Anne of Avonlea and Anne of Windy Poplars and the Continuing Story is not based on any of the books at all so clearly they give no fucks i guess???

Why do the adaptations insist on making Gilbert into a romantic hero when the whole conflict of Anne and Gilbert’s relationship is that he isn’t one. He’s just a regular boy who becomes Anne’s best friend, so she doesn’t realize how much he loves her and that the way she loves him isn’t purely friendly.

[herstorshe]

Why Catherine Howard Was Not Just a "Stupid Teenager"

TRIGGER WARNING: Discusses and mentions sexual abuse & harassment, r*pe, and childhood abuse

Catherine Howard, out of Henry VIII’s wives, is generally considered a stupid “bad girl”. In the last few years, this idea has come into question, partially due to the modern Me Too movement of women calling out men for sexual harassment and abuse.

Catherine usually gets this reputation from her series of sexual and/or romantic affairs, both premarital and not. This was the reason she was eventually beheaded on February 13, 1542.

There were three noted affairs that Catherine likely had. The first two were before she married Henry, while she was staying at her step-grandmother’s boarding house due to her being an orphan.

The first affair was when Catherine was about 13, with her music teacher Henry Mannox, who was at least in his twenties and probably in his thirties. We do not know if the two actually slept together, but there was definitely some sort of romance between them. It is unclear if this relationship was consensual or not, but we can guess that it probably was not, considering the fact that Catherine was so young and Henry was so old. This relationship occurred because the Dowager Duchess, Catherine’s step-grandmother, hardly supervised the many young girls who were in her care at all, resulting in men coming into their private chambers at night.

The second affair was when Catherine was about 16, with Francis Dereham, the Dowager’s secretary. Allegedly, they called each other “husband” and “wife”, and Francis entrusted Catherine with several wifely duties, such as keeping track of his money when he was away. Catherine and Francis both admitted later on that they did sleep together. Their relationship ended about a year later, when the Dowager Duchess found out. Francis was sent away to Ireland, and he and Catherine may have had intentions to marry once he returned. If they did exchange vows before sleeping together, they would technically be considered wed. Catherine later maintained that Francis had raped her, however.

Catherine’s uncle found her a place in Henry’s wife, Anne of Cleves’s, household, as he knew that Henry was losing interest in his fourth wife, and Catherine was known for her beauty. Henry’s eyes soon fell on her and he divorced Anne of Cleves.

Catherine married King Henry VIII in July 1540. She was probably about 17, and Henry was 49. During her marriage, Catherine may have been romantically or sexually involved with one of Henry’s courtiers, Thomas Culpeper. She may have considered marrying him before Henry proposed to her. The two were allegedly having secret meetings in Spring 1541, supposedly arranged by Jane Boleyn, one of Catherine’s ladies in waiting, as well as the widow of Catherine’s cousin, George Boleyn (brother of Anne Boleyn). Soon, all of this came to Henry’s attention and Catherine was sent to the tower of London and beheaded.

Here are the reasons that Catherine Howard wasn’t just a “stupid teenager.”

Women had very little power back then. Women were blatantly taught that they were inferior to men, and men were taught that they were superior to women. Women also had no legal rights.

Catherine especially had very little power. Catherine was a teenage orphan who had never had a good parental figure, and was not very well educated. She was noble, but poor. Until she was queen, men probably didn’t have hardly any regard for her, and so they would not feel guilty if they hurt her.

She was a child. What would we think of a 13-year old orphan having a romantic and possibly even sexual relationship with her much older music teacher today? Sounds pretty suspect, right? Catherine was quite young in all of her relationships, and was significantly younger than at least 2 of the men she had relationships with (Henry Mannox and Henry VIII).

Catherine said that she was raped by Francis Dereham. During Catherine’s trials, she quickly claimed that there had been no marital contract between her and Dereham, maintaining that he had raped her. Why don’t we believe her? The fact that many don’t believe this claim of hers would not be considered fair if this had happened in the modern era.

Sexual abuse and rape are still very common today, and women had even less power then. Even now, rape and other forms of sexual abuse are still very common, due to the continual systemic patriarchy. And then, women had even less rights. Of course sexual abuse was quite common then, even if the history books don’t call it that. People had different ideas of right and wrong back then, especially when it came to conduct with women. We need to take what men back then said with a grain of salt when it comes to sexual harassment and abuse. They did not have a fair understanding of what was fair in these cases.

Everyone says you can’t look back at the past with today’s eyes. But I argue that in some cases you do. If it is on the issue of sexism, racism, homophobia, etc, we need to consider it with today’s standards because primary sources from times in the past are often very prejudiced.

Catherine was a young girl who had gone through a lot before she was even 15 years old. Her mother died when she was very young and her father abandoned her soon after, sending her to an unsupervised boarding house where she was harassed and probably assaulted. She never had a good parental figure, and she was pushed around by men her whole life. She didn’t even make it to 20 years old, being executed for something that wasn’t even her fault.

Sexual Abuse & Harassment Resources

Sending love to everyone. You are not alone.

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673

Donate to Rainn, anti-sexual abuse nonprofit: https://donate.rainn.org/

The K Howard Project (anonymous forum + support group for survivors): https://thekhowardproject.weebly.com

Resources (Many of these include very triggering content!)

“Catherine Howard.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. URL.

“Katherine Howard: Vixen or victim?” The History Press. URL.

“Tudor women.” Geni. URL.

“The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Part 2.” History Tea Time with Lindsay Holiday. Youtube. URL.

[tammythompsoning]

[ aisha dee | cis female | she/her | twenty-six ] —— it’s just another typical week in hawkins i guess — isn’t that right, tammy thompson? huh, guess they can’t hear me over girls just want to have fun by cyndi lauper playing on their walkman, but it looks like they’re headed to work as a nurse at hawkins general hospital. did you know tammy has been in hawkins for most of her life? yeah, they’ve been described as a bit air-headed, but i suppose them also being nurturing outweighs the negative. i’ve also heard people say they remind them of cherry popsicles on a warm day, rhinestoned jean jackets, and off-tune karaoke… however, that could just be this weeks newest rumor.

ii. STATS

full name: tammy anne thompson

age: twenty six

birthday: august 3,1961

zodiac: leo

pronouns: she/her

sexuality: straight-ish

hometown: hawkins, indiana

occupation: nurse, “professional” singer

height: 5’6

weight: 120lbs

eye color: brown

hair color: brown

meyers-briggs: esfj

enneagram: 7

moral alignment: chaotic good

character inspiration: maybelle fox (a league of their own), dionne (clueless), ashleigh howard (greek)

iii. BIO

Trigger warnings: needles, teen pregnancy, natural disaster, death

tammy grew up knowing she was destined to become a star. she was the youngest daughter of two all-american, loving parents who encouraged her various theatrical pursuits: dance, theater, choir…if it got her on a stage she was the first in line to try it.

there was no one tammy idolized more than her older sister, caroline. caroline was seven years older than tammy and everything tammy wanted to grow up to be. she was pretty, popular, and she could sing better than anyone in hawkins. tammy became determined at a young age to become just like her.

but when tammy was ten and caroline was seventeen, caroline got pregnant from her long-time boyfriend. she decided to keep the baby, which meant giving up on her dreams to go to nashville to become a famous country singer. tammy was devastated for her sister, and vowed that she would live out her sister’s dream for her by becoming the best singer she could and making it big after high school.  

high school was mostly smooth sailing for tammy. like her sister, she was fairly popular and well-liked. she never had a boyfriend because she was too scared of accidentally following in caroline’s footsteps. when she wasn’t practicing for choir or the school musical, she would spend her time helping her older sister watch her niece, clara, who she adored despite the fact the baby girl would cry whenever she tried to sing to her.

when tammy was a junior, her father came down with lung cancer thanks to a long-time smoking habit. tammy spent most of her junior year in the hawkins general hospital where she became interested in the medical field. her father unfortunately passed away the summer before her senior year.  

after school, tammy left hawkins for nashville where she managed to find an agent who would take her and booked small singing gigs here and there. but becoming famous took more time than tammy realized, she ended up balancing her emerging singing career with nursing school. 

tammy enjoyed nursing, as she always had a knack for caring for others, and she enjoyed that she had plenty of people to talk to her passions about as she poked and prodded them with needles.

tammy felt as though she was on the cusp of her big break when the hawkins earthquake hit. nothing could have prepared tammy for the call she got from her mother telling her of her sister’s death, leaving her niece  an orphan. tammy packed up her bags and headed home to help her mother take care of clara. since then, she has stayed in hawkins and worked as a nurse, telling anyone who will listen just how close she was to making it big in nashville.

iv. PERSONALITY

tammy is a theater kid through and through. she loves put on a show and dazzle her audiences, willing or unwilling, and thrives off of drama. her goal is to leave a smile on the face of every person she meets, whether that be through a beautiful ballad or offering a lollipop at the end of a doctor’s visit.

she is a nurturer by nature and genuinely loves taking care of others, to the point where she can be a bit smothering to her friends. she also has a bad habit of thinking she knows what is best for everyone, and will not hesitate to tell someone if she thinks they could be making better choices.

she is a beauty, but she doesn’t necessarily have the same level of brains. She isn’t dumb by any means, but she tends to get so wrapped up in her own version of the world that she misses out on important details.  

v. HEADCANONS

tammy has no clue that she isn’t a fantastic singer. she truly believes she is one of the greatest talents on the planet and that she just hasn’t had a chance to catch her big break yet.

because of what happened to her sister, she is extremely virtuous and is saving herself for marriage. she also can be a bit judgmental of girls who don’t share her morals when it comes to dating.

she is fully unaware that there could be anything supernatural happening in hawkins and will probably be unaware until a demigorgon eats her tbh  

she loves knitting but her knitting skills are about on par with her singing abilities, which means her friends get a lot of weirdly shaped hats and crooked scarves as gifts 

[meddlewithmycase]

Catherine Howard (c. 1523 – 13 February 1542) was queen consort of England from 1540 until 1541 as the fifth wife of Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, cousin to Anne Boleyn (the second wife of Henry VIII), and niece to Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. Thomas Howard was a prominent politician at Henry's court, and he secured her a place in the household of Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, where she caught the King's interest. She married him on 28 July 1540 at Oatlands Palace in Surrey, just 19 days after the annulment of his marriage to Anne. He was 49, and she was still a teenager, at about 17 years old.

Catherine was one of the daughters of Lord Edmund Howard (c. 1478 – 1539) and Joyce Culpeper (c. 1480 – c. 1528). Her father's sister, Elizabeth Howard, was the mother of Anne Boleyn. Therefore, Catherine Howard was the first cousin of Anne Boleyn, and the first cousin once removed of Lady Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth I), Anne's daughter by Henry VIII. She also was the second cousin of Jane Seymour, as her grandmother Elizabeth Tilney was the sister of Seymour's grandmother Anne Say. As a granddaughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (1443–1524), Catherine had an aristocratic pedigree. Her father was not wealthy, being the third son among 21 children and disfavoured in the custom of primogeniture, by which the eldest son inherits all his father's estate.

Catherine was sent with some of her siblings to live in the care of her father's stepmother, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. The Dowager Duchess presided over large households at Chesworth House in Horsham in Sussex, and at Norfolk House in Lambeth where dozens of attendants, along with her many wards—usually the children of aristocratic but poor relatives—resided. While sending young children to be educated and trained in aristocratic households other than their own was common for centuries among European nobles, supervision at both Chesworth House and Lambeth was apparently lax. The Dowager Duchess was often at Court and seems to have had little direct involvement in the upbringing of her wards and young female attendants.

As a result of the Dowager Duchess's lack of discipline, Catherine became influenced by some older girls who allowed men into the sleeping areas at night for entertainment. The girls were entertained with food, wine, and gifts stolen from the kitchens. Catherine was not as well educated as some of Henry's other wives, although, on its own, her ability to read and write was impressive enough at the time. Her character has often been described as vivacious, giggly and brisk, but never scholarly or devout. She displayed great interest in her dance lessons, but would often be distracted during them and make jokes. She also had a nurturing side for animals, particularly dogs.

In the Duchess's household at Horsham, in around 1536, Catherine began music lessons with two teachers, one of whom was Henry Mannox. Mannox's exact age is unknown; although it has recently been stated that he was in his late thirties, perhaps 36, at the time, this is not supported by Catherine's biographers. Evidence exists that Mannox was not yet married, which would be highly unusual for someone from his background at the time to have reached mid-thirties without being married - he married sometime in the late 1530s, perhaps 1539, and there is also some evidence that he was of an age with two other men serving in the household, including his cousin Edward Waldegrave (who was in his late teens or early twenties from 1536-8). These pieces of evidence indicate that Mannox too was in his early to mid-twenties in 1538.

Catherine's uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, found her a place at Court in the household of the King's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. As a young and attractive lady-in-waiting, Catherine quickly caught Henry's eye. The King had displayed little interest in Anne from the beginning, but on Thomas Cromwell's failure to find a new match for Henry, Norfolk saw an opportunity. The Howards may have sought to recreate the influence gained during Anne Boleyn's reign as queen consort. According to Nicholas Sander, the religiously conservative Howard family may have seen Catherine as a figurehead for their fight by expressed determination to restore Roman Catholicism to England. Catholic Bishop Stephen Gardiner entertained the couple at Winchester Palace with "feastings".

As the King's interest in Catherine grew, so did the house of Norfolk's influence. Her youth, prettiness and vivacity were captivating for the middle-aged sovereign, who claimed he had never known "the like to any woman". Within months of her arrival at court, Henry bestowed gifts of land and expensive cloth upon Catherine. Henry called her his 'very jewel of womanhood' (that he called her his 'rose without a thorn' is likely a myth). The French ambassador, Charles de Marillac, thought her "delightful". Holbein's portrait showed a young auburn-haired girl with a characteristically hooked Howard nose; Catherine was said to have a "gentle, earnest face." King Henry and Catherine were married on 28 July 1540, the same day Cromwell was executed. She was a teenager and he was 49. Catherine adopted the motto, Non autre volonté que la sienne or "No other wish but his" using the English translation from French. 

Catherine may have been involved during her marriage to the King with Henry's favorite male courtier, Thomas Culpeper, a young man who "had succeeded him in the Queen's affections", according to Dereham's later testimony. She had considered marrying Culpeper during her time as a maid-of-honor to Anne of Cleves. Culpeper called Catherine "my little, sweet fool" in a love letter. It has been alleged that in the spring of 1541 the pair were meeting secretly. Their meetings were allegedly arranged by one of Catherine's older ladies-in-waiting, Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford the widow of Catherine's executed cousin, George Boleyn, Anne Boleyn's brother.

Culpeper and Dereham were arraigned at Guildhall on 1 December 1541 for high treason. They were executed at Tyburn on 10 December 1541, Culpeper being beheaded and Dereham being hanged, drawn and quartered. According to custom, their heads were placed on spikes atop London Bridge. Catherine was beheaded with a single stroke of the executioner's axe.

Lady Rochford was executed immediately thereafter on Tower Green. Both bodies were buried in an unmarked grave in the nearby chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, where the bodies of Catherine's cousins Anne and George Boleyn also lay.

*some portraits here are not of Catherine. The only one known to survive is done by Hans Holbein the younger.

[roc-thoughtblog]

Sense and Sensibility Readthrough Part 5

Chapter 8, Pages 31-34

Previously, the Dashwoods move into Barton Cottage, and meet their colourful hosts, Sir and Lady Middleton. Their most genuinely heartfelt insincerity makes even the passionless Colonel Brandon seem respectably tasteful in Marianne's eyes.

Colonel Brandon generally seems like an interesting person for Marianne to get to befriend; perhaps Elinor and Edward would both seem much less strange if Marianne got to know more people like them in favourable terms.

Very slow session because this chapter was too entertaining + It's given me thoughts about narrative voice that I think is more important I write them down before I forget.

Readthrough below.

Chapter 8 Lady M's mother, Mrs. Jennings, is a real person shipper. Oh boy, this will end w- Colonel Brandon?? With Marianne? I was just saying they'd make nice friends but come on lady, dude's like 20 years older than her! Is this why or because, that your own daughter is married to Sir Middleton fourteen years her senior? Oh, her only reason is that the Colonel seemed to enjoy listening to Marianne's music. Ah, and;

It would be an excellent match, for he was rich and she was handsome.

Natch. And she's of course enjoying herself greatly with the private teasing one gets to unleash upon their infatuated friends, except that neither of them are probably really her friends, and she's doing it publicly, so. She has no right and it's awful. I can feel the awkward shudder-inducing from here outside the book, in real life, 200 years in the future. Poor Marianne. :(

At least the good Colonel seems to take it like a champ. Marianne still holds the convinction that his 35-year-old-ness is ready to return to the dust though.

"My dearest child," said her mother, laughing, "at this rate you must be in continual terror of my decay; and it must to you seem a miracle that my life has been extended to the advanced age of forty."

Mama Dashwood is so cool. :'D

Oh, Marianne actually calls her Mamma. Should I update my spelling or... nah.

"A woman of seven and twenty," said Marianne, after pausing a moment, "can never hope to feel or inspire affection again,"

ohMIGOSH MARIANNE NO!! OH MY POOR ANNE ELLIOT, COVER YOUR EARS. This is so much different from Persuasion I am rolling.

Addendum: my friend has just called Marianne a drama queen. I agree.

I was just about to say, in comparison with Persuasion it's so nice to have Mama Dashwood around as a most wholesome well-witted force of good nature and love, and then it hits me with this.

I really do like Anne Elliot, you know. I appreciated her before, but lines like here do make me appreciate her more.

Marianne's such a hopelessly youthful romantic she can't imagine anyone older than a teenager being capable of love. Elinor doesn't even try to convince her. He talked of flannel waistcoats, so he must be ancient. Marianne! Marianne no!

I have gone 40 minutes and covered 2.5 pages. From that you can tell I'm thoroughly entertained.

"Had he been only in a violent fever, you would not have despised him half so much. Confess, Marianne, is not there something interesting to you in the flushed cheek, hollow eye, and quick pulse of a fever?"

Holy shit Elinor, that is some spitfire. Marianne you cheek, as soon as Elinor leaves the room she tries to goad Mama into bringing Edward over- wait no she genuinely thinks that something is wrong with Edward for not having come over already. Mama's more sensible about Edward's genuine personality.

"Twice did I leave them purposefully together in the course of the last morning, and each time did he most unaccountably follow me out of the room."

HA! Yeah Marianne is the opposite of me. I had no idea how people like her feel, but she has no idea how reserved people act in general. Or I guess borderline aroace in my case. She'd probably think I'm crazy. No real passion, aversion to affection displays and impractically rare events of attraction? Thoroughly inhuman. Which I appreciate, heheh. It's okay Marianne, I'm flattered.

It's lines like these though that make me think about modernised Austen adaptations. Like these are great, insightful lines and funny in a very character-driven way, but when I watch the period adaptations, the lines are so long and need parsing that the humour and intent get lost on me.

Similarly, I feel like if you lose the snarky omniescent narrator you lose part of the charm; and I don't remember seeing any period adaptations with something like that. I really love that the Good Omens adaptation preserved the narrator for the precisely that reason! Is there an Austen adaptation with modernised dialogue that keeps the snarky backhanded voiceover? I would be quite interested.

I'd would say I'm stopping early today but in terms of time I'm going over; also, I'm being struck by thoughts on Narrative Voice that I'd like to write down and develop so that'll be where overtime will go today.

[ruminantminds]

me, my dream, my desire, how it's killing me, like i laugh at it.

SIOBHAN BLAKE ( SHE / THEY ) is a NON-BINARY FORTY * year old TOWN MAYOR who has been living in Moorbrooke for THEIR ENTIRE LIFE. Right now, they are currently residing in ELMSETT GREEN. It has been said that they look suspiciously like ROSAMUND PIKE and if they had to choose a song to describe themselves, they would choose VOILA by BARBARA PRAVI.

                 * they were originally forty-one on the app but after working out the birth chart i have decided their forty-first birthday is the fourth of june ! just in case you want to plan birthday things for her <3

mun introduction ;

hi everyone ! i’m shannon, i’m a non-binary autistic lesbian, i’m twenty-one && i never fucking learned how to sleep ! 

BASICS —

NAME: siobhan adrienne louisa blake.

AGE: forty.

GENDER: non-binary.

BIRTH DATE: fourth of june, nineteen-eighty.

BIRTH PLACE: moorbrooke, maine, usa.

SEXUALITY: lesbian.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: married to alante patterson.

ZODIAC: gemini sun, aquarius moon, libra rising.

MBTI: enfp-a.

ENNEAGRAM: four, with a three wing.

HOGWARTS HOUSE: hufflepuff. 

THEME SONG: voila by barbara pravi.

FAVOURITE SONG: no plan by hozier.

OCCUPATION: mayor of moorbrooke ( 2020 - present. )

PAST CAREERS: english teacher at moorbrooke high school ( 2004 - 2020. )

EDUCATION: bachelor’s degree in literature at yale university, the only period of time they’ve spent not living in moorbrooke. 

DREAM JOB: senator for maine.

PARENTS: ciara & severin blake ( deceased. )

SIBLINGS: none.

SPOUSE: alante patterson ( m. 2015 ; together since )

PETS: two cats, vita && virginia.

PREDOMINANT TRAITS: wholesome, compassionate, ambitious, unconventional, humanitarian, self-critical, discerning, sociable, curious.

BACKSTORY —

apart from a few years at yale, siobhan has never lived away from moorbrooke. it’s where she was born, it’s where they were raised, it’s the place where she feels most at home. it’s filled with the people who watched them evolve into the who they now confidently are. but growing up with parents with massive expectations was never easy. 

because while they moved from new york, severin blake’s old money attitude never left him behind. 

( tw: fertility struggles ) and with old money, conservativism often follows. this is no exception. siobhan spent most of their childhood trying to be the golden child their parents wanted, even when it felt wrong. hopeful that some other sibling would come to take some of the weight off their shoulders, it never came to fruition, and she was their only child. severin blake — french-american businessman’s — only legacy.

siobhan was always more compassionate than their parents. when new people came to the town, she would always try to offer them a leg-up, no matter who they were, why they had come, or how long they were planning to stay. they had no issue playing chameleon to make others comfortable: wasn’t that what she’d always done, regardless? 

this rang true when alante patterson came to town. a few years younger than her, split from her siblings in the foster system, it just made sense for siobhan to try to be the other girl’s constant. the beginning of a close relationship that still runs stronger than ever, thirty years later. 

alante was always refreshingly honest, and always made siobhan feel safe to be . . . themselves, even if they were pretending to everyone else.

siobhan’s chameleonic tendencies made them highly popular as a teenager, her parents’ pride and joy, but the latter half began to fail when siobhan began to understand — began being operative, as it was a process that took them many years — their curiosity about their sexuality and gender. this relationship, and her parents’ desire for them to hide this evolving part of themselves, was a behind-closed-doors battle which led to anxiety & depression. 

a vicious cycle, because the attitude to mental health on severin’s part was also quite . . . medieval, and ciara certainly never intervened to stop him. 

( the blakes had always been protestant, though siobhan was reluctant to take part in any acknowledgement of such. siobhan has considered themselves agnostic since the age of thirteen, though she supports her wife in her faith as much as she can. )

siobhan came out when she went to yale at the age of eighteen, and her experience had been mixed. college took her away from her friends, estranging them from their high school friends and temporarily moving away from alante. when they returned from college studies and took up a job as an english teacher at the local highschool, her best friend was . . . married. 

which made feelings that began to blossom particularly problematic. especially when over the years that followed, no matter how hard they tried to let it go, those feelings persisted. and — eventually — became an affair so passionate that alante left her husband for siobhan some thirteen years ago. 

their relationship with alante is what made them truly decide to — and make them able to — exist fully as themselves. who they wanted to be. so now, they’re not quite as chameleonic, but she’s endearing to the people who are truly interested in her and that’s all that matters, isn’t it? ( isn’t it? they’re still learning, though they pretend the self-doubt is entirely gone. )

this part of their town-iconic relationship is not public knowledge, and thankfully never came to siobhan’s parents’ knowledge before their deaths five and seven years ago.

siobhan and alante married as soon as possible in 2015, but siobhan always had a dream of washington politics, buried for many years because the political climate of their youth would never take them. now... it’s possible, but alante likes this life, this town, their two cats, and wants to have children. 

as a compromise, siobhan ran for mayor of moorbrooke this recent cycle, and won. but here’s the kicker: will it be enough for them?

CONNECTIONS —

family: while she has no siblings, she does have cousins on ciara’s side, so if you’re interested in that then feel free to let me know & we’ll explore it! i love a good family tree, especially in town rps where i imagine it a bit more interconnected like broadchurch !

family-esque: if your muse has been living in moorbrooke a while, it’s likely siobhan knows them quite or very well. you know those people you call your aunt/uncle out of respect because they’ve been friends with your family as long as you can remember? a bit like that! it’s also a habit because siobhan has been . . . distant from her own family since she was a teenager. they never outright disowned them for what they were calling their ‘ ideas ’ — i.e. being non-gender conforming & lesbian — but their disapproval was... clear enough. she doesn’t want anyone else to feel like they’re without support. 

therapist friend: the thing about siobhan is that they are the ceo of telling other people to look after their mental health while letting their own degrade. ( see: she can’t help taking on other people’s problems & wanting to solve them. )

high school it squad: yes, this is my not-so-subtle way of pleading for more older muses here. these people were siobhan’s friends when they were trying to be who everyone wanted them to be, not who she herself wanted to be ; they were the popular clique, and she adjusted herself as necessary to ‘ ringlead ’ them. i’m thinking they split up when they all went to college, and the rest of them have only just come back to town. the siobhan blake they’re going to meet is . . . very different than the one they once knew. someone who is now comfortable ( at last ) unapologetically in their own skin.

ex-student: if your muse was in high school in moorbrooke anywhere during their tenure it’s likely that siobhan could have taught them! she was the emotional support english teacher. sapphics, you know what i am talking about. 

ingenue: someone interested in politics who siobhan is sharing their passion with !

neighbours: anyone who lives in elmsett court, who wants to live next to moorbrooke’s favourite sapphic it couple? it comes with invitations to dinner and two adventuring cats called vita & virginia that they might have to retrieve from your house.

TAKEN CONNECTIONS

confidante: the only person, aside from alante, who knows the truth. that siobhan and alante’s relationship first ignited in a blazing, letter-ridden extramarital affair, eventually resulting in alante leaving her husband all those years ago. the person siobhan confides her worries in, sometimes. [ alec barlowe. ] 

OTHER TRIVIA

owns a motorbike.

they can still write in anne lister code from letters to alante.

of course, she is a democrat. we do not fuck with republicans here.

watches vita and virginia three times in your average week.

has an eclectic music taste, but frequents the record store because there’s nothing like vinyl. 

( yes, they have hozier on vinyl. )

will only drink white wine. don’t ask them why. they don’t know. 

would have zero wardrobe sense if it wasn’t for alante. money just doesn’t equal style.

the only social network she knows how to use is twitter. please, someone, teach them how to use instagram. bestie needs a social media guru because the people who run the rest of her platforms don’t get it, either.

allergic to banana. but eats it anyway for the mouth tingles.

has kept a diary religiously since the age of twelve.

[thechoir-roomhq]

WELCOME TO THE CHOIR ROOM, GIANNA STONE (anne winters fc),

here is your SCHEDULE! you have twenty-four hours to turn in your account and post an intro. good luck and have fun with the semester!

[ANNE WINTERS, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER] who’s that? oh it’s {GIANNA STONE}. i hear they’re {17} and a {JUNIOR} at {CRAWFORD COUNTRY DAY},  have a voice like {ANNALEIGH AHSFORD} and are part of {THE CANARIES and STUDENT COUNCIL: DANCE COMMITTEE}. they’re known to be {HARD-WORKING and DARING} and {ENVIOUS and VINDICTIVE}. some people say they remind them of {secrets that weigh more than gold, all knowing eyes, striving to be the best, & crude words falling from glossy lips}. only one way to find out! [rae, 25, she/her, cst]

john stone and paige scott’s romance is a tale as old as time. when the basketball player first laid eyes on the cheerleader, it was game fucking over. he was a sucker for her baby blues eyes within seconds. it wasn’t a surprise to anyone when they fell in love overnight and subsequently became joined at the hip. it was a known fact that wherever one went, the other was to be found soon after… it also was hardly a surprise to anyone when the rumors started spreading april of their junior year of high school. when paige saw the two pink lines signifying that, yes she was pregnant, instant panic set in. john was never going to go to the pros, but he did have some colleges that had displayed interest in giving him a scholarship, and she had dreams of her own. for john, the decision had been easy. in fact, to him, there was no decision. his family, page and their unborn child, were his main priority. their senior year of high school was not easy, but with some help from both sets of parents, paige and john were able to walk away with their diplomas in hand - a feat in itself. shortly after crossing the high school auditorium stage, john landed a position with the local security company working random events like show choir competitions, parties at wohn studio, and so forth. the flexibility of his job allowed for paige to attend beauty school and eventually land a chair at westerville’s up and coming hair studio. 

john had always looked up to his older sister, mary, so when he found out that their daughters were going to be born within two months of each other? he felt like it was a dream come true. despite their very modest incomes and small home, paige and john were determined to keep up with joneses’, or in their case, mary and joe hart. whatever dylan was going to do, gianna was go to as well, whether it was private elementary school or dance lessons at the local dance studio. 

gianna has always loved being the best at everything, and for a long while, she was… until dylan started to become the center of attention in every single dance class. gigi couldn’t help that her cousin was a fucking string bean with beautiful arm extensions and she was barely breaking 5′0″. gigi adored her cousin more than anything and considered her the closest friend she had, but every time she heard amazing job, dylan instead of amazing job, gianna it was motivation to work that much harder. after years of shared classes and interests, gianna started to forge her own path. as dylan became more involved in the world of ballet, g found herself in love with everything singing and musical theatre. 

after years and years of shilling out the little bit of expendable money, push came to shove, and the stone’s were faced with the decision: continue private school or singing/dance lessons? when they chose the former, gianna was devastated. when paige arrived at the studio to pull gigi out of classes, the owner of the studio (who had already invested years and years of time and attention into developing gi’s talent) brokered a deal: she could remain in classes without cost as long as she helped out around the studio. cleaning the rooms following classes, answering phone calls, and stocking the studio’s merchandise were the prices she had to pay to be the star of the show. 

the sacrifices proved fruitful when it came time for high school. while it would have been easy to attend westerville’s public high school, gianna elise stone never settled for easy. after receiving a scholarship to crawford county day, gigi promised herself she would never let anyone know about her humble beginnings. 

gigi didn’t make a name for herself at crawford by being nice. she’s known for her quick wit and sharp tongue. she’s not afraid to tell someone how she feels, and she’s certainly not afraid to step on anyone to get to where she needs to be (the top). attention is gigi’s love language. she thrives in being the center of attention, and will do just about anything to receive it. it’s safe to say she’s earned her place at the top of crawford’s social ladder. her friend group might be exclusive and small, but the smoochies are not the ones to mess with. 

[kmclaude]

An AU thought, unfinished: Annemarie as a nun. Not a sexy nun, but someone found out about the whole “preggers with her brother’s baby and sent to a convent as punishment” type nun, who may or may not wind up teaching a bunch on unruly kids and has her fellow sisters breathing down her neck to make sure she doesn’t sin again. But hey, guess who’s the priest/confessor for the order? And considering nuns “have” to obey Fr. Tiefer’s authority…! Not smutty but it’s all I’ve got 🤷🏼‍♀️

oh how decadent! oops my hand slipped!!!

Émile is probably the one who gets mad when he finds out she’s pregnant and who’s kid it is because sure he’s white trash and has been bending his daughter over for years but he draws the line somewhere (and part of it is because he knows Emilein is a freak, he knows he wouldn’t want her so it’s obvious she’s the whole reason for being knocked up – and she’s been using the stupid baby in her fat gut as a shield to mouth off to him and run the joint – why not punish her? Besides, no one in that family can afford another mouth to feed…)

So he pulls Emilein aside, says, “hey, you’re good with that priest, yeah?” and Emilein shrugs, says, “maybe I am,” and braces for a nasty shot about how of course he is, he loves being on his knees, but it never comes, just, “so he knows about like…them wayward girl schools, yeah?” and Emilein plays dumb until his daddy plays his hand: send Annemarie off to a convent or wayward school or hell an asylum – she wants to use a baby to get her way, well then she can get out of the way. Forever.

Emilein, for once, is more than happy to help his daddy out.

He talks to the priest, Fr. Michaud, who has offered him chance and again ways out, one in particular though it would mean the priesthood, and reveals his sister is pregnant (not that it was terribly secret: the whole town was waiting for the day she slipped up at this point) and she is…troubled. And is there a place. The Church. Anything.

Of course Fr. Michaud hesitates because yes there is one nearby but it’s practically an asylum, run by an order on their grounds – cloistered – “And, to be frank, we all know your sister is…not exactly saving herself for anyone…but unless she’s a-a maniac it would be almost cruel–”

And Emilein puts his hand lightly on Fr. Michaud’s, smiles in a way that doesn’t meet his eyes, and says, “You know how she hasn’t named the father? You’d think someone like her’d be going up and down the street, demanding a wedding or at least support, wouldn’t you? But she ain’t. ‘Cause she can’t. Now, remember the first time we actually talked, you an’ me, an’ I told you I’d suck your cock in a heartbeat ‘cause that’s usually how things went with me an’ older men an’ not always by force?”

“Difficult to forget,” says Fr. Michaud, neglecting to mention that most fourteen year olds don’t say that.

“So we both agree I’m…funny.”

“What are you getting at, Emilein?”

“I’m sayin’, the reason she ain’t beatin’ down no po’ bastard’s door to help with her own bastard is ‘cause she doesn’t want anyone to know that the daddy’s her own brother.”

Michaud goes pale and Emilein isn’t smiling any more.

“We both know she don’t interest me much. So, Father, please: help me.”

–

Of course, being a good man, Fr. Michaud helps him, and Annemarie is sent away to have her child (and then work off the debt she’ll have accrued – after all, not like her father and brother can afford to pay.)

Her choice is very simple: go as willingly as she can pretend and nobody has to know about who the father is or fight and Emilein tells (with Fr. Michaud as a witness – Émile, of course, is more than willing to rat her out but really, every other word from his mouth is a lie.)

And life is peaceful – until Émile decides he can fully boss around his son like he did his daughter in a house he doesn’t own.

Emilein is having none of it but Emilein is terribly small and Émile has friends too, friends just as nasty as Annemarie’s boyfriends, and Émile ties him to a bed and starves him and lets all sorts of men use him for days and brags about the money he’s made from him – “shit, cher, we should’ve been whorin’ you out years ago! Guess yer cunt sister was just too jealous to share.”

He lets him go, eventually, after a week that feels like forever and Emilein runs to Fr. Michaud, banging on the church door, and when Fr. Michaud answers his request is much the same as it was before: “please, help me.”

Of course, being a good man, Fr. Michaud helps Emilein Tiefer and gets him connected to the seminary.

–

At twenty-five and with the title of ‘Father’ himself, Tiefer is assigned to a convent in Fuckoff Nowhere, Louisiana to be the priest and confessor on the grounds. Segregated from the opposite sex and the real world for so long only to be thrown headfirst into the wide world, some were realizing, was not the greatest idea: so, the younger were sent off to serve their religious siblings first, particularly their sisters.

The Mother Superior is kind when she greets him on his arrival, a stark contrast to all the rumors of the convent here: it was a convent, yes, that made its daily bread with something of a home for wayward girls – part home, part school (for the younger ones whose unfortunate choices and circumstances left them behind their peers as well as their children, for those who had or expected them), part workhouse so the former two could survive – but for years its nickname had been the asylum because, regardless of how long one worked, much like the TB asylums, the only way out was in a casket.

Which is where, Tiefer always figured, his sister was at this point. 

Until, during a tour of the small school on the grounds (as the children would be needing sacraments as well) he sees one of the nuns with the children – though she’s not a nun, not exactly, as she only wears a veil and simple dress and the bangs of her blonde hair peak out and frame her face – and she, in turn, sees him and freezes.

“Mother Superior,” he asks, voice steady as possible, once they’ve passed, once he’s calmed down, “who was that woman?”

“With the children? That’s Sister Anne, one of our success stories – quite a tough one too. She came here, pregnant, no idea who the father was and ready to dare I say fight every one of us sisters who came near. But the Lord works in mysterious ways and eventually He brought her ‘round. She should be taking her vows in a few years.”

“Ah. Do many of your girls usually wind up joinin’ the order?”

The mother superior sighs, sort of pointed in a way that hints that the topic is better put to rest. “Unfortunately, it’s not always part of God’s plan,” she says and then adds, “You sound a lot like she does – how far down South did you come?”

“Very.”

“Hm. She also.”

–

“Sister Anne. A word?”

After all the introductions and required niceties are made, Tiefer doubles back to the classroom of children, led by the novitiate.

“Of course, Father,” she says, the shock from earlier long gone from her face, a little more lined than he’d remembered it, her eyes a little less bright.

“In private?”

He lets her lead the way to a small, unused classroom and locks the door behind them.

“Well. Never thought I’d see you here, Sister.”

She scoffs, the plain novitiate from earlier twisting, like a monster under flesh, into his sister, the way he knew her, cocky attitude and all. “Why not? You put me here.”

“You know what I mean. ‘Sides, he put you here.”

“You helped.”

“Just told the truth is all. You want me to tell the truth again?”

“Can’t send me away again, sugar. Anyway, I’m a changed woman. The success story of these sisters.”

“Ain’t you special, huh?”

“Had to be. Play along or die like the rest.” She looks him over, sixteen years on his twenty-five, sizing him up. “You obviously understand, don’tcha Emi?”

“Father, now, actually.”

“Father, right, Father, now, huh? So Father – what was it? Not enough dicks to suck back home, you had to join the biggest boy’s club around? Or you just get sick of Daddy – bet he was a real sonuvabitch once he didn’t have me ‘round to take his shit out on.”

He cuts her off: “Annemarie. You like it here?”

“You like it where you are?”

He doesn’t answer, simply pulls out a cigarette and his lighter. He watches her reach out, then freeze.

“I’ll share if you tell me what the fuck you’re doin’ playin’ nunnery.”

“I told you. Play along or die. Same as you.”

“You don’t know shit about me or what I been through.”

“An’ you know ‘bout me?”

Tiefer shrugs, lights up. Refuses her one.

“I heard the girls who come here only leave one way.”

“Do I look like I left?”

“Mm.” He offers her a cigarette and a light. Her fingers brush his. He tries not to grab her wrist and crush it. “So this is better? Bein’ a mother to a slew of bastards an’ prayin’ to God who put you here?”

“I dunno, Emi–”

“Do not–”

“Father Emi, you tell me: would you like being worked like a dog to pay off your own existence your fuckin’ family sold off, gettin’ beat ‘cause no one gives a damn about you, and not knowin’ if the priest they brought in to hear confessions this ‘round would rather you suck him off than say you’re sorry. I’m fuckin’ forty-one years old: I wanted something close to freedom, even if it’s from behind a wall an’ veil. ”

Tiefer makes a sound like mock pity. “Sounds like every damn day of my childhood, Annemarie. In fact,” – he grabs her by the jaw, pulls her close, tugs the cigarette from her lips and puts it out against the back of her neck, hidden by her veil – “looks to me like you’re getting off easy, little miss success story.”

“Em–”

“That’s Father to you, now.  An’ come to think of it, I’m sure Mother Superior would love to hear what you really did.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Would they put you back in the work house? Or just turn you loose on the streets like a dog. Where you gonna go, Sister? Y’all take vows of poverty last I heard – gonna finally be a real whore and suck dick in the gutter?”

“Please…”

“Please what, pity you?”

Tiefer lets her go, takes a drag from his own cigarette, blocking the door. He grins, more a snarl than anything else. 

“Oh Annemarie… You’re right: I wouldn’t dare as long as you don’t give me a reason to. I’m your superior now…let’s start treatin’ me as such, hm?”

He unlocks the door. “An’ Sister Anne? If you thought those other priests who put your ol’ ass on your knees were bad, you’re gonna really regret all your earlier sins against me.”

[oh-boleyn]

overdramatic and true (words)

words: 2902, one shot, language: english. f/f (parrlyn)

tw: swearing

Catherine Parr was a writer; she had always been.

She was a writer because she loved the sweet feeling of release she could gain after a poem, or a short story. She was a writer because there was something so unique and magical about escaping her world and go to another. She was a writer because she wanted to save memories of a lost world, to save history in a way other could later go back to it.

But mostly, before anything, Catherine Parr was a writer because she loved words.

It was as simple as it, just for words.

Word, or plural, words is a noun. It means a speech sound or series of speech sounds that symbolizes and communicates a meaning usually without being divisible into smaller units capable of independent use.

Any free time Catherine had in her new life would be used to use her laptop and write.

Sometimes she did research, about her old life, to try to find anything she could have missed the first time. Nowadays there was a lot of information everywhere, no need to even move from your house even when she truly, honestly loved going to the library.

Library is also a noun. It means a place in which literary, musical, artistic, or reference materials are kept for use but not for sale.

Other times her research wasn’t about her previous life but rather about the things that were oddly still there nowadays, and even when they changed, they didn’t change enough. Such as languages. For example, her favorites words in every language.

“Cada loco con su tema” is a Spanish idiom. It can be translated as “Every crazy person with their own thing” and it’s used for when someone does something weird, meaning that everyone has their own (odd) thing. This quote also can imply that everyone is crazy.

At night she usually would write fairytales or short night lullabies. In her old life she did so while pregnant, wiling to teach Mae how to write, and read her a different story every night. Now she did it to herself when nights were too dark and she couldn’t sleep.

Insomnia is a prolonged and usually abnormal inability to get enough sleep. It can become serious depending on how much time the patient has it.

In the morning she loved playing rather than just working. Every one needed break, and crazy geniuses did too. Parr liked words so much she loved doing crosswords. After the first few weeks, Katherine (Not with a C, but with a K. It happened when some names were translated, or for a mistake when someone was writing.) started doing them too. It was their way of bonding.

“Ten. Extravagant.” Katherine says one morning, while drinking her half coffee half milk, and a ton of sugar.

“Flamboyant.” Catherine easily says, drinking her black coffee, no sugar.

“No.” Katherine says.

“What do you mean no?”

“It doesn’t match the other words. It has to start with an O.”

“Outlandish.” Anne easily slides into the conversation, while serving herself a chocolate milk.

Outlandish is not a noun, but an adjective. It can mean of or relating to another country, synonym of foreign. But it can also mean strikingly out of the ordinary, such as bizarre.

“Thank you, Anne, it matches really well.”

Anne is a name. Alternatively, spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace.'

“How did you know it?” Parr asks.

“I know English.” Anne laughs.

For Parr, Anne used to just be an echo of a name nobody says. People would talk about Catherine’s namesake, the first queen. But nobody dared to speak even a word about Anne Boleyn. Strange enough, for a ghost, everyone knew her story. Born into a noble house, moved to the France court when she was young. Enchanted everyone there, came back to England later in life. Her sister was one of the king’s mistresses, and as such she was married to a fellow noble. But Anne wanted more, and she could just have it all.

Charming means extremely pleasing or delightful.

Things went wrong as everyone knew. You don’t have to argue with a king, but she did. And it costed her head.

Getting to know Anne was weird. There was just a light in her, something captivating. You couldn’t just take your eyes away from her. She didn’t even need words sometime to make you feel enchanted by her presence. You would just know when she walked into a room because it was impossible not to see her.

Attractive means having or relating to the power to attract. For example, “attractive forces between molecules”. Carl Sagan (an American astronomer, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, science popularizer, and science communicator) once said: “But the essence of life is not so much the atoms and simple molecules that make us up as the way in which they are put together.”. What leads us to other meaning of the word, which is arousing interest or pleasure, appealing.

The way Anne molecules and atoms were put together was really appealing, Cathy would say. That could give the conclusion that Anne Boleyn was an arousing interest or pleasure, what people would like to describe as attractive.

Catherine Parr thought Anne Boleyn was attractive.

Crush is a transitive verb, that means to squeeze or force by pressure so as to alter or destroy structure.

Crush, described by Urban Dictionary meant a person who gives you butterflies and makes your heart beat faster. A person that you can’t describe in a word, but multiple words. A person you can’t get off your mind.

Maybe Catherine had a crush on Anne. And maybe that’s why she couldn’t pick up a word for her, but the problem was that even choosing a thousand different words, she still couldn’t describe the queen. It wasn’t a matter of quantity, but rather quality. There was no word good enough for Anne, even if Catherine loved words, she loved Anne even more.

(…)

Catherine of Aragon was wardship.

Wardship means care and protection of a ward.

It was an elegant word, not so used nowadays, that made Cathy think about her past life.

Mary was four years younger than Cathy. And Catherine was twenty-seven years older. Maybe that’s why when they reincarnated Catherine took Cathy like the daughter she lost. Giving her protection, even when Parr was the second more aware of what went down in history, the first being Anna.

Catherine really became in that life the godmother she wasn’t in the past one, helping Cathy and taking care of her. Buying gifts and planning short trips. Talking her out of bad decisions and offering advice.

Her word was wardship, because it was an echo of an old life, but turned into the new one. It was her word because she made Cathy thought of her as someone she could go to and be safe.

(…)

Jane Seymour was loving.

Loving could mean affectionate (feeling or showing affection or warm regard) or painstaking (taking pains: expending, showing, or involving diligent care and effort).

In a first life, Catherine would have added a self before that word. After all, deep, really deep down they knew Jane loved Henry, even if he was gruesome, hideous, repulsive, poor excuse of a man, Jane did. And she did what she had to do to get him. That included Anne’s execution.

But now Jane had changed. The love of a mother some might say, even if she wasn’t a mother for a long time. She sure acted like a mother to Katherine, helping her through nightmares and panic attacks.

Jane tried to show her love to everyone. She was open about her feelings. Loved to make gifts that demonstrated how much thought she put into it.

Her word was loving because of the sweet warm that emanated from her. Not exactly a mother to Parr, but definitely someone she could go after a long night and know she would receive the attention she sometimes craved.

(…)

Anna of Cleves was a bitch.

Bitch is informal, often offensive: a malicious, spiteful, or overbearing woman.

Anna was a total bitch because she could see through Catherine’s feelings. And totally mocked her about her crush on Boleyn.

Anna of Cleve’s word was bitch, and there is no need explanation.

(…)

Katherine Howard’s word was shatterable.

Shatterable means capable of being shattered. To break at once into pieces.

Catherine saw Howard break too many times, into too many pieces, into too many times.

Howard shattered in two pieces, her body and her head. Luckily beheading was not a thing in modern times.

But outside that, Parr always feared for Kat. She wanted nothing more to try to help and protect her from any harm that might come to her. Too many bad things had already happened to the young girl, she didn’t deserve anymore harm.

Katherine’s word was shatterable because Catherine always feared she might shatter at any moment.

(…)

None of them were just a word, of course. It would be offensive and totally not okay. But for Catherine they could still be described by the words she knew. Not even in the new words she found out the world created.

Internet says there are one hundred seventy-one thousand four hundred seventy-six words in use nowadays and forty-seven thousand one hundred fifty-six obsolete words. That just being in English. In Spanish there are about one hundred fifty thousand words. This leads to a total of at least three hundred sixty-eight thousand six hundred thirty-two words. And still it wasn’t enough for Parr to describe Anne Boleyn.

Impossible means incapable of being or of occurring.

(…)

Working in her research at night was something that she noticed helped her. Tiring her brain after reading a lot of new sources of material was what she usually needed before a peaceful sleep. If she wasn’t tired enough, nightmares were a normal occurrence.

That’s why she was awake and could hear steps in the kitchen, so she decided to investigate.

Unsettling means having the effect of upsetting, disturbing, or discomposing.

Luckily, it wasn’t a ghost. Just Anne grabbing a snack.

“Why are you awake?” Boleyn asks, taking a bite of her chocolate bar.

“I don’t sleep a lot.” Parr replies, sitting beside the woman. “Why are you awake?”

“Just can’t sleep, my mind doesn’t let me.” She takes a deep breath.

“Why don’t we go to bed and I will sing you a song.”

They both laughed lightly, but Anne nodded. They headed to her room, and in the dark of the night Catherine started thinking.

Lullaby can be a noun or a verb. The noun lullaby means a song to quiet children or lull them to sleep. The verb lullaby means to quiet with or as if with a lullaby.

“There is this really dark lullaby, called duermete niño, it’s in Spanish as you can imagine.”

“Isn’t it like ‘Sleep, child’?” Anne questions. “My Spanish is really rusty.”

“Yes, it’s that. Except that the lyrics are ‘duérmete ya, que viene el coco y te comerá’ which is basically ‘sleep now, or a monster will come and eat you’.”

“It sounds terrifying for kids.” Boleyn waits a minute before talking. “I used to sing French lullabies to Elizabeth.”

“She loved lullabies.”

“Really?”

“Yes, her favourite was a French one.”

Añoranza is a Spanish word. It is a feeling of sadness about the remoteness, absence, privation or loss of someone or something dear. Synonyms in English could be nostalgia, yearning, longing. Sense of loss.

(…)

Catherine Parr loved words, because words hold so much power.

That is something she learnt in her past life.

"Off with their heads!” is a phrase spoken by the Queen of Hearts in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Somebody who also knew the power of words was Anna of Cleves. What someone says to you, even if that person is the embodiment of stupidity, can cause problems. Maybe that’s why she was the one who liked make-up the most in their group.

“You should tell Boleyn how you feel about her” Parr denies with her head.

“No, no way.”

“I thought it was Aragon’s quote.” Cleves mocks. “But really, you should tell her. It’s painful to watch you following her around as if she was, I don’t know, the queen.”

“Funny” Catherine says, rolling her eyes. “I don’t know how to say it.”

“Yes, you do.”

“I really don’t.” Cathy stares at the nothing, trying to process thoughts into words. “It’s like when she in front of me I go totally numb. I have no way to move, or talk, or thinking. Every single part of her is distracting, and I can’t take my eyes or my brain away from her. I start searching for words but nothing is enough. She is more of what I can explain.”

“Then, my friend, you are in deep shit.”

Deep shit means to be in trouble.

Cleves stands up to leave the room.

“Anna” Catherine calls. “Can you not tell this to anyone?”

There is nervousness in her voice, she can totally feel it.

“I wasn’t planning telling anyone.”

“Thank you.”

“That’s what friends are for.”

Friendship means the state of being friends.

Catherine Parr considered Anna a bitch, but she also considered her a friend, a close friend, if not the closest. Once upon a time she would think it was weird to think of someone as both of those things, but it was as simply as that. You can love to pieces and still know that they have flaws.

Realism is the theory or practice of fidelity in art and literature to nature or to real life and to accurate representation without idealization.

And if Catherine was going to be honest, she knew that Anna was just making what she thought was correct, even when it bothered Parr. Anna always tried to do the good, right thing, and that’s what they all loved her.

(…)

Writing has always been her thing, but when her mind could not longer escape the thoughts about Anne, she decided it was a time to stop. Of course, she tried writing to Anne, but nothing convinced her to send it. So now, with everyone asleep, was the perfect moment to tell her.

Or maybe it wasn’t, but she couldn’t wait.

Midnight is the middle of the night, more specifically, 12 o’clock at night.

Parr knocks the door twice. “Anne?”

She hears nothing, and is about to go back to her room, just as the door opens.

Unexpected means not expected. Expect means to consider probable or certain. Probable means establishing a probability. Probability means something (such as an event or circumstance) that is probable.

“Cathy? Are you here?” Anne is moving a hand in front of her eyes. “You zoomed out.”

“I- Yes- Sorry- Just-“

“Breathe Catherine, come in.”

She opens the door to let her in and then closes, trying not to make noise.

“What’s going on?”

“I have to tell you something.”

There is some tension in the air. Something not said between them.

“I’m in love with you.” Anne says first.

Unexpected, could be use for example as: “Anne Boleyn being in love with her was totally unexpected for Catherine Parr.”

“Good.” Catherine does not smile, instead looks at Anne.

“Just good? That’s all?” her face falls.

Catherine makes a sudden move, kissing Anne. At first, she doesn’t respond, but after a second she does. Soon it starts getting more, and more comfortable, relaxing into the kiss. Anne’s hands go to Cathy’s hair and neck, while Parr’s goes to Boleyn’s waist. They break the kiss laughing.

They let themselves fall into the bed once again.

Probability means a logical relation between statements such that evidence confirming one confirms the other to some degree.

“I came to tell you that I am in love with you” Catherine says, she moved forward to cup Anne’s cheek with her hand. “I am so in love with you that I have no words to describe it, I can’t explain how much I admire you. I think that you are smart, and kind, and so, so beautiful. You are also sarcastic, and can be bloody difficult to deal with, but I still love when you are like that. Because I am in love with every single piece of you. I love the good, the bad, the neutral things. I love your eyes, and I love it when you are mad and your crinkle. I love you truly, the real you. Not what you show, or what you like of you. I love everything, and I want to have the chance to keep loving you. Because, Anne Boleyn, I’m head over heels for you.”

Head over heels means in love. Love can mean attraction based on sexual desire: affection and tenderness felt by lovers.

Love is also what Catherine Parr feels for Anne Boleyn, and love is not something you plan or define like words. Intense love can’t be defined by just words, so they define it every day, with actions, with kisses, with thoughts, and sometimes, they also rely in words.

Catherine Parr was a writer; has always been.

She is also a lover; Anne Boleyn turned her into one.

[claudia1829things]

"THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" (1977) Review

"THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" (1977) Review I have seen my share of movie and television productions that are based on novels and plays by Alexandre Dumas père and his son Alexandre Dumas fils And for some reason, I never get tired of watching them - over and over again. And one of them is the 1977 television movie, "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK".

Directed by Mike Newell and adapted by William Bast, "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" is loosely based on Alexandre Dumas père's 1847-50 novel, "The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later". The novel was the third and last of the author's "The d'Artagnan Romances" literary trilogy, following "The Three Musketeers" and "Twenty Years After". The movie begins with Philippe Bourbon being snatched by a group of mysterious men from his small French estate and imprisoned at the Bastille. It turns out that the men behind this kidnapping is King Louis XIV's finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert and the head of the Musketeers, D'Artagnan. Aware that Philippe is the twin brother of the king (and the rightful monarch of France), the pair plan to conduct a bloodless coup to eventually switch Philippe with the corrupt and malicious Louis. However, their plans are stymied when the Chevalier Duval, an aide of the also corrupt Superintendent of Finances Nicolas Fouquet, stumbles across Philippe. Fouquet, via instructions from Louis, orders Duval to take Philippe from the Bastille and install him in another prison on the coast. Fortunately for Colbert and D'Artagnan, they learn of Philippe's fate from Louis' reluctant and disenchanted mistress Louise de La Vallière and plot to rescue the royal twin and continue with their plot to replace him with Louis. When I saw "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" for the first time, I thought it was perfect. Flawless. And it became one of my favorite Alexandre Dumas adaptations and television movies for years. After my recent viewing of the television movie, I now realize that it is not perfect. I feel that screenwriter William Bast had changed one aspect of Dumas' novel, "The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later", that had an impact on the 1977 movie's narrative. The novel had portrayed Louis as the older twin and rightful king of France. For some reason, Bast had made Philippe the oldest twin. Why? I have no idea. To justify Philippe's theft of the French throne? Unfortunately, this narrative change left me wondering why Philippe, as the "older twin" was not allowed to be his father's heir and later, successor. In one scene, Colbert explained that former French minister and lover of the twins' mother Queen Anne, Cardinal Mazarin, had Philippe taken away following the latter's birth, in order to manipulate then King Louis XIII. This explanation struck me as lame and confusing. And Bast should have never changed this aspect of Dumas' plot. Many moviegoers have become increasingly critical of any production that have not closely adhere to its literary source over the years. I have no idea how many of them felt about this 1977 television movie. But I have a pretty good idea how I feel about it. Although I found the major change mentioned in the above paragraph troubling, I had no problems with many of other Bast's changes. I have read Dumas' novel. It was interesting . . . to say the least. I have no problems reading or watching a story with a downbeat ending if it suits the narrative or if I am in the mood to embrace it. I have never been in the mood to embrace Dumas' 1847-50 novel. Which would probably explain why I enjoyed the changes in this adaptation a lot. But wait . . . extreme changes had been made in other adaptations of "The Vicomte de Bragelonne". What was it about this particular adaptation that I enjoyed? I found it better written than the other adaptations. For me, "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" was a tight and well-written story that did not drag or rush the movie's narrative. Which is more than I can say for Dumas' story. Most Dumas' adaptations tend to be part-dramas/part-swashbucklers. "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" - at least this version - seemed to be eighty-five percent drama and fifteen percent action. In fact, the only real action sequence in this production turned out to be D'Artagnan's rescue of Philippe from the coastal prison. And if I must be honest, I thought Mike Newell's direction, Freddie Young's cinematography and Bill Blunden's editing made that sequence a tense, yet exciting affair. However, the meat of "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" centered around its dramatic scenes. Thanks to Newell's direction, Bast's screenplay and a talented cast, the television movie featured some very memorable scenes. Among my favorites are Philippe's discovery that he is the King of France's twin brother, Louis' malicious reaction to his failure to impress Louise de La Vallière, a tense conversation between Philippe and Queen Marie-Therese, and the last verbal duel between Colbert and Fouquet. If I had to select my absolute favorite scene, it had to be the one that featured Louis' "Sun King" ballet, Louise's failure to be impressed and Louis' malicious act of using the Queen as a scapegoat for his embarrassment. As I had earlier stated, the dramatic scenes in "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" would have never been fully satisfying to me without its top notch cast. Yes, there were solid performances from the likes of Denis Lawson, Hugh Fraser and Brenda Bruce. But I found myself impressed by other members of the cast. They include Vivien Merchant, who did an excellent job in conveying Queen Marie-Therese's mixed emotions toward her emotionally abusive spouse - whether it was desire, resentment or a combination of both. Ian Holm was excellent as Minister Fouchet's aide, the Chevalier Duval, who seemed to be brimming with cunning intelligence and stealth. I would never associate Louis Jordan portraying a swashbuckling figure. But I must admit that he made an excellent man-of-action in his portrayal of the experienced, competent and quick-thinking D'Artagnan. Jenny Agutter gave a sublime and passionate performance as Louise de La Vallière, Louis' reluctant mistress who ended up falling in love with the latter's twin. Ralph Richardson's portrayal of France's finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert struck me as one of the more entertaining performances in the production. I found Richardson's Colbert cunning, intelligent, patient and more importantly - at least to me - witty. I have seen Patrick McGoohan in several heroic and villainous roles. But I must admit that his Nicolas Fouquet struck me as one of the most subtlety portrayed villains I have ever seen on screen. McGoohan's Fouquet could put Sheev Palpatine from the STAR WARS saga when it comes to subtle villainy. And I like subtle villains. I find them more dangerous. If I had to give an award for the best performance in "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK", I would give it to its leading man, Richard Chamberlain. Mind you, Chamberlain had to portray two characters - the decent, yet slightly hot-headed Philippe Bourbon; and the vain and egotistic King Louis XIV. Mind you, I thought Chamberlain did an excellent job of conveying Philippe's sense of confusion, anger and passion. But the actor's portrayal of Louis literally knocked my socks off. Chamberlain's performance was not over-the-top. He did a subtle job of conveying Louis' villainy. And yet, he managed to inject a great deal of - how can I put it - joie de vivre quality in his performance that I found truly entertaining. There was no doubt that Chamberlain's Louis was a villain. But his Louis proved to be one of the most entertaining villains I have seen on screen. I realize that I have yet to discuss the television movie's production values. We are talking about the 1970s. Although I can recall a good number of television miniseries with first-rate production values, I cannot say the same about several period television productions from both sides of the Atlantic. And "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" is a television movie with a 100 minutes running time. However, I thought its production values were first-rate. Despite being a made-for-TV movie, "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" was shot on several locations in both France and Great Britain. Thankfully, Freddie Young's photography did an excellent job in enhancing those locations. John Stoll took advantage of those locations and skillfully re-created France and Louis XIV's court of the late 1660s or early 1670s. I am not an expert of 17th century fashion - in France or anywhere else. I have no idea whether Olga Lehmann's costume designs or Betty Glasow's hairstyle are historically accurate. But I cannot deny that I found the hairstyles satisfying and Lehman's costumes beautiful, as shown below:

In the end, I am happy to state that "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" remains one of my all time favorite adaptations of an Alexandre Dumas père novel. Despite my quibble of one of William Bast's changes in Dumas' story, I feel more than satisfied with his other changes and thought he had presented a first-rate story. And my satisfaction also extends to Mike Newell's top-notch direction and the excellent performances from a cast led by the always superb Richard Chamberlain.

[letterboxd]

Grand Gestures.

Casually breaking new ground for the rom-com genre, writer-director Natalie Krinsky tells Dominic Corry about creating her quietly revolutionary new film The Broken Hearts Gallery—while leading man Dacre Montgomery reveals his Letterboxd habits.

“Good, bad, ugly. The whole lot. I love reading the bad reviews. I’m all about it.” —Dacre Montgomery

An antidote to 2020 malaise if ever there was one, the upbeat, emotionally frank and unapologetically sentimental new big-screen romantic comedy The Broken Hearts Gallery is here to lift your spirits and mend your broken heart.

Blockers and Bad Education star Geraldine Viswanathan leads the film as Lucy, a New York art gallery assistant prone to hoarding physical memorabilia from past relationships. After being dumped and fired in quick succession, Lucy meet-cutes Nick (Stranger Things break-out Dacre Montgomery), an aspiring hotelier with a large empty space on his hands, in which Lucy decides to stage the titular pop-up exhibition, filled with objects representing lost loves.

Proving there are still plenty of new places to go in the well-worn rom-com genre, Krinsky’s film is generating passionate responses on Letterboxd, where fans are celebrating its contemporary sensibility. “Refreshingly modern,” writes Anne. “Diversity is easily achieved and there’s really no heteronormativity. People are just people, love is just love, and that’s what wins me over.”

“Definitely a very 2020 film,” writes Jovi. “It couldn’t have been written in the same way even ten years ago. It captures being in your twenties in the modern day perfectly.” “Bloody loved the female empowerment and the unconventional narrative and characters,” enthuses Meg.

Geraldine Viswanathan and Dacre Montgomery in ‘The Broken Hearts Gallery’.

Reading through the reviews, the most common reaction is praise for how unapologetically inclusive the film is, in a way that feels appallingly novel for a mainstream film. As Krinsky explains it, “I wanted to make a film that was reflective of the world that I see around me and the world that these characters would inhabit if they lived amongst us mortals.” Or, as Montgomery casually states, “I think it’s where we’re at in 2020 with casting and stuff.” The ease with which the film does this indicts most of modern cinema for its lack of representation.

Krinsky’s inclusive casting and characterization decisions stretch across the entire cast, encompassing that essential feature of modern rom-coms: the quirky ‘best friend’. As well as lending authenticity and personality to the leading characters’ lives, the bestie is often where the ‘com’ in rom-com comes in. The Broken Hearts Gallery has an abundance of quirksters, from Lucy’s roommates (who include Hamilton’s Phillipa Soo as saucy, serial heartbreaker Nadine) to Nick’s straight-talking BFF Marcos (a very funny Arturo Castro).

But the chemistry between the central couple is everything in romantic comedies, and The Broken Hearts Gallery benefits greatly from its fresh-faced, emerging-star leads, both of whom are Australian. “We had a rapport with each other much faster maybe than usual,” Montgomery says of his and Viswanathan’s shared background. “I haven't worked with an Australian actor or actress overseas so that was really nice. She’s a wildly talented, comedic actress. It was my first foray into this sort of genre. I was sort of shit-scared and she’s really held my hand through it.”

Geraldine Viswanathan and director Natalie Krinsky.

Krinksy, likewise, was blown away by Viswanathan’s talents, having seen her work in Blockers and Hala. “She does this great physical comedy in Blockers, and then in Hala, she plays this really vulnerable, dramatic teenage role. I was so taken by her ability to pull both of those completely different parts off. I just immediately had this feeling, which I hadn’t ever had before, of: ‘this is Lucy’. She’s got this comedic timing that is very much like Lucille Ball, it’s got this effervescence to it. She’s able to do so much without saying a word. And then she opens her mouth and it’s a gift.”

It’s no small thing for Viswanathan to have been cast as Lucy. Many an actor’s career has been made by a leading role in a romantic comedy, and—current industry upheaval notwithstanding—Viswanathan looks set to break out even further with her performance here. Montgomery’s and Krinsky’s enthusiasm for her work echoes a central theme in The Broken Hearts Gallery: when Montgomery first met with writer-director Krinsky about the film, she told him the story was somewhat inspired by the idea of seeing men support women in their careers, as Nick does with Lucy. “That was a big thing for me,” he explains, “because I have a lot of really strong women in my life that have supported me—my partner, my mum, my grandmother, so on and so forth.”

Those who know Montgomery from Stranger Things will be interested to learn why he pivoted to romantic comedy. He tells us he was looking for something diametrically opposed to his break-out performance in that show. “As a viewer, I love comedy. As an actor, can’t think of anything scarier. I function in this realm of ‘plan, prepare, do everything the way I know’. The great thing about this was it was ever-evolving. It really did force me to come out of my comfort zone.” (Montgomery will pivot again for his next role, which he says is “kind of a dream role. I can’t speak about it now… Again, it’s 180 degrees in the other direction, so it is a wild ride.”)

Krinsky is also switching things up, career-wise. The Broken Hearts Gallery is her first feature film, after cutting her teeth in television writers’ rooms (Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, 90210). She credits that environment for training her to fix storytelling problems on the fly. A story a decade in the making, Broken Hearts came from her own romantic aspirations and fears. “I had had many conversations like [the one Lucy has early in the film with Max (Utkarsh Ambudkar), where he dumps her after telling her she’s ‘a blast’]. So that certainly came from my life. I’d been fired from my job. I was moving apartments and I was going through the detritus of these past relationships and kind of trying to figure out what I was going to keep and what I was going to hold on to. You kind of pepper in those things [that are] reflective of relationships in your twenties.”

‘The Broken Hearts Gallery’ director Natalie Krinsky.

Going into the film, Krinsky was very conscious of trying to set it apart from rom-coms that have come before. “Making a good romantic comedy is actually quite difficult because it’s so well-trodden, and because there are beats that we want. We want to cheer for two people falling in love. Because of that, my philosophy going into this was very much centered around Lucy. We’ve seen a lot of romantic comedies in the past where we see a woman trying to fit herself into a mold in order to be with someone and ultimately realizing, ‘Oh, that mold isn’t who I am’. Lucy is a character who certainly has her foibles and has her anxieties and has her eccentricities, but she consistently asks the world to love her because she is weird, not despite the fact that she is weird. That messaging was really important to me.”

In another case of the film gently nudging the rom-com genre forward, it acknowledges how ridiculous grand romantic gestures can be, but still manages to include a few. Krinsky believes there is room for grand gestures in real life. “I certainly hope so. I would like a grand gesture every once in a while��wouldn’t we all? We deserve it. I’m a little bit hopelessly romantic in that way. And I will say I like the surprise. To be able to just, show up home and say, ‘I was walking around today and I saw this cactus. And I thought of you. And here it is.’ Maybe that’s not so grand, but it’s the gesture at least.”

We note that another unique aspect of The Broken Hearts Gallery is the feeling that it doesn’t seem like it’s going to live or die on whether or not the two main characters end up together. “I think they both needed to confront a little bit of who they were,” Krinksy agrees. “Which I always think is the truth about really falling in love, is that in order to have a good relationship, you need to have a good one with yourself first.”

Clearly a huge fan of the genre, we ask Krinsky to recommend her favorites from the canon. “I love some of our recent classics. When Harry Met Sally is a perfect romantic comedy. Bridget Jones’s Diary is a perfect romantic comedy. I love Clueless—even though it’s more com than rom. And then I really love some of the older ones. Broadcast News is one of my all time favorites. Going back even further two of my go-tos that hold up today are His Girl Friday and It Happened One Night. Those two, especially if you’re talking about the ‘strong female lead’, they held them in spades and that fast quippy dialogue I just really live for.”

Montgomery, meanwhile, turns out to be somewhat of a cinephile, something he cultivated as a teenager in the Australian suburbs. “I worked at McDonald’s and I spent all my money on going to [electronics and DVD store] JB Hi-Fi. That’s my childhood in a nutshell. Growing up, I was either at the cinema or in my room and spending all my money on DVDs. All my friends worked at video stores. That was kind of my jam.”

And then—mic drop—Montgomery casually shares the news that he has a secret Letterboxd account. Yes, dear reader, it appears that Dacre is a full-on ’boxd-head. “Oh yeah. I mean, that’s why I was so happy that this [interview] was coordinated. Other than obviously having a chance to talk to you just in general to chat about the platform, it’s a combination of a couple of things that I’m going to put quickly in a couple of words: obviously you can create watchlists on Disney+, Netflix and so on. But then you’ve got so many bloody platforms, all of your lists are in different spaces and all of your movies are spread out on different platforms.

“For me, the biggest role for [Letterboxd] is I can formulate everything in one place, on one platform and look at it. It’s just got so … much … stuff. If I’m up for a horror movie, but I want it set in the snow, I can log on there and it’s, like, The Thing, Hold The Dark. All these great movies. Which I love. And I can read reviews of them before or after.”

Montgomery’s partner is also on Letterboxd, as is his childhood best friend. “Every time we leave the cinema, he gets on Letterboxd and writes a review—his honest, immediate reaction to what he’s just seen. It’s the first thing he does. It’s a great outlet for him. He’s had filmmakers reach out to him, which is another lovely thing. I think a lot of the arts and creative community is actually active on that platform. My buddy just spent the $20 for the year thing and now he can see what his top actors are that he watches, what’s his most-watched decade. I love that sort of stuff. I’m such a cinephile, to be able to collate everything into one sort of succinct thing—that’s my dream.”

Naturally, we ask Montgomery to represent his home country and name-check some Aussie films and filmmakers. “Obviously I’m still quite young, but a lot of cinema like Felony, The Rover, Animal Kingdom, that whole sort of genre, like all the David Michôd films. That sort of realm, I loved growing up. Baz Luhrmann’s films, obviously. Don McAlpine, Australian cinematographer. Bruce Beresford. There’s such an amazing pedigree of actors as well, most recently, obviously the Edgertons [Joel and Nash], Ben Mendelsohn, Heath, obviously, and Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman.”

Curious to learn more about why a bona-fide star would lurk on Letterboxd where his own performances are ranked, rated and reviewed, we ask Montgomery: what does he get out of it? “I don't have this in-built bias or expectation, even though you’d think I would to kind of go, ‘Why didn’t they like that?’ I love reading the bad reviews. I’m all about it. I’m just interested to see what they engaged with. I think that’s the great thing about Letterboxd as opposed to any other platform is that I can just kind of log in under my alias and read everyone’s uninhibited dialogue that’s come out just after they’ve seen the film. And I love that. Good, bad, ugly. The whole lot. I think it’s the coolest thing ever.”

So then, the final, obvious question: has he been reading the Broken Hearts reviews? “I love to look up the Broken Hearts Gallery page. I think people are just enjoying this level of escapism. If they had the ability to go to a drive-in or to the cinema, wherever they are, people are just kind of going ‘it was so nice to get out of my house and out of my head’. It’s what any cinema tries to do, that level of escapism. I think it couldn’t have come at a better time. Once it’s done its cinematic release, it’ll be on streamers and then people can have that level of escapism who weren’t able to go to the cinema, so that’s really nice.”

Prepare yourself for The Broken Hearts Gallery by checking out this extremely thorough Letterboxd list of romantic comedies, expand your romantic comedy horizons with this list of South Korean rom-coms, and get a feel for where Letterboxd members are at, rom-com-wise, with this romantic comedy showdown.

‘The Broken Hearts Gallery’ is in theaters where possible. Dacre Montgomery’s first book of poetry will be released in October. Comments have been edited for clarity and length.

[idanit]

Yuletide 2019 recs

Yuletide 2020 is upon us, so what better way to get into the spirit than to finally finish that rec post I started compiling months and months ago? For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, Yuletide is an annual exchange centred around small fandoms and I love it fiercely. If you have canons you love, but which don’t have much of a fandom, there’s no better way to get some content for them than to participate.

Yuletide 2019 was the first edition I took part in and I read around 60 stories from the collection. These are my favourites, loosely grouped by canons or themes. There’s some experimental stuff, some crack treated seriously, some fluff, some character studies, and lots of excellent writing and cool concepts inside. The fics are mostly very short and most of them are inspired by book canons because I’m me.

Girls from past centuries, now older

A niveous vignette, or a snow story Anne of Green Gables | T (F/F) | 1K Cozy winter fluff you can wrap around yourself like a blanket. Anne and Diana live together and Rachel Lynde makes sure the rest of Avonlea doesn’t whisper a single bad word about it.

A teacher’s work is never done Anne of Green Gables | G (F/F) | 0.3K ...and this is what Anne’s teaching life could be like if she lived with Diana. I loved this little glimpse into how an older queer person might support a stray younger one.

Altogether Too Queenly Anne of Green Gables | T (F/F) | 2K  Katherine Brooke longs for Anne Shirley despite herself. It was a really nice character study and Katherine is sometimes altogether too relatable.

Discipulae A Little Princess | G (F&F) | 6K Sara uses her fortune to learn new things and encourages Becky, who remains faithfully at her side, to also acquire new skills. They make sure that those who might be less fortunate have good lives, as they always did. It was a lovely and a wholly believable extension of the canon.

Secrets You Keep Alice in Wonderland | G | 0.1K And, at last, a little 100-word snack. Alice from Wonderland, grown up. I love the first sentence.

Children

Stretched Too Thin His Dark Materials | G | 1K This was a fic with some of my favourite things from this canon: Lyra’s Oxford years, rulebreaking, rooftopping, shapeshifting, and a focus on the relationship between her and Pan. Very nice.

Free To The People. A Series of Unfortunate Events | G | 1K An excellent Snicket voice. The Baudelaires in a library.

Iconic male duos of classic literature

Ubi sunt gaudia Raffles | G (M/M) | 5K  Raffles and Bunny and Christmas in the countryside, quite atmospheric.

Relics Frankenstein | G (M/M) | 5K Written like the novel is written—serious, heavy, slow and so good. Victor is dead, but Robert can’t move on just yet. The necessary conclusion of this one made something in me want to protest, which just goes to show that the fic made me feel things.

The Vast Unknown Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea | G | 3K Aronnax doesn’t leave and things have to change. It reads like Verne, in a very good way, and contains some linguistic tidbits I really enjoyed.

beautiful meanings in ugly things The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde (Comics), The Picture of Dorian Gray | T (M/M) | 5K What delightful writing and characters. The investigation runs parallel to the romance, one complementing the other.

Full House 221B Baker Towers | NR | 9K A casefic made all the more interesting by the setting and the characterizations of John and Sherlock. I wish there was more of this to read.

beneath closed eyelids I do not cease to guard this  A Study in Emerald | T (M/M) | 2K A character study of Watson. I really liked the loving, desperate arms this fic extends towards the canon, once-removed (the Arthur Conan Doyle’s one) at the end.

Ancient times

New Under Heaven Akkadian Empire RPF | G | 0.3K Enheduanna was the first poet we know the name of. This is an intriguing triple drabble, a glimpse into what she might have been like.

Easy to Love Tanakh | G (M/F, M/M) | 1K This one has an extremely unusual narrative voice for a fic—one of an experienced, loud, oral, old-timey storyteller. It’s short, it’s chilling, it has an interesting idea, it reminds me of what fanfic can do as a piece of transformative writing.

Aliens, magic, ghosts and sentient vehicles

Strange Fandom Strange Planet | T | 0.1K A bite-sized explanation of what fics are, Strange Planet-style. 

Ain Humans Are Space Orcs (meme) | G | 1K Blessed be confusion! Two species meet on a planet that has been saved from a supernova blast. A fascinating glimpse into what feels like a rich world.

The Bargain 19th Century CE German Literature RPF | G | 4K There’s music and magic and deals made with folk creatures. I really enjoyed the main character—rational, but still a child with a childlike imagination—and the place art has in this world.

Rotten Heart Behind You (webcomic) | T | 5K  This one has a very fun protagonist for a ghost story and some enjoyable trope subversions. I called it a student gothic, the giftee called it an academic thriller.

12foot4 11Foot8 Bridge (anthropomorphic) | G | 2K An adorable story (very nicely) written for a cracky prompt. Cars and bridges are sentient and surprisingly relatable.

The Author of the Acacia Seeds

An Orchid Keeps Its Secrets G | 1K Art can sometimes transcend species. Orchids write fanfiction. I loved this so much—a worthy fic to a great canon.

Mother Bonesplitter's Children G | 2K This one is just as worthy. It’s a fictional academic paper related to a paradigm-shifting fictional conference about some fascinating ideas and hyenas.

4′33″

Portable 4′33″ G | 0K For starters: the experience of the piece, presented as an app/game for our modern sensibilities.

273 Moments of Silence. G (F/F, F/M) | 2K Sentences full of silence that IMO could work as guided meditation.

John Cage Collaborates with the Archive's Terms of Service G | 0K Socratic dialogue. Is 4'33" music? Is this a fanfic?

The Sound Of A Yuletide Fic Not Being Written. G | 1K And a fun meta thing to finish it off. If you’ve ever struggled with your Yuletide assignment, you will probably relate.

[hurtfm]

                                          〔  MADISON BAILEY, 22, CIS FEMALE 〕                                         ╰  TROYE KENNEDY  just  came  over  half - blood  hill .  you  know ,  the  child  of  APOLLO  who  was  claimed  three  months  ago ?  i’ve  heard  chiron  say  that  she  is  PASSIONATE & WARM ,  but  if  you  ask  the  aphrodite  kids ,  they’d  say  they’re  MEDDLESOME & NAIVE .  i’d  say  they  remind  me  of  hearing  whispers  in  the  wind  that  no  one  else  seems  to  notice ,   leaving  kiss  marks  on  a  love letter ,   quietly  humming  while  doing  chores ,  especially  since  they’re  FOR THE NEW CABINS .       

hello  beans !   i’m  weachy   &   this  right  here  is  troye  kennedy .   she  is  a  brand  spankin’  new  muse   &   i’m  so  excited  to  figure  her  out  as  time  goes  on !   however ,   what  i  do  know  about  her  is  under  the  cut .   trigger  warning  for  slight  mentions  of  injury   &   excessive  rambling  as  i  truthfully  don’t  know  when  to  shut  up   ––   like  right  now !   anyways ,   as  always ,   if  you  would  like  to  plot  with  her ,   go  ahead  and   press  that  little  heart  to  the  side   &   i’ll  snake  into  your  ims !   i’m  so  excited  to  be  here  and  join  all  of  you !

full name :  troye  brightly  kennedy date  of  birth :  march  18th ,  1998   (  making  her  a  pisces  ) gender :   cis  female pronouns :  she / her sexual  orientation :  bisexual  /  biromantic goldy  parent  :  apollo  (  god of music ,  poetry ,  healing ,  medicine ,  archery  ) family  :  apollo  (  father  )  ,  tawni  kennedy  (  mother  )  ,  brother  wc  up  on  the  main . playlist :  aint  no  sunshine  (  bill  withers  )  ,  sweet  creature  (  harry  styles  )  ,  talking  to  the  moon  (  bruno  mars  )  ,  i  hope  you  dance  (  lee  ann  womack  )  ,  &  dust  to  dust  (  the  civil  wars  ) influences : jenny  humphrey  (  gossip  girl  /  solely  season  one  jenny  no  other  jenny’s  exist  to  me  )  ,  maria  (  from  the  song  maria  maria  by  carlos  santana  )  ,  nadia  shanaa  (  elite  )  ,  &  donna  sheridan  (  mamma  mia  )   tropes :  ingenue  &  girl  next  door pinterest :  linked  here !

01 .  past .

   troye’s  like  was  everything  ordinary  half  a  year  ago .   well ,  as  ordinary  as  it  came .   she  had  an  older  brother   &   a  mother   &   they  lived  in  uptown ,   a  chicago  suburb .   there  wasn’t  much  talk  about  her  and  her  brother’s  fathers .   they’d  always  known  they  were  half  siblings ,   but  any  attempt  to  ask  their  mother  about  them ,   they  were  quickly  shut  down .   by  the  time  both  of  them  were  in  school ,   it  seemed  as  though  life  had  gotten  much  harder .   it  was  extremely  hard  for  them  to  focus ,   and  they  figured  the  dyslexia  was  a  trait  passed  down  by  their  mother .

   school  was  absolutely  difficult  for  troye .   she  wasn’t  interested  in  math  or  history   &   she  sure  as  hell  struggled  in  most  active  parts  of  her  schooling .   however ,   in  music  class ,   it  was  almost  as  if  the  music  moved  her ,   she  swayed  and  felt  the  notes  in  her  bones .   almost  as  if  listening  to  music  gave  her  the  energy  to  survive  a  strenuous  day .   as  she  went  through  school ,   making  her  do  her  homework  was  like  pulling  teeth ,   but  place  a  guitar  in  her  hand  and  she’d  go  on  for  days .

   as  for  her  mother ,   she  was  gone  quite  a  bit .   she  was  raising  two  children  on  her  own   &   had  to  provide  for  them  as  well  as  her  elderly  mother .   so  when  troye  was  not  struggling  through  school ,   she  was  typically  playing  music  for  her  grandmother  and  doing  other  adult  /   motherly  things  around  the  house .   by  the  time  she  was  twelve ,   she  could  have  been  classified   as  a  master  chef .

   only  six  months  ago  did  she  notice  an  extreme   (  what  she  thought  was  a  change  )   in  behavior .   she  had  barely  graduated  high  school   &   college  wasn’t  exactly  something  she  desired  to  complete .   instead ,   she  spent  her  time  volunteering  at  a  children’s  home  when  her  mother  and  brother  were  off  working .   she  took  her  grandmother  with  her ,   and  would  sing  songs  and  tell  stories  and  help  them  with  all  things  she  was  confident  in   ––   poetry  &  music .   however ,  one  incident  occurred  with  a  child .   unknowingly ,   she  held  the  child  and  began  to  sing .   when  the  child’s  scrapes  and  bruises  were  completely  gone ,   she  truthfully  didn’t  know  what  to  think .

   that  night ,   she  confronted  her  mother  with  her  new  found  knowledge .   it  was  only  then  that  she’d  come  forward  with  the  truth .   troye  was  a  demi  god   &   her  father  was  apollo .   troye  had  less  than  three  months  to  handle  this  new  found  knowledge  and  research  and  read  things  about  her  father  before  she  was  claimed  by  him   &   started  attending  camp .   as  a  new  camper ,   she  has  no  idea  what  she’s  getting  herself  into .

02 .  present .

  it’s  been  three  months  jam  packed  with  learning  the  knowledge  of  demi  gods   &   learning  of  the  issues  that  camp  half  blood  held .   it  seemed  obvious  to  her   ––   being  all  inclusive  was  only  fair   ––   besides ,   why  wish  troubles  on  those  just  because  you  dealt  with  them ?   she’d  never  blinked  at  the  possibility  that  not  everyone  she  be  treated  fairly .

   over  the  last  three  months ,   troye  has  been  working  on  learning  about  her  gifts  that  she  didn’t  know  about  before   (  or  didn’t  make  a  connection  to  )   she  realized  she  was  a  demi  god .   she  focused  on  the  medicine  aspect  of  her  powers   as  well  as  further  into  the  explanation  as  to  how  she  was  able  to  heal  that  child .   also ,  very  recently ,   she’s  taken  up  archery ,   and  discovering  her  gifts  with  that .   despite  never  really  being  an  active  child  and  rather  a  creative  mind ,   she  has  chosen  to  take  all  of  her  gifts  and  run  with  them ,   to  excel  and  express  herself  through  all  of  them .

03 .  personality .

   the  best  way  to  describe  her  personality  is  through  the  song  maria  maria  by  carlos  santana .   she  would  happily  give  the  clothes  off  her  back  for  anyone  she  passed  and  has  spent  the  past  twenty - two  years  of  her  life  doing  just  that .   she’d  rather  spend  her  entire  life  volunteering  and  helping  other’s  than  get  an  ounce  of  credit  for  anything  she’s  done .

   still ,   at  camp  half  blood ,   she  is  overly  protective  and  mother  like  to  anyone  she’s  met  so  far .   kind ,   down  to  earth ,   and  gentle  seem  to  be  the  most  common  phrases  people  use  to  describe  her .   fighting  is  not  her  specialty  and  something  she  definitely  does  not  excel  in  at  camp  half  blood  but  she’s  determined  to  work  on  it .   despite  her  gentle  spirit ,   being  upbeat  is  not  really  her  style .   she  is  more  of  the  type  to  have  a  soft  spoken  voice  and  only  say  what  needs  to  be  said  rather  than  filing  awkward  silences  with  words .

04 .  instances  of  her  powers  in  every  day  life .

looking  back  on  it  and  knowing  the  truth ,   troye  can’t  picture  how  she  didn’t  put  it  together :

   archery  expertise   –––   this  was  the  last  puzzle  piece  she  put  together .   it  wasn’t  exactly  an  archery  past  that  she  remembered ,   but  more  so  how  great  she’s  been  at  darts  her  whole  life .   they  had  a  dart  board  in  her  house  for  a  short  amount  of  time .   (   a  boyfriend  of  her  mother’s  had  moved  in  and  it  was  something  he  enjoyed   )  .   she’d  never  lost  when  they  played ,   and  looking  back  now  her  expertise  in  aim  definitely  aided  that .    vitakinesis   –––   this  was  described  in  an  above  section .    audiokinesis   –––   this  was  more  of  an  internal  thing  than  external .   any  songs  she  heard ,   she  could  manipulate  them  in  her  thoughts .   until  she  got  to  camp  half  blood ,   she  was  sure  that  everyone  could  do  it .   it  was  her  own  way  of  basically  remixing  songs  in  her  head ,   and  being  able  to  completely  replicate  them  the  second  she  picked  up  an  instrument .       excelling  in  the  arts   –––   the  biggest  give  away  for  this  is  the  fact  that  she  has  had  perfect  pitch  since  she  was  a  baby .   she  can  know  any  note  that  is  spoken  or  sang  the  instant  it  flows  from  one’s  mouth .

05 .  wanted  connections .

she  has  not  been  at  camp  long ,   but  disliking  her  isn’t  really  common ?   so  i’d  suspect  she  has  quite  a  bit  of  friends  as  well  as  those  that  might  share  her  interests .   she  also  loves  helping  so  if  your  muse  is  at  all  interested  in  music  or  needs  help  in  any  way ,   she  would  love  to  assist .   i  would  also  love  if  she  had  someone  assigned  to  her  to  help  train  her  to  fight  /   teach  her  aggression ?   that’s  not  really  something  that  comes  easily  to  her .   because  she’s  new ,   she  doesn’t  have  as  many  past  relationships ,  but  i  would  imagine  her  having  a  fwb  but  the  benefit  is  friendship  sorta  thing ?   she’s  a  dweeb ,  n  e  ways .

[elliemarchetti]

Holiday Inconveniences

@redqueenetwork 03 | happy holidays!

Warning: NSFW

Words: 3462

Numerous neon signs hung on the walls, illuminating the bottles of liquor behind the counter, sadly reminding her of how far away she was from home, where she would never have sat at the counter alone but at her usual table, along with her siblings and her best friend. It’s not long and you’ll be there, she told herself, taking a long sip from the bottle of cold beer, and it really was like that, but the thought wasn’t enough to make her feel less alone. Since Ann, her roommate, had left to go home to her family three days ago, the dormitory, where she hadn’t made friends with anyone else, partly thanks to her temper, partly because she shared all the courses with Ann, so she didn’t really needed another friend, had become an unsustainable place for Mare, so here she was, in a cheap bar not too far from the campus, but not too close either, to avoid making unpleasant encounters, trying to get drunk. There were still two days to spare and then the boy her mother contacted to share the car with her would pick her up and left her directly in her house’s driveway. He was the son of an old friend, or so her mother had said, but Mare hadn’t paid too much attention to her when she called, concentrating on helping Ann to choose which clothes would be good to take with her for the first holidays together with her boyfriend, a guy who was studying in another college south, though she couldn’t remember which.

“I won’t give you another one, honey, so try to enjoy it.” the waiter said without even looking up, continuing to clean the counter. Mare didn’t reply, he had already risked enough to give her a few drinks even though it was evident that she wasn’t yet twenty-one, it was understandable that he didn’t want to risk it further by letting her go out completely drunk. In order to avoid any kind of discussion, or supplication, given that the place seemed a lot like the classic one where customers desperately implored the bartender to have “only one more”, the man served the only other customer at the desk that Monday night, or that Tuesday morning, based on point of views, a plump middle-aged woman with red and swollen eyes that only confirmed Mare’s theory. At the same moment the door swung open and a guy, a little older than her, probably already in his first year at university, entered and sat down two stools away, loosening his tie and undoing the first button of a perfectly pressed white Oxford shirt. Where did he think he was, in some fancy place downtown?

“You really are very young to find yourself in such a place.” the stranger commented, evidently speaking to her.

“What do you mean with such a place?” the waiter asked, falsely offended, but the boy ignored him. They had to know each other well because the comment snatched a smile from the young man.

“I’m not young,” Mare replied, “only minute.”

“So you drink cheap beer because you miss the old days or because of lack of taste?” he asked.

Mare rolled her eyes and finally decided to look more closely at him. He was as beautiful as the California weather and couldn’t have been more different from Kilorn, her best friend, for whom she still had to decide whether or not she had a crush on. He certainly had one for her, even though he didn’t really call it a crush when he declared his love before she left for college, a couple months before, but that wasn’t the right time to think about it, not with that Greek god with bright bronze eyes that stood out on the tanned skin, in front her. Someone of this kind could’ve instilled in the average male a certain fear, but she didn’t have the feeling that he was dangerous, even though she was renowned for not having particular judgment when she drank and it was confirmed by the abundance of stories her siblings told each year when they all met for the holidays.

“Because I have no money to throw in alcohol.” she replied coldly, glancing at the glass of an expensive-looking liquor that the bartender had served him without even needing to ask. So those two didn’t just know each other but he was a regular customer.

“Do you live here?”

Mare looked at him sideways. She didn’t like the question, but her interlocutor seemed to understand, so he reformulated: “Jesus Christ, girl, where are you from? Because it’s obvious that you weren’t born here.”

“Chicago.”

“And what’s your name?”

“I’m not interested.”

“What a ugly name!” he exclaimed. “It looks like the name of someone who is running away from a man and isn’t interested in having another one.”

This time Mare looked at him bluntly. He was handsome but also presumptuous, despite having seen it right, or at least in part. She was in town because she went to college there but she was in that bar because Ann wasn’t there to help her tidy up her messy mind. What if she had returned home and Kilorn hadn’t waited for her as he had promised to do? After all, it had been almost four months since they last talked, and Mare hadn’t shown signs of returning his feelings. But yet… Yet she knew what Ann would’ve told her if she had been here: there was an attractive stranger to get distracted with for a night, why bother when she could postpone the analysis of the problem? Maybe the experience would help her understand. So she didn’t tell him she wasn’t interested in a one-night stand and answered his subsequent questions in a much more exhaustive way.

“Do you want to go?” he asked, and when she nodded he paid for both her last beer and his glass of liquor with a large banknote, leaving the bartender a huge tip, leading her to the conclusion he must also be rich. In any other situation, Mare would’ve hated him and anyone at home would’ve kicked her for even thinking about spending the night with him, but she wasn’t at home and her siblings didn’t have to know, so she let him open the door for her and take her hand on the sidewalk. He was much taller than her and being so close to him gave the feeling of being seated in the cinema’s front row, so much so that she had to lift her chin to look into his eyes and challenge him to kiss her. He immediately caught on and what began as a tender, hesitant kiss became romantic and passionate, with their lips moving in harmony. Mare felt something she had never felt before, like a jolt all over her body, and when they separated they turned the corner quickly, and then crossed the street as soon as the traffic lights turned green. They entered a large building and walked up a flight of stairs before finding themselves at the right door. Mare glanced at the label on the bell, which said T. Calore, and an instant later they were inside, thanks to the stranger who suddenly pulled her to him, squeezing her hips as he needed her. It was a wonderful feeling, something she believed to exist only in movies, but she forgot that too as his silky soft lips found her neck. With expert and decisive action he covered her with tiny kisses up to the jaw, passing then to the ear and going back down to the collarbone. He seemed to implore her to get closer and despite the same irrational impulse, the delicacy with which he acted kept triggering strange shivers that radiated from her shoulder throughout her body. The apartment was warm enough not to miss the jacket, which she freed herself of by throwing it on the ground, helped by her new lover, and they both nearly fell while he took off his black leather boots. When their lips came together again, she more than willingly let his tongue touch hers as she clasped her hands behind his neck. He took off his shirt and Mare found herself in front of a sculptural chest, the result of a perfect combination of genes and years of training. She touched his muscles and his sculpted abdomen, then put her hand on the button of his trousers and with the other touched the enormous erection. The dry sound of the zip gave her a shudder between her thighs: she craved the desire to be caressed and sank her fingers into his arms as he kissed her shoulders and breasts, pulling her jeans off. He admired her for a moment, a sexy disaster with her hair ruffled, her shirt half-unbuttoned and, incredibly, no pants. Her siblings had always praised the benefits of one-night stands and that young man, who lifted her by putting her legs around his waist like he was used to it, seemed the ideal candidate to experience them. He kissed her until he laid her gently on the sofa’s pillows: “Comfortable?” he asked, almost murmuring. When Mare nodded he gave her a kiss and took a square sachet from his wallet, which he tore with his teeth. He lowered his trousers and underwear enough to unroll the thin latex easily and quickly, only to return to devote his attention to her. He kissed her again, as if the wait had killed him, holding his breath while trying desperately to prolong the crazy, senseless, irresponsible and stupendous ride. He pressed one hand on a pillow while with the other he held her knee against her shoulder. Mare had white knuckles from how hard she was clinging to the sofa cover and every time he entered her, making her feeling that fantastic wave of pain that spread throughout her body, she tightened stronger, regardless of the fact that the fabric could break or be ruined: with all the money he seemed to have, he could easily have bought a new one. The house owner brought his mouth closer to her and Mare was instantly lost thinking how passionate and at the same time soft and extraordinary his lips were, with every touch of his tongue studied, experienced, designed to give her pleasure. As he continued relentlessly, he grabbed her thigh and with one hand opened her legs more, then with the other touched her delicate skin in the middle. Afterwards she screamed, raising her hips to meet his own, and squeezed his waist with trembling knees. He leaned down and touched her lips with his as she moaned, smiling, satisfied with the girl’s reaction. He continued to move slowly, giving her tender kisses, until he lost all control, contracting his muscles and penetrating her again with more force; now that he had made her reach orgasm, he concentrated only on himself and the thrusts became ponderous, inexorable. His moan sounded muffled against her lips, now dry from too many kisses. He lay down beside her and Mare closed her eyes for only a second, but when she opened them again it was because of the nearly white light that penetrated from the large French window.

“Good morning ‘I’m not interested’” he said, making fun of her line from the night before, his voice still hoarse with sleep.

“Good morning Mr. Calore. T. What is it for? Thomas? Timothy?” she tried to guess, but he corrected her - it was Tiberias - and sat up again. Neither of them could say they slept badly, but the night on the couch hadn’t been a blessing for the already aching muscles and she began to feel cold and the embarrassed.  

“Pretentious name.” she commented as he pulled his pants back on, heedless of the morning erection he had to be used to. Having three siblings, it was certainly not a source of embarrassment, but she imagined that many other girls had somehow been annoyed or put in awe of the thing, so she didn’t bother to tell him that as much as she cared he could even walk around naked. Another merit of growing up surrounded by male: no one expects a useless sense of decency and they are the ones who are embarrassed in front of the female bodies and not the other way around, something that had given many advantages both to her and Gisa. With this guy, however, it was different and she thanked that fortunately the shirt and cardigan she wore were long enough to cover her private parts.

“Your parents were obsessed with Latin or something? No, wait, they studied classical literature.” she ventured, hoping that filling the silence with chatter was enough to dispel the tremendous feeling that tightened her stomach. She didn’t really felt guilty, but she certainly didn’t know how to get rid of that sexy mess.

“It’s Tiberias, with an e, not Tiberius, and it’s also my father and grandfather’s name.” he explained.

“Are you noble? Wait, I know, you’re English immigrants!”

Tiberias smiled guiltily, proving her right.

“Well, Tiberias, thanks for a fantastic and unexpected end of a shit Monday, but now I really have to go, I have to pack my bags as I leave tomorrow to spend the holidays with my family.”

"Don’t you stop even for breakfast? A shower?” he ventured, watching her. She had to be a disaster even more than the night before, her hair uncombed, her clothes wrinkled, her makeup smudged and her face swollen so she didn’t object, and determined not to be part of that hateful group of people who got on the bus without first showering, she agreed. He showed her the bathroom, that was as beautiful as the rest of the house, white and dove gray tiled, with a huge shower and a tub for two, with a headrest on each side, matching the rest. Everything in that house seemed almost unused, as if no one lived there. She imagined that this was the case most of the time. Once left alone the smell of musk and cleanliness was no longer as enticing as it had seemed the night before and the perfectionism had lost much of its charm, but reminded herself she didn’t have to like it because, once she took advantage of the abundant breakfast he would’ve surely provided, she would go back to her messy room and leaving behind a beautiful experience.

“I’ll leave you some clean clothes outside the door. That’s all I can provide that can someway fit.” Tiberias told her in a low voice over the wood that separated them. Mare didn’t answer but smiled at the idea. The trousers, although they had spent the night on the floor, were safe, but she could hardly say the same thing about the shirt and the cardigan. Intrigued, she went to see what he had brought her, revealing an old black t-shirt with a slightly baggy collar and a simple cashmere sweater of the same color. Did he really trust her with that stuff? The sweater seemed pricy and after all, she was pretty sure she would never see him again. Maybe he thought she would give them back. Perhaps he would use them as an excuse to see her again, even if he didn’t seem so banal. Anyway, she kept thinking about it under the boiling water, which filled the whole room with steam, and while drying her hair with a decidedly new and expensive-looking black hair dryer. Without her products the result was a bit frizzy, and without make-up the not-so-healthy complexion and deep shadows under her eyes were evident, but she imagined that it would play in her favor when it was time to leave, which she no longer wanted to do once she smelled hot bagels from the kitchen.

“I hope you like cheese because I have nothing else to fill them with. And no coffee or tea, only orange juice.” he said apologetically, as if it wasn’t the best breakfast she’d eaten in four months. They sat at the table, and despite the silence her host seemed incredibly cheerful, but Mare blamed it for the previous night.

“Where do you study? Because it’s pretty evident that you’re a student.” he asked out of the blue, between bites, leaving her speechless. Were they chatter without a purpose, those? After all the silence? Or thought… She should’ve told him, she should’ve told him she wasn’t sentimentally available, or then, if she didn’t , she would’ve wanted to bang her head against a wall, or Ann would kicked her ass once she found out about the thing, or maybe not, but it didn’t matter. So she took a last bite of the best bagel of her life, and once she had tasted it fully, she began to explain that it wasn’t his fault, that he had been fantastic, but she couldn’t.

“At least let me take you home.” he said when she had finished, but he didn’t seem disappointed or angry though he wouldn’t have the right, as he was the one who pointed out that she didn’t seem to look for a man, less than twelve hours earlier. As far as Mare wanted to accept the ride, she knew it was profoundly wrong to take advantage of him further, so she refused, claiming she could easily call a taxi, even if it was a lie: she didn’t even know if he had enough money to pay for the bus ticket but after all it was a few miles, and despite the cold of mid-December she could have made it to the dorm.

“If you wait a moment I’ll accompany you.” he said, alluding to his breakfast. “I also have the final preparations to do before leaving for the holidays.”

"Oh, go ahead, don’t worry, I know the way.” she answered, with her hand already on the handle of the exit door. Going down the stairs she tried not to think, more attentive to her surroundings than to the implications, if indeed there were any other than the moral ones, which she wanted to ignore, of what she had done. The walls were of white bricks, the handrail wrought iron, without the slightest trace of dust, just like the door, that didn’t move an inch when she tried to push it. She tried to pull, although she was pretty sure that the night before he had pulled it toward him, but nothing happened. She tried to catch a glimpse of something beyond the worked glass, but everything was a large white indistinct mass. Why was everything so white? A wave of panic swept over her. It couldn’t be snow. She couldn’t really be trapped in a stranger’s house because of snow, not the day before she left for home. Maybe, if she had found someone who could open the door for her, pushing with a little more strength… But to whom could she have asked? It wasn’t like the dormitory, there was no concierge that took care of what was wrong, nor could she ring all the bells of the building. Sure, she could’ve waited, but with that bad weather probably no one with some sense would’ve moved. But Tiberias had said he had some errands to do, so if she went up to ask him to open the door for her… she would’ve seemed stupid, of course, but better stupid than trapped, right?

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to leave. Tell me, did you fall in love with the entrance or with my bagels smell?” the guy’s voice said from the landing.

“I can’t open the door.” she answered coldly, with the same attitude she showed the night before.

Tiberias seemed incredibly ready. Hadn’t he even taken a shower?

“I know, I was coming to warn you, wherever you were. The city is blocked, or at least this part certainly is. There is no public transport, nor taxis.”

“I can walk. If only you opened that stupid door, we could end it and we both could go back to our respective lives.” she replied.

“Come up a moment and look out.” he said, and waited for her to go up the stairs with a grim look before turning his back and entering the house, where he pulled the curtain of the large window from which the light that had awakened them penetrated, showing her the city covered not by a blanket but by what looked like a whole duvet of snow, above which other white flakes were piling up at an impressive speed.

“I can do nothing about it so I’m afraid you’ll staying here for a while.”

[marie-x-beaulieu]

( summer bishil, 30, cisfemale, she / her ) Have you seen MARIE-ANNE BEAULIEU around ? I hear they’re a AVTORITYET / ESCORT AT EDEN who can sometimes be CYNICAL & IMPULSIVE. But I also heard they can be INDEPENDENT & EFFICIENT if you catch them on a good day. They’re usually hanging around JAVA ADDICT in their spare time. I sure hope they’re alright! 

TW: drug mention, prostitution, murder, vague mention of child neglect

- B A S I C -

Name: Marie-Anne Beaulieu Nickname(s): Marie - she usually just goes by this. Age: 30 Occupation:  Avtorityet / Escort at Eden Affiliation: Vasile Birthday: May 28th Zodiac: Gemini Place of Birth: Paris, France Ethnicity: Mexican / Caucasian / Indian Sexual Orientation: Bisexual Languages Spoken: French (fluent - first language), Spanish (fluent) and Russian (the basics only)

- F A M I L Y -

Father: Unknown Mother: Bernadette (deceased) Sibling(s): None  Children: Henry (1 1/2 years old)

- A P P E A R A N C E -

Height: 5′6′’ Weight: 117lbs Hair Color / Type: Light brown, long and slightly wavy Eye Color: Dark brown Piercings / Tattoos: A few small tats here and there; tongue piercing, ears & cartilage piercings Best Features: Her smile. Pinterest Board: x

- P E R S O N A L I T Y -

(+) Independent, Reliable, Efficient, Loyal, Resourceful (-) Cynical, Impulsive, Aloof, Cold-Hearted, Selfish

- L I K E S / D I S L I K E S -

Likes:

Spending time with her son, Henry

Dancing

Drinking (she’s borderline a alcoholic)

Getting high (but only occasionally)

Having sex - m/f...doesn’t matter

Getting paid

Working for the Vasile

Killing

Being frugal, but also spending her hard-earned cash - she’s a bit of a walking contradiction with this one.

Dislikes:

Women & Child Abusers

Openly showing her emotions

Feeling her feelings

People in general, even though she works with them for a living

- B I O G R A P H Y -

Was born in Paris, France, to a single teenaged mother. Bernadette was sixteen when she had Marie.

Her mother was a runaway - she left home at fourteen after a fallout with her parents, and two years later, had Marie. To support herself and her daughter, Bernadette took up sex work - she did everything she could at the time, to earn money. She danced, she stripped and she sold her body. Got really heavy into drugs, and never really stopped.

Although they had a place to live, and she went to school like a normal kid, Marie still pretty much grew up on the streets of Paris. More specifically, in the red light district, as that was where her mother worked. She was exposed to pretty much everything a child shouldn’t be exposed to: neglect, sex, drugs, alcohol, violence...you name it, she very likely saw it go down.

Her mother often snuck her into the back of the clubs that she worked in, and while her mother went off to do her thing, she had the other girls watch Marie, collectively, hiding her in the dressing rooms.

Hands down, Bernadette Beaulieu was a terrible mother. She was selfish, childish and negligent. She never once showed even a little concern for her daughter and how being exposed to such an environment might possibly effect her. She’d already deemed Marie a lost cause, same as her.

Growing up in strip clubs and such places like that, and watching not just her mother but the other ladies, Marie pretty much learned the skills and how to acquire the proper tools of the trade: how to dance, do her makeup, and how to dress in a way that both enticed and intrigued the desired clientele.

Not that she put any of it to use immediately. It wasn’t until she was seventeen and her mother went missing for several weeks before her body was found floating in the Sein River (she’d been strangled to death), that Marie found herself having to make a living on her own. Just barely out of school and she was orphaned, homeless, broke and starving - it was then that she stepped onto a stage for the first time, more naked than she’d ever been in public before. 

First it was exotic dancing and then stripping, but when even that proved to not make her enough money to pay rent and food - as Paris was a notoriously expensive place to live - she started selling her body, and her time, becoming an escort. Started at the bottom, but quickly rose to being one of the highest paid and most sought after escorts in the district. She was young, beautiful, feisty...and the men loved that, apparently.

Marie strangely loved her job, more so than you’d probably expect, but then she grew up in the industry so it was all she knew. 

She loved sex, she truly did. She loved how powerful she felt during the act, even when she wasn’t the one completely in control. And fuck, did she love being the one in control.

She had the heart of a dominatrix, but when she smiled at you, you’d never know it, for she looked like a real softy. That said, she rarely smiled, so that wasn’t really a problem.

She killed for the first time a few months after she started working. It was in self defense, of course; a male client who decided that ‘rough play’ meant something entirely different. It wasn’t as difficult as she she thought it was, taking a life, nor covering up the murder - and she quickly became an expert at both.

She didn’t know it at the time, but her first kill hadn’t gone as unnoticed as she thought, but thankfully it wasn’t by the police, but rather a recruit for the Russian mafia, temporarily stationed in Paris. Impressed by her cleverness and instincts when it came to covering up her tracks, Yakov approached her and offered to mentor her, and train her more extensively in fighting and how to kill, with the full intent of recruiting her into the Vasile gang. It hadn’t taken her long to say yes to the offer.

After accepting Yakov’s offer to train her, they both agreed that continuing her work as a sex worker was not only a great cover but a great training ground. A lot of her targets frequented the red light district, which made it overall rather easy (and more fun) to lure them in.

At twenty-three - after six years of vigorous training with Yakov - she made her way to Chicago, where she went through the initiation, and finally becoming a marked Vasile and one of their assassins. 

Deciding to stay in the city, she once more became an escort as more for a cover than because she needed the money or the work.

Two years passed, before Marie met Malachi Reed, an older gentleman who worked at Forty-Three as a bartender. It wasn’t love at first sight, not by any means - Marie wasn’t the type of girl to fall in love so easily, or really show those kinds of feelings. To her, love was very foreign concept. 

In fact, up until she and Malachi started seeing each other, she had never actually been in a relationship. She’d gone on dates, sure, but nothing other than sex ever came of them. After all, not many men wanted to date a woman who slept with other people for a living - either that, or they offered to take her away and ‘give her a better life’, as if real life was some fucking fairytale that could be escaped so easily.

With Malachi, things were different, which was the only reason she even consented to the idea of dating him in the end. He had been very open-minded, and hadn’t been fazed by her being an escort, accepting that she was a woman simply trying to make a living just like everyone else.

She didn’t inform him about her main job, however. The fact that she worked for one of the main gangs in the city never so much as left her lips, in the two years that they were together.

A year into their relationship, Marie fell pregnant with her son, Henry. He’d been a awful surprise, in the best and worst possible way. She had never wanted a child, so the thought of motherhood had never appealed to her in the slightest. In her line of work, she’d always been careful, taken precautions, but for some reason being with Malachi had completely short-circuited her brain. 

She’d been downright furious when she had discovered she was pregnant, and she had stayed that way for pretty much the entirety of her pregnancy. It wasn’t until Henry was actually born and she was looking at her newborn son’s face for the first time, that the resentment finally melted away, only to be replaced by fear - knowing that she was now responsible for this little person that she’d stupidly and selfishly brought into the world. 

In the end, being a mother was hard work, but it was definitely rewarding and she couldn’t have asked for a more perfect little boy. That said, she would be the first to admit that there were days when she still had doubt and selfish thoughts of fleeing from the responsibility - because being a parent was hard as fuck and she didn’t always have the patience.

Of course, the new found joy of motherhood was quickly overshadowed by the disappearance of Malachi, not five months later. She had no idea where he was, or why he disappeared. Did he leave on his own? Was he killed? Caught in the gang war that was going on within the city? There was literally no clues. 

The only thing she could think of was that he’d willingly left...despite all of his stuff still being at their apartment. It beat thinking his body was possibly laying in a ditch somewhere, and it allowed her to feel something towards the situation that wasn’t overwhelming grief over the death of a beloved one (although she was still in denial that she’d loved him). She felt anger, and resentment. Towards Malachi, specifically, because he was the only one she could blame.

After his disappearance, Marie moved into the Vasile manor with Henry, and they’ve been there ever since.

- W A N T E D   C O N N E C T I O N S -

Her missing boyfriend, Malachi Reed. Name can be changed, obviously. Anyways, this would be such a great connection that is open to so many plot possibilities. (Suggested FCs: Chris Hemsworth, Joseph Morgan, Ryan Guzman, UTP). He’d definitely be 32+

Vasile Connections - ALWAYS!

Co-Workers

Clients

Love Interest (someone to finally melt this little ice queen’s heart)

Friends

Enemies

Any other sort of connections, tbh - I’m literally open to everything!