#at least cecily has personality

[se-hos]

glyndon has the personality of a wet paper bag i can’t stand this bitch lmao

[catboylister]

hi iwbftblr i am going to yap about when/why i think listers addiction starts because i think about it a lot

cw for disscussions of alcoholism (obviously) but also sa and poverty and basically anything lister goes through at all. bro is living ROUGH

i don't believe that its as simple as hes just got an 'addictive personality' or he has the addiction gene. jimmy himself even says that "before we got famous, lister showed little sign of being into the party lifestyle, beyond being mildly disruptive at school." (pg 79.) so its most likely due to other triggers that his addiction began.

one of the most obvious things that triggers his alcoholism is having access to money after growing up in poverty. also on pg 79 jimmy says "as soon as we started making money, lister's love for the finer things reared its head." growing up in poverty is fucking rough, and lister is still a young teen when they start getting famous, he has no idea how budgeting, savings or credit actually works. its a very typical childish response for him to have. in the scene where they argue in the bathroom lister confirms that he was very close to living on the streets, so of course hes going to be excitable and reckless when he has access to the wild amount of money they get from being famous. and again, lister basically confirms that this wealth is a big trigger for him, drinking and parties for him is just "enjoying having money and being happy." (pg. 141)

as for when that actually starts, isn't the most clear, but you can sort of create a timeline by looking at some of the extra materials like 'the incident on showday' and the wiki pages alice has made !! while the incident doesn't actually have a canon ending, the things we learn about the characters and how the act tells us a little bit more the ark's life pre-iwbft.

starting with 'the incident on showday' lister is 17 and it's very clear that he's already struggling with alcoholism. it's very much passed the 'just social drinking' phase considering he's (very badly) drinking in secret already. also cecily's 'no drinking on show days' rule is already a thing at the point. (this is all on the starting page of the game)

skipping slightly forward, when you get to the part where you're in the supply cupboard with jimmy, and choose to apologise, lister begins to ramble about his alcoholism and reveals quite a bit.

"look, i just... i know this isn't the first time i've done this and i promise... i swear i'll try to sort it out." / "i just... with the drinking... i feel like i can barely control it anymore, i dunno, and i always do it when i don't want to-"

from this we know that lister knows he has an issue, and maybe that he's been trying to deal with it on his own, but it hasn't been working out. either way, at 17, its already an issue that has been going on for a while. which makes me think that it became an addiction when he was either 16 or 17

we know that at these ages he's been through a lot. he was for the first time when he was 16, and i'd say it's implied that it happened again with kevin but thats a whole other conversation. it would have also been around the time that the suitcase incident happened and rowan was ignoring him, so he would've probably felt very lonely, and partied more to try cope with that. these, plus the money are probably the biggest causing factors for his addiction, at least from my interpretation.

also, as for jimmy and rowan not intervening, through iwbft, especially at the start, lister's drinking habits are sort of portrayed as just this quirk of his. though jimmy's attitude towards it gets more serious as the week goes on. jimmy only comes to the realisation that lister is displaying obvious signs of alcoholism for the first time when he finds him in the bathroom. he does attempt to bring this up to lister, but ultimately it is considered and issue for another day, which results in the whole lister almost dying because red flags weren't taken seriously enough thing. again thats probably better for a whole other conversation too.

but anyway, timeline that makes most sense in my head is:

the ark start blowing up + making money -> the record their first album -> lister is assaulted -> album eventually comes out and they're preparing for their first european tour -> lister accidentally outs jimmy -> rowan ignores lister for 2 months, so probably that entire tour -> lister is extremely lonely -> he starts to party more to as a coping mechanism simply because he can -> he learns that if he's ever sad or stressed drinking 'fixes' it -> congrats !! alcoholism achieved !! -> 'the incident on showday' takes place somewhere here

do not try this at home guys

[astronomiaa]

Headcanon (theory?): Jacob's shilling necklace was actually Cecily's

It feels like there's always been a bit of a mystery to why Jacob wears the shilling necklace, ranging from it could just be a unique design choice or Jacob keeping a lucky coin on him since he has a tendency to try his luck. It's always felt like it's held some sort of significance - at least to me? Jacob's seen wearing the necklace even before he and Evie head to London, when he's still wearing his Simply Jacob outfit (his starter-mon outfit, if you will). A physical copy of the necklace was also included for anyone who pre-ordered Syndicate.

So it's kind of bumbled around in my head, until I discovered victorian love tokens while doing some research and it's like the dots have connected.

For anyone who doesn't know, like I didn't, love tokens were coins that were handcarved by a family member, a suitor to be, or friends, and given to a recipient to convey feelings. They weren't just romantic! They have a long history, but the victorians were crazy for them and love tokens became a pretty popular physical embodiment of ones love for another person. (Especially so, because they were usually made using coins - and the British already had a tradition of keeping lucky coins in their pocket? Fun!)

Most often they would be carved with names and dates, words to describe the relationship between the two, etc. In rarer cases (or at least considered rare to find for collectors of today), they would be carved with pictures that would be symbolically important for the giver and recipient.

I bring this up because for anyone who was lucky enough to receive an actual Jacob Pendant from ubisoft, or just bought of a replica off like... etsy or something, you know that Jacob's pendant actually has the Assassin symbol carved onto it.

In my opinion, this definitely makes the shilling a token of some sort! It could possibly be a token carried by all English Assassins, a way to recognize one another, but I like to believe that it may have been a romantic gift from Ethan to Cecily. After all, they were both two VERY devoted Assassins who were considered to have come the closest to freeing London from Templar rule before Henry, Jacob, and Evie. Whatever reason for the token, we can at least assume the token was Cecily's!

How do we know it's Cecily's? How it's meant to be worn!

Since tokens were made out of coins, which were in turn made out of semi precious metals, tokens could be turned into jewelry. It was common for women to wear them as bracelets, pendents, necklaces, and earrings. Men would wear them as cufflinks and put them on watch chains.

Jacob's shilling pendant is well... a pendant. It's traditionally womens jewelry (though I don't think Jacob could care any less about the way jewelry is meant to be worn in relation to gender).

So yeah! Even if I'm connecting dots that may not quite be there, the thought of Jacob having something of Cecily's is... nice. Especially since... Ethan and Jacob did not have uh, the best of relationships.

Anyways, thanks for reading my silly lil headcanon and have a nice day!

[opreaadriann]

Weekly Update - May 4, 2024

Hello!! I’m back with another weekly update, this time a bit tamer than the last one. It didn’t achieve some godly word count, since I was feeling a bit depressed with the whole no job and all, but I did manage to do some interesting things.

First of all, I wrote 5k words this week. I know, a bit underwhelming compared to last time, but I had to do a lot of smaller things this time around.

I completely finished all of the Burt profiles, so now all of the targets have a nice little screen with their information. I also plan on adding one for Angela and Marcus, as well as one for other important side characters like Lydia and the Arts club president (maybe even Helen if she keeps appearing more often).

I also finished the Cecily random event. I am working now on one with Dylan and his posse. I’m thinking of having at least one random event for each target, a few with multiple of them, and some for the allies.

When it comes to the hobbies, I wrote what will happen each week for the chapter when you select to train your skills. I now only have to write specific events that happen if you reach certain skill levels.

The only bigger thing I’ve done for the older chapters (which I haven’t uploaded to the demo, so don’t go looking for it!) is that I’ve kinda changed Connor’s personality. I’ve originally made him a bit of a loser wannabe Casanova, but I’ve changed my mind and will now make him very confident. I felt he was a bit too similar to Dylan, which made him very forgettable. You might also think this makes him similar to Michael, but I’ve come up with some really good ideas for Michael that will make him very unique. The original Connor I envisioned would have still existed, but just before our character joined the school. Which means he was a loser, but has become more true to himself. This should make his fall much more interesting if you are going for the revenge angle, since he’s someone that has somewhat managed to get his shit together.

Last but not least, chapter 4 has reached something over 33k words, which is larger than any chapter yet, and it’s still not close to the end. This is why I was thinking of posting the chapter to the demo early, even though it’s not complete. I’m doing a poll right now on Patreon to see what the people there think and if they agree, I’ll likely post the incomplete version of the chapter early, since it’s going to take a while for me to finish it at this rate.

Thanks for all the support and let’s hope I do a good job continuing the story!

[wonder-worker]

what did cicely neville do in edward iv's reign?

Hi! Cecily’s entire role during Edward IV’s reign is too long and complex to fully get into right now, so this is just going to be a very brief overview. It’s also not going to touch on her relationship with her daughter-in-law Elizabeth, even though that's somewhat relevant here in some aspects, because that’s also too complex and speculatory.

Ironically, despite the Duke of York’s claims to kingship, it was only after his death and during her widowhood that Cecily Neville truly emerged as a “quasi-queen”. After her son Edward IV had been acclaimed as King in London, and before he left for Towton with the other lords, he summoned the mayor and “all the notables of London” to gather and “recommended them to the duchess his mother”. During his absence, Cecily would preside over his household in Baynard Castle and was probably meant to act as his representative of sorts in the city. After his kingship was more firmly established, Cecily primarily resided at Westminster with him from 1461-64 and regularly accompanied him on several ceremonial and political occasions, such as their visit to Canterbury where she was magnificently welcomed. She also appears to have had a great deal of personal and political influence with her son: Nicholas O’Flanagan, the contemporary Bishop of Elpin, observed in the first few years of Edward IV's reign, his mother could “rule the king as she pleases.”

Cecily’s role demonstrably changed after Edward’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville in 1464. She remained the second-highest ranked woman in the country, but she took a significant step back from high politics (a la Joan of Kent after her son’s marriage to Anne of Bohemia). That does not mean that either of them suddenly became apolitical or uninvolved: quite the opposite*. Cecily remained the head of a large household, her administration supported her son’s, she continued to support a few religious institutions, she engaged in trade, she launched court cases, and she clearly inspired loyalty among her affinity. All of this was fairly standard for a medieval noblewoman, but was naturally enhanced by Cecily’s own prominent royal status. Cecily was godmother to at least three of the royal children: Elizabeth of York, her namesake Cecily, and the youngest child, Bridget. She also played a role in reconciling her son George to the Yorkist cause in 1471, though she did not have the spearheading role which has often been erroneously credited to her by historians (ie: “engineering peace between her warring sons”); instead, it was her daughters Anne and Margaret who took the leading role in achieving the reconciliation, while Cecily probably aided them. She was also clearly perceived to be influential with Edward IV, best evidenced by how the mayors of Norwich petitioned her to aid them against the Duke of Suffolk in 1480, though we don’t actually know the result of Cecily’s intervention to judge whether it succeeded or how effective it was**. Regardless, though, she evidently had a much lower national profile during these years.

(On a more personal level, we also have a very sweet anecdote from Elizabeth Stonor who spoke of a meeting between Cecily and Edward in October 1476 at Greenwich: 'and ther I  sawe the metyng betwyne the Kynge and my ladye his Modyr. And trewly me thowght it was a very good syght’.)

Cecily’s numerous titles are also interesting. Immediately after Edward IV’s ascension, she called herself “the Kyngs Moder, Duchess of York”. Variations of the title included references to her late husband, but she primarily defined herself in relation to her son, through whom her current position and power derived. As Laynesmith says: "narrative accounts, particularly chronicles, had naturally used the phrase ‘the king’s mother’ to describe women in the past, especially Joan of Kent. However, it was Cecily who turned this into a specific title in her letters and on her seals." A few months after Edward's marriage was announced, Cecily adopted a new title, now styling herself as: “By the ryghtful enheritors Wyffe late of the Regne off Englande & of Fraunce & off ye lordschyppe off yrlonde, the kynges mowder ye Duchesse of Yorke.” This referenced the Yorkist perception of her husband, Richard Duke of York, who was called the "true and indubitable heir" of England. In 1477, a herald for the wedding of her grandson Richard of Shrewsbury styled Cecily as “the right high and excellent Princesse and Queene of right, Cicelie, Mother to the Kinge”. This was once again linked to her husband’s status: Cecily described him in her letters as “in right King of England and of France and lord of Ireland”. All in all, Cecily’s various designations appear to have been designed to signify her own importance within the regime, to uphold the claim of her late husband, and to strengthen Edward IV’s position by promoting him as the son of the supposedly rightful heir. It’s also very possible, as Laynesmith has suggested, that “it was as her queenly power diminished [after the early 1460s] that her claims to queenship were more elaborately emphasized in wax and on parchment”.

Cecily’s role and prominence, and how it changed overtime, is best demonstrated by the number of times English subjects offered prayers for her soul in return for grants. Between June 1461 and September 1464, there are twelve instances of grants made to people who offered prayers for her. (To compare, during the first three years of Elizabeth Woodville's queenship, there were sixteen grants of the same type. So, Cecily didn't quite reach the level of the queen, but she came close; it was quintessential "quasi-queenship"). However, mentions of Cecily dramatically deceased following Edward IV's marriage: over the next 19 years till 1483, she is only mentioned five times, and in all cases Elizabeth Woodville was also listed before she was. Three of these mentions are in 1465, likely reflecting contemporary unease with her son's controversial marriage and the perceived unsuitable origins of the new queen. After that, however, Cecily is mentioned only twice: once in 1476 and once in 1481, with the latter being a grant to her own son-in-law Thomas St. Leger***. This fits well with what I mentioned above about her quasi-queenship in the early 1460s, followed by a much more reduced role and lower national profile in the future years.

Hope this helps!

*Oddly, Cecily is not mentioned at all in contemporary reports for her daughter Margaret’s wedding. Laynesmith believes that she was unwell, and that may as well be true, but Margaret's celebrations went on for a great period of time and it does seem conspicuous that Cecily was entirely absent from them all. It's also worth noting that a letter from the Milanese ambassador Giovanni Pietro Panicharolla on the marriage wrote that "the king, the queen, her father, and the king's brothers are all disposed to it" (sidenote: it's VERY interesting that the queen's father is mentioned before the king's own brothers and male heirs) but made no mention of Cecily. Nor, iirc, was she mentioned in the tournament held to celebrate Anglo-Burgundian relations. It does clearly seem as though Cecily did not play a notable role in the marriage, and relevant diplomacy, at all. (Laynesmith's claim that Cecily had "helped lay the ground for" the marriage because she *checks notes* dispatched both her sons to Burgundy in middle of a civil war 7 years earlier, with many fluctuations in Anglo-Burgundian relations in between, is, I'm sorry to say, nonsense). ** Laynesmith believes that "Cecily’s intervention to control Suffolk perhaps marked a turning point in the duke’s violent career because when he resorted to force again the following summer his victim successfully reclaimed the manor from which he had personally ejected her." I think that Laynesmith is being far too assumptive and that we don’t even know the result of Cecily’s intervention in 1480 to somehow credit her with entirely different case one year later that did not even involve her, lol. ***Even more oddly, Cecily’s own son Richard didn’t include her among the list for who to offer prayers for in his college in Middleham in 1478. This was despite the fact that he had included Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville, his wife Anne, his sisters, his dead brothers and his dead father. It’s incredibly striking, and I wonder what could have happened to cause her exclusion, especially since she was included in religious foundations by both Edward and her son-in-law Thomas St. Leger? Laynesmith claims that "this rather suggests that Richard's own piety was not consciously influenced by hers", and sure, that seems obvious, but it certainly can't have been the only reason. Was she merely overlooked (unlikely), or did they have a quarrel at the time, or was it for another now-unknown reason? Whatever the case, it's a small but intriguing detail to me.

Sources:

"Cecily, Duchess of York" by J.L. Laynesmith

"A Paper Crown: The Titles and Seals of Cecily, Duchess of York" by J.L. Laynesmith (The Ricardian)

"Cecily Neville: Mother of Kings" by Amy License

[dreamwritesimagines]

Enamored Extra Scene - 14

[Set in: During chapter 35]

Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, but he was beginning to understand why every suitor went to Elias to talk about his sister, instead of their father.

He made his way to the door to Duke’s study and Cecily turned her head when she heard him approach, then grinned at him.

“So, Lord Bridgerton,” she taunted him. “Your final trial.”

“Quite literally,” Anthony murmured. “Do you think he will shoot me or…?”

Cecily hummed. “Nowhere lethal,” she commented. “I think.”

“Great.”

“It would be romantic, your betrothed would love that.”

“Thanks a lot, Cece,” Anthony said, making her laugh and he took a deep breath, then knocked on the door.

“Come in,” The Duke’s voice reached them and he gave Cecily a faint smile, then opened the door to step inside.

The Duke was sitting behind his mahogany desk with a glass of scotch in his hand and he raised his glances to look at him when Anthony closed the door behind him.

“Lord Bridgerton,” he said and motioned at the armchair by his desk. “Please, take a seat.”

Alright, this honestly felt like that one time he had broken all the fine china.

Anthony tried to ignore the nervousness and went to sit down on the armchair. “Lord Avon.”

“Let’s hope this conversation goes better than the last one we had,” he commented and Anthony cleared his throat.

“I’ve been informed by my mother that…it wasn’t my place to talk of something I didn’t know about,” he said. “My apologies, I was not thinking clearly.”

“No you were not,” the Duke said. “Lady Bridgerton is a wise person.”

“She is.”

“Much like your father,” he stated. “Makes me wonder who you took after.”

Oh this conversation was off to a good start.

Anthony raised his brows but managed to hold back the retort. The Duke eyed him for a moment and let out a small chuckle.

“I’m jesting,” he said. “Scotch?”

“Is it poisoned?” Anthony asked back and the Duke rolled his eyes.

“I’ll leave that to my sister if the need arises,” he commented before he went to fill his own glass along with another, then handed the other glass to him. Anthony took a huge sip and cleared his throat.

“I know you don’t approve of me,” he said. “As her suitor or in general.”

The Duke made a noise of discontent before leaning back in his seat.

“But I love her.”

The Duke sipped his scotch and heaved a sigh.

“Listen,” he said. “For the sake of your father, I will try to keep this conversation civil.”

“I appreciate that.”

“But you do not have my approval.”

Anthony frowned, sitting up straighter. “Why not?”

The Duke swirled the drink in his glass. “Anthony…”

“No, give me an actual, valid reason,” Anthony said. “Besides the fine china incident, I was a child back then. Tell me why you do not approve.”

“Where do I start?” the Duke asked. “Firstly, you did not ask me beforehand.”

“Her opinion on the matter is more important than anyone else’s, she said that before.”

“This was a very short courtship period.”

“I already know I want to spend the rest of my life with her, why would I wait?”

“You barely know each other.”

“I’ve known her longer than Elias has known Cecily— you don’t have to like me,” Anthony insisted. “But you have to look at this objectively.”

The Duke ran a hand over his face and thought for a moment.

“Edmund would be proud of you.”

Anthony was so ready to oppose anything he would say that he had already opened his mouth, then he pulled back slightly, trying to wrap his mind around what he had just heard.

“What?” he asked, completely confused and the Duke shrugged.

“Your father was a great man,” he said. “And he was a very close friend of mine as you know. And after his death, you did a great job in stepping up, you’ve taken on a very heavy responsibility at such a young age. Anyone else would have stumbled at the very least but you…you did not. You’re a much respected Viscount, your family has a prominent position within the ton, and as the head of the family, you honestly do not have any faults I can think of at this point.”  

Anthony felt the need to look down at his glass to check whether he was in fact drinking scotch or something much stronger that would twist his hearing.

“I’m telling you all these so that you can understand what I’m saying comes from an objective stance,” the Duke said. “All those traits are remarkable yes. But Anthony, you would not make a good husband and I will not sacrifice my daughter to test that theory.”

Ah.

There it was.

“I love her—”

“For now.”

“Forever,” Anthony corrected him. “You of all people would understand, would you not?”

The Duke shot him a look. “As you said, my love story is a cautionary tale.”

“Doesn’t matter. You know how it feels.”

The Duke let out a tired breath. “You have quite the reputation,” he said. “What is it they call you? Capital R rake?”

“I’m not like that anymore.”

“You barely hid your escapades from the ton.”

“That was before she got here.”  

“You had a mistress up until what, merely a couple of weeks ago?”

“Months ago,” he corrected him. “I put an end to that arrangement the moment I realized my feelings.”

“Either way, you’ve been popular among the ladies for years now,” the Duke said. “And that changed overnight?”

Anthony scoffed, even the thought feeling quite absurd now.

“I can’t even notice anyone else when she’s in the room,” he said. “Let alone looking at another.”

A silence fell upon the room and the Duke took a deep breath.

“Your word alone is not very assuring in this case, you know that.”

Anthony thought for a moment, then cleared his throat.

“What of your own experience then?”

“What?”

“As you said, my father and you were close friends,” he said. “He used to talk about all those adventures you two used to have. You had a reputation too, among ladies.”

The Duke raised his brows. “Decades ago.”

“Exactly, and it changed.” Anthony said. “When you met your wife.”

“That’s very different.”

“Is it?” Anthony insisted. “Because I know for a fact that you never took a mistress or even entertained the idea of another woman even after your divorce. I’m willing to bet that you’ve never been unfaithful the whole time you were married to her.”

“Of course not.”

“So it changed for you overnight,” Anthony said. “Why is it so difficult for you to believe that it changed for me overnight as well?”

“I was not a good husband,” the Duke pointed out. “As you so eloquently put it. I’m not going to put my daughter through a similar hell that her mother went through.”

Anthony shook his head. “I would never do that to her.”

“And yet you hurt her.”

That familiar bitterness spread through Anthony’s throat and paused for a moment, trying to put the words in order before he took a sip of his drink, deep in thought.

“I did,” he admitted after a couple of seconds of silence. “It was a misunderstanding, but that is not an excuse. It shouldn’t have happened, and I swear on my honor that it will never, ever happen again.”

The Duke watched him quietly and Anthony downed his drink, then put the glass on the desk.

“Now that all cards are on the table, there’s something you should know,” Anthony said. “I do want your approval on this, but I’m not going to let you stand in the way. You wanted to know why I didn’t ask you first? It’s because the only opinion I care about is hers. Not yours, hell, not even Elias’s at this point. Only hers. So even if you don’t trust me, I don’t care as long as I have her trust. And most importantly, she loves me.”

The Duke narrowed his eyes, glaring at him.

“I’ve never loved anyone more in my entire life,” Anthony said. “I’ve never wanted anything more than being with her. I’m not going to put her through that hell, because she is the embodiment of my heaven. So trust me, by hook or by crook I will be with her, regardless of your opinion or your approval.”

The Duke clenched his jaw before he clicked his tongue.

“Very well,” he said. “I’ll think about it.”

Anthony nodded and stood up from his seat to walk to the door, but stopped as soon as the Duke spoke.

“Lord Bridgerton?”

He turned around, adrenaline still rushing through him. “Yes?”

“If I do approve,” he said. “You do realize I will not make things easy for you during the settlement negotiations, do you not?”

Anthony shrugged his shoulders.

“As far as I’m concerned, everything I own is already hers,” he said. “Do your worst.”

With that, he opened the door and walked out of the study before closing the door behind him and Cecily saw him from the end of the hall, then rushed to him.

“How did it go?”

Anthony thought for a moment, then let out a breath, leaning back to the wall.

“To be honest,” he murmured. “I have no idea.”

[indianariesolive]

My Unpopular(ish) opinions/takes on Legacy of the Gods series by Rina Kent

Contains spoilers ⚠️

Starting off strong, let me just get this off my chest, I really dislike God of Malice. This is mainly due to the insufferable MCs; Killian & Glyndon.

First of all, I found Killian really difficult to empathize with. Sure, what his dad said about regretting having him sucks but that's no excuse to be an a$$hole. I'm sure that if a mid/ugly guy with no money & prestige did the same things he'd done when first meeting Glyndon (iykyk) they'd be mercilessly ripped apart by the fandom. Also that one line in his POV when he said that the main reason why he chose to be a med student was because that gave him a free pass to poke & prod into people's innards & watch them squirm in agony 🤢

Coming to the 2nd part, Glyndon. As a protagonist she was such a blank slate. Killian at least had personality! (A bad one but he had one nonetheless). Same can't be said about Glyndon with her wimpiness coupled with an absurd inferiority complex (despite being talented & surrounded by a powerful & loving family & friends) as well as her lack of a deep connection with her friend group. On a more serious note, I despise the absolute double standards with which she views Killian & her brother Landon. Both are clinically diagnosed psychopaths but she has none of the grace & understanding for her own brother but readily excuses her boyfriend's behavior even though both of them are the same person, different font. 🙄

Moving on to the 2nd book, God of Pain is one of my favorites in the series but not without its fair share of drawbacks. Even though Annika appeared to be a manic pixie dream girl at the beginning she grew on me as chapter by chapter, her POVs revealed her to be more complex & headstrong, contrasting the whimsical image she's perceived as (both by her love interest, the MMC Creighton as well as the other characters like her friends & family). She's a sweet, soft girl with a dormant badass side that can get dangerous when provoked & that's precisely what Creighton had to learn through the hard way.

Getting to the gist of my main problem, I really hated the way everyone treated Annika after the you-know-what. I mean, what else was she supposed to do, watch her beloved brother get murdered by the love of her life? Everyone cut her off 'cause 'she hurt Cray-Cray who's like our brother'. Well, SHE HAD TO DO THAT TO SAVE HER OWN BROTHER, YOU ABSOLUTE DUMBASSES!!!! Y'all brains weren't braining here. Also, that scene near the end where there's this huge confrontation Creighton has with Adrian Volkov & Annika with her quick thinking just snatches a guard's gun, negotiates & diffuses the situation without bloodshed was just chef's kiss. 😌

Also, everyone gushes over Lia & Yan's friendship but Yan's bond with Annika, how he plays the role of the fun uncle while Adrian glares & has to rein them in as the level-headed dad. 🥺

That brings me to this sidenote: Glyndon could take a page out of Annika's book & learn a lesson: How to Love Your Brother & Stand Up for Yourself.

Regarding Jeremy & Cecily, I don't have any major complaints. I like how Cecily put Jeremy in his place & made him grovel for disrespecting her with his trust issues. Putting his mommy issues aside, Jeremy was overall a good character for a dark romance. He's got the hot biker thing going.

Moving on to Landon & Mia. I have nothing against Mia per se. She's pretty cool. I only hated how the author ruined her bond with her twin Maya. Also, I'm kind of ashamed to say that I wasn't the biggest fan of Landon at first but then going through his POVs made me realize that I'd been bought into the anti-Lan propaganda by Glyndon. He actually cares for his siblings, unlike Killian. He just has an unconventional way of showing it. Plus there wasn't a huge power-gap/imbalance between him & Mia so that's another point in his favour.

Last but not the least, God of Fury featuring Nikolai & Brandon has got to be among my top favorites. I only dislike the unnecessary mud-slinging with the irrelevant ex Clara. Everything else was perfection. I never expected Nikolai to be such an adorable & funny character. Also something I find really funny was that both in this book as well as in her POV, Glyndon claimed to be the one closest to Brandon. The way she described her dynamic with her brothers was, "Bran & I are a team against Lan." And not only did Brandon shut her down in a gentle yet firm tone, also her dense arse never noticed anything wrong with Brandon like!?!?! Landon was the one who'd picked on Brandon's tendency to hide & repress his emotions & stuff, and he was the one who'd tried to help Brandon open up, even if his attempt was unsuccessful. So much for her being the one on the same team lol.

[randomfoggytiger]

X-Files Collector's Edition: Crazy X-Cops (and Watching the Tragic Ep. Later)

Inspired by @scullys-scalpel 's post (found here.)

Loose chronological order below~

@scullywolf's (Ao3, Masterlist)

X-COPS

""That’s correct, yes. And Agent Mulder… well, his working hypothesis for the case is, as you might guess, paranormal in nature, and–”

“Yes, Scully, I’ve met him.""

When Scully calls him up, Skinner debates the wisdom of-- oh, hang it all, put 'em on tv.

First Person Shooter

""They’re at LAX waiting for their flight home when his phone rings.

"Mulder.”

“Mulder! It’s Langly. How soon can you get to L.A.?”

“Uhh…” He looks around the bustling airport terminal, half-wondering if the guys are here somewhere and this is some sort of joke. “Why do you ask?""

Post X-Cops Mulder and Scully are still in the Cali area when he receives a call from The Lone Gunmen.

@seek-its-opposite​ (Ao3) nothing to hide (Ao3)

""Sergeant,” the man offers gently. “I think you have us all wrong.” He has all the ease of a hostage negotiator but none of the slickness. Despite how much he looks the part of a detective, he cuts an almost iconoclastic figure when he speaks.

“Your irresponsible theories nearly got my officer killed, Agent Mulder.” The sergeant gestures at the crack house, the door splintered on the floor. “To say nothing of how my department looks on camera for taking you seriously.”

“But you did take him seriously.” Agent Scully’s voice sharpens to a stiletto point. Her partner absorbs chaos; she refracts it.""

Post X-Cops Scully is infuriated the local cops blame Mulder for the night's failure, and reams them out in the honor of the man she loves.

@cecilysass/cecily_sass/Cecily Sasserbaum's

We’re Not Here To Get Involved in Personal Problems

""Scully,” Mulder interrupts himself suddenly. “Mangoes.”

She tracks the direction of his eyes, seeking the source of this nonsequitur. A half block ahead of where they are walking, a man and his teenage son work together to lift wooden flats of pale green mangoes from the back of a pick-up truck to a sales cart in their front yard.

Mulder turns to her, his eyes now taking on a manic, child-glimpses-ice-cream-truck gleam.""

Post X-Cops Mulder is in an unflappably good mood despite their empty gas tank; and Scully is-- reluctantly-- swept up in it. A leisurely walk, a mango barter, and a back-and-forth conversation ensues.

@agirlcallednarelle/TabithaJean's Good Morning, Sweet Dreams

""Mmmh,’ she mumbles, straightening up. ‘I’m awake, I’m awake.’

‘Looks like it,’ he smiles. ‘Didn’t you want to shower? Get those sheets all good and fake slept in?’

‘Yep,’ she murmurs, her eyes closed still. ‘I’m gonna do that. I’m getting up. Right now.’

‘You don’t have to, Scully,’ he tells her softly. ‘You don’t have to move.""

Post X-Cops Scully is too bushed to even shower.

@i-gaze-at-scully/ i_gaze_at_scully's Bad boys, bad boys

""Humor me, G-woman.” His voice is as sleepy as he is, with the same bite of electricity that’s keeping him awake. She sighs into the receiver and somehow hears the smug grin that spreads across his face as he resettles himself on his couch. That, she can actually hear: the rustle of fabric, the little crunch as the worn leather gives and the springs complain. She smiles in spite of herself, and decides, in fact, to humor him. 

“The very beginning?”

"Spare no detail,” he implores, and she remembers the panic of their briefing with Skinner after Chaney, years ago."" 

Post X-Cops Scully recaps their night over the phone to Mulder, who drops off (or at least snores) when she winds up to her list of grievances. (Her "unbelievable" floats around my head continually.)

@minuete-blog/Minuete's Out-Of-Scope Assignment - Chapter 8

""The two sat in their usual seats across from a scowling Skinner as they recount the COPS filming the elusive X-File and the somewhat successful bodyguard-turned-sting-operation.   He flipped through the report and underlined a few things for himself."" 

Post X-Cops Mulder wants to investigate another file but is squashed flat by Scully's "no." Instead, She invites him over for another work-night-turned-movie-night.

Girlie_girl7’s Bill Scully meets the X Cops

""Just then someone on the screen says they have a disturbance down the street. Mulder and Scully climb into their car. Scully stops the camera crew from going with them. "No, you go with someone else."

"About time Dana, you take charge.""

Post X-Cops Bill Scully, Jr., is shocked with his nightly COPS viewing; but gets swept up in the melodrama, cheering his sister on.

Sheryl Martin’s Feedback

""Thunk.

"Scully..."

Thunk.

"Scully... stop it."

Thunk.

"You're going to hurt yourself."

Thunk.

"Don't hurt the desk, then - put something under your head."

Thuddle.

"I didn't mean the case file. Besides, we did okay.""

Post X-Cops Scully is AGHAST that her family saw the episode.

ColebaltBlue/colebaltblue's Nothing to Hide

""Agent, you seriously believe we're looking for some kind of-"

"We'll, I'll show ya."

"Oh Mulder, you didn't."

"Didn't what?"

"Show that drawing on national television." Scully watched as Mulder unfoled the picture of wolf-man on screen. "Oh, yes, you did."

"Scully?" Mulder sounded amused, but with just a hint of hurt under it all. She bumped his shoulder with hers by way of apology. He bumped back and all was forgiven.

Post X-Cops Mulder and Scully watch the episode; and she grapples with the heartwarming (but oft frustrating) realization that Mulder cares only for her good opinion.

Erin Blair/Erin M. Blair's Halloween Evening

""Mulder nodded. "Twenty people wanted candy from the 'cool FBI agents' - that's what one of the kids said to me." He saw her give him one of her patented looks. "I don't know where he recognized us from. For all we know, he probably watched the 'Cops' episode with fifty repeated viewings.""

Post X-Cops Mulder and Scully were kept hoppin' on Halloween.

IngridGradient's Filmed on Location

""Mulder can’t help but feel smug about the fact that Scully has been reasonably attentive for the whole thing, barring a few scoffs and mutterings about how they shouldn't have let themselves be filmed. She even appeared amused a few times, basking in the (relative) innocence of their (relative) youth. And she ate the popcorn.

“Well. That was…something,” she says. “I’m still not clear on the M.O. of the creature you were proposing — precisely how it would pass the…the ‘fear’ along its chain of victims. You know what I mean, Mulder? The mechanism, the vector for transmission.”

“Always with the ‘how’ and never with the ‘wow’,” Mulder says."" 

Post Revival Mulder finds the episode and convinces Scully to watch it. Their moods sink the longer it goes on; but they're jolted out of the doldrums by their shock at a "lost scene." (As someone not into smut reading, I just skip that section~.)

AUs and Extras

@wtfmulder/@momdadimpoppunk (Ao3) TXF Fic Snippets

""Mulder pops in through the connecting door while she’s undressing, and she shakes her head before he gets any words out. “Absolutely not,” she says sternly.

“What do you think I’m here for?” He laughs, leaning up against the doorframe.""

In a collection of fic snippets, post X-Cops Scully sinks to the floor of her motel room, batting off Mulder's intentions.

stellar_dust's (Ao3) Cause and Effect (Ao3)

""He laughed. "Come on, Scully, it's a classic. How often do we get to see ourselves together, huh?"

She groaned. "Who says I want to, Mulder? That's what cameras are for. *Personal* cameras."

"... You know, Scully, you're really short," Mulder mused, like he hadn't made a point of noticing that fact at least a thousand times since they'd met.""

In a fic that spans S7's events post The Goldberg Variation, Mulder contemplates magic and trickery and chicanery.

FootlessData507′s Do You Want to Believe? - Chapter 12

""You look around to figure out what’s happened. You can’t move very far, obviously, because of that oxygen mask you are currently dependent on, but it soon becomes clear to you that something is going on in the economy section. You can hear screaming in addition to that strange sucking noise, and a whole lotta beeping and wailing, like there’s an episode of Cops playing in there.

You were in an episode of Cops once. Remember that? How did that not get brought up more?""

In a Pick-Your-Own-Adventure series of events, Scully is determined to have a beautiful flight... aliens interfere, of course; and Mulder gets right in the middle of it.

Do You Want to Believer? - Chapter 28

""Momma Mulder didn’t raise no chump! You put on your mask first, breathing in that sweet, sweet Element Eight.

            O-utstanding.

            Get it?

            Anyway, eventually you get around to helping that kid. Once you’ve done so, you look around to figure out what’s happened....

            You were in an episode of Cops once. Remember that? How did that not get brought up more?""

In that same series of events, Mulder gets a shot at a Cops shoutout.

Defnotmeyo’s (WBM, Alt. WBM) FTF- AKA The Tentative Trio (Alt.)

""The last torn up picture, the one left on top, is her first ultrasound.  One of the ones Mulder wasn’t there for.  The first one.  The first time he felt her hold his hand, kinda quite ‘that way.’

He’s not immune, to Mulder, either.  In that heap of a trash pile is a torn up L.A. newspaper, asking why the FBI was in town, and was partnering with COPS.""

S11 Skinner-- having received CSM's "biological" revelation-- tears his place apart and reflects on Mulder, the man he thinks of as his son.

@onpaperfirst's (Ao3, LJ) Snakebitten

""She went into the bathroom and he heard quiet movement, a zipper, fabric, then the squeak of pipes and water running in the tub. He wished he could fall asleep, nap in front of the TV, so he wouldn’t be waiting there expectantly when she came out, like some creep who’d just been sitting there the whole time, listening to her in there, thinking about her naked, which, well, he sometimes did, but he wasn’t now. 

He watched most of an episode of COPS before deciding she’d been in there too long. You could drown in an inch of water. Not to mention the things they’d seen come up a drainpipe.""

AU-- S5 Mulder and Scully secretly push apart as she investigates her cancer and abduction and he is forced into the long-con of recruitment leading up to The Pine Bluff Variant-- though, as per their bond, they are ultimately pulled back together.

@ghostbustermelanieking/skuls's encephalon - Chapter 1

""She wrinkles her nose up at him from where she's collapsed in the desk chair. “I liked Los Angeles,” she says seriously. “I don't like ridiculous movies that over-exaggerate and misconceptualize our jobs. At least that COPS episode showed what we really do.”

Mulder taps his chin dramatically, pretending to be in deep thought. “I seem to remember a certain Jose Chung and his horribly inaccurate portrayal of a certain case,” he says coyly.

She makes a face at him. “At least the names were changed,” she retorts.""

AU-- Mulder and Scully work through his brain disease in S7, with Scully's science ultimately saving his life. X-Cops is mentioned briefly after the disaster of The Lazarus Bowl.

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

[im-out-of-it]

I’m sorry but Gabriel is not wrong 💀

I’m sorry but this line from Gabriel is so funny like dude isn’t wrong. I love Jem and all but it’s such dark humor that it’s low key funny. did he got about it in a dickish way? yes but it’s slightly still funny. but if Will said this to someone else, it would have been acceptable. cue to the first page where they go and bring up Gabriel’s trauma because they’re all offended now. how is that right? Gabriel wasn’t being that nasty but it’s ok because Will hates him so he’s allowed to be rude. honestly Gabriel is probably the only one who character development in the series. Will is still a dick who now has Tessa so like did he really change at all? because he seems the same.

this just annoys me because Gabriel already has the trauma of killing his father but let’s add Will singing songs about it, making jokes, and bringing it up to irritate Gabriel. and I’m not saying that Gabriel isn’t ever rude (he does change and has the best character development.) but it doesn’t feel as intentional as when Will does it. like when Will is rude, it comes off as he wants to hurt that person. and at least Gabriel changes. he’s much different even though he didn’t deserve his hate in the first place. honestly if some dude embarrassed my sister, was rude to her, made a sexual joke about her (even if she’s unbearable later on.), broke my arm, and continually was rude to me as well as bringing my trauma whenever I did something he didn’t like- (saying stuff like lightworm is not funny and just plain annoying.) I probably wouldn’t want him around. it’s a good thing that Cecily is bearable and it’s known she’s wanted around.

[zoyalannister]

LOVE TO SEE GABRIEL LIGHTWOOD APPRECIATION!!

WHO DARES TO SAY HE'S A NEGLECTFUL FATHER/HUSBAND?

Controversial opinion:

The other tid men wish to be half the man Gabriel is

End of controversial opinion

Also Gabriel is not sexist, he literally married the girl who told him in his face that she wanted to be a fighter and not the typical wife of the era, and after this is when he kisses her and begins their relationship, he knew what he was getting into and he wouldnt consent either Cecily became a trophy and a caretaker.

Let's take a walk through canon, and the parts they might be taking into account to say he's neglectful.

Shall we?

-Alexander is always with his mother or looking for her

Maybe Alex is a momma's boy? Maybe, but this doesn't mean the father isn't implied in his raising

-but Alex is always in Cecily's arms

True, because CC forgot Gabriel existed, he has ZERO lines in chot (please justify how when Tatiana was about to murder his toddler he stayed silent and it was Will and Gideon who talked, try to)

-But Cecily is always at home in canon with Alex, in EET it's her who goes to take care of him when he cries or when Ari come to the house she's holding him

True, but let's talk about some biology basic lessons, Alex was months old at EET, he was probably being breastfeeded so it's normal Cecily goes to him when he cries because 50% chance he's hungry, and babies during first months don't identify their mother as a different person than them, so he seeks comfort, it's n o r m a l.

This doesn't mean Gabriel isn't helping or taking care of him.

Also EET is about the mother-daughter bond Anna and Cecily have, Gabriel literally in one scene appears to be so tired (probably due to raising a baby and having to be awake at night for him) that he fell asleep in the carriage while Kit cuddled with him, do they think if Gabriel was truly absent Kit at 14 yo would cuddle to his father?

-But Gabriel doesn't want to be a father or a husband

Gabriel literally in CP2 says he finds cruel to marry a girl to leave her a widow, do they think someone who says this would be neglectful or abbandon his family?

-But Gabriel is afraid he becomes his father

This is never seen in canon or referenced, he is lost because he loved his father and he is worried he cant mourn him because he wasnt a great person, he never says or thinks he will become him.

P E R I O D.

Anon, you basically say what I think and if people still see Gabriel as a borderline toxic partner and father probably they've read a different version of TID and EET (TLH doesn’t count since it ruined both him and Cecily).

I found some posts where Gabriel was basically described as the stereotypical absent father/husband who stays at the bar watching football instead of helping his wife with the household or parenting his kids.

Both Anna and Kit love him canonically, I doubt they would do so if Gabriel was a neglectful father.

And I agree with your controversial opinion: Gabriel is at least twice the man than every other male character in TID.

He would never let Cecily be just the wife and mother, unlike CC in TLH, and even if he did he would help her and not let her do most of the work.

[f-ferrari-forever]

(Chain of Thorns spoilers)

So, for Chain of Thorns, I applied my "spoilers are a way to see if it's worth reading" method. My conclusion, sadly, is that it isn't. While my expectations were heavily related to Fairstairs, I came out of all this posts and experts reading feeling like my least favourite characters are now my favourites. And they got the worst ending ever.

Grace and Christopher were different than any relationship Cassie has ever written. The love triangle was old news. This ace-coded, deep and gentle relationship was new. And it never even got to fully happen. Don't even get me started on that cursed family tree. Is there evn an updated version? If there is, I couldn't find it.

Even more so, please, somebody write a fix-it-fic. I can't phantom that the character with the most tragic backstory of the series (it's not Matthew, I was wrong. It's always been Grace) didn't get a happy ending. Sure, I assume the idea is that Grace has Henry to rely on, Lucie, Jesse, even Gabriel and Cecily maybe. She is very likely to have a wonderful career, and I, again, assume the idea is she will become an Iron Sister, thrieve in the sisterhood and invent many cool things. A happy ending doesn't mean a relationship, of course. But you're literally telling me that having the girl who lost her parents and got horribly abused by her adoptive mother lose the one person who made her feel seen and accepted for who she really was isn't the biggest bullshit ever? They could have been best friends, that's it. Doesn't change the fact that he understood her on a level nobody else did. And she lost that. He lost that. Every other happy ending fades away compared to this tragedy.

[jemdeserveslove]

I'M LATE FOR THE PARTY SORRY

But I'll give my two cents about it

If it's true and a head of a Institute dies I don't think we have many candidates (or at least, not many that we care about) but now that Will is away maybe someone else is in charge and my guess would be either Gabriel and Cecily or Gideon and Sophie

NOW, I have said this before and I'll say it again, there was a moment when Cassie said that a character that we know and care about will die in Chain of Thorns T_T BUT what if it is a Infernal Devices character? I think that's a huuge possibility

My personal guess is Gideon, just because I feel that he is always mentioned in the whole Tatiana situation, yk? He's always so open to her and has tried to help her and all, not that Gabriel hasn't, but it just seems that Gideon has a bigger soft spot for her and I think that if he died after he did something for her or she did something to him (even if it's a bad thing) it would make a nice story

and that's my Ted Talk, thank u

[exhausted-enby-vibes]

I'm rereading Enola Holmes rn and it's SO GOOD

the style is very unique, it's like having a conversation with her. While Enola (1st person narrator, is aware of the book being written) is putting in EVERY DETAIL, even less that flattering or secretive ones, she is also very particular about how the "gentle reader" percieves her, she wants to be SEEN. An example would be when she includes a cipher on a page and says "I know you can solve it, but please don't, you'll ruin the surprise!". or in book 4 (I think) chapter two poems on a joke in which the first paragraph is dedicated to a fictional person she claims to work for, as if he were real. the second paragraph is a single sentence, "I jest" and it catches me so off guard every time!

The side effect of this type of writing is that the entire book is rather like a train of thought, which comes off as mean or dramatic in some ways, which I find EXTREMELY entertaining. At several points she explains that neither of her brothers (including the legendary Sherlock!) have found her hiding place because they're just to clueless, tactless, and bitchless to possibly understand her plans to evade them. She breaks into Sherlocks house and rags on his tidying habits. just roasts him.

She's also very close with a somewhat perpetually missing person who she keeps attempting to save, a fellow teen girl and member of the gentry who greatly wished to escape such a life as a child bride to live out her days as decoration, that which her father would have her live. Cecily, this girl, shows a passion towards the city of London in which the story takes place, but not as an aristocratic stuffed doll, but as a working woman (or man, as she has at least once disguised herself.) and aims that THIS is how she shall escape her tyrannical father.

the second time Enola must locate Cecily, it is at the request of the girl herself, who communicated her misfortune by ways of the language of fans, that of secret lovers. (I know) in hopes that Enola would rescue her not only from her father, but from her aunts who had planned her an arranged marriage. (I KNOW) my point is, they're gay. because I said so.

can’t believe i forgot to respond to this one

first of all i love the idea of a book formatted like that and it’s immediately going on my list

also GAY

[beantothemax]

The song is Cecily Smith by Peter Friedman, but I personally prefer the Will Connolly version cause his voice sounds better. Peter Friedman instruments are better though. Just listen to both versions before reading the rest of this ask.

Let's go through why this is Agkari together.

Opening line is "the war was over, I was living with my folks" so this is a post canon au, at least after Hikari's story.

"to see a brunette" Agnea has brown hair.

"and I hope you like music, 'cause I've got two tickets for La Traviata""

She WOULD bring him to a performance for their first date.

"A girl of nineteen, with a nervous marine" 18 is close enough to 19 and Hikari IS a nervous war vet. Basically.

I'm aware these are all silly reasons but PLEASE let me have this bc I love this song so much. Also just the Will Connolly version is so lovely and it fits so well with post game bitter sweet feelings (yeah I haven't finished journey for the dawn but you get what I mean). Idk. Just. If the stars align (I become mentally ill about a ship) then I will force this song onto it bc I LOVE Cecily Smith so so much.

JUST LISTENED TO THEM AND!!!!!YOU’RE SO RIGHT!!!!!! THIS IS A VERY HIKAGNEA SONG

THE LYRICS ARE. JUST. I AM PICTURING AN AMINATIC WITH THESE TWO TO THIS SONG IN MY BRAIN SO HARD YOU HAVE NO IDEA

ALSO THE SONG’S JUST GOOD IN GENERAL

[dreamwritesimagines]

Enamored [32] - Amazement

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback my loves, you’re amazing!❤ I hope you’ll like this chapter as well, and please let me know what you think, thank you! ❤ And as always, thank you @theskytraveler for helping me with the chapter and the story❤

Summary: Patience comes with a prize.

Warnings: Regency era society and social rules.

Word Count: 5100

Series Masterlist

In all honesty, being called “picky” was not ideal when it was about an unmarried lady in London society, and if it were a couple of months ago you were certain you would lock yourself in your room and cry upon being accused of such but now?

Now you could hardly care about that.

Perhaps it was because you were already in love. You already knew who you wanted to marry and you knew no one but him could ever make you happy in matrimony. In fact, you knew now for certain that it was either going to be him or no one so the opinion of anyone else barely mattered.

But of course, the rest of the ton didn’t share the sentiment.

“You know, considering what a busy week this has been,” you murmured without peeling your eyes off the gossip column, “You’d think what happened at the ball wouldn’t be talked about this much.”

“I mean you did turn down three marriage proposals in person,” Cecily grinned. “Scandal.”

“Shh!” you motioned at her to lower her voice. “They only know about two of them though.”

Cecily waved a hand in the air. “You know how they are. Two is still too many for the ton.”

You heaved a sigh and lowered the paper.

“Unbelievable.”

“I have about an hour of free time, and I refuse to spend it indoors, come on,” Cecily pulled you by the arm and you got on your feet. “We’re going to the back yard.”

“Don’t tell me you have finished the invitations for the ball already,” you said, walking out of the main drawing room with her and she nodded.

“I have.”

“Cece, I thought I was going to help with that?”

“You’re already helping me with everything else, I only had a dozen left after yesterday,” she said and you hummed.

“I was going to ask you,” you said. “Why is the blue drawing room locked?”

She stole a look at you before averting her gaze. “Hm?”

“Why is the blue drawing room locked?” you repeated and she cleared her throat.

“For the um… personal reasons.”

“What personal reasons?”

She cleared her throat but before she could say anything else, you got distracted by the half open door of the Duke’s study.

“Cece, you go ahead, I’ll be right there,” you said and Cecily nodded, then walked away. You pushed the door gently to see the Duke there by his desk, reading some documents and you pulled your brows together.

“Your Grace?”

His head shot up and he pressed a hand on his chest.

“Y/N,” he said, rolling his shoulders back. “Didn’t hear you.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be here?” you said. “I was in the room when Aunt Lavinia said no work for at least another week.”

He thought for a moment.

“If Lav ever gets tired of being a countess, she’d do wonders as a prison guard.”

You bit down a smile, shifting your weight and he motioned at you to take a seat across from his desk. You did as he asked and cleared your throat, looking around the room.

Something had changed after that conversation he had with you and Elias. You still had so many questions, and you weren’t sure you would ever understand everything between him and your mother, or forgive him for that divorce. You knew he had been manipulated by his best friend over a long period of time and he had tried to pull back the divorce request, but…

It was obvious you would need to talk to him about it when the time came, when he was fully healed.

“Even the doctor said you should pace yourself,” you reminded him. “I believe the words he used were ‘taking a break’.”

“I have taken a long break,” he said. “I’ve done nothing but resting for over two weeks now.”

“I don’t think two weeks counts as a long break after a near death experience.”

He waved a hand in the air. “It was a small incident,” he said. “And I’m well enough to be dragged to Vauxhall Gardens tonight, so…”

“Everyone says it will be very entertaining,” you said. “I can’t wait to see it.”

“You’ll like it I think,” he said. “Now, before those vultures start circling us tonight, what happened in the past week I should know about?”

You thought for a moment.

“Well, it was a very busy week,” you said. “I’m sure you’ve heard, I’ve been called picky.”

He rolled his eyes. “Considering the idiots in the ton that are trying to court you, there’s nothing wrong with being picky,�� he commented. “Perhaps it’ll discourage some of them.”

“I think it might, but I’m not sure. Lady Whistledown questioned whether I was picky or too…focused on a certain suitor,” you said. “But Lucie heard from a valet that a lord said if I kept going like this, I was going to come across as—” You pulled your brows together, trying to remember. “Um, intimidating. Apparently one of his friends was going to propose but he said I struck fear in his heart purely because I already turned down two suitors.”

The Duke let out a chuckle. “Great, keep doing that.”

“What else… Oh, Miriam got married,” you said. “She’s on her honeymoon now, by the countryside.”

“My condolences to both her and her husband.”

You bit inside your cheek to keep yourself from laughing. “And everyone is already talking about Cecily’s upcoming ball.”

“The masquerade?”

You nodded. “Well, not that any of them know it’s a masquerade yet, but they will get the invitations soon. Cecily just finished them.”

“Lavinia says the theme is Legends?”

You nodded again. “I already planned everyone’s costumes, including yours.”

He blinked a couple of times. “What?”

“Yeah!” you said. “You’ll be Zeus. I ordered your lightning bolt, which will also serve as a cane if you need it but it’ll be a part of your costume so no one will know.”

“I’m attending that ball?”

“It will happen here,” you said. “In the ballroom.”

He ran a hand over his face. “I know but I was hoping I could just not attend.”

“You can’t do that,” you insisted. “It’s Cece’s first ball as a marchioness, we have to be there as a family to support her.”

He raised his brows, as if he was surprised at the fact that you had referred to him as family, but he wasn’t the only one. You paused for a moment and shifted your weight, looking around the room.

“Alright,” he said after a beat. “Zeus you say?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t need a cane though.”

“It’ll be a decorative prop that happens to have a functional addition.”

“No to the cane.”

You leaned back in your seat.

“In all honesty, the cane could also be useful for me. I could swing it at any suitor who might have the audacity to propose to me in person,” you deadpanned. “To strike further fear, so to speak.”

“Do you promise?”

You tilted your head. “What?”

“Do you promise you’ll do that if anyone proposes to you in person?”

“I’ll consider it,” you said. “I don’t want to cause a scandal and make something that’s supposed to be about Cece and Elias all about me once again.”

He waved a hand in the air dismissively. “It was your suitors’ fault, not yours.”

“Either way.”

“Before we go to Vauxhall,” he said. “I wanted to ask you. We will be having supper there with the Bridgertons, that’s what we always do before attending the shows. Are you alright with that?”

You pressed your lips together. “Hm? Yes of course. Why would I not be?”

He shot you a look, making you shift your weight.

“Oh Anth—Lord Bridgerton and I are friends now.”

He pulled his brows together, an expression of complete distrust etched on his features.

“You’re friends now,” he repeated and you nodded fervently.

“Well yes, because I told him–” you were cut off when you heard Cecily’s giggles echoing through the walls along with Elias’s laughter and you huffed out.

“Great, Elias is back,” you sulked. “Goodbye to my time with Cece I suppose.”

“Leave them be Y/N, they’re newly married.”

“I wasn’t aware newly married people enjoyed staying in their bedroom that much,” you grumbled, making him avert his eyes, clearing his throat as if he wanted to be done with the conversation now. “But yes, I am completely alright with having supper with the Bridgerton family.”

“Great,” he said and you stood up from your seat as the footsteps climbing the stairs reached your ears before someone –probably Elias— shut the door upstairs. You shook your head slightly and turned to him.

“I won’t tell Aunt Lavinia,” you said with a slight smile and he grinned, making you realize for the first time that he and Elias shared the same joyful grin.

“Much obliged.”

“…If you promise to stop in half an hour and go rest.”

“Two hours.”

“An hour.”

“An hour and a half.”

“An hour.”

He heaved a sigh. “Fine, an hour,” he said, holding up his hands, gesturing surrender and you let out a small laugh, then walked to the door.

“I will check in an hour,” you called out and walked out of the study, then made your way to the backyard.

                                          *

Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens looked like a completely different world. They were sites for so many different types of outdoor entertainment, from firework shows to a man-made cascade, hot-air balloon ascents to illuminations, orchestra to different places to promenade, you could hardly contain your excitement.

There were so many things you wanted to see, but apparently you were to have supper first with Bridgertons, Cecily’s family and yours. Elias and Cecily seemed to be in their own world and Aunt Lavinia and The Duke were having a deep discussion while they walked, and you followed them with the rest of the family.

“I’m thinking of going as Artemis,” Edith, Cecily’s oldest sister told you. “She never married, so I gather she fits perfectly.”

“That’s a good idea,” you said before turning to her other sister. “How about you Abigail?”

“I will be Echo,” she said. “I already picked my gown, it’s made of gray silk, different shades of it.”

You pressed your hand on your chest, “Oh God, I wish to see it already!” you said. “And any Narcissus in mind?”

“Well, ever since Cece became a marchioness, the number of my suitors went up,” she said with a bright smile. “And I do have someone in mind but…”

“Who?”

“I shall say nothing until he sends me flowers,” she said, making you laugh and Hugh turned his head, distracted from his conversation with Kenneth and Iona.

“And you?” you asked Hugh. “Who will you be?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me.”

“Mine is a surprise.”

“Oh come on…”

“Maybe a nymph?” Kenneth offered and you made a face.

“Dear God no,” you said. “No nymph, thank you.”

“Venus?” Iona asked and you shook your head.

“Cece is going as Venus—well, Aphrodite,” you said as you all reached the box. The Bridgertons were already there and your heart skipped a beat as your eyes met Anthony’s, then you hugged Eloise.

“Hello!” you said. “Have we kept you waiting?”

“No no, we just sat down,” she said. “We were a bit late, waiting for Daphne and Simon but apparently they can’t join us tonight.”

You frowned. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah it’s just…pregnancy makes her tired,” Eloise made a face. “It’s beyond me why she keeps doing that.”

You greeted the rest of the Bridgertons and took your seat. Eloise took a step to pull the seat next to yours but Anthony was faster as he grabbed the upper side of the chair, then nodded at Eloise.

“The seat over there is empty.”

“Good to know, my seat is right here.”

“Go sit next to Benedict.”

“You go sit next to Benedict.”

“Eloise,” Benedict called out and Eloise rolled her eyes.

“Unbelievable…” she grumbled and made her way to take the seat beside Benedict’s. You pursed your lips, trying to control your smile.

“Good evening,” you said as he sat down next to you and he smiled at you.

“Hello,” he greeted you warmly. “I’m glad you joined us.”

“I would never miss it,” you said and reached out to take the small card on the table that seemed to be the map of the gardens, then looked around. “Benedict, do you have a pencil?”

“Sure,” he said and took a pencil from the inner pocket of his waistcoat before handing it to you. Anthony tilted his head.

“What are you doing?” he asked as the food started being served, but you were too busy with the map to even pay attention.

“I’m picking the things I want to see the most tonight,” you said. “So that I don’t miss anything—what is this place?” you pointed at the map and Anthony leaned in to look at it better. His pleasant scent filled your nostrils, making your heart beat even faster but you swallowed thickly, trying your hardest to control yourself.

“That’s Lovers Walk.”

“Alright, so I want to see that,” you circled it, making him smile. “And this?”

“The Orchestra, but they play all night long, no rush for that.”

You hummed. “And this?”

“Oh that’s…no,” he said. “No, that’s Dark Walk.”

“Which means?”

“Which means you can’t go there.”

You pulled your brows together. “But you’ve been there?”

“….Uh, yeah. A couple of times.”

“So then why can’t I see it?”

He looked almost uncomfortable, then cleared his throat.

“It’s an unlit path,” he said. “All kinds of things happen there, it’d be too dangerous for you.”

Your frown deepened before you held your breath. “Oh like pickpockets and such?”

His smile was soft as he hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Exactly,” he said. “Pickpockets and such.”

“Oh, then that’s a no,” you muttered, crossing it out but then got distracted when you heard Cecily say your name.

“Hm?”

“I was just talking about Miriam calling you picky,” she said and you rolled your eyes, putting down the pencil.

“Did anyone go to her engagement ball?”

“No,”

“We didn’t,” Benedict motioned at himself and his brothers and Hugh nodded.

“We didn’t either.”

“Whistledown says she will throw a huge ball in her new house when she comes back from her honeymoon,” Eloise said and Cecily frowned.

“I heard it was going to be in their country house,” she said. “In any case, I think I ought to send her a wedding gift.”

“No you shouldn’t!” you and Eloise said at the same time and Cecily heaved a sigh.

“We have to.”

“I mean, do we though?” Elias asked, making her nod her head.

“People will talk otherwise.”

“What are we supposed to gift her anyway?”

Anthony stole a look at you and shrugged his shoulders. “A carpet?”

A laughter you couldn’t stop escaped from your lips and you covered your mouth, making him smirk.

“A carpet sounds like a good idea,” you said, trying to control your expression and Eloise made a face.

“She was going on and on about that country house,” she said. “I’m pretty sure people will go to that ball just to see it, not for her or her husband.”

“What did she say about the house?”

“Apparently it has a huge lake and her husband’s family likes to go on boats on that lake during summer,” Eloise said. “Maybe she will fall into the lake and die during the ball along with her insufferable husband.”

“Eloise!”

“What? It’s a lake Cece, a lot of couples die in lakes.”

You swirled the drink in your glass, sneaking a quick look at Anthony.

“Drowning for love,” you commented. “I cannot think of a more noble way to die.”

Anthony let out a chuckle and pursed his lips, trying to pull himself together.

“Alright, what’s happening?” Elias motioned at you and Anthony cleared his throat.

“Inside joke.”

“You two have inside jokes now?” he asked but before you or Anthony could answer, a lord approached the table.

“Marquess Westcliff, I was wondering if I could have a word?”

Elias shut his eyes for a moment before opening them again, and he let out an exasperated breath.

“No peace even when I’m eating…” he grumbled. “Hello Lord Colborne. Are you sure you want to have a word with me? My father is sitting right there, perhaps you’d like to talk to him?”

The man turned to look at the Duke who was glaring at him as if daring him to come closer before he shook his head.

“No Lord Westcliff, I think it’s better if I talked to you.”

“Wonderful,” Elias rolled his eyes and pushed his chair back. “Excuse me.”

“Another suitor?” Colin asked and you shrugged your shoulders, watching Elias walk away with Lord Colborne.

“Who is he?”

“Colborne?” Anthony said, “You wouldn’t get along well.”

“Aw he looked like a scared puppy,” Eloise grinned. “Maybe you should give him a chance, Y/N.”

“Eloise.” Anthony said and her grin got wider while you turned your attention to the map, turning the pencil between your fingers.

“Anthony, this?”

“Oh that’s the cascade,” he said. “But it’s about to be over for the night.”

Your head shot up. “What?”

“It’s a ten minute show and the last one started…” he checked his pocket watch. “Just now, so I don’t think—”

“Wait no, I don’t want to miss the cascade!” you exclaimed and looked around. “Who can—Cece! Are you eating? You’re not eating.”

“No, I don’t have an appetite.”

“Great!” you pushed your chair back. “I want to see the cascade!”

“Wait, now?”

“It’s the last one for the night!” you insisted. “Elias will come back God knows when, come on!”

Cecily pushed her chair back. “We can catch it if we run there I think.”

“Anyone wants to come with? Eloise?”

“I’ve seen that thing for a thousand times.”

“Edith? Abigail?”

“Not really, you two can go.”

“I’ll pass, I’ve seen it many times as well.”

“Iona?”

“Um no thank you, I’m here for the fireworks not the cascade.”

“Alright, we’ll be back when it’s over!” you said as you grabbed Cecily’s hand, and both of you started running to the cascade, giggling.

When you finally got there, you were both breathing fast, the excitement rushing through you. The sight of the artificial waterfall was so striking that you couldn’t help but stare at just how real it looked, and the rest of the crowd seemed to share your sentiment. There were many people watching the cascade, some whispering with each other and some just enjoying the scenery by themselves.

“It’s so beautiful,” you told Cecily after a couple of minutes and she nodded.

“I like it a lot,” she said. “It looks real.”

“It does!”

“Edith told me all about it after seeing it once,” she said. “The mechanical device that creates the illusion of actual water.”

You hugged her sideways. “Thank you for coming with me.”

“Are you joking? I wouldn’t miss anything that’ll make you happy for the world.”

You giggled and pressed a kiss on her cheek, then turned to watch the cascade.

“Do you think Edith would tell me as well if I asked her?”

“Oh certainly. She likes talking about interesting machinery.”

You tilted your head as the cascade show came to an end and the dark curtain was lowered to hide the stage from the public eye, and you turned to Cecily.

“Do we go back right away?”

“We could but I’m not that hungry. Are you?”

“Not really—” you started but you were instantly distracted when you saw Anthony approaching you two. He looked so handsome as always, and under the dim lights surrounding you, he almost took your breath away.

“You missed the cascade,” you told him and he put his hand into his pockets, a small smile playing on his lips.

“I just came to see whether you two made it safely.”

“It was so beautiful!” you said. “I’m glad I didn’t miss it.”

“Is Elias around?” Cecily asked and he shook his head.

“Still talking to Colborne.”  

Cecily looked between you two, then bit down a smile.

“We don’t want to go back just yet but… Y/N, do you want to see the Spring Garden? We’re very close and I don’t think we’ll come this way after dinner. Firework shows and acrobats are that way.”

“Sure!”

“Anthony?”

“Of course,” Anthony said and Cecily linked her arm with yours, then you all started walking.

Cecily was right, apparently you were very close. The Spring Garden was divided into parts, each part like a room made of very tall bushes surrounding you, with flowers in the center. You approached to the flowers to see them better, and Cecily shot Anthony a look before turning to you.

“Do you mind if I went to look for the flowers outside?” she asked. “I will be just by the entrance.”

Ah.

She was going to leave you alone and be on the lookout for anyone who might see you.

You could feel your heartbeat getting faster, then shook your head.

“Of course not,” you said. “Go ahead.”

“Great,” she said and walked away from you, leaving you there in the small garden. You could barely hear the music and chatter of the crowd from the excitement pulsing through you but you managed to keep your attention on the flowers, reaching out to brush your fingertips over the smooth petals.

“So what will you be then?” Anthony’s voice reached you and you pulled your hand back, then turned to smile at him.

“Hm?”

“For the masquerade.”

You hummed and clasped your hands behind, wandering in the garden with your nose up in the air.

“What makes you think I’ve decided on a costume already?”

He tilted his head, giving you a teasing smirk.

“Maybe because I know you?” he played along. “You’ve probably decided on yours before anyone else’s.”

You shrugged your shoulders in a completely innocent manner.

“I planned Cece and Elias’s first,” you said. “But if you need any help with yours, I could help.”

“You could help by telling me yours.”

“Or maybe you could guess?” you taunted him and he hummed.

“A nymph?”

You scrunched up your nose. “I don’t want to give Mr. Sinclair any reason to write me yet another poem.”

His gaze on you was unwavering, sending a pleasant spark through your system.

“A siren.”

You bit down on your lip, then shook your head.

“No. I did consider it though.”

“Psyche then. Must be Psyche.”

You grinned and shook your head again, rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet in excitement.

“No to that also?” he asked, making your grin wider. “Well, I was going to say Aphrodite, but Elias said—”

“Cece will be Aphrodite,” you cut him off in a proud manner. “It was my idea.”

“And your costume?”

“Someone more…” you trailed off. “Intimidating than Psyche.”

“Intimidating?”

“Yes,” you said. “Why do you want to know?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Because I want to match it.”

Then made your head shot up, your teasing grin fading from your lips as you pulled your brows together, trying to make sense of it.

“Well you—you can’t though,” you managed to say. “The whole ton would think we’re courting if we matched.”

A small smile curled his lips and he nodded.

“Good,” he said. “About time people knew of my intentions, wouldn’t you say?”

You blinked a couple of times, disbelief making your brain almost fuzzy as you stood there completely frozen.

“Your intentions of?” you said, your heart beating in your ears and he swallowed thickly, taking a step towards you.

“Y/N, I—” he paused for a moment. “You were right earlier. I didn’t do any of the things I was supposed to do.”

“Anthony…”

“But I would like to do things right this time,” he said, “The way I should have done from the beginning. If you would allow me and if you…”

He swallowed thickly as if he was nervous, then reached into his waistcoat pocket to pull something out.

“And if you would accept my courtship,” he said as he reached out to take your hand, then put what he was holding into your palm and withdrew his hand, his fingertips almost burning you.

As soon as you realized what was in your palm, you held your breath.

You had heard of love tokens before. It was a coin of any kind that a suitor would offer the lady he wanted to court; a jeweler would smooth both sides of the coin before engraving what the suitor wanted to write on the coin, and if the lady accepted it, it meant that the affections were reciprocated.

Anthony had chosen a gold coin to give you, with a tiny hole on it so that you could carry it easier as either a necklace or a bracelet. You turned the coin in your hand, the engraving catching your eye;

Heart over logic.

A giddy laughter escaped from your lips as you looked up at him, closing your palm around the coin.

“I do accept,” you managed to say softly, making him let out a breath. “Nothing could make me happier.”

He looked almost speechless before a smile lit up his face and you let out an excited giggle, your stomach doing pleasant flips. You lowered your head to look down at the coin again and he buried his nose into your hair, running his fingertips over your palm, making you close your eyes for a moment before opening them again upon hearing footsteps. Anthony pressed a hurried kiss to the top of your head before stepped back and Cecily entered the garden again.

“I just saw the love of my life coming here,” she said and linked her arm with yours. “Come on, let’s meet him.”

You bit down on a smile and let her lead you, with Anthony following you behind and Elias waved at you, then approached you.

“Where were you? I stopped by the cascade but it was over.”

“We went to see the Spring Garden,” Cecily said. “You?”

“I swear, I’ve had it up here with these suitors,” he whined, and you stole a look at Anthony who winked at you. “Anyway, let’s go back, shall we? I’m starving.”

                                  *

You could barely sleep that night after you came back. The excitement roaring through your veins was so strong that even the fireworks you had all watched back at Vauxhall couldn’t come close to what you were feeling inside, and after getting back home, you had excused yourself to your bedroom and buried your face into the pillow, letting out an excited scream.

You were nearly intoxicated by what had happened, so around the dawn you had dozed off, still holding onto the coin. Naturally, you had woken up later than usual, way after breakfast time and after getting into your gown, you kept fidgeting in your seat while Lucie worked on your hair.

“So it’s a love token then?” she asked and you nodded, your whole attention on the ribbon you were trying to put through the small hole in the coin.

“Yes,” you said. “And I will wear it.”

“Will your father and brother not ask?” she asked you. “I gather they have seen love tokens before.”

“Oh, I’ll…I’ll keep it under the bust of my gown so no one will see,” you said. “But I will know what it is—” you held your breath as you fit the ribbon through the hole. “Voila!”

She let out a small laugh as she withdrew her hands from your hair, then motioned at you to give her the coin. She quickly tied it behind your neck and you fixed your dress, making sure the coin would stay hidden in your cleavage.

“There, you look very beautiful.”

You shot her a bright smile and turned around to look at her better.

“Lucie I’m so happy!”

“Well I’m glad!” she said, mirroring your smile and you fanned at your face.

“Do you think—”

“My lady?” a maid knocked on the door and cracked it open. “They require your presence downstairs.”

You pulled back. “Is everything alright? The Duke—”

“He’s fine, everyone is fine,” she assured you. “But you…um, you should see this I think. The family is in the drawing room.”

You exchanged glances with Lucie as you stood up. “Do you know what’s happening?”

“Not at all, they had just finished breakfast when I came here,” she said, following you close. You left your room and made your way to the drawing room, and as soon as you stepped inside, you froze.

There were dozens of flowers. A maid was placing the last bouquet on the table when you stopped dead in your tracks, and looked around.

“What is this?” you asked and Cecily looked at you over her shoulder, then smiled at you.

“Uh, flowers.”

“From?”

Elias pinched the bridge of his nose. “From Anthony.”

Your heart skipped a beat as you gawked at him.

“What?”

“Is this boy trying to kill me?” The Duke wondered out loud, glaring at the desk filled with flowers. “Is that what’s going on? First the fine china, now this?”

“In all honesty Percy,” Aunt Lavinia said. “I doubt he is thinking about you.”

“I specifically said no suitors allowed, Lav.”

“Well, technically he’s not here,” Aunt Lavinia pointed out. “His flowers are.”

“How do you—” you squeaked out and cleared your throat. “How do you know they’re from him?”

“Oh I’m glad you asked, because he sent a card,” Elias said, leaning back to the table, crossing his arms. “Right on top of the bouquet over there.”

You approached the bouquet he motioned at to take the card, and held your breath as you skimmed the lines.

To the lady who holds my heart,

Anthony Bridgerton.

You could feel the smile warming your face, Aunt Lavinia and the Duke’s argument continuing while Cecily cleared her throat.

“Y/N, it wasn’t in an envelope or anything of the sort,” she said. “The card, I mean. It was right on top of the bouquet, which means all the maids saw it, which means…”

“Everyone in the ton will know it,” you finished her sentence for her and she nodded.

“Exactly,” she said with a grin. “So it is official then. Anthony Bridgerton is courting you.”

A giggle escaped from your lips and Elias threw his head back, letting out a groan.

“Great,” he grumbled. “Here comes the inevitable, I guess.”

Chapter 33

[purplebass]

I think gabriel would always think he was a bad father to him or that Kit prefered Henry over him, knowing his daddy issues I can see him taking this quite in this way of blaming himself

Yeah, I wish we would've seen more than that. I don't remember if this was addressed, but it would've been interesting to know what Gabriel thought about Henry being the only person in their group who did something that interested Kit more than the ordinary stuff they did at home. He was jealous when he was younger, but maybe, as he grew older, he was less jealous and more rational when it came to jealous. I can see him being a little jealous of Henry at first, when Kit starts spending more time at Grosvenor Square because he likes the lab. He would be grumpy, and Cecily would ask about him and he would confess that he thinks that Kit prefers Henry more than him, since every time he proposed to do something together, Kit said that Henry was working on a new project and had wondered if he wanted to help. Cecily would frown and then smile at his jealousy, and remind him that Kit's love for him wouldn't change. He just had a hobby that none of them could help him with, so he should be happy that Kit is happy that at least he has Henry to work with. Gabriel would never get over it, but eventually, he accepts it.