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lesmislettersdaily · 1 year

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The Beginning Of Repose

Volume 1: Fantine; Book 6: Javert; Chapter 1: The Beginning Of Repose

M. Madeleine had Fantine removed to that infirmary which he had established in his own house. He confided her to the sisters, who put her to bed. A burning fever had come on. She passed a part of the night in delirium and raving. At length, however, she fell asleep.

On the morrow, towards midday, Fantine awoke. She heard some one breathing close to her bed; she drew aside the curtain and saw M. Madeleine standing there and looking at something over her head. His gaze was full of pity, anguish, and supplication. She followed its direction, and saw that it was fixed on a crucifix which was nailed to the wall.

Thenceforth, M. Madeleine was transfigured in Fantine’s eyes. He seemed to her to be clothed in light. He was absorbed in a sort of prayer. She gazed at him for a long time without daring to interrupt him. At last she said timidly:—

“What are you doing?”

M. Madeleine had been there for an hour. He had been waiting for Fantine to awake. He took her hand, felt of her pulse, and replied:—

“How do you feel?”

“Well, I have slept,” she replied; “I think that I am better. It is nothing.”

He answered, responding to the first question which she had put to him as though he had just heard it:—

“I was praying to the martyr there on high.”

And he added in his own mind, “For the martyr here below.”

M. Madeleine had passed the night and the morning in making inquiries. He knew all now. He knew Fantine’s history in all its heart-rending details. He went on:—

“You have suffered much, poor mother. Oh! do not complain; you now have the dowry of the elect. It is thus that men are transformed into angels. It is not their fault they do not know how to go to work otherwise. You see this hell from which you have just emerged is the first form of heaven. It was necessary to begin there.”

He sighed deeply. But she smiled on him with that sublime smile in which two teeth were lacking.

That same night, Javert wrote a letter. The next morning be posted it himself at the office of M. sur M. It was addressed to Paris, and the superscription ran: To Monsieur Chabouillet, Secretary of Monsieur le Préfet of Police. As the affair in the station-house had been bruited about, the post-mistress and some other persons who saw the letter before it was sent off, and who recognized Javert’s handwriting on the cover, thought that he was sending in his resignation.

M. Madeleine made haste to write to the Thénardiers. Fantine owed them one hundred and twenty francs. He sent them three hundred francs, telling them to pay themselves from that sum, and to fetch the child instantly to M. sur M., where her sick mother required her presence.

This dazzled Thénardier. “The devil!” said the man to his wife; “don’t let’s allow the child to go. This lark is going to turn into a milch cow. I see through it. Some ninny has taken a fancy to the mother.”

He replied with a very well drawn-up bill for five hundred and some odd francs. In this memorandum two indisputable items figured up over three hundred francs,—one for the doctor, the other for the apothecary who had attended and physicked Éponine and Azelma through two long illnesses. Cosette, as we have already said, had not been ill. It was only a question of a trifling substitution of names. At the foot of the memorandum Thénardier wrote, Received on account, three hundred francs.

M. Madeleine immediately sent three hundred francs more, and wrote, “Make haste to bring Cosette.”

“Christi!” said Thénardier, “let’s not give up the child.”

In the meantime, Fantine did not recover. She still remained in the infirmary.

The sisters had at first only received and nursed “that woman” with repugnance. Those who have seen the bas-reliefs of Rheims will recall the inflation of the lower lip of the wise virgins as they survey the foolish virgins. The ancient scorn of the vestals for the ambubajæ is one of the most profound instincts of feminine dignity; the sisters felt it with the double force contributed by religion. But in a few days Fantine disarmed them. She said all kinds of humble and gentle things, and the mother in her provoked tenderness. One day the sisters heard her say amid her fever: “I have been a sinner; but when I have my child beside me, it will be a sign that God has pardoned me. While I was leading a bad life, I should not have liked to have my Cosette with me; I could not have borne her sad, astonished eyes. It was for her sake that I did evil, and that is why God pardons me. I shall feel the benediction of the good God when Cosette is here. I shall gaze at her; it will do me good to see that innocent creature. She knows nothing at all. She is an angel, you see, my sisters. At that age the wings have not fallen off.”

M. Madeleine went to see her twice a day, and each time she asked him:—

“Shall I see my Cosette soon?”

He answered:—

“To-morrow, perhaps. She may arrive at any moment. I am expecting her.”

And the mother’s pale face grew radiant.

“Oh!” she said, “how happy I am going to be!”

We have just said that she did not recover her health. On the contrary, her condition seemed to become more grave from week to week. That handful of snow applied to her bare skin between her shoulder-blades had brought about a sudden suppression of perspiration, as a consequence of which the malady which had been smouldering within her for many years was violently developed at last. At that time people were beginning to follow the fine Laënnec’s fine suggestions in the study and treatment of chest maladies. The doctor sounded Fantine’s chest and shook his head.

M. Madeleine said to the doctor:—

“Well?”

“Has she not a child which she desires to see?” said the doctor.

“Yes.”

“Well! Make haste and get it here!”

M. Madeleine shuddered.

Fantine inquired:—

“What did the doctor say?”

M. Madeleine forced himself to smile.

“He said that your child was to be brought speedily. That that would restore your health.”

“Oh!” she rejoined, “he is right! But what do those Thénardiers mean by keeping my Cosette from me! Oh! she is coming. At last I behold happiness close beside me!”

In the meantime Thénardier did not “let go of the child,” and gave a hundred insufficient reasons for it. Cosette was not quite well enough to take a journey in the winter. And then, there still remained some petty but pressing debts in the neighborhood, and they were collecting the bills for them, etc., etc.

“I shall send some one to fetch Cosette!” said Father Madeleine. “If necessary, I will go myself.”

He wrote the following letter to Fantine’s dictation, and made her sign it:—

“MONSIEUR THÉNARDIER:— You will deliver Cosette to this person. You will be paid for all the little things. I have the honor to salute you with respect.

“FANTINE.”

In the meantime a serious incident occurred. Carve as we will the mysterious block of which our life is made, the black vein of destiny constantly reappears in it.

#les mis #Les Mis letters #volume 1: fantine #book 6: javert #chapter 1

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yuesya · 2 years

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Much madness was one of my favorite One Piece works. I'm still not over your idea of m!Madeleine where he ends up in Tottoland bureaucracy as the most well adjusted one because canon Madeleine is.... a person with an unique mind. If you can write any more deftails on that whether it's how he interacts with siblings (i.e. Cracker), his daily life, or any of his true self that peeks out from his warm kind mask. I'm not picky.

Hello and thank you for reading! ... I actually had to go back and dig up that old post haha. But yes, m!Madeleine! In which Madeleine is a Well Adjusted Individual, but only if you compare him with his alternate Madeleine personas and, like. The Charlotte family in general lol.

More below the cut, since this got a little long:

So, m!Madeleine is very calm and mild-mannered in the day-to-day. Cracker still doesn't get along very well with him in the beginning ("Just look at him! How am I supposed to trust that face?" "... What kind of excuse is that, Cracker?") and it's precisely because of that affable front. He gets along with everyone, and Cracker refuses to believe that anyone can be that good-natured. His brother is definitely plotting something!

Eventually, though, m!Madeleine gets tired of all the pointed needling and snarky comments and pulls Cracker into a sealed area via Dream Dream Fruit. In the tried and true fashion of a lot of shonen manga out there, you become friends after beating each other up with your fists.

... Or well, not friends, but Cracker is definitely a lot less twitchy around m!Madeleine after finding out that he's a person who does have his own limits just like anyone else out there.

On m!Madeleine's part... y'know, I kind of feel like we should probably stop calling him that by this point. Macaron? Let's go with Macaron.

Anyways!

So, on Macaron's part. Even though he'd been unwillingly stuffed into the bureaucracy things by Peros at the start, he still does his job well. And he comes to take a certain sense of pride in watching over his siblings and keeping everything running smoothly on the island. It also helps that Big Mom is very much Not Interested in paperwork or anything of the sort, so she's never around the administration buildings. Win-win for everyone all around!

Macaron is content to ignore Big Mom for the most part, but he eventually grows to care for his siblings. Bloodthirsty idiots, the whole lot of them. He loves them anyways.

Katakuri and Cracker and all the others out there, constantly fighting so others in the family do not have to... it's not a job Macaron would ever wish to take upon his own shoulders, he doesn't think he has the stomach for it. But he can respect his brothers for the sacrifices that they make, for the sake of the family.

It means that siblings like Macaron and Brulee can remain safely within Totto Land and support them from the back. Keep everything in the territory running smoothly. Take care of all the younger siblings that they have, give them a safe environment to grow up in-

Macaron is a fairly laidback person, by and large. It makes him the number one Charlotte that people want to use as their point of contact with the Big Mom Pirates. He's the only one in that insane family who's not insane! Who will sit down and talk to you all reasonable and polite and you'll never have to worry about Macaron getting irritated and pulling a sword on you out of nowhere when he suddenly loses his temper.

Looking at you, Cracker.

... Anyways. There's a lot of things that Macaron can overlook and politely pretend to forget -as long as it doesn't threaten his family.

He's not a fighter like Katakuri or Cracker, but he's far from helpless, contrary to the impression that most people have of him. When Urouge and his crew breach the nursery, Macaron is actually reading a story to the young ones. The young man lifts his eyes, and very carefully does not frown, knowing that his impressionable little siblings are watching him -knowing that they take their cues from them, and so he has to remain calm and unruffled- but it doesn't stop him from clicking his tongue.

He'll have to go over the island's security measures with Peros after this.

"You have," he says flatly, "Exactly five seconds to turn around and leave. If not... I won't be responsible for what happens next."

Armed with nappies and toys and holding a colorful picture book, Macaron certainly doesn't cut a very imposing figure. The Fallen Monk Pirates laugh at him.

Macaron nods, and closes the book. Then, wholly ignoring the enemies in the room, he turns towards his little siblings.

"Let's play a game," he smiles. "Close your eyes and count to thirty. No peeking! Good children who listen will get an extra treat in their afternoon snack today."

"B-brother, what-?"

"Shhh. There, there. Be good, hmm?"

Then, Macaron turns.

Sleep, he commands, and the power of his Devil Fruit flares to life around him with a nightmarish glow.

...

"Oh, I'm really out of practice... Brulee is going to be so cross with me for making a mess like this... ah, Pudding! Good timing, sister. Will you run a message to the Head Chef for me while I do a bit of cleanup here? Put in an extra order for some extra treats to be delivered to the Nursery today. Eclairs will be nice, I think.

... What's with that look on your face? Run along, now. There's nothing for you to worry about here.

...

... Did you not hear me? Pudding. You have nothing to worry about."

#QA #Writing #some m!madeleine stuff!#or rather #macaron now i guess #technically i guess we could've had the name stay madeleine #but madeleine is very much a feminine name?#and in my mind it's associated with f!madeleine so #macaron!#hopefully that works too #and there isn't already a canon one piece character called macaron lol #that would be fun #;;;

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mimiatmidnight · 3 years

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Predictions on Baby Girl Sussex?

I’m FREEEEEEEE from finals and ready to chat with you all once again! Thank you all for being so patient, I’m so excited to dive into all your questions and give them the novel-length responses they deserve 😉

I’m assuming you mean name predictions haha, cause the only other thing I can think of to predict would be her birthday (for the record, I’ll go ahead and put my sister’s birthday, June 10th, for no reason other than I predicted my own birthday, April 26th, for Archie!). But I love talking about baby names (as you can see by the length of this post 😅), so let’s get into it.

So I fully expect to be completely taken aback by their pick. Like not even on the same planet as my predictions. Cause that’s just how those two roll lmao. But IF they’re staying in the same theme as Archie’s name, I’m expecting something that’s also short, possibly nickname-y, kind of dusty and vintage, but with a whimsical charm, just like Archie’s. I am still operating with the assumption that she will one day be Princess (whether or not that actually happens, of course, remains to be seen), so I’m trying to keep that title in mind. And also, given that name meanings appear to hold significance to them, I tried to at least somewhat keep meanings in mind. So, in no particular order:

Eloise

“Healthy; wide”

French, English

I am SO charmed by this name. If I hadn’t already decided on Elliott for my future son’s name, this name would be right at the top of my future daughter’s list. I just thinks it’s so delightfully playful yet still timeless and classic. It gives easy and pretty nicknames with Ellie and Ella, or even Lizzy (possibly to honor her great-grandmother?). “Archie and Eloise” sounds so perfect and natural to me, without sounding kitschy or too over the top with the matching. “Princess Eloise” is so deliciously perfect, it just fits together like a puzzle piece.

Eleanor

Unknown meaning

English, French

Eleanor hits almost all the same beats I mentioned above for Eloise, even down to the lovely Ellie/Ella nicknames. It’s even more royal than Eloise, with such heady associations as the legendary Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (not to mention the American Queen, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt!). Eloise is closer to my heart, but I’d be thrilled with Eleanor as well.

Greta

“Pearl”; diminutive of Margaret

German

This one’s quite old-fashioned, but I think it’s so charming and would make an adorable name on a little girl. And fun fact, the name Meghan comes from a nickname for Margaret, which is why both those names as well as Greta all mean “Pearl.” So this would be a perfect way to honor little girl’s mama in a more subtle way.

Poppy

“Red flower”

Latin, English

Spunky yet sweet. Pays tribute to her mother’s homeland of California, while also sounding very at home in her father’s homeland of the UK. A flower name in honor of her mama’s own mama. This scarlet name would be even more perfect if the Ginger Avenger manages to make himself another little Gingette. And as I said to one of my anons the other day, “Princess Poppy” is so screeching cute I might actually combust if I think about it too much, so let’s move on.

Lea

“Meadow; weary”

English

To be totally honest, this one is mostly just because I’ve been addicted to listening to “Lea” by TOTO on repeat lately. Although “Princess Lea” might be a bit too . . . you know. Stor Wors. Even though the sci-fi princess pronounces her name differently, I think they’ll probably still want to avoid that association. Still, that song is heavenly and the name goes with all my criteria so I’m putting it in anyways.

Hazel

“Hazelnut tree”

English

Another nature name, one that I’m sure our favorite Earth Mama will enjoy ;) It’s newly popular, but in my opinion still retains that distinctive and whimsical uniqueness of a name that’s much further on the fringe than Hazel actually is. I can just picture a little hazel-eyed princess running barefoot around her gorgeous backyard, wild hair all spread out as she lays underneath a hazelnut tree. Ugh, so cute.

Etta

“Estate ruler”; feminine diminutive of Henry

English, Scottish

I suppose in response to Archie’s middle name Harrison, I’ve seen some Squaddies predict Henrietta for his little sister. And um . . . that is not a favorite of mine 😅 But if Harry wants to add his brand to his second little munchkin as well, why not Henrietta’s much more sleek and dynamic offshoot, Etta? It's got that old school feel, with also a spark of liveliness. I also love that it ties to their Black ancestry through one of the most legendary Queens of American Soul Music, Etta James.

Maeve

“She who intoxicates”

Irish

Incredibly endearing with a rich history. For my own personal use, this safer option might actually be called upon for my future daughter if I never manage to work up the courage to use my actual long-time Irish favorite, Saoirse. But for Harry and Meghan, I can’t really see them using this one. Still, I felt like I needed an M name to cover all my bases, and this is one of the few that I like. Some other honorable “M”entions (get it?) include Maisie, Melody, and Madeleine (thank you to my lovely anon for this one!).

Francesca

“From France; free man”; variation of Frances

Italian

I haven’t really mentioned middle names here, mostly because this post is long enough already and middle name combos just add a whole other level of crazy. But given the enormous legacy of her grandmother, I am extremely torn on whether Baby Girl will be getting a name in her honor. If her parents so choose, Diana’s middle name Frances, or even it’s more ornately feminine variation, Francesca, would be lovely honors for the little princess to carry. If they do end up honoring Diana, I’d expect it to be in Baby Girl’s middle name.

Violet

“Purple”

Latin, English

One last flower name for Earth Mama Meghan. Violet was my top pick for Archie when he was still the mysterious Baby Sussex, but though it has since fallen from my top spot, it still is a lovely, classic name of inarguable feminine grace, yet with an underlying core of strength and fortitude. I feel like Violet is a woman who ties her hair back with a soft velvet bow, but then hitches up her skirts, draws her sword, and shows the battlefield who’s boss. I just love the duality of this name, and I think it would be a lovely gift for a little girl.

Alice

“Noble”

German

Vintage, classic, girly, and solidly royal, this name calls to mind white rabbits and looking glasses. Once again, on a personal note, this might be an option for my future daughter if I chicken out on trying to get everyone to pronounce Alicia correctly. I love that name in the Spanish pronunciation, “Ah-lee-see-ah,” but I find the Anglicized “Ah-lee-sha” to be dreadful and I wouldn’t want to burden my girl with a lifetime of corrections. Anyways, Alice is just as elegant, if not quite as ornate, and in any case is much more likely for our British-American princess. Plus, what a stunning pair of name meanings to gift these two siblings: “Brave” Archie and “Noble” Alice. They sound straight out of an Arthurian legend. (Plus, how cute would “Archie and Alice” sound!)

Honorable Mentions Cause I Need To Wrap This Shit Up:

Evie/Edie (both follow all the E names I wrote about above, and Edie in particular is a modern name full of moxie that would be a great nickname for the older, traditional Edith)

Lily (yet another flower name, and I just like the sound of this one)

Spencer (another possible route to honoring Granny Diana, yet maintaining a much more modern and spunky taste than Frances, while also being less direct)

Clara (of Nutcracker fame, adding here mostly because I think I’d melt if I heard this in Harry’s voice and accent)

Lucy (same vibes as Alice and Clara)

Ivy (cute, simple, girly nature name, but unfortunately already in use by the daughter of Meghan’s close friend Jessica Mulroney)

Zoe (I have absolutely no personal connection to this name, but for some reason it just now randomly popped into my head as something they might choose, so here ya go)

So yeah! Sorry this was so long, but it was super fun! Thank you for sending in this great question. I’d love to hear all your guys’ name predictions, dream picks, and wild card guesses!

#meghan markle #prince harry #baby sussex 2.0 #royal fandom #the princess of montecito #baby names #markle & spencer #the munchkins of montecito

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202140579aws2021 · 3 years

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The Tragedy of Mariam by Elizabeth Cary on female eloquence/silence

“I am a student of the University of Hull blogging as part of my assessment for the module All the World’s a Stage. All views expressed here are my own and do not represent the university”.

Gina-Madeleine Moellenhoff 202140579

Elizabeth Cary is the first Englishwoman to write a tragedy in English, namely the Tragedy of Mariam – The Fair Queen of Jewry. The play, which is a so-called “closet play”, was published in 1613 and belongs to the Senecan subgenre of the revenge tragedy. Although the play was intended as a closet play, it can certainly be seen on stage. This alone shows a modification of the original intention. Mariam, Salome and Graphina can appear as potent performers; especially in the person of Salome, there is the possibility of portraying her as particularly eye-catching through certain costumes. Graphina's quiet role can also be given a deeper meaning through stage directions and costumes.

The drama can be read as an expression of its author’s own life and struggles. We know this because of a biography by one of Cary’s four daughters. Cary is a female writer and creates multiple female characters (including protagonists) for a – possibly – female readership. This femininity is very striking and cannot be overlooked in the play. The Tragedy of Mariam has to be analysed from a feminist point of view, which is what this essay aims at under the title of eloquence and silence regarding women.

The Tragedy of Mariam offers a unique female perspective upon the role of authority within the state and marriage. For Cary as a woman of the aristocracy, this is a brave and dangerous move. She tries to show the women’s attempts to construct their relations to the social center, to their husbands, without losing their voices. This is a very narrow path but one that Cary treads successfully. She does this by giving the women different voices and attitudes, which differ from each other to a great extent. Salome for example is a woman who was enabled to claim an independent speaking position by her upbringing but is then marginalised by her husband Constabarus. The argument between the two of them in Act 1, Scene 6, is a good example for this argument. In this scene, Constabarus enters and confronts Salome for her unfaithfulness, and she declares that she will seek a divorce from her husband, an option only available to men at the time. Constabarus tells her, “Oh Salome, how much you wrong your name, // Your Race, your country, and hour husband most” (1.6.1-2) as well as “Didst thou but know the worth of honest fame, // how much a vertuous woman is esteem’d, […] And seeke to be both chast and chastly deem’d” (1.6.17-20) and “I feare me much you will too late repent, // That you have ever liv’d so void of awe” (1.6.81-2).

Women in The Tragedy of Mariam also repeatedly speak against each other in the very act of asserting their defiance of patriarchal authority. Their performative skills are often condemned as evil by men in positions of power. Overall, Cary examines both the successes and failures of female speech. She elaborates on the personal feelings of her characters, especially on Mariam. Therefore, she is shifting the focus from the evil king to the wronged queen. She decided to let the play start with a woman’s soliloquy, which is again a bold and unique move by Cary. The soliloquy itself is highly suggestive of the possibilities of the text.

The mothers in The Tragedy of Mariam are represented at length as speaking subjects rather than muted witnesses to male sexual potency. They take up a special position in the play, because they claim maternity as a condition for speech; they have fulfilled their feminine and conjugal duty and given birth to an heir. Their speeches cannot undermine the centrality of the ruler, but they can be seen to redraw the boundaries of domestic authority. In doing so, they enter dangerous territory, because the roles between men and women are very precisely divided at the time. Using speech, they try to make their own positions clear. Also by speaking with voices whose passion and eloquence serve to decenter standard early modern notions of fatherly authority, they manage to find speaking positions apart from renaissance masculine conceptions of their roles. The mothers’ voices balance the voices of those female characters whose speech is directed primarily - and erotically – toward the men. This refers above all to Salome and Graphina, who will be discussed later on.

Starting with Mariam, the eponym of the play, we see that her first appearance is a public speech, which contains great danger for as woman at the time. She is speaking freely, and thus bypassing her husband, who is entitled to freedom of expression, which can end badly. This unfortunately proves true in Mariam’s case later on. Mariam’s opening soliloquy allows the reader to appreciate her inner conflict and desires to be both a woman and an opposer of tyranny. Her first lines of this first soliloquy evoke the powers of speech and their consequences, which were often denied women by contemporary conduct traits: “How of have I with public voice run on // To censure Rome’s last hero for deceit: // Because he wept when Pompey's life was gone, // Yet when he lived, he thought his name too great. // But now I do recant, and, Roman lord, // Excuse too rash a judgment in a woman: // My sex pleads pardon, pardon then afford, // Mistaking is with us but too too common” (1.1.1-8). She apologises directly with her first words for speaking loudly as a woman and includes that women should not do this, and if they do, that they make frequent and many mistakes. Here you can see Mariam's attitude well: She knows about her status as a woman, but does not want to completely correspond to it or submit to it. With this she also states that every single element of female speech is problematic.

This is one of the most important passages of the play; it is not only important what Mariam says, but mainly how she presents herself through it and what power such an opening soliloquy gives her. Mariam is also a good example when it comes to silencing: She is accused of being a traitor and beheaded for her domestic counsel. She did not directly go too far with her speeches, but her previous behaviour influenced Herod in such a way that he was (for the time being) convinced of her guilt. She was not the silent wife desired in the Renaissance. At the end of the play, there can be no doubt as to where our sympathies lie. Being speaking and performing agents, Mariam ans also Salome both reveal a remarkable awareness of the possibilities afforded to women by different tactics of self-representation. Mariam herself is fully aware of the power of her obvious sex appeal to maintain domestic harmony. An apparent example for this can be found in act 3, scene 3: “I know I could enchain him with a smile // And lead him captive with a single word. // I scorn my look should ever man beguile, // Or other speech, than meaning to afford” (3.3.45-8).

Since Salome is, just as Mariam, a speaking and performing agent in the play, she can be considered as one of the liveliest characters. This is mainly because she stands out so much as a woman in her role. She is given a convincing and impassioned plea for the right of women to divorce their husbands, as can be seen in the following quote: “My will shall be to me instead of law” (1.5.80). Divorce is reserved for men at the time and Salome takes abig risk with wanting it. She does not adhere to the prevailing roles between man and woman but speaks like a man and demands those very rights, even if she is not entitled to them. She cannot (and does not want to) understand why it should not be her right as a woman to get a divorce – but Cary gives Salome a voice that probably spoke from the heart of many women at the time.

Salome changes her personae and modifies her behaviour to conform to whatever paradigm will get her what she wants, hence she appears as an apparent political, sexual, and social foil to Mariam. This makes the play even more layered because Cary manages to give different women unusual voices, all of which are more than the standard at the time. While Salome decides to profit from her skills, Graphina uses her silence to position herseld in relation to the male characters in the play.

Graphina represents the Renaissance ideals of feminine behaviour: chaste, silent, obedient. She therefore mingles into insignificance. However, she uses her silence as a weapon and is prepared to break her silence if it can be advantage to her, as we can see in act 2, scene 1: “If I be silent, ‘tis no more but fear // That I should say too little when I speak, // but since you will my imperfections bear, // in spite of doubt I will my silence break” (2.1.49-53).

#aws2021

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alj4890 · 4 years

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Misfortune's Intentions

(Liam x OC*Elisse Millan) (Drake x Riley)

A/N A couple more months have gone by. Liam and Elisse have attended many of the same events in Cordonia, gradually getting closer to one another. In this chapter, they begin the necessary steps toward a more personal relationship. Liam also has an honest conversation to the two that he once trusted the most.

@gkittylove99 @krsnlove @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @hopefulmoonobject @yourmajesty09 @mom2000aggie @ofpixelsandscribbles

Masterlist

Chapter 3 Heart’s Honesty

The Royal Palace, Cordonia...

Liam looked up when he heard the murmur of feminine voices passing by on their way to the solarium.

Creeping towards the cracked door, he peeped out to see who it was.

He caught just a glimpse of Olivia, Riley, and Madeleine turning toward the right.

Curious yet not wishing to get caught up in conversation with any of them, he settled back in his chair and continued to review a trade proposal Elisse had given him from Amalas.

Monterisso's queen was not going to wait around on Riley's baby in making inroads toward a strong, beneficial relationship between their two countries. Since the pregnancy had been announced a couple of months back, Liam and his close knit group of friends had spent numerous events speaking to pushy foreign monarchs.

The only bright side to meeting so often, were the moments he had with Elisse. They were few and far between and much too short to satisfy him. A dance shared, a few words spoken here and there, possibly a shared smile over a private joke. All ended up making her the first person he searched for when entering into a room.

"Would you like me to bring a tray in here, your majesty or would you prefer having lunch in the dining room?"

Liam looked up at one of the footmen. "A tray, please." He called the man back. "Is there some gathering this afternoon?"

"The Queen Mother is hosting some ladies for tea in the solarium." The footman replied.

"Ah." Liam tried to focus. "Do you know who she invited?"

"I know some, sir."

Liam cocked an eyebrow, trying not to be impatient.

"Duchess Riley is the honored guest." The footman began to go through the usual name of Cordonian ladies. "Queen Isabella and Queen Amalas have also arrived."

Liam grit his teeth at not hearing what he wanted to most. "Did Queen Amalas bring another lady with her, by chance?"

"I'm not sure, sir. Should I go inquire?"

"No." Liam muttered. "Just bring my lunch in here, please."

"At once, sir." He bowed and left the king alone.

"There you are."

Liam nearly cursed. "Drake. Join me, won't you?"

"Thanks." He sat down on the couch across from him. "Haven't seen much of you recently."

Liam held up the documents he was reading. "Kingdom business."

"Ah." Drake drummed his fingers on his pants.

Liam tried to tune him out.

"Riley's having a tea party with Regina and a few others."

"So I've heard."

"Did you know the Spy Queen has returned?"

"Yes." Liam responded. "So did Auvernal's queen."

Drake ran a hand through his hair. "So, uh, have you gotten anything out of the spy that has taken up residence nearby?"

Liam lowered the documents. "Spy? What are you talking about?"

"Your investigation with Queen Amalas’s cousin." Drake narrowed his eyes. "That is why you are spending so much time with her isn't it?"

"Lady Elisse is more of a messenger between me and Amalas." Liam bit out.

"I've never seen you make sure to share most of your dances with messengers before, much less spend anymore time than you have to."

"I am doing exactly what I promised." Liam informed him. "I am taking time to get to know her. All these new events have limited my chances to be alone with her."

"Alone with her?" Drake leaned forward. "Why are you wanting to be alone with her?"

At this moment, Liam did not want to admit to Drake that he believed he was ready to try and fall in love again. He had yet to actually have a real date with Elisse, much less kiss her. He also wasn't certain her own feelings about taking that next step.

She seems to like me, he thought. Is it more than a friend? Or am I simply fooling myself like I did with Riley?

"Li?" Drake waved a hand. "Still with me?"

Liam closed his eyes. "Yes, sorry." He cleared his throat. "If I am alone with her, then she will be more inclined to talk about things she would never feel comfortable doing at a crowded gathering."

Drake slowly nodded. "That's true. Sounds like a good plan."

A plan to test her and see if she feels as I do, Liam thought.

"Are you going to try and get her alone after the queen's tea?"

Liam's eyes widened. "Elisse is here?"

"Well, yeah." Drake tilted his head slightly. "Liam, you sure there isn't anything wr--"

"Positive." Liam excused himself. "I need to put these papers in the study. Feel free to call down to the kitchen for an extra tray for lunch."

***************

The Solarium, Royal Palace, Cordonia...

What would I do without all these pastries?

Elisse gratefully took another bite of a strawberry tart. If her mouth was full then she wouldn't be pressured to talk.

Which was a good thing considering how she felt about Lady Riley Walker.

It nearly turned her stomach at how everyone was complimenting the waitress turned duchess. There was only so much bowing and scraping for attention Elisse could stand.

Especially to someone who had hurt Liam so horribly.

It didn't take a mind reader to realize that the reason Cordonia's king was not actively courting or planning on having little princes and princesses of his own was sitting across from her, gushing about what kind of father Drake would be.

"He has already promised to take all the late night diaper changes." Riley giggled.

Elisse didn't bother to hide her eye roll, earning a slight kick from her cousin.

Amalas sent her the look that somehow conveyed the reminder that they were trying to gain favor with the woman carrying the royal heir so stop making faces at every little thing she says.

Feeling somewhat chastised for possibly letting her cousin down, Elisse averted her gaze and poured herself another cup of tea.

How much longer are we going to have to sit here?

"Bradshaw would have fainted dead away if I remotely asked him to change one of the twins diapers." Isabella's brittle smile formed with the mention of her husband and children.

Elisse's eyes narrowed somewhat as she studied Auvernal's queen. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something not quite right. She cut her eyes to Amalas, wondering if she too was seeing this.

Her cousin tucked a lock of her own hair behind her right ear and gently tugged on the earlobe.

Elisse returned her attention to the conversations, satisfied with that secret signal that Amalas not only saw it but was planning on investigating it further.

"What about you?" Riley asked.

Elisse glanced up and realized that all eyes were on her.

"I'm sorry." She stammered. "Did you ask me something?"

"Can you picture your husband changing diapers?" Riley prodded.

"I'm not married." Elisse forced a pleasant smile. "It's difficult enough imagining him doing so when I don't even know what he looks like."

"Oh!" Riley glared over at Madeleine. "I'm sorry. I was told you were married."

Madeleine chuckled softly. "Perhaps if you read the reports I give you, you wouldn't make a mistake like that."

Riley ignored her and focused once more on Elisse. She was determined to find out more about this woman who seemed to always find a way to be near Liam.

"Enough baby talk." She decided. "Let's talk romance."

"Zeke is taking me to Switzerland next week." Penelope shyly said. "A trip for just the two of us."

Kiara laughed. "He is so excited about it. It is all he talks of whenever one of us asks him something." She smiled at Penelope's blush. "Très romantique, non?"

"Very." Hana sighed. "You two are so sweet together."

"Anyone else have that special someone?" Riley asked. "Or needs a little help from Cupid to get them to act right?"

Olivia shook her head. "By Cupid, you mean you."

"I do." The duchess replied. "I know all about stubborn men trying their hardest to keep from being with the perfect person for them."

Elisse sat up a little straighter. "Is that how you and his grace got together?" She did her best to make her question sound like polite curiosity. "Did you have to convince him to be with you?"

Amalas stilled. She had been the one to tell Elisse all of what happened during Liam and Madeleine's engagement tour.

Riley had a dreamy expression on her face. "Drake Walker put up quite the fight. It took all my I had to get him to be with me."

"When did you realize he was worth it?" Elisse asked while turning in her chair so that Amalas couldn't kick her again. "Most would have focused on someone who seemed interested."

Olivia snorted in agreement. "I will never understand how you could choose Walker over Liam."

Riley's smile turned tender. "What can I say? He was a complete marshmallow whenever we were alone. I saw past his snark and knew he had to be mine."

"I think it's terribly romantic." Hana added. "He has shown over and over that you are the most important person in his life."

While Hana and Riley went through the list of things that made Drake perfect, Elisse tbought of Liam's actions in each scenario.

"He took a bullet for her." Hana explained to the visitors.

"I will begrudgingly give him credit for that." Olivia grumbled. "That and for helping take Anton down."

Elisse mentally countered that with Liam coming and facing Anton and his minions alone to rescue the couple.

"He sounds like he will be a protective father." Amalas interjected before they continued to extol his virtues. "One that knows the value of family."

Issabella narrowed her eyes at her. "I agree. Which is why I would love to have him as father-in-law to one of my," she took a gulp of tea, "darling twins."

While the two queens tried to sway Riley toward choosing their children, Liam stepped into the sunroom.

Regina looked up and smiled. "Liam dear, would you care to join us for a cup of tea?"

He shook his head. "Thank you, but I came in here for something else." His charming smile flashed to the ladies. "I do hate to interrupt, but I need to speak to Lady Elisse a moment."

She set her teacup down. "Yes, of course, your majesty."

When Liam noticed the curious looks, he explained that he needed her to clarify one of the requests in the document she had given him.

"Perhaps you need Queen Amalas too." Isabella smirked. "Since she is Monterisso's ruler. Plus, I'm certian Duchess Riley would enjoy hearing something other than Prince Josip's darling ways."

Amalas kept her cool and did not rise to the bait. "I would be more than happy to." She winked at her cousin. "But Elisse was such a help to me as I drafted it that she knows it as well as I do."

"We will only be a moment." Liam promised, setting Elisse's hand in the bend of his arm.

Riley, Olivia, and Hana all shared a knowing look.

Regina noticed their exchange and cleared her throat.

"Would anyone care for more tea?"

**************

Once they were out of earshot of the solarium, Elisse spoke up.

"What problem did you come across in the trade agreement?"

Liam's cheeks flushed. "Actually, I haven't seen any problem."

"Oh." She attempted to not let her imagination get away from her. "Then why did you take me away from the tea?"

Liam rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not--that is--I" he chuckled softly while turning to face her. "I guess I simply wanted to see you."

Elisse doubted that anyone could be more adorable than Liam was in this moment.

She smiled and lowered her eyes. "Would it be too forward to say that I had hoped to causally bump into you while here for the tea party?"

"Definitely. Much too forward." He responded in a serious tone.

Her head jerked up and she saw the humor in his eyes.

She playfully pushed him away. "That certainly cured me of ever doing so again."

He laughed out loud, took her hand, and pulled her along with him.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"To my study to look over the documents."

"But I thought you said there wasn't a problem."

Liam opened the door for her. "There isn't. But one must have their alibis in order, m'lady."

"What am I to do with you?" She teased once he shut the door.

Liam allowed his heated gaze to settle on her. Her question sparked his imagination. There were several things he would love for her to do with him.

"Is this where you spend most of your day?" She asked, exploring his bookshelves.

"For the most part."

Her eyes cut over to him. His casual stance as he leaned against the door was one she was noticing happened whenever they were near one another. His image he maintained to the rest of the world was one of proper, ram rod posture. There was rarely any softening or relaxed muscles.

Except with me, she thought.

Still highly curious and a touch nervous, Elisse sat down on a small couch.

"The Queen Mother told us about the ball you're hosting. How are the preparations going?"

Liam shrugged on his way to sit near her. "They must be going well. No one has come to me with any problems yet."

She turned towards him. "Is it for a special reason?"

You mean other than wanting a night where I can easily steal you away?

Liam kept that response to himself. "I suppose it is. Now that Lady Riley has gotten over most of the morning sickness, we can host a ball in honor of the royal heir."

Elisse was unable to control her facial expression. "I see."

Liam's eyebrows drew together. He had noticed that same irritated expression appear whenever the viscountess heard that particular name. "Elisse, do you not care for Riley?"

Her lips parted, ready to admit how she truly felt about the one that had hurt him, only to close shut. She knew she needed to be more diplomatic for Amalas’s sake.

She turned away from him and shook her head. "She seems pleasant."

Elisse was surprised she didn't choke on that word.

"Pleasant?" Liam's lips began to curve.

"Yes." She pointedly looked out the window, knowing he was amused at her answer.

If I look at him, it will all be over, she thought. She had to fight to keep her smile from appearing as he slid closer to her.

"You find Lady Riley pleasant?" He propped his elbow on the back of the couch and rested his head on his hand. "I don't think I have ever heard such a mild compliment toward her before."

Elisse was unable to resist and turned back toward him. He quirked an eyebrow in silent question when she simply stared at his face.

All she could think about was how generous he had been. Allowing Riley to live here to be near Drake. Giving her a title and a castle. Hosting their wedding. Standing as best man. Fighting to save their lives with little regard to his own safety. And now to naming their child as his heir.

Kindness barely scratchs the surface, she thought.

"Elisse?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

Without pausing to consider if she would end up embarrassed by her answer, she said exactly what was on her mind.

"You."

Liam didn't think any other answer could possibly top that one.

He slid his hand over hers. "I think of you often."

"You do?"

"No." He grinned at her frown. "It is more than often. You are rarely if ever far from my mind."

Her warm smile returned. "I suppose I am the same way."

Liam drummed up the courage to ask her out. "Elisse, would you--"

"Liam, I wanted to--" Riley's eyes widened at the pair on the couch. "Sorry. Drake told me he had seen you come in here. I didn't know you were still reviewing..."she noticed there wasn't one scrap of paper between them, "trade documents."

"We cleared that matter up quickly." Liam kept a hold on Elisse's hand. "Is there anything you need, Riley?"

"Yes, um, the ball. What exactly did you have planned?"

"Is there anything other than dancing, drinks, and food that Cordonians do at balls?" Elisse teased.

Liam chuckled. "Other than taking a moment to obsess over our apples, not really."

Riley narrowed her eyes. Their little jokes and touches were more serious than she thought.

"I wanted to come in and offer my help, if needed." She muttered.

"Thank you, but everything is under control."

Riley hesitated a moment. "Liam, Drake and I were hoping to speak with you," she glanced at Elisse, "privately."

Liam sighed softly. "I'll join you and Drake in the west drawing room in a moment."

"Okay." She couldn't think of a reason to stick around and see what was going to happen between him and the viscountess.

Once she shut the door, Elisse focused on Liam. "I suppose I should find Amalas."

"Not yet, please." He lowered his eyss to her hand in his. "Lady Elisse," he cleared his throat, "I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me one night."

"Of course. I know we should to discuss the terms--"

"Not for work." He quickly interrupted. "I'm asking you for a date."

Elisse wondered if he could hear her heart pounding. "I would love to."

Liam released the breath he had been holding. "Then I will call you this evening and we will discuss the details."

She stood up, suddenly more nervous than she had been. "I look forward to it."

Liam lifted her hand to his lips. "So do I."

***********

"Drake, they were definitely not talking about trade deals." Riley paced back and forth. "He was holding her hand!"

"Take it easy." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "You know stress isn't good for you and the baby."

"What if Liam starts insisting that we sign an arranged marriage between our baby and Queen Amalas's son?" She cradled her small belly. "What will we do then?"

"We'll fix this." Drake reassured her. "Aren't you the one to point out how we always find a way to defeat those that come at us?"

She slowly nodded.

"Then don't worry." He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. "We got this, Brooks."

The couple looked up when Liam came into the room.

“You wished to speak to me.” He sat down in one of the chairs.

“Liam,” Drake began, “what were you speaking to Elisse about?”

“We were discussing dinner plans this week.”

"Dinner plans? You have a date with Elisse?" Riley asked.

"Yes." Liam didn't bother to hide his smile. "We've had dinner and lunches together numerous times, but..." His voice held a hint of the true happiness he felt. "It has always been work related. I thought it was time for us to be together for no other reason than because we want to."

"But she's the Spy queen's cousin!" Riley exclaimed.

Liam quirked an eyebrow at her. "I know who her family members are."

Riley motioned to Drake to say something.

He cleared his throat. "Li, you know we only want to see you happy." He shifted under Liam's piercing gaze. "But we don't know if we can trust Amalas or anyone associated with her."

"I know I can." Liam's tone held a warning to not push him on this. "Elisse has never brought up the subject of your child marrying Amalas's son."

"She is probably waiting until you get more comfortable around her." Riley grumbled. "Seems like something a secret agent would do. Seduce the target into agreeing--"

Liam's hand slammed down on the end table next to him, causing the couple to jump in surprise.

"That's enough!" He snapped. His kingly authority reverberated within the formal drawing room. "I won't hear another word against Elisse." His blue eyes sparked with fury. "What proof do you have?"

"None." Riley stepped back from his glare. "Liam, you're so trusting that anyone can take advantage of your kindness."

"Yes," his soft tone scared them even more than his shouting. "I can see where you would both think that, given that I trusted you."

"Liam, what are you talking about?" Riley asked.

"I'm talking about the fact that nearly three years ago I trusted you with my heart." His eyes went from one to the other. "I laid it at your feet, Riley, and asked Drake to guard you while I tried to help uncover this conspiracy against you." He folded his arms. "If anyone shouldn't be trusted in this kingdom at the moment, it would be the two who betrayed me in the worst possible way."

Tear slipped down Riley's cheeks. "Liam, I...I thought you understood." She swallowed. "You stood there as Drake's best man at our wedding. You named our child your heir."

"Just because I understood, forgave you, and accepted it; that does not necessarily mean that I have forgotten." He replied. “I still trust you, but I have become more cautious in doing so.”

"Liam," Drake's voice cracked with regret. "I'm sorry. I had no idea you still felt--"

"I don't." Liam interrupted. "I haven't for a while now." His stance relaxed with his next words. “Since meeting Elisse, I have realized that I am able to move on from the past.”

He thought of the excitement he felt just in anticipating seeing her again. That desire to touch her. Finally feel what her lips against his. Seeing her smile. Holding her close.

He focused again on two people he still considered his best friends. "Regardless of what her cousin does, Elisse is innocent. She is the woman I intend on knowing on a personal level. You either support me in that and treat her with every bit of friendship and courtesy she deserves or you can return to Valtoria until you are able to do so."

With that, Liam left the couple with jaws dropped.

**************

Pier at Cordonia’s Capital a few nights later...

"Elisse?" Liam called out when he finally reached The Semblance sailboat.

She popped up from the galley. "Liam?"

His smile formed when she came over.

She climbed up the side, held onto the various ropes, and leaned forward. "Ready to come aboard?"

"You know, I'm not exactly fond of boats." He admitted. "One too many bad experiences."

Her smile turned tender. "I know. That's why we aren't going sailing." She tilted her head to where she had a table set. "I just wanted a spot where I could have you to myself."

Liam grabbed the same ropes and pulled himself until he was face to face with her. His lips curved at her slight intake of breath. "I could be on board with that."

She rolled her eyes playfully while groaning. Gripping his blazer she tugged him onto the boat. "Only you are cute enough to get away with that awful pun."

"I try." He teased.

She slipped her arm around him. "I hope you like what I prepared." Her eyes darted around as if she was worried someone would overhear. "Felix has been trying his hardest to teach me how to cook."

"Elisse, you shouldn't have gone to so much trouble." Liam tucked her long dark hair over her shoulder. "Just having a moment with you away from court and our duties is enough for me."

"Liam," she slid her arms up his chest, "I have a confession."

He placed his hands on her waist. "Oh?"

"Years ago, Amalas began a file on you." Her eyes darted to his lips before lifting once more to his crystal clear blue eyes. "And I read it."

Liam grimaced. "It sounds like you're about to say something I'm not going to like."

Her tender smile caused him to pause in pulling away.

"On the contrary," she stepped closer to him, "everything I read, I liked." Her dark brown eyes held his. "That's why I hope you like everything I've done."

Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Liam captured her lips in a heated kiss.

Her fingers tangled in his hair as he continued the sweet exchange.

Their eyes met as they began to part, only for them both to rush forward in a more passionate kiss.

"Liam." She said in a breathless voice when his lips brushed her cheek. "I've been waiting on you to do that for months now."

He chuckled, cuddling her close. "You have no idea how often I wanted to shove everything off my desk and yank you on it."

Her eyes twinkled. "I might have had similar thoughts."

He thought his face was in danger of being set in a permanent goofy grin.

A breeze brought their attention back to the carefully set table.

"I don't want to let your dinner go to waste." He murmured, kissing her neck.

"It probably tasted horrible anyway." She smiled at hearing his laughter. "I would like to get a second date out of this. My dinner might have sent you running as far away from me as you can."

"It wouldn't." He pressed his forehead against hers. "I have no intention of running away from you, Elisse."

Her smile took his breath away. With a slight joyful squeal, she kissed him once more.

"Would you like to lay here and watch the stars appear?" She motioned toward another section of the boat she had piled with an air mattress, blankets, and pillows. A bucket with chilled champagne was on hand with two glasses.

"Love to." He let her go, watching as she retrieved some strawberries and set them nearby their pallet.

He popped the champagne and filled their glasses.

"What should we toast to?" He asked.

"To the longest waited first date ever." She tapped her glass against his. "And how happy I am to finally be here with you."

Liam held her gaze as he downed his glass. He set it to the side and pulled her back in his arms. "Nowhere near as happy as I am."

****************

A few ships over, Olivia lowered her binoculars.

“The date seems to be going well.” She whispered.

“Do you think she can be trusted?” Hana asked.

“There’s only one way to know for sure.” Olivia passed the binoculars to her accomplice. “We need to dig up all we can on the viscountess and queen from Monterisso as well as everything I can on Auvernal’s monarchs.”

“If Liam falls in love with her,” Hana took a deep breath, “it will hurt him horribly if we discover she is using him.”

“He’s already been through so much.” Olivia murmured. “I don’t want to be the one to deliver news like that to him.”

“But we promised Riley we would investigate Elisse.” Hana shifted. “Do you think she is wrong about suspecting her?”

“I--” For the first time, Olivia doubted they needed to spy on Elisse. “I honestly don’t know.”

#misfortune's intentions #choices the royal heir #liam x oc #drake x riley #trh liam #choices trh #trh drake #choices olivia #choices hana

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purplesurveys · 3 years

Text

1161

survey by pichu4850

What color do you think of when I say...

Anger? Red, or a really bright red-orange.

Confusion? Gray.

Inspiration? Sky blue. Both word and color give off calming vibes to me.

Shy? Something like an off-white shade, and maybe even pastel pink.

Agony? Olive green was the first color to come to mind, though I have no idea why.

Sleep? Dark blue, like the night sky.

Chipper? Yellow.

Beautiful? Red, the way roses are.

Morning? Light blue or yellow.

Would you rather be named...

Andrea or Aimee? Andrea.

Emily or Erica? Emily. I know an Erycka that I’m not too fond of, so this is an easy pass.

Kelsey or Casey? Casey, though I’d mix up my name a bit and have it be pronounced and spelled as Cassie.

Madeleine or Marina? Eh, not really a fan of either but I’d mos likely go for Madeleine.

Alec or Aaron? Alec.

Ryan or Ross? Not a fan of both names as well though I’d probably go with Ryan, but only as a feminine name.

Dylan or Daniel? Dylan.

Jack or Jordan? I guess Jack, if I have to pick.

Gabriel or Gavin? Gabriel.

How often do you...

Brush your teeth? Once or twice a day.

Eat breakfast? Twice a week, during weekends; though sometimes I’ll end up skipping it for an entire week altogether.

Check your email? I literally never check my personal email anymore after having gotten hired, but I know I should quit that habit and check it every once in a while just in case an intriguing opportunity might come my way. My work email is a different story; I have to use it everyday. I open my emails even during weekends so that when I report to my shift on Monday, my Gmail won’t look as clogged.

Go to the mall? When quarantine protocols loosened up a bit I used to go either on Saturdays or Sundays for some me time as well as some much-needed time away from the house, for the sake of my mental health and sanity. But now that we’re going through another surge in cases, no one’s allowed to go out again and malls are back to just keeping the essential stores open.

Go to the beach? A few times a year, at least before the pandemic. I haven’t been to the beach since 2019.

Play card games? Only happens once in a blue moon, when I get together with friends and someone happens to bring a deck of cards. This isn’t a usual occurrence with any of my friend groups, though.

Have at least 20 minute phone calls? Never. I have 20-minute Google Meet and Zoom calls instead.

Paint your nails? They are never painted.

Wish you were happier? Every now and then.

Did you ever want to be...

A veterinarian? Yes, when I was younger. I once stumbled upon an interview with a horse vet on one of my kid’s almanacs and thought what they did was so cool.

An astronaut? Yup, definitely became a big obsession of mine at one point in my childhood. I still think it would be cool to go to outer space and should the opportunity ever become accessible in my lifetime, I wouldn’t want to miss out on it.

An artist? Not really. I knew from the get go I wasn’t meant to be one.

A school teacher? I would guess yes, but I definitely wasn’t as interested in teaching compared to being an astronaut or like a firefighter.

A housewife? Lmfao yeah. This was the answer I would give when I was like 8 up until I was probably 10 and I knew it stressed out my Asian mother big time. My grandpa got a kick out of it, though.

A firefighter? Yes. This was up there with astronaut.

A princess? Not so much.

A lawyer? I definitely considered law for a brief period, but it was already during my latter college years. There wasn’t enough time to mull over it. But hearing all the law school horror stories from my friends kind of made me relieved I didn’t push through with it; I knew I wasn’t passionate enough about law to want to go through all the hardships that come with law school, so I was fine letting that dream go, and still am.

A doctor? This was never a dream of mine.

Would you consider yourself...

Materialistic? Yes.

Pessimistic? It comes out occasionally, but I don’t think it’s a main trait of mine that people would generally see me as.

Avoidant? Not so much. I can be shy and anxious sometimes but I get over it at some point.

Sarcastic? Only occasionally. I wouldn’t say I speak the language.

Talkative? Definitely not. I hate being in the spotlight, and whenever it’s my turn to share a story or talk in a group I usually have the tendency to rush through it or make it as short as possible so as to return the spotlight on someone else. I’ve always been more of a listener.

Strange? Maybe not strange but weird to an extent?

Intelligent? I guess in some ways.

Lucky? In some ways I am, but I also got handed the short end of the stick in other contexts.

In the next twenty-four hours, will you...

Talk to someone you care about? Probably. I talk to at least one friend a day.

Go to work? Yep, I’ll finally be going back to work since the Holy Week break is over. My workaholic self felt kinda unsettled with all the free time, so I’m actually kinda relieved.

Go to school? I’m not in school anymore.

Be in a different city? Nope, it’ll be working from home for me like usual. We were initially allowed to book visits to the office if we really needed to go there to pack some goodies and stuff, but because of re-heightened Covid protocols our admin has once again prohibited anyone to go there for the meantime.

Read a book? I highly doubt it. I haven’t read any in months.

Watch a movie? Nope. It’ll be a Monday coming from a 4-day break, so it will be incredibly busy tomorrow as there would be a lot to catch up on.

Go to a dentist/orthodontist appointment? No, I won’t.

Do your laundry? My parents probably will seeing as our hamper was nearly full the last time I checked.

True or False: Family...

I have two brothers or more. I only have one brother.

My mom lives with me. This is technically true but isn’t phrased right in my case. I’m currently living with my parents.

My grandparent(s) live with me. No, we moved out of our duplex (where I did use to live with my grandparents) well over a decade ago.

I have half-siblings. Don’t have any.

I am the oldest in my family. Eldest child, that is.

I am an only child. I have two other siblings.

I have 15 cousins I can name off the top of my head. Easily. My first cousins are less than 15 in total, but I know a good number of my second and third cousins as well so this is a cakewalk.

The nearest Aunt or Uncle lives less than an hour away from me. The aforementioned duplex we moved out of is just at the next village; we didn’t move too far so that we can continue visiting them.

True or False: Food...

I am allergic to chocolate. I’m not, fortunately. I’m not crazy about chocolate but I’d be pretty miserable if I could never have it either.

I like vegetables more than fruit. Infinitely more, hahaha. I hate fruits.

I have tried pizza dipped in ranch sauce. Ranch isn’t a very common dressing where I’m from, so it’s not usually offered in restaurants. Given the chance, though, I’d definitely try my pizza with ranch at least once.

I've never eaten kiwi fruit. True, but then again I’ve never eaten most fruits and don’t plan to.

I love junk food.

I love to try new food.

Ketchup goes best with fries (chips). I don’t like ketchup and barely put it on anything.

I like fried rice. I haven’t met an Asian who doesn’t like fried rice.

I can prepare dinner for myself (using a stove or oven).

I hate sushi.

How many...

Pairs of shoes do you have? A little over 10, maybe? I don’t feel like counting in my head rn.

Songs do you have on your music player? I don’t have a music player anymore.

Hours of sleep did you get last night? Around 4.

Times have you had alcohol? Like, ever since I started drinking when I was 18? I never kept track lmao but if I would guess, maybe around 50-60 times? I’m not a regular drinker; I drink probably once or twice a month at most.

Books have you read/started reading in the past month? None.

Windows in your house/apartment are open? I know my parents and sister have their windows open at the moment, so that’s 2. Mine are usually open as well, but I’ve turned on my aircon so I’ve closed them for the night.

Pets do you have? 2.

Kids do you have/want to have? I’d cut it off a a maximum of 3 kids, but having just 1 would already be so nice.

Minutes does it take to get from your home to school or work? I work from home, but in the two times I went to the actual office it took anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour.

Have you ever...

Spilled a cup of grape juice on the carpet? I don’t think I’ve ever even encountered grape juice in my entire life.

Played spin the bottle? I don’t think I’ve ever played this. My friends and I usually resort to truth or dare.

Played Twister? Yes, and there are many fond memories that come with it as well. So when I was 7 years old I befriended Katreen, and her mom and mine hit it off instantly so they started this arrangement where every Friday, her mom picked me and my sister up from school along with Katreen and her sisters, and we’d stay for several hours at their place until my mom would pick us up. Her mom was an amazing host and every week we’d play Twister, watch Pokemon, read books together, etc; anything to keep us comfortable and entertained.

Been caught doing something you weren't supposed to be doing? It’s bound to happen every now and then.

Walked out of a movie because it was horrible? I’ve gotten this feeling a few times but I always stayed in my seat because I paid for the damn ticket.

Given the finger to someone on the street? Oh most definitely, as well as drivers passing by. And it’s always been towards men that are being disgusting pigs.

Been so sad/angry that you started laughing? Sure.

Been in a wedding? Yes, but I only got invited as a kid since I was usually picked to be one of the flower girls. I haven’t been to a family wedding since 2007.

Been in a situation where you almost died? Probably not died but almost substantially injured, sure.

Misc...

Are you stressing out about anything right now? Just worried about the deluge of tasks that will inevitably come at me tomorrow but knowing how easygoing my bosses are, I know I’ll be able to ease up soon enough.

Do you think before acting or act before thinking? I used to be the latter but I now see the importance of first considering possible consequences of or how others would be affected by my actions.

Do you act upon your emotions and instinct, or logic and reasoning? Again, I used to be one of these, this time the former. Now that I’m at a much more stable and peaceful place in my life I try not to let my emotions get the best of me.

What are some personality traits you find appealing in a potential partner? I had a number of negative experiences in my last relationship so forgive me for scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to my expectations lmaaaao – I’d love for someone to be sensitive to my needs and feelings, and for them to be able to own up to their mistakes or hurtful habits and know how to apologize and be open to changing if it’s for their self-improvement.

How have you changed as a person in the last 5 years? I tolerate less bullshit now. I think I’ve also grown to be happier and a lot more stable, emotionally. I also have a better sense of what I want out of life and where I want to be, and I’ve also learned to be more sociable and open up to people.

If you could do anything you wanted right this moment, what would it be? Order sushi :(

Is there anyone you can totally relax and be yourself around? Yes, that’s what my friends are for. If I can’t feel comfortable around my friends, I’d view that as a problem.

Did you ever wanted to say something to someone, didn't, and regretted it? No.

Are you scared about the future? I’m scared of the idea of not meeting some of my goals, like having a family; but I’m also excited about what the future could bring me.

#survey #surveys

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alchemy-fic · 4 years

Text

DELETED scenes from 88 and 89

The doorbell rang.

“MARI, who is it?” Eggman called.

“It’s… it’s your mother and she looks very upset.” MARI answered. “Do I enter lockdown mode?”

“Uh, no.” He escorted the Mobians to the operating room to wash up. He ran to Sheptilah and took her hands in his. “Please. Please be nice to Mama. She’s very abrasive but the sooner you meet her the better. It’s like ripping off a scab. She’ll leave on her own when she gets bored.”

“How bad can she be?” Tilly asked.

Eggman pulled her into the elevator and got off on the ground floor. “Just promise me you won’t hurt her and you’ll be patient.”

“Of course, Ivo.” Tilly cocked a brow.

“MARI, I want all the robots to treat Mama with respect. She’s still family so no blasting her, got it? Just keep her happy.”

“Yes, sir.” MARI answered.

Eggman threw open the door.

Before him stood a shorter, heavy set woman with the same luxurious mustache as her son. Her pink and white dress did not match her oversized teal church hat or her black pumps. She had the same black sclera and red irises as her son and spoke with a deep, booming voice. Her lipstick was expertly applied as was her eyeshadow. In her hand she carried an old, beat up suitcase.

“Mama!” He said through a forced smile.

“Why didn’t you invite me to your wedding, you slime bucket!? Just when were you going to tell me you got married!? ” She hollered. “I had to find out in the Mobius Home For Really Bizarre Mothers from some river rat’s bubbie that you got hitched! Is this the girl?” The woman spat.

“Mama, this is Sheptilah, my wife.” He gestured at her.

“Why does she look like Cher but with the colors inverted? Did you marry some dirty hippie? You didn’t even ask my permission to marry someone! How do I know if she’s any bad for you?”

“Mama, you will be pleased to know that Sheptilah is a queen .”

“Oh, that explains it. You married a goth queen. Who else would mix black lipstick, heavy black eyeshadow and white hair?”

“I’m wearing kohl.” Tilly crossed her arms. “It’s my custom, I’m not goth . My people never invaded the Roman empire.”

“... Not visigoths , girl.” Mama looked at her with a furrowed expression, one eyebrow cocked. “It’s like you aren’t… from this time. Nobody calls it kohl anymore...”

“She’s a real queen… It’s a nation near Iran.” Eggman interjected.

“Oh, great . Why haven’t you taken over the world or gone to war? However many goats he traded for you it was too many, little girl.” She blew past the couple and trudged into the kitchen to fix herself a snack.

Eggman looked at his wife apologetically.

“That is not abrasive.” She hissed under her breath. “That’s virulent . Also, I’m worth many, many goats.”

“I’m sorry. I love you, but please handle her until I’m out of surgery. I’ll make it as quick as possible.” He trotted after his mother.

Sheptilah took her time following them.

“Mama, I’m about to go help perform surgery on someone upstairs. In the meantime my wife and the robots will take care of your needs.”

“I didn’t raise such a wuss. Go, do your totally real surgery thing. I’m sure it’ll be all your robots and not your own handiwork.” She popped open a soda and guzzled it.

“Mrs. Eggman…” Sheptilah said, watching her husband leave the room.

Ivo winced and broke into a sprint.

“My name is Sylvia Robotnik! My slimeball of a son changed his last name years ago because he was ashamed of our family name.” She tossed the empty can over her shoulder.

“My apologies, Mrs. Robotnik.”

“You, girl, will call me Madam.” She piled on random ingredients to make a giant, disgusting sandwich.

“Right, sorry.”

“So if you’re a queen why do you live here in this dump?” She knocked the refrigerator door closed with her hip, making the appliance rattle.

“Truthfully,” she hesitated, “I am a five thousand year old queen and my kingdom doesn’t really exist anymore.”

“Of course you are. So why would my loser son marry you? Oh, no. Did he knock you up?”

“Ivo is not a loser,” Tilly grit her teeth, “And I am not pregnant.”

“He’s a loser, sweetheart; but you’re avoiding the question. Why would he marry you? ”

“Because he loves me?”

“Ivo doesn’t know how to love! I didn’t raise him to be sappy and sentimental! And what’s he trying to pull by being buff now?” She sat down to eat.

Sheptilah picked up the can and put it in the recycling bin.

“How are you even that old?” Sylvia practically ate the entire sandwich in one slobbery bite without chewing.

“I’m a witch and I was kept in a crystal for five thousand years until Ivo stumbled upon me and brought me home.”

“Oh, I see. You don’t have much experience with men! That’s why you decided to tie the knot with my loser son.”

“Madam, I think you don’t understand. He’s built himself an empire and controls almost every continent from right here in this lair with his Egg Bosses. He’s a literal emperor. He has a base on the moon . The moon!”

“So? What has he ever done for his mother?”

Tilly groaned in frustration. She balled her fists then relaxed. “Do you just not like me because I’m brown-skinned ?”

“What? No, I don’t like you because you’re a hippie! Look at you recycling and cleaning and whatever else it is you do. I bet that ugly garden out back was your idea.”

“Hmm…” Sheptilah mulled this over. She switched gears.

“What?”

“I think you would like something to eat, yes? I make great honey cakes.”

“How good of a cook can you be? You are a string bean.” Sylvia looked her over suspiciously.

Sheptilah summoned a plate of piping hot fried dough and a pot of honey. She drizzled the golden liquid over the cakes and slid it toward Sylvia.

“I am a woman of many talents, Madam.” Sheptilah then summoned gold coins into her hands and turned them into brilliantly cut gemstones. “Your son and I have plans for world domination, we are just busy with other things at the moment.”

Sylvia pushed the plate away. “Parlor tricks. Not very impressive. I’m growing bored with you, girl.”

“Well, what do you want to do?”

“I want to level this whole island to build a poorly designed parking lot with a ton of toll booths, for one. Then I want that stupid hedgehog caught and killed.”

“Are you talking about Sonic?”

“Yes! That pest! Always interfered when I tried to help my son get ahead in life. Do I smell cookies?”

“Yes, right this way.” Tilly escorted her to the dining room. “I made this tea myself.”

“Brew a fresh pot! I don’t know how long this has been sitting out here; and I want more cookies!” She practically inhaled the plate of leftover madeleines. “Don’t get any of your gross hair in them, either.”

“Right away,” Tilly left for the kitchen with the teapot. She washed it out and gathered some ingredients for a different brew.

Lavender, bergamot, catnip and lemon balm were added and boiled to extract flavor. As she poured the strained, boiling tea into two cups she whispered into one.

“ This tea as it passes lips, shall cause exhaustion with each sip. Every flavor strong and steep shall

curse the drinker into sleep. ”

Faint sparkles appeared as she blew across the tea. They disappeared and both cups looked identical again. Sheptilah turned the cursed tea cup so that the handle pointed inward and she could tell the difference.

She used magic to summon new cookies and brought them to the table.

Sheptilah placed the teacups on the table with a click and slid the cursed one to Sylvia.

The woman picked up the warm cup in her hands and inhaled deeply. “Smells awful!”

Sheptilah waited patiently for the woman to sip her tea but Sylvia lingered on her cup. “You’re a witch, right?”

“Yes.”

“Can you read tea leaves? I want you to read my fortune.”

“I can read tea leaves.”

“Well, go get some so you can do that!” Sylvia put her cup down but kept her hands on it.

Sheptilah groaned and got up. She retrieved some tea leaves in a slotted spoon and came back. She tipped the leaves into Sylvia’s cup and set the utensil aside.

“What’s in this junk, anyway?” Sylvia took a sip and yawned. “The aftertaste isn’t bad, at least.”

Sheptilah smirked. “Bergamot, lavender, you know… tea stuff.”

Ivo’s mother rested her elbow on the table and leaned her face against her palm, sloppily swaying the

cup back and forth as if she was aerating wine. She watched the tea leaves spin in the vortex she created.

“Feeling tired?” Tilly asked in a somewhat antagonizing voice. Sheptilah sipped her tea primly.

“Yes, it was a long trip up here.”

“That’s too bad.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Sylvia grinned mischievously and guzzled down the rest of the drink. “You’re too pretty for my son.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re too pretty . You’re outrageously skinny, your hair is too long and you wear nice clothes. You’re too pretty for him.”

“Do you mean to say I’m too feminine?”

“Too fragile in looks but not personality.” She shot a pointed look at Sheptilah, a broad and evil smile drawn across her face. “I figured you’d try to poison me.”

Tilly stiffened up. She felt her chest grow warm and her eyes become heavy.

“I’m immune to all that from years of eating hospital food but I switched the cups just in case .”

Sheptilah’s hands went numb. She dropped the cup and it shattered, spilling its cursed contents on the table. Sylvia stood and walked around toward the prone witch without letting the tea touch her.

“Ivo may be an idiot but he’s my idiot and I know my idiots. I know he’d never settle for anyone who wasn’t as smart and conniving as him; but I’m disappointed with how weak you are. A garden, recycling, being clean and nice? It’s disgusting in all the wrong ways! If you really knew what you were doing you'd have cursed both cups.”

“I eviscerated Katella.” Sheptilah muttered. "I can and will kill you , too."

“But you healed her and look what happened.” Sylvia pointed to the missing finger.

“How do you…”

“I have access to and read the EggNet, sweetheart.”

“How?” She struggled to stay awake.

“My son is predictable and never changed his passwords.” Sylvia gingerly brushed Sheptilah’s hair out of her face. “Are you dying?” The leaves stuck in her teeth made her smile look all the more menacing.

“No… It’s… sleep...”

“Too bad. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you.”

KORin entered the room. “Step away, Sylvia.”

“What the Hell are you supposed to be?” Mama Robotnik rested her hands on her hips. “Some kind of maid bot?”

“I’m the bouncer. It’s time for you to go.” KORin fixed her eyes on the woman.

“Nah, no thanks.” Sylvia walked up to the robot. “Stand down, tin woman.”

“My orders are to protect the family. I am here to protect the empress. Leave.”

“See, that’s the thing. Who is higher up on the rung? The emperor or the emperor’s mother?”

“KORin… it’s okay.” Sheptilah shut her eyes. “It won’t last… long…”

“Are you sure?” The robot stared at the witch.

“Yessss...” She passed out.

“So? What are you waiting for?” Sylvia stomped her foot. “Let’s move the body and get started on world domination!”

An hour into the surgery things were well underway and proceeding fine.

“Doctor Eggman?” Smiley looked up from his work when he saw the human move oddly out of the corner of his eye.

The human swayed on his feet. “Maybe I was not ready to come back…” He sat on the floor away from the operating table and rubbed his temples. “Suddenly I’m exhausted.”

Lourdes jumped down and checked him over. “When did you last eat?”

“Not that long ago.” He answered.

“Stay here for a minute, okay? Until you feel better.” Lourdes went back to monitoring Maw’s vitals.

“This surgery is going to take at least five hours and I need you awake to supervise. Remember, if the cybernetics malfunction we could all get sucked in! That sounds terrible.” Smiley dug around in Maw’s gums.

Eggman shook it off and stood. “I’m fine, I think I just had some kind of blood pressure drop. It only lasted a spell.” He stretched until he heard the joints in his spine pop.

“Neurally mediated hypotension!” Smiley looked up. “You were standing still too long hunched

over and watching us. Walk around the room a bit, you’ll feel better.” The corgi went back to his work.

“Wakey, wakey… your mother in law is ka-ray-zee.” Scourge shook the witch by the shoulders.

Sheptilah snored loudly.

“For God’s sake, lady! What happened?” He lifted her by her hair and slapped her face.

No reaction.

“I wish I could sleep like the dead.” Scourge slapped his own forehead. “The living, I wish I could sleep like the living… Oh, fuck.” He noticed the cursed tea twinkled oddly in his vision.

“Fuck! Fuck. How do you break curses… shit.” Scourge wiggled his fingers in her direction. “Abracadabra!”

Nothing.

“Um... what did she fuckin’ say once?” He muttered to himself. “Hex breaking… it was some stupid bullshit…oh! Cayenne pepper! Anything fuckin’ spicy.”

Scourge floated into the pantry and knocked ingredients over haphazardly. When he found the pepper he grinned. Grabbing it, he tried to fly out of the pantry only to get stuck with the pepper not passing through the door.

“Shit!” He struggled to pull it through, the bottle clanging against the metal. “Come. The. Fuck. On! Why does this work with people but not…”

The plastic bottle pulled through but without the powder inside inside it.

“Pepper. Right… that shit wards off ghosts. There must be no ghosts in fuckin’ Mexico...”

He calmly opened the pantry and tried to scoop up the pepper but it simply passed through his fingers.

“This is so fucking stupid!” He howled.

He angrily floated to the table and picked up Sylvia��s unbroken teacup and poured it out onto the floor. He then went to the pile of pepper and tried to scoop it into the cup with the same fruitless results.

“Fine, we do this the hard way!” He grabbed Sheptilah by the underarms and dragged her to the pile and dropped her face directly into it.

He glowered when he heard Sheptilah snore loudly. After a second the witch sat up sputtering. She clawed at her face, tears streaming from her eyes and mucus from her nose. She vomited up the sparse contents of her stomach.

Scourge calmly walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of milk. He unscrewed the cap and doused Sheptilah over the head.

“What the Hell, Scourge!?” She choked.

“I just saved your ass, Sleeping Beauty. You’re a real idiot for trying to play the evil queen by cursing her tea. You should’ve cursed both cups and not drank from either!”

Sheptilah felt her way to the sink and washed her burning face. “I’m going to become a necromancer just to bring you back to life so I can slap you to death.” She sloshed some water in her mouth before spitting it out.

“The pepper got into my lungs!” She coughed deeply.

“You’ll heal. Listen… your mother in law is nuts! Nuttier than squirrel shit! Kick her out!”

“Scourge, I can’t breathe. I’m tempted to turn my lungs inside out and run them under cold water…”

“Wouldn’t that make you drown?”

“I can give myself gills!” She spat up a huge wad of phlegm straight into the sink and washed it down the drain.

“It’s the only way I was able to break the spell, ya ingrate.” He crossed his transparent arms.

“Thanks.” The burning began to subside. “What’s Sylvia doing?”

“Trashing the place. She’s already bossin’ Orbie and Cubey around and threw around a bunch of furniture; including the sofa.”

“The really big and soft one?”

“Yep.”

“I’ll have her head!” Sheptilah charged off, bumping into things with her eyes red and bleary. “Sylvia!” She called.

“I told you to call me Madam!” The woman shouted back. “I’m in the den, if you could call it that!”

Sheptilah walked in to see Sylvia moving all the heavy furniture around with one hand.

Holy shit, she thought. That woman has the same strength as Ivo!

“So what happened to your kingdom, anyway? If you were a queen we should use this to our advantage.”

“Advantage for what? World domination?” Tilly crossed her arms. Scourge appeared next to her.

Mama Robotnik let the sofa land with a hard thud. It was moved to the other side of the room blocking an exit.

“Giant parasites we sealed in the moon broke out when your son cracked said moon in half with his nonsense. They’re back and trying to kill everything but especially me. They’re causing all those wild earthquakes.”

“That’s your story?” The woman turned to Sheptilah and stared at her with disbelief.

“It’s true.”

“And how exactly has this prevented you two from taking over the world?”

“Well, we can’t take over a planet if something actively trying to destroy it is in our way. Once we get rid of those things we will decide what we want to do with the empire; but I won’t lie. I am considering expanding it.”

“By how much?” Sylvia cocked a brow.

“I want to convert my pyramid into a base and work on getting a large space station going.” Tilly nodded to herself.

“Small potatoes. Think bigger! Hold the sun for ransom!”

“He tried that once and it didn’t quite work out.”

“Moon for ransom?”

“He already tried that, too.”

“What about all the freshwater for ransom?”

“Eh, pretty much did that.”

“The planet for ransom!”

“Yep. He did that. That one almost worked.”

Sylvia flopped onto the sofa with a disgusted sigh. “But the hedgehog got into the way.”

“Among other things.” Sheptilah stuck out her hip. “Ivo is smart but he often does things without thinking. It’s really not that hard to kill Sonic, he just doesn't want to.”

“See, that’s his problem! He has no killer instinct, but you seem to have a semblance of one.” Sylvia sat up and straightened her hat.

“I have personally executed six people.”

“One of which being the child ghost that is making faces behind your back?” Mama Robotnik smirked.

Sheptilah whipped her head around to see Scourge was acting cute and innocent. She squinted at him before turning back to face Sylvia. “I’m not proud of his death. He’s haunting me.”

“Neener neener nee-nee!” Scourge teased. “Nah, the haunting was revoked forever ago. I’m just here for fun now.”

Mama Robotnik stroked her sizable mustache. “Still, why would my son marry you? More importantly, why wouldn’t he tell me? ”

“Because it was supposed to be a secret . We eloped. We’re not going public with the marriage until a later date. Trust me, he’d invite the world to come see his splendid wedding and get himself decked out and all that.”

Sheptilah sighed, tapping her upper arm with her fingers.

“We’re on thin ice with GUN because Shadow the hedgehog is my familiar, as you probably know.”

“Shadow? ” Sylvia thought this over. “ Gerald’s Shadow? I remember when he was this big.” She held her hands apart by about a foot. “He was an ugly baby. He looked like a turd crossed with a raisin.” She grimaced.

Tilly chuckled. “Yes, that Shadow. I guess not everything is on the EggNet.”

“They executed Gerald, his creator, and Shadow works for GUN anyway?” Sylvia grit her teeth and her face turned red with fury.

“Yeah, after they kept him in stasis for fifty years, destroyed his memory and tried to kill him.” Sheptilah shook her head, “I have a feeling he won’t work for them much longer. GUN really, really hates that he’s my familiar but recognizes they can’t do anything about it.”

They stared at each other in silence for a while.

“So who is my son performing surgery on upstairs?”

“Maw the thylacine. He’s one of the Egg Bosses. His jaw is all messed up.”

“Bah, when will he hire more humans? Who needs animals when you have human beings around? Besides you, of course. You barely count as a human; what with your alien magic nonsense and all that.”

Sheptilah rolled her eyes. “Well, it was nice having you for a visit but now you need to leave. We’re getting ready to bug bomb the place once Ivo’s done with the surgery and no living person can be here.”

“Oh, please! This place is spick and span! Clean as a whistle! It’s disgusting, really.”

“Madam... “

“Take my suitcase.” Sylvia threw it at Sheptilah. She barely caught it, the impact knocking the wind out of her. “And get the master bedroom ready. That’s where I’ll be sleeping. You and my moron of a son can sleep outside in your hippy garden.”

“He is not a moron.”

“He married you , didn’t he?”

Tilly adjusted her grip on the suitcase. “Scourge?”

“Yes?” The ghost smirked.

“Take this… and show her to her room.” She handed the spirit the luggage. Scourge understood and grinned at Sylvia.

“Right this way, Your Disgusting-ness!” Scourge bowed in a grand but obviously sarcastic gesture. He grabbed Sylvia with his free hand and dragged her through the walls and out of the lair.

“Don’t let her back in.” Sheptilah instructed MARI. “Please reactivate your and your sister’s bodies.”

“Thank God for you, mom.” MARI chirped.

Scourge came back, very proud of himself.

“Thank you, King Scourge. Fantastic work.”

“I love throwing people out on their asses.” he ‘dusted’ off his hands. “As long as spicy pepper isn’t involved I can do anything I want.”

“You may outgrow that cosmic ‘allergy’ as you get stronger.” Tilly giggled. “But you’ll always be affected by blessed salt.”

“I’m fucked if I ever go into a salt and pepper store.” He gestured like he was hanged with a noose.

“MARI, how’s the wife doing?” Eggman said.

“She and Scourge just kicked your mom out.”

“It’s nice they’re getting along.” A pause, and then: “Wait, what?”

The lair rumbled.

“Jeepers creepers!” Smiley yelped. “Earthquake?”

“No, that would be my mother.” Eggman sighed. “Finish up with him; I’ll be right back.”

He hurried out of the room.

“Sylvia!” The witch howled. “Put down the boulder!” She stood in front of MARI and KORin with her arms out protectively.

The hulking woman held the giant chunk of outcrop she broke over her head with little effort.

“No! You will learn some manners!” She broke the boulder in half simply by pulling it apart like stale bread.

“What kind of Mickey Mouse physics is that!? ” MARI cried.

“Girls, go back inside.” Tilly whispered harshly.

“No way!” MARI refused.

“You can’t do anything, MARI. It’s forbidden for you to hurt his family and unfortunately that’s family!”

“But we can still defend you.” KORin said.

“Do so from inside the lair. Maw’s still in surgery and he needs the protection. That’s an order!” Tilly ran in zig-zags, making it hard for Sylvia to aim the rocks. The robots lingered in the doorway before going inside.

Mama Robotnik threw both stones at the same time, both just barely missing the witch.

Sheptilah looked up at the shadow darkening over her body. It was Mama Robotnik coming in elbow-first with a wrestling slam. Sheptilah, eyes wide, stared up for the split second it took for gravity to pull the massive woman downwards. All at once the air was knocked from Tilly’s lungs and she was seeing stars.

The acrid smell of sweat and cheap perfume was all she could sense. Mama Robotnik stood up and

trotted off to pick another boulder to hurl.

Sheptilah, dazed and unable to focus, was sure she was flattened like a piece of paper. She felt the back of her head, noting her skull was cracked open and chunks of bone floated in brain matter. Warm blood streamed from her nose. She touched her forehead with her fingers, feeling the indent caused by Sylvia’s elbow.

Another shadow descended upon her. She flinched, believing it would be another blow but instead nothing happened.

Small stones fell around her with an almost hollow clatter. She looked up and saw it was her husband who had just punched the boulder to smithereens.

“Mother!” He shouted angrily.

Shadow teleported in with a massive headache. “Ti-ti! Sorry I’m late; I came as soon as I felt something was off.” He didn’t seem to be too shaken by the image of his witch with her brains out and about. She healed just as quickly on her own.

“Hi, Shads!” She said dreamily.

“She was rude!” Sylvia said petulantly. “I had to show her who was boss.”

Ivo’s fist throbbed. “You need to leave, Mother.”

Shadow turned to Eggman. “Do you want me to kill her?” He started toward Sylvia.

“Maybe.” Eggman said. “Open a portal to some place far away, if you please.”

Sylvia protested. Screaming nonsense, she charged at her only son.

Shadow slashed at the air and opened a knot to a mostly deserted beach.

Ivo picked up his mother, held her over his head and unceremoniously tossed her in. He chucked in her suitcase after.

Shadow closed the portal and helped his witch to her feet.

“Where’d you send her?” Ivo asked.

He shook off his headache. “Coney Island, New York.” Shadow smirked.

“This is the second time my brains were on your lawn, Ivo.” Sheptilah frowned.

Ivo looked at his aching fist and saw his glove was torn and bloody. He walked over to his wife and held her tightly. “Why weren’t you fighting back?”

“It’s hard when your brain is trying to reconstruct itself…” She shuddered. “Thank you for… saving my life.” The full horror of what occurred finally hit her and she stumbled.

He caught her and kissed her cheek. “I’m so sorry I had to leave you with her. I should’ve just kicked her out at first sight. I won’t let her come back ever again. I just couldn’t let the two doctors sit with Maw for that long because the bombs are so delicate sometimes.”

“How did the surgery go?” Sheptilah felt ice cold and shivered.

“Hm? Oh, Maw is in recovery but I don’t care about him right now.” He rubbed her shoulders to warm her up.

“Recovery? Oh, his jaw.” Shadow pretended like he forgot. “You did that today? With your mother here?”

“My mother surprised me.” Ivo huffed. “Had to leave my poor wife with her for four hours…” He rocked her back and forth in his arms.

“I’m okay, really. The lair is a mess but I can clean it up… I tried to curse her with sleep but ended up being cursed myself and while I was out she was rearranging things.”

“Just rest, honey. I’ll have the robots do that.” He ran his hand over the back of her head and cringed when he felt chunks of brain matter and bone. She was really hurt if the meninges tore that easily… what the Hell did my mother do? He thought. “Actually, I’m going to have Lourdes look you over.”

“Should I stay?” Shadow asked her.

“Only if you want to, Shads.” She nodded.

“Call me if you need me.” He took a step back and teleported out. A ring of dust was left behind and blew away in the wind.

“I’m so sorry, Tilly.” Ivo hugged her tightly. “I never should have let her stay. I knew something like this would happen.”

“How did you survive your childhood?” Tilly looked up at him.

“I got myself into boarding school and left home at a very young age.”

She buried her face in his chest.

#deleted scene

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meta-squash · 4 years

Text

Brick Club 1.5.4 “Madeleine In Mourning”

These chapters are just Hugo bouncing all over the place with his views on women. @secretmellowblog made a great post about Valjean’s character development re: women and sexism, but this paragraph is all Hugo.

“To be blind and to be loved, is in fact--on this earth where nothing is complete--on of the most strangely exquisite forms of happiness.” I really want to know what Hugo means by “nothing is complete” and what it has to do with blindness. Happiness isn’t complete until you lack one of your senses and therefore must experience happiness in a different way, maybe? I don’t know. This chapter is weird and gross and I don’t like it very much.

Right before reading this chapter, I reached a section in the Hugo biography that mentioned that as a 20-something year old adult, Hugo had a bizarre habit of staring directly at the sun in order to see the vivid lights/colors that happen when you close your eyes after looking at bright light (which, what the hell Victor Hugo). It started to affect his vision from at least 1828. He equated blindness with Homer and Milton, both great poets, and apparently wrote that he hoped he might go blind one day. I think part of this long paragraph about a woman being the helper of a blind man was influenced by thoughts of Milton, who was helped by his daughters to whom he dictated parts of Paradise Lost.

Hugo was also very jealous when it came to his wife Adele. A lot of the lines about possession and power in this section remind me of the excerpts and anecdotes about his jealousy as a young man. (For example, he was retroactively jealous of her brother having to share a bed with her once when they were young, he was jealous of a male painter friend of hers, he was jealous when he saw her lift her skirt to cross a muddy street and thought someone might have seen her leg. He also wrote her letters that sound similar to this paragraph in their weirdness about power and love.) Hugo excused his jealousy as a measurement of his passion, but that’s clearly not the case. This section is kind of a weird subconscious revealing of that insecurity. Possession and power comes from a kind of “weakness” or lack rather than a passion. You have power over someone because you’re helpless and require their help, so they would be a bad person not to give you assistance and attention, even if they might not want to. Your happiness is their sacrifice. Happiness is having control over someone by having little to no control over yourself. Hugo, that’s not love, that’s manipulation.

“The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves--say rather, loved in spite of ourselves; this conviction the blind have.” I think this line gets closer to other themes in the book. People being loved in spite of themselves (or in spite of what they think of themselves) is a recurring theme in this book, especially around Valjean.

Hugo slips from talking about literal blindness into figurative blindness in the middle of this paragraph, and the feminine turns abstract as well. “A love wholly founded in purity. There is no blindness where there is certainty. The soul gropes in search of a soul, and finds it. And that soul, found and proven, is a woman.” I think it’s interesting that this whole paragraph talks about love from a woman entirely in a nurturing sense, and not at all in a romantic sense. Instead, women are Love from a perspective of caring or motherliness. This is also a little odd considering the number of women in this book who are either not motherly at all, or who are nurturing but die. As Mellow said in their post, Valjean gets put in “motherly” roles for both Fantine and Cosette. Here, though, Hugo emphasizes that love and devotion from a woman is “God made palpable” and erases any sort of doubt of oneself and makes the heart bloom. This effect that Hugo describes here only really seems to happen between Cosette and Valjean, and then between Cosette and Marius.

I’m a little confused about the Faubourg Saint-Germain quarantine line. At first I thought it was talking literally about the actual Faubourg Saint-Germain in Paris, which was a hub for Ultra royalist politics and heavily Catholic during the restoration. But now I think it’s referring to the Ultra area in Montreuil-sur-Mer and likening it to the Faubourg Saint-Germain. I suppose it would make sense for the local Ultras to dislike Valjean: he put in place a lot of revolution-type ideas like various mutual aid systems and large, selfless monetary donations, and he wasn’t big on socializing and moving up the ladder, which would probably make them suspicious. But his apparent connection to a Bishop and his mourning for said Bishop indicates a certain amount of religiosity that the Ultras would probably respect.

“In my youth I was a servant in his family.” I’ve always loved this line for its obvious double meaning. The people of Montreuil-sur-Mer are going to interpret it literally. This does him double benefits, because it means not only is he a religious person connected to the church in a personal way, he’s also someone who is connected to a (formerly rich) royalist family. But Valjean also quietly implies that he sees his past self as only a youth even at forty-something years old before he encountered Myriel. He had not started to grow up and change until the bishop gave him kindness and opened his eyes to religion. He also places himself as a servant. According to wikipedia, being a “Servant of God” is the first step towards canonization in the Catholic church and indicates a certain level of piety. I just think this is really interesting from the angle that Valjean always seems to view god through others. This time, he is a servant of Myriel, and therefore indirectly pious. It also acknowledges the power Myriel has over him, in the way that the bishop claimed his soul for god and for good.

I just made a post about Petit Gervais and Savoyards in general, but as far as I can tell Savoyard chimney sweep children were all over the country and it seems as though they were essentially anonymous. Getting their names is partly important because then they become someone, but I think it’s also Valjean secretly hoping that maybe one day Petit Gervais himself will show up. Hugo doesn’t say how much money Valjean gives the Savoyards that pass through M-sur-M, but I’d wager it’s 40 francs.

#les miserables #les miserables meta #brickclub #lm 1.5.4 #les mis #les mis meta #this one is kind of short #also finished at exactly 5am #hooray to both of those things

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chibimyumi · 5 years

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Art Report – ‘Elisabeth 2019’ TOHO ACT 2

【Click here for Act 1 】

“Kitsch!”

Act 2 commenced, and the audience was greeted by the radiant presence of Yamazaki’s Lucheni. He was dressed as a merchant who sold souvenirs of the Imperial Family in light of the Hungarian coronation. Lucheni held a tray with merchandise, including mugs and plates with Elisabeth’s print on it. The luckiest people sitting at the very front were lucky enough to receive these gifts from Lucheni personally.

Lucheni warned the people that even though Elisabeth’s beauty was enough to literally enchant a nation into submission, one should not be fooled by her looks. Behind her beauty, a true egoist resided.

The Coronation

Lucheni lead us back into the 19th century, and finally the curtains rose. Franz I and Elisabeth were crowned King and Queen of Hungary, and the Hungarian people cheered. The King and Queen were lead on a chariot that gradually turned towards the audience. It weren’t normal horses that pulled the chariot, but Death Angels disguised as horses. The Death dancers’ dance was phenomenal. These Death Angels have always been one of my favourite parts about the Japanese version of ‘Elisabeth’. Sometimes they are minions of Der Tod, sometimes they are the noble guards. Furutod’s Death Angels did not seem sentient to me. The way they moved was so perfectly in sync with everything Furutod did, they felt more like the extension of his limbs, much like Sebas’ black miasma.

The one who held the reigns of the chariot was of course none other than Der Tod himself. Like he foretold Elisabeth in Act 1, her presence would lead Franz’ Empire into ruins. Who would be more suitable to steer the Royal chariot onto the path towards the Underworld than Der Tod himself?

Lord of the Leeeegs

Furutod sat very majestically at the front, and his leeegs just went on forever. According to Death Angel Okazaki Hiroki, once when he was dancing underneath the the chariot and he jumped up just a bit higher than otherwise. But his boss’ legs were too long, so the poor man bumped his head into Furutod’s solid heel. I heard that after that performance, Furukawa changed his pose, and sat with his legs to the side. ( ´艸｀)

“When I wish to Dance”

After the coronation, Elisabeth was full of confidence and declared her victory to Der Tod.

♪♬ E: I won, did I not? T: Victory is mine E: Mine. I made people acknowledge me T: The world shall move according to my whims, as I dictate E: It is for nobody’s sake but my own T: You did so for my sake. But you did indeed outwit your enemy and for now you triumph E: I was once made to dance like a marionette, but now I have paved my own path. Even on my own I shall dance, and only when I wish to, to the music of my choice. When I dance, even at the moment my life ends, I shall dance, before you and beyond your reach. ♪♬

Here, Elisabeth provoked Der Tod, at one point even extending her hand as she walked down the stairs. Der Tod got down on one knee and extended his hand, but Elisabeth retracted her own, and gave him a vindictive smile instead.

This was a very impressive scene, as well as the perfect execution of what Furukawa said in this interview: "As Death, I wish to provoke Elisabeth and give her the energy to live on in their game. I hope I will manage to communicate [on stage] how Death is an entity who gives Elisabeth life energy, except that the controls are ultimately in his hands.”

Indeed, just like Elisabeth’s line “it is for nobody’s sake but my own” and Der Tod’s reply: “you did so for my sake”, we see how these two characters stimulate each other to constantly play up their own games in outwitting the other. Perhaps Elisabeth might have given up before, but if she had, then she would have given Der Tod the satisfaction of having an easy victory. Perhaps she did not really want to live on for her own sake, perhaps she just wanted to prove to Der Tod she was better. If that were true, then Der Tod’s reply would indeed have rang very true.

Elisabeth was confident enough to not fall for Der Tod’s seductions anymore after his previous unsuccessful attempt in Act 1. She boldly swung the tail of her dress and pranced off stage.

Furutod had to reconsider his options now that seducing Sissi was out of the window. Luckily for Der Tod, the new option presented itself on a silver platter.

“Mama, Where are You?”

Enter child Rudolf who had been whipped and beaten into isolation from his mother.

♪♬ “Mama, where are you? Can you hear my voice? I am so cold, please hold me But everyone says that I am nothing but your burden And that I can’t be with you” ♪♬ - Child Rudolf

Rudolf had been pushed towards despair and insanity. His only company was a loaded pistol, and he even sung: “in order to test my courage, yesterday too I killed a cat.”

Der Tod knew that Rudolf would be his ultimate ace card to obtain his current favourite toy, and manifested before the child. Rudolf was startled, and asks: “who is this?” Furutod gave him a gentle smile and took the pistol from his hands, and replied in a soothing voice: “I am your friend.”

Furutod - The Shapeshifter

Furutod’s performance in the scene with child Rudolf was phenomenal to say the least. Though Der Tod had mostly been masculine-coded, once he manifested before Rudolf, he morphed into a willowy and feminine figure.

‘Death’ is understood differently by everyone. In the musical ‘Elisabeth’, Der Tod mostly shows himself in relation to suicidal persons. Suicidal tendency - when roughly translated - is ‘yearning’ for death. We know explicitly that Rudolf yearned most for his mother, and thus we may understand that Furutod morphing into a motherly figure was him taking shape as the thing that Rudolf yearns for.

Through contrast, we also suddenly understand what Elisabeth had been yearning for. The way Furutod carried himself in front of Elisabeth was masculine and confident. Here we realise what Elisabeth longed for: namely a man who would respect her autonomy. She was very much in love with her husband at the beginning, but Franz’ spinelessness and lack of respect for her autonomy was quite a deal breaker.

On the other hand, ‘death’ is also ‘fear’ to most people. Elisabeth’s fear was to have her autonomy taken away. We did indeed also see how every time Furutod failed, it was because he crossed Elisabeth’s boundaries and scared her.

Please compare the following drawings of Furutod’s body language of when he is with Rudolf (at his most feminine) vs when he is at his most masculine (Dr. Seeburger** Will discuss later.)

Hyper Detailed Acting

Furukawa is famous for his hyper detailed acting, and he obviously paid the same attention for detail to playing Der Tod.

Rudolf rejoiced as he finally found someone, anyone at all, he could talk to, and continued his song at the bottom of the stage, while Furutod remained on the platform. Furutod’s eyes never left the child during the song. He was constantly fidgeting with the pistol, and it was very clear that he was carefully weighing all his options in getting Elisabeth.

Then, a glint appeared in Furutod’s eyes. As dictated by the script, Der Tod would point the pistol at Rudolf. All Der Tods I know of had pointed the mouth of the pistol at the child. Furutod however, aimed with the grip of the pistol instead.

Herewith, Furukawa brilliantly foreshadowed that Der Tod was not going to kill Rudolf, but instead make Rudolf commit suicide by shooting himself in the head.

The Madhouse

The madhouse was a very powerful scene. Elisabeth was a VERY clever woman who studied her history. She knew of her royal consort senpais that the being a woman in public eyes was a very hard job. She knew that queens like Marie Antoinette were hated for spending too much money, while other queens were criticised for not living up to the royal reputation by being too economical.

Elisabeth managed to find a perfect middle ground; she would spend a lot of money like a proper royalty, but she would spend it on education, hospitals, madhouses, and other such beneficial places. “Whaddya gonna say then, huh?”

Elisabeth would likewise pay personal visits to madhouses, showing her care. In the madhouse, she encountered a woman who thought she was the Empress herself; Windisch. Windisch glorified the Empress’ life, but to Elisabeth it was but a very sour parody of her miserable existence.

♪♬ “ If only I were really you The only thing about you that is chained is your body But your soul is free. That’s right, you’re free I have been fighting every war, but what did I win? All I won is solitude I can no longer stand this I feel like I am going mad I could walk on, but where am I headed to, I cannot see I cannot see anything” ♪♬

Madam Wolf and Madeleine

Despite Sissi’s inner torment, on the outside she was more successful than ever, and Sophiezilla hated how her son had become Sissi’s puppet instead of hers.

She blamed Sissi for having enchanted her son with her beauty, and was desperate to do something about it. She and her ministers had an idea. “An eye for an eye, a woman for a woman”. ♪♬

Sophie and her ministers arrange for a secret clandestine meeting between Franz and the most beautiful women of Austria. They invite Madam wolf to bring her girls. The most beautiful sex worker Madeleine - “the most ardent at her work, and carries an ‘occupational disease’“♪♬ - would be the one to enchant Franz instead

Franz was powerless against Madeleine’s charms and eagerness.

Dr. Seeburger

Sissi realised that the power she held was due to her beauty, and that the moment her beauty faded, so would her power. She maintained a spartan exercise- and diet-routine to maintain her small waist to the point of becoming anemic, and fainted.

Enter Dr. Seeburger. It was Der Tod of course (who probably punched the real doctor K.O., stole his clothes and shoved him into the broom closet).

Here Furutod was exceptionally manly; his voice was low and growly, and his movements big and difficult, as though he were an old man. Furutod here was so manly that in comparison, even his earlier masculine-coded behaviour seemed entirely gender neutral. I really, really love how Furutod was gender-fluid in performance. Why would ‘death’ have a gender anyway?

Dr. Seeburger sat down on the bench where Sissi was lying, manspreading his leeeeegs as he undid her corset and ribbon. (It was very creepy, but also sexy... not gonna lie...)

♪♬ T: Let me feel your pulse E: I am fine T: You have a light fever E: It’s normal T: How pale the colour of your face. The symptoms of that disease have started to show ♪♬ - Dr. Seeburger

“It is the French disease”

Sissi sprang up at Dr. Seeburger’s diagnosis, and claims it is impossible because she knew her husband to be many things, but not unfaithful.

♪♬ T: He too is but a mortal man E: He would never betray me T: And yet it is true E: If that is true , then I shall leave this palace! ♪♬ - Elisabeth

“No, I shall take my own life,” Sissi said, and Der Tod smirked and undid his disguise. Furutod didn’t waste another second to shed his ‘old skin’ and jumped onto the bench with swiftness previously unseen. “I have been waiting for this!”

♪♬ T: “Now is the time to welcome you to the the netherworld! Come with me, the one who truly loves you!“ E: No, wait! From now on I will shut my heart from him If he committed any sin, it means that I'll be free! T: Stop pretending, you bear no love for him The one you truly love is no one other than me! E: You're wrong! I will not dance with you yet” ♪♬

Again with renewed determination to live, Sissi successfully kept death at a distance.

Rudolf

Rudolf meanwhile had reached adulthood, but was never able to free himself from the Imperial family’s chains.

Miura Ryosuke’s (Joker) Rudolf was especially broken. Most other Rudolfs I have seen so far still had some battle spirit in them and truly believed they might succeed. Miuradolf however seemed to be convinced that everything would be in vain anyway, and was merely compelled to fight by external circumstances.

Rudolf strongly disagreed with his father’s way of ruling and was convinced that only joining the opposition and establishing a new Danube State would save the Habsburg rule. Franz warned his son that if he dared to become an ‘extremist’, he would take away his right of succession.

Rudolf was desperate, because on the one hand, the extremists (later the Nazis) did indeed have ideas that benefited the economy of Austria, but on the other hand, their extremist ideas were very hard to ignore. Rudolf sank to the floor.

Then, Furutod appeared again, literally helping Rudolf back onto his feet. When he asked Rudolf whether he still remembered him, he showed the pistol he took from him in his childhood before safely tucking it away again, as though saying: “I protected you back then, and now too I’ll protect you from harm.”

♪♬ T: The time of this long slumber has ended Do you still remember? That promise we made when you were just a child that when you need me I'll appear before you R: I would never forget a friend, it's just that I am... so consumed by fear that I am about to break T: I am now beside you! ♪♬

Rudolf was scared shitless and could only back away, but Furutod knelt down and caressed Rudolf when he was about to give up on the rebellion against his father.

♪♬ “Misfortune is drawing near, are you truly fine with looking on? Oh, my future Emperor.” ♪♬

Rudolf liked being addressed as Emperor alright, and quickly he scraped whatever energy he had left to stand up.

The Hungarian Rebellion

Under Rudolf (manipulated by Der Tod) the Hungarian revolution went smoothly. When the revolutionaries finally seemed to be reaching their goal, the Death Angels revealed the Imperial guards arrival at the scene. The Revolutionaries try to flee, but the Death Angels guided them towards the guards one by one. When Rudolf found a window for escape, Furutod spun him at his heel and showed him Elemer who was wounded, causing him to miss his only chance for escape.

Rudolf too was arrested and brought back to his father. His father was utterly disappointed and seemed determined to strip him of his succession right.

“Mama, You and I are like Mirror Reflections”

Rudolf was in despair, but fortunately his mother had just returned home since forever. Rudolf begged his mother to help him change the Emperor’s mind, but Sissi feared for her own skin, and rejected her son.

Most Rudolfs in this scene fell to their knees to beg Sissi ( like Kimura Tatsunari did ⇈ ), singing the song in a genuine plea. Miuradolf however was already beyond hope. He did not kneel, instead he remained standing and his own song seemed to lack any effort. It was like he knew his mother would reject him anyway, so why bother trying?

When Sissi rejected Miuradolf, he merely sighed and looked up. “Mama too abandons me...” in a tone of utter defeat.

Mayerling Incident

Now that Rudolf stopped seeing the point of living, Furutod appeared again.

“You wish to die?”

All Der Tods I have seen so far said the line “you wish to die?” either indifferently, or excitedly. Furutod however, spoke it in the SADDEST and most DISAPPOINTED tone ever! As though he could not believe the ‘ultimate key’ he selected was so spineless. As though he was disappointed that the son of the human he loved for her determination would give up so easily.

Furutod took a deep breath, and suddenly all enthusiasm in his eyes disappeared. The Death Angels appeared and ripped Rudolf’s jacket off. Furutod took out the pistol again, and the Mayerling dance started.

Furutod was mocking Rudolf, abusing his privilege of leeegs and aaaarms to keep the pistol outside Rudolf’s reach. He did so while wearing the most disappointed expression that had ever disgraced Furukawa’s face. It was as though Furutod was hoping that Rudolf would show a tenth of the vigour his mother did, and would try a bit harder to get that damn pistol.

But alas, all Rudolf did was basically begging Der Tod to stop the teasing. Miura’s performance was splendid, I’ve never seen any Rudolf as defeated before on stage. Furutod who suffered from ‘lethal apathy’ however, HATED it.

Der Tod stopped seeing the fun and just handed Miuradolf the pistol. Furutod was beyond cruel; he seemed to have concluded that if Miuradolf wanted to think himself as such a sad puppy, he’d let him. With pity in his eyes he caressed Rudolf’s cheek. When Miuradolf seemed somewhat uplifted to at least have affection from ‘his friend’, Furutod dropped his compassionate act, and made it a bit too clear to Rudolf that he was but ‘a boring nuisance’.

Miuradolf kissed Der Tod, but the latter did not even bother kissing him back.

Other Rudolfs - Kyoumoto and Kimura

I did not see the two other Rudolfs, but I heard that Kyoumoto’s Rudolf managed to anger Furutod so much, he bitchslapped him before kissing him at one point, and did not even bother looking at Rudolf as he blasted his own brains out.

Kimura’s Rudolf was apparently the only one who offered sufficiently much challenge/entertainment, and he was the one Furutod hated least.

Entertaining or not, Furutod still took Kimuradolf’s life as he really was nothing but a means to an end. I heard that as such, Kimuradolf was all the more hurt when his ‘friend’ appeared to have heartlessly used and betrayed him.

Kimuradolf was allegedly the only Rudolf Furutod bothered ‘seeing off’.

Rudolf’s Funeral

Sissi knew that if she had not rejected her son to save her own skin, then he might have been alive. She begged Furutod to take her life, and he seemed very content that he was about to win.

♪♬ “You took my son from me... Do not let me wait for any longer... do not let me suffer... I'll give it to you... take my life...! End my misery!” ♪♬ - Elisabeth

Furutod leaned in to kiss Sissi, but he saw that she merely longed for death only to escape life.

♪♬ “You do not really desire me!” ♪♬ - Der Tod

He was SO angry his face contorted and his hands were shaking! “How DARE you fool MOI!? I am the one to toy with people, NOT the other way around!”

Nightmare

After being a rejected by Sissi, Furutod had been behaving like a total baby. He had started a death orchestra where he plotted the death of one Habsburger after another. Franz found himself in this nightmare, where the Maestro - Furutod - stood on the platform, conducting the deaths of his family.

♪♬ F: Where is my Empress? T: Elisabeth belongs to me F: She is MY wife! Know some shame! T: But the one she desires is me F: I gave her everything I have T: And yet only I can give her the one thing she wants, freedom! F: I need to save my wife! T: But only I can truly save her F: If she had wanted you, she would already have been yours! ♪♬

Furutod was like: “enough. I’ll show you. I can take anything I want, I am mofo DEATH”. Here Furukawa raised his hand and ‘wiped’ his beautiful mask off his face, and revealed the monster underneath. (I fear that my art can’t really express how terrifying and GOOOOOD the symbolism was...)

♪♬ “Lucheni! Quick, come and take it!” ♪♬

Normally it is a bit hard for me to see how Elisabeth would go from rejection, denial and plain defeatism to ‘yes, I’m okay with dying!’. But now because Furutod had decided that the game is over, Elisabeth’s death was just everything abiding the law of nature.

Elisabeth’s Assassination

Furutod had sent Lucheni to assassinate Sissi. Lucheni merely walked up to her, stabbed the dagger he had received from the boss into Sissi’s torso. The historical Sissi’s corset was so tight that she did not even notice she had been stabbed, and walked on as though nothing happened.

In the musical, her assassination also happened quite matter-of-factly, except that this time, it is because Der Tod had decided he was not interested in the game anymore; so there was nothing anybody could do to stop him.

Sissi entered the Underworld again where Der Tod welcomed her.

♪♬ T: The time has come to welcome you to the nether world... E: Please take me with you, to the far away world of the dark to the place where my free soul can be at peace Both: If it is farewell to this sinking world anyway then embark on an eternal journey where time never ends E: I have cried, laughed, been disheartened and I have prayed There had been days where I tasted defeat in my senseless battle Regardless, I have entrusted my life to myself alone T:Regardless, you entrusted your life to me alone ♪♬

Furutod was the perfect prince charming again. Like he did before, he only guided Elisabeth with his finger tips, and gently caressed her hands. He let Elisabeth take the initiative of embracing and kissing him, and he kissed back very romantically.

When Elisabeth died and her body fell limp however, Furutod dropped his prince charming act. He transformed from lover to conqueror.

Furutod took Sissi’s body and rammed her into the grave, pinning her there like a bio-specimen🦋. Oh boy, was he happy.

The moment he had her however, he seemed to have lost interest again. The game was fun for as long as it lasted, but what next?

Never mind, he won, that’s what counted. Furutod turned to the audience, and struck a pose telling us that he is mofo ‘DEATH’. "If you’re interesting enough you might be able to avoid me, for a bit. But don’t you think you can escape me.”

Then he retracted three fingers of the hand he had raised, and pointed at the audience. I personally could not see it as anything else but: “You’re next.”

“Later, maybe. No? Never.”

Like I said before in the report of Act 1, Furutod is easily the cruelest and the most skin crawling Der Tod I have ever seen.

He is like a little kid who’s spoiled beyond reason. But indeed, he is ‘death’. ‘Death’ is the biggest force of nature nobody can avoid, so it makes sense that Furutod never learned how to deal with rejection.

Concretely, Furutod’s mindset is: “Later, maybe. No? Never”.

The sketch below summarises the entire existence of Furutod and the musical ‘Elisabeth 2019′.

(Doll Marie-Antoinette and Mozart on the ground, as he throws old favourite doll Sissi away.)

#Elisabeth #Das Musical #Furukawa Yuta #Yun #Yuntod #Furutod #Manaki Reika #Chapi #Sissi #Miura Ryosuke #Kyomoto Taiga #Kimura Tatsunari #Rudolf #Art report #Review #TOHO #Imperial Theatre #Act 2

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writing-with-melon · 5 years

Text

12/12/12

I got tagged by @startledserpentwriting. Thank you so much for the tag, these are great questions!

Rules: Answer the following questions for an OC, come up with twelve questions of your own, and tag twelve people!

I’m going to do these for The Batholomew siblings, Becky and Bonaparte from The Queen’s Co.

1. What inspired your name? Becky: Well my real name is Rebeka, but this looser *points at Bonaparte* couldn’t pronounce it at a kid so he started calling me Becky instead. Bonaparte: My real name is Phineas, it was my parent’s idea. I don’t know what else to tell you. Becky: We started calling him Bonaparte because he’s short and short-tempered.

2. What is your favorite hobby? Becky: I love to knit. Bonaparte: I like fishing.

3. If you have a job, what is it? Becky: Well I used to work at a bakery. But they fired me after they found out I was stealing the bread. Bonaparte: I was in the army and I did some bartending too. Becky: But now were bonafide members of the Queen’s Company! 4. What is your favorite color? Why? Becky: Yellow! Because it's warm and bright. Bonaparte: Dark green. Because it reminds me of the woods. 5. Who is your best friend? How did you meet? Becky: Percy! I met him at a bakery, he bought me bread and I showed him my secret hideout, which is where I was living at the time. He had nowhere to go so he stayed with me. Bonaparte: I don’t talk about it. Becky: Let’s Just say that relationship didn’t end well. But Nathaniel could be your new best friend. Right? Bonaparte: not a chance!

6. What is your relationship with your parents like? Becky: We had a very loving mother. And father did what he could, but he just fell apart when she died. Bonaparte: We were just kids when it happened. Becky: We used to be so close, and then at the orphanage... Bonaparte: We don’t talk about that. Becky: I still see the little ones when I can.

7. What’s the best prank you’ve ever pulled? Becky: For an entire month I hid Bonapaparte’s weapons and put them just out of his reach. muahaha! Bonaparte: Hmm one time Cat and I stole some of Percy’s stink bombs and rigged them to go off every time someone tried to flush the toilet!

8. What’s the best prank that’s ever been pulled on you? Becky: One time, Bonaparte baked me a madeleine and left it outside my door with an apology note. But then when I bit into it was grossest saltiest thing I’d ever tasted! Bonaparte: I switched the salt for the sugar. Becky: I hate you. I couldn’t trust any sweets for three weeks! Three weeks! I almost died. Bonaparte: Your prank was good. But I expected it after a while. So it doesn’t count. Becky: Sure? What about the time you got stuck with Arabella in that elevator? Bonaparte: That was you? Becky: Nathaniel helped. You’re welcome!

9. Who is your worst enemy, if you have one? Becky: Remember Bonaparte’s old best friend? Bonaparte: I’ll kill him. I swear it.

10. Who is your best friend? Bonaparte: Did we just answer this one? Becky: Don’t be rude!

11. What’s your favorite work of fiction? Becky: I saw La Traviata once, I couldn’t understand what was happening, but I went with Percy so I don’t really care. Bonaparte: The Count of Monte Cristo. It has all you could want, action, revenge, hidden treasure. Becky: And Romance! Bonaparte: and romance, I guess.

12. Is there anyone you look up to? Becky and Bonaparte: Arabella! Wait, what?! You too? Becky: Well she beautiful and talented and feminine. She’s like the big sister I never had. Why what were you going to say? Bonaparte: Nothing she’s nice, I guess.

My Questions:

1. What is your favorite clothing item? 2. Do you have any markings on your body? Tattoos or scars? 3. What song could you wake up to every morning without getting tired of it? 4. What do you love most about yourself? 5. What do you hate the most about yourself? 6. Do you have any cool talents? 7. If there was one thing you could change what would it be? 8. What’s your favorite game to play? 9. If you were a plant what plant would you be? 10. Do you have a wish you’d do anything for it to come true? 11. How did you meet your best friend? 12. Can you tell us a secret?

And I’m tagging:

@iced-ginger-tea @justapotatowriter @abbie-writes @inherentlywritten @adayforducks @musicofglassandwords @oneleggedflamingo @emdop @emilysnonsense @azawrites @cjjameswriting @fantasy-shadows

#tag game #12/12/12 #the queen's company #the queen’s co

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fluffy-marshmallow-heart · 6 years

Text

Drake's Diary ch.26 -I Like Me Better

The Royal Romance canon from Drake's POV

Words: 5415

This one got a bit away from me, so I'm sorry it's kinda long...I do hope it's worth it :)

Also, the song "I Like Me Better" by Lauv just kept repeating itself over and over in my head while writing this. In fact, it can probably be applied to several upcoming chapters.

Master List (Catch Up Here)

Drake sighs, looking around this high-end jewelry store looking for present for Liam. New York City…it was just as big and glamourous as he remembered. He has mixed feelings about this city that Emma calls home…but at the very least, he should be able to find a good wedding gift for Liam here. After all, the city has everything. Surely there must be something Liam is lacking…. right?

He walks around the cases, admiring wrist watches, pocket watches, necklaces…then his eyes fall on the glittering display of diamond engagement rings. He swallows, hard. There’s no way he can ever afford one of these, and only one woman he desperately wants to give one to. A sales clerk came over to him with a bright smile.

“Is there anything you would like to see closer?”

All of them.

He cleared his throat, his eyes landing on one in particular.

“Ah, excellent choice. You have exquisite taste.” The clerk removes one with a simple white gold band and a princess cut diamond that stands on its own, sparkling brighter than all the rest.

“Wow, that’s…”

“It’s 10 carats, it’s a D on the GIA scale, also IF in quality, which makes it a very rare, very sought-after diamond. You really won’t find one better, except maybe for a higher carat, which I can show you a few of those as well…”

“Drake?”

Drake jumped so high in the air, he was suddenly at a different case altogether. Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, God, what is she doing here? How does she appear everywhere I wind up?? Okay, pull it together, Walker and she’ll never know what you were just dreaming about.

“Oh, hey, Rose.” Can she hear my heart thumping right now? It seems louder than normal…

“What are you doing here?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s a store. Anyone can go into a store.”

She rose an eyebrow. “Sure, but you’re the last person I expected to see looking at necklaces that require a down payment.”

After casting a quick glance around the mostly-empty store, he gave an apologetic look to the clerk that was showing him the ring, and she winked, quickly replacing it and walking away completely unseen by Emma.

And now she thinks I’m actually proposing to Rose. Shit.

Seeing that he was now indeed in front of a case of necklaces, he sighs, half in relief, and half in frustration. “Alright, you caught me. I’m looking for a wedding gift for Liam.”

“In a jewelry store?”

“What? You don’t think he’d want one of those?” He scanned the case quickly and pointed to the first piece he saw that was not completely feminine, a gold medallion covered in so many gems that the gold is barely visible.

He could tell Emma was trying to smother a laugh. “You want to give Liam a medallion? Liam isn’t a pirate.”

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Too much?”

“Oh, not if you’re also getting him a galleon and a parrot and an eye patch…”

“I can barely afford this medallion.” Drake broke in.

Which is code for there’s not a chance in hell I’ll ever afford that, or anything else in this store.

“Then, yeah. It’s a bit much.” Emma patted him on the shoulder.

He nodded, not surprised in the slightest that coming into this store was a bad idea, for multiple reasons. “Hmm…Back to the drawing board. So, did you just come here to shoot down my gift ideas, or are you looking for something?”

He watched her face fall. “I’m supposed to pick up Madeleine’s wedding ring.”

His mouth fell open. “Wow. That’s cold, even for her.”

What a fucking bitch. I already knew she was a bitch…well everyone knows she’s a bitch…but damn, she is definitely a bitch.

The jeweler waves her over to the counter. When she gives him Madeleine’s name, he rushes off and returns with a small box containing simple gold band.

Huh. “That’s it? I was expecting something more…”

“Elaborate?” She guessed.

“I was going to say pretentious.”

“I think it’s lovely. Simple, yet elegant. You’ve got to hand it to Madeleine. She’s always stylish.”

He saw the way she was looking at the ring longingly, detecting a note of sadness in her voice, and his heart dropped a bit.

Say something. “Shouldn’t it be covered in…I don’t know…diamonds?”

Now she broke into a smile. “You’re thinking engagement rings. Those are usually the sparkly ones.” She pointed over to the counter he had originally been at when she walked in.

“….Right.” He studies the ring avoiding eye contact with the sales clerk he originally spoke to, his expression going somber. “I guess their wedding’s coming up pretty fast.”

“Yeah…”

There’s that sad look again. She’s really upset about Liam marrying. God, my heart feels like it’s breaking right now. Stupid me, imagining for even one second that I would ever get a chance to marry her.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to put all that behind him. “We’ll find Tariq soon, Rose. We have to.”

“If we do, what will that mean for…us?”

Like I said in the beginning, there is no us.

Drake doesn’t quite meet her eyes when he replies. “It’ll be good news for you and Liam. You’ve had to live with this hanging over you for long enough.”

She gently placed her hand over his, curling their fingers around each other’s. “That’s not what I asked, Drake. Once my name is cleared…I can be with whoever I want.”

That’s true but…we all know who you’ll pick. Your face just said it all.

“I…I guess that depends on what you want, then, Rose.” He rubs the back of his neck, glancing around the store once again. “If you’re done here, do you want to give me a hand with Liam’s gift? He’s my best friend. I want to get him something good, but I think I’m in over my head here.”

A slow smile spread across her face. “Drake…are you inviting me on a shopping trip?”

“Don’t make me regret it.” He groaned.

“What I meant is, I would be honored to accompany you.”

“Come on then.” She follows him out the door. They try the pet store…

Emma grimaced. “I don’t know…”

Drake holds the yellow Labrador puppy in his hands out to her, its tail wagging. “Come on, Rose. Liam has always loved dogs.”

“Do you really want to make a puppy live with Madeleine?”

Good point. Didn’t think of that.

He slowly lowers the puppy back into its pen. “You’re safer here, pal.”

They try the furniture store. Almost as soon as Drake walks in, he spots the most perfect, leather, manly chair he’s ever seen in his life. He grinned walking right over to it. “This is it, Rose. A deluxe recliner, dual cup holders, over fifty massage settings…”

“Really? I’m sure Liam owns plenty of chairs.” She said skeptically.

He gave her a Look. “You’ve clearly never sat on the Cordonian throne. Let’s just say Liam’s gonna need back support after sitting on that thing.”

She laughed. “I’m not even going to ask how you know that…and I think we can do better than a dad’s dream chair.”

A dad’s dream chair?? What am I coming to??

Drake heaves himself out of the recliner, sighing.

“Unless you want it.” She teased.

“Nah. I’m not shipping that thing back to Cordonia.” But maybe there is one similar back home. Just can’t let anyone know I own a dad’s chair. Ever. At least, not until I’m actually a dad, but first…Gotta get the girl.

Not really paying attention he walked into the next store, shaking his thoughts of being married and having children.

“The hardware store? Seriously?”

Drake stares wistfully at a plasma cutter at the back of the shop. I mean, there could have been worse stores to walk blindly into…I guess.

“What would you even use that for? What would Liam use that for?”

Think, idiot, think. “Engraving…medals? Come on, it’s a tool. Every guy appreciates a handy power tool…”

His gaze fell to her lips as she bit her bottom one. “Drake…it’s adorable how bad you are at this.”

He shook his head smiling ruefully. “I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment.”

“I’m just glad I was here to witness this.”

“That makes one of us.” He frowned. I’m really making myself look like a complete idiot today.

She put her hand in the crook of his arm, nodding towards the door. “Come on. You look like you need a break.”

She leads Drake out of the store and to a bench down the block. They both slump onto it, exhausted. He groaned. “Trying to find a present for this wedding is like torture.”

“I take it you’re not a fan of the usual wedding traditions.”

Drake runs his fingers through his hair, sighing. “I’ve got nothing against tradition. But there are nice, simple ceremonies, and then there are international engagement tours.”

She gave a soft smile. “So what would your ‘simple’ wedding look like?”

My wedding?

He gives her a thoughtful look. “Should I ask why you’re asking…” Not like it would even matter, I’d probably make myself look like a fool no matter what she says.

She winked. “Let’s just say I’m curious.”

He blushed and looked down at the ground. “I guess it’d be something small. A short reception and a ceremony, just a few friends and family…”

“Luckily, you only have a few friends and family.” She swatted his arm playfully.

He rolled his eyes. “Ha ha, Rose.”

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Let me guess. Your ring bearer would be…Little Bartie.”

Bartie…oh my…what a brilliant idea. And she thought of it…as though she’s thought of it before…“Huh. I hadn’t really thought about it, but you know…That’d be great.” He found himself grinning from ear to ear, and hers seemed to match.

“Imagine him in a tiny suit!” She squealed.

“Heh. Yeah, Savannah would be over the moon.”

“What about the best man? I vote for Liam. I bet he’d throw you the perfect bachelor party. Barbecue and stiff drinks galore. And he’d be good at speeches…He’d never embarrass you.” She pointed out.

He found himself completely mesmerized by the way her eyes were shining…and he had a strange feeling her smile had nothing to do with Liam, and everything to do with his idea of a small wedding. Hell, this is the first time anyone has ever asked what I want. “Hmm. Liam is a strong contender.”

Her eyes flit down to his lips. “That leaves one question. Who are you marrying in this scenario?”

Dare I imagine her walking down the aisle towards me?

“…Is it me?”

His eyebrows shot up. Goddamn it, how does she do that??

“I…” A slight blush to his cheeks as he looks at her, half smiling, half surprised. Alright. I’ll bite.

“Are you proposing to me, Rose?” He asked, his voice thick with desire.

She looks at him knowingly. “Trust me, if I were, you’d know.”

Of that I have no doubt. But until then…

“Then maybe that’s a question for another time.” He nudged her shoulder. “Enough daydreaming for now. I still need a present for Liam.” He sighs. “Liam has always been there for me, and…well, you know him. He always gives the perfect gifts.”

She chuckled. “It’s like his superpower.”

He nodded. “I just wanted to return the favor for once. But I’m stumped.”

“Relax, Drake. You just need to remember the secret to finding a good present. The secret is picking something unique to you.”

“If I get him whiskey, he’d probably laugh. Hell, I’d have to laugh at myself.”

She laughed heartily. “No, no. What I mean is, you know Liam better than anyone. You’ve been through thick and thin together. Anyone can get him something he’d enjoy, but what’d something you know he’d really appreciate?”

“I don’t know wh…” He breaks off suddenly, his gaze falling across something metallic in the window of a nearby antique store. Perfect. “Wait. I’ve got it.” He leaps up from the bench and ducks into the store, picking up the object he’d noticed, an antique compass. This is beyond perfect. He quickly cashes out, then hurries back over to Emma, grinning. “This is what I’m giving Liam.”

She furrowed her eyebrows. “It’s neat, but…why a compass? Are you worried Liam will get lost in the wilds of Cordonia?”

He shook his head. “He’s always had guards and royal staff around, so he’s never needed a compass. But they can’t always be there for him. Even I can’t always be there for him. If he’s ever out on his own, or if he ever feels like he’s losing his way, I thought it might be a nice reminder.”

Her gaze softened. “I get the feeling you’re talking about more than cardinal directions.”

Drake shifts his weight back and forth, glancing down at the compass. “Constantine was a decent king for years, but by the time he retired, he’d lost sight of what really mattered. Look at everything he put you and Liam through. I don’t ever want that to happen to Liam. So, I thought he could use a compass to follow. Something to remind him to stay true to what he believes in. What do you think? Too cheesy?”

She was looking at him with her intense gaze, the one he’s become so familiar with, the one that makes him actually think that at the end of all this, he will be the one she chooses. His heart flutters under that gaze and his future is full of possibilities he’d always been afraid to dream of.

“Drake…You’re a thoughtful guy under that gruff exterior.”

You would know. You bring it out in me. “I’m just trying to look out for Liam.”

“I know, Drake. That’s what people who care about their friends do. Liam will love it.”

“I hope so.” He carefully tucks the compass into his pocket and lets out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank god that’s over with.”

She laughed, the sound of it ringing like a bell. “Now we just have to get through this United Nations party.”

Actually….. “It’s not until tonight. Why don’t we unwind for a bit? We just endured an eternity of shopping. I think we’ve earned it.”

She bit her lip again, a hint of a smile on her mouth. “Hmm. It could be fun to show you around the neighborhood…Sign me up for some relaxation!”

I love that she never says no. When it works to my advantage.

“That’s what I’m talking about. What’s our first stop?”

But Emma’s not even looking at him, and he follows Emma’s gaze and freezes, seeing an outfit in a neighboring shop window.

She grabs his arm in excitement “Oh. My. God. I promise I’ll get you a drink after we try one more store.”

Uh-uh. No way. “That is not happening.”

“All you have to do is try it on. Pleeease.” She begged

Oh god, she’s begging. I just….I can’t fight that!

“The things I do for your amusement.” He grumbles, following her into the store. The clerk brings him over to the changing room, and then brings the outfit. He puts it on and stares at himself in the floor to ceiling mirror.

Gotta admit…lookin good, Walker. And it’s not like she’ll ever let me walk out of here without it so…what’s that term? Flaunt it if you got it? Or is that for breasts? Butts? Ugh, who cares.

He emerges a few minutes later in a dark red Henley, grey slacks, and to complete the outfit, sunglasses.

She whistled. “You’ve never looked hotter.”

His jaw dropped at her cat calling him. “You…you like this kind of thing?”

“I’m just saying it’s pretty flattering.” She runs a finger down his muscular chest.

Drake stretches experimentally. He frowns down at the Henley shirt. “It’s…comfy. I’ll give it that. I’ll buy this getup if you make good on that drink you promised me.”

“Deal. I know just the spot.” She announced proudly.

He nodded and went to the register, paying a bit more than he ever expected he would on clothes. But the look on Emma’s face…she looked like she could eat me up. And I would definitely let her.

She leads Drake through the mazelike streets to a familiar door…and into her old bar.

He looks around, his eyes widening in recognition. “Hey, I remember this place.”

“I haven’t been here since that night at Liam’s bachelor party. My old bar…at least it hasn’t burned down without me.”

He gave her a curious look. “Heh. Some things never change.”

“Yeah. Although there might be a few new wine stains on those cushions…”

A stifled yawn comes from behind the counter as the server comes strolling out of the kitchen, as if having all the time in the world.

“Good afternoon. Are you two looking for a tab—Oh my god. Emma???”

“Daniel!!!!” Emma ran up to him and practically knocked him over in a bear hug.

What the hell? Who the hell is this??

But they were only talking amongst themselves now. “What the heck happened to you? You just up and left!”

“It’s a long story…”

“You could’ve called! Or texted!”

“My cell phone coverage has been kind of limited in Cordonia…”

“You should probably switch plans.” Drake broke in, determined to find out who this guy was and why Emma was so excited to see him.

The guy just nodded and turned back to Emma. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. You look like you’re doing good”

Again, what the hell?

“Oh! I’m Daniel, by the way.” He holds his hand out to Drake.

Finally getting somewhere. Drake reaches out his own hand to introduce himself, fully planning on giving a very hard, very firm, handshake, make this ‘Daniel’ know he’s not intimidated. But before getting his chance…

“This is Drake…my hot date.” Emma wrapped her arms around Drake’s waist, catching him off-guard and immediately answering the question of whether Daniel was a threat.

He swallowed hard. “Uh…”

“You always did have good taste.” Daniel raked his eyes up and down Drake’s body and suddenly Drake knew why Daniel was not a threat.

“We’re not…I mean, I would…Nevermind.” No need to explain. I’m her hot date. Just go with it.

“Please follow me to the most romantic spot in the house!” Daniel escorts them to a booth that’s identical to all the others, except for a messy heart someone has carved into the table.

They were getting situated as a sharp voice rang out. “Daniel, what are you doing out there? I’ve got a sink full of dirty dishes that aren’t going to wash themselves.”

“We’ve got customers, boss! Look who just stopped by!”

The man steps out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on an apron. He frowns at Drake, then squints at Emma, until his eyes slowly widen in recognition. “You. I hope you’re not here looking to collect a paycheck. You walked out on me with only a day’s notice! On a Saturday!”

A third time. What the hell?

“Hey, watch your tone. That’s no way to talk to a customer.” Drake growled

“She used to work for me. I’ll talk to her however I like.”

Oh no he didn’t. What a prick.

“Really? You want to mess with a member of the Cordonian royal court?” Drake argued.

The manager freezes. “She’s…what?”

Emma leveled the man with her gaze. “It’s okay, Drake…I’m sure he wouldn’t insult a noblewoman on purpose. Right?”

Drake smirked as the man started fumbling nervously over his words. “Sorry, miss…err, madam. Err…milady?”

“Emma’s fine.” She told him

“I um, won’t disturb you any further. Enjoy your drinks.” He hastily retreats back to the kitchen.

Daniel speaks first. “Sorry about the boss. I wish I could say he’s having a bad day, but he’s just…like that. Can I get you two something to drink?”

“One whiskey. Neat.”

“The house special.” Emma winked.

“Coming right up!” He walks over to the bar and returns with their drinks a minute later, before leaving them to privacy.

Drake turned back to Emma and met a very curious expression on her face. “What happened back there, Drake? I never thought I’d see you play the noble card.”

His own expression turned sheepish. “Yeah, well, after everything the court has put you through, I figure you might as well get some use out of it. Courtly privilege is good at keeping jerks away…unless those jerks are also nobles.”

“I’ll remember that loophole.”

They both take a moment to enjoy their drinks, glancing around the mostly empty establishment.

The corners of Drake’s mouth turned up. “Heh. The last time we were here I thought you were just another waitress at another bar.”

“I thought you all were my last chance for a Saturday night tip.”

Drake raises his glass to her, grinning slightly. “I guess we’ve come a long way.”

A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. “From strangers to…lovers?”

“We haven’t…” He trails off, swallowing hard, his heart pounding.

“No. But am I just a friend to you?” She was looking at him intensely again, he could tell she wanted him to say something, to agree, to do…anything. But he was tongue tied, because the truth was…she was never just a friend to him. And despite that fact, I’m still trying to push her away. Because I know it’s just a matter of time before she’s gone. Or….am I really just scared that she will actually choose me over Liam? No one’s ever done that before, and truthfully…it scares the shit out of me. So, in reply, he clinks his glass against hers, trying to hide a smile.

Time to turn the conversation. “So, what was it like working here? Your old boss almost makes Olivia look warm and fuzzy.”

She looked around, a far off look on her face. “Honestly…it paid the bills. I didn’t love it, but if I hadn’t taken this job, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

He looked at her skeptically. “Right back in the same bar?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but this time I don’t have to serve the drinks. What about you? I’ve never heard any classic Drake work stories.”

“I don’t have a lot of them.”

“Then just give me the highlights. Best and worst jobs you’ve ever had!”

Drake takes another sip from his glass while he thinks. “Hmm. Best job was probably the summer I spent working in the royal stables.”

“You? A stable hand? That sounds like something out of a steamy romance novel. The handsome commoner with a heart of gold, mucking out the stables at the royal castle…”

What? I swear, only she would come with this stuff.

“My heart is made of…whatever hearts are made of, thank you very much.” He retorted.

She rose an eyebrow. “That’s exactly what the handsome commoner would say.”

He shook his head, smiling. “Sure, Rose.”

“So, what was your worst job?”

Ha. Can’t wait for this reaction. “Oh, that’s easy. The time Maxwell paid me to DJ one of his dance parties.”

“He had to pay you to DJ a party? Really?”

He blinked. “A Maxwell party. I sure as hell wasn’t going to do it for free. It took me days to get all the glitter off of me. And the music out of my head.”

“Too much fun for you to handle?” She asked sarcastically.

Drake looks at her with a haunted expression, shaking his head. “Glitter doesn’t belong in drinks, Rose. That’s a hill I’m willing to die on.” He tosses back the last of his whiskey.

“Looks like our drinks are running low.” She was eyeing their empty glasses.

“Then it’s probably time to get going. We have a party to be at.” Another boring diplomatic party where I have to pretend I’m not madly in love with this woman.

Emma waves Daniel over, and he hands her the bill. She leaves a twenty dollar bill next to her glass.

“Whoa. Feeling generous?” He was legitimately surprised by how much she left.

She shrugged. “It’s hard to earn tips on quiet days like this. He could use the cash.”

“What about him?” Drake nods at the door to the kitchen, where her former manager is peeking out at the two of them. When he notices them looking, he clears his throat and ducks behind the doorframe.

Emma chuckled to herself as she wrote something on a napkin. “I’ll leave him a note that says…It doesn’t cost you anything to be nice.”

“Heh. Maybe he’ll take the hint.”

“Are you leaving already?” Drake looked up to see a crestfallen Daniel.

“Sorry, Daniel, but we have a party to get to.”

Daniel’s face fell. “Well, maybe I’ll see you around sometime. Take care of yourself, Emma.”

“You too.” She gave him one last hug.

The manager barked from behind the wall. “Daniel, if you’re done shooting the breeze with our customers, that pile of dishes isn’t getting any cleaner!”

“…I’ll try.” Daniel grimaced, then head to the back of the bar.

“Come on, Drake. I know a shortcut that’ll get us back to the hotel in plenty of time.”

The sun has set by the time they leave the bar. She leads Drake to a pathway where the city’s lights glisten along the waterfront. He found himself chatting about her other miscellaneous odd jobs she had, her first apartment, her first roommate. He listened to everything she said, completely captivated at the way she lit up around him. When it was just the two of them, she could be just Emma, and it was obvious how much she liked that. Drake completely understands. It’s hard trying to impress the world, and he was glad he didn’t need to. Hell, he didn’t even need to impress her, they were just naturally drawn to each other. Everything about them was natural, and as he realized they’d been walking quite a while, he realized something else. Maybe…just maybe…she will choose me. This day has been amazing. Our whole friends to lovers relationship has been amazing. She’s amazing, and hell, I feel amazing when I’m with her. She has officially knocked down every single one of my walls. I’m not going to fight this anymore. I just want to pull her in.

She stopped abruptly, and Drake looked around in confusion. “You sure this is a shortcut?”

She shrugged innocently. “Shortcuts are allowed to be scenic.”

“Heh. There’s a lot more to this place than I thought.”

“What do you mean?” She asked curiously.

“Liam’s bachelor party…I mean, his original one…was my first time in New York City. The movies don’t really do it justice. I mean, it’s big and noisy, but I like that people aren’t afraid to tell you what they think.”

“It’s all part of our New Yorker charm.” She laid her head on his shoulder, and he gently rested his head on top of hers.

“Thanks for taking me out here, Rose. I really needed a breather.” And around you I can breathe.

“Of course. I wanted to show you the most romantic view of the city.”

He lifted his head and turned to face the water. It was nice but…not the typical spot someone would think of. “This place? Not, I don’t know, the top of the Empire State Building?”

“A romantic view isn’t about where you’re standing. It’s about who you’re with.”

His breath hitches and he turns away from the waterfront to look at Emma and smiles softly. “Not a bad view.”

He holds his hand out to her, and she accepts it with a smile. Their fingers interlace, and Drake was overcome with a sensation he was unfamiliar with, yet he knows he’s felt it before, and with her. He kept trying to place his finger on it, but the words just wouldn’t form, and before long, they arrive at their hotel, situated right along the waterfront. Drake sighs. “Wish we could just stay out here instead of hanging out with a bunch of politicians.”

“Well, we still have a few minutes before we need to get ready.”

He slid his eyes in her direction. “What were you thinking?”

She took his other hand with her free one, and turned him to face her, as she stepped into his space. “I was thinking…about kissing you.”

Butterflies erupted in his stomach. “Rose…”

“Is that a no?” Undeniable sadness flashed in her eyes, and he let go of one of her hands, bringing it to gently cup her cheek in his palm.

“No.” He said softly. “Just…I don’t know what the hell you see in a guy like me. But I don’t want to question my luck. Not anymore.” He eliminates the space between them in an instant, his lips meeting hers in a desperate kiss. He pours everything into that kiss, all the emotions he’s been holding back from her, and when he pulls back to catch his breath, they’re both smiling.

She’s looking at him dreamily, and damn, he could get lost in those eyes. “Drake…Anyone would be lucky to be with you. But I’m especially lucky.”

He grins again. “I…I don’t know about that, Rose. But I’m glad you think so.”

He pulls her in by the small of her back, capturing her lips once again as she runs her hands through his hair, kissing her deeply. Again, and again they kiss, the world around them fading away, and Drake kept smiling all throughout, which caused her to smile as well, and he thought his heart may burst from happiness.

Eventually, reality sinks in and he pulls away, sighing. “If someone sees us like this, that could really complicate things for you, Rose. I don’t want to get you into another mess when you’re so close to clearing your name.”

“I don’t care what people think.” She told him boldly, and he gave a half hearted smile.

“Yeah, but I do. I could never forgive myself if I mess things up for you, Rose.”

Emma looks back at him doubtfully, but Drake doesn’t miss the glimmer of hope that remains in her eyes. “When this is over, then?”

When this is over…Shit, it’s almost here. Our new reality, whatever that may be.

Drake paces over to the railing and leans against it, searching for the right words. “I guess when this is over, you’ll finally be free to choose, Rose…” Just be honest with her. She’ll understand.

He took a breath. “And maybe some part of me is scared of that. I can’t offer you half as much as Liam could. Hell, I don’t know what I can offer you. But when the time comes…when those photos aren’t hanging over your head anymore…” He walks back over to her again, searching her eyes. “I’ll still be here.”

I’ll always be yours.

“So, we’ll talk then?” She whispered.

He leaned down and kissed her gently. “I’d like that. But right now, we’re about to be late to this party.”

She smiled at him now, and he smiled back, relieved that she understood he’s not going anywhere, that he is all in.

“You going to be okay in there?” She asked.

“Heh. After staring at gifts all afternoon, I didn’t think I could make through another highbrow get-together, but now…I guess some, err, time with you was all I needed.”

“I wouldn’t say no to more time alone with you.” She ruffled his hair and he ducked away, laughing.

“Maybe another night.”

“You know where to find me.”

Jesus, she’s got the fuck me now eyes going. I need to go.

“I’ll see you at the party, Rose. I don’t want to risk showing up to the United Nations in…this.” He gestured to his outfit.

“Good idea. I wouldn’t want your death on my conscience.” She teased.

Throwing caution to the wind, he drew her in for one last searing kiss, leaving them both breathless, before heading to their separate rooms.

As Drake looks for different clothes, he suddenly remembered what that feeling was that he’d had earlier in the night. He’d almost forgotten about it, but as he folded the Henley shirt, he found himself smiling yet again, because he remembered why that feeling belonged with her. Home.

@annekebbphotography @carabeth @gardeningourmet @eileendannie @alesana45 @thequeenofcronuts @zigortega4life @drakewalkerfantasy

@friedherringclodthing

@notoriouscs @agent-bossypants @flowerpowell

@hrhdes @drakewalkerisreal @akrenich @feartheendlesssummer @moonlightgem7 @i-miss-trr @noey718-blog @snyggflicka @rhymesmenagerie @gibbles82 @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction @be-still-my-aching-heart @crookedslimecreatorpasta @whenyourheartskipsabeat @katedrakeohd @drakensworld

#drake's diary #drake x emma #drake walker fanfic #the royal romance fanfic #drake walker #drake x mc #trr drake #trr fanfic #choices trr #trr #the royal romance #choices the royal romance #playchoices #choices stories you play #choices fanfiction #fluffy-marshmallow-heart

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sartle-blog · 6 years

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10 Artists Who Were Also Mothers

Who said that you can’t be a mother and an artist at the same time?

The patriarchy, for one, but surprisingly, a lot of female artists as well. Even artists like Mary Cassatt and Judy Chicago whose work primarily featured themes of motherhood and femininity never had children because they believed it would compromise the quality of their art. But there were actually a handful of successful female artists who were also pretty good mothers, they just seldom get the credit for doing both. For Mother’s Day -which should really be everyday- we’re celebrating our favorite badass moms who significantly impacted the art world.

Artemisia Gentileschi

Madonna and Child, Artemisia Gentileschi, 1613

Artemisia Gentileschi had one daughter with two names- Prudentia (after her mother who passed away early in Artemisia’s childhood) and Palmira. She had her daughter very early on in her career and continued to paint up until her death when her daughter was well into adulthood. Like her mother, Prudentia/Palmira also became a painter, though none of her works are currently known.

Judith Leyster

Self-Portrait, Judith Leyster, 1630

Not too much is known about Judith Leyster. She didn’t really get recognition for her paintings for a while as they were usually credited to the “Wife of Molenaer” who was a more famous painter at the time. Leyster had five children with Molenaer, but only two survived into adulthood. With the information on her surviving dated works, it looks like Leyster wasn’t as prolific once she got married and had children, but she still continued to paint up until a few years before her death in 1660.

Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun

“The beauty of her heavenly face, that expressed benevolence and goodness, and whose features were so regular and delicate, the loveliness of her figure, neck, and arms, the exquisite freshness of her complexion – all was enchanting beyond anything imaginable”

-Vigee le Brun describing her daughter in her diary.

Self Portrait with her Daughter Julie, Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, 1786

Self Portrait with Her Daughter, Julie, Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, 1789

Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun had one child, Jeanne Julie Louise, who she nicknamed “Brunette.” Vigee Le Brun’s first self portrait of her and Julie caused a scandal when it was exhibited simply because she was depicted smiling open-mouthed -- how dare she be visibly happy with her child?! During the French Revolution, Vigee Le Brun fled France with Julie to Italy, Austria, and then finally Russia. It was in Russia that their relationship crumbled; Julie married a man that her mother strongly disapproved of, and Elisabeth Louise then shunned her from her life, refusing to provide for her daughter when both were back in France. It's hard to read that the two had such a strained relationship when looking at these adorable self-portraits.

Berthe Morisot

Portrait of Berthe Morisot and Her Daughter, Berthe Morisot, 1885

Berthe Morisot and her daughter, Pierre Auguste-Renoir, 1894

Apparently Julie is a popular name for the daughters of female artists. Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot married Edouard Manet’s younger brother Eugene and had her only child Julie Manet, who often posted as a model for Morisot and other Impressionists. When Julie was 16 she became ill with influenza (get your shots people!). Morisot eventually got the same infection by taking care of Julie and subsequently died not long after. Morisot’s devotion to her daughter literally killed her.

Suzanne Valadon

Suzanne Valadon with her son Maurice Utrillo, 1889

Suzanne Valadon and Maurice Utrillo, 1930

Suzanne Valadon wasn’t just a mom, she was a single mom! She had her son Maurice when she was an 18-year-old model for artists. Her mother Madeleine helped take care of Maurice, and the two often served as models for Valadon’s domestic sketches that gave her recognition and critical acclaim. Maurice was a troubled alcoholic suffering from mental illness, and it was his mother who encouraged him to try painting. Not too long after, Maurice ended up being a successful artist himself! Mother truly knows best.

Barbara Hepworth

“My studio was a jumble of children, rocks, sculptures, trees, importunate flowers, and washing.”

Barbara Hepworth with her son Paul, 1929

The Hepworth triplets: Simon, Rachel, and Sarah, 1937

Barbara Hepworth with her daughters Rachel and Sarah, 1965

Barbara Hepworth was the ultimate mom/artist. She raised four children while working along her husband Ben Nicholson in the St. Ives artists’ colony. She often wrote about how being a mother and an artist was never a conflicting process and that having a family actually improved the quality of her sculptures. Her eldest son Paul was killed in a plane crash in 1953, prompting a devastated Hepworth to take a trip to Greece with a good friend. When she came back, her sculptures had a distinctly Greek influence. Her son Simon was also an artist, but died young from alcoholism. Her daughter Sarah married Sir Alan Bowness, former director of the Tate Gallery. Both she and her sister Rachel are in charge of their mother’s estate.

Louise Bourgeois

“They had two children fairly quickly, then a third one shortly thereafter. There was no room, really, to do sculpture in the apartment. So she painted.”

-Jerry Gorovoy, assistant to Louise Bourgeois

With her three sons in Easton, CT, 1945

Louise Bourgeois had three children within the span of three years! She and her husband Robert Goldwater adopted Michel from France in 1939, then she gave birth to Jean-Louise in 1940 and Alain in 1941. Despite having her hands and her house full, she didn’t give up on her artwork and continued to create paintings, drawings, and sculptures until her death in 2010. She is survived by her sons Alain and Jean-Louise, an architectural expert on Adobe who recently donated his $4 million house to Native Americans as a meeting house. Louise would have been proud.

Yoko Ono

“Mothers are not supposed to give guidance.”

Yoko Ono and John Lennon with their children from previous marriages, Julian Lennon and Kyoko Chan Cox

Yoko Ono and John Lennon with their son Sean Lennon

Avant-garde artist Yoko Ono had her daughter Kyoko with her second husband Anthony Cox. Not longer after she filed for divorce and met John Lennon. When Kyoko was eight, she and Cox disappeared in the middle of a custody battle; Ono was unable to find Kyojo until she was 35. Lennon and Ono had one child, Sean Lennon, who is currently pursuing music with his band “The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.”

Jenny Holzer

“When my daughter was young, she thought all electronic signs were mine.”

Jenny Holzer with her family in the Central Park Zoo, 1990

Jenny Holzer with Lili Holzer-Grier, 2011

Jenny Holzer gave birth to Lili Holzer (now Holzer-Grier) in 1989. Her daughter’s birth inspired Holzer’s works Laments and Truism 4 (Mother and Child) in 1990. Lili Holzer-Grier is now a successful photographer based in New York, where her mother also currently lives. Both Holzer's and her daughter’s artwork portray American hypocrisy and injustice.

Kara Walker

“My mother is a mother. And an artist. And the two never felt like they were incompatible.”

-Octavia Brugel on her mother Kara Walker

Kara Walker with baby Octavia

Kara Walker and Octavia in 2016

Kara Walker had her daughter Octavia early in her career, showing us that it really isn’t impossible to gain international fame in the art world while raising a child. Walker incorporated her daughter’s voice into 8 Possible Beginnings to help demonstrate how the heritage of American slavery affects women of color as artists. Octavia is now a photographer studying at Oberlin College.

Of course, you don’t have to be a successful artist to be a successful mom. Shout-out to all mothers out there who are able to juggle both their careers and their children. And an additional thanks to mothers everywhere for being awesome women and continually inspiring us all to produce and admire great art. “Mom” upside-down spells “wow” for a reason! Now go call your mom and tell her you love her.

By Alannah Clark

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dcbbw · 4 years

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Six Sentence Sunday (Late Night Edition)

Thank you for the tags @ao719, @bebepac, @bbrandy2002, and @burnsoslow.

I am working on a lot of stuff, but not much to share at the moment, but I do have some things in my goody bag.

Everything is still in draft mode and subject to change.

Complete list under the cut.

Dress Up (Kinktober | Day 17 for SGL x Riley B.) :

“You wanted our first time to be special,” he said with a trace of wonderment.

Riley nodded vigorously.

Liam leaned in, his lips brushing hers softly. His mouth drifted to her cheek, then her jawline. He pressed kisses against her skin, going lower until his face was nuzzled into the crook of her neck. Riley let out a shaky moan feeling the tip of his tongue lick her skin.

“Try it on for me,” he urged.

“But the surprise …”

Liam pulled back, shaking his head with a slight chuckle. “You will never cease to surprise me, Riley B.,” he whispered. “And I’ve already seen it, might as well see it on you,” he reasoned.

Riley and Liam stared at each other. Finally, Riley nodded. “Okay. But STAY OUT HERE!”

Liam nodded in agreement and watched Riley’s hips undulate against the soft knit of her olive colored dress as she disappeared into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. He flopped into a wingback chair as his eyes crossed and his hand covered his growing erection.

She’s going to be the death of me.

Inside the bedroom, Riley had pulled off her dress, bra, and pantyhose. She sat on the edge of her bed as she held the black overbust corset in her hands, working the ribboned fastenings loose. She wrapped it around her, hooking the front eyelets closed.

The bodice of the corset was black leather; the remaining material was a gorgeous black lace. She rose, standing in front of her full-length mirror, marveling at how her breasts were pushed together and up; her cleavage was magnificent. Her head turned at the sound of the bedroom door being pushed open.

“LIAM!” she yelled. “You said you would stay in the living room!”

Liam’s shirt was untucked from is jeans and fully unbuttoned; glimpses of a broad, well-defined chest caught Riley’s eye. He stood behind Riley, his lips kissing the nape of her neck.

“I thought you might need some help,” he murmured in a husky tone as his fingers drifted down her back, caressing black satin ribbons.

To Form a More Perfect Union:

Olivia smiled as she patted the guard’s arm. “Well, don’t let me keep you. I simply came down to check in with your men that their accommodations have been satisfactory and to inform them that breakfast will be available at 8am in the Main Hall dining room.”

“Very thoughtful and generous of you, Duchess. Check in with Severus; he’s my second-in-command and will be sure to relay any and all communications to the officers.”

The thud of the Armory door thudded as it swung shut; Bastien turned as Oliva looked up. Anton Severus was striding down the hall towards us.

“Anton, is anything wrong?”

Anton shook his head. “No, sir. Just stretching my legs.”

Bastien glanced at his watch. “I have to go. Duchess, you can tell Agent Severus about breakfast.”

Olivia smiled thinly at Anton before shifting her gaze to Bastien. “I shall. And I will have staff prepare an early luncheon given that plans have changed.”

Bastien nodded before leaving Olivia and Anton alone in the hallway. Olivia gazed at Anton with a raised brow.

“You’re not going to bow to nobility?”

With a sardonic smirk, the guard gave a stiff bow. “Your Grace.”

Olivia bridged the distance between them, pressing her hands against his uniform. “You were correct. The itinerary has changed.”

“We need to have a solid plan in place, my pet. So, which will it be? Accident or robbery?”

“Accident. We can’t risk any witnesses until after he’s dead. You’ll arrange for the rental car?”

DC AU, Chapter 6 (Untitled):

Drake pulled into the gas station next to Riley’s apartment building; he wanted a Pepsi. Riley only had diet and sugar free sodas at her place. Drake needed the sugar. He frowned at the flashing multicolored lights that surrounded the doors and windows of the building. It looked like Christmas on crack.

He stepped inside, wrinkling his nose at the pungent odor of the oversized incense sticks on display just to the left of the door. In the short time he and Brooks had been broken up, it was evident the gas station was under new management. The establishment was now brightly lit and sold everything under the sun. Windex, motor oil, dishwashing liquid, toothpaste, feminine products, and toilet tissue were crowded on a top shelf.

His eyes glanced downward, and he saw gallons of water, paper towels, shampoo, bottles of bleach, and cans of wet pet food on another shelf. Multitudes of snacks, candies, chips of all types and sizes, nuts, and food products including instant ramen, canned soups, canned tuna fish, and sardines were scattered throughout the store.

Drake felt almost embarrassed to have only two bottles of soda in his hand as he stepped up to the cashier.

The man scowled at Drake through thick plexiglass. “Is that all?”

Drake was scanning what was behind the counter: tobacco products of every type, bongs, ashtrays, false eyelashes, TOPS wrapping paper, cigarettes by the pack or carton, doo rags, hair gel, lighters, sexual enhancement pills, and was that…..weed? In a jar?

Drake pointed to the jar. “Is that weed?”

The cashier looked affronted. “It’s hemp!” he said contemptuously.

Drake looked at the jar again, then back at the cashier, clearly puzzled.

“What’s the difference?”

The cashier looked furtively around the shop, making sure he and Drake were alone. “The po-po.”

Future Riam (Untilted)

Riley smiled down at her son, making wide eyes and funny faces at him. She pulled the infant closer to her bosom as she inhaled the baby smell coming from him. Suddenly, a look of panic crossed her features. She had two arms around one baby.

Where was the other baby?

“LIAM!” she shrieked anxiously. The baby in her arms began to wail, frightened by the volume of his mother’s voice.

Liam was running to her side. “What’s wrong, love?” His eyes darted over her body, worry in his eyes and tone.

“Where’s my baby?? I have TWO babies!” Riley rocked her arms to soothe her now quieting son.

A relieved smile split Liam’s lips. “He’s in the bassinet, where I laid him when you screamed like a banshee.”

Riley exhaled a loud breath. “Oh, thank God! I need to do better at keeping track of these guys.” She smiled again at her son. “You know, Dr. Felger gave me these babies.”

“I may have had something to do with that.”

“You are not their real father, Liam. You know that.”

“Oh, yes. Their resemblance to Mark Sloan is uncanny.” Liam chuckled as he kissed his wife’s cheek. “I love you, Riley Brooks.”

Riley scrunched her nose but couldn’t stop the smile from forming as her husband’s breath caressed her skin.

“Okay, I think we’re ready for this interview.” She looked between her son and her husband. “Which one do you have? Fric or Frac?”

Liam gently lifted the sleeping infant from his bed. “I have no idea.”

Autumn In New York, Chapter 2:

“I don’t even know why you’re here, or what you’re hoping to accomplish Liam,” Riley huffed as she tossed clothes into her suitcase. “I have someone.”

Liam looked at Riley, eyes wide with surprise. “Already?”

Riley turned to him, her eyes narrowed, and lips pressed into a thin line. “What in the hell is are you implying?”

“You just left Cordonia love. You seemed to return my affections. You never mentioned having anyone before.” Liam rocked on the balls of his feet, hands in his pockets.

“Well, I do. When I chased behind you, I left a boyfriend behind. A good boyfriend, a decent boyfriend. Who still loves me and wants me to live with him.”

“And I am chasing behind you. I am working to clear your name. I have broken off the engagement to Madeleine.”

Riley’s head lifted quickly, an expression disbelief on her face.

Liam walked over to Riley. His head bent so his mouth was next to her ear. “I just don’t want you to live with me. I have come to take you home, in whatever capacity you wish. My girlfriend, my fiancée, even as my wife.”

Not tagging anyone (I think everyone I know has been tagged), but if anyone sees this and wants to play/share, feel free!

#six sentence sunday #wips #dcbbw writes #stories are coming #eventually

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shopvertov-blog · 7 years

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VINTAGE ICON: Tina Chow

Model, muse, designer, AIDs activist & vintage obsessive. The brightly burning flame of Tina Chow

I first encountered Tina Chow, radiant, in the Instamatics of Antonio Lopez. Swaddled in a red puffa jacket (with apparently not much underneath) or majestic in a gauzy tangerine evening dress and red lipstick. Who was this elfin Eurasian beauty who could strike such a pose? A little light Googling turned up striking Warhol Polaroids, soft black and white portraits by Herb Ritts, and the identity of the sitter: Tina Chow, model, fashion icon, wife of the iconic celeb restauranteur Michael “Mr Chow” Chow. Throughout the hedonistic glory days of the 70s and 80s, Ms Chow was the hostess with the mostes’ style – first in London, then around the world as the Mr Chow empire became global. Her marriage landed her into the elite artistic circles of her time, but that grace – that poise – was all her own.

Tina Chow (née Bettina Louise Lutz) was born in Ohio in 1950, the child of a Japanese war bride mother and a German-American father. The family moved back to Japan in 1966, where a young Tina found early modelling success as the face of Shiseido. It was in a Tokyo department store that the 21-year-old was first spotted by the fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez, who introduced her to her future husband, Michael Chow. They got married in London in 1973 and celebrated at Mr Chow’s, “where Bianca Jagger upstaged the blushing bride by arriving late with nine-year-old Tatum O’Neal, both decked out in white dresses and wide-brimmed hats and carrying walking sticks.” [1]

The newlywed Mrs Chow had a natural pizzazz for restaurant work – her exquisite taste and natural charm added a new sense of magnetism to the London celebrity hotspot. According to one contemporary report: “You went to Mr. Chow to show off, or to check out who was in town from everywhere that mattered. But what kept you coming back, night after night, year after year for almost a decade, was the aura of Tina Chow … Tina Chow, Tina Chow, Tina Chow, whispered the slaves of style in her heady wake. What’s she wearing, where’s she going, who’s she talking to? When it came to taste, she was like DiMaggio at the plate or Marilyn on a subway grate-she knew she had it, and there was nothing she could do about it.” [2]

Striking beauty and insider access to the upper echelons of the art and fashion world made Chow an obvious muse. On top of modelling in fashion campaigns, Chow sat for portraits by Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, Lord Snowdon, Robert Mapplethorpe, Steven Meisel, Herb Ritts, Helmut Newton and, of course, her friend Andy Warhol. Newton's remains one of the most memorable, showing her trussed up in Japanese rope bondage while her husband serves a flute of champagne. In more conventional society portraits, her refined sense of style shines through.

Chow was an ardent vintage fan. She collected haute couture pieces by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Madeleine Vionnet, and in particular, Mariano Fortuny. That delicately pleated tangerine silk dress from the Instamatics? That’s the Fortuny Delphos dress, first made in 1907 and named after a classical Greek sculpture. (They are now some of the most collectable vintage items in the world.) It’s said that when Michael Chow first bought her a jewel-pink pleated Fortuny gown, she took it apart to see how it was made, then restored it. “Doing this with other items of vintage clothing, especially her Fortuny collection, became a passion.”

In 1992, the year of Chow's tragic early death from AIDs-related complications, the Fashion Institute of Technology held an exhibition of Chow's magnificient collection. The accompanying catalogue, Flair: Fashion Collected by Tina Chow, remains a key resouce for Chow fans and fashion historians alike – after her death, the collection was auctioned off and dispersed around the globe.

Despite this penchant for pre-war couture (and eye-catching cocktail jewellery), Chow’s day-to-day style was more pared-back. She would combine luxurious star pieces won at auction with inexpensive flea market finds or prosaic white cotton t-shirts. She is said to have had the same pair of simple black cigarette pants remade for her by Kenzo each season. Chow made the opulent unfussy and the unfussy opulent, dashing Japanese minimalist aesthetics with a soupçon of American decadence; Karl Lagerfeld credits her with inventing “minimal chic”.

Though straight, Chow is something of a queer icon with her boyish dress sense and Eton crop hairstyle, said to have been clipped at a New York City barbershop. She set trends for straight women and gay men alike: writing in 1992, Maureen Orth commented that “young men in London and New York wake up, pomade their short-cropped hair, throw on her signature uniform of pressed white T, cashmere cardigan, and narrow slacks, and declare, Today I’m Tina Chow!”[3]

This queer icon status is, of course, cemented by her activism for HIV/AIDs. Chow was the first high-profile heterosexual woman known to have contracted HIV, having had an affair with the bisexual French aristocrat Kim d'Estainville in the mid-1980s (d'Estainville would die from AIDs in 1990). In her final years, she turned her back on the glamour and decadence of the London and New York social scenes (“I lost several friends to AIDS and I felt my life slipping away while I continued to party,” she told the Chicago Tribune), focusing instead on charity work, meditation and holistic healing. She moved to the rugged California coastline and began to hand-make jewllery.

Chow's first jewellery collection sold at Bergdorff’s and her pieces are now highly collectable. Reflective of her style, they are both masculine and feminine, eastern and western. She combined traditional bamboo weaving techniques (for which she employed a Japanese master craftsman) and rough, uncut healing crystals, often concealed in the design. In one of her most well-known pieces, the Kyoto Bracelet, six pieces of pieces of coarse rose quartz rattle around inside a fetishistic black bamboo bangle. Though holistic in approach, the result was far from hippy-dippy.

In an essay for Critical Flame, Cynthia Cruz argues that it wasn’t just the crystals, but the act of making that felt healing for Chow: “The act of making, and in particular, the act of making from nothing and/or from remnants or from scrap … is a phenomenal act of transformation. By using remnants as the centerpiece of a work is to invert the meaning of those objects. Chow’s inclusion of bamboo both transforms the bamboo from an invasive overgrowth into a prized possession while questioning the very idea of what it means to be Japanese.”[4]

Having spent so many years as a model, hostess, wife and muse, it’s heartening that Chow was able to find an avenue for her creative expression before she died. The tragedy is that it wouldn’t have much time to flourish.

Rosa Vertov (@VertovVertov)

[1] https://maureenorth.com/1992/04/ciao-tina/

[2] ibid.

[3] http://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2130316/remembering-tina-chow-style-icon-70s-and-80s

[3] https://maureenorth.com/1992/04/ciao-tina/

[4] http://criticalflame.org/tina-chows-articulate-silence/

#tina chow #vintage style #vintage icon #vintage inspiration #vintage #vintage collector

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