#but the aragons have served me well

[piedoesnotequalpi]

Got a picture from graduation that I think is very funny and also doesn't show my face, so here it is! I finished my degree in December but graduation was this weekend

[johnwickb1tsch]

A Walk in the Clouds/Don John crossover outline Part 1 ~

Paul Sutton x fem!Reader x Don John triangle

I don't know if I'll ever have the time to properly write this out, so have an outline. 😆 My huge thanks to @scarlettspectra for helping me get this ball rolling 😘😘😘 your ideas are awesome as ever!! And my girl gang @treedaddymcpuffpuff and @sweetwolfcupcake of course!! And and...I did it. I changed Don John to the proper don Juan here, because it was driving me effing crazy so...that's what that's about. 🤣 Warnings: hmm horny teenagers, fear of pregnancy? Parental death. Period correct misogynism.

-Your family has served the Aragons at Las Nubes vineyard for as long as anyone can remember. They like to say they’re descended from royalty, by way of a son conceived by the King outside the sheets, exiled to the New World, but the truth is you all came to California with the de Anza expedition in 1776 with nothing but the clothes on your backs, some rootstock, and hope for the future. 

-Once upon a time, your families’ land adjoined each other, but years and years ago your ancestors lost everything in a fire, and the Aragóns took you in. They’ve never let you forget it. 

-Especially not don Juan, the handsome-as-the-Devil head of the family, who has always had his eye on you. He thinks he owns you, like he owns the hundreds of broadacres that surround the compound, the vines and the farm animals and the houses where the workers live too. This is his kingdom, and he rules with exacting expectations. 

-You were a bright young thing, and you were allowed to sit in with Juan and his siblings with their tutors. Your father complained it would give you ideas of wanting to see the world outside of Las Nubes, but your mother insists you be allowed to go. One of nine children, all girls, you had watched your mother literally kill herself having babies and laboring for the Aragóns. She died in childbirth when you were on the cusp of adolescence. Your father does his best and you love him dearly, but he was never the same.

-You’ll always have a soft spot for don Juan, and maybe once you even fancied yourself in love with him. He is what he is, proud, conniving, and cocksure–but you happen to know he has a softer side. The pool is shallow in the insular world of the vineyard, and perhaps its inevitable that you have a teenage fling. On the night of the harvest, a celebration that always borders on a pagan rite when it goes well, he took your virginity in the dark amidst the vines. He could never marry you, of course. That was already arranged, to some lady of good family in Mexico, years in the future. But as your affair goes on and you learn about each other’s bodies, the way curious young people do, he tells you he intends to keep you as his mistress. You’d never want for anything, and you’d bear his children, and work for his household, the way women were meant to in your traditional world that seemed still stuck in the 1800s. As you lay there in his arms, the thought made you want to die. 

-You were so relieved when you bled, a couple of weeks later. That was when you decided you were going to strike out on your own. You find work in San Francisco, first as a maid, then as a typist with a publishing house. You’ve always loved books and you have an affinity for letters. You meet lots of interesting people, although you find even the men of the “counter” culture just want a woman to suck their dicks and wash their socks. Everything is the same, even when it’s different… Maybe you’ll write a book about that someday. 

-You get a letter from Las Nubes. Your father is dying, and you know you have to make the trip back to the vineyard one last time. You slipped out under the cover of darkness when you left, afraid don Juan might physically prevent you from leaving. You're a little afraid to go back–you don’t really know what he’ll do. His temper is a thing of legend at the vineyard, and you know he surely perceived your leaving as a betrayal, even if you were just pursuing your own life choices.

-A seemingly God sent solution practically falls into your lap, when you meet Sgt Paul Sutton, a newly discharged soldier just home from the War. He is almost too sweet to be true. On the road with a briefcase full of chocolates he doesn’t really seem interested in, his marriage to his wife he barely knew freshly annulled, he doesn’t know what he’ll do next. After he saves you from two creeps on the bus (and getting kicked off himself) you propose he accompanies you back to Las Nubes posing as your husband. Surely don Juan won’t pester a married woman?

-yeah right!

-Outwardly, don Juan welcomes you home, but you can tell for the sharp way those obsidian eyes weigh you, that he’s planning something. He so graciously gives the two of you a room in the hacienda, a gift for the newlyweds. You know it’s just so he can more easily keep you under his thumb. Honorable to his toes, Paul insists on sleeping on the floor. When you tease him he tells you bluntly that he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands to himself, in bed with you. You bite your tongue, wanting to tell him that maybe you wouldn’t mind that so much. 

-Your father is bedridden and slowly fading. You do your best to take turns with your siblings caring for him and keeping him comfortable. He likes it when you read to him. Sometimes you even read him things that you wrote, and he smiles and nods without opening his eyes. You don’t tell him you’re the author, but deep down you wonder if maybe he knows anyway. It’s the most validation you’ve ever received from him, since your mother died. 

-At first your family isn’t sure what to make of Paul, appalled that you would marry a gringo, an outsider from your Californio community, without the fanfare or blessing of the Church. But he’s a hard worker, and has a heart of gold, and they start to warm up to him. You find it very amusing, when the old men get Paul drunk and try to teach him Spanish love songs for you (while eating the last of his chocolate). It becomes a game, trying to teach Paul how to pronounce words. He’s hopeless, and you find it endlessly endearing. 

-He’s so sweet, and handsome, and true. Of course, you start to fall in love with Paul, even though you don’t really want to. He told you he wants a house and a family and a dog. Wholesome things he absolutely earned, after surviving the Hell of the Pacific front. You’re not sure what you want, exactly, except to be free. As time goes on, you’re beginning to understand that maybe true freedom comes at the price of being alone–you’re not sure how to reconcile that. You start to have more sympathy for the choices of the adults around you, understanding the “trap” you always thought they fell into without thought, as simply the way life marches on. That maybe domestic life doesn’t have to be slavery, if you’re laboring out of love rather than just what’s expected of you because of your gender. 

-Or maybe, your nubile young brain is just poisoned by lust and hormones. You don’t trust your own judgment.

TBC...

[bypandoramaxum]

journey through the reefs [an atwow series] chp. 1

summary: after the sudden death of your parents, your life soon turned upside down as the RDA took drastic measures to advance their colonisation of Pandora, which led to you being used as their guinea pig in their sick games.

[next]

pairings: ao’nung [25] x fem!human!reader [20]

word count: 3.4k

warnings: depictions of death of parents, swearing, abduction, restraints, manipulation, coercion, human experimentation, surgery, reader wanting out and everyone else being a dick to her.

a/n: it’s been so long since I last wrote a fanfic, let alone a series. I’m feeling confident about this one, as the ideas keep flowing in my brain. hope you’ll enjoy this first chapter!~

»»————-　.　————-««

It was almost as if the universe itself was mourning with you, conveying the deep sorrow that had longed settled within your weary heart through heavy raindrops against the windowpanes as you watched the two cardboard caskets that laid both your parents were slowly being transferred into the crematoriums for a final send off.

This was not the goodbye you expected to bid to the two most prominent figures of your measly life. It was almost too sudden, too hasty, unbelievable really. Your tearful gaze numbingly watched as the doors of the crematoriums slammed shut, but still leaving an opening for you to witness the golden flames erupting around the caskets, which oddly helped in allowing you to process and acknowledge the gravity of the reality you were experiencing.

A vast array of emotions swarmed you intensely, trying to overtake each other, making your head spin in the process, not knowing which one to feel.

But one thing was for certain.

Loneliness.

Never again would you hear your mother knocking on your bedroom door before entering, telling you good morning in that gentle, soothing, hush voice of hers, paired with the soft strokes of her hand against the flow of your hair.

The sounds of sips coming from your father drinking his morning cup of tea would soon become a distant memory soon. His usual question of how you slept last night can only be heard within the confines of your recollection.

The day ended with you being escorted out of the crematorium by your parents’ scientist colleagues, who, for the record, did not seem too upset by the events that played out for the day. It almost seemed as if the whole funeral was just another tedious task that had to be carried out before they could move on to their next one at hand. Well, it wasn’t like that wasn’t obvious, considering they couldn’t even get proper coffins to lay your parents to rest, as if common decency was a thing of the past.

Truthfully, no one really held proper funerals anymore, not in this current millennium at least. With the Earth flooded with overpopulation, people are dying at a larger and faster rate. Something quick had to be done to make room for others more.

“Well, let’s get back to business, shall we? We’ve stalled long enough, thanks to the cry-baby over here.” a man huffed as he straightened his lab coat, ready to get back to work.

Dr. Kurtis Aragon. The man who had your parents serve as his apprentices, unfortunately. You had overheard countless stories of him from them, mostly of how he had no problem blatantly mistreating his staff into obeying his every order, no matter how detriment the consequences might be of said actions, as it was either his way or the highway.

His views of the surrounding world were black and white, leaving no room for doubt. He truly believed his words held gravity compared to the opinions of those around him, and he made sure people knew their places in the lab.

“Since your folks have proved themselves to be fairly incompetent in their roles, I have no choice but to have you continue their work for me.”

“After all, you are the offspring of two rather gifted individuals despite what happened. I’m sure you won’t disappoint me too quickly like they did.” he added.

You could feel your blood boiling, face flushing with anger. Begrudgingly, you held back and replied,

“Since when was it decided that I’ve signed up for any of this?”

“Since your parents signed a legal contract stating that if anything were to happen to them, guardianship of you shall be transferred over to me.” said Dr. Aragon as he pulled out an envelope from his lab coat, handing it to you.

You snatched it from him, tearing the envelope urgently and began reading through the contract. Fresh tears started brimming at your eyes as you read the terms and conditions of said contract. There was no way. Your parents wouldn’t have entrusted your well-being to this man, knowing how much misery he brought to them.

“This is all bullshit! There’s no way they agreed to this. You must’ve threatened them into signing it.” you yelled as the tears ran down your cheeks, balling up  the contract before chucking it to the ground. “I don’t care what this contract says. I rather be dead than work for you or your sick cause.”

“Now, it’s not up to you, now is it, little girl? Doesn’t matter whether they agreed to it or not, what’s done is done. With their signature sealing the deal, I have the willpower to do what I wish with you. You possess great qualities and potential for the RDA’s future, and I plan on fully utilising it.” Dr. Aragon paid no heed to your outburst, lighting a cigarette as he spoke.

“Looks like we’re going to have to do this the hard way, little one. Boys, you know the drill.” Dr. Aragon mumbled before gesturing to his men.

“To hell with the RDA! You all are the reason why my folks are dead in the first place, and now you’re looking for your next guinea pig to continue the colonisation of that beautiful moon. Well, count me out! Screw you all.” you declared before storming off into the heavy rain, allowing it to wet the black dress you wore.

“Yes, sir.” they obeyed before marching to you, surrounding you.

“Move, assholes!” you yelled as you tried to push through them to no avail.

“Listen, you are coming with us whether you like it or not.” said one of the men cladded in military gear.

“I don’t have to do jack shit for anyone. You can’t make m-“ your rage was cut short when you felt volts of electricity surge through your being, making you fall to the ground before knocking you unconscious.

The men wasted no time in restraining you and throwing your drenched, sleeping body into the readied vehicle, waiting to bring you to God knows where. Dr. Aragon just stood there, watching the whole thing unfold with a smug smirk on his face, simultaneously taking puffs from his cigarette.

“Seems like she’s going to be a handful, huh?” one of the scientist next to him uttered.

“She’ll learn to comply soon enough. We just need to give her the right push, that’s all.” Dr. Aragon replied as he took one last puff of smoke before throwing the cigarette to the ground, stepping on it to put out the flames.

“I’ve got one good trick up my sleeve that’ll surely get her to obey.”

“And just what might that be?”

“We’ll have to get her to Pandora first. While she’s in cryo-sleep, we shall get everything ready to perform Operation: Lab Rat. Our next project will be targeting the reef clans.”

Dr. Aragon let out a wicked chuckle, almost as if understanding where this plan was going.

“I knew I could count on my best student.”

»»————-　.　————-««

Five years later…

Waking up had never felt so draining before. Sure, a little sleepy and drowsy, perhaps an urge to fall back asleep just to bask in a few more minutes of comfort, but this time, it came with a throbbing headache. You tried your best to fall back asleep, in hopes to be rid of it, but you found your attempts futile.

Looking around, blue light surrounded the little space you were in. Your body was strapped in by safety belts, and you could feel yourself floating slightly. It didn’t take long for the panic to start setting in, as your hands started wandering, looking for any possible escape from wherever you were in.

All of a sudden, you feel yourself being ejected from the claustrophobic confinement, white light shining directly onto you. As you looked around, you were met with a figure floating in front of you, cladded in medical wear.

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.” the man said, in an attempt to joke lightly.

“Where am I?” you asked hesitantly, fearing the possible answers.

“We’re on our way to Pandora. Almost there, in fact.” he replied, patting your shoulder comfortingly.

His words stunned you, eyes widened in true shock. You looked around you to see others being ejected from their sleep capsules, unbuckling themselves from the safety restraints, which prompted you to do the same.

If what that man said was true, then that could only mean…

No, there was no way. This had to be a nightmare. All you had to do was close your eyes again and fall back asleep. You would be right back in your childhood bedroom in no time.

“I need everyone’s attention! It has been 5 years, 7 months, and 13 days since departure. You will feel hungry and weak to the bones. Please rehydrate yourself immediately with the water bottles in your lockers.” one of the staff announced to the room.

The look of dread on your face was no secret at this point. You didn’t care to hide your worries and panic anymore as your frantic outburst alerted everyone in the shared space, startling many of them.

It took a group of five men holding you to get you under control. That didn’t stop you from voicing your thoughts out loud, making sure your problem was now everyone else’s as well.

“Let me go! Take me home! Get me out of here! I’ll send you all to hell myself if it’s the last thing I’ll ever do.” you screamed at the top of your lungs, empty threats being thrown around, mostly directed to the men restraining you.

“Sedate her immediately!” Dr. Aragon called out to the men; frustration painted his expression. “Can’t have this little bitch causing a goddamn ruckus on my ship.”

“You! You’ll be first on my hit list, motherfucker! Be glad they’re holding me back, ‘cause once I get the chance, you’ll be begging me for mer-“

You felt something sharp pierce your arm, halting your verbal assault. You tried fighting against the drowsiness, but it soon overtook you easily as you succumbed to the effects of the sedation, putting you to sleep once more.

The men were then instructed to bring you to a holding cell while the scientists bunch had an impromptu meeting together, with Dr. Aragon fuming.

“What did I say about waking her up with the other crew members? Do you imbeciles just not listen to anything I say? Her antics could’ve costed us our only chance at getting the operation running smoothly.” Dr. Aragon lectured his team sternly, his being shaking from anger.

“We are terribly sorry, sir. It seems there was an error in communication with the medical team. We’ll ensure nothing of sort will occur again.” Thomas answered apologetically, gesturing to his fellow colleagues to do the same.

“I expect better from all of you, especially you, Thomas. You’ve been with me the longest so far and this is the work being presented to me?”

“It was never my intention to disappoint you at all, sir. All I want is to provide a better life for all of humanity and serve the RDA. Please, allow me to prove it to you, and I’ll be sure to give my very best to our current cause.”

The glare that Dr. Aragon was giving Thomas was deeply unsettling. It didn’t allow him to read through his boss’ emotions at all. He couldn’t predict what his answer could be towards his pathetic plea of proving himself worthy in the eyes of the RDA. Despite that, his eye contact never faltered, hoping his determination will overshadow his nervousness.

“Once we land, notify the sterile team to have a room prepared immediately. I don’t wish to delay Operation: Lab Rat any longer. The medical team better be ready to get their hands dirty.” Dr. Aragon broke the uncomfortable silence before leaving his team.

“Yes, sir!” everyone shouted in unison, scampering to get ready for landing.

»»————-　.　————-««

The shuttle soon landed on the far east of Pandora, nearby a fleet of ships that were waiting, ready to transport the newcomers to the outskirts of Pandoran reefs. Neighbouring the Metkayina and Ta’unui clans, but still hidden enough to not alarm any of the natives. Stealth was required to ensure the colonisation of the area ran smoothly.

Soldiers geared up marched into their respective troops, the sound of combat boots synchronising. Dr. Aragon and his team were escorted onto one of the ships, with the medical team behind them pushing your once again unconscious self, secured on a stretcher with an oxygen mask. Once everyone boarded, the ship set sail and the journey to the nearby RDA base began.

“Let’s not waste any more time than we already have! Medical and sterile, gear up and get to work!” Dr. Aragon instructed with a stern tone.

“Yes, sir!” his team responded as they directed your stretcher to one of the readied surgical rooms.

»»————-　.　————-««

Doctors and nurses were busy prepping your body for the experimental procedure, while at the same time sick with worry, but not for you, however. Knowing that any failure on this would end up with someone within the base being the next test subject. The unspoken dread seems to spread all across the room as it was dead silent other than the sound of surgical tools clanking against each other.

“Jesus, just thinking about what could happen if we fuck this up again makes me want to throw up.” one of the nurses whispered.

“Well, gee, you sure know how to set the mood, huh?” another nurse replied sarcastically.

“You’re really not worried one bit? We’ve been at this for God knows how many times, and there’s not been one success case in our books.”

“Of course, I’m worried, goddamnit! I’m just trying not to think about it at the moment. So do me a favour and shut your trap!”

“How about we stop all this bickering and focus on the task at hand? It’s best not to anger the big boss of the ship.” the head nurse, Tori, intervened before a bigger argument could set off.

A few minutes had passed before Dr. Aragon entered the room, cladded in a surgical suit. Everyone stood frozen in their spots, awaiting their next order to be given.

Dr. Aragon strode over to the surgical bed, giving the marking drawn onto your sternum and just below the diaphragm a quick study before picking up a scalpel that was laid on a tray.

“Your sacrifice shall not go unsung, kid.” he said before gesturing to his team to follow his lead.

»»————-　.　————-««

Twelve hours later…

Most of the staff collapsed onto the cold vinyl flooring of the room, some of them shedding tears after a long, torturous procedure on you. The ones left standing were finishing up the stitches from your successful surgery. In fact, you were their very first and only success case ever since the RDA deemed the avatar program too expensive to continue and started their lengthy and experimental respiratory enhancing surgery on countless unwilling participants, with the hope that these test subjects can breathe Pandoran air with no need for an oxygen mask. None of them ever saw the light of day again.

Except for you.

Little did you know that this was just the beginning of your brand new existence. Your current purpose was to serve and be loyal to the RDA, and that sooner or later, you would learn to obey and do as you were told.

»»————-　.　————-««

Two weeks later…

As your eyes struggled to open, you were forced to shut them again as a bright white shine blinded your vision for a moment. Once your eyes have adjusted to the light, you looked around your surroundings to find that you were in a well-conditioned room. The softness and comfort that you felt yourself lying on signalled to you were most likely in the hospital. Have you been rescued from the RDA? Were you back on Earth? Or was all of it just a bad dream and all of that never even happened?

You were about to relish in sweet relief, only for it to be cut short when you went to raise your arm to rub the sleep from your eyes, but it was stopped short by a handcuff that was linking your wrist to the metal bed frame. You looked over to your other arm to find that it was cuffed as well.

The violent clunking that you caused had alerted a group of nurses as they rushed into the room to calm you down.

“Now, dear, I know you must be confused and terrified, but you must calm down.” one of the nurses reassured.

“Where am I? Why am I here? What have you people done to me? ANSWER ME!” you cried out angrily, continuing your struggle.

“Call the doctor in! NOW!” the head nurse ordered.

The room stared in awe and shock as Dr. Aragon walked into the room. Next to him, stood an almost ten foot tall avatar wearing a green tank top and camo cargo pants. Your eyes were immediately drawn to the figure next to the doctor, the fear and anxiety evident in your eyes.

“So, this one here was a success, huh?” the avatar voiced out while staring down at you menacingly.

“She is the first one. But not to worry, as I do plan to continue producing more test subjects.” Dr. Aragon responded. “Sooner or later, humans shall be taking over this moon without needing the aid of these dumb masks.”

The avatar chuckled at that statement before striding over to you, kneeling down to speak to you directly.

“I’m Colonel Quaritch, commander of the first Recom Squad. Just thought you should know the face of the person you’ll be taking orders from.”

“And why would I be taking any orders from the likes of you?” you spat while grimacing at the colonel.

Quaritch lips pulled into a smirk, as if he was expecting this sort of response from you. He then gestured to the other humans in the room.

“Take a good look at every single one of them. All masked up.”

You looked around the room, scanning every human face in there. They were all, in fact, masked up. You however…

…could breathe with ease.

“H… How?” you stuttered.

“Let’s just say we gave your respiratory system a bit of an… upgrade, so to speak.” Quaritch replied nonchalantly. “Financing the avatar program is getting a little too hefty for our budget, so we needed a more affordable project to continue our operation.”

All of this was getting too much for you. The stress of everything that had happened finally took a toll on your poor soul. Tears started flowing down your rosy cheeks as you sobbed pathetically in front of your audience. Everything that has happened up to this point had sealed your fate forever.

You would never see Earth again.

You would never be able to sit at your parents’ graves for a chat.

Your education could never advance.

You would never experience another day of normalcy in your pitiful existence.

“Why are you doing this? Why me? What have I done to deserve this? Please, just let me go. I promise I won’t tell anyone about this. Let me go home, please.” you begged sorrowfully, any ounce of dignity thrown away at this point.

“I’m afraid we can’t do that, sweetheart.” Quaritch responded, moving to sit at the foot of the bed.

“You’re the first one to ever survive this dangerous and risky procedure. Your value here is far too important for us to just let you go. With your help, you’ll be giving mankind another chance at a better life. Treat this as a fresh start for yourself.”

You knew there was no backing out from this situation in anyway, shape and form. Your only choices on the table were to either die, possibly painfully, or follow the lead of the RDA. You weren’t exactly thrilled to be alive at this point, but entertaining the idea of death so soon wasn’t something you were up for either.

But maybe you could get yourself out of this, the only thing you needed was patience and hope, and you prayed that you would be able to stay loyal to those traits.

You allowed yourself to relax back onto the bed before turning to face Quaritch, looking him dead in the eyes.

“So, where do I start, Colonel?”

»»————-　.　————-««

a/n: that’s the end of chapter one! let me know what you think and stick around for chapter two.

like and reblog if you enjoyed!~

© bypandoramaxum. do not steal, modify, repost or translate any of my work.

[talzane]

Highly disappointed that the “Infinite” Realms is always just full of ghosts. Monster AUs have so much potential, especially with all the DC crossovers. Vampires that can subsist off the pure energy of ectoplasm present in the air, so they’re never hungry. They can grow/hide/exist all by themselves. Alternately, the realms could act as a base of indefinite preparation for them if they decide to do anything to an infinite number of worlds. Werewolves that are free to play like wolves, to hunt the game they seeded their own dimension/realm with, to be perfectly free. The Yetis who used their magic to make their own home in the Realms as the Ice Age began to fail them. Duulaman’s Egypt, home of an entire sorcerous people, capable of casting the souls of their people into an eternal realm where they could thrive forever in, essentially, the field of reeds. The Mummies found there reanimated so that their revered ancestors could walk amongst them again, or their bodies rejuvenated (good plot there if Hotep-Ra, a traitor, was left as a mummy by his people when everybody else was brought back to life). Pandora, Guardian of Hope, and her Realm of Elysium, a home for all the monsters of Ancient Greece who were cast out/shunned/destroyed by society. A place of healing for the traumatized Minotaur (he was raised to kill people in a dark maze, that’s gotta be traumatic), cursed Medusa, etc (seriously, a rehab center where you can literally hold Hope in your hands when you have none...hek). Not to mention, since she guards Hope, it could be a literal object, and Vlad stealing Hope but not knowing how to use its power is a *highly* interesting plot to me. Somewhere that Desiree, a djinni, can avoid the people who’d only attempt to abuse her power to grant wishes. (There are so many more things to add...Liches, Witch Covens, Dora and Aragon’s Kingdom of Mattingly [dragons], other creatures) Sure, some beings there--like Skulker--want to fight, but by the very nature of Lairs/Realms, he can’t follow others into their homes and expect to survive, so they are safer than anywhere else. The ghosts and creatures that love to battle are free to do so in the regenerative chaos of the realms. The ghosts who want to be left alone can find their own slice of infinity. It truly is, or at least could be, a paradise for everybody... Which makes Pariah Dark so much eviler. The moment he awoke, he destroyed people’s homes so they couldn’t hide from him, he enslaved entire peoples to make thralls for his army, he devoured ghosts--absorbing their essence--to rebuild his lost strength, he used those armies to attack the realms capable of resisting him for a time, he pulled a resisting city into the Realms as an act of aggression. Everything he did was in stark contrast to the path of existence the nations of the realms had chosen, and his will was absolute; all the beings capable of being compelled were compelled to serve him, every lich lost their phylactery to him and were forced to submit to him, every free group was under threat of slavery or extinction. Even Vortex and Undergrowth, two incredibly dark beings, resisted as well as they could, but had Danny not attacked Pariah Dark’s center of power, even they would have fallen. Essentially, Danny stopping Pariah Dark would have far more of an impact, yet also none at all as it would be mostly behind the scenes. Danny, all of fourteen years old, battled the evilest being to have existed at that time in a fight to the death without any guarantee of survival. Frostbite and the other beings, feeling the weakness of Pariah’s forces, since he was occupied with Danny and the attacking ghost forces, launched their own counterattack and arrived before Danny’s duel was over to see Danny, still so small even in the battle suit, fighting the titanic mass of Pariah Dark, King of all Ghosts. Frostbite, left arm shredded by a summoned beast, watched in fascinated horror as Danny’s strength waned, but he still forced Dark back. Pandora, Guardian of Hope, watched a tiny child stare down a stone-face goliath. Vortex, for all his wrath, couldn’t have stood against Pariah, but that diminutive whelp was a storm unto himself and nothing, not even Pariah Dark, it seemed, could stand against a force of nature. Nocturne, Lord of Sleep, King of Dreams, and once a slave to Pariah Dark, had suffered from nightmares since Pariah’s return; his dream realm had fallen, his sleepwalkers obliterated, his precious, harvested dreams destroyed, and Pariah had once again enslaved Nocturne, yet the power of Pariah’s ritual was waning, and Nocturne felt himself awakening from his nightmare. He watched a tiny child, someone who should be dreaming instead of facing down a nightmare, deliver the dream of the king of dreams; Pariah was being forced into his sarcophagus. For Frostbite, Danny became the Great One; to Pandora, he was a child of Hope, a miracle (it didn’t hurt that he locked a great evil in a box either); to Vortex, he was a little storm, a squall; to Nocturne, Danny was a savior and a dream come true, surely, Nocturne could repay him with good dreams...maybe even for the little one’s entire Lair... All I’m saying is that context is everything, and having Vortex be a literal embodiment of storms and nature rather than just a ghost with storm powers is a lot more enticing to me. Pandora being Danny’s ghost mom is great, but her seeing him as a child of what she embodies rather than just “he is smol, I must help,” seems richer. Then there’s the DC crossover potential once Danny inevitably begins letting the peaceful individuals stay in Amity Park under his protection, or sending those who’d fit in to the Infinite Realms (Mr. Freeze and Nora relocating to the Far Frozen where he can get all the help he needs, not live in his suit, and either turn Nora into a ghost or cure her, Poison Ivy to live with Undergrowth [kinda like that island she had in the Bahamas], Killer Croc most likely to Egypt, Harley would fit in with Kitty and Johnny’s level of crazy, etc.). Imagine Batman investigating all his missing rogues, but when he eventually tracks them down, he finds them living peacefully in an infinite realm of places where they can’t hurt anybody permanently, and the people there are similarly obsessive/crazy. But also, Ghost King Danny, Protector of the Infinite Realms, etc., etc., leading an army of “monsters” to defend Earth from Darkseid, or, since Darkseid is always after the Anti-life Equation (considering all their different abilities, it would make sense for ghosts/ectoplasm to be the essence of the equation), defending the Infinite Realms against Darkseid/the Anti-Monitor. That’s all neglecting the chaos potential of Jack and Maddie believing all things not expressly human are ghosts. I also firmly think that since the Infinite Realms connect all universes, there can only ever be one ghost/ectoplasmic entity of any given individual regardless of the universe(s) of origin, and I have written pseudoscience for it (using some computer science and physics ideas, so it makes sense with less hand-waving). That’s neither here nor there, so I will end this before it gets any longer. Anyways, that’s the thought I just had, figured I’d share it with y’all and see if y’all were interested.

[period-dramallama]

Review: The Concubine by Christopher Bae Rae

TLDR: The first 3 chapters are great, the last third is great, the middle bit is kinda meh. I want to proofread and tweak this book, but overall I could recommend it to someone really into Anne Boleyn.

Overall this is a good depiction of how events evolve, with the delineation of responsibility between King and Cromwell fuzzy. A lot of factors combine to make this storm of disaster.

For @fideidefenswhore xxx many thanks for buying this and The King's Mind for me, I hope the review entertains.

We begin with Anne waiting impatiently for news of the death of 'Aragon' (Chris, please just call her the Princess Dowager. Aragon is not a surname!)

She has chosen Edward for her unborn son's name. A fitting choice, and chock full of dramatic irony, especially as Anne isn't wrong that a king called Edward will 'cleanse England of popery'. Anne's ambition for her son is sad because we know what will happen, but there is an unpleasant streak to Anne who imagines how "sweet" Princess Mary's death would be.

"All is well and all manner of things will be well." It's nice to see Rae has at least a passing knowledge of the Bible- better than most Tudor novelists.

"Her heart was black!"

Anne:

I'm narrowing my eyes at the characterisation of Janes Seymour and Rochford but it's not TOO bad. Could be worse.

Henry examining the heart was a great touch. The tension, the duality of his response: amazement at the human body but also a Christian revulsion/fear/disappointment at its animalness. The tension felt very Tudor, Christian, and (renaissance) humanist all at once.

Also his suspicion at Katherine's death feeds nicely into his paranoia. Will whoever did it stop at Katherine? It's a good moment for his character arc. Anne's laughing at the heart is also in character in a dark-sense-of-humour kind of way.

"Henry does not care to admit it, even to himself, but he sometimes feels a sensation of being overwhelmed by her energy and confidence, an uncomfortable intimation that she does not always quite remember her place. A feeling that she may in some ways be quicker and cleverer than he is."

It would be nice to have some more dialogue. Anne and Henry spend a happy evening together and the narration tells us about it but it would be nice to hear them banter and bounce off each other, especially given what's going to happen.

Henry doesn't seem that enthusiastic about Katherine in his dream but it IS a dream so I wouldn't be surprised if he's got a case of self-serving memory and his brain has retconned any memories of happiness with Katherine.

"The continuance of your house must be seen to be assured, for without that the continuance of their own is in peril." A good point.

Rae handled the yellow-wearing incident well: Anne doesn't want to, but she didn't persuade Henry in time.

"She waves her hand, as if this might be sufficient to consign Mary to some kind of perpetual limbo."

I am very pleased to see an acknowledgement that Anabaptists exist and are persecuted by Protestants, as they're ignored in 99.9% of Tudor novels especially Protestant-leaning novels: "These are madmen, their views are too extreme for any God-fearing Lutheran and they must be suppressed. But such people are a sign of these times." BUT Protestantism is not about going forward, but BACK- back to an ideal golden age late antiquity Christianity of simple purity. Protestantism in this novel comes across like innovation which is certainly not how Protestants like Anne would have seen it. (yes I know the word Protestant itself is anachronistic because it's a 1550s word but bear with me).

Elizabeth Boleyn is well written: blunt, shrewd, loving but not emotive, but also not judged for having a stiff upper lip. "her mother comes and bustles, exuding a strained air of optimism." I like this portrayal of Elizabeth as being strong for other people, it's a nice bit of characterisation for a minor character. There's a good back and forth between Norfolk, Anne and the Boleyn parents.

Fat Wolsey stereotype...did Anne really hate him? Some historians have questioned that. It would have been interesting to see a fresher interpretation of their interactions.

We're leaning hard into the "Thomas More is a sadist torturing people in his house and he loves burning people" myth BUT I will give it half a pass because it's Anne's perspective and it makes sense she'd unquestioningly absorb Protestant gossip. It also leans hard into Fisher and More being personal enemies of Anne, saying they refused the oath to the succession when it was the supremacy More refused to swear to. More was willing to swear to the succession, and it was Anne's own ally Cranmer who suggested a compromise: More swearing to the succession alone.

Opening a chapter with Henry coming to from the jousting accident was very effective because we are like Henry, we don't have the immediate knowledge of what just happened (in theory anyway lol we know the history.)

'Something very bad must have happened to him.' You don't say.

I think Rae's portrayal of Norfolk is a little OTT. Don't get me wrong, I hate Norfolk, I don't give him a nuanced sympathetic portrayal in my own writing- he's ruthless, condescending, materialistic, greedy, and obsessed with hierarchy to the point of comedy- but I think it's OTT to make him literally stinky. Norfolk was a git but he was an aristocratic git, so there's no reason for him not to cover himself in rosewater or musk or civet or rose oil and chew cloves and mint for fresh breath.

"It's not for the first time that she imagines that the duke's death would not cause her any great or lasting sorrow." Spitting facts.

"These men, with their constant needing, wanting, thrusting- can they not ever leave off?" I can see the real Anne thinking this.

Cromwell is called the chancellor, but that was Audley- as Rae says later in the book. What gives? Is this a different chancellorship? Rae really really really wants to keep reminding us that Cromwell is an efficient fixer who knows 'where everything is and who it belongs to.' He is described as having a 'prodigious capacity for work' and I'm pretty sure I've seen that exact phrase in a history book.

Anne's panic and shock written very well: "She stares at the cloth and the stain, as if it is a trick of the light and gazing at it intently enough might cause it to disappear."

Christopher loves adding in definite articles. "The relief floods through her" "the tears staining her pretty cheeks" "a part of" rather than "part of". "Skill at the jousting" "threatened with the torture".

But he also misses out words and letters. I had to silence my inner editor reading this, I was itching to get my red pen, particularly in the middle third of the book. 'You' where it should be 'your', 'away' when it should be 'way' 'when sings' instead of 'when he sings' 'is wife' instead of 'his wife'. 'He is mind is elsewhere'. Sometimes Rae will say the same thing twice but in different words. I'm itching to tidy up some of these sentences.

"Soon enough they are ensconced together in the study very privately and Cromwell can speak his mind having first taken the precaution of having his guest sign a solemn of secrecy."

"Cromwell asks his guest if he would care to view the current progress of the works he is undertaking on the new accommodation and the splendid garden."

"the style favoured by old Granny Beaufort." I'm wincing.

Hire me as a proofreader, Chris!! Let me tidy your sentences!! My rates are super duper reasonable!! ;) xx

"She must be bright and gay" I was surprised to see such an antiquated use of 'gay' in a book published AFTER 2010.

"she must amuse and entertain him as only she can do, she must have faith in their future and give him confidence in it."

The image of their relationship as a sinking ship works particularly well given that ship-jewel she gave him with the self-insert maiden onboard.

If an old woman is talking shit about you why do you eat her gift of pastries?! She's probably spat in them AT LEAST.

Sir 'Nick''s suggestions to Henry are so heavy-handed that the manipulation is almost darkly comedic.

I am narrowing my eyes at Chapuys contemplating 'the austere beauty' of the chapel at Austin Friars. It's just a little early for Protestant whitewash aesthetics to come in. I'll give it a pass.

"The king's amours are not my affair, my dear Eustace."

"I can see that you are unhappy about these arrangements, and of course I sympathise. I do not much like them myself...Seymour having the king's ear, or to dwell on what nonsense he may be pouring into it. But I do not think we should be unduly alarmed about any of this." Cromwell is very clever here, using 'we' and joining their interests together to convincingly sound like he's Anne's ally.

"The ambassador is more than capable of building towering insubstantial castles of speculation in the air; he is also a master of the direct question." Good! But Chapuys would talk of Christendom, not a brotherhood of Catholic nations.

I do think Chris should have read Macculloch on Cromwell, because this Cromwell is too secular. "Survival is in the end his only goal." As Macculloch showed, Cromwell took risks for the sake of the reformation and he also made political errors because he wanted to found a political dynasty through his son Gregory. So Cromwell has multiple motives: yes he wants money, power, prestige, etc., but he is devout too. "not a wit, a raconteur, a teller of tales." It's unfair on Cromwell to portray him as someone who can't amuse highborn ladies: the real Cromwell was an outgoing, hail fellow well met kind of guy.

The Tudor court does feel rather depopulated, Anne is alone with Nan a lot. Where are her other ladies? they tend to vanish.

The king eating partridge with a cherry sauce, a nice detail as IIRC cherries were a favourite of Henry's. "His smile congeals upon his face into a cold mask of reserve."

The memory of being 6 years old and sheltering in the Tower was a good character moment for Henry, especially him recreating the rebellion with his toys. There's a cold pride to Elizabeth of York as well as the typical motherly tenderness, which I like. She was born a Princess after all.

"Do you follow?" He follows. Cromwell has no trouble following." Double meanings! We love double meanings!

Nan Gainsford trying to help Anne by mentioning Mark Smeaton's crush...oh, Nan. A great moment of tragedy. "Cromwell looks at her, quietly recording every word for a remembrance." Later on "Anne nods, as always Nan's good counsel can be relied upon."

I do think this story is missing some key parts, like the scene where Chapuys around Easter 1536 was forced to publicly acknowledge Anne as queen, suggesting the plot to destroy her was rather last minute. Henry orchestrated that little diplomatic trap, and it doesn't really fit Rae's framing of events. Also the countess of Worcester should have been involved in Anne's downfall, but instead it's Jane Rochford.

The meeting with Lady Rochford is enjoyable as fiction but it seems unclear whether she is on Anne's side or not. The real Jane wouldn't want Anne to fall- her fortunes are tied to Anne as history showed: when the Boleyns fell Jane would never be as rich again.

"[Anne] has thought of Cromwell for so long as an ally." Has she??? At the beginning of the book she didn't trust him in the slightest so why is she so taken aback?

"In these times of division and dissent it is so easy to assume that those who share our opinions on matters of faith and religion are somehow bound to be our friends." But she didn't assume!

I like the description of Cromwell being like a bat, it makes a change from comparing him to a pig, which is lazy and boring and unoriginal and uncreative and unfunny.

"Once a single brick is loose, the wall will be brought down quite easily." "this notion, and the twisting, spiralling curlicues of imagined consequence which may issue from it." "the tower of fantasy spirals upwards, out of control."

Henry goes from 'Smeaton won't confess to something that isn't true' to 'I think I've been deceived' back to awareness alarmingly quickly.

"he has endured this kind of assault before, but it was a long time ago, in a blacksmith's yard in Putney, with another man who had absolute power over him". Someone's read Wolf Hall.

Jane Rochford is more malicious here than the evidence suggests.

"She studies Jane's insolent look, and begins to think she might do well to ask George to keep his wife at home in future. If she is allowed to remain at court she will cause trouble somehow. But what ails her? What does she hope to gain from it?"

"he is still a little puzzled by her motivation, because the naïve and trusting might think that her interest lay with the Boleyns since she is married to George, whereas in fact she seems to be determined to do everything in her power to destroy him."

CHRIS. YOU ARE SO CLOSE TO GETTING IT. It's frustrating because Rae is good enough as a fiction writer to spot the obvious holes, but not knowledgeable enough in this history to fix them. Like yes, Anne and George could have sent Jane away if they didn't like her! That suggests they probably DID LIKE HER!

He tries to fix it by having Jane want Anne "disgraced, brought down a peg two, and abandoned by the King...she has done whatever she could think of to help to bring such a conclusion about" that Jane is "nothing more than Anne's lady in waiting." But it doesn't make sense! If Anne were abandoned by the king, this proud and covetous Jane would see her own position decline. She isn't just Anne's lady in waiting- she's her sister in law! She has a fancy bed with Rochford knots and a fancy counterpane! Under Anne's replacement she would just be...another lady in waiting! Also we have Jane's signature and Jane "scratching out her mark" implies she can't write, which is inaccurate.

Smeaton saying "I have risen by my own talents and found favour" is a nice subtle parallel to Cromwell's own rise, which makes Smeaton's fall all the more tragic, as a foil to Cromwell.

Cromwell using the classic 'sign here without seeing the full document because it's hidden by the document above' from I, Claudius.

At Chateau Vert Jane was Constancy IIRC.

"a galliard she knows very well, so beautiful, sad and stately." I think Rae is thinking of a pavane here, a galliard is an upbeat dance.

"although she must suffer patiently the king's delight in revels and pageants, Katherine of Aragon does not care much for this kind of lewd and brazen display, and thinks privately that dancing is a business best left to whores and drunkards." I think this is an unfair portrayal of Katherine. She was pious, but she wasn't a killjoy.

The juxtaposition between Anne falling down into despair next to Henry's mood 'rising' is very effective, like he's draining her like a vampire. Henry believing his own lies and turning his thoughts to "pleasure and pastime with good company". I saw what you did there, Chris.

There are some excellent moments of extreme black comedy in this. "They must believe that there was a conspiracy against myself, not one that has been crudely fashioned against the Queen.' Cromwell winces. Crudely fashioned?"

"It is simple enough, she is to be burned alive, according to the law. This provokes a murmuring from the Lords, and Norfolk looks puzzled until he remembers to add that the king in his great mercy is expected to commute this to beheading."

[josefavomjaaga]

Brun meets Napoleon in 1813 (1)

In the appendix of the "Cahiers" written by Soult's aide-de-camp Brun, there are various documents that describe events from the perspective of Soult's staff officers. I thought some of it might be quite interesting, for example the account of an audience (I believe, his third) that Brun had with Napoleon in Paris in January 1813 – i.e., after the Russian campaign, after the evacuation of Andalusia and after the mutual accusations between Soult and Joseph. Among other things, Soult once again asked to be relieved of his post.

The report is rather long, so I will have to divide it into several posts.

Colonel Brun de Villeret to Marshal Soult, Paris, January 1813

I was announced to His Imperial Majesty at 7 o'clock in the evening on 30 December. He was at dinner, He immediately deigned to order that I be introduced, and I found myself in His presence, while He was at table with the Empress, with the King of Rome on his lap.

Which, admittedly, was already one reason for me to post this. I’ve so often voiced my doubts about those happy father-son anecdotes featuring the King of Rome that I feel obliged to post about me being proven wrong by Soult’s favourite aide 😁. (Though I also would like to state that this obviously is not a truly private occasion and that the presence of the Imperial heir may have served a political purpose as well. So there.)

I was greeted in the most gracious manner. His Majesty began by asking me for news of Monsieur the Duke of Dalmatia with the greatest interest, and immediately getting down to business, he asked me to give him details of our last campaign.

Because nothing whets the appetite more than a tale of battlefields with lots of corpses. Right, Marie-Louise?

I spoke in the presence of the prefect of the palace, the women of the King of Rome, pages and servants, and I confined myself to reporting what could be published in the gazettes; I spoke of our situation in Andalusia, the scale of our operations, the good administration of the country, the regrets caused to us by the loss of such a beautiful province, and finally of the advantage we had gained from our depots and the eighteen months' pay which Monsieur the Duke of Dalmatia had given to the army.

Because carrying the money with us to Valencia, only to hand it over to Joseph and his Spanish administration, was out of the question, of course. - Well, at least the soldiers under Soult’s command had received their salaries, from what I have gathered from Joseph’s correspondence, that was not always the case.

I described the difficulties we had encountered in the mountains of Murcia, the dangers of crossing the rivers, our good fortune in escaping yellow fever after being slightly affected by it, and finally the satisfaction felt by the Duke of Dalmatia in having left only 300 or 400 hopeless sick men in Andalusia and in having brought 6,000 of them to the first places occupied by the army of Aragon, nine-tenths of whom should now have recovered perfectly.

And presumably Brun talked about the retreat, its problems and eventual success at such length because he correctly assumed that Joseph had complained to Napoleon and to Clarke and anybody else who would listen about Soult’s retreat from Andalusia having taken too long.

During my account, the Emperor gave me several signs of great satisfaction. He asked me where the King was, and on my reply that I had heard, on leaving Valladolid, that he had arrived in Madrid on 3 December, he asked me: "Wouldn't it have been better for him to have stayed in Burgos?"

Which is probably Napoleon’s way of saying: "Okay, yellow fever, mountains, rivers, got it. Let’s get to the juicy stuff. Have your marshal and my brother already come to blows yet?"

I replied that I had many things to say to His Majesty on this subject; He understood that I could not explain myself in the presence of so many witnesses, and, changing the subject, he asked me various questions about the siege of Burgos, to which it was all the easier for me to reply, as during the four days that I had been forced to stay in this town, I had examined in the greatest detail the place, the work of the besiegers and that of the besieged. I paid a tribute as glowing as it was disinterested to the defence of the garrison, and as dinner was drawing to a close at that very moment, I was able to spend a few moments with the King of Rome, with whom His Majesty wished to amuse himself, and whose form and constitution He deigned to have me admire.

And that’s a nice way to end. I find it interesting that Brun mentions Napoleon’s son so often in an official report to his marshal. But I guess he saw the fact that Napoleon talked to him about the little king as an additional honour, which in turn reflected well on Napoleon’s attitude towards Soult.

Or maybe they just loved to talk about kinds, like apparently all French militarymen 😊.

[troybeecham]

Today, the Church remembers St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr.

Ora pro nobis.

Saint Lawrence or Laurence (Latin: Laurentius, lit. "laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258 AD) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome, Italy, under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman Emperor Valerian ordered in 258 AD.

St. Lawrence is thought to have been born on 31 December AD 225 in Valencia, or less probably, in Huesca, the town from which his parents came in the later region of Aragon that was then part of the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis. The martyrs St. Orentius (Modern Spanish: San Orencio) and St Patientia (Modern Spanish: Santa Paciencia) are traditionally held to have been his parents.

He encountered the future Pope Sixtus II, who was of Greek origin and one of the most famous and highly esteemed teachers, in Caesaraugusta (today Zaragoza). Eventually, both left Spain for Rome. When Sixtus became the Pope in 257, he ordained St Lawrence as a deacon, and though Lawrence was still young appointed him first among the seven deacons who served in the patriarchal church. He is therefore called "archdeacon of Rome", a position of great trust that included the care of the treasury and riches of the Church and the distribution of alms to the indigent.

St Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, notes that Roman authorities had established a norm according to which all Christians who had been denounced must be executed and their goods confiscated by the Imperial treasury. At the beginning of August 258 AD, the Emperor Valerian issued an edict that all bishops, priests, and deacons should immediately be put to death. Pope Sixtus II was captured on 6 August 258, at the cemetery of St Callixtus while celebrating the liturgy and executed forthwith.

After the death of Sixtus, the prefect of Rome demanded that St Lawrence turn over the riches of the Church. St Ambrose is the earliest source for the narrative that St Lawrence asked for three days to gather the wealth. He worked swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the indigent as possible, so as to prevent its being seized by the prefect. On the third day, at the head of a small delegation, he presented himself to the prefect, and when ordered to deliver the treasures of the Church he presented the indigent, the crippled, the blind, and the suffering, and declared that these were the true treasures of the Church. One account records him declaring to the prefect, "The Church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor." This act of defiance led directly to his martyrdom and can be compared to the parallel Roman tale of the jewels of Cornelia.

On 10 August, St. Lawrence, the last of the seven deacons, and therefore, the ranking Church official, suffered a martyr's death. The Prefect was so angry that he had a great gridiron prepared with hot coals beneath it, and had Lawrence placed on it, hence St Lawrence's association with the gridiron. After the martyr had suffered pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he cheerfully declared: "I'm well done on this side. Turn me over!"

Some historians, such as Rev. Patrick J. Healy, opine that the tradition of how St Lawrence was martyred is "not worthy of credence", as the slow lingering death cannot be reconciled "with the express command contained in the edict regarding bishops, priests, and deacons (animadvertantur) which ordinarily meant decapitation." A theory of how the tradition arose is proposed by Pio Franchi de' Cavalieri, who postulates that it was the result of a mistaken transcription, the accidental omission of the letter "p" – "by which the customary and solemn formula for announcing the death of a martyr – passus est ["he suffered," that is, was martyred] – was made to read assus est [he was roasted]." The Liber Pontificalis, which is held to draw from sources independent of the existing traditions and Acta regarding Lawrence, uses passus est concerning him, the same term it uses for Pope Sixtus II, who was martyred by decapitation during the same persecution. However, this modern scholarship is disputed by another scholar, Janice Bennett, whose study of other primary sources indicates that the traditional narratives are substantially correct. No matter the means of his death, he died for defying the Imperial state by refusing to worship any other god but the God of Israel as revealed by Jesus, whose disciple Lawrence was both in word and deed.

Almighty God, you called your deacon Laurence to serve you with deeds of love, and gave him the crown of martyrdom: Grant that we, following his example, may fulfill your commandments by defending and supporting the poor, and by loving you with all our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

[lightleckrereins]

So you know how the Aragon tour alts have interchangeable straps on their boots? Do you think they each have their own, personalized straps (i.e. Kelly and Kelsee would have their own separate straps for Aragon, etc)? Because I just noticed Cassie has a double strap boot, so it made me wonder if she has doubles of each strap, (so 2 Boleyn and 2 Howard as her own, also assuming she doesn’t wear any for Cleves or has the Cleves thigh-highs) or if she wears one of her own and the second one she wears is from the other alt (So for Boleyn and Howard, Cassie would use her own strap, as well as Erin’s strap for whatever role Cassie was on for)

Also, why the double strap boot for Cassie only (obv not in a bad way)? Is it because she’s dance captain?

I don't have photos showing everything. But they should all have their own.

The straps can be in theory shared between queens, although there might be some size differences between them. And as far as we know none of the queens share any costume pieces. Same as the crowns alts have their own. And it serves a practical purpose, if any of them needs to do a mid show emergency cover their straps will already be with their boots making things easier for wardrobe.

But also I wouldn't be surprised if straps end up being reused for future casts, again same as the crowns.

[minervacasterly]

5 September 1548: The Death of an Evangelical Royal Consort & Influential Protestant Writer & Defender of her Faith

Six days after Queen Dowager and Baroness of Sudeley had given birth to a daughter she named Mary (after her stepdaughter, the Lady Mary Tudor) Catherine Parr died of puerperal fever. Little before her death, while in a state of delirium she claimed: "Those that are about me care not for me". Her husband, Thomas Seymour, was by her side comforting her the entire time. Jane Grey and other ladies were also with her, reading her the scriptures.

Historian Amy Licence theorizes she could have been infected after the birth by the midwives' unclean hands which would have made possible the passage of bacteria to her body. (The lack of hygiene during childbirth was not uncommon. If she had lived through the same ordeal now she would have been treated right away and saved but as it was, the only medicine then was based on plants and folklore beliefs that Catherine, given her extensive knowledge of the former would have known very well. It is not known if he midwives or she used any of these methods. In any case it was too late, the fever spread rapidly and claimed her on the morning of September fifth).

Her husband was grief-stricken, unable to believe that she was gone that he later said: "I was so amazed that I had small regard to either myself or to my doings".

Catherine was buried days later with full pomp and ceremony, with Jane Grey acting as her chief mourner, walking behind her coffin with Lady Elizabeth Tilney carrying the long train. Catherine Parr was the first Royal and only Queen of Henry VIII's, to have a Protestant Funeral. Miles Coverdale headed the funeral which was in English and concluded it with this eulogy:

"A beautous daughter blessed her arms,

An infant copy of her parents' charms.

When now seven days this tender flower had bloomed

Heaven in its wrath the mother's soul resumed

Our loyal breast with rising sighs are torn,

With saints she triumphs, we with mortals mourn."

Her husband Thomas Seymour, Baron Sudeley and daughter, Mary Seymour, did not survive her for long. Sudeley was arrested at his house while entertaining a guest, and sent to Tower under charges of treason. He was found guilty and beheaded on March 20 1549. Afterwards, their daughter was given over to Catherine Brandon nee Willoughby, Duchess Dowager of Suffolk in whose care she probably died as she disappears from the records a year after.

Despite leaving everything to her husband, the Protectorate took her wealth and this made Sudeley angry, and he ended up conspiring with the Marquises of Dorset (Henry Grey) and Northampton (William Parr -Catherine's brother), against his brother. The Duchess Dowager of Suffolk begged the Council many times to help her with her charge's finances but they never took her pleas seriously until 1550 when Catherine Parr's wealth was given back to her daughter, but by then she was probably sick or dying because she is never mentioned again.

Catherine Parr has gone down in fiction and popular media as nothing more than Henry's nurse and staunch Reformer but she was so much more than that. She and Mary I's mother were the only two of Henry's wives who served as Regents during his absence, and they were two of the most learned women in England who caused great impact on their respective faiths and both were known for being kind and generous. Eustace Chapuys before he left England on the summer 1545, commented that out of all of Henry's Queens, with the exception of Katherine of Aragon, Catherine Parr was the only one who was worthy of her position. She was a good friend with Mary I, who was encouraged by her to translate one of the gospels of the New Testament and who followed her wherever she went.

Sources:

Katherine Parr by Linda Porter

Sister Who Would Be Queen by Leanda de Lisle

In Bed With The Tudors by Amy Licence.

[richmond-rex]

I’m currently listening to Anne Boleyn: 500 Years of Lies by Hayley Nolan on Audible, and I’m trying hard to like it because it has really good information discrediting some of the beliefs surrounding Anne; but I have to admit that it’s grating me to hear the author stating that the Tudors were “usurpers” and that they were preventing a “more rightful heir” from gaining the throne. I almost screamed in frustration when she blamed H8’s sociopathy on Margaret Beaufort and especially Henry VII, using that one source claiming that H7 once tried to kill H8 in a fit of rage as firm evidence of a miserable childhood (ignoring all evidence stating otherwise); because of course having an overprotective parent (which is all H7 was) is going to cause you to grow up with no conscience. Also is it true that H8 was given absolutely no training in monarchy and came to the throne completely uneducated in that regard, I find that incredibly hard to believe regarding H7.

Hello! First of all, there's so much to unpack here. I think we have to go step by step. A big disclaimer is that I have not read Nolan’s book, so I’m only considering what you told me here. Secondly, I will not be addressing any claims against Margaret Beaufort because, frankly, what did that woman ever do be accused of that — the same Margaret Beaufort who 'of marvayllous gentyleness she was unto all folks' , and who 'unkind she would be unto no creature'? Are we talking about the same Margaret? We know one of her old servants, Henry Parker, was talking about his 'godly mistress the Lady Margaret’ to her great-granddaughter Mary well into the mid-1500s, and we know the time Margaret reprimanded a dean in Christ's College for beating one of his pupils (crying ‘gently, gently!’). I don’t see how she could be considered the origin of anyone’s sociopathy, but I also dislike the term — antisocial personality disorder is a medical condition and I doubt we could ever diagnose Henry VIII with that or anyone else who died five hundred years ago for that matter. The rest of my answer is under the cut! 

Well, now for the rest: I wouldn't say all of the Tudors were usurpers. Henry VII very much was one, as he did unseat England's king at the time of his invasion though that hardly makes him worse than other 15th-century English kings (as I've talked here, Henry IV was a usurper, Edward IV was a usurper, Richard III was a usurper — hell, William the Conqueror had been a usurper four centuries earlier). None of Henry VII's successors would have been usurpers, though (unless we should say every English king after William the Conqueror was a usurper, I guess?). Especially if you consider that they were also the natural successors of the Yorkist line via their descent from Edward IV's eldest daughter and heir, Elizabeth of York. I have no idea who Nolan could be referring to as the 'more rightful heir': the de la Poles, the descendants of Edward IV's sister? The Poles, the descendants of Edward IV's brother? Even if you go by Yorkist descent alone (which not everyone in England regarded as the most legitimate), who would have had a better claim in England than Henry VIII, the son of Edward IV's surviving heir and the son of England's most recent conqueror, Henry VII?

As for Henry VIII's miserable childhood, I don’t think there is evidence of that. We know Henry was well-educated; his father made sure to appoint tutors who taught him in the arts, classics, music, dancing, discourse, courtiership and theological disputation. We also know that Henry VII was personally involved with his sons' education, whilst his wife Elizabeth was involved with their daughters'. It is true that Henry VIII was not initially prepared for kingship but once his brother Arthur had died his father began preparing him for his future office. In July 1504 Prince Henry officially moved into his father's household where it seems Henry VII tutored him personally in some subjects. In August of that same year, the Duke of Estrada, a Spanish ambassador, wrote that 'Formerly the King did not like to take the Prince of Wales with him, in order not to interrupt his studies [...] But it is not only from love that the King takes the Prince with him; he wishes to improve him. Certainly there could be no better school in the world than the society of such a father as Henry VII. He is so wise and so attentive to everything; nothing escapes his attention'. So you can see that Henry VIII was assisted and had at least five years to prepare for the office of kingship, which is more than Henry VII himself ever had.

Lastly, it's clear that Henry VII loved his son. The same ambassador, Duke Estrada, also said in his dispatch: 'It is quite wonderful how much the King likes the Prince of Wales'. There are several entries in Henry VII's privy purse accounts describing items and stuff he bought to his younger son, always referring to him as 'My Lord Harry'. For all we know, Henry VII saw much more of his second son than he ever saw of Prince Arthur who lived in Ludlow, away from court. There is that anecdote about the time Henry VII knighted Prince Henry when he was only three years old: during the ceremony the king picked up his young son and placed him on a table for all to see — a gesture possibly made out of love, fondness, and/or delight in his youngest, though we can only speculate. Henry VII seems to have been determined not to expose his remaining son to danger in the same way that Arthur had been, and some of his more overprotective measures (like the setting of the Prince's apartments, accessible only by way of his own) can be understood as born out of paternal concern, all things considered. The rumours that the Calais garrison was not willing to crown Prince Henry in the event of his death were certainly of great concern to Henry VII.

To sum up, there is evidence that Henry VII did love and care for his son Henry. No doubt their relationship may have been strained at times thanks to Henry VII’s overprotective measures, but it’s also true the king let his son shine on many occasions in his place, denoting both affection and trust. Henry Pole's claim, made in 1538, that the king ‘had no affection nor fancy unto’ his heir should be seen in its proper context: one in which his brother, Reginal Pole, was involved in an ideological campaign against Henry VIII — the message was that not even Henry VIII's own father had loved him. I cannot say if Henry Pole actually said those words (anyone with more expertise please feel free to correct me) or if those were brought up as charges against him, but they do belong in the realm of (real or invented) seditious language. I tried to find the claim that Henry VII once tried to kill his son over a fit of rage in the dispatches sent by Fuensalida (allegedly the one who made that claim according to Hutchinson’s Young Henry), but the only thing I could find was something akin to court gossip, saying Henry VII treated everyone badly for a time (including his son) and spent three hours every night with his eyes closed but not sleeping...... which is?? 

(Here I should comment that Fuensalida not only disliked Henry VII but he was also several times denied access to the king and the Prince of Wales on account of what the English most likely considered to be his rude behaviour. He is also the one who said the Prince was kept closeted away like a girl, not realising that he was specifically denied access to the Prince — perhaps not without reason, seeing how Ferdinand had instructed him in winning the Prince over to their cause. Fuensalida was, of course, only serving the interests of his king, but his skills in diplomacy are somewhat unusual. Even Catherine of Aragon would later complain about Fuensalida’s behaviour). 

In any case, I cannot speak about Nolan’s book as I have not read it but I wouldn’t be surprised if the author makes some unsubstantiated claims, considering the book was not peer-reviewed. That’s exactly how many pop history books work and why it’s hard to hold them to high standards. I hope this answer is not a big rambling mess, but really there were so many things to address, I didn’t even know where to begin. Thanks for the ask, anon! 🌹x

[crisnyra]

Take It All

Evil!Aralas oneshot. Thanks to @wrasslin-kpop-and-bullshit for writing part of the beginning.

Warnings: No happy ending, major character deaths, Legolas gaslights everyone.

Tag squad: @wrasslin-kpop-and-bullshit @icy-spicy @axelwolf8109 @ozzypawsbone-princeofbarkness @the-iridescent-phoenix @swifteforeverandalways

“Let’s turn them in to Sauron now!” Legolas growled. “Calm my love” Aragorn grabbed his hand. “I have to grovel with dwarves” Legolas sneered, his lover nodding in understanding.

“Soon. We will march to Mordor. We will help our master” Aragorn grabbed Legolas’ neck, maneuvering him for a kiss. “We will prove our place”

Legolas tightly grabbed Aragorn’s hair, pulling him down with

————

“You’ve done well” Sauron spoke in Aragorn’s head. “You and the elf” “How much longer my lord? Legolas grows impatient. Killing Boromir only slowed us down more”

"Soon, my sons. You must get the Ring from the hobbit and bring it to me, then you will have earned your places at my side as I forge a new empire"

"Yes My Lord" Aragorn says as he feels his masters presence leave his head

"Why can't we just kill the hobbits and steal the ring?" Legolas pouts at his lover

"Gandalf would strike us down on the spot we would never make it to Mordor, we must be patient my love," Aragon says stroking his fingers through his lover's beautiful hair.

"Patience is a virtue I never liked," Legolas says with a sigh

"You act as if you have any virtues to speak of"

Legolas grinned, sharpening his daggers. “Saruman will serve under us”

Aragorn grinned in return. “We will rule an eternal empire!”

————

The newest order was simple. Kill Saruman for his many failures. Legolas “accidentally” shot him at the top of Isengard, watching the white wizard fall to his death.

The eye of Sauron was picked up by Gandalf before either could even touch it.

“Let me see that Gandalf” Aragorn reached out. “No my dear boy. This is too powerful for you”

“No!” Legolas snapped, Aragorn walking to him and kissing his head in comfort and warning. Pippin looked concerned. “Are you alright mister elf?”

Legolas looked close to a breakdown. “I’m fine. But I will not have a wizard tell my love how powerful he is” Gandalf raised an eyebrow

————-

Legolas watched with glee as the Witch King killed Theoden though that glee was dashed when Ewoyn slayed him.

Aragorn found him on the cliff side, grabbing his hand. Legolas looked at his true love and melted into his embrace. “Soon my love. Soon we will join our master”

————

“Aragorn” Sauron’s voice entered his mind, Legolas asleep and his body covered in fading bruises.

“Master” Aragorn breathed. “The Hobbits are close, I feel my ring. I can feel it’s power! You two will be rewarded beyond my armies”

“Saruman was easy to kill. The higher his ego, the longer the fall” Sauron hummed in agreement. “No hesitations”

————

They were finally at Mordor, Aragorn and Legolas feeling their strength grow and their master’s presence. Aragorn held the sword of his ancestor’s, the army of the dead at his beck and call.

“Aragorn” Everyone heard the voice of Sauron. “Come to me” “Don’t listen to him!” Merry cried.

Aragorn smirked and finally let the mask down, walking to stand by his master.

Legolas put on a perfect expression of heart break, wailing and sobbing at Aragorn’s “betrayal”

“Aragorn!” Gandalf yelled. “Silence!” Aragorn ordered. “You have had everything. While I had nothing!”

Sauron placed a hand on Aragorn’s shoulder. “What sorcery is this?!”

“None Gandalf. Young Aragorn here simply joined me”

Legolas continued his act of heart break. “Estel” He said brokenly. Éomer noticed that while Legolas had tears trailing down his face, his composure was too relaxed, too stiff. Not the stance of a man that was betrayed.

He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Legolas’ throat. Aragorn’s jump and Legolas ceasing his sobs confirmed everything.

“No” Gandalf said. Legolas’s expression was one of stone as he wiped away tears. “My father sends his regards” Legolas shot an arrow at Éomer, running to Mordor.

Aragorn shouted an order in the Black Speech, the battle beginning and his allies became his enemies

————

Legolas shot down Samwise with no hesitation, the filthy creature Gollum following after. “Frodo!” He shot a warning, the hobbit flinching. “Give me the ring” The elf ordered.

“N-no!” Legolas held out his hand. “Please, Aragorn betrayed us” His voice broke. “I need to save him!”

Frodo stared at him for a minute before gently placing the ring and chain in Legolas’ hand. “Thank you my friend”

Then he kicked Frodo into Mount Doom.

————-

The battle had been over in minutes, Aragorn barely killing Gandalf. He’d only let Merry and Pippin live as examples of Sauron’s wrath.

“Master!” Legolas knelt down, holding up the One Ring. Sauron took it and master reunited with his treasure.

Sauron glowed and his form returned to that of his youth, no armor and his skin and hair like lava.

“Neither of you failed me” Legolas’ eyes were almost glazed over. “Mirkwood will receive my protection”

He waved his hand and Rings of Power, both black were on Aragorn and Legolas’ hands.

“The Ring of Death” He placed a hand on Aragorn’s head, the ranger kneeling. “And the Ring of the Phoenix” He did the same to Legolas.

“Thank you master” They said in unison.

Sauron turned and began turning the bodies into orcs.

“A eternal empire” Legolas grinned. “And our blood clear” Aragorn finished, meeting the elf in a dark kiss.

[queenmarytudor]

MARY: SERIES ONE

When King Henry VIII announces his daughter unable to inherit the crown of England, Princess Mary Tudor and her friends at court rebel and conspire against him.

An imagined six episode psychological drama series, focusing on Princess Mary Tudor and the intrigues, secrets and lies of Henry VIII’s court... 

THE KING’S PEARL

Princess Mary Tudor, Princess of Wales and heir to the throne of England, is at her court in the Welsh Marches. Rhys ap Gruffydd kneels in irons before her; he has been arrested for inciting rebellion and is on the way to the Tower of London. Rhys petitions Mary for help in getting his grandfather’s lands and titles restored to him, as they are his by right and not her stewards, who has been gifted them by the king. Rhys says surely Mary knows what it is like to have an inheritance threatened. Mary promises to help him when she returns to court. Rhys thanks his princess, stating that though his wife is related to the king’s mistress, Anne Boleyn will never be Rhys’ queen.

Mary returns to court for Christmas. All along the streets nobles and peasants alike cheer for their princess before she is welcomed lovingly by her parents King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine of Aragon. 

There is a grand feast; Mary reunites with her father’s cousin Henry Courtenay and his wife Gertrude, one of Katherine’s ladies. She dances with the courtier Nicholas Carew while her parents watch proudly. 

Mary petitions her father to release Rhys from imprisonment in the Tower. The king, delighted to have his pearl back, agrees, but refuses to grant him his grandfather’s lands and titles. The pair decide to go riding together.

On their return, Gertrude escorts Mary to see her mother. She tells Mary her father’s mistress, Anne Boleyn, has just arrived back at court. Katherine introduces Mary to Eustace Chapuys, ambassador to Mary’s cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Chapuys promises he will do his best to help her and her mother. Katherine and Chapuys reveal Pope Clement has forbidden the king from marrying Anne, threatening him with excommunication from the church if he does.

After Mass, where the royal family pray together, a freed Rhys seeks out Mary. He thanks her for his release and attempting to get his inheritance back. 

Mary goes to her father’s chambers, where Thomas Cromwell introduces himself as King Henry’s new minister. Mary asks where her father is. When Cromwell replies he is with Anne Boleyn, Mary leaves for the sanctuary of her mother’s rooms. 

Henry Courtenay arrives from parliament, telling Katherine, Mary and Gertrude that the king has now declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Gertrude tells them she heard of a nun in Kent who can predict the future. Katherine warns her not to do anything foolish. 

On Saint David’s Day, the patron saint of Wales, Mary is given a Welsh leek by the king’s gentlemen pensioners in a grand ceremony. She is watched by a crowd of courtiers and Chapuys, who compliments her. They talk for a while before she leaves. 

Exiting, Mary comes across Anne Boleyn. They glare at each other before Anne reluctantly sinks into a curtsey. Mary ignores her.

Mary plays the virginals for her parents. Despite their praise, there is obvious tension between the pair.

At nightfall Mary and her father talk. Mary is confused how he has declared himself the head of a church that doesn’t exist. Henry says she is clever; one day his pearl will understand. After he has left, Mary tells her governess, Margaret Pole, that she doesn’t think she will ever understand.

Katherine worries when Margaret wakes her in the night to inform her Mary is ill. Gertrude brings up the Nun of Kent again, but Maria Willoughby and Jane Seymour shush her. Katherine goes to help Margaret care for Mary. As Mary continues to vomit, Katherine strokes her daughter’s hair, clutching her necklace which she believes contains a piece of the True Cross. She prays her daughter will get better, comforting her with old stories of her and King Henry when they were younger.

In the morning a recovered Mary wakes to six luxurious new dresses, a gift from her father. She immediately puts one on.  

At breakfast, the queen is sat at the table alone. The king left them earlier in the morning to go on summer progress with Anne Boleyn, forcing most of the courtiers to go with them, including the Courtenay’s. Katherine smiles and tells Mary they can still have a good time, just the two of them and their households.

Reginald, the son of Margaret, is sent money by the king to study in Padua. Katherine and Margaret are hopeful Reginald will convince King Henry to recant his decision to break from Rome and marry a heretic. Reginald promises he will. Mary hugs her cousin goodbye, wishing him well. 

At court, Chapuys watches on with Nicholas Carew and an incensed Gertrude and Henry as Anne Boleyn takes the queen’s role at a feast. While talking, Rhys Gruffydd is publicly re-arrested for encouraging Wales to rebel against the king, and supposedly taking the title of Prince of Wales. The group disbelieve this after what Mary did for him. 

Katherine hears from Maria that Rhys has been beheaded, but she is determined to protect her daughter and keeps the news a secret.

Mary and Katherine go hawking, but on their return are sent orders to separate. Katherine promises she will see Mary soon, encouraging her to stay strong. Any bastard born of Anne Boleyn will never rule; Mary is the heir and future queen of England.  

 PRINCESS OF WALES  

Mary and her tutor Richard Featherstone are having a Latin lesson on Utopia by Sir Thomas More. In the book women are encouraged to fight in battle; Mary tells the priest she would if she could. 

Mary is walking in the fields with her ladies, Susan Clarencius and Anne Hussey, and her cousin Margaret Douglas. Her and Margaret’s cousin Frances Brandon has recently married Henry Grey. Mary is betrothed to the French Dauphin, but she has heard no news lately of a marriage... she is surprised to come across her father, riding with Nicholas. He asks how she is and Mary replies she is well, but missing her mother now she has seen him. The king is going to Calais with Anne Boleyn, now the marquess of Pembroke, but promises to see her more often when he returns.

Gertrude sees the Nun of Kent in disguise, switching clothes with her maid. Amazed at her trance, she invites the woman, Elizabeth Barton, to her house.

Mary is having her breakfast served by her friend Henry Jerningham when she is informed by her chamberlain that her father has, with the blessing of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, married Anne Boleyn. John Hussey asks for a verbal response to the news for the king, but Mary ignores him entirely, continuing to talk with Henry and her ladies. Uncomfortable, he carries on with his orders; Mary is forbidden from writing to her mother and he must take Mary’s jewels. Margaret refuses to give them up to John unless she has a direct order from the king. 

Gertrude welcomes Elizabeth warmly, asking about her prophecies. The nun says there may be war now the king has married Anne Boleyn; Gertrude asks her to pray her husband will remain safe. It grieves him that men of noble blood are being dismissed from the privy chamber, with the king ruled by Cromwell who is the son of a blacksmith.

That night, Gertrude tells Henry about the nun’s visit, telling him the king will flee the realm one day. Henry is horrified at her listening to the prophecies, potentially earning the wrath of his cousin when he finds out. He demands she tell the king. 

Mary and Margaret Douglas are informed by Margaret that their aunt Mary has died. The pair worry over Frances, but Margaret tells them she has a husband to comfort her now. Mary fears the French accepting Anne Boleyn as queen means her betrothal will be void. The three are interrupted by Mary’s servant Randall Dodd, who delivers a letter passed on by her mother’s servant Anthony. Katherine writes she has “heard such tidings today that I do perceive if it be true, the time is come that Almighty God will prove you; and I am very glad of it, for I trust He doth handle you with a good love [...] But one thing I especially desire you, for the love that you do owe unto God and unto me, to keep your heart with a chaste mind, and your body from all ill and wanton company, not thinking or desiring any husband for Christ’s passion; neither determine yourself to any manner of living till this troublesome time be past.”

Shortly after there is an official command from King Henry to take Mary’s jewels. Her personal arms are stripped from her and her household is to be reduced, with some servants, including Randall Dodd, sent to wait on her new sister Elizabeth, whose christening John Hussey must attend. 

King Henry confronts Gertrude, informing her that he knows she has visited the Nun of Kent. She petitions King Henry to forgive her, blaming her womanly foolishness. He does, and orders his cousin to as well. To show his goodwill towards her, Gertrude is bestowed the honour of becoming Princess Elizabeth’s godmother, but an annoyed Gertrude sees it as an insult.

Mary is playing a card game with her ladies and Henry Jerningham when John returns from the christening and tells Mary she is longer a princess. Mary refuses to accept it and writes to her father, believing he was “not privy to it, not doubting but you take me for your lawful daughter, born in true matrimony.”

In response to her letter the Duke of Norfolk comes to dissemble all her household; Mary is to go to Hatfield to serve her sister Elizabeth, the Princess of Wales. Mary says that title belongs to her by right, and no one else.

Mary is only allowed to take one lady in waiting with her and chooses Susan. Her cousin Margaret Douglas is to serve the new queen. Margaret offers to serve Mary at her own expense, but Norfolk refuses. Mary has an emotional goodbye with her staff. Margaret urges her to remember her grandmother had been declared a bastard before becoming queen of England.

On the way to Hatfield, one of the men escorting Mary whispers she must hold firm, for the sake of England. 

Arriving, Norfolk asks if she will pay her respects to the Princess of Wales. Mary replies she knows of no other princess in England except herself. The daughter of the marquess of Pembroke has no such title - but if her father acknowledges her as his own, she will call her sister as she calls Henry Fitzroy brother.

As he leaves, Norfolk asks if can take a message to the king. Mary says to tell him his daughter, the Princess of Wales, begs for his blessing. When Norfolk refuses, Mary tells him curtly he might leave it then, and to go away and leave her alone. She retires to her bedchamber to cry. 

UNBRIDLED BLOOD

Mary refuses to pay court to Elizabeth unless made to by force. When walking, she is always far in front or far behind the newborn, never at her side. She eats in her own rooms with food Susan steals from the kitchens, avoiding the public table. She has outgrown the ornate dresses her father gave her.

An outraged Gertrude shows Chapuys the letter she has received from the king, telling his subjects that they ought to thank God for giving them a lawful heir. Chapuys reveals he has already sent a Latin declaration for Katherine to sign and pass along to her daughter. 

The king arrives to visit his youngest daughter. Mary is desperate to see her father, but is visited by Norfolk and Cromwell. They urge her to renounce her title, but Mary says it is labour wasted to press her; they are deceived if they think bad treatment, rudeness, or even the chance of death would make her change her determination. She asks to see her father and kiss his hand, but is refused. When they leave, she runs to the terrace at the top of the house and kneels in mercy. The king bows and doffs his cap, as do the men with him, before leaving.  

The Oath of Supremacy and 1534 Act of Succession are both implemented, making Henry VIII Head of the Church of England, and Elizabeth and any other children of Anne Boleyn his heirs. The Courtenay’s are annoyed as queen Anne flaunts her belly; she is pregnant again. 

Mary receives a letter from her mother, which comforts and encourages her, along with the Latin declaration Chapuys spoke of that denies her illegitimacy. She signs it and Susan smuggles it out of Hatfield back to Chapuys. 

John Hussey and his wife Anne are returning home now Mary’s household has been dissolved, but before they go John talks with the Courtenay’s and Chapuys about the possibility of the emperor invading in support of his cousin’s rights. Chapuys says he is trying hard to convince his master. Henry says he wishes he had the opportunity to shed blood in the service of Katherine and Mary. John replies he could easily rise the north of England to help Princess Mary, and “the insurrection of the people would be joined immediately by the nobility and the clergy”. Gertrude reminds them of the prophecies of the Nun of Kent; perhaps there will be war over this... 

When moving households, Mary refuses to share a litter with Elizabeth and is forcibly put in by guards. Roughly manhandled, she shouts a public protest to some peasants who salute and cheer her as princess. Her new caretaker, Anne Shelton, warns Mary her niece queen Anne has ordered her to box Mary’s ears as a cursed bastard when she uses the title of Princess.

After Gertrude informs him of Mary’s abuse, Nicholas pays the king’s fool to insult queen Anne and princess Elizabeth. The king is furious, banishing the jester from court, but Nicholas shelters him in his own home.

A badly bruised Mary hears of Nicholas’ actions and sends a letter of thanks to him via Susan. Shelton summons Mary to visit her, questioning why she has received a letter from Elizabeth Carew, Nicholas’ wife. Elizabeth urges her to submit to the king for the passion of Christ, otherwise she will be undone. Mary pleads ignorance and throws the letter in the fireplace.

As they watch queen Anne and her uncle Norfolk prepare to visit Elizabeth, Jane Seymour tells the Courtenay’s that the queen has had a miscarriage. They fear how she will treat Mary.

As punishment for the litter incident, Norfolk takes Mary’s remaining jewels. He mocks a brooch from her childhood spelling out the Emperor. Mary is furious, even more so when Anne visits her, urging her to honour her as queen and she will reconcile her to her father. Mary says she knows of no queen of England but her mother - but if her father’s mistress would intercede on her behalf, she would be much obliged. An enraged Anne storms out, swearing to bring down her unbridled Spanish blood.

Shelton tells Mary if she were the king she would kick her out of the house for disobedience, and that the king said she will lose her head for breaking the law and not renouncing her title. Seeing Richard Featherstone preparing to leave in the retinue of queen Anne, a quick witted Mary asks him if she can practise her Latin. The people around them do not understand as she asks if the rumours are true and she is to be killed. Richard is shocked, saying it is not good Latin before leaving with the rest of Anne’s entourage. Returning to London, he immediately informs Chapuys of the danger Mary is in. The ambassador is determined to find a way to see her. 

The Nun of Kent is publicly executed, with her head put on a spike on London Bridge. After, the king tells Henry the trust his daughter has in the emperor makes her obstinate, but he fears no one if his vassals stay loyal. He warns his cousin not to trip lest he lose his head. 

WORST ENEMY IN THE WORLD

After she was forced into a litter, Mary asks to ride on her horse when moving households. As soon as she is mounted, she races ahead of her sister’s litter, riding across the countryside to the waiting river barge. Exhilarated by the freedom of her ride, she beats the rest of the household there and takes the place of honour. On the riverbank, Chapuys watches on as Mary sails past. They smile at each other, reassured. 

Shelton wonders how the ambassador knew they would be there. Suspecting Susan of sending messages in and out of the household, she dismisses Mary’s last lady. Mary is completely alone. 

Months have passed; it is now winter. King Henry remains furious at his daughter’s continued defiance, telling his cousin Mary will be an example to show that no one ought to disobey the laws; at the beginning of his reign he was as gentle as a lamb, and by the end he will be worse than a lion. Henry tells his wife.

Gertrude disguises herself to visit Chapuys, saying after the next parliament Mary and Katherine will die. She swears it is as true as the Gospel. Gertrude is adamant they must do something to help save their princess. Chapuys says Katherine spoke to him of Mary marrying Reginald Pole and uniting their claims to the throne. The emperor is busy taking Tunis, but Chapuys believes only a small army sent by Charles V with Reginald amongst the troops would be enough to make people declare for Mary. Gertrude pledges the support of her relatives, but says they need a quicker solution. 

Mary is no longer allowed to eat in her room, but she refuses to eat at the main table and submit to a lower rank then her sister Elizabeth, now a toddler at the head of the table. She is slowly starving. 

After seeing the king talking with Jane Seymour, Gertrude has an idea. She tries to convince Jane to attract the king’s attentions in the hope of getting better treatment for Mary but a haughty Jane refuses. 

Mary is constantly belittled by servants, who say the world will be at peace when they are discharged of the pain and trouble she gives them. She is incensed to hear the French ambassadors are to visit Elizabeth in the hopes of a betrothal. She declares she is the Dauphin’s future wife, not her bastard sister. Shelton orders her to her room, and when Mary refuses she is locked in by force. 

The next morning, a weak Mary discovers she has started her period. Disoriented, she calls out for her mother and Margaret. While getting up, she collapses.  

Shelton weeps, fearing people will think she has poisoned Mary. She tells a bedridden Mary the king will not see her until she admits to being a bastard. He believes she is his worst enemy in the world. Mary sobs but refuses to give in, saying God has not blinded her to confess her father and mother had lived in adultery and made her a bastard.

Chapuys talks to Cromwell and then the king, trying to convince them to let Katherine tend to her daughter. Henry refuses; if mother and daughter are together, Katherine might “raise a number of men and make war, as boldly as did queen Isabella her mother.” He also refuses to send Margaret Pole, who Chapuys calls Mary’s second mother, as she is a fool of no experience. If Mary had been in her care she would have died, but Shelton is an expert in female complaints. 

After queen Anne shows no sympathy for a grievously ill Mary, Jane agrees to help Gertrude. 

Mary is examined by a doctor. She fainted due to her heavy period, in addition to not eating or drinking enough. She is suffering from sorrow. The doctor orders her to eat more and recommends being moved closer to her mother to improve her spirits. Mary knows it will never happen. 

Shelton reveals Sir Thomas More and several monks have been executed for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, and Richard Featherstone is now imprisoned in the Tower. She tells Mary to take warning by their fate. Servants openly desire her death, especially now the queen is pregnant again with what is sure to be a son. Mary notices her old servant Randall Dodd does not join in their bullying. Cornering him in private, she convinces him to deliver a letter to Chapuys.

Gertrude leads Jane to Nicholas, and the pair coach her on how to act. Nicholas tell Jane she must by no means comply with any of the King's wishes, except marriage.

Mary watches out of the window as armed guards are stationed at the gates. Randall walks through them, carrying a letter for Charles V urging the emperor to invade. Mary tells him “In the name of the Queen, my mother, and mine, for the honour of God take this matter in hand, and provide a remedy for the affairs of this country; begging you in the meantime not to forget to solicit permission for me to live with my mother.” 

MONSTER IN NATURE  

Chapuys visits a mortally ill Katherine. She worries over her daughter, but he promises to look after her. After Maria Willoughby arrives she is no longer alone and begs Chapuys to go and protect Mary.

Mary is summoned to see Shelton, who informs her of her mother’s death. She is devastated. Shelton implores her to submit, saying she will not receive the necklace her mother left her in her will. Mary replies she would rather die a hundred times than change her opinion, before going to her bedchamber to cry. 

Randall gives a letter to Mary from Chapuys, making plans for her to escape England. The emperor cannot spare any troops, but there is a ship waiting 40 miles away if she can get there. Chapuys says he will write with a plan soon but Mary is convinced she must go at once lest she be killed. 

Chapuys holds a dinner party with the Courtenay’s, Nicholas and Jane. Nicholas has been inducted into the Order of the Garter over George Boleyn. They discuss queen Anne having a quarrel with Cromwell, and rumours of the king wanting a new wife. Gertrude advises Jane to tell the king his subjects hate his marriage, and no one considers it legitimate. A messenger arrives for Jane from the king, with a letter and a purse of money. All watch on with approval as Jane sends it back, saying she can only accept a gift of money from the king when he makes her an honourable match. Chapuys hopes the progress of their scheme will mean Mary will not need to flee - he tells them “she is so eager to escape from all her troubles and dangers that if he were to advise her to cross the Channel in a sieve she would do it.” 

In turmoil, a grieving Mary takes matters into her own hands. While playing with Elizabeth she tests the strength of the garden gate, noting where Shelton’s window looks out. Returning to the house, she tells the doctor she can’t sleep. He says he will get her some pills to help. 

On the same day Katherine is buried, queen Anne has a miscarriage. The king tells Henry he has been seduced by witchcraft into his marriage, which is null because God has not granted him a son. 

Mary laces some wine with the sleeping pills, and prepares to give it to Shelton and her maids. Only a letter from Nicholas delivered by Randall dissuades her. He begs her to “be of good cheer, for shortly the opposite party will put water in their wine as the King is already sick and tired of the concubine as could be.” Mary replies telling them to do everything possible to remove the mistress. 

At queen Anne’s trial for adultery against the king, Henry votes guilty. He, Gertrude, Nicholas and Chapuys watch on as Anne is beheaded and Jane marries the king.

Mary is astonished to receive a visit from her old lady, Anne Hussey. They have returned from the north as John has to attend parliament, where Elizabeth will be declared a bastard now queen Anne is dead. While talking to Mary, Anne calls for a drink for the princess, and is arrested. Mary is in shock and writes a letter to her father, hoping to reconcile with him now her enemy is dead.

After being presented as the new queen, Jane tells the Courtenay’s, Nicholas and Chapuys that Henry has received his daughter’s letter but is not happy. She promises to help Mary, and Chapuys christens her the peacemaker. 

Margaret Pole returns to court, attracting hundreds of people on the way who think Mary is with her. She carries a scathing letter from her son Reginald. King Henry is outraged that Reginald accuses him of tearing true defenders of religion to pieces, as well as likening him to the tyrant emperor Nero.

A group of nobles headed by Norfolk arrive to harass Mary into signing the acts, calling her a monster of nature and a traitress for continuing to defy her father. When she argues with them they say if she were their daughter they would beat her to death, or bash her head against a wall until it was a soft as a boiled apple.

Mary is locked in her bedchamber and not allowed to talk to anyone. She is to be watched over day and night. Hours pass and she refuses to back down. The guards are changed - this time Randall is on duty. Mary creates a distraction for the other guard and passes a scribbled letter to Randall for Chapuys. 

Jane pleads for mercy, but the king calls her a fool for interfering; she ought to think of the children they will have together and not any others. King Henry swears that not only will Mary suffer, but also his cousin, Cromwell and others. 

Anne is interrogated in the Tower for calling Mary a princess, but she insists it was merely due to habit. Henry is kicked off the privy council, and Nicholas is questioned about his relationship with Mary. Legal papers are drawn up to put Mary on trial for treason.  

Randall returns, detailing what has happened to her friends and giving Mary a letter from Chapuys. Chapuys points out she now has a better opportunity of becoming heir to the crown than when Anne Boleyn was alive. He urges her to save her life for the tranquillity of the kingdom, and comforts her with the knowledge that “God looks more into the intentions than into the deeds of men.”

Fearing for her and her friends lives, a broken Mary finally submits to her father and signs the document before her without reading the contents. 

GRACE 

Mary lies awake in the night crying before being disturbed by a knock at the door - Susan has returned. She is to resume her duties as the king is riding to see Mary. 

A nervous Mary sees her father for the first time in years, along with his new wife Jane who gives her a diamond. King Henry says he regrets their long separation, giving Mary some money and the necklace Katherine left her daughter in her will. He promises she can soon return to court. 

Freed from the Tower, Anne returns north with her husband John, where the people mutter about the king being ruled by evil ministers who have closed the monasteries and forced Princess Mary to sign acts labelling her a bastard. 

Mary returns to court, where the king pats Jane’s stomach, insinuating she is with child. He tells Mary some of his councillors were desirous of her death and she swoons in fear, but her father assures her all will be well now. She sits beside the queen at the high table while Gertrude serves them. 

Cromwell welcomes Mary back, congratulating her on finally signing the acts and calling her “the most obstinate woman that ever was.” 

Mary reunites with Henry Jerningham and Margaret Pole, along with Margaret’s sons Henry and Geoffrey. She tells Mary Reginald, who has just been made a cardinal, will not stop supporting her cause abroad. 

Mary thanks Nicholas, Henry, Gertrude and Chapuys for their help. She begs the ambassador to get her absolution from the Pope for signing the acts under duress. Seeing them talk, King Henry tells his daughter he hates dissemblers. There is talk of an uprising in the north where people believe her able to inherit after him. He forces her to write to the pope, the emperor and his family confirming she sees herself as a bastard.  

In Lincolnshire rebels threaten to burn the Hussey’s house down. Anne promises her husband will join them. John calls her a fool to make such a promise; Anne argues he wanted to rise the north for princess Mary and the true faith. John says that was with the emperor’s help and before she submitted to the king. He writes to him protesting his innocence in the affair. 

At court the king is enraged at the rebels, tearing up John’s letter. Jane goes on her knees and petitions him to reopen the monasteries, but is rebuffed by the king who tells her not to meddle. He talks about the rebellion with Mary, making sure to mention her old chamberlain’s letter, and the vast expense of the army he is sending to suppress it. 

Henry is sent north at the head of the army to prove his loyalty. Gertrude worries over his safety, remembering the Nun of Kent’s prophecies of war. Courtier Edward Neville asks Gertrude if she is merry and she replies "How can I be merry? My lord is gone to battle." He tells her not to fear this one or the second battle, but beware the third. She warns him prophecies will turn him to displeasure one day. 

Anne gives the rebels food, wine and money, encouraging them further. As the army approaches and rebels still camp outside his house, John flees. 

A terrified Jane tells Mary she was mistaken about being with child. Mary reassures her, thanking her new mother for all her help. When he hears, King Henry says he will clearly have no children by his wife, and that if he will have no son to succeed him he hopes for a grandson. 

Henry meets up with John. He pleads innocence, and joins him to deliver an invitation to the rebel leader, lawyer Robert Aske. At the king’s request he is to attend court for Christmas.   

At court Aske and Mary are kept separated. The king questions Aske on the rebels demands. They want the monasteries to reopen, and see no reason why Mary could not be queen. People think the king’s divorce made by Thomas Cranmer was not legal and “Lady Mary ought to be favoured for her great virtues [...] for she is marvellously beloved by the whole people.” He worries with her being ruled illegitimate the emperor has a reason to wage war against the realm. The king tells him he has nothing to fear from the emperor. 

Mary asks Chapuys to distract the king while Gertrude takes her to Robert Aske. Chapuys talks with King Henry about Prince Luis of Portugal being a possible husband for Mary now the French Dauphin has died.  

In secret, Aske tells Mary she will always be the Princess of Wales and heir, no matter what the king decrees, as the law deems her legitimate. The people of England look to her for hope in such faithless times. 

She keeps his words close to her heart as Aske and John Hussey are beheaded for treason. The king says their bodies are to be sent back north as a message for all those against his rule. Mary approves, and King Henry delights at his pearl finally understanding his authority. 

A traumatised Mary stares at the bloodstained scaffold, silently vowing to avenge the deaths of her loving supporters.

[ellesliterarycorner]

Writing Arranged Marriages

This post was inspired by my watching Wedding Season which was such a good movie!! I totally recommend it. Anyways, I’m gonna be the first one to admit it: I love arranged marriages in fiction. I think the politics behind them and the angst can be so good, especially when well written. And, I actually prefer arranged marriages that don’t always end in the couple falling in love with one another. Even though being in love is awesome, it shouldn’t be the end all, be all for every relationship. Some of the best arranged marriages in history were the ones were the couples didn’t necessarily love each other, but they immensely respected each other and each others opinions, and yes, some arranged marriages in history ended in love, but quite a lot of them didn’t. Anyways, here are some tips on writing an arrange marriage in your story. 

Why Are They Getting Married?

For the most part, two families don’t just say, you have a son, I have a daughter let’s get them hitched up. There is careful consideration involved in these things, and most arranged marriages take place for a political reason. Each family probably has an agenda. What do they want out of the marriage? What do they end up getting? Henry the 7th married Elizabeth of York to secure his tenuous at best claim over the English throne. That marriage also served another dual purpose and a popular point of arranged marriages: ending war, by officially ending the War of the Roses by uniting the Lancastrians and the Yorks. Henry the 8th married Anna of Cleaves to secure the support of the Protestant League. Another popular historical reason is land and to expand territory. If your character is the sole heir to a farm and the heir to the neighboring farm is single and your age, chances are you might get married to form one big mega farm. Money is another huge reason. We’ll get to dowries later, but if a noble lord is short on change, marrying his eldest son to a wealthy, orphan heiress improves his families prospects by a million percent. 

What Does Each Person Bring To The Marriage? 

This goes hand in hand with why are they getting married. Say it with me guys: MEDIEVAL MARRIAGES DON’T TAKE PLACE WITHOUT A DOWRY. I mean sure they do, but it’s just very rare. For example, against the advice of all of his advisors, the two times Henry the 8th married an international bride (Anna of Cleaves and Katherine of Aragon) when there really should have been a dowry, he declined it because he just really wanted to get married even though his country needed the money. One of the many dumb decisions good ole Harry made. Especially for Kings and noblemen, half of the point of getting married was to get a big fat dowry to boost your country’s coffers. That was motivation for so many lower-class men to work back-breaking jobs during that time period. They didn’t want their daughters to starve and to not starve you had to have money. Well, one of the only ways for a woman to have money was to marry a man who had money, and to marry a man with money you had to have a dowry. Dowries weren’t always money though. For some lower and middle class people they could be animals or land. Or in the marriage between Edward the 3rd and Philippa of Hainault, a big fat army to help your soon to be husband reclaim the English throne. 

Respect>>>> Love

Sometimes at the very least. Arranged marriages aren’t all about love. Some couple manage to find love, but a lot of people (women especially) prefer to find respect with their future spouses than love. Like I said love isn’t the best thing for every relationship. You could say Henry the 8th loved his wives, but he definitely didn’t respect them and their opinions when they diverged from his own. Having a spouse who respected you and your opinions meant you could wield political power behind the scenes or even openly. Respect also meant a small degree of safety. If your spouse respects you, they’re probably less likely to abuse you or kill you or cast you aside. Love, of course, was probably always the dream, but in a lot of societies where arranged marriages were pretty common, people were taught that love was dangerous. Love lead to death and torrid affairs like Lancelot and Guinevere or Tristan and Isolde. No, love was dangerous and it was far better to let your parents and aunts and uncles make a match for you. 

M’am You Have No Reason To Be Surprised 

If you have already established that arranged marriages are common in your society, and that almost everyone has marriages arranged for them, then having your character be completely surprised and poleaxed when their mother announces that a marriage has been arranged, that completely negates that. Especially if your character later turns out to be a politically savvy genius, then they should not be surprised by the turn of events. In fact if they are a super smart, political genius, they probably should expect it. Of course, it would a completely human reaction and possibly good characterization, if they’re upset about it especially if they hadn’t previously been told of a suitor’s interest, but complete and utter shock should not be the first emotion your character feels in that situation. And, maybe they don’t want to go through with it. Maybe, they knew it was coming, but still thought they could get away with not doing it. But, showing them realizing that it isn’t all about them, that this marriage would help their family and also their country and still going through with it, is also fantastic characterization. 

Marriage ≠ Love

This kinda goes back to the difference between love and respect. I hate that these two things are often considered to be the same thing, the same way that people think love and sex are the same. Lots of authors assume that every married couple is madly in love, and so they can’t imagine a marriage where there is no love. But as we already discussed, love wasn’t always in the equation. Thinking that marriage must have love and that love must include sex generalizes and reduces everything in life. People have sex without being in love, or are in love but don’t have sex. Some people get married and stay married without being passionately in love, and some people get married when they’re in love and get divorced when the love dries up.  Love doesn’t have to be all about sexual tension, jealously and love triangles. There are so many more interesting dynamics to play around with. “But, Elle,” you say. “I don’t know what other dynamics I can add to the relationship.” Hahaha, but I do. Oh, I most certainly do. Here is a small list!

hating each other, but knowing that your people are looking to you as being the solution to a centuries long war and having to put on a public mask of unity and mutual respect 

the gradual growth of emotions other than love. emotions like respect, trust, and absolute faith in one another.

if the marriage is unhappy, show ways in which it might be unhappy other than just simply being arranged, also a question you should ask is are marriage permanent in this society? In my WIP, marriages aren’t permanent and divorces are possible.

what is the family dynamic? is it super complicated or pretty straightforward. are there scheming dads, moms sisters, brothers, aunt, uncles, and cousins involved? do they have children? 

how does marriage even work in your society? do they come from two different countries with two different ideas of marriage? how much time do couples normally spend with each other? do they have separate bedrooms or a single one? do they have a regular sex schedule? because yes those do exist.

Elle’s Bonus Tip: STOP VILLANZING MOTHERS

Please stop doing this guys. I’m legitimately begging. This has gotta stop. I specifically wrote so many mothers in my WIP, who wanted the best for their daughters and that happened to be an arranged marriages and yeah sometimes their daughters didn’t agree with it, but they understood their mother was just trying to protect them because I genuinely hate the constant villainization of mothers in fiction. Especially if your character resides in a society where women can’t and don’t have jobs and marriage is one of the only ways to make sure that a young woman doesn’t ya know, starve to death, then it is perfectly reasonable for a mother to arrange a marriage for her daughter. And like I said earlier, maybe the daughter doesn’t want to get married, maybe they hate the idea of marriage, maybe they disagree with their mother going behind their back and making the arrangements, and yes maybe they hate their mother for a time, but in societies where a woman’s options are normally, nun, wife, or starve, then do not make them hate their mother. It might fracture their relationship, but something so much more nuanced would be them coming to forgive their mother and realize their mother thought that it was the only way for them to survive!

[asitrita]

Italian borthers’ surname

I’ve been thinking about the names and surnames Hima and/or the fandom gave to Hetalia characters. The names of the Italian borthers never seem to make mcuh sense to me. Feliciano is indeed an Italian name (and Spanish too), but I’m not sure how common it is, or if it is a good representative for Northern Italian people. Romano is “Roman” in Spanish, I don’t know if it’s a name in Italy, and I’m sorry if it is, but it sounds weird to me that someone’s named after a nationality or ethnic group. (Actually, I think Romano is a surname in Italy, isn’t it?).

But I what struck me the most was their surname. As far as I know, Vargas is a Spanish surname, not an Italian one, though it seems some Italian families do carry this surname. I was just wondering what would be a proper Italian surname that would be common enough in most Italian regions so as to better represent the Italian characters. I’ve been thinking that maybe Hima gave the Italian brothers the surname Vargas to emphasize the link both of them (more so South Italy) have had with Spain in the past. However, eventhough there are some Spanish surnames in Italy (most commonly in Southern Italy, but also in some Northern cities which had some slightly Spanish influence due to comercial links with the Spanish coasts adn politics), Vargas doesn’t seem to be very common (though it does exist). Some common Italian surnames of Spanish origin or related to Spain would be Spagnolo, Spagnoli, Catalano, Navarra, etc. But all these are named after Spain itself, or Spanish regions. I think it would be a bit weird to have the representations of Italy carrying a surname named after another nation/country. So, considering that Hima’s intentions were to give the Italian brothers an Italian surname that reflected their historical relationship with Spain, I’ve thought that surnames such as Almirante (or Amirante) and Olivares would be a much better choice, since they’re Spanish in origin, but are not like “hey, I’m a Spaniard”. However, these don’t seem to be very common, in fact, they aer quite rare. I’ve been searching for more or less common surnames in Italy of Spanish origin, and I found Perez (meaning “son of”, or “belonging to the house of” Peter/Pedro/Piero), Lopez (”son of/belonging to the house of” Lope) and Martinez (from Martín). The problem I find with these surnames is that they’re written just like in Spanish, but without the diacritical mark. I was searching for a surname that sounded and looked more... Italian. And I’m biased here, because I’m Spanish, so whatever sounds Italian to me may sound everything but italian for actual Intalians, so I’m sorry if I’m messing up. That’s why I thought of a quite uncommon surname (though slightly more common than Vargas), that is of Spanish origin and does sound and look Italian (to me, that’s it). That’s the surname Alonzi, deribed from the Spanish name and surname Alonso, which has already been subject to a process of “italianization”. It is also most common in the region of Lazio which is kind of... in central Italy, so it’s not too North/South specific (it is actually quite uncommon everywhere but in this region). It is also the most “common” (it really isn’t common at all) of all its variants (Alonso, Alonzo, etc). However, there’s another surname I liked that might be related to Spain, Corona, so if the purpose was to emphasize the relationship between Italy and Spain, it would 100% serve its purpose. It’s also quite more common than Alonzi, and it has two possible ethimologies. The first one points to an Italian origin of the surname, so it is certain it is an Italian surname (which is what I’m really looking for), while the second one points out it may very well be of Spanish origin, a shortening of the Spanish word “coronel” (colonel). It is present in all Italian regions, though more so in Sardinia, which used to be part of the Spanish Kingdom (and the Crown of Aragon). I think this would make a good surname because it has two possible origins, one of them being Spanish, but doesn’t sound like a typical Spanish surname (like Vargas, Lopez or Perez). Turth is Corona does mean crown in Spanish, so it 100% sounds Spanish and is a common word in this language, but it is not a Spanish surname, an no one would think it is unless explained otherwise. Summing up, I like both these options, though it must be said that Corona is way more common than Alonzi. Both sound “more Italian” to me (though again, Italians may think otherwise and they would be the ones on the right), and both are more common than Vargas, none of them would be confused by a Spanish surname, and yet both of them do reflect the ties between both countries. Finally, once again, I’m aware these surnames I mentioned are not very common in Italy anyway. By now, I’m already used to the Vargas surname, but I would just prefer a more Italian sounding surname. I hope I didn’t offend anyone, and if there’s any Italian out there who thinks different, feel free to correct anything I’ve said, since I really don’t know much about Italy and I may have messed up a little bit. It would also be nice to know what Italians think about this. I’m aware there are way more common surnames in Italy than the ones I mentioned, but I was looking to retain that connection to Spain the official surname has.

[the-quiet-winds]

The Gravity of Tempered Grace (part two)

[Didn’t get a whole lot of response from part one, but I’ve worked too much on this fic to not post all of it, so I will keep posting it anyway!]

[part one]

[Part 2: I See the Devil in Me, Saying What I Want to Hear]

The Life and Times of Jane the Queen, Chapter 4 - The Lady of Wulfhall

“Not much is truly known of Jane’s early years living at Wulfhall. Most records of her life don’t begin until she arrived at the court of King Henry and began to serve Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn before becoming queen. It is likely she did not receive a formal education, especially not one to compare to Henry’s other wives. She was barely literate, and her formal signature is notable for backwards E’s in both her name and her spelling of “Quene.” Where she faltered in academics, however, she thrived in household work and needlepoint. Some of her embroidery was so well-made, it survived into the 1650s, over one hundred years after her death.”

There she goes again, Catherine can’t help but notice. More needlepoint.

It’s almost hypnotizing, in a way. Jane works with such poise and precision, it’s truly a work of art to behold.

She’ll look up, tilt her head slightly to the side as she studies the subject of today’s endeavor, then turn her head back down to her needlepoint. She does this over and over, never getting dizzy, never deviating.

She only embroiders what she sees, Catherine notes. No imagination or, seemingly, memories of her past life.

Jane remembers her first pass through this Earth, all of them do, but she seems detached from it. She can discuss the painful birth of her son and her prolonged, almost agonizing death without batting an eye. 

Aside from maybe Katherine, Jane has the most emotional song in their show. She has outbursts of anger, one of which directed at Catherine of Aragon herself.

Even in those heated moments, though, Catherine can see that she’s only acting. Jane’s eyes are gray and lifeless, even as she screams in Catherine’s face. During rehearsals, it was clear that her tears during her song were produced on demand. 

“Did you need something?”

Catherine snaps back to the present at Jane’s voice, and those cold eyes are fixed straight on her.

“You were staring off into space,” Jane says. “Did you need something?”

“Oh, uh, no. Thank you, though. Didn’t realize I zoned out.”

Jane simply hums and returns to her needlepoint.

---

Henry knows that his wife - wives, if you want to get technical - is halfway across the world, but what he needs is here. 

It’s well into the witching hour when he stands outside the window separating him from his lost treasure.

He drops his knapsack to the ground and goes to work.

---

They’re just getting home after the show when Jane starts acting strange.

Strange, in this case, is somewhat relative, considering that Aragon and Anne would have classified almost all of her behavior up until now as “strange.”

“Did any of you love Henry?” She asks, sitting on the couch with tea in her hands, as casually as one would ask about the weather.

All the eyes in the room turn to her. “What do you mean?” Anna asks.

“Did you love him?” Jane repeats. “I did, but… did any of you?”

There’s something almost like sincerity in her eyes, and it’s the most emotion and life Catherine has seen out of her since they all came back.

“No,” Katherine says immediately, flatly, nearly offended at the question in the first place.

“Not really,” Anna says.

“I didn’t have much of a choice,” Parr adds softly.

It’s quiet, then, and all attention turns to the first two wives.

“I guess I did,” Catherine admits. “I mean, I was married to him for twenty-four years. You don’t get over that easily.”

“I did, at first,” Anne adds. “But I think I loved the danger and sneaking around more than I loved him.”

Jane looks at the both of them, cocks her head slightly to the side, and then, of all things, laughs.

Catherine bristles, and Anne couldn’t look more confused. 

“What’s so funny?”

“You know he didn’t love either of you, right?” Jane asks. “It’s true that I’m the only one he loved.”

“Only because you had a living son,” Anne quips.

“A legitimate living son,” Catherine grumbles.

Jane smirks. “I also knew when to shut my mouth and not flirt with courtiers,” she says to Anne. 

“Jane, chill,” Cathy pipes in. “I don’t know why you’re trying to rile her-”

She stops talking when Jane turns sharply to her. “I’m simply trying to figure out what my husband saw in these wenches.”

“Woah,” Anna stands up, “that was over the line. Apologize, Jane.”

“Why would I apologize? It’s true.”

“We’re a family, Jane,” Katherine butts in. “You don’t say shit like that to your family.”

Jane rolls her eyes. “Whatever. Goodnight.”

With no apology, no afterthoughts, no anything, Jane rises gracefully and makes her exit.

The other five all look to each other in disbelief. “What the hell was that?” Anna asks, dropping back into her seat. 

“That was insane,” Katherine mutters.

“It was incredible,” Aragon whispers, staring blankly at where the wall meets the floor. “That’s the most emotion I’ve seen out of her since we all came back.”

“I have to agree with you there,” Anne mumbles. 

“Is this… is this what she’s really like?” Cathy asks hesitantly.

No one can answer her, because no one knows.

The two who knew Jane in the last life… well, they aren’t all that sure they knew her at all.

---

Jane lays down on her bed and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, she has no idea where she is.

She’s standing up, first of all, with no memory of getting off the bed. And she’s outside. 

Did she sleepwalk?

“Hello, sweetheart.”

A shiver runs down Jane’s spine, although she isn’t sure if it’s from delight or worry.

Delight, she finds herself deciding, despite her ambivalence about the whole thing, and turns around to face her husband. 

He looks the same as she remembers, just as tall and ruggedly handsome, although perhaps slightly less aged.

Henry takes both of her hands in his, pressing kisses to her knuckles. “I’ve missed you, my love.”

Jane doesn’t answer.

“Didn’t you miss me too?”

“I don’t know.”

He tugs her softly against him. “I know, my love. I know.” So gently, he kisses her forehead. “But you’re here with me, now. Everything is alright.”

Resting her head on his chest, she tries to relax. But there are too many questions burning and flitting through her mind for her to ignore. “How are you here?” She asks. “And… and where are we?”

“I’m here by the same twist of fate you are,” he answers quietly. “I can’t say I understand it either. And we’re home, my darling. Doesn’t it look different now?”

Jane squints in the dark, and she can vaguely make out the city skyline. It definitely isn’t New York, that’s for sure.

“We’re in London,” he explains. “Back in our once-home.”

Jane’s eyes blow wide and she pries herself out of Henry’s arms. “How… what? London?”

“I’m here, love, you’re okay,” he tries to soothe. “I can’t tell you how, yet, but it’ll all make sense soon.” He leans in to kiss her head again, and Jane is in such shock she can’t move. 

Henry reaches a hand into the satchel at his side and looks into Jane’s eyes. “Now go back home and forget all of this happened.”

---

Jane heaves a deep breath as she settles deeper into her bed. Another long day gone, another dreamless night ahead. 

Without much pretense, Jane Seymour turns over and falls asleep.

And somewhere else, Henry smiles.

[absolutelyinvinciblebritishgent]

What if the Sound Trio survived and became Leaf ninjas?

Headcanons under the cut (bitch, it’s a lot of headcanons)

~ Chunin Exam Finals/Invasion~

Dosu was shown to be suspicious of Orochimaru because of the whole Sasuke/curse mark thing and seemed like he wasn’t wanting to be a part of Orochimaru’s shit anymore so he’s the one who realizes something is up

Rather than face Gaara he somehow finds out about sand’s allegiance with sound (overhearing Baki and Kabuto on the way to Gaara, eavesdropping on Orochimaru [because, again, sus], etc...) and that’s what pushes him to defect from sound (also how he manages to live)

Dosu, Zaku, and Kin aren’t necessarily close, but in the anime Dosu did sort of say he was gonna get revenge on behalf of Zaku for what happened to his arms so there is a sense of something there (whether it be friendship, camaraderie, or just wanting to stick together to survive... idk) and Dosu tells his teammates what’s up and convinces them that they gotta GTFO

Zaku is a little more difficult to convince because why would Orochimaru do that to him? He saved Zaku from being a street rat, he gave Zaku power

Dosu ain’t having it and is like “if you wish to stay behind then that is your decision, in the end it is better for us to not have to carry any dead weight” (obviously referring to Zaku’s inability to do anything because of his arms)

Dosu then proceeds to tell Zaku how he no longer serves a purpose without his arms and he was nice enough to still want to take Zaku with him, Orochimaru would not be so kind

Zaku is upset because he knows Dosu has a point and they all leave

They (read: Dosu) decide that their best chance of survival is staying in Konoha because, the minute they leave, the sound village/Orochimaru will be gunning for their asses and also they’d be missing-nin, so others would try to kill them too

But what can they do to assure they don’t get imprisoned or killed due to having worked under Orochimaru? Rat out the sound village and give all the information they know/found out about the invasion and sand’s involvement

Third Hokage is a cool dude and also was Orochimaru’s teacher so he knows the kind of power this bitch can have over people which is why he agrees to let the sound trio stay and have them watched by Anbu

Dosu does not participate in the chunin exam finals because witness protection, or something

The invasion still happens because Orochimaru ain’t stupid. His “pawns” are nowhere to be found so it’s likely they’re betraying him, so obviously he makes changes to the plan

Dosu, Kin, and Zaku do not participate in fighting off the invasion because, uh, super strict house arrest orders???

Third Hokage dies and this FREAKS the trio out because a) oh shit Orochimaru actually did it and b) we’re only allowed to be here because of him, so what’s going to happen to us

Council is deciding what to do with them and has them staying hidden/as they were, but what’s more important to them is finding Tsunade and having her take over as Hokage so the trio are just anxiously chilling

Tsunade is Hokage now and she decides to let them stay because they turned their backs on Orochimaru and also she trusts Sarutobi’s judgment on letting them stay initially, but they are still going to be watched by Anbu to be sure

Naruto and co. find out about the trio and they are PISSED because “not only did you try to kill Sasuke, not only are you from the village that attacked us, not only did you work for Orochimaru but you did nothing to defend Konoha during the invasion. If you want to be a part of this village then you should have helped”

Tsunade tells these bitches to simmer down. They were under Anbu house arrest. She’s Hokage and they need to respect her decision. Also Zaku, let’s fix your arms.

~Sasuke Retrieval Arc~

Everyone is immediately on the trio’s ass because “we knew you couldn’t be trusted”

Tsunade has to tell everyone to stfu again

The trio want to go (to prove themselves) and feel they can be of assistance but Tsunade is like Catherine of Aragon because she says there’s no no no no NO WAY. It’s already a dangerous mission, it might be more so for them because Orochimaru is probably after their heads for betraying him and knows all of their skills

Everything about the arc is the same until the point where Shikamaru, Kiba, and Lee need help. Instead of the Sand Siblings being the ones to arrive it’s the sound trio

Zaku saves Kiba... mainly because I imagine them being friends once the trio are accepted and I just want this to be the beginning of their friendship. How he saves him idk because I’m not creative when it comes to fights

Kin saves Shikamaru. Again idk how. Zaku’s slicing sounds waves make more sense here because they work similar to Temari’s fan but I want it to be Kin because kunoichi vs. kunoichi, genjutsu vs. genjutsu, and also the idea of Kin saving the guy who beat her in such an embarrassing way does something to me, but also is a sort of redemption? I just want this battle to show off how skilled Kin can be because she was very underutilized and kinda weak in the original story and I love her so much, she deserves to do cool shit. So let her outsmart Tayuya and, in a way, she is outsmarting Shikamaru because he had no more plans to fall back on

Dosu saves Lee. Again, idk how and, again, I think Zaku’s slicing sound waves would be better here because they can keep Kimimaro (a close range fighter) at bay but I guess seeing Dosu and Kimimaro throwing hands would be cool. And then you have that redemption moment with Lee because Dosu kicked his ass in the forest of death and now he’s saving Lee!

After the mission, despite its failure, the trio are accepted as leaf shinobi and are introduced to their new sensei: cue Anko crashing through the window with a big sign introducing herself again

Similarly to the moment when Naruto spoke out and Anko threw a kunai at him, Zaku gives a snide comment and Anko is immediately at his throat, and then she’s like “JK! But don’t say that again you little shit!”

Anko was chosen to lead the trio due to her past with Orochimaru and because of that she can better understand them

~Other Headcanons~

It took the Konoha 12 a while to accept the trio. The first ones to accept them were Kiba, Lee, and Shikamaru (duh) but also Choji and even Naruto. Choji became cool with them when he found out Shikamaru was cool with them because he trusts Shikamaru’s judgment, and despite originally trying to kill his teammate, Naruto accepts them because they came out and helped so that means they’re a-okay in his book. Neji was slightly taken aback but also accepted them pretty quickly. Basically, the retrieval team was like “yeah okay” and vouch for them.

The ones who took the longest to come around were Ino and Sakura because did y’all just forget what happened at the forest of death???

As I said, I imagine Kiba and Zaku being friends. Mainly because I feel they have similar personalities in the sense that they’re both pretty cocky, boisterous, and talk shit. I imagine them kinda being like rivals in the sense of they’re always trying to one up each other

Zaku is still not fond of Shino because of the whole bugs in arms thing so whenever Shino is around Zaku is just like “I hate your teammate” to Kiba

Kin/Shikamaru could potentially replace the Temari/Shikamaru relationship. Both Kin and Temari are very similar in the sense of being an ex-villain, being viewed as scarier/more intense compared to the Konoha girls, being older by a couple years, and they both lost (well, Temari technically won but we all know she lost) to Shikamaru. Because of this the Kin/Shikamaru relationship wouldn’t be all that different to how the Temari/Shikamaru relationship is shown

That being said I love the sand siblings and don’t want them gone and because of how similar I feel Kin and Temari are they become really good friends and Kin enjoys when Temari visits. They both make Shikamaru’s life hell though. Double Trouble™️

Also I said potentially because I like exploring the idea of Kin/Zaku or Kin/Dosu (:

Dosu and Shino actually get along really well (much to the dismay of Zaku). They’re the type of people where they can sit in silence with each other and it’s just chill. And when they have to work together they kinda have flawless teamwork and don’t even need to speak to know what the other plans on doing

Kin and Sakura actually get along now? They’re not best friends by any means but they can be civil and respect each other

Team Kurenai and Team Sand are the teams that the trio get along with the best/most easily tho

Kin cut her hair to her lower back. Cue everyone cracking jokes about Neji and Kin looking the same from behind. Kin stops tying her hair after that

The trio have really well trained ears because back in Otogakure they had to learn to pick up on the subtlest of sounds in order to spy on enemies and communicate at such a low volume that to any normal ear sounds like silence but to them the message is loud and clear

Because of this they’re all amazing singers (Dosu is the best tho because he has the best trained ear. Seriously, being able to tell what someone is writing based on the sounds of their pencil? Skills.) and everyone likes hearing them sing.

That being said, despite being from the land of sound they didn’t actually know any songs because the sound village doesn’t really do music. It was forbidden because no one is allowed joy in the land of sound. Jk. But it did have to do with depriving people of normalcy because Orochimaru was creating an army of followers

This little singing/music tidbit was discovered by Naruto and he took it upon himself to show the trio music. It wasn’t all good music, but it’s music!

Also, despite being the best singer, Dosu doesn’t really do it. Dude doesn’t even hum. He’ll only sing if Kin and Zaku start pestering or if Anko wants him to

The first (and only) time Kin and Zaku saw Dosu cry was shortly after they became leaf shinobi. Anko and Tsunade were telling the team how brave it was for them to leave Orochimaru and sound behind, and Anko especially complimented Dosu on taking him and his team out of that situation. Kin and Zaku had been trying to hold back tears and keep up their tough image but the minute they saw Dosu crying, not trying to wipe away his tears or hide them or anything they lost it

No one talks about their little crying session. It’s a secret

Despite getting his arms fixed by Tsunade, Zaku still has problems with them, especially his right one (I think that’s the one that got blown off) and needs to get them treated consistently. Partly due to the fact they he didn’t give himself all the time to heal after Tsunade fixed him because he went to help the retrieval team and, mainly, because of Orochimaru’s experiments. Like, essentially Zaku’s air tube surgery was actually kind of botched and, for lack of a better term, experimental, and is fucking with the nerves and muscles and chakra in his arms and kinda eating away at them. And the crazy damage he took from getting his arms blown off only fucked everything up more

Eventually Zaku gets a better version of his air tube in his left arm and has to completely replace the right arm with a cool prosthetic that lets him do stronger/cooler jutsus

Kin has combined singing with her genjutsu and has created a sort of mind control jutsu... I may or may not have gotten this idea while listening to Come Little Children and remembering that Sarah Sanderson would control kids with song

The trio think Sasuke is a fUCKING DUMBASS for willingly going with Orochimaru. Like, bitch we had to leave that no good asshole for the betterment of our lives and you just waltz out of Konoha and straight into his arms?! What is you doing Uchiha?!