#countship

[cookinguptales]

finally watching smartypants and sitting here like, "yes, trapp, the principality of liechtenstein. a great place to share a birthday with indeed, as the birth of liechtenstein marked the end of one of the most brutal and corrupt witch hunts in european history."

see also: why I am not generally invited places.

[longnguyen41]

Keeping Update

Isiash Bates

Courting

Sarah Leah

July 26, 2024

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

The M6 with a kid they had with someone they separated with prior to meeting the M6? I know I already wrote a fic but I like seeing other people’s insight besides mine since others have had different experiences

The Arcana Mini-HCs: When M6 have a kid before MC

Julian: probably didn't know he had one until he passed back through a few years later and found out the hard way. convinced having him around will only be bad for them, reconnects after meeting MC

Asra: they don't love that many people, but when they do, they do so wholeheartedly (heh). depending on the other parent, he either raises them or he visits them every day/in dreams. Howl & Markl dynamic

Nadia: half the reason she doesn't want her family around is to judge her as a mother. she raises her child in the Palace with the help of trusted staff. her biggest regret is the 3 years that separated them

Muriel: more likely to have adopted one than fathered one before MC, he found them as a plague-orphaned infant under the docks as a late teen. with Asra moved out, he took them home and became family

Portia: the father was a hookup on her travels to Vesuvia and she'd always wanted to be a mom anyways. the village really is helping to raise this bundle of sunshine, every Palace staff knows their name

Lucio: still doesn't know who the mom is, the baby was left on the Palace steps in the first year of his Countship and he took them in on a whim. everything he has is theirs - he just doesn't have everything

[randomishnickname]

Just reread A Civil Campaign and my gooood i had forgotten how funny and thrilling and complex that book is. There's so much stuff happening! It's pure chaos everywhere! And yet it's all intervowen and makes perfect sense! Wonderful.

Quick overview of all the plot threads in A Civil Campaign, please help me out if i forgot some:

Miles' "secret" (*cough*) and catastrophic courting of Ekaterin

Ekaterin starting a new life in Vorbarr Sultana and fending off suitors left and right

Kareen Koudelka fighting to get her parents to accept her new galactic mores

Mark launching the Butterbug Business and all the delightful messes that ensue

René "Ghembretten" fighting for his claim to the Vorbretten Countship

Dono Vorrutyer fighting for the claim to his own Countship and all the shenanigans and intrigues that ensue

Escobaran police trying to get their hand on the wicked Doctor Enrique Borgos (Enrique ily <3)

Miles and Ekaterin fighting against awful rumors to preserve their reputation and protect Nikki

Gregor and Laisa's imperial marriage and its stressful preparations

And final special mention to Count Vormuir and his 118 daughters

That's like, 10 different plot threads at once, and wielded with such skill! Never a dull minute. I'm in such awe of LMMB 😵🤯

[phoenixyfriend]

HECK my brain has provided a Silly AU

Okay, explanation: Saw a promo photo for AotC. Brain connected some dots. Rotated. Connected other dots. Now I have a weird net.

Background before moving forward: For most modern AUs, the pattern I follow for the disaster lineage main line is:

Feemor and Xanatos were Qui-Gon's mentees (college stuff), not his kids. One ended well. The other did not.

Obi-Wan was the result of a Bad Decision (likely alcohol, but could be a longer relationship). The bio mom is not in the picture, but Qui-Gon's doing his best with this kid.

First marriage was when Obi-Wan was still a toddler, to Tahl. Tahl dies when Obi-Wan is about 15/16. Qui-Gon deals poorly. This involves some ill-advised one-night stands.

About ten years later, one of said one-night stands calls him up with "I meant to be a single mother and not involve you, because all I had was the business card you left, but I've been having some health troubles and I need to know that Anakin has somewhere to go if something happens to me." Qui-Gon ends up with another kid. Obi-Wan and Anakin are half-brothers.

Okay now for the actual AU.

We give Anakin a reason to be transferred mostly to Qui-Gon. Maybe Shmi's health took a turn for the worse, maybe she died, maybe they decided Anakin would have better schooling if he was living with Qui-Gon, whatever. Point is mostly that Anakin is living with Qui-Gon (the dad he likes but only sort-of knows) and Obi-Wan (the half-brother he adores but doesn't see much of because Obi-Wan is in grad school).

And then Qui-Gon remarries.

To Mace.

And the entire point of all this is that I want Anakin's stepdad on this side to be Mace Windu and imagine the Various Nonsenses that may come about.

They have a very big house because Qui-Gon is Dooku's firstborn and is inheriting the Countship.

(Rael can't inherit because he's the only heir to a different title and he can't hold both at the same time.)

Anakin reading books about Evil Stepmothers and trying to figure out if he should be watching Mace for Important Signs.

Does it count if it's a stepdad? Are the books an accurate representation of the proper signs to watch out for?

My favorite QuiMace dynamic is Qui-Gon deliberately, constantly toeing the line of irritation to Mace. And Mace is just incredibly flat-faced about it at all times. People think they're just. Coworkers at best. And then Qui-Gon manages something extra ridiculous and earns himself a smile and a peck on the cheek and everyone's just like WAIT. WHAT. It's like. Qui-Gon embodies this constant, slightly smug, needling grin where he knows exactly how far he can push, and Mace is charmed by this against his better judgement.

Mace has to drive Anakin to school sometimes and there's just this. Kid. In the passenger seat. Staring at him. The only request he ever gets from the kid is to go Fast. It happens once. He says no. Anakin doesn't ask again, just. Stares at him.

Mace knows the kid isn't possessed but he sure as hell feels like it sometimes; he wants to endear himself to his stepkid, but said stepkids spends half his time staring suspiciously at him from around corners for no reason.

I am envisioning this all taking place in like. This egregiously old and fancy mansion in the Scottish Highlands or something. All those painfully upper crust carved dark wood stair rails and whatnot. The tropey kind.

Qui-Gon decides Mace and Ani should try to Bonding Exercise. Sets them up in an escape room. Mace turns to read the instructions and turns around to find Anakin trying to unscrew the door from the wall because That's One Way To Win, Right? It's Not Against The Rules. He's not trying to escape for anxiety reasons or anything, this is just the fastest way to Win, and boy does Anakin love winning.

Qui-Gon goes off to a botany conference so the house is just Mace and Anakin (and staff, but half the building is a living museum because Qui-Gon doesn't like Rich Life, so that's not actually anything that involves them), and it's. The most awkward thing.

Obi-Wan and Mace get along well. Obi-Wan and Depa (Mace's adopted daughter) get along great. It's just Anakin being so gosh darn weird.

The acceptance phase with this child involves climbing. Anakin is climbing his stepdad to reach Things Up High before he actually talks to him like a Fellow Human Being.

Anakin climbs Qui-Gon to reach high things all the time so Mace figures it's a good sign. It's just also annoying because now he has to change his shirt since there's a child-sized footprint on it.

(Ironically, Anakin adores Depa. She can cook better than anyone else in this family, except Mom and that Dooku guy that's apparently Grandpa)

(Granted I can also very easily imagine this as not-manor life, but like. random suburb.)

@epicmusic42 (Wren) pointed out:

The manor is important bc it gives ambiance to Anakin's suspicion. Could also have a b-plot where depa and obi are investigating what they think might be a murder? They're not sure and they're not letting anakin join bc they're terrified they'll be right and find a dead body komari stashed in the walls 20 years ago

Mace, rubbing his temples: She's alive and living on Cypress. We can video call her.

Obi-Wan and Mace get along well. Obi-Wan and Depa get along great. It's just Anakin being so gosh darn weird.

The acceptance phase with this child involves climbing. Anakin is climbing his stepdad to reach Things Up High before he actually talks to him like a Fellow Human Being.

Anakin climbs Qui-Gon to reach high things all the time so Mace figures it's a good sign. It's just also annoying because now he has to change his shirt since there's a child-sized footprint on it.

(Ironically, Anakin adores Depa. She can cook better than anyone else in this family, except Mom and that Dooku guy that's apparently Grandpa)

The idea of Depa and Obi-Wan furiously whispering about Weird Ghost Things in a corner while Anakin is pretending to be otherwise occupied is killing me.

He's got on noise cancelling headphones. They are not on. He is listening very intently to his Grown Up Siblings.

He's going to crawl into the vents and find the ghost Mace finds him half-way inside a vent he removed himself and just. Pulls him out. What the fuck fudge, kid?

Wren:

Mace: [considers his daughter. Considers everything he knows Obi-wan. Considers that this is Qui-Gon’s kid] Mace, resigned: ...does this have anything to do with depa and Obi-wan’s idea that there's a ghost? Anakin: ...maybe

I need Anakin to have a nightmare and he tries to find Qui-Gon but Mace is already awake and decides to Make Some Hot Chocolate.

Groundskeeper Plo and his granddaughter Ahsoka.

Shaak is Plo's daughter-in-law and Ahsoka's mom. She spends most of her time working in the neonatal ward of the nearest hospital, so she leaves Ahsoka with Plo a lot.

This toddler has decided Anakin is her favorite person EVER.

Wren:

plo might have planted some odd evidence to help Mace bond w anakin over a mystery. Whether that's still what depa and obi are investigating tho...

Plo has a pilot's license and Anakin spends so much time asking him about it

Anakin keeps trying to get into the antique swords Mace would tear his hair out if he had any

Wren:

Mace: help? Qui? Qui: Ani, the same rule applies to you as it did to the rest of our family. You have to beat father in a duel before you can touch his collection Whether or not it works depends entirely on whether it's Dooku's swords Anakin is trying to access Mace is concerned by this is until Qui-Gon points out that his father did go to the Olympics. Several times in fact.

Anakin's upset because he can't beat Dooku in a duel when Dooku's on some wine tour in Italy and won't be coming back until all the court cases are over.

There's a fic (by @willowcrowned) where Dooku is Ventress's fencing coach to get her to the Olympics and I like that option (She's going in the will and everyone knows it.)

Glorious! Could drive the chaos up even more by interrupting Mace's progress w anakin, w dooku coming home w ventress in tow, actually. The only explanation he'll give is that she's staying and to treat her like family. Everyone is Concerned

You know those comics where Dick Grayson is like. Swinging on the chandelier and scaring the shit out of Bruce and Alfred? That's Anakin.

Qui-Gon is relatively responsible and tells Anakin that he can sign up for a gymnastics class if he'd like, but he's not swinging from the chandelier without safety equipment. That's How Your Uncle Rael Broke His Leg, You Know. Unfortunately, he's still too chill about it for Mace's blood pressure.

Also, I decided that if I ever do anything with this, it's QuinObi.

I think Mace and Tholme would make for very saltmate in-laws (and hey, we could do the Plo thing!), but also Quinlan would probably enjoy winding up his future step-father-in-law just as much as Qui-Gon does.

[intrepid-creations]

Hellooooo. So this has been a long time in the making! And technically it's still in the making but like ... I'm at least ready to subject this to public viewing and I have a release schedule for it too!

I'm in the process of writing a novel which will be released in serial format on the web. A web novel if you will.

Here's a short summary:

Torvola has had enough of battle.  Fifteen years of her life had been spent fighting a brutal war to place the queen of Irozia on the throne. Before that she had spent her childhood fighting alongside her father, defending their mining town against the monsters deep under the earth. Now she had found peace living in a small village by the sea with her aging dog, and having regular dates with a friendly selkie. All she wanted to do was live out the rest of her days, even if there was still part of her that yearned for adventure and the thrill of the fight. Caleste never got the glory she desired. Fifteen years she had fought under the future queen of Irozia. For fifteen years she had tried to get out from under Torvola’s impressive shadow to prove that she was more than just a merchant’s daughter. To prove that she was someone, that she was the hero that Torvola wasn’t. She got almost everything she wanted: money, some modicum of fame, and a decent chunk of land in the southeastern corner of the queendom to lord over. Now she spends her days governing her countship alongside her wife as well as raising her two sons. Still, her desire for glory and to go down in history as more than just one of the many soldiers that fought in battle burns hot. She wants to go on one last adventure, one more chance for her name to be on the lips of every bard on the continent. Just one more chance. Cazan wishes that they weren’t seen as a monster. Fifteen years they had spent fighting for the queen alongside Caleste and Torvola. It was an okay time of their life - only marred by the frequent accusations of them being a blood mage and thus inherently evil. They wished they could say they weren’t bothered by people viewing them as a monster but there was a reason they spent their time after the war wandering the mountains of Quacha Ra. After meeting a young girl with strange magical powers that scared even her own parents, they felt a kinship and took her under their wing. Perhaps they can unlock the mystery behind this girl’s magic and perhaps they can prove they’re not the monster everyone believes them to be. All three have been separated by time and distance, occupied by their own lives and their own troubles. However, when an unknown magical force begins causing rifts to form beneath the earth — the monsters from Torvola’s past begin to emerge. Torvola must don her sword, shield, and brigandine once more and face this new threat. Caleste sees one more shot at glory and to be viewed as the hero she so obviously is. Cazan feels like their mentee, Queneh, is related to this somehow but they can’t quite figure out the connection. Three lives intertwine once more as the world shatters around them.  This time it’s more than just the queendom of Irozia at stake … It’s the entire continent.

The other summary I had for it was: "Middle aged lesbians team up to save the world". That's more of a tagline I suppose.

It's now out and updating every Tuesday!

Cheers!

[arsenicxarcana]

idk if it would be different I read it personally but thru a friend live blogging I am slightly more informed when I say I don't like the writing in Lucio's route

his OWN ROUTE barely respects him:

man w hobby of murder bad at fighting

jock bad at outside

a lot stupider than he needs to be (esp ch uhhh 17? 18? the one where they explain whats going on)

awkward situational awareness

of course the narrative brushing off trauma/feelings but I think canon just Does That

i can safely ignore pretty much any interaction with nadia and asra

i can ignore about 50% of what comes out of lucios mouth especially regarding countship and magic

i do enjoy the devil being Spooked by mc being high on Arcana sauce and like! there are things to use!! but yeah

we'll see if the last chapter n epilogue hold up but I'm not holding my breath

[i-hold-horrors-hand]

Papal Nobility

A headcanon list by me, based on a Wikipedia dive totally hard research.

Patriarch/Matriarch: A former Papa/Mama (or high-ranking Clergy member) who oversees (rules over) a specific area, and perhaps a specific sin.

Papal Count/Countess: The offspring or close relative of a Papa, who has been granted a religious countship and estate by said Papa.

Papal Viscount/Viscountess: A person (usually a Papa's relative, though not always) who has been appointed by a Papa to an administrative/judicial position.

Papal Lord/Lady: A person (usually a Papa's relative, though not always) who has been appointed to (essentially) rule/oversee a small territory.

Nobile: The children and other family members of a Papa.

[sosa-royals]

Thaddeus: Have you found it yet?

Juliette: Not yet

Thaddeus: It's Channel 12 I think

Juliette: Ah! Found it!

Thaddeus: I don't know why this is what you want to watch

Juliette: Because red carpets are fun Ted! And because I want to see who the winners will be so I can call and celebrate with Jackie if Chantelle wins

Thaddeus: Won't that just remind her of Olivier?

Juliette: ...

Thaddeus: I'm sorry, ignore me

Thaddeus: That dress looks nice, who's that?

Juliette: ...my mother

Thaddeus: Still no news from her?

Juliette: Nope

Thaddeus: Nothing at all?

Juliette: Nothing at all

Juliette: We used to talk almost every day, sometimes twice a day when she wasn't as busy but in the past few weeks I haven't even heard from her once. The rest of the country has seen her more than I have

Thaddeus: And no news from anyone else?

Juliette: Just one text from my dad saying "hang in there puppet"

Juliette: (sighs) Distract me, let's talk about something else

Thaddeus: Okay... um... how are things with Maxi?

Juliette: (groans) Ted! That's a horrible distraction

Thaddeus: I know, I'm sorry

Juliette: Tell me something, anything. Your family! You have siblings right?

Thaddeus: Yes, an older brother and sister. I'm the youngest which is great because I don't have to worry about inheriting anything important

Juliette: Surely, you'd be inheriting one of your father's lesser titles?

Thaddeus: I rejected it

Juliette: Ted

Thaddeus: Fine, I postponed it. I refused to accept until after I finished my PhD... which was almost 4 years ago... I'd say I've done a good job avoiding it

Juliette: Ted!

Thaddeus: Juliette!

Juliette: What's so bad about a title?

Thaddeus: The fact that it comes before my first name, and my academic achievements. I'm a professor Juliette, of what benefit is 'Lord' or 'Sir' to me?

Juliette: So in theory, your name would be...

Thaddeus: The Right Honourable Viscount of Rojardin, Thaddeus Alphonse Evannesce, PhD, Msc. I'd rather not add 'Dr' to all that

Juliette: Rightfully so, that is a mouthful

Thaddeus: You're one to talk Her Royal Highness Princesss Juliette Celine Marseille

Juliette: Hey! My last name is only Marseille until I graduate. Then I'll inherit Saint-Lyon with my newer titles.

Thaddeus: Then your name'll be even longer

Juliette: I wonder how many titles I'll get. From your expert political advice, what do you think?

Thaddeus: hmmm...your main title will merge and change, so will your last name. You'll probably start off as a Duchess, and then be given a Countship and Baronship... so three

Juliette: That's a bit too much for the fifth-in-line, don't you think?

Thaddeus: Yes, it is too much for a fifth-in-line

Next | Previous

[the-shattering]

Chapter 16: Ashes

Odrum, Irozia

Odrum had been reduced to a pile of ash and death. Caleste, Edrahn, and the knights picked their way through the wreckage of destroyed houses. The cloth masks on their faces kept the worst of the stench out. They guided their horses carefully so as to not to trod upon the charred bodies that remained intact. Edrahn was grasping her staff so tightly that Caleste was worried that it’d snap in her hand. She’d have reached over to hold Edrahn’s other hand to comfort her if she wasn’t grasping her halberd with a similar tenseness. There was no telling if whatever had attacked the village was still lurking around the thick smoke that still blanketed the town and reduced their visibility to only a few dozen feet around them. They needed both their hands free in order to react quickly to whatever threat may arise.

“What could have done this?” Emmon asked. His voice was scarce above a whisper, as if concerned about alerting an unseen enemy.

“Odrum may be a small village but they certainly would have been able to defend themselves from any bandits coming in from the Barrens,” Caleste said, “A desperate lord from the Southern Kingdom perhaps?”

Edrahn’s lips pressed into a thin line and she shook her head. She hailed from the Southern Kingdom before she had met Caleste — she knew her people, “No lord would be this ruthless, this … destructive.”

“I agree,” Emmon said, “If they were desperate for food and resources, I doubt they’d burn everything to the ground before they could loot the place. Not to mention it would be suicide to go against Irozia — especially with an act of violence as egregious as this. We may have had years of peace but the Southern King knows that Queen Venera has him outmatched.”

Caleste looked down at the ground below her and almost wished she hadn’t. A ghastly skull clad in a blackened helm stared back up at her. She flinched back and brought her horse to a sudden halt.

“What is it?” Edrahn asked and Caleste felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment and shame from being so quick to spook.

“Nothing to be frightened of,” she said and regained her composure before she dismounted next to the corpse, “Just the dead body of a soldier.”

She knelt down to examine the charred remains. The corpse was mostly buried in the rubble of a collapsed house with seemingly only its head intact. Her confusion at the situation deepened as she got a better look at the helmet clad skull. The fire damage could explain the inhuman look of the skull but the helmet itself? That didn’t look like any helmet she was familiar with. It certainly wasn’t a helmet any member of a town militia in her countship would be wearing. She surmised that the body she saw must have been one of the raiders. However that didn’t help her much with identifying who exactly it was that just destroyed one of her towns.

In fact the mystery only deepened as she stared down at the skull and the helmet it wore. Most helmets from the Southern Kingdoms were conical nasal helms with maille aventails that covered the face and neck. Bandits, or really any warrior from the Barrens, wore thick cloth as their armor and usually wore no helmets.

This helmet was made of some form of metal, though Caleste wasn’t entirely sure it was iron, and it was in the shape of a brimmed hat. Under the helmet the creature wore a maille coif made of the same blackened metal as the helmet. She placed a few fingers on the helmet, rubbing it slightly to see if it were soot that would rub off. Her hand came back only slightly darkened by soot but the metal of the helmet remained a deep, glossy black.

“This isn’t any metal I’m familiar with,” she said and looked up at Emmon who had approached to examine the skull.

He shook his head, he hadn’t seen metal like that either.

Caleste carefully lifted the helmet from the skull and she heard Emmon make a noise of shock. The man was a hardened veteran, a soldier who had fought in the queen’s army during her campaign to retake the throne. He had seen far worse than this, they both had.

The skull looked almost human to Caleste — everything seemed to be in the right place at least: Two eyes, a nose, and a ghastly gaping mouth with soot stained teeth. However there was something still unsettling about it, something that stirred a feeling deep in her veins that she was only vaguely familiar with.

She reached out to touch the maille coif and as one of her fingers brushed the skull it crumbled into a heap of ash. She drew her hand back, her finger that touched the skull tingled slightly as if it had been shocked.

“Caleste?” Edrahn asked, her voice was laced with worry.

Caleste stood up and attached the helmet to one of her saddlebags, “We can’t do anything for the poor souls here,” she said, “Let’s go.”

“Where?” Emmon asked.

“Where do you think?”

Anger and indignation had been building up in Caleste like a thunderhead on a summer’s day. Sure she felt sorry for the people who died in Odrum and the child who now sat in her castle who was likely the only survivor of the carnage. But more than that she felt pissed.

No one marched into her countship and made a mockery of her. First the terrible winter and now this … this insult. Caleste, the noble and heroic countess who couldn’t protect her own people.

She couldn’t stand by that.

She needed to find whoever did this.

They needed to pay.

“We’re going to find who’s responsible for this, and make sure they never do this to me again,” she said.

Emmon looked uncertain, “M’lady I’m not sure this is a good idea. Look at what destruction these raiders wrought — we should get reinforcements.”

“We haven’t the time,” Caleste said, “They could be marching on Caleston as we speak. Are we not the best warriors in the queendom? Did we not prove that over and over again? We can prove it once more.”

Her tone allowed for no further argument though Emmon looked as if he wanted to press the point. He sighed and gave a curt nod, “I’ll send Theran and Lovac to look for any trace of where our attackers went.”

“Good,” Caleste said, “Have them start looking to the south of the settlement.”

“You still think this is the Southern Kingdom,” Edrahn said.

Caleste looked to her wife, “Who else could it be Edrahn? They suffered through the same winter as we had. I know you don’t want to believe your people did this but who else could it have been? This doesn’t look like the work of simple bandits.”

“I think your desire to prove your worth is clouding your judgment.”

“I think your love of your people is clouding yours.”

Caleste would always marvel at how Edrahn, despite being a head shorter than her, could manage to stare down at her. She wasn’t about to back down though — she knew this had to be the Southern Kingdom. It literally couldn’t be anyone else.

Edrahn wasn’t going to yield any ground either, “So if the Southern Kingdom did attack us as you so adamantly believe — to what end? What could they possibly gain from this?”

“It’s a tactic,” Caleste said, “Encroach on my territory, raze a few villages to the ground, and burn our farmsteads … It’ll become too big of a problem for me to ignore and so they’ll force me into a battle.”

It’s what she would do. It’s what she had done.

“So you’re giving them what they want.”

“I’m putting a stop to this before it becomes a big problem.”

Caleste looked away from her wife and back over the ruins of Odrum; her mask slipped slightly and she hurriedly readjusted it. The stench of death and smoke was very familiar to her yet it still was nearly overpowering. Perhaps she had lost her touch in the years of peace.

She furrowed her brow in confusion as she retied the mask — she had smelled what she would have expected from a scene like this: the acrid scent of burnt houses and the nauseatingly sweet stench of charred flesh. However added to the smell was the pungent, nose stinging stench of sulfur.

[litcityblues]

'A Civil Campaign' --A Review

I cannot emphasize enough how much I love the shift in tone of this series. 'Memory' is probably one of my favorite Vorkosigan novels so far, but 'Komarr' together with 'A Civil Campaign' (they're kind of direct sequels to one and other in many ways-- a 1a and 1b as it were) might end up being ranked as a close second.

Following the events of 'Komarr', Miles wants to woo Ekaterin Vorsoisson, but also wants to give her space to find herself and mourn her husband and fears that a direct approach might drive her way, so he decides to approach things indirectly. He hires her to design a garden beside Vorkosigan House so he can spend time with her.

Family and friends are gathering back on Barrayar ahead of the wedding of Emperor Gregor, so Mark arrives home. He too has romance problems: he and Kareen Koudelka have become lovers in Beta Colony, but the sexual mores of Barrayar are more conservative, and Kareen, afraid that her family will disapprove, wants to keep their relationship a secret. Unfortunately, when it surfaces her parents take it very badly indeed and it takes an intervention by Cordelia to persuade Kareen's parents to accept their relationship.

In addition to Mark's romance problems, he is embarking on a somewhat dubious commercial venture: a genetically engineered insect called 'the butter bug' that eats organic waste of Earth origin and regurgitates it in the form of a nutritious goo that Mark calls 'bug butter' and Miles calls 'bug vomit.'

Meanwhile, two seats on the Council of Counts have suddenly opened up: Count Rene Vorbretten is being challenged because he has been found to be part Cetagandan, dating back to the brutal invasion and occupation of Barrayar. The death of Count Vorrutyer is being contested between a distant cousin, Richars, and the sister of Pierre, Donna. Donna normally would not be allowed to succeed, but she has taken a trip to Beta Colony to get gender reassignment surgery and become a fully functional man.

Miles gets drawn into the political battle and after letting his secret courtship plan be known to a few people, makes a disastrous blunder at a dinner party intended to introduce Ekaterin to his friends and he panics and proposes. Ekaterin flees, mortified, but the disastrous ending to Miles' party soon spreads around the social scene and is picked up by his political enemies, who begin intimating that he killed or had Ekaterin's husband killed and the top secret nature of the events of the previous novel prevent Miles from defending himself in public.

Just before the votes on both countships, Richars sends henchmen to castrate Dono, but his attempt fails (unbeknownst to him) and he addresses the Council, intimating that Miles murdered Ekaterin's husband, which provokes a furious Ekaterin into publicly proposing to Miles, which he instantly accepts. Ivan, Dono, and two of the most powerful Conservative counts make it clear that they are no longer supporting Richars- not due to his crime, but because he bugled it. Rene keeps his seat, Dono gets his countship and the novel concludes with Emperor Gregor's wedding.

Overall: I loved this. This was perfect in every way-- really, at the heart of the Vorkosigan Saga are the character themselves and this one is absolutely busting at the seams with character moments and development for everybody. Sure, there are some political shenanigans but largely the strength of this series is the characters and it always has been this novel puts the characters front and center and the results are a glorious and absolute delight to read. My Grade: **** out of ****

[1ickoris]

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

[Chapter 20 of the Manhwa]

Count Shairon’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.

Whether it was true or not, the idea of expanding the factory wasn't a bad one.

Even if the Duke of Sorpel didn't have such an idea, it would be worth a try to convince him.

"Have you heard of this?"

“Pardon?”

"Luck and misfortune always come in a pair."

“Luck?”

As he stares in disbelief, Camilla hands him something she's been holding.

“What’s this?”

“Luck.”

Luck?

Camilla handed him a small gift box.

"Do you mind if I open it?"

“Of course.”

Puzzled as to why she was suddenly giving him a gift, he unwrapped the ribbon-tied box.

“…”

Count Shairon’s face hardened as he examined the contents of the box, and the butler next to him, Rube, frowned slightly.

‘It’s a natural reaction.’

Count Shairon was 49 years old this year. His wife was 48, a year younger than him.

They had an enviable relationship, and even though they had been married for more than 20 years, they still had a lot of affection for each other.

But there was just one problem with those two.

‘They don’t have children.’

Whether the gods were jealous or not, there was no love lost between the two, who were too good for each other.

Some people suggested adoption, but the Count of Shairon flatly refused.

He said that could not bring himself to love a child who did not have his wife’s blood, and that bringing a child with such a heart would be unfortunate for both the child and the couple.

Instead, he and his wife were sponsoring several orphanages. Whenever he had time, he would personally visit the centers and care for the children.

They had given up hope of ever having a child, and Camilla gave them a gift.

“…These are baby shoes.”

They were little shoes that babies wore.

“Isn’t it cute?”

Count Shairon stared at Camilla with his jaw clenched.

‘Are you making fun of me?’

Otherwise, there was no reason to give him such a gift.

“Take good care of it.”

“Pardon?”

“You’ll need it soon.”

Camilla simply smiled at the frowning Count of Shairon, and then left without another word.

“…”

Count Shairon’s face grew even colder as he glanced back and forth between the baby shoes in his hand and the departing Camilla.

But a few days later.

"Did you hear? The Countess of Shairon is having a baby!"

"I heard, but wasn’t Miss Camilla who spoke of it first?"

"She gave Count Shairon a pair of baby shoes out of the blue and said he'd need them soon."

“I heard they were pink shoes, too. She could have hinted that the gender of the baby… so it might be a girl and not a boy!”

"I don't know about that."

A major event arose in the Countship of Shairon, and Camilla's name began to be mentioned in the same breath.

When the Count of Shairon learned of his wife's pregnancy, he visited Camilla and was overcome with gratitude.

He praised Camilla over and over again, as if she had been the one who had given them the baby.

"The other day, Viscount Basel brought in a new business partner, and Lady Camilla shook her head as soon as she saw him. He did some research and found out that the new partner was a scammer."

"She also guessed that the head maid’s mother died! She told her to go home, and when she did, her mother had passed away.”

"I don't think it's a coincidence that she had a dream about a fire the other night, do you?"

“It’s so cool.”

“Is My Lady receiving a revelation from God?”

“Is that really true?”

“It seems that she has a better eye than the famous fortune-teller in the capital.”

“Don’t you see how many kids are around her these days? They’re asking for a reading, too…”

The ducal was abuzz. Everyone exclaimed in amazement and admiration at Camilla's recent display of mysterious abilities.

They could have dismissed it as a coincidence once, but the mysterious phenomenon was too much to ignore anymore.

“Camilla.”

“Yes, father?”

That was also true of the Duke of Sorpel.

“What on earth is going on?”

The only difference was that, in addition to being surprised and impressed, he was also worried.

He was worried that Camilla's abilities might be causing her some harm, either mentally or physically.

“I don’t know.”

Camilla shook her head gently.

"Sometimes it's a dream— just seeing a certain person can trigger a strange scene."

“Your body.”

“Pardon?”

“Does it hurt?”

“Eh, don’t worry about that.”

“…Alright.”

Looking at Camilla, who smiled reassuringly at him, the Duke of Sorpel nodded slowly.

As if word of Camilla hadn't already spread far and wide, we heard from the temple yesterday.

They want to investigate whether her precognitive abilities are related to divine power.

The Duke of Sorpel, of course, did not give them any leeway and coldly refused their request.

"If there's anything wrong with you, you should tell me right away."

“Yes, father.”

Camilla gave him a faint smile again, then trailed off.

“By the way…”

“Hm?”

"I've been having a dream lately that I keep seeing over and over again."

“Repeatedly?”

The Duke of Sorpel’s face hardened slightly at the mention of the same dream, not once, but many times. Her dreams could no longer be ignored.

“Is it a bad dream?”

“Not really.”

Setting down the teacup she was holding, Camilla put on a false smile to reassure the Duke of Sorpel, who was staring at her.

"I'll check it out and let you know."

“Check it out?”

“Yes.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Not at all.”

Unwilling to say what the dream was about, Camilla left it at that. The Duke of Sorpel did not probe further.

‘Okay, now I’ve laid all the groundwork.’

Let’s go find the Divine Beast’s egg.

Chapter. Finding the Egg of the Divine Beast

“Phew.”

Standing in front of the lake, Camilla let out a long breath.

She was dressed as lightly as possible. She stood in front of the lake, wearing only the simple pants and shirt she wore during her sword training.

You can't go in with a skirt on, can you?

“I’m not confident in swimming, but…”

She’s had a lot of experience in swimming before. She’s been taught by professionals.

This is because there are quite a few commercials, movies, and TV shows that require shooting underwater.

‘Of course, the safety was perfect then.’

Because there was always a lifeguard around. But now?

Camilla turned to the two ghosts standing beside her, Herschel and Darren.

She sighed as she saw the two excited, not worried about drowning.

‘Okay, let’s think positively.’

At least there's a ghost to show her the way.

It was a good thing she didn’t have to blindly search for the Divine Beast’s egg whose location she didn’t know in the large lake.

"It's not that far away, is it?"

[Yes, trust me, it's not as deep as you think, you'll be able to get it out in no time.]

She wondered why Darren was so confident today.

However, she wasn’t going to come all this way and put it off for another day.

Recently, rumors of her precognitive abilities have been spreading, bringing more attention to herself. It was also very hard to get here without being seen.

Might as well get it done today and get it over with.

Camilla stretched lightly, double-checking her surroundings to make sure there were no people around.

“Let’s get started.”

[Yes!]

[Be careful.]

Instead of answering, he nodded lightly to Herschel. Darren quickly dove into the water. Because he’s a ghost, not a single ripple rose.

Camilla watched for a moment, took a few long, deep breaths, and dove into the water.

Splash!

She flinched at the temperature of the water, which was colder than expected, but soon opened her eyes to assess the situation.

Camilla nods when she sees Darren, who is now closer and looking at her with concern. Only then does Darren turn back.

Camilla followed him slowly.

Given her swimming ability, it wasn't too hard to keep up with Darren, and kept up with him as best she could.

‘The water is really clear.’

She could see very clearly into the distance.

[Here it is, Miss!]

Just as she was starting to get out of breath, Darren announced that they had arrived at the destination.

[That’s the Divine Beast’s egg!]

‘That one?’

Camilla looked at the object Darren pointed to and was a little confused. She thought it was an egg or something.

‘Isn’t that a glass ball?’

A small glass ball, the size of a baby's fist, lay at the bottom of the lake.

It was a bit unusual that the colors changed from moment to moment due to the hazy light that seeped through the lake.

But even then, it was hard to call it an egg.

[Miss.]

‘I got it.’

At Darren’s urging, Camilla hurried to gather the egg. She was already out of breath, and it was hard to stay there any longer.

And then it happened. Camilla's eyes widened as she started to swim back up.

She spotted someone swimming swiftly toward her with a stiff expression on their face.

‘Is that Donna?’

Camilla was so taken aback by the unexpected appearance that she forgot she was underwater and opened her mouth to respond.

“…!”

She quickly realized that water was going in her mouth and tried to catch her breath, but her breathing was already disoriented and she was having trouble holding it.

[Miss!]

Darren’s panicked voice could be heard, and Donna's pace quickened as she moved toward her.

She doesn’t really remember what happened after that.

“…iss!”

“Mi…”

“Miss Camilla!”

She was already out of the lake when she came to her senses.

Donna's face was pale and she was calling to her.

“Miss! Are you out of your mind?”

“You— cough!”

[longnguyen41]

Bates Courtship Update

Isaiah Bates Courtship Sarah Leah

July 26,2024

[shiawasekai]

Now about that post about views on nobility... Let's see if I can word it in a way that makes sense.

First, Nela is Andoren with all that implies. She comes from a country that has gotten rid of nobility and actively promotes its government system as superior. She has no love for the idea of royalty or anything associated with it. She won't get in anyone's business, but her teenager self especially was unabashed about her views on the matter.

Once the game comes around, she has at least the common sense to not pick fights about it. There are much bigger problems to deal with. Over time, she even comes to accept that Mendev is in no position to completely change the way it functions as a country. She may not be enthused by the idea of nobility, but it's the way things are going to be in her new home for the foreseeable future.

There is, however, a little problem: she never expected to become part of said system. Which may sound silly when she was getting in a relationship with a noble, but she didn't even dream Daeran would bring up marriage. She had very much assumed that, no matter how in love and loyal to each other they may be, it was simply not on the table.

Which means she was terribly surprised and caught entirely offguard when he actually proposes out of nowhere. And, in her own flustered shock, she actually agreed to it. She is overjoyed about it, she is moved Daeran of all people is taking that step! It also means she is marrying into nobility, which is the last thing she wanted!

Beyond her personal feelings on nobility, it also places Nela in a very uncomfortable position. Her position is already politically delicate situation by virtue of being a well-regarded Angel Commander who remains in fully-developed Drezen. In many ways, it's a living nightmare for her.

Despite everything, Nela still happily marries him. However, she leaves most matters regarding the Countship for Daeran to handle (after 10 years, it's safe to assume he needs no help with it despite his excesses) and refuses to be treated as Countess unless it's one of the rare cases she's acting as such.

Sometimes, she wonders if it's worth the endless headaches. It is in the end.

[rhianna]

CHAPTER IV. THE FEUDAL SYSTEM—GENERAL PRINCIPLES—INFLUENCE ON PEOPLE.

In accounting for the crusades we must consider the governmental condition of Europe at the time. Under no other system than that of feudalism would it have been possible to unify and mobilize the masses for the great adventure. Had Europe then been dominated by several great rulers, each with a nation at his control, as the case has been in subsequent times, even the popes would have been unable to combine the various forces in any enterprise that was not purely spiritual. Just to the extent in which the separate nationalities have developed their autonomy has the secular influence of the Roman see been lessened. Kings and emperors, whenever they have felt themselves strong enough to do so, have resented the leadership of Rome in matters having temporal bearings.

Nor would the mutual jealousies of the rulers themselves have allowed them to unite in any movement for the common glory, since the most urgent calls have never been sufficient to unite them even 33for the common defence, as is shown by the supineness of Catholic Europe when, in the fifteenth century, the Turks crossed the Marmora and assailed Constantinople.

But in the eleventh century there was no strong national government in Europe; kingship and imperialism existed rather in name than in such power as we are accustomed to associate with the words. At the opening of the tenth century France was parcelled out into twenty-nine petty states, each controlled by its feudal lord. Hugh Capet (987-996) succeeded in temporarily combining under his sceptre these fragments of Charlemagne’s estate; but his successors were unable to perpetuate the common dominion. In the year 1000 there were fifty-five great Frankish lords who were independent of the nominal sovereign. Indeed, some of these nobles exercised authority more weighty than that of the throne. Louis VI. (1108) first succeeded in making his lordly vassals respect his kingship, but his domain was small. “Île de France, properly so called, and a part of Orléannais, pretty nearly the five departments of the Seine, French Vexin, half the countship of Sens, and the countship of Bourges—such was the whole of it. But this limited state was as liable to agitation, and often as troublous and toilsome to govern, as the very greatest of modern states.

The age of the crusades by James M. Ludlow http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72852

[inky-duchess]

If a princess of the BRF marries someone who already has a title (let's say a count), would he get another new title (like marquis) or just stick with the one he already has? And in case he gets a new one, could the titles be split between their children? Like the first one gets the countship and the second one gets the marquessate, or would they both pass to the eldest?

He could be granted a new title but that's up to the monarch. The titles cannot be not split, both would go to the heir.