#eugenia holland

[desertdollranch]

Eugenia always liked watching other kids play baseball, but now for the first time they've invited her to play it with them! She's too excited to feel nervous or self-conscious, and she just focuses on doing her best.

Growing up during the Great Depression of the 1930's, kids like Eugenia know that fun is where you find it--and it doesn't have to cost a lot.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 1/5

Book Blurb:

The town of Wolf Ridge calls him The Smiley Face Killer. Bettina Holland calls him her father.

Everyone knows Bettina’s father was the one who murdered her mother a decade ago. It’s the subject of podcasts, murder tours, and even a highly anticipated docuseries. But after growing up grappling with what that means, a string of copycat murders forces Bett to answer a harder question: What if he didn’t?

Old-money Bett must team up with the only person willing to investigate alongside her: bookish goth girl Eugenia, the mortician’s daughter, who everyone says puts the makeup on corpses. Can this “true crime princess” unmask a murderer who’s much closer to home than she ever imagined? 

Gritty, gripping, and propulsive from page one, Dead Girls Talking is a ride for readers who love to see girls get their hands dirty as they claw their way to the truth. Peterson’s knife-sharp thriller cuts deep, with a wicked sense of humor, a wire-taut atmosphere, and a deadly serious approach to bigger issues of justice and female anger.

Review:

The town of Wolf Ridge is famous for the Smiley Face Killer... a man who killed a woman and carved a smile onto her face.. and that man is Bettina Holland's father. Bettina's father murdered her mother a decade ago, and the murder has become famous in podcasts, murder tours, and docuseries. Bettina was a witness and testified against her father and grew up having to visit him twice a year for ten years as he was sentenced to life in prison.... and now the murders have begun again and Bett is determined to find out who the copy cat killer is and what the truth of what happened to her mother all those years ago was. Bett comes from old money yet she's pushed everyone away, and in order to solve this case she'll need the help of bookish goth girl Eugenia, the mortician's daughter. The closer Bett gets to the truth the closer she gets to becoming the next target, can she find out who truly murdered her mother and if her father was the killer or not? This book started off kind of fun but then just got annoying if I'm being honest. I was so tired and fed up with Bett and that ending?? Seriously?? I hated it if I'm being honest. I would have rather the story be told form Eugenia's POV, she seemed like the better character to read from. Honestly this book just kind of felt like a mess. The story felt frustrating, but not in the fun tv show teen mystery drama way but more in the I just need to get to the end because everyone here is so frustrating. Bett never really grew on me and the killer reveal was meh at best. Unfortunately this book was a miss for me, but if you enjoy small town mysteries with teen girl detectives, give this one a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

Release Date: June 18,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink | Holiday House for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[tomsland]

TOMSLAND'S FC MASTERLIST

Aloha! He decidido hacer este FC Masterlist en lugar de una muse page porque durante 10 años de rol tuve más niños que una guardería. A continuación encontrarán faceclaims que he roleado/roleo/me gustaría rolear. Los escritos en negrita son personajes ya creados y el icono de estrella señala a mis musas principales, pero siéntanse libre de pedirme a quién sea que tengan como wanted opposite porque me abundan las ganas de rolearlos a todos.

A

Adelaide Kane

Alexandra Park (Eleanor Henstridge - Canon)

Alexis Ren

Alycia Debnam Carey (Saoirse Townes - OC) ★

Ana de Armas

Ariana Grande (Arielle Pavlak - OC)

Ashley Frangipane "Halsey" (Gemma Lovegood - OC)

B

Barbara Palvin (Sophie Blackwood - OC)

Bella Hadid

Bill Skarsgard

Britt Robertson

C

Candice Accola

Chace Crawford

Charlie Cox (Matthew Murdock - Canon / AU )

Chloe Bennet (Daisy Johnson - OC )

Chris Evans (Oliver Cohen - OC )

Chris Wood (Diego Casillas - OC) ★

D

Daniel Gillies (Ezra Sofianos - OC)

Danielle Campbell

Diego Boneta

Dylan O'Brien

E

Elizabeth Olsen (Winter Snow - OC)

Emeraude Toubia

Emilia Clarke

Emily VanCamp

Emma Roberts

Eugenia Suarez (Fernanda Acosta - OC)

Evan Peters

F

Francisco Lachowski

G

Gigi Hadid

Grant Gustin (Barry Allen - Canon / AU)

H

Halston Sage

Harry Styles ( Andrew Levine - OC ) ★

Henry Cavill (Louis Graham - OC)

I

Ian Somerhalder

J

Jack Falahee (Santiago Cardona - OC)

Jennifer Lawrence

Jensen Ackles (Zane Davenport)

Joe Jonas ( Jose Alejandro - OC )

Joseph Morgan ( James Black - OC ) ★

Josh Dallas

K

Katherine Mcnamara (Isis Sofianos - OC)

Kendall Jenner

Kylie Jenner

L

Lauren Jauregui ( Olivia Waldorf - OC )

Leighton Meester ( Brooklyn Swarovski - OC )

Liam Payne (Carter Disney - OC)

Lily Collins (Rosie Dunne - Canon )

Lily James

Louis Tomlinson (Thomas Crawford - OC)

Luke Hemmings (Blake Parker - OC) ★

M

Marie Avgeropoulos

Martin Garrix (Matthew Hale - OC)

Michael Fassbender

N

Niall Horan (Demian Ramsay - OC)

Nick Jonas

Nicola Peltz (Darcy Styles - OC )

Nina Dobrev

O

P

R

Richard Madden (William Hilton - OC) ★★

Riley Voelkel

S

Scott Eastwood (Lucas Prescott - OC)

Sebastian Stan ( Alexander Yasikov - OC)

Selena Gomez (Reign Carrington - OC)

Sophie Turner

Shay Mitchell (Chantelle Cooper - OC)

T

Tom Austen (Jasper Frost - Canon )

Tom Hardy (Jim Westminster - OC )

Tom Hiddleston

Tom Holland (Harry Gallagher - OC)

U

V

W

Y

Z

Zayn Malik (Nicholas Stronghold - OC)

[steliosagapitos]

~ "Empress Josephine de Beauharnais's Coronation Tiara. This tiara, made on a yellow gold structure set with 1040 medium-large diamonds for a total carat weight of 260 Karats, has a particularly mysterious history, for which it would seem that this jewel was donated by Emperor Napoleon I Bonaparte to 'Empress Josephine de Beauharnais on the occasion of their coronation, and that the latter bequeathed it to her daughter, Queen Hortense of Holland, who in turn would bequeath it to her third-born son, Emperor Napoleon III of France. The tiara, therefore, would later be sold in London in 1872 by Empress Eugenia de Montijo at the beginning of her exile. Although everything, however, the origin remains in doubt since there is no evidence of the existence of this jewel in the inventories until 1814. The tiara, however, after the sale by Eugenie, became the property of Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts, also defined as 'the richest heiress in England', but following her death in 1906 the tiara was returned, this time to Violet Mond, 1st Baroness Melchett, but again after her death in 1945 the tiara was sold. The piece was then purchased by the jewellers Van Cleef & Arpels, who over the years have lent it several times to women such as Jill Corey, Nancy Berg, Rose Kennedy, Jane Anderson Dudley, Princess Grace of Monaco and Princess Isabella of Orleans-Braganza, Countess of Paris; however, the tiara has been resold and its whereabouts are currently unknown." ~

[saturdaynightmatinee]

CALIFICACIÓN PERSONAL: 6 / 10

Título Original:  Revenge of the Green Dragons

Año: 2014

Duración: 94 min.

País:  Estados Unidos

Dirección: Andrew Lau, Andrew Loo

Guion: Michael Di Jiacomo, Andrew Loo

Música: Mark Kilian

Fotografía: Martin Ahlgren

Reparto: Justin Chon, Kevin Wu, Harry Shum Jr., Ray Liotta, Billy Magnussen, Eugenia Yuan, Jin Auyeung, Shuya Chang, Carl Li, Leonard Wu, Jo Mei, Jon Kit Lee, Alex Fox, Michael Gregory Fung, Celia Au, Ron Yuan, Geoff Pierson, Shing Ka, Carlos Long, Linda Wang, Huang Shang-Ho, Nick Sullivan, Si Han Wang, Tak Wah Eng, Phil Nee, Nahanni Johnstone, Joe Starr, Richard Lam, Manny Siverio, Alan Zhang, Jung Ling, Geoff Lee, Lil Rhee, Joanna Choy, Jim Ford, Hudson Cooper, Joanna Adler, Lauren Schaffel, Richard Dennis Holland, Alysia Reiner, Tracy Tsang, Fala Chen, Cliff Moylan, Michelle Guo, Marco Palou, Victor Fang, Carlos Tin-Cheung Koo

Productora: Coproducción Estados Unidos-Hong Kong; Artfire Films, Initial A Entertainment, IM Global, The 7th Floor. Productor: Martin Scorsese

Género: Action; Crime; Drama

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396523/

TRAILER:

[dieflut]

it’s a road-story

[scared-aquarius]

Breakout Stars Who Defined This Decade as Their Zodiac Signs

*Some of these people were considered relatively famous before the 2010s but this decade they were much more relevant*

Aries

(L to R: Daisy Ridley, Casey Neistat, Gigi Gorgeous, David Harbour, Loren Gray, Logan Paul, Liza Koshy, Zoe Sugg, Lil Nas X, Skai Jackson, Tessa Brooks, Michelle Phan, Jessica Chastain, Nathan Zed, Tyler Oakley, Sadie Sink, Jack Antonoff, Danielle Bregoli)

Taurus

(L to R: Jojo Siwa, Sam Smith, Joe Keery, Rami Malek, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Gal Gadot, Shane Madej, Alex Lawther, Adele, Mr. Beast, Noah Centineo, Joey Graceffa, Trisha Paytas, John Cena, Melanie Martinez, Gigi Hadid, TheOdd1sOut, Thomas Sanders)

Gemini

(L to R: Emma Chamberlain, Josh Dun, Ninja, Tom Holland, Kendrick Lamar, Rebecca Black, Gotye, James Charles, KJ Apa, Danny Gonzalez, Iggy Azalea, Ryan Higa, Chris Evans, Gus Johnson, Rami Fine, Dan Howell, Fetty Wap, Link Neal)

Cancer

(L to R: Post Malone, Jacksfilms, Ariana Grande, Markiplier, Shane Dawson, Jaclyn Hill, Sandra Oh, Drew Monson, Chloe Woodard, Elle Mills, Margot Robbie, Lana Del Rey, Lele Pons, Megan Rapinoe, Safiya Nygaard, Tana Mongeau, Luke Hemmings, Ethan Klein)

Leo

(L to R: Jennifer Lawrence, David Dobrik, Andrew Garfield, Dua Lipa, Eugenia Cooney, Brandon Rogers, Kylie Jenner, iDubbbz, Anna Kendrick, Talia Castellano, Grav3yardgirl, GloZell, Jackie Aina, Bretman Rock, Shawn Mendes, Leafyishere, Noel Miller, Morgz)

Virgo

(L to R: Niall Horan, Laura Lee, Tom Harlock, Jenna Marbles, Blaire White, Anthony Padilla, Jungkook, Dylan O’Brien, Liam Payne, Connor Franta, Gaten Matarazzo, Keanu Reeves, Kyle Abercrombie, Lili Reinhart, Joji, Zendaya, Alfie Deyes, Abby Lee Miller)

Libra

(L to R: Brie Larson, Hasan Minaj, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Caleb McLaughlin, Grace Helbig, Bruno Mars, Tessa Thompson, Jacob Sartorius, Rhett McLaughlin, Nev Schulman, Donald Glover, Bella Thorne, Noah Schnapp, Cardi B, Lilly Singh, Simply Nailogical, Halsey, Kim Kardashian)

Scorpio

(L to R: Emelia Clarke, Joaquin Phoenix, Lorde, Baby Ariel, Frank Ocean, RiceGum, Pewdiepie, Shailene Woodley, Adam Driver, Kendall Jenner, Carly Rae Jepsen, Ryan Reynolds, Drew Gooden, Jeffree Star, Cody Ko, Colleen Ballinger, Future, DanTDM)

Sagittarius

(L to R: Pope Francis, Steven Yuen, Chrissy Teigen, Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, Emelia Fart, Chadwick Boseman, Hailee Steinfield, Tyler Joseph, The Dolan Twins, Sia, Ryan Bergara, Philip DeFranco, Charlie Puth, Marques Brownlee, Ian Hecox, DJ Khaled, Antonio Garza)

Capricorn

(L to R: Finn Wolfhard, Greta Thunberg, Zayn Malik, Dave Bautista, Dove Cameron, Nash Grier, Norman Reedus, Timothée Chalamet, Quenlin Blackwell, Ross Lynch, Meghan Trainor, Louis Tomlinson, Eddie Redmayne, Jake Paul, MattyBRaps, Mac Miller, Stan Lee, Florence Pugh)

Aquarius

(L to R: Khalid, Harry Styles, Danai Gurira, Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd, Henry Golding, Tom Hiddleston, Marina Joyce, JackSepticEye, Charlie Heaton, Sophia Lillis, Logic, Elizabeth Olsen, Will Poulter, Branden “Joanne The Scammer” Miller, Phil Lester, Tati Westbrook, Calum Hood)

Pisces

(L to R: Millie Bobby Brown, Jordan Peele, Simone Biles, Benny Fine, Oscar Isaac, Christina Grimmie, Lupita Nyong'o, NikkieTutorials, John Boyega, Daniel Kaluuya, Ansel Egort, Keemstar, Toby Turner, Camilla Cabello, Justin Beiber, Kesha, Gabriel Zamora, iJustine)

[aiiaiiiyo]

The Van Halen family on ship, moving from Holland to the USA - left to right is Alex, Jan, Eugenia and Eddie, 1962 Check this blog!

[themistakengenius]

Tag 9 people you would like to know better 

Thank you to @dreamsofplumbobs for tagging me! Sorry it took so long to answer

last song - Apocalyptic Crush by Olivia Rodrigo (It’s SUCH a good song! Puts me in a badass mood instantly lmao)

last movie - Spiderman Far From Home (Tom Holland is bae and I stan him)

currently watching - Boruto: Naruto Next Generation (IT’S SO GOOD!! It’s the only anime I’ve ever watched and it’s THE BEST one imo, I’m not really an anime fan but I LOVE NARUTO!!)

currently craving - Honestly, I’m not craving anything atm but I would eat the romanian biscuits called Eugenia they’re so good! 

I’ve seen this going around a lot lately so I’m sorry if you’ve already got @’ed to do this :)) @ratboysims @asplashofsims @gerbitfizz @moonhze @banana-sims @sulaniturtles @mandy-sims @musicalplumbob @bizarresimmer 

[enricaelle]

Colorful by dressedbyrose featuring round sunglasses ❤ liked on Polyvore

[shalebridge-cradle]

Bisclavret Round-Up

Unholy took about three months to write. Fairy Tale took five. Hindsight took six.

Bisclavret took nineteen, and that should be the biggest indicator to you that I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.

This was my first venture into another fandom, and out of my comfort zone (though not entirely – supernatural elements for life). I’m not sure whether or not I did the source material and its characters justice, however, especially with the supernatural element I went with (Wolves are believed to have gone extinct in England in the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century), but I will try to explain my reasoning behind some of my decisions here.

The Characters

My main concern.

We get a good view of Monty’s thought process throughout the show, through the framing device of writing his memoirs and views of his private affairs. Phoebe and Sibella, on the other hand, are characters we don’t get much of in the way of examination – we only see them through Monty’s eyes until the very end, where they reveal themselves as more than that.

Sibella is a bit self-centred, and extremely practical when it comes to how she sees her place in society, which implies some self-confidence issues. Phoebe is more idealistic, and independent, but still hopes for a match fit for a storybook. But, towards the end, Sibella demonstrates she is more than a vain god-digger, afraid of losing the man she loves and willing to potentially compromise her image to save him, while Phoebe shows that she is not nearly as innocent or naive as the people around her consider her to be.

I interpreted the two women’s characterisations as thus; Sibella believes she is bound by society’s view of her. Phoebe does not. This, I believed, needed to be the focus.

Which is where we introduce…

The Whole Werewolf Thing

“[Post-modern Gothic] warns us to be suspicious of monster hunters, monster makers, and above all, discourses invested in purity and innocence. The monster always represents the disruption of categories, the destruction of boundaries, and the presence of impurities and so we need monsters and we need to recognize and celebrate our own monstrosities.”  - J Halberstam, Skin Shows: Gothic Horror and the Technology of Monsters

I gave a number of possible causes of the D’Ysquith ‘family curse’, if it is one – the actions of the first countess, Gregory D’Ysquith burning down a monastery (divine punishment is a possible cause), but I never gave a specific answer. I think I might be operating on the logic of the original Bisclavret – it’s irrelevant.

The reason there isn’t is because I intended it as a metaphor – which I think I’ve made clear with my chapter updates here (though you don’t have to read it that way, Death of the Author and all that), but I never quite decided and what it was a metaphor for. In terms of this particular narrative, it can be read as a metaphor for feminism, and/or a metaphor for same-sex attraction.

Feminism

Edwardian Era England, where A Gentleman’s Guide takes place, is not overly-represented in fiction. Not surprising, considering it’s a pretty short time period between the surprisingly long Victorian era and the world-changing events of World War One. However, when you think of that time period, a certain group tends to come to mind – the suffragettes.

(Just a note. Agatha D’Ascoyne, the character from Kind Hearts and Coronets who inspired Hyacinth D’Ysquith in the musical, was a suffragette. She has no lines, apart from “Shush!” – Deeds, Not Words.)

We know what these people wanted – Votes for Women. They were not prepared to wait for society to change to get it, and when peaceful protest was ignored, they began to act out. They refused to fit into their role of quiet, demure, loyal wives, and for some groups, this was seen as threatening. Anti-suffragette cartoons of the time often depicted these women as old, ugly and/or selfish for wanting similar rights to men instead of accepting their place as a ‘lesser being’.

The point I am trying to make is, being in defiance of the role you are expected to play – which Sibella is afraid to show – was seen by many to be ugly. Beastly.

Phoebe runs Henry’s country estate for him. Phoebe flaunts societal expectations by proposing to Monty, instead of waiting for him to propose, the ‘proper’ way to do things. While she is feminine, she does not fit the idea of what a woman ‘should be’.

Sibella makes a point to meet her obligations as a wife, though she does surreptitiously carry on an affair. She sacrifices her own happiness to get what she wants in a socially acceptable way. She has no intention of leaving Lionel in the source material, but she convinces herself that a rich, good-looking, polite man – what society thinks of as the ideal male – is what she wants, and realises on her wedding day that it isn’t.

And goes through with it anyway.

When she can no longer fit that mould, when she refuses to go along with Lionel’s plan to leech off the countess, when she undermines and argues with her husband, that’s when things start happening. Indeed, her ‘beastly’ outbursts manifest as standing up for herself. She ends the story as a much happier and self-assured person than she was at the beginning, and attempts to bring justice to other women.

Same-Sex Attraction

This is a bit more straightforward. We’re coming right off the back of the Victorian era here, where Oscar Wilde and others like him got their lives ruined. Same-sex relationships aren’t viewed in a positive light at all at this time – you like the same gender? Off to prison with you, deviant!

As people that were (and often still are) villainised, misunderstood and attacked for the crime of existing, some members of the LGBT community reclaim monsters such as vampires, werewolves and the Babadook as their own as a means of subverting their image in a heteronormative society. Being ‘monstrous’ is not bad. Being different is fine. You may feel malformed and wrong, but you are not. You and your quirks are accepted.

For some, the ones to fear are those who appear in the daylight.

Sibella, for all her talk of being a monster, only fights back when threatened. Morton has a heart attack when put in the position of his victims, subverting the formula he’s used to. Lionel, fearing that Sibella will leave him and damage his image, resorts to violence against Sibella and several other women he sees as substitutes for her. Mary attempts to murder Sibella for getting in the way of a monogamous man-woman relationship. In her eyes, Sibella is an irredeemable villain, but Phoebe can be ‘fixed’.

If you want to look deeper into this link between horror and the LGBT community, here’s a video essay discussing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender representation in horror films.

There are only a few non-metaphorical references to werewolves. The wolf head in Eugenia’s dower house is a family member – as previously mentioned, wolves went extinct in England during the reign of Henry VII. St Hubert’s Key is a charm that more often than not looks like a nail, and was supposed to be able to rid the body of disease caused by a dog or wolf bite. There is some science behind this – the metal was heated before being pressed to the wound, and, if the subject was at risk of contracting rabies from the injury, the heat would likely sterilise and cauterise the potential infection site.

Not the First Murder-y Heir

There are a couple of characters named or directly taken from Israel Rank – Autobiography of a Criminal, the inspiration for Kind Hearts and Coronets and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. I’ve compared these works before, so I’ll just go over those that appear here.

Esther (Lane) – The third object of Israel Rank’s affections, and a governess. Knows more than she’s letting on in Israel Rank, and in this story as well.

James “Jim” Morton – Appears for about a page to explain Israel’s disillusionment with the ideal male – while Morton seems great to some, he really isn’t. Since Jim only appears as a child in the book, his characterisation here is drastically different.

Lord and Lady Pebworth – Almost directly lifted from the book, with Lady Pebworth being a bad singer and Lord Pebworth an older gentleman who lets his wife get away with a lot. The difference here is that Israel introduces the Hollands to the Pebworths, while the Pebworths are hoping the Hollands introduce them to Lord and Lady Navarro.

Sir Anthony Cross – Quiet, very well-off, slightly older gentleman who is quite taken by Sibella, but it doesn’t go anywhere. Acquaintance of the Pebworths. Pretty much the same guy.

Ethel D’Ysquith (Gascoyne) – An ancestor Israel is quite taken with, not only due to the resemblance between the two. He’s made the 3rd Earl of Highhurst because I didn’t feel like making an imaginary preceding title (Monty is only the 9th Earl, while the 10th Earl Gascoyne is about five generations before Israel – Ethel was the 6th Earl) and the 2nd Earl, Roland, had already been named in the musical. Phoebe’s description of him is meant to heavily imply he was also a werewolf. If I had read the book before fleshing out the D’Ysquith family tree, he would have taken the role that the first countess plays in the narrative’s events (Ethel Gascoyne hid in a tower with an Italian magician for 20 years).

Kate Falconer – The character who would later be known as ‘Boat Girl’ in Kind Hearts and Coronets and Evangeline Barley in A Gentleman’s Guide. Her great crime is to go on holiday with her boyfriend, and gets poisoned for her troubles. She survives here, and I used her to try a formatting technique (while she speaks, none of her dialogue is in quotes: in a way, she is voiceless).

(Sir) Cheveley Drummond, (Lady) Enid Branksome, and Catherine Goodsall – only mentioned briefly. Drummond is described as handsome and ‘interesting’ by Israel, Lady Enid is a young woman from a penniless but aristocratic family, and Catherine Goodsall in an actress whose abusive husband was beaten so badly by a Gascoyne he joined the navy and never came back to land.

In addition, Lionel’s later characterisation comes directly from Kind Hearts and Coronets, since he gets  almost none in the musical. His breakdown in Chapter 11 follows his emotional journey when asking for a loan – affability, begging, threatening suicide, insults and physical violence.

Literary References:

Not always relevant, but there is a wide enough variety that I’m collecting them.

Every chapter title, and the tagline of the work, comes from Manners and Social Usages by Mary Elizabeth (Mrs. John) Sherwood. It’s a bit out of date by the time of this story (written in 1884), but Sherwood does have some great phrases in her etiquette handbook.

Ruddigore is mentioned in chapter 2, only because it is a musical theatre production (opera) where ancestors play a role and family expectations are subverted.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Hamlet. It’s Hamlet.

When in the chronicle of wasted time, I see descriptions of the fairest wights, and beauty making beautiful old rhyme in praise of ladies dead, and lovely knights...  Shakespeare’s Sonnets, Number 106.

I desire, and I crave… Fragment from Sappho’s poetry.

The countess closes her book; something by a George Reynolds. George W. M. Reynolds wrote Wagner the Wher-Wolf (with that spelling) in 1857.

I met a lady in the meads, full beautiful, a faery’s child: Her hair was long, her foot was light, and her eyes were wild. La Belle Dame sans Merci (The beautiful lady without mercy) by John Keats.

Sibella also briefly mentions Algernon Blackwood, a supernatural fiction writer who wrote a short story about a werewolf (portrayed quite differently here) that a character in 1909 could have possibly read (the story was first published in 1908).

In addition, the whole story is named after a very early depiction of a sympathetic werewolf, Bisclavret by Marie de France (and the most direct I think I’ve ever been with a title). It depicts, naturally, a werewolf (who is also a knight, because not being human doesn’t disqualify you from doing that – cutting social commentary for the 12th century) who is trapped in his wolf form after being tricked by his wife and her lover. Through chivalric behaviour to the king on a hunt, he works himself back into the royal court and, when his former wife pays a visit, bites off her nose. The king thinks the sudden aggressive behaviour from his pet prompts further investigation, the wife reveals all, and the knight is restored to human form. Also, all of the wife’s children are born without noses from then on. Lionel getting his nose bitten off is a reference to this poem.

Uncategorised Trivia

This work was written with the UK spellings of certain words, because it takes place in England. Previous works all took place in the US, and so used US spelling.

Les Patineurs Valse is French for The Skater’s Waltz. Reference to Asquith Jr. and Evangeline Barley.

All of the racehorse names Sibella finds are either variations, anagrams or synonyms of actual racehorses in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Sir Hugh is Sir Huon, Gil Owen is Neil Gow, Irish Lass is Irish Lad, Supervision is Oversight and Pinnacle is Meridian.

Lionel was right to be concerned about Phoebe’s flower arrangement. Red begonias represent love, lavender-coloured heathers represent admiration and loneliness (and are a reference to another fandom I write for), tuberoses are symbolic of wild or forbidden passion (and was commonly used as a funeral flower), and verbena is reference to romance and sweet memories. The dead foliage is meant to mean sadness. Overall, the intended meaning is I miss you, my love.

[desertdollranch]

The prototype illustration of Kit Kittredge was inspiration for Eugenia’s latest look. I whipped up this simple little button-down sweater and am delighted that it matches pretty much anything she pairs with it! 

[ao3feed-spideytorch]

Неугасающее пламя

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/38OvJwr

by eugenias

Джей Джона Джеймсон раскрыл настоящую личность Человека-паука на весь мир. Питер понятия не имел, сколько времени ему предстоит сидеть в убежище, как в клетке. Но неважно, кто он — Человек-паук или Питер Паркер — всё равно готов бороться за возможность жить в Нью-Йорке и быть рядом с людьми, которых он любит, наплевав на последствия. Пора, наконец, столкнуться с джонниследствиями.

Words: 1602, Chapters: 1/1, Language: Русский

Fandoms: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Fantastic Four (Comicverse), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Relationships: Peter Parker/Johnny Storm

Additional Tags: Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Marvel 616/MCU Crossover, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/38OvJwr

[adatedreference]

CK2 Can Still Amaze

I am in the midst of a CK2 run, specifically trying to get all the Roman and Hellenic achievements and this latest character has been amazing.

Octavius seemed moreorless unassuming when I had determined he would be the heir to my Roman restorer, in truth his sister Eugenia was slightly better suited to rule, but he was a better general and would be allowed to found the Warrior Lodge for Hellenism: The Olympian Champions. For those who know nothing about CK2 or at least nothing of Holy Fury? Imagine a Medieval Rugby club.

 But we aren’t here to take about his illustrious 41 Years (and counting) as Augustus of the Roman Empire. There are lots of stories there but no let’s just look at what he’s done in just 10 years, between 971 and 981

He got Smallpox

Had his hand cut off, losing said Smallpox

Got all of his drinking/fighting buddies together and wander into the Arabian Empire picking fights because what’s the worst that could happen

Kill both of the Caliph's Sultans in one on one combat.

Get invited to the Arabian capital to fight the Caliph's champion. Too bad he didn't mention it was A LITERAL BEAR

Duel a Bear one on one. And win. Did I mention Octavius is One-Handed.

Duel an eight foot tall woman wielding a club almost my height on the way out. Also win.

Found a Legendary bloodline because lets fucking face it this dude deserves a fucking novel. Sure it would be written by some pulpy, old school very white author but hey, I’m not Octavius, I can’t win everything.

Finish writing my book

Oh look time to rest for peace and prosperity. Knock knock. Who's there? The Black Death.

Oh no Octavius got sick whatever could it be?

Oh wait just Cancer.

Bathe in goat's blood. Only the freshest will do. Works really well. Cancer goes into spontaneous remission. Thanks B. Zebub M.D.

Hey the Black Death just reached our cities and you've nearly bankrupted yourself building hospitals. Time to hole up away from the world.

Character suddenly realizes, while locked away in his castle to avoid literal guaranteed doom "Wouldn't it be cool to prove I was related to Alexander the Great letting me conquer fucking everything?"

Further bankrupt the realm proving to everyone Octavius is somehow related to Alexander, actually going into debt at this point.

Got called into a war against the Umayyads by the Emperor of Kanem-Bornu, start losing because there is no money in the imperial coffers

Pull out of the war as best I can because my armies are in tatters

Genius daughter and heir, Pompeia, dies of severe stress. New heir: Aeternicus with reasonable stats and a bunch of Genius kids.

Started inheriting lots of wealth from all his vassals dying of the Bubonic Plague. Started murdering other vassals for their money as well; I mean really, who is going to check to see if it was actually the plague that killed them... and if they find out, the plague is gonna kill them real quick anyways.

Managed to keep just barely in the positives for cash flow through murder BUT ran out of food in our seclusion

GOOD NEWS EVERYONE: Octavious is officially the Blood of Alexander, for real. We swear.

Come out of seclusion to celebrate. Not because we’re all starving.

Aeternicus’s genius wife dies. Marry him of to a genius landholder in Holland... oh right their hospitals suck. He now has the Plague.

Ok son and heir, Aeternicus dies because of fucking course he does. Also ok daughter Minervina declared the heir. But my Electors are dicks and they can’t decide if it should be my Brother or my cousin but definitely not Minervina.

Oh I’m sick again and this time it IS the plague.

Drink some Mercury. Seems to work pretty fucking well. Guess this is a thing now.

Recover from the Bubonic Plague. Don’t ask, just cheer.

Genius grandson finally comes of age and my electors start listening to me again since his stats would make Ares and Jupiter weep with joy... totally for that reason and not because I bribed them until more people listened.

Time to recover a bit of my economy and then use that super OP Casus Belli I get for being related to Alexander.

....And my cancer is back.

But Mercury worked super well last time so lets do this again! What’s the worst that could happen.

Nothing apparently. Mercury >>>>> Chemo, 200% recommended.

[songstresstinyteacup]

Sibella is injured in a carriage accident, and becomes unconscious. Monty and Phoebe go and visit her, hoping that she wakes up eventually.

Perhaps she had consumed too much wine at dinner, perhaps her corset had been laced too tight.

No, she was sure her corset had been laced too tight, and she was sure that she had consumed entirely too much wine at dinner.

After all, those were things Sibella could control, just as Sibella could control how she had demanded to be allowed to sit with the coachman while Lionel had grumbled and taken his place within the carriage.

All of Sibella’s actions that evening had been in her control, and no one else’s, much to Lionel’s chagrin.

She had made her choices, and had felt secure in them until something happened that the blonde woman could not control, nor Lionel, nor the coachman.

When turning on a road with a sharp curve, another carriage came barreling down the way, and had slammed into Sibella’s carriage full force.

There hadn’t been time for even a thought of screaming, for no sooner had the two carriages hit had Sibella been thrown from her seat at the front into a small but thick patch of brush.

The impact between her head and the ground had forced her into a state of unconsciousness almost instantly, while the woman had yet to realize exactly what had occurred before all was dark.

……

“Doctor Ellingham, Lord and Lady Navarro are here to see you.” A nurse’s voice echoed, even though she had closed the door behind her upon entering.

Monty tapped his foot impatiently, it had been more than a week since the carriage accident, and only four days since Monty had used his power as Earl to have Sibella moved to the hospital in the village nearest High Hurst.

There had been little change in Sibella, and that made a nasty bout of anxiety begin to flare in his stomach, his chest felt constantly tight, and each time Miss Shingle had come to announce a phone call Monty felt as though it would be the moment he was informed Sibella had left him forever.

Dutifully at his side, stood Phoebe, who appeared far less anxious than Monty, but how he knew appearances could be deceiving.

Phoebe had been the one to receive the call from Mr. and Mrs. Hallward, who had asked for her specifically when they had heard about the accident.

They had reasoned that it was best to let her tell Monty, for if he heard from them directly he would assume Sibella had not survived and go into quite a state, for they knew well that Monty had been, and quite possibly still was in love with their daughter.

Of course, they were under the impression that Phoebe was only a dear friend to Sibella. The Hallwards knew nothing of the way the Countess herself loved her, or of the arrangement.

Phoebe had pretended to be strong for Monty, though he knew better, having heard his wife trying to stifle her cries in the bath.

Both Earl and Countess were frightened, both unsure.

Once the doctor had ushered them into his office and they had taken their seats, he offered them a cup of tea.

“No, thank you.” Phoebe had declined politely, offering a hint of a smile the way she had been taught to do her entire life, while Monty refused to dignify the offer.

All he had come to do was find out how Sibella was progressing, and then to spend some time with her as he had done every day since the accident, though now things were far easier with Sibella being treated at their local hospital. Not the one north of the park, where Lionel had failed to procure a proper household for her.

In Monty’s opinion, echoed, though less morbidly by Phoebe, the only good thing the accident brought was Lionel’s death.

“How is Mrs. Holland today, Doctor Ellingham?” Monty sighed, wishing more than anything he had smuggled in some sherry for himself.

He had tried, of course, though Phoebe had caught him trying to place it within his coat, and had Miss Shingle take it back to the kitchens.

The Countess had given instructions for the staff to enjoy it with their luncheon, as a thank you for keeping the castle running so smoothly in this chaotic time.

“Mrs. Holland is steadily improving, though she has yet to wake. I daresay it won’t be long before she does. Your Lordship, if I may-” Doctor Ellingham had replied, then started to ask a question of his own before stopping himself.

“Yes?” Monty had sighed.

“Never mind, I was at risk of being impertinent.” Ellingham had quickly corrected himself, taking the seat behind his desk.

As Monty had opened his mouth to speak about impertinence, Phoebe had cut him off before he dared utter a single syllable.

“We are very grateful to you and your nurses for looking after Mrs. Holland so dutifully. Mrs. Holland is a dear friend of our family, and we are so pleased to see her looking so well in such a short time in your care.” Phoebe had smiled graciously, but gave Monty a look when the Doctor had ducked his head down from her praise.

Monty swallowed quietly, for the look Phoebe gave was eerily similar to the looks Lady Eugenia had given Adalbert D’ysquith on the night of his death.

“Thank you, my Lady. Though of course the generous donation that came from your estate was most appreciated, it has helped us better the way we care for all of our patients.” Ellingham had smiled.

“Can we see Mrs. Holland?” Monty snapped, unable to stand the delay any longer.

His visits with the doctor were only to ensure Sibella’s health was improving, and while he asked permission as a sign of respect, Monty could not stand the way this one had dragged along.

“Of course.”

With permission granted, Monty had taken Phoebe’s hand as they rose from their seats, bid the doctor a good day, and made their way to Sibella’s hospital room.

Another thing Monty had pulled strings for, calling in favors he was owed from the hospital board. Sibella was granted a private hospital room with plenty of sunlight and space.

Rose bouquets lined the windowsill, giving the room a pleasant smell to mask the harsh sterile smell through the rest of the hospital, but they didn’t block the sun from the bed’s occupant.

The sun’s beams catching in Sibella’s hair and making them appear as if they were made of pure gold, a halo, as Phoebe had once commented long ago at High Hurst.

Monty took the chair at one side, grasping Sibella’s hand in his own.

It was warm, which was a relief to Monty always, for he could never rid himself of the fear that one day he’d find it cold and lifeless.

Phoebe had taken the chair at the other, but pulled a small book of Shakespearean sonnets from her purse, followed by her reading glasses.

Monty had provided physical comfort to Sibella, but Phoebe had chosen to provide comfort in the mental sense, for often when Sibella would thrash from nightmares, or wake screaming, Phoebe’s voice reading Shakespeare aloud would calm the blonde.

Her hands would cease to shake, her breath would no longer come in uneven spurts.

Sibella would calm, then settle back to sleep at the halfway mark in the sonnet.

This comfort, Phoebe would gladly give.

“When you wake, my love, everything will be better. The castle will be your home now, nothing more can keep you away. I promise, my Sibella, that as soon as you’re well, you’ll come home.” Monty murmured close to Sibella’s ear as Phoebe put on her glasses and chose the day’s sonnet.

Of course, the Earl and Countess would like nothing more than for their lover to wake right then, but healing takes time.

This, they both know. Just as they know that Sibella will heal, and return to causing chaos in their lives in all the best ways.

All they can do now, is hope, and wait.

[isingonly4myangel]

An AU where Sibella actually does get poisoned at the dinner at Highhurst.

“Just this once, I suppose it is a special occasion,” Sibella said nervously. Monty froze. He could not seem to move or speak. He watched, trapped in horror, as his lover delicately closed her lips around a forkful of the poisoned trifle.

“Adalbert! Put that down at once!” Lady Eugenia shouted at her husband. She crossed the length of the dining table to him, attempting to take the gun from his hands, but he fought back valiantly. As they struggled, Monty watched Sibella, mortified. She coughed once, and tears sprung to his eyes. She coughed again, her hand flying to her chest. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed sideways, falling out of her chair.

Monty’s trance broke as he saw her hit the floor. Instantly, he was kneeling by her, clutching her to him, trying to hold her tightly enough that she would stop convulsing. She gasped for breath, her hands grasping at his jacket.

“Sibella? Sibella, no!” he cried, feeling her begin to sink further into his arms.

“M-Monty,” she whispered, shaking fingers caressing his cheek. But her hand fell away from his face, landing next to his knee. Her head dropped backward, and her body slowly became limp in Monty’s arms. He gave a heart-wrenching cry as her chest stopped rising and falling. Holding her tight, he screamed and screamed.

Two days later, the news was plastered all over the London newspapers. Montague D'Ysquith Navarro, successor to Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith, had given up his position as future ninth Earl of Highhurst to follow Sibella Holland to the grave with a bullet through the head.​