#looks at new albion... well.

[websitewizard2005]

back on my dolls of new albion bullshit 💪💪‼️‼️ wtf is a healthy relationship ❓❓❓❓💥💥💥

[thatsdemko]

junipers dad- g.russell

pairings: George Russell x albon!fem!reader

fc: lyssieloooloo (from ig and TikTok)

requested: y - “What about something to do with all the pets the Albion’s have?? I think it would be super cute if George was trying to soft launch the relationship but because he’s such good friends with Alex people just assume that he’s hanging with the Albon family. And then it just culminates into either Albon!reader (or maybe Alex😂) just getting tried of George’s moping that his long planned out soft launch isn’t going to plan so they just decide to hard launch.”

a/n: a little something to lighten to mood xx— ps happy non-red bull podium!!

f1updates

liked by albon_pets, gr63updates, lilyandalexlover, & 6,794 others.

f1updates: it seems like George is hanging out with the Albon’s this weekend after Silverstone! he posted this cute picture of an albon cat ☺️

400 comments

f1lover22: I love that George and Alex hang out!

charleslechair: Alex and George two besties that can’t be separated

alblondo: is that y/n?! that’s so cute that George is friends with all of his sisters

princessgeorge: I’m also p sure that’s y/n’s cat juniper!

—

he sits cross legged in the chair, juniper sound asleep in his lap while he scrolls through Instagram for inspiration of his next launch. the last one was an ultimate fail considering half of formula one fans believed he was just hanging out with Alex. didn’t they know juniper was your cat?

“what’s got you so consumed online?” you peer over his shoulder, he’s searched high and low on the instagram tag ‘#softlaunch’ and it makes you giggle that he’s warped into introducing you properly to his instagram.

“why don’t you just post a picture of me and juniper? that way it looks more like you’re hanging out with me than with Alex.” you take the sleeping cat out of his lap, an alarmed grunt comes from her lips as you hold her in your arms for a picture.

“that outta do it right? Alex is nowhere to be seen.”

—

georgerussell63

liked by alexalbon, lilymhe, y/nalbon, & 77,931 others.

georgerussell63: spent some well needed time off

509 comments

albon_pets: 🐱❤️

maxverclerc: omg did George spend the weekend with the Albons?!

lewrussell: obsessed over that he and the albon siblings are friends

mercedesgeorge: everyday George proves more and more that he and Alex are still besties

—

“I don’t get it, why does everyone think we are friends?”

“well to be fair you did post a picture from junipers birthday party and everyone remembers that day.” you say it in a matter of fact tone that makes him groan as he scrolls through the comments.

albonlover: george was adopted by the albon family and I think that’s so cute

britcedes63: does he regularly hang out with them? I wouldn’t be surprised! he and Alex are really close

he shuts off his phone and watches you play with juniper. the fish on the stick being her worst enemy as she attempts to tackle it down in the air when a brilliant idea comes to his mind.

“why don’t you post me? that way everyone will be suspicious on who you’re dating!”

you roll your eyes playfully at his comment, but when you look over at him he’s handing you your phone to take a picture of him and juniper.

“if this will make you happy, then why not?”

—

f1gossiplover

liked by russbuss63, checorbr, yukisuzuka, & 7,250 others.

f1gossiplover: photo submitted by anonymous! y/n albon seems to have a new man who looks awfully similar to George?? what’s everyone’s thoughts!

300 comments

hamilton44: that’s not George that’s some imposter

gaslycharles: too short to be George

gr63babes: I know George and that’s not him

—

“what do they mean that’s not me?! that’s so clearly me in the picture.” he huffs in annoyance, phone balanced against his water bottle as he eats breakfast. the recent topic of your posts for each other is all he seems to be able to talk about, and you’d had enough. you’d really thought that semi hard launch would’ve been enough to make fans suspicious, but nobody budged.

you curse Alex for being such close friends to George, that way it was ten times harder for you to actually post the relationship like normal couples.

“why does it matter so much to you again?” you sit beside him, reaching over you take his phone and toss it into the empty chair beside you. he’d spent enough time on the device than paying attention to you.

“I just want to do it right. I don’t want to hard launch you and you realize it was too soon.”

you smile at his concerns and reach to grab his hand, “you’re too cute, Georgie, but truthfully I don’t care how you post me, but it seems to be upsetting you very much, so I have an idea.”

—

y/nalbon

liked by albon_pets, georgerussell63, mercedesamgf1, & 6,530 others.

y/nalbon: juniper enjoyed some sun with her dad @ Georgerussell63

300 comments

albon_pets: uncle George has been promoted!

georgerussell63: daddy loves you juni!

roscoelovescoco: playdate soon?

mercedesamgf1: petition for juniper to join us in the paddock?

williamsracing: not on our watch!

lewishamilton: where do I sign up to get me and Roscoe matching sweaters?

alexalbon: don’t hold your breath she’s still making George and me our matching jumpers

tags: (sorry to lazy to tag everyone just gonna tag a few) @monzabee @lovelytsunoda @oconso @motorsp0rt

[overtrred28]

Gnomeo and Juliet | alanna kennedy x reader

Summary; Two players steal each other's hearts and keep it from everyone because they know how controversial their relationship could be to their club’s rivalry. OR Y/N and Alanna soft launching their relationship over time until they decide to share it. *Features social media posts.*

Pairings; Alanna Kennedy x Manchester United reader

Words; 2.2k

Warnings; swearing (i think that's it)

A/N; i literally love alanna so much and don't think there are enough posts about her so naturally i write one. i just thought this was cute and different from a chealse v arsenal rivalry (though i really love those). enjoy and please give it some love and feedback xx

Lioness star Y/N Y/L/N set to leave her club of four years, Brighton & Hove Albion W.F.C, and join Manchester United W.F.C on a two year contract at the beginning of the 2023/2024 season. 

You had really valued your time at Brighton, starting your senior career there and blossoming into a strong forward for both the club and the England Senior Women’s team, better known as The Lionesses. 

But when the offer from Manchester United came in at the end of last season, you knew it was the right move. Leaving the team you had come to know and love was tough to say the least but the adventure before you sounded a lot more exciting. So during the break before pre-season began, you made the move to Manchester and took a few days to settle into your new home and surroundings. 

Manchester was very different from Brighton; no beach and much bigger city life, but it was a good different. You had found that everything in Manchester was so much closer, and in great reach of your new club and housing. 

You had officially settled into your new home, very quickly making it feel just like your last one, then decided to go exploring through the city. The first thing a person would normally do would probably be going shopping or searching for a new café to become the regular, but you had spotted the Manchester Art Gallery and decided to go in. 

It was quiet, as expected for midday on a Wednesday when most people were at work, but you found it peaceful. It was a break from the regular hustle and bustle of your regular life as a professional footballer. 

It wasn’t until a particular painting caught your eyes that you realised someone else was in there, because you quite literally walked into them. 

“Shit. I’m so sorry.” You apologised quickly to the taller person, picking up their phone you had knocked out of their hand, from the floor. “Here…” Your voice trailed off as you met bright blue eyes while handing them their phone.

“It’s all good, thank you.” The woman met your eyes and she also felt the world pause around her, you were no longer in the gallery but just in a moment of time with each other. 

“Sorry the painting distracted me.” You snapped out of your trance and nodded to the painting on the wall; the story of Romeo and Juliet portrayed on a large canvas. 

“Well it is quite captivating.” Alanna spoke, still looking at you, now at the side of your face as you looked at the painting. 

“It is.” Your eyes fell back to hers and realised she was still staring at you, a slight blush rose to your cheeks, both smiling at each other. “Hi.” You extended your hand out, indicating a handshake. 

“Hi.” She laughed at your chivalry for a second before shaking your hand. “Nice to meet you.” She spoke softly in the quiet gallery.

“You too.” You smiled up at her, quite literally encapsulated by her. 

That was three weeks ago before you decided to get coffee after finishing a self led tour of the gallery, then the conversation kept going and you ended up at dinner together, continuing to learn about one another until the night ended. 

What you didn’t seem to bring up was that you both knew who each other were, but there was a mutual agreement that it didn’t matter. You weren’t professional footballers who had gone up against multiple times in the past at both national and club level, you were just two people who met and wanted to get to know each other. 

Now you were both deep into pre pre-season, you at Man United, her at Man City, and there wasn’t as much time to meet up for fun dates every night, now relying on text messages and late night calls before bed to catch up. 

The first kiss took a while to get to, but boy was it worth it. 

You had both decided to keep whatever this was between the two of you, soaking in the quiet moments shared in one anothers apartments and over long phone calls. It was still labelled a friendship, you both knew you wanted more, both scared of what the other might say if you revealed your feelings. But when you both had a free long weekend, you decided to take Alanna down to Brighton and show her your old home, soaking in the last of the warm weather before winter began to creep in. 

It was the best decision you could have made, relishing in being able to spend time together away from your normal lives. You had rented a small air bnb right near the beach, enjoying the solitude together as you cooked together and watched the sun rise and set each day by the ocean. 

It was on the second night after dinner that she finally made her move, unable to swallow the feelings bubbling inside her. You sat on the beach alone as you waited for Alanna to join, wrapping your arms around yourself to shelter from the cool breeze. 

A blanket had been wrapped around your shoulders and a warm body nuzzled into your side, a small smile on your face as you rested your head on her shoulder, Alanna looking down at you as you watched the waves crash. No words were said for what felt like ages, the only sounds being the waves and the seagulls heading off to bed. 

“Y/N.” Alanna suddenly spoke, a thick Aussie accent breaking the silence. 

“Hmmm.” You hummed in response, keeping your head in its place. 

“I want more than this.” Her statement made you move your head, turning it to meet her blue eyes. 

“More?” You spoke softly. 

“More.” She nodded with a small smile before she moved her hands from her legs, twisting to cup your face before moving closer. You thought she was going to kiss you straight away but her forehead came to rest on yours, both closing your eyes as you basked in the silence. 

“Just kiss me already.” You breathed out and she smiled before closing the gap, joining your lips in a strong kiss. Her hands cupped your face, yours held her waist before trailing up to meet her face. It was passionate but soft, saying so much without any words and your heart grew. 

y/n.y/l/n.. just posted a story

alannakennedy just posted a story

Since you were both heavily in the public eye, it was an easy decision for you both to keep this new found relationship to yourselves, not wanting to receive any unwanted attention from the media, fans and even your own teammates. 

You were able to keep it that way for a while, without you guys being on the same national team or at the same club keeping this secret relationship a secret was quite easy. And since no one thought you would even know each other personally, there were no fans sifting through evidence to put two and two together. Of course though, you both wanted to show each other off, you were so happy and so was Alanna, so maybe a soft launch would be best until you decided to go fully public. 

It started small.

y/n.y/l/n.. just posted a story

alannakennedy made a post

alanna kennedy almost as good as home

y/n.y/l/n.. made a post

y/n.y/l/n.. felt like a fairy tale

alannakennedy just posted a story

Your teammates began to ask about the secretive posts, hammering you about it in the locker rooms at training, Alanna's friends and teammates doing the same.

“When are you going to tell us more about these mystery posts?” Mary had asked Alanna while she was tying her boots before training. Alanna paused for a second before sitting up and looking up at the other Australian. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Alanna simply shrugged with a straight face before standing up and walking away. 

“Oi mate.” Ella Toone had caught your attention as you walked out to the carpark after a late friday night training session. You paused and turned around, waiting for her to catch up, instantly wrapping an arm around your shoulder as she met you. 

“What’s up?” You turned to her as you walked towards your cars.

“Few of us are going round Zelly’s to watch a movie, you in?” She asked with hopeful eyes. 

“Sorry love, got plans.” You apologised, knowing you had a certain blonde already waiting for you at your apartment.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with a possible mystery woman you refuse to tell us about, would it?” Ella asks with a suggestive smirk, nudging your shoulder as you remain stoic. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You simply shrugged and patted her shoulder as you let go of her, walking to your car door. “Goodnight Tooney.” You waved before getting in and racing home to Alanna, preparing for your own movie night of Gnomeo and Juliet and a weekend spent in each other's arms.

The day had come, the one you and Alanna refused to talk about until the night before.. It was the Manchester derby day. The day every City and United fan had waited for and the one you and Alanna dreaded. 

y/n.y/l/n.. made a post

y/n.y/l/n.. Derby day. Let's bring it on home red's! ❤️

alannakennedy made a post

alannakennedy The day we've all be waiting for. Come on blue! 💙

Sure you had come up against each other in the past at both club and national level, but you had yet to do it since being in a relationship together. So it was going to be different this time; harder. You both decided it would be best for your teams if you didn't interact with one another from the moment you joined your teams for the match, and until that final whistle blew.

The plan was going well during the first half of the match; Alanna had started with City in the defensive line and you were sitting on the bench waiting to get subbed on. Katie Zelem had secured the United side a goal through a penalty early on, but City fired back and took the lead 2-1 at halftime. 

You got subbed on for Nikita Parris at the very beginning of half time, taking her place as the left forward and a strong striker. Though this became a slight issue because of who was currently defending the City goal and in charge of blocking your shots at goal; your very own girlfriend. But in that moment you had to act like you didn’t know who she was on a personal level, right now you were just opposing players who both wanted their teams to win. 

It was hard for you both to act like that, stealing glances on the pitch, brushing past each other ever so slightly without anyone noticing too much. You had both been able to get away with this secret relationship so far because you’ve haven’t had to be in the same place yet, but maybe it was time for that to change. 

The final whistle blew and City had won 3-1, your side not being able to score any further goals despite your best efforts. You looked around at all your teammates, defeated looks all over as City celebrated together before exchanging handshakes with the other team. 

You and Alanna had purposefully left each other till last, waiting until you could be alone with each other in a busy and full stadium. You had finally found the blonde Australian and began walking towards her and she finally locked eyes with you. Seconds before you had very different expressions, one filled with happiness and one filled with disappointment. But as soon as you got closer the one expression you both shared was one filled with love, and your heart melted as she brought you straight into a hug rather than a friendly handshake. 

Her hands wrapped around your waist as her slightly taller frame leant down, your hands found their way around her neck before you buried your head in her neck. An instant feeling of warmth and security flowed through both of your bodies as you hugged, Alanna pressing a soft kiss to your neck as she buried her own face in your shoulder. 

Confused looks fell to both sets of teams at the interaction, at first because of the more than friendly hug and second because of the familiarity they could sense between the two of you. 

“I’m so proud of you.” You murmured, still holding tight around Alanna’s neck. 

“You played so well, it was a tough game.” She spoke back instantly, squeezing your waist before slowly pulling back to look at you. You smiled at her as you exited the hug, genuinely happy for her but still very upset your own team couldn’t secure the win like they wanted. 

“You should go celebrate.” You nodded to the City team who gathered in the middle, preparing for their post-match huddle, your team doing the same further down on the pitch, all players still watching the interaction with lost eyes.

“I’ll find you after and we’ll go home together.” Alanna nodded to you, looking down to your now interlocked hands, a small laugh leaving her lips. “This is going to be everywhere tonight.” She looked back up at you as a small smile grew on your face. 

“Definitely.” You laughed too. “Are you okay with that?” You raised a brow at her. 

“Yeah. I’m ready to show off my girl.” She winked playfully at you, now both of you laughing, shaking your head at her before playfully pushing her shoulder and walking over to your team. 

y/n.y/l/n.. made a post

y/n.y/l/n.. the gnomeo to my juliet

tagged @alannakennedy

alannakennedy made a post

alannakennedy my girl in red

tagged @y/n.y/l/n

THE END

[your-local-asylum-escapee]

I'm pretty sure i was having a stroke whan i wrote this but eh idc

anyways-, i know for a fact that since merlin is an immortal among the mortal plane he tries not to get too attached to things but him being 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 and since 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 has a small amount of magic in them he really can't help himself and adopts a dog every now and then

at first he doesn't give them names cuz yk attachment issues AND he really doesn't know how to name it? UNTIL

one day he sees a dog wandering near a pub. At first he just kinda feeds him as he does most of the time he meets stray dogs but this one never left him alone and i mean NEVER

it follows him around literally 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 and at first it was a little annoying but after some time he kinda appreciated the company

Merlin and Leon meet at a pub to catch up with each other and talk about what tthey've been up to (im a very firm believer of the 𝘓𝘦𝘰𝘯'𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭 theory, you can never change my mind about it)

obviously, the dog is still there and Leon is quite amused with the dog and asks what his name was but before Merlin could come up with an excuse on why he didn't name him, a bar fight starts and they accidentally get roped into it

the dog is actually pretty helpful in fighting the random men by biting their kneecaps and what not, but then one of the men kicks the dog effectively injuring it and the dog passes out

when the three of them get out of the fight they head to Merlin's home where they heal the dog until it wakes up with its tail wagging happily at Merlin

He suddenly feels a sense of deja vu and when he realizes why he laughs, Leon's a little concerned and asks why he's laughing, merlin tells the story of how he met Gwaine

Leon chuckles while he pets the dog and jokingly says something along the lines of "well, welcome back Gwaine" and right after that they decide to name him Gwaine

After that whenever Merlin gets a new dog they joke about whose personality it fits closest to their old friends,

time goes by and they run out of names to name the dogs so they just think of the things they miss back then as names, for example: blueberry tarts, silverpine, tourneys, etc. (merlin kept suggesting food and nature as names while leon suggested festivals and places as names)

eventually, Leon suggests the name Albion for a dog 𝘩𝘦 found this time, after running out of kingdoms and estates to use as a name

at some point Albion gets badly injured and i mean 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥, for some reason Merlin doesn't use magic because its been a long time since he did and he kinda didn't trust himself

Leon and Merlin take him to a vet where they meet a dude that looks like Arthur. Well it turns out it is him considering that when he actually makes eye contact with one of them he freezes and and nearly shouts "𝘔𝘌𝘙LIN?! 𝘓𝘌𝘖𝘕??"

they reunite and everything and bla bla bla and then they get emotional and stuff

and then Kilgharrah's voice pops outa nowhere in Merlin's mind ".. 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝘼𝙡𝙗𝙞𝙤𝙣'𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣.."

albion, the dog, is just happy to be healed again and just be there, witnessing the wonderful reunion

[tizeline]

I’ve never seen a separated au with Leo being raised by big mama, what do you think that would be like? (Since he’s kinda rebellious)

For the record, there are AUs where Leo's been raised by Big Mama, the ones I know of are Gemini AU by tangledinink and True Colors AU by v-albion. I'm not super familiar with either of them, but they're there if you wanna check them out.

That being said-

LEO being raised by BIG MAMA omg I have THOUGHTS

Listen, I don't see enough people compare Leo to Big Mama, but he's quite similar to her. Splinter and BM never got a kid together, BUT IF THEY DID that kid would literally be Leo he's basically just a fusion of the two of them!!

As I've mentioned several times before because I love bringing it up, Leo is strategic, quick-witted, observant and good at talking. In the show (as well as in my own AU) Leo's strengths aren't really recognized, let alone aknowledged for a big portion of the story. Because of that, for a long time he doesn't really get the chance to develop these skills, as much potential Leo has to become a master planner his impulsiveness and inexperience has a tendency to get him into trouble.

BUT! All of these skills also happen to be skills that Big Mama has and would value in Leo. So if he were to actually have to opportunity to not only be raised by BM but also trained by her for his entire life. If he got to properly learn strategy, planning, manipulation...?

... Holy shit Leo would be terrifying.

Think about it, canon!Leo managed to out-smart BM in Many Unhappy Returns without any real experience, just imagine what he could do with a whole life-time of training.... yikes!

Not sure what exactly Big Mama and Leo's relationship would look like. In my opinion she would view him as her son and love him dearly, especially if she knew that he's Splinter's biological son.... it's just that BM has interesting ways of showing affection. ("The love of my life just proposed to me?? Great! I'm gonna lock him up in my gladiator fighting ring for the rest of eternity!") She'd at the very least be quite controlling, I imagine.

As you pointed out, Leo can be quite rebellious, so that mixed with Big Mama's obsessive need to be in complete control of everyone around her would certainly cause some tension. Actually... considering how clever Leo would be in this AU... uh oh.

All of these qualities that BM initially appreciated and encouraged in Leo, what if, as Leo became more and more capable, Big Mama started to eventually view them in a more negative light? If she feels like she's loosing control over Leo, if she interprets Leo's rebellion as not just a normal teenage need for independence but rather him malicously working against her. What if she starts viewing him not as an asset or as a tool, but rather a threat?

If BM has reason to believe that Leo might try to overthrow her and take control over her criminal empire, she might take preemptive action and get rid of him before he has the chance to get rid of her.... Not like murder-get-rid-of, I don't think she'd just kill him, lol! But like lock him up, maybe throw him into the Battle Nexus, I dunno. Anything that would allow her to remain in control of both him and her business.

As for Leo, maybe he would actually try to overthrow BM. Considering he was raised by a literal mafia boss, his moral compass is gonna be a bit wack. Maybe Leo's desire for control over himself would cause him to try to seize control over his mother's business. Oooooorrrrr maybe Leo just wants some independance but doesn't actually want to compete with BM, so when she interprets his actions and behavior as malicious he's not prepared for that at all and, as a result, is more than a little hurt that his own mother would take such extreme actions against him. Who knows?

Hhhhhhh there's a lot of fun posibilities here but MAN I'm not really in the mood to work on an entirely new AU. Maybe I'll create some art for it I dunno, this concept is really fun, but I'm not gonna turn this into a proper Thing, so if anyone else wanna steal this concept and explore it for themselves, feel more than free to do that!

[sea-owl]

No wait I have a funny thought

What if Penelope is upset one day. Her brother in-laws take notice and they want to help her. Now they know they're not as scary as Portia or Felicity with her shotgun but damn it Penelope is part of their family too!

They know it has something to do with that Bridgerton boy, Penelope's intended. Well they won't let him off so easily!

Que protective Albion and Harry waiting for Colin at the Featherington front door. They make look ridiculous while doing this but they're not gonna let some cad hurt their new sister! Plus, they are the safer option. Felicity is at the entrance to the garden with her shotgun ready.

[thebluemallet]

My Favorite Portia Featherington Moments

Throughout all three seasons of Bridgerton, Portia Featherington has been a complicated character. On the surface, she's completely unlikeable. She treats Penelope poorly. Her fashion sense is excessively gaudy. And she seems either unaware or willfully ignorant of the social faux pas she makes from day to day.

But she is also a survivor who was dealt a shit hand in life with her useless husband. And she did what she had to do to ensure the safety and well-being of her daughters in desperate times. So here are a few of my favorite Portia moments.

10- Showing Marina What Her Future Holds

When Portia finds out that Marina is pregnant, her first instinct is to protect her girls and her family's reputation. She wants to send Marina away and back to the country but she can't because of her useless husband's dealings. George hasn't answered Marina's letter telling him about her condition. Without knowing that George's fate has already been sealed, Marina's insistence that George will come for her seems naive--especially to Portia.

When Marina refuses to even entertain the idea of being married off quickly to an older man in need of an heir who won't ask too many questions, Portia, like the Ghost of Christmas Future, shows Marina what her life will be if she continues to hold out for George.

It's a much-needed wake-up call but it does not work on Marina. The forged letter may have seemed cruel at the time, but if I were in Portia's shoes, I would have assumed the worst of George, too.

9- Confronting Her Husband

When Lord Featherington puts a premature end to the courtship between Albion Finch and his middle daughter Philippa, Portia is outraged. A man has taken an interest in one of their daughters, seems besotted with her, and wants to marry her. What possible objections could there be?

When she tries to press him for answers in public, Lord Featherington uses his position as a man and a husband to silence her. But when Portia uncovers that he has gambled away all of their money--including their daughters' dowries--her husband is revealed for the sniveling coward that he is. Outside of the eyes of society, he is a weak man who can't curtail his vices even for the well-being and future of his family.

They may not like each other, but even Portia wasn't expecting this level of betrayal from her husband.

Cry those crocodile tears, Archibald! I don't feel sorry for you whatsoever. I'm Team Portia on this one.

8- "You find things to love, my dear."

Even a blind man could tell that Portia and Archibald were not a love match. She married him for security and he failed to even provide that. But she managed to find silver linings in the many clouds of her marriage.

Her talk with Marina in the final episode of season 1 gives the audience more insight into the kind of woman Portia is and how strong she had to be to endure her marriage with her late husband for so long. It's the kindest and most motherly we've seen her be all season. And her talk gives Marina the final push she needs to do what needs to be done to protect her babies.

Portia, as we'll see, is better off without her deadbeat husband. She has more strength than she gave herself credit for in this scene. And she has the three best things her husband gave her by her side.

7- "I am a MOTHER."

After the death of Archibald, the Featherington women are in financial stasis until the new Lord Featherington finally shows up. When Cousin Jack finally arrives some things are starting to look up. But he is making some questionable decisions right off the bat.

Portia is, once again, at the mercy of a Featherington man who makes piss-poor financial decisions when Cousin Jack comes into the picture.

She navigates the situation as best as she can, even getting into his fraudulent gemstone scheme when she's backed into a corner with no way out. Desperate times, desperate measures.

After Colin uncovers the scheme and Cousin Jack proposes not only running away from the country, but even leaving Prudence and Penelope behind and sending for them later, Portia has had enough. If you think this woman would ever seriously consider abandoning her daughters to save her own skin, then you don't know her at all.

Portia doesn't always make the right decisions. Portia doesn't always say the right things. Portia is far from a perfect mother. But she'll ALWAYS choose her daughters over mediocre men who only care for themselves, and for that, I'll love her forever for showing Cousin Jack the door.

6- Sex-Ed With Philippa and Prudence

The moment Philippa said that she and Albion were "very passionate" I KNEW that we were in for some comedic gold.

And I was RIGHT.

At first, Portia thinks her biggest problem with the Featherington Heir Race is Prudence. But at least she can relate to Prudence's problem of not enjoying the marital act. Poor Portia's not even aware that it can be enjoyable for both parties.

But to her horror, BOTH of her married daughters are the problem. Prudence isn't having sex because she doesn't like it and Philippa isn't having sex because she has no idea what it is.

You can see the wheels turning in both Prudence's and Portia's heads when Philippa asks that infamous question.

If Lady Featherington went home that night and screamed into her pillows, I wouldn't blame her.

5- Chaperoning Polin

Portia's finally realized that she's been a little lax with chaperoning Penelope over the years. No matter, she'll make up for it now and chaperone her daughter when her fiancee comes for a visit!

Colin and Penelope are just not used to having a chaperone and they have no idea how to conduct themselves with one in the room. Colin looks downright annoyed every time he sees Portia out of the corner of his eye. Penelope's staring at his lips the whole time and probably wants Colin to compromise her again right there on the window seat.

But the real comedy of this scene is knowing that Penelope is already pregnant. So the chaperoning was too little, too late.

4- Finally Bonding With Violet

For most of the series, Portia and Violet have gotten along like oil and water. They're not great friends like Penelope, Colin, and Eloise. They don't hang out at social events. Portia is envious of the Bridgertons and their social clout. Violet barely tolerates Portia on a good day. And as much as Violet loves Penelope, you can tell in 3x05 and 3x06 that she's not looking forward to having Portia as an in-law.

But when Colin and Penelope are on the outs just before their wedding, the two mothers have finally found some common ground.

3- Handling Lady Whistledown

I was not expecting Cressida to actually tell Portia that Penelope was Lady Whistledown. I thought she'd make a vague comment that Penelope would have to play off as nothing and then she would work with Colin and Eloise to overcome the Cressida threat.

But no, Cressida really tells Portia.

The threat of Cressida's blackmail hanging over her daughter's head and what this could mean for the Polin marriage is enough for Portia's protective mother instincts to kick in and she teams up with Colin and Eloise to find a solution and protect Penelope.

And she gets extra brownie points from me because one of her first reactions to learning about Whistledown is to point out that Penelope was the one to write horrible things about herself. ("The things you wrote! About your family! About yourself!")

Yes, Portia's angry about Penelope's secret and what she's done as Whistledown, but she puts that anger on the back burner for a short time while she tries to navigate her family through their latest crisis. To paraphrase what she said to Cousin Jack at the end of last season: she and Penelope are on the same team.

2- Portia and Penelope Finally Talk

Portia might have put her anger to the side when she found out about Whistledown, but it returns when Penelope finds out that Portia kept the money Cousin Jack had embezzled from the ton.

Portia and Penelope finally have it out and mother and daughter realize that they are more alike than they had previously realized or were even willing to admit.

1- Portia as a Grandmother

Portia started out the season anxious that none of her daughters would have a son and secure their family's future. By the end of the season, she's a grandmother to two granddaughters and one grandson--the new Lord Featherington. Her family's future is finally secure at last.

Now that she has her grandchildren, Portia will finally be able to relax a little. It must have been hard being in survival mode for so long. Now she can enjoy her life and watch all three of her daughters have marriages filled with love and happiness.

[justaz]

merlin au where merlin keeps excalibur and returns to camelot to serve under gwen as court sorcerer after she repeals the ban. merlin remains for years, unaging, even as gwen dons wrinkle after wrinkle and spouts grey hair after grey hair. eventually, gwen passes without an heir and since merlin holds arthur’s sigil, he ascends the throne and leads camelot for years. eventually invaders come and slaughter the people and burn the fields etc etc and merlin goes out to fight. he fights like a demon, which is what they call him with his unnatural abilities and golden eyes, and merlin chases them from his kingdom - only, they slaughtered everyone within the citadel. there is no camelot, not anymore, not without her people. merlin should’ve seen this coming as her one true ruler has been and will always be arthur. he waves a hand and puts out the fires and restores the buildings to their once gleaming glory then takes excalibur into the center and drives it into the stone. with the force and power behind it, merlin raises the earth around the kingdom and buries it away from further invasions.

he leaves the kingdom hidden beneath the earth and travels up to the surface to explore just how far the continent spreads. then theres new continents across the ocean and he explores those as well. he watches as the world expands and grows and learns and advances but humans go too far and begin to destroy the world and create weapons of mass destruction and threaten each other with war. merlin assumes arthur will come back considering the destruction of practically everything but he doesn’t. tensions rise and snap and in the blink of an eye, humanity is chased back to their caves. with the loss of technology and modern ideas, humans revert back to their roots and connect with the elements which means they reconnect with magic. it takes another few thousand years for these humans to achieve the level of civilization merlin grew up in his first few decades of life.

different tribes are settled across the land but, thats the thing, over the course of the last few millennia (lets pretend land moves super quick plsplsplsplspls) the separate continents have collided with one another and practically the entire mass could be considered albion. he’s not even sure where the original land resides now. sooo he’s not even sure where camelot resides now. he really should’ve set up some beacon so he could remember but its been thousands upon thousands of years. sue him for his memory being a little foggy. he wanders from tribe to tribe and learns from their new magic while acting as a physician which a lot of them consider him some sort of miracle healer considering his advanced medical knowledge. it’s a win-win tho, he learns new magic and they don’t die. everyone is happy.

then during one such visits to a tribe, he finds a man of twenty summers with a head of golden hair like a crown and sunkissed skin from working outside all day and bright blue eyes that look like the very sky was captured in his gaze. merlin stands for a while and watches him dig around in the dirt, sweat gleaming on his brow, and his muscles rippling as he works. merlin can feel the countless years falling from his shoulders, he feels lighter on his feet, and pure happiness bubbles in him. a grin wide enough to split his face pulls at his lips.

he can’t help himself from stumbling over toward his long lost best friend, his body awkward and gangly with excitement and when he calls out to arthur his voice seems younger than it has in millennia and he vaguely notices that his appearance of wizened old healer melted away to his twenty year old body. arthur looks up with a polite yet confused smile and greets him followed by a question and merlin is faced with the realization that arthur doesn’t know him, doesn’t remember him. merlin manages to keep a thin smile on his face as he reaches out with magic and finds an injury in his knee from years ago that must’ve been bothering him and excuses his use of arthur’s name as someone sending him to find him and help heal the injury.

anyways merlin and arthur become friends and set off on an adventure of gathering the knights of the round table from various tribes/villages and they eventually stumble upon gleaming white stone that merlin belatedly realizes camelot was built with. the knights all take turns tugging at the sword but it doesn’t budge, not until arthur reaches out and tugs as if expecting it to be y’know stuck in stone only it slides out like butter and he knocks the hilt on his forehead and knocks himself out it out. with the sword tugged from the earth, it rumbles and cracks and splits and a hidden kingdom arises from the dirt, gleaming white and shining in the sun. they stare in amazement and awe for a moment before they grow confused and distracted. then arthur turns to merlin and says his name in an all too familiar way and merlin starts sobbing bc arthur is finally back

[curiositykilledtheradiostar]

HEY MECHS FANS!

do you like

STEAMPUNK

TRAGIC ROMANCE

STORY HEAVY MUSIC

and

HAUNTING THE NARRATIVE?

Already gone through the entire discography five times? Looking for something new? Well, boy do I have something for you!

THE DOLLS OF NEW ALBION: A STEAMPUNK OPERA by Paul Shapera

On Spotify!

We've got:

Jasper, the KING of haunting the narrative

Hubris of man. SO so much hubris

Necromancy! In the name of love! Twice! (but its a lil bit more fucked up the second time around)

Voodoopunk, which is an absolutely BANGER of a concept and boy does it ever deliver

Lore. So much lore. The world building in this album is amazing it all just feels so real without being imposing or clunky

Incredible use of recurring musical themes and motifs that can and will break your heart and blow your mind

Two sequels, its first in the New Albion trilogy! (Not to mention the extensive discography this guy has how he wrote so much I'll never know)

Please listen to Dolls Of New Albion I need to see it get more attention I've been progressively losing my mind over this thing and have no one to talk to about it there's no one in the tag

[whoiwanttoday]

I have sadly fallen behind on my Olympic watching and it's awful. I know I am the world's main source of news about the Olympics as well as doing a service of waking the world up to the fact that talented, hard working women in amazing shape are attractive sometimes. But I have been sleeping a lot and something had to give.

Which leads me to the real start, here is some Molly Caudrey, who England has been pushing pretty hard. I assume. Look, it's a country full of spies and stuff, I can only assume they have their foot on the scale here and that's why she keeps just popping in front of my face with words telling me she's Britain's hottest athlete. She actually got eliminated a few days ago but I keep getting articles about how she was eliminated and what it means for England (guys, you have so much going on right now, I promise this is not the fall of the empire. The White Nationalists seem more distressing). Either way, the result is she keeps appearing in front of my eyeballs. Well, you got me guys. You never could sell me on marmite and I'll be honest, I know someone passionate about Chip Butties but they sound very bland to me. I have never once had a french fry and been like, "What this needs is bread". But I also season my food and have never once added sugar to my curry so I get that my tastes don't align with Britain. I am not here to tear down Albion though but to praise it. Or praise it's athletes. And also @femalecelebrityoftheday who is Scottish but you know what? I know what the English do, when the Scottish do something they want to claim suddenly they're all British so I think he gets to be British and claim Molly Caudery as such for this as well. So this is for him because he doesn't really like sports, I get that, they aren't for everyone. A lot of people like sports but many don't. Very few people like marmite and many don't. Different strokes for different folks. But I am convinced he could find a place in his heart to root for Molly Caudery so I am posting her. Also she's hot. Today I want to fuck Molly Caudery.

[anxious-bisexual-0]

Episode 1: out of the shadows

Portia just walking and waving to buy stuff is so funny

Aww pen admiring the debutantes is so cute

MADAME DELACROIX SUPERIORITY

Gregory is a king

Hyacinth you are amazing

I love how no one knows it’s Francesca playing except for kate…

I do wish there was a “wow Bath really changed you” or something

Benedict knowing what Fran was playing is amazing

Ya know I knew he traveled and you can’t get out of England at that time without a boat but seeing Colin walk off the boat sparked something in me

Aw poor pen just wants love

“Squawking” hyacinth you’re lovely

Colin is a whore I’ll say it now and no doubt I will say it again

I don’t think Colin actually saw her,,,, he would have gone across the street to speak with her if he did.

YESSSSSSS INTRO SLAYYYYYY

I love how they change the intro with each season

MMMMM half naked Colin yay

“Sturdy” I love it

The queen being bored is so me

Those poor debutantes

So miss Stowell is the one who uses BSL but then is hearing for the rest of part 1? Maybe HOH? Idk but slay for representation

Colin where were you

The shock with “style of the season” is fantastic

Aw poor violet seems so sad with Fran wanting to leave

Fran is so lovely. Beautiful and relatable.

Brimsly slays always I can’t ever hate him

Colin what????? stop winking you weirdo

HARRY DANKWORTH IS JUST A PRETTY IDIOT I LOVE HIM

Poor aunt petunia

“Without any man telling us what to do!” -Finch and Dankworth looking at each other 😬😐

“Hiding jars of coin under the floorboards!” -like your daughter, Portia????

My poor pen, you deserve so much better with that outfit and hair

Cressida makes me want to scream idc how much they make me sympathize with her

Pen baby you can’t hide behind that bird thing I’m sorry love

Kate is as always ABSOLUTELY STUNNING I love her and her bond with violet

“Lady Bridgerton” “yes?” I LOVE THEM

Colin no doubt practiced those lines in the restroom or something

Him wearing green and pen’s colors is KILLING MEEEEEE

“Flowers in bloom. Each one of you.” The only flower you care about, my dear, is the WALLFLOWER who you’ve known your whole life SHUUUUT UP

The cowpers always sucked

The Featherington girls always steal the show I love them

Colin you think you’re not flirting with her? You absolutely are.

PEN READ HIM HIS RIIIIGHTS BABY

prudence shut up

Philippa makes me so happy I love her

Again, dankworth just being pretty and in love is fantastic

PORTIA GO AWAY

I love pen just laying in bed restless about her wardrobe cause that was me this past month and I just bought so many new clothes and I love them so much

Does madame Delacroix know about pen’s love of Colin?

THE BOW

“I lost count, in truth” -no you didn’t you liar

Wait don’t Colin and Pen name their daughter Jane after Jane Austen???? (In the books????)

“And what of Penelope?” -you’re obsessed

Eloise very heavily implied that Pen was LW and Colin didn’t catch on, the beautiful idiot

PENELOISE

also Rae is a queen I love her

“I wish you very well, Penelope” kills me

Ben says “Purpose” and Colin wants to cry

“A very cold lady.” “She is colder now, im afraid.” I love him idc

SLAY BARON OF KENT

Anthony is a munch yet again

YES PEN GLOWUP

She is so gorgeous I can’t even begin to describe it

I love how everyone looks at pen except Colin. And Eloise being in awe. AND ALBION BEING A PROUD BIL

Colin your jaw is on the floor stop drooling

I ACTUALLY LIKE EMBROIDERY

Pen, baby love, maybe you should have practiced the chitchat before you got there

Eloise just wants to talk to Pen I can feel the yearning ugh

Colin you idiot you should have gone to talk with her before she left the ball

How did the Queen not recognize Pen? Wasn’t she on those cards last season for unmasking LW?

I would like to see a zebra ball

Fife and those other assholes talking to Fran makes me want to SCREEEEEEAM

Kate what did you to do Anthony he’s so calm

I love seeing pen and Fran together

Ugh Nicola Coughlan is so short I love her so much

The way Debling read her so quickly is so funny to me

Cressida, as always, an asshole

ELOISE SAY SORRY LOUDER

Colin saw pen run away and IMMEDIATELY had to find her. Couldn’t continue to make conversation while she was in distress

“Charming dress” “the color rather suits you” GURL SHUT UP

yes you tell him, pen

I wish they spoke about the letters more this season

SHOCK HIM BABE HAHA BITCH SHE HEARD YOU GET OUTTA HERE

pen really shouldn’t have gone home so angry,,,, she needed to BREEEEEATHE before writing that Whistledown

Dundas talking to portia like that is kinda confusing,,,, isn’t this situation kinda similar to the Mondrich situation?

What happened to the cherry pit, dundas?

Cressida why are you boasting about being a bitch

I don’t think we’d heard Cressida talk this much

I love Anthony’s little ear flop

That’s a strong desk.

The house is so large that Fran and violet in the drawing room can’t hear kanthony fucking is so silly

I love violet making music metaphors without knowing much about music

Fran it’s ok I love you

COLIN YOU ARE INSANE

SO HE REMEMBERS THE COMMENT HE MADE.

the way his voice wavers a bit at “ashamed” kills me

“Very good friend” as he looks down and can’t make eye contact. That is a sign of a man in love. He doesn’t understand his feelings and he’s so confused

CHARM?? BABY THIS IS A CHARADE

“THE ONE PERSON WHO HAS ALWAYS TRULY MADE ME FEEL APPRECIATED” WHAT THE FUCK

The smile and second hand wrapping around hers? Killer.

She’s so happy and relieved and then

BAM

OH SHIT WHAT DID I WRITE LAST NIGHT OH NO

Mondrich family slay

Poor little baby lord Kent he’s so shocked

I love the tennis references. Cause tennis goes at least as far back as king henry VIII

so Philippa knows that pen loooooves colin?

Eloise not telling Colin is noble but also really stupid????

Colin calm down you drama queen it wasn’t that bad

“I will never forgive her” and Eloise trying to see if he knows that it’s pen, knowing that he will forgive her.

HELL YEAH YOULL RUIN HER (not in the way you think,, buddy boy)

[highest-brightness]

Merlin stepped in front of a train in 1872. 

For the majority of his life, he managed to find peace in an ever-changing world. He spent his days on random adventures, meeting new, interesting people, and doing his best to give all he could back to the universe. 

But there were periods of time where the memories of blond hair and shining armor became too frequent. Times where Merlin was afraid to sleep, knowing his dreams would be filled with the loved ones he lost– of the people he let down. 

The first time it happened, it was a year after Arthur’s death. Overtaken with grief and guilt, Merlin walked himself up a tall cliff and threw himself off of it. 

In 790, he brewed tea with the most poisonous herbs he could find. 

In 1305, Merlin stole a priceless royal heirloom and turned himself in. He was set to be hanged three days later. 

In 1567, he sailed out to sea and jumped overboard in a storm. 

 And in 1872, Merlin stepped in front of a train. 

By the end of it, he suffered nothing more than an adrenaline rush.

He evaded death with every attempt. His tea spilled, the hangman was out sick, or Merlin simply found himself placed out of harm's way. Every. Single. Time. 

Despite this, Merlin still found himself with the familiar weight of grief taking over his body, and a fleeting idea to end it all. 

Staring at the lake in front of him (yes, the lake), Merlin took tentative steps into the freezing water, his pockets weighed down by various rocks from the shoreline. He ignored the screaming of his magic, fighting its attempts to rip the stones from him. 

He was more determined than he had ever been. 

Merlin had lived a long, long life and he knew he couldn't do it for much longer. Not when he could still picture Arthur so clearly. 

His teasing remarks. His smile. The way he’d let his guard down when they were alone together. The look of betrayal in his eyes when he found out. His blood-soaked skin. 

Merlin marched into the water, letting it soak his clothes, and his heartbeat began to slow. He felt a peace wash over him as his feet dragged against the lake floor. 

He let himself be pulled deeper by some force he couldn’t decipher– a tug at something lost inside him. 

When he couldn’t hold his breath any longer, Merlin pictured Arthur’s face in front of him and took a slow, deep breath. 

Though Merlin knew he was still submerged in the lake, he felt no water making a home in his chest. 

Merlin completely lost control as the rocks ripped themselves from his pockets and he started floating back to the top. 

For a moment, there was only darkness and the muffled sounds of Merlin’s agonizing screams. 

His heart began to break for the thousandth time, but before he could understand what was happening, Merlin felt himself be dragged to shore and was met with a bright, golden light. The type of light that was all consuming. 

He no longer felt freezing, but warmer than he had ever been. 

Merlin squinted, trying to focus on what was in front of him. He slowly pieced together an image of shining metal and an extended hand. 

His eyes traveled upward and were met with a familiar smile. 

“Merlin-”

Merlin didn’t give Arthur a chance to finish before he grabbed his hand and tugged him into a bone crushing embrace. 

Merlin always knew that Arthur would come back when Albion needed him most. But now, the Albion that they knew was something lost to time, and the last remaining piece– well, that was Merlin. 

And when Merlin needed him the most, Arthur came. 

[strangedreamings]

S3E1 (spoilers abound)

Already saw the first 5 minutes on Tudum. I'm firmly in the "Colin didn't see Penelope when he arrived, he was too busy looking at her house" camp. It's sweet that Pen as LW singles out the new debutantes and tries to prop them up.

I love that one of the debutantes is deaf, more diversity on this show is a good thing.

Ah, Francesca's been in Bath since the beginning of S2, thank you, Violet.

"If I can be at ease in the chaos of our home, surely I shall find my way in the Season." Truer words never spoken, Frannie.

Francesca's not the Diamond? WTAF?

Those fucking sheer gloves. I hate them SO MUCH. Long gloves were for modesty, making them sheer makes them pointless. Somebody fetch me the costume designer, I just want to talk.

So Eloise is already "friends" with Cressida and it looks like she is trying to protect Pen from her. We'll see how long this lasts.

Can we nominate Jessica Madsen now for the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series? I always hate Cressida but if, as rumored, we're going to sympathize with her this season, then I'm sure Jessica will knock it out of the park.

I love that Violet and Kate are getting along so well. I'm also thrilled that Violet doesn't approve of Eloise being friends with Cressida.

"I will move into a dower house as soon as I find one." Oookay, 15 minutes into the first episode and we have our first error. Dower houses aren't something a dowager FINDS, it's a (relatively) smaller house on an estate that the family already HAS. What Violet is looking for is a TOWN house in London since the Bridgertons should already have a DOWER house at Aubrey Hall!

Shonda, please, hire me as a script doctor. I assure you I'm affordable.

Lady Danbury: "Lady Bridgerton." Violet and Kate: "Yes?" I love that and I'm sure Agatha did it deliberately, it's cute.

Colin, dearheart, what in the actual fuck are you doing? Flirting shamelessly is only going to get you in trouble.

Lady Cowper is a bitch but we already knew that. I wonder if she took as long as her daughter to find a husband.

Wow, Portia really has given up on Pen finding a husband. This is giving me "Like Water for Chocolate" vibes (I hated that movie, so it's not a compliment).

Error #2. Unless I'm wrong, this is Spring 1815. (According to Wikipedia, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story had Princess Charlotte dying in November 1814, three years before her real-life counterpart.) Emma wasn't published until December 1815. Yeah, we're talking about only a few months and the book does match what El is going through, but still.

Great, another El & Pen fight. El, you can pretend all you like (and you're not even doing a good job) but you are MISERABLE without your best friend. Someone El respects needs to tell her off so that she'll finally grow the fuck up.

Benedict took care of the estate while Anthony and Kate were on their honeymoon? Um, Anthony, WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A STEWARD?! You know, a person you PAY to look after the estate for you instead of asking your brother to do it for free! It gave him something to do, which I'm sure was Anthony's intention, but still!

The Mondriches have just joined the nobility! Well, their eldest son has. Oh boy, Alice is not happy. I don't blame her -- her stress level just increased a hundredfold.

I need to do a @regencyama post about titles, specifically inheriting them. With the Featheringtons and now the Mondriches having a son inheriting from his mother's bloodline, I need to emphasize how rarely this happened in real life. Good on Shonda for including the concept but really, did it have to happen twice in the same episode?

NEWTON!!! Bestest boy ever!

I know that ballroom! Lady Danbury's ballroom either is or is inspired by the Marble Hall at Kedleston. I'd know those columns and the lines of black-and-white panels anywhere.

Pen, honey, your entrance would go better if you didn't look FUCKING TERRIFIED. Albion is a sweetheart, he's the best brother-in-law for Pen (well, on her side). Oh good, she's finally smiling. Portia! How can you think that's a bad color for her? Is she a little color blind? That would explain SO MUCH.

Suddenly get thirsty there, Colin? LOL He has no idea what's coming.

Some of the (presumably) eligible men are finally noticing Pen. How long before Colin steps in? Oh, Pen, you are so awkward around people you don't know well, glad to see that hasn't changed (yet).

El and Cressida talking to some of the new debutantes while Pen is still being awkward with the men. Forget flirting lessons, she doesn't even know how to just talk to men. And El, lowkey making fun of Miss Hartigan for liking embroidery. Grow up, El. At least this girl is true to herself, unlike someone I could name.

Fife is giving off the CREEPIEST vibes as he talks to poor Frannie. What do you bring to the table, good sir? A title? Look around -- titles are a dime a dozen. Surely you can do better than that.

That's what sets Fran off? This scene was one the clips that Netflix released early. I assume the gentlemen had said something offensive but they simply asked her who she is beyond her hobbies. Well, she has been doing nothing but practicing the pianoforte for what, two years now? Maybe she feels there really isn't much to her than that. Well, she's what, 17 now? She's got plenty of time to find herself.

I love how sympathetic and sweet Pen and Frannie are to each other. They're like sisters already.

Cressida with a steel chair! Seriously, there would be a small room off the ballroom reserved just for mending dresses -- tears happened all the time, as well as melted wax dripping from the candles in the chandeliers, spills, etc. But back to Cressida -- she must think very lowly of herself if she truly cannot abide any competition at all.

Too little, too fucking late, El. Choke on your apology, it's neither needed nor wanted. (I love El but haven't liked her for a long time, if that makes sense.)

Another scene Netflix gave us early -- Pen confronting Colin about what he said about her the end of S2. She was already having a bad night and Colin being all smiles was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Uh oh, Pen's writing a new LW column without even getting changed first. Honey, you're writing this in anger, you're probably going to regret at least half of it.

Portia's sweating now with that phony document about the title being questioned. Oh, this guy is threatening her, in that so very English way.

Ooo, are we finally seeing the real Cressida?

A whispering bench! Sorry, I have the tiniest landscaping nerd inside me.

Looks like Kanthony will have a three-month-old with them the beginning of the next Season.

Colin comes the morning after to apologize. Good boy. Still clueless, but good boy.

The Mondriches at their new house and their eldest boy is addressed as Lord Kent. I'm horrible at guessing children's ages but I think this kid is a preteen at most and his life just changed forever.

I will say the portrait of Edmund and Violet is very good. (I assume it's an actual painting and not a photo that has undergone Photoshop or whatever.) Have the writers made Francesca aro? Or at least demisexual? It'll be interesting to see where this goes.

I fucking told you you'd regret that column, Pen. The funny part is that she's not wrong about Colin, but she's certainly not nice about it.

Colin, for fuck's sake, MARINA AND ELOISE RUINED THEMSELVES! If LW hadn't said anything, things actually would have gone a lot worse for Marina, El, your whole family, and especially you, so shut the fuck up.

Four whole minutes of end credits, seriously?

Well, that was certainly an interesting start to both the Season and the season.

[oumaheroes]

Do Not Go Gentle

Cymru

Albion

Alba

Warnings for death

--------------------

Ériu

Ériu first dies when he is too old.

They’re all there now, his new brothers along with himself and Alba. Young Cymru, short, stout, and gentle. Albion younger still, all bones and teeth and impatience. Mama is gone. Lost somewhere a few years ago, when they woke up one morning to find her missing, nothing there but her favourite cloak laid over them all still warm with the smell of her. Cymru too, lain awake teary eyed and refusing to speak of it.

He is ten, he thinks, physically. Two hundred, maybe more. Ériu’s body is taller, shadow longer and fuller. He feels more capable, at any rate, and notices how their people change in their manner towards him, parental to deferential, opinions asked for more and more. His people, his brothers’, theirs- the lines between them grow sharper every year.

Ériu is careful.

Does not go out alone in bad weather. Prays to the Gods before crossing the sea, never goes in when it is rough. Walks along paths well-trodden unless in a group, plans meticulous watches with Alba when they travel alone together at night, listening keenly to the hungry sounds of the forest whilst the other sleeps. He thinks before he does, debates and considers the risks before every action. Where is the danger? What could happen? How can I stop it?

Alba knows what he runs from. He says Ériu is too cautious. Says that death will come for him eventually and putting it off will only make it worse. Says that Mama spoilt him with her fretting and that he is rotting inside for the privilege. Despite himself, Ériu knows that he is right. It is worse, waiting with it. The expectation and fear of the inevitable fermenting inside him, growing and swelling and making him throw away food he cannot afford to waste because he is unable to convince himself that the colour is right.

But Ériu does not want to die. He hears Alba cry out sometimes at night, knows that he muffles the dark memories of one particular rainy day into his pack and pulls Albion closer when he veers towards deep water. And Ériu recoils from it.

Death is a funny thing.

It comes to the careful anyway.

--------------------

It is already hot. Sun high in the sky and the morning is clear and cloudless.

Albion lazes fat in the shade of a bush, aimlessly pulling blackcurrants off the branches that lie close overhead to drop into his waiting mouth. Alba glares across the meadow towards the distant hills, feet a tap tap tapping an anxious tattoo on the banks of hedgerows.

Cymru is not there.

‘He knows we need to go.’ Alba says, ‘Where the fuck is he?’

‘He’ll be fine.’ Ériu says. ‘He’ll be back in a minute.’

Ériu is mending his fishing nets, the weave unthreading in the middle to let desperate, lucky fish slip through. They were going to the coast, to the stretch of land that met their shared sea for them to travel back across. He does not want to go. The land they are in at the moment feels more like home to him, this side of the water, and he is more than happy to indulge Cymru’s unintentional delays.

Alba seems to know it. He turns to glare at him, his bags already packed and slung over one arm.  ‘When did you notice him go?’

‘He’s fine.’

‘He’s not here though, is he.’

‘He’s only gone for a walk. You know he likes being up high; I bet he’s gone up to the top there to see the view and sit a while. He’s been gone since sunrise so he’ll be back soon.’

‘No, he won’t.’

Both of them stop to stare at Albion, still happily on his back in the shade.

Albion must feel their eyes because he sits up, looking defensive as if expecting to be proven wrong. He grabs for some more currants higher up, tunic riding up as he stretches, juice staining his hands, and points out the suddenly obvious, ‘He took his bag with him, didn’t he.’

Cymru did.

Alba swears and kicks at the dirt, looking towards to the sky anxiously as if it were about to break. ‘We won’t get to the village in time if we don’t go now.’

‘We can set off tomorrow.’ Albion points out but Alba’s not listening. They’ve all been this side of the sea for a while and Ériu guesses that Alba is feeling anxious for home, wanting to feel more himself as he does there than here. The coast is a week’s walk away and the weather can change from bright to brutal in a blink. Alba will not take them if the skies change.

‘I’ll get him,’ Ériu says. He folds his net away and stands, sharing a knowing look with Alba who turns away, hiding his expression. ‘I’ll be back before night.’

‘Can I come?’

‘No. You’re too slow.’ Alba clamps a hand around Albion’s arm and Ériu leaves before things get heated.

It is a nice walk. Ériu can see why Cymru chose it. Animal trails wind up the slowly rising hill, a narrow line through bushes and grasses flanked tall either side until Ériu stumbles out into the clear again, unaware of how high he is until he sees the grasslands roll away from under him in a gentle bulge of earth, green and dappled with trees. He would stop here, if it were him. He’d settle down with some food, right as the terrain changed, and watch the world go by from his midway point between two realms, not quite above, not quite below.

But Cymru likes to see the whole world beneath his feet and so Ériu pushes on, feeling the burn in his muscles and the sweat on his skin as the incline gets steeper and the paths gets rockier- single, large boulders cresting from the soil until they all blend together in bursts.

Ériu finds him as the sun begins to descend. Cymru is right at the top as he’d expected, on the edge of an overhang and content on his stomach. He has his whole upper half, arms, chest, and head, dangling over the edge, a stick in hand to poke at some stones below. The soon to be darkening sky and the fact that he cannot see his brother’s head makes Ériu’s gut flash with fear. He imagines Cymru falling, sees him vanish over the edge before Ériu can stop him, his hands clutching at nothing but air before he too then falls. Down down, neck snapping, bones breaking, darkness waiting for them at the hard, lonely bottom.

Two strides and he wrenches Cymru sharply back by the collar, ignoring his yelp of pain to drag him away from the edge. Ériu staggers with the weight of him, rocks rolling underfoot, and they both splay back into the scraggly grass. Something sharp nicks him in the shin- an edge of a rock, disturbed and jagged- but Ériu is too panicked to care.

‘What on earth are you doing!’ he shouts, scrabbling to his feet- Cymru is okay, he’s there-, ‘You know we were supposed to be leaving today.’

‘I’m sorry!’ Cyrmu rolls up to his knees, face dusty and shocked, ‘I thought that I’d only be quick-‘

‘Don’t be a dammed liar; you’ve got your bag with you.’

Cymru averts his eyes, his reasons stuck tight between his lips and Ériu is too relieved he’s away from the edge to take the time to pry them free.

Ériu clips him around the ear, throws Cymru’s bag into his chest, and, without a word, stalks away to lead them down again.

He thinks of it again as they go. Hears the crunching sound of Cymru’s shoes on the loose stones and dry twigs as snapping bone against flesh. Imagines the tumbling fury of it in his mind’s eye, the all-encompassing agony of that impact. He grabs Cymru’s hand to tug him along faster and doesn’t let go until they’re deep into the bushes again, edge of the hill hidden from view and its deadly incline gentler.

He checks them over as they stop to rest near the base where the lands smooths almost flat. Cymru has some scratches to his hands from breaking his fall and Ériu himself has a cut across his shin, no bigger than an inch in length. But nothing more. A worthy price to pay, he thinks, compared to what could have been.

--------------------

The next morning, the split skin around his shin is hot.

‘What’s wrong?’

The next, it is even hotter.

‘Hey.’

The third day, worse. When he changes the shoddily done wrapping Ériu smells that it has festered. The panic sets in. He hears his brothers down the stream from him, two talking, one laughing, and cold fingers grip inside his chest and squeeze him tight enough to close his throat.

He tracks the growth of the darkening, reddening skin by each freckle and mole it passes, willing it desperately to stop. With each new conquest it makes, the feelings of dread grow stronger and colder, and the more he pushes his reality away.

Cool hand in his own. Cymru stares up at him, worried. ‘You’re limping.’

It usually goes away. Why isn’t it going away.

‘Hurt my ankle.’ Ériu says and flicks Cymru’s nose to stop him frowning. ‘It’ll be fine by night time.’

‘You were limping yesterday.’ Cymru apparently won’t be distracted, ‘But it’s worse now.’

Ériu shrugs and forces himself to stand straighter. It is hot. Cloudless skies and a burning sun. What he wouldn’t do for a rest by a cool lake.

It was only small. It can’t be too bad; it was only small. Small things heal.

Ériu grips the strap of his bag and carries on.

Cymru keeps more silences than just his own. He slows his pace to match Ériu’s and takes Albion’s bag from him to make him look excusably more laden. When Alba calls to hurry them as the sun goes down, it is Cymru he focuses on.

--------------------

‘Show me.’

Alba by firelight, hair the colour of polished bronze. He could only be distracted for so long.

Cymru and Albion sleep nearby. Ériu eyes them, then Alba, and slowly, carefully, rolls up his trouser leg to share his nightmare.

It is bad. Something has got into him, under his skin and down further and through the bone. Alba comes over to see better and they both analyse the now weeping, stinking sore with cool, blank faces. The leg is starting to swell.

‘How long?’

‘Four days. It keeps going.’

Alba nods and licks his lips. Goes to touch Ériu’s poor leg, then doesn’t. ‘We need to go to the people. Maybe the rot can be stopped.’

Ériu hesitates, then nods. Allows hope in and forces himself to forget briefly all of the memories he has been replaying of the final hours of writhing men and sobbing children, their skin sore and angry just like his after something tore at it. ‘There’s a settlement near the river. It’s not too much of a detour.’

Alba’s eyes are soft. It makes Ériu’s stomach tighten with cold again, ‘Can you get there?’

‘Yes.’ Ériu says firmly.

Alba nods, ‘Alright.’

He helps Ériu wrap it for the night, newly washed linen that one of them could have used as a shirt. Instead, it is used to hold Ériu together, and he and Alba lay quietly side by side, watching the stars through the trees and listening to the snap of the fire.

It helps, if only for a night.

When their people greet them, Ériu can hardly walk.

Thoughts do not stick with him long. He steadily worsens, the final steps are a blur, and he is tipped from Alba’s arms into a strangers’, hot cheeks pressed to shoulders as he’s carried up the mound at a run.

Then a house.

A fire.

Some blankets, then none. Cool air on his skin, a small hand in his own. The fur of heavy pelts, the cool lightness of linen- something soft under him. Wetness on his forehead. Voices around him, talking and talking and talking but no sense in any of it that he can catch.

Something presses on his leg and clarity bursts in shrieking, the agonising pain flooding up and through him to escape high and shrill, a sound unlike anything he has ever made before. He sees his leg through tears, the skin bubbling and curling away from the angry red centre, and he kicks out to be free of all of it.

Someone is crying.

Darkness swims on the edges but Ériu refuses to go.

--------------------

‘I can make it quick.’ Alba is above him. His expression is serious.

They are alone. This Ériu knows by the air, the lightness of few people in a large space, and that he can hear nothing but absences and his own laboured breathing.

He wants Mama.

Alba shifts beside him. He glances about, turning to look over his shoulder before leaning close to whisper, ‘If you want me to, I can do it. I can make it go faster.’

Ériu weakly shakes his head and whimpers, temples pulsing.

‘Shhh.’ Alba’s hand cups his cheek and he strokes Ériu’s hot skin with his thumb, ‘It will be okay.’

‘No…’

‘It will be better than this. This is the worst part.’ Alba looks from one eye to the other, a horrible, knowing look in his eye. He looks older, haunted, ‘I promise.’

Ériu shakes his head again. His leg burns, it is hard to focus, but he knows exactly what his brother is offering. Death has got to Alba already, and it has eaten away at the gift of innocence that childhood once granted him to be replaced with something bitter and hard. It was a look that Mama once sometimes had, gazing off across fields to something that only she could see and remember. It is a look Ériu is fated to share.

He does not want it. Not yet. He does not wish to know how much death stings, does not wish to return changed. He has seen too much life for this moment to be easy, Alba had been right with his warnings. Worse than the fear of the unknown was the fear of the known that was doomed to come.

Life kicks inside his chest, a silly mortal desire he hasn’t yet tested.

‘It is happening, whether you like it or not.’ Alba brushes the tears from under Ériu’s eyes, ‘There is only one thing left.’

What if he does not return? What if someone else returns inside of him, someone new?

‘Let me make it easier.’

Ériu’s eyes drift to the smoke hole in the thatched ceiling above. Smoke curls past herbs strung to dry in the rafters, yarrow and rosemary and nettles, and Ériu watches as it unfurls towards the heavens.

--------------------

Alba lied.

There are no words to describe the agony that follows.

--------------------

Ériu wakes slowly.

Someone is humming, fingers playing in his hair.

Ériu opens his eyes to find Albion sitting cross-legged next to him on the floor. He stops humming when he sees that Ériu is awake but continues to brush his fingers through his hair, seemingly unbothered by the gritty feel of it.

‘Finally. You took ages.’ Albion glances at him, then away. His eyes are red, ‘Thought you might be dead for real.’

‘You’d be lucky.’ Ériu’s throat is dry and dusty but his voice is still there.

Albion grins and gets up to get him water, carefully and quietly stepping around Cymru still asleep next to him. Alba is there too, arm around Cymru as if to keep him in place.

The house is communal. People are everywhere but they’re a polite distance away, giving Ériu’s family their space whilst still being within help’s easy reach. Ériu lifts a stiff arm out of his blankets to touch the hard, dry earth beneath the floor’s rushes, and knows exactly where and who he is.

--------------------

When North arrives, Ériu is conflicted.

Life is different now. Softer in as many ways as it is harder and death wears different disguises than the ones Ériu grew up with.

His youngest brother has clean drinking water, good food. A varied diet that is richer than anything Ériu would once have ever been able to imagine- fruits and vegetables and meats that still sometimes feel new to him. North’s bed is warm, and guaranteed each night. The medical men and women around him are highly trained, their science always advancing, and his clothes are well made and tailored for the weather. He has several homes, and is always welcome in all of them.

North has four grown men around him, thousands of years’ experience to each of them, who want for him a life they hadn’t been lucky enough to have themselves. North will not die from silly mistakes.

But North does need to die.

Ériu balances fate with reasoning. Lets North drive alone at night, even though he cannot legally do so. Turns the other way when North takes up smoking in parks with newly made human friends. Ignores any signs of reckless behaviour that could easily be curbed or prevented.

Only Cymru disagrees. For reasons Ériu doesn’t understand, Cymru frets like Mama once did, watching North carefully as if making up for a secret past failing.

It is a fruitless effort. North needs to know what it is to feel the edges of mortality, as all of them know. And Ériu knows that waiting will only ever make it worse.

[a-luran]

Waaaaaiiiittt but potential of Arthur dyeing his hair . Vein little shit in his older years YES 100000% he’s too proud to admit he’s doing it. And out of spite he will stick to it until he’s last his hands.

Human au. But little baby Arthur shaving and putting anything in his hair to look more blonde his mother is 10000/10. Even better if his dad is somehow Differnet to his siblings dads (maybe his siblings have dads who are friends or some have the same dad) and he’s desperate for that connection to her.

Or if it’s nations au. Rome making him do it as he’s ashamed of him and hates that he is somehow connected to him. I just adore the idea of England having connections to Rome. Makes it extra angst if England and Albion are different people. Uk Celtic bros one day had Albion and the next had this new kid speaking another language insisting this is his land. With weird smelling hair (I dunno how he’d do it lemons???? Ammonia??) and some burning desire to conquer resting in his eyes (lemon smelling 6 year old is just a funny scary image)

He would absolutely be the kind of person to be shown a picture of (very obviously) himself as a child and say “I don’t know who that is” with a straight face, actively in the process of retouching his ends. (I have to admit that I am very partial to Arthur with blonde hair and dark dark roots. I don’t think that he’d hide he dyes his hair, just does not discuss it. It’s who he is at this point)

In a human AU I can definitely see this being a way for him to be closer to his mother, or who he thinks his mother is based off of old photographs. Maybe she had dark hair as well but dyed it— how could Arthur know, really? But it’s how he remembers her. It’s the her that left imprints in faded photographs.

In nationverse I think it’s a complex identity struggle, aye especially under rule. Either as a way to belong to himself, or forceful assimilation that sticks in a way he would battle to unlearn. The Arthur who existed before that influence does not exist anymore; he would literally not recognise himself in a mirror.

From a historical perspective he would have been able to lighter his hair with lye. There is a lot of evidence to suggest the use of ash as an alkaline agent. It’s not my area, but I can speak to a degree of different dyeing techniques for both hair and textiles across different periods of what we’d refer to broadly as the ‘Roman Britain .’ Even Pliny the Elder left behind commentary on how to achieve the perfect black and red dye job— in his opinion (for black he suggests rotting leeches in wine, for red he talks about a much more reasonable process involving beechwood ash and animal fat. A golden tone to is suggested to be achievable with saffron). You’ll find it suggested in some of the literature that sex workers and slaves were required to dye their hair blonde under Roman law. A lot of Roman law scholars and social historians disagree, for several reasons. Although it is true that prostitution was highly institutionalised, a likely middle ground is that blonde hair was desirable and pursued (which tells us plenty about the underlying social conditionings of desire, as well as the cultural, social and economic reading of blonde hair), and that in some instances may have been standardise as one of the professional markers of the sex trade.

[slime-enby]

Rachael and Holding Onto the Past and Abuse and Themes

hey cw up front on this one: there's gonna be discussion of abuse n grooming in here

I have been plagued by thinking about the themes of An Atompunk Opera, the New Albion Guide to Analogue Consciousness. It really was a struggle for me and i think mostly that difficulty came down to the character Rachael. As much as i loved her, jokes about her just "being a taxi" for the True Real story kinda kept me from thinking about her story and her writing and giving it proper weight and thought. And that isn't to say that she isn't a passive protagonist for much of the story, she very much is. From the moment she escapes the asylum she was kept in until she runs out on Lee into the arms of Elysium's angels, the narrative mostly happens to and around her. She very much reacts to it.

I think this fits into what I've come to understand as a big theme of An Atompunk Opera, the New Albion Guide to Analogue Consciousness, of holding on too tight to an ideal past to the detriment of seeing, let alone making a new future to be happy in. The most obvious character to point to for this theme is Connor, who was so focused on saving Lee to the detriment of his relationship with zip (mascot 3000) that zip just calls Conner "the madman" instead of dad. and in the end instead of forging a new future with the kid he does have with him, instead he's left with neither one. We see this in Lee's last moments as well, he wants to hold onto and mend a relationship with the woman he thinks is the reincarnated soul of his long dead love, and clinging onto it ends up killing him.

Rachael doesn't seem to be outwardly holding onto something from her past though, does she? I mean all she does after escaping the asylum she was put in after she wanted to keep the pregnancy from a guy who groomed her was follow the instructions of this man older than her because she's lost alone and disoriented- oh hm.

Up front i am not comparing Connor to the man that abused Rachael. This isn't a "Connor is secretly this even worse thing" kind of post. This is a discussion of reaction TO years of abuse and cycles. And Themes. Love a theme.

Rachael is a character who as we meet her in her song details being wooed by a man much older than her n whom demands respect from her life. I have been in similar situations to this. Being made small n to listen to directions leaves a huge impact n even after moments of sticking up for oneself it is very easy to still slip into those patterns. Rachael, i believe, is still subconsciously clinging to a past or more accurately trauma of needing to look for instruction and approval. And as a more active role, is holding on to ideas of soul mates and romance to get her through her life. She's holding on to the love song just for her on the radio. She's the character who's holding on with two gripped fists to something that wasn't good in the first place. Her story is so, so necessarily about being able to let her past go.

So she is a taxi in the story as she's told to be. She goes to elysium because she doesn't have much better to do and as she thinks its where her promised love will be waiting. She steps into elysium greeted by a welcome party!

Then it comes crashing down when Lee tells her that she doesn't feel like Adrian, the he cannot love her in the way she wants. So she runs, and she cries and she wants to die.

And then she lives, and then she chooses to keep living, not chasing after acceptance or recognition or her destined love. Rachael chooses to carve out something new with her acceptance into elysium, and with Zip. She gets to have a happy (after?)life because she's the character who finally stopped clinging to a past that she shouldn't return to