#marilyn cromwell

[carewyncromwell]

“I haven't been running from my problems --  I've been running from you! What kind of parents would rather see their daughter dead Than be married to a man from the wrong family?!”

~“Stronger” from & Juliet

x~x~x~x

tw: physical and emotional abuse

x~x~x~x

The Cromwell estate was a very large property in the outskirts of Yorkshire. It was honestly remarkable that such an old and beautiful manor house could live in such isolation, but the cloaking spells around the house were virtually impregnable. It warded off not only Muggles, but all creatures as well. No one could Apparate onto or Disapparate out of the property -- instead one would either have to use the very well-guarded Floo Network grate in Charles’s office or Apparate outside the house and come through an enchanted gate that only a member of the Cromwell family could open. There were times that the enchantments around the house were so strong that it was even impervious to the elements outside, warding off rainstorms before they could go any further than the back gardens. 

Marilyn Cromwell would say it made her family’s home a sanctuary, safely detached from the normal mess and noise of everyday life. For Lane, however, not being able to go out and play in puddles, hear any birds singing outside, or even watch frost crystallize over the windowpane was just one more mark of how like a prison this house was. 

Now, of course, Lane hadn’t always seen it that way. In the beginning, she didn’t give the arrangement much thought at all, aside from her usual discontent at being forced to attend social gatherings and entertain her father’s coworkers. She’d contented herself with the contents of her father’s library for most of her life, escaping onto the pages of A History of Magic, Nature’s Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy, and biographies about Cornelius Agrippa and Uric the Oddball. Charles had actually encouraged Lane’s escapism in his own weird way, generously giving her free reign to borrow and read whatever book she wished from his library. It was a freedom Lane had cherished at the time, before realizing just how many subjects were censored from Charles’s collection. How many authors were censored from it...

It was largely thanks to the love of learning Charles had encouraged in Lane by reading in his library that resulted in her being sorted into Ravenclaw house. And sure enough, it was here -- and at Hogwarts itself -- that Lane saw starkly just how many things had been denied her at home. 

Not having to wake up at the same time every single day. 

Having a pet. 

Choosing what you wanted to wear, no matter what was scheduled for the day. 

Being allowed to eat whatever and as much as you wanted, when you wanted. 

Making real friends. 

Having actual privacy -- being allowed to write, do and say whatever you wanted, without being afraid that your father would somehow immediately know you’d done wrong no matter how much you might try to hide it. 

Even being able to sit back in a comfy chair and just look out the window! At school Lane had multiple windows in her dormroom -- ones tall as the ceiling and completely uncovered, which let in both sunlight and moonlight that lit up the whole room, and yet also looked out toward the entire Hogwarts grounds, thanks to the height of Ravenclaw Tower. At home Lane had to settle for one very tiny window mounted high on the wall over her bed, which overlooked nothing but the flower-trimmed hedges in the back garden. She could barely even see the sky, the hedges grew so high. 

And then there was the library. Hogwarts’s library was the place of dreams, for Lane Cromwell. Compared to her father’s admittedly rather respectable collection at home, Hogwarts’s library was nirvana -- endless rows of shelves, all a mile high, full of books about every subject: even ones Lane hadn’t known were subjects before! Books about scrying and Flesh-Eating Trees -- scholarly journals about new and developing Potions research -- even a few fictional stories written by Muggles! David Copperfield by Charles Dickens -- Animal Farm by George Orwell -- Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson...all books Lane hid safely under her pillow in her dormroom, half out of fear of her siblings seeing her with them and half to sneak a few more chapters after curfew while everyone else was asleep. 

After reading those, she actually sought out other books written by Muggles -- this time regarding her favorite subject, history. Thanks to her dormmates, who were all thoroughly charmed by softspoken Lane getting so excited about something, the third-eldest Cromwell got her hands on even more interesting books, including The Diary of Anne Frank and biographies for Muggles like Elizabeth I and William Wilberforce. Lane’s dormmates also introduced her to other interesting Muggle things, like soda pop and roller-skates. And from there, Lane’s love of Muggles and the world they’d created only grew, to the point that she’d even fallen hard for a Muggle she’d collided with in her best friend Judy Castine’s neighborhood -- a protective, upright young man named Evan Bach.

At school Lane truly was happier than she’d ever been in her life. And Charles Cromwell most assuredly had noticed. That was made very clear to Lane when one day, during the winter break of her seventh year, Charles asked to speak to Lane privately in his study.

Charles’s study was a room no Cromwell child ever liked visiting. From the time they were very small, it was a place they were expected to stay away from, whenever the door was closed -- it meant that their father was busy, whether because he was speaking privately to some Ministry official he’d invited over or because he was speaking privately to one of them. And you did not interrupt Charles Cromwell when he was speaking to one of his children. No matter what you might hear -- no matter how much crying or pleading, no matter what kind of sounds might echo from behind that door, you never interrupted. You never tried to intervene. After all, it was just about always just a simple talk -- Charles never raised a hand or wand against his children, unless they really made him. And there was no reason for anyone to cry about something as normal as a talk with one’s father...

Lane’s hands were freezing cold at her sides as she approached her father’s study. The door was open -- she could see Charles sitting at his desk, his reading glasses on as he consulted some papers. Before she could even think of speaking, Charles looked up, greeting her with a cold smile as he slid his glasses off with one hand.

“Lane, my dear. Come in and close the door.”

Lane glanced down at the doorknob under her hand. She did not want to do that. She didn’t like being in a room alone with her father -- she’d never liked it, especially when he was angry --

But she knew she had no choice. With a swallow, Lane very reluctantly did as she was told. She closed the door behind her and wordlessly approached her father’s desk.

Charles considered his third daughter for a very long moment. It was a detached, and yet thoroughly penetrating stare -- one that made Lane feel exposed beyond belief. Like every flit of his eyes along her lightly freckled cheek and long, loose blond hair was a needle poking at every tiny, seemingly most insignificant flaw. 

“You seem apprehensive, child,” said Charles. 

His voice should’ve been concerned, and yet, for some reason, it didn’t sound that way, to Lane. Instead it sounded perfunctory -- rehearsed, somehow. 

“I’m sorry,” Lane mumbled at once. 

Judy’s father’s warm, reassuring face rippled over her memory. 

“Oh, now, don’t fret -- we won’t bite you. Go ahead, take off your coat -- ”

Charles’s eyebrows seemed to twitch. Lane felt her heart skip a beat anxiously. 

“I...I just...I hope I haven’t upset you,” she said very quickly. Her voice was a frail, breathy shadow of what her siblings’ were, even more so due to the slight strain that came from her nerves. “I’ve been studying very hard -- I’ll make sure to pass all my NEWTs...”

Charles didn’t respond to Lane’s nerves. Instead he merely gave a very slow nod of muted approval.

“As is proper. With a brain like yours, I would expect nothing less.”

Lane attempted a weak smile. “...Th-thank you, Father.”

Charles, however, did not smile in return. He merely watched her, his bue eyes boring into her with singular focus. Lane could feel a cold chill running along the back of her head, almost like a claw -- it made her stiffen despite herself. 

“I’ve summoned you here so that we may discuss your future,” Charles said airily. 

Lane faltered. “...My future?”

“Yes. After your schooling has ended. Surely you’ve considered it -- how you intend to be useful to the Cromwell Clan?”

The claw seemed to scratch at the inside of her brain. Lane flinched. 

“...I...I did, yes,” said Lane meekly. 

Memories of her Career Advice session with her Head of House flitted over her mind. Pleasant conversation by a sunny window, alongside a cup of tea and some fairy cakes --

Lane suddenly felt like the claw poke a single, sharp nail right into her brain. She gave a soft cry as it scraped across her skull, dragging that memory up to the forefront of her mind --

“It’s your life, Miss Cromwell -- may as well live it! So? What is it that you want to do?”

“...I...I want to be a Historian. Like Bathilda Bagshot. I want to travel, and study dig sites...maybe even write a book, someday -- ”

“If that’s what you want to do, then I say you should do it! And don’t you let anyone tell you otherwise -- ”

“A Magical Historian?” Charles’s low Bass tone seemed to echo through Lane’s brain, warping the memory she’d been forced to relive. 

Lane felt like her head had been roughly thrown backward. She choked, blinking back tears as she tried to orient herself. The room was spinning...

“Lane, my dear, I’m disappointed,” Charles pressed on as if nothing had happened. “Magical Historians have always been severely undervalued, from an economic standpoint -- why, even Bathilda Bagshot herself only just barely stays afloat, on the back of her book sales. You know full well you can’t support a husband and children of your own, with so pitiful a salary.”

Lane swallowed, trying to catch her breath. 

“Yes, but...won’t it be all right, for a little while?” she said timidly. “At least...while I’m unmarried? Mother said I’d stay at home, a-after graduation...a-at least until then...so I won’t need to find a home, just yet. I...I could save up whatever I don’t spend on food and necessities -- ”

“That won’t be necessary,” Charles cut her off. “I’ve already made arrangements to ensure you’ll be well-provided for.”

Lane’s shoulders tensed. 

“...What arrangements?” she said very softly. 

Charles offered Lane a very cold smile. “Come now, Lane, my dear...what other kind of arrangements could I mean? You’ve grown into a very pretty, well-read, obedient young lady -- it’s high time that we capitalize on those favorable qualities, while your bloom is still new.”

“But -- but I thought that Pearl and Claire would -- ”

Lane’s voice was naturally so quiet and insubstantial that Charles was able to talk over her without even having to raise his voice. 

“Your lack of enthusiasm during our most recent gathering was rather troublesome, for your mother. Fortunately I’ve been in contact with Elias Urquart, and he believes his son Claude would do very well in the company of a quiet, patient young lady like you...”

“F-Father -- ”

Lane felt the claw sinking its claws into her head again, latching onto the fear in her brain. She gave a weak cry as that ball of fear inside of her was seemingly slammed down into her throat, forcing her into choked, suffocated silence. 

“And I must agree,” said Charles, seemingly not even noticing his daughter’s distress. “Why, a lady so soft-spoken and frail as you needs a proper husband to provide for her, if she’s going to make it in a cut-throat world like this. And with Claude’s wealth and the size of his family’s estate, you would be able to raise quite a respectable family, there. A son or two -- a daughter, perhaps. All within a stone’s throw of Cromwell Manor, as well. Your mother and I will never be far away...”

Fear. All Lane could feel was fear. Over her eyes, she could see Cromwell Manor -- the endless halls, lonely and dark -- the dining hall, underscored by Marilyn’s digs at her posture and table manners -- the windows never touched by frost or rain -- 

No -- no -- 

Lane felt her knees give way, but it was like she couldn’t even feel the floor. Both it and the room she’d been in were invisible to her eyes, through the pain in her mind. 

Locked doors. Barred windows and high hedges. Those would be her future, for the rest of her life. The thought made her intestines snake out around her nauseously pumping heart and stomach and squeeze. In her mind, she was back in her room right after her first year, miserably peeking out through that tiny window in a vain attempt to see the sky -- missing Judy and Simon and Carol -- all of her professors -- Evan -- Evan, oh, Evan -- me, married, Evan --

Then, all at once, the fear suffocating her throat seemed to slowly dissipate. 

Lane gasped for air. Her knees were throbbing with pain from the impact with the floor -- her hair was wet with sweat and her pale hands clutching the carpet were trembling. She tried to take several deep breathes, even as her father’s shadow engulfed her.

“Lane,” he said in a strange, almost paternal manner. “My poor child...there’s no need to be frightened...”

Lane felt her father bring his hands under her arms and gently hoist her up as if she were a child. She blinked up at him, trying to see through the teary blur that had overtaken her vision. 

When she made direct eye contact with Charles, however, she instantly knew she’d made a mistake. 

At once, the claw had seized hold of her brain again, making her crumple up in her father’s arms. Her frail voice came out in a weak, pitiful scream, more akin to a badly wounded animal, as the claw tore into her mind with force.

“Who is he, Lane?” her father’s voice rumbled through her head like some kind of distant thunder.

Lane could see Professor Slughorn, in her mind -- Professor Dumbledore --  Judy’s and her father Roy’s smiling faces --

Her father was searching. He was searching for him. 

Evan’s silhouette in the diner, by the jukebox, was brought to the front of her mind -- he’d be turning around any moment -- introducing himself -- 

No! 

Lane shoved Evan to the back of her mind. The claw seemed to dig in further, shoving things crassly aside trying to get to the memory, but Lane tried to push it back.

No -- no, you can’t have him!

“Who is he, Lane?” Charles’s voice rumbled more forebodingly than ever.

No!

The claw slammed down into her brain with the force of knives. Lane could hear her own screams echoing endlessly in her ears. Still, however terrified she was and however numb with pain her body was, she still weakly tried to keep Evan obscured.

Don’t think of his face -- don’t let Father hear him say his name --

Lane had read about Legilimency in the Library. Sure, none of the books gave much guidance about how it worked or how to prevent it, but she still immediately knew that that had to be how her father was so able to see through her and her siblings, when they were young. That had to be how he was able to hurt them like this, without ever raising his wand. 

Legilimency is a magic that allows a magic user to view someone else’s thoughts or memories. 

That was what the book had said. And so that is what Lane focused on -- however much Charles tried to shove the thought and memory aside to reach Evan, Lane desperately tried to stay locked on the memory of reading that book, while kicking and writhing to try to get out of her father’s arms --

You can’t have him -- you can’t hurt him -- 

Evan’s hand, holding hers -- no, not his face -- “your parents -- they shouldn’t say stuff like that to you” -- his comforting smile -- “I’d look after you -- I mean -- ”

Lane felt both the claw and her father throw her roughly to the floor. She collided with the side table, making the glass lamp on it smash on top of her with a loud CRASH, before she crumpled to the floor, shaking and breathing heavily as she blinked back both tears and blood. The glass must’ve collided with her head...

“So it seems you’ve read up on my particular talent,” Charles murmured. “I must wonder if Blaise prompted that...”

He bent down beside Lane. Rather than help her up, however, the head of the Cromwell Clan merely looked down at her with such an emotionless, uncaring look that he resembled one of the china dolls Lane had seen in Judy’s room at her house. 

“I do not know who that boy is,” he said, his Bass voice so low and hushed with displeasure, it was like a demon bitterly whispering his terms to his latest target, “but you will discard him immediately, or else I shall have to make pointed inquiries to Hogwarts’s school governors, regarding his identity. We don’t need you getting distracted, do we?”

Charles’s voice grew darker still as he leaned his hand on the floor right beside Lane’s head. 

“Never forget that your life -- your future -- everything you are and ever will be -- has been written to serve the Clan’s interests. My interests. It is I who has paid for your home, comfort, and safety -- the clothes you wear and the food you eat -- and it is I whom you shall have to pay that back for, with interest. I wished to be generous -- allowing you the freedom to be a bit more selfish at school, if just for a short while...but sadly, the clock has run out, and playtime is over. It’s high time that you grow up and accept your duty as a member of the Cromwell Clan. Your duty to your father and leader.”

Charles’s almond-shaped blue eyes grew a little smaller.

“Have I made myself clear?”

Lane’s face had lost all its color. Her long blond hair fell into her face as she crumpled up on the floor, bowing her head.

“...Yes, sir,” she whispered.

Charles seemed to relax a bit. Lane could hear the floor creak a bit under him as he got up off the floor. 

“Good,” he said, his curt voice feigning gentility again. “Now then -- go clean yourself up and get ready for supper. Your mother plans to serve a lovely roast goose.”

Lane heard the door of Charles’s office open and -- without seemingly any hesitation -- his footsteps down the hall.

Lane remained still on the floor, bleeding and weak, for what felt like ages. When the clock chimed the hour, though, she knew it was in truth only about fifteen minutes. 

It was right as the clock chimed that Lane felt someone hoist her up off the floor.

“Lane,” she heard Pearl sigh in aggravation, “why do you always have to be such a thorn in our sides...?”

Despite muttering this, her older sister nonetheless hoisted Lane up onto her back and carried her to her room. 

Lane didn’t speak at all while Pearl carried her -- her older sister likewise didn’t say anything to her, though she did have to fend off Blaise at one point, when he saw Lane on her back.

“You need to support her head better!” Blaise said, his petulant voice nonetheless betraying some genuine upset. “See, you’re getting her blood on your shoulder -- ”

“I’ll clean up her mess myself, thank you,” Pearl spat at her youngest sibling. “That’s what I always have to do, for you lot -- ”

“You?” Blaise shot back vindictively. The last Cromwell sibling, Claire, stayed off to the side, timidly watching, as Blaise tried and failed to yank Lane out of Pearl’s arms. “Please! You don’t know the first thing about taking care of someone -- all you ever do is tell us to shut up and stop complaining -- ”

“Maybe if you did shut your trap and stop whining, I wouldn’t have to say it so much!” snapped Pearl. 

With a not-so-pleasant kick, she forced Blaise back away enough to reach Lane’s bedroom door, which she lightly kicked open and then slammed behind her. She then dropped her sister down on the bed like dead weight.

“Mother and Father still expect you on time for supper,” Pearl said harshly as she turned to the door. “Keep your mouth shut and your head down until it’s over, and maybe Father won’t see the need to do anything else.”

With this, she opened the door again and shut it firmly behind her. Lane could hear her shooing Blaise and Claire away outside the door -- Blaise was taking it much less well than Claire did, since Lane could hear him obnoxiously arguing the point as their voices faded away down the hall.

Very weakly Lane tried to pick herself up off the mattress. She only managed to hoist herself up enough to lean against the wall under her window -- but it was as she leaned back, her blond hair sliding out of her face again at last, that her pale face was fully visible once again.

And anyone who could’ve seen Lane’s face would’ve known...that face was not that of someone who had decided to surrender.

Lane knew there was only one way in or out of Cromwell Manor -- through Charles’s fireplace, which he would never let her near in a million years, especially now that she’d managed to hide Evan’s identity from him. But Lane would have to return to Hogwarts, in order to graduate -- she was much less valuable to him, if she didn’t. That had to be why he had made these marriage arrangements so abruptly and why he’d called her into his office to tell her about them. He wanted to make sure she knew she was trapped -- alone, penniless, and powerless -- that he still had control over her life, and that he would keep that control for the rest of his. 

But even with this...while she was at Hogwarts, Charles could not access her. He could not monitor or guard her or read her thoughts. Most important of all, while she was there, he could not stop her from making her own choices. 

And after Hogwarts, Lane decided...after she was a legal adult, with her education complete...he never would again. After graduation, she would steal a chance of freedom for herself, and leave Charles Cromwell and his Clan behind her, once and for all. 

[littlelioncub43]

who are your top 5 favorite actors/actresses?

Oo good question!

Actresses:

Kathy Bates — has killed every single role shes ever done. Can do comedy and drama with the same level of dedication and expertise that puts her at the top of my list.

Marilyn Monroe — talented beyond belief! Unparalleled comedic timing, and still had the chops to do serious films. Amazing and phenomenal.

Katherine Hepburn — perfected the art of acting that even influenced Sir Anthony Hopkins. Plus her clothes were amazing. But man, she could act.

Octavia Spencer — I believe her character, no matter what, I believe it. Ive never once said "man, they shouldn't have casted Olivia Spencer." She's so good!

Michelle Yeoh — ever since I saw her in Memoirs of A Geisha when I was a kid, I knew she was great. And then I learned that she did stunts??? Amazing. I love when actresses are also stunt people, it's amazing.

Honorable mentions: Lucy Liu, Vicky Krieps, Renée Zellweger, Judy Garland, Mae West and many many many many more

Actors:

Anthony Hopkins — the way he is just so freaking natural no matter what role he plays is absolutely enchanting. He's simply being. It's incredible. He's not trying, he is. And I love it.

Michael Caine — He was the perfect Ebenezer Scrooge in The Muppets Christmas Carol, no one else should try. Plus his other bodies of work are impressive as heck.

Boris Karloff — he was the actor who played Frankenstein's Monster in the original Frankenstein in the 1930s. He made a bunch of other old horror films back then that are really fun!

James Cromwell — you should see him in L.A. Confidential. He's great in anything he's in, but that one movie is especially great.

Daniel Day-Lewis — this guy can freaking act. From classics like My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, and The Age of Innocence to newer films like The Phantom Thread, he is absolutely captivating in all his work. Grated, he's a method actor, but when the product is something of this quality, I can allow it.

My brain is broken and I cant list any honorable mentions for the men, but I'm sure there are more out there bahaha

[nellygwyn]

Books I read in 2020

♡ Slammerkin // Emma Donoghue (re-read)

♡ The Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy Book 2) // Deborah Harkness

♡ Celeste: The Parisian Courtesan Who Became a Countess and a Bestselling Author // Roland Perry

♡ Sophia: Mother of Kings // Catherine Curzon

♡ Young and Damned and Fair: The Life and Tragedy of Catherine Howard at the Court of Henry VIII // Gareth Russell

♡ Longbourn // Jo Baker

♡ Silas Marner // George Eliot

♡ Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames // Lara Maiklem

♡ An Almond for a Parrot // Wray Delaney

♡ Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey // Nicola Tallis

♡ Bess of Hardwick: The First Lady of Chatsworth // Mary S. Lovell

♡ Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading // Nina Sankovitch

♡ The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy Book 3) // Deborah Harkness

♡ The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter // Hazel Gaynor

♡ The Foundling // Stacey Halls

♡ Catherine of Braganza: Charles II's Restoration Queen // Sarah-Beth Watkins

♡ Far From the Madding Crowd // Thomas Hardy (re-read)

♡ Jurassic Mary: Mary Anning and the Primeval Monsters // Patricia Pierce

♡ Time's Convert (Book 1 of the All Souls Trilogy prequel series) // Deborah Harkness

♡ The Darling Strumpet // Gillian Bagwell (re-read)

♡ The French Lieutenant's Woman // John Fowles (re-read)

♡ The Sphinx: The Life of Gladys, Duchess of Marlborough // Hugo Vickers

♡ A Place of Greater Safety // Hilary Mantel

♡ Charlotte Brontë: A Life // Claire Harman

♡ Life Mask // Emma Donoghue (re-read)

♡ Mrs Jordan's Profession // Claire Tomalin

♡ The Favourite: Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough // Ophelia Field

♡ Shadowplay // Joseph O'Connor

♡ Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity, From Bronze Age to Silver Screen // Greg Jenner

♡ Ashes of London (Book 1 of the Ashes of London series) // Andrew Taylor

♡ Casanova's Women: The Great Seducer and the Women He Loved // Judith Summers (re-read)

♡ The Fall of the House of Byron // Emily Brand

♡ Wolf Hall (Book 1 in the Wolf Hall series) // Hilary Mantel

♡ Mistresses: Sex and Scandal at the Court of Charles II // Linda Porter

♡ Journals and Letters of Fanny Burney // Fanny Burney

♡ The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle // Neil Blackmore

♡ London in the Eighteenth Century // Jerry White

♡ The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte, and the Hanoverians // Janice Hadlow

♡ Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe // Anthony Summers

♡ Maria Fitzherbert: The Secret Wife of George IV // James Munson

♡ Forever Amber // Kathleen Winsor

♡ Girl, Woman, Other // Bernadine Evaristo

♡ The Confesions of Frannie Langton // Sara Collins

♡ The Fair Fight // Anna Freeman

♡ Bring Up the Bodies (Book 2 in the Wolf Hall series) // Hilary Mantel

♡ Ladies in Waiting: From the Tudors to the Present Day // Anne Somerset

♡ The Private Lives of the Tudors // Tracy Borman

♡ Thomas Cromwell: A Life // Diarmaid Macculloch

♡ Katie Mulholland // Catherine Cookson

♡ Vanity Fair // William Makepeace Thackeray

♡ The Adventures of Tom Finch, a Gentleman // Lucy May Lennox

[5lazarus]

weird phases I went through in quarantine

obsession with the Protestant Reformation in England (thomas cromwell, always and forever) pomegranates? catabasis narratives Dolours Price and the Provos in general boldini marilyn monroe vivian gornick (read almost every book she’s published) medieval female mystics (mostly margary kempe)

[lunarxdaydream]

Aedaeis territory is within Sanizarox and follows an old romanesque style of architecture. 

Located near the Malmir territory.

Surrounded by forest and open ocean below the cliffs. 

Primary race found within are faes. Other races such as the Kresvians, Zetvians, the last living Certiver and more non-human races can be found.

Old traditions are continuously practiced such as arena fights ranging between beasts and/or fighters for entertainment.

Magic is strongly embraced in this region due to natural born abilities in the non-human races.

Due to ancient conflict with humans, residents are wary about human strangers entering the region despite the current peace.

Human visitors undergo a vetting process prior to entry into the capital to reduce unrest among the residents. 

Aedaeis-born muses

Violetta Calore

Tatiana Calore

Kaval Calore

Elias Ardell

Loraine Ardell

Adrien Ardell

Aravis Ardell

Evelyn Mare

Ryker Howell

Irene Howell

Theo Howell

Luna Howell

Kyril Bausta

Marilyn Dalton

Kilorn Barrett

Anna Roscio

Alessia Murei

Kresvian-born muses 

Atticus Castelan

Hajiihi-born muses

Cassandra Stryer

Tolgeor-born muses

Ian Barrett

Claire Nasuran

Sylvie Cromwell

[citizenscreen]

Out of the blue I watched a new-to-me movie the other day about a retired Army Colonel who takes on corrupt politicians in his hometown in Georgia. The movie’s title is Colonel Effingham’s Raid, a 1946 comedy directed by Irving Pichel starring Charles Coburn as the title character. Colonel Effingham’s Raid has a lot going for it with charm high on its list of attributes thanks in large part to Coburn, the Georgia native with a talent for comedy and an English accent. It was then that I decided to dedicate an entry to him because I enjoy him so…and…lo and behold, this week would have been his birthday.

Charles Coburn (June 19, 1877 – August 30, 1961)

We have an embarrassment of riches in the character actor department of classic films. There are numerous memorable actors who deserve praise for bettering films simply by their appearance no matter how small a role. One of those is Charles Coburn who enjoyed a popularity many of the other character players did not. Indeed, thanks to Coburn’s 3-decades-long screen career during which he appeared in nearly 100 movies and television shows, his name recognition rivaled that of the stars whose names appeared above the title. Coburn was also highly regarded critically receiving three Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor, taking home Oscar once for his delightful portrayal of Benjamin Dingle in George Stevens‘ wartime comedy, The More the Merrier (1943). More important than awards, however, was Charles Coburn’s undeniable ability to delight greatly with his talent.

Charles Douville Coburn was born in Macon, Georgia on June 19, 1877 and grew up in beautiful Savannah. He was the son of Scotch-Irish Americans Emma Louise Sprigman and Moses Douville Coburn who were not entertainers, but that didn’t stop young Charles from taking odd jobs at the local Savannah Theater starting at the age of 14. He was bitten by the entertainment industry bug early and did everything from handing out programs to being the doorman to theater manager by the age of 18. Failing to make his mark in Georgia, Charles left for New York at age 19. Although Mr. Coburn didn’t hit the big time immediately, his Broadway debut in 1901 was an inevitability as was his forming The Coburn Shakespearean Players in 1905. His partner in that endeavor was another actor, Ivah Wills, who became Mrs. Coburn in 1906. The two had six children together.

In addition to managing the Coburn Players, Charles and Ivah starred in and produced many plays throughout the decades during which the troupe traveled to college campuses across the country and appeared on Broadway. The couple met when he was playing Orlando to her Rosalind in As You Like It. They continued to work together until her death in 1937 performing Shakespeare and French and Greek dramas and comedies. In her book, Greek Tragedy on the American Stage: Ancient Drama in the Commercial Theater …, Karelisa Hartigan mentions how the Coburn Players would give over 100 performances every summer mostly outdoors. The popularity of their performances created an interest in outdoor theaters with other companies following their lead. Charles Coburn played most of the male leading parts with Ivah, billed as Mrs. Coburn, playing the female leads. The productions were often called “amateurish” by critics, but the performances were always praised. These scholarly productions likely led to Charles’ English accent despite being a Southern gentleman.

I’d be remiss not to mention that although few know her name, Ivah Wills had a long list of credits in her own right both as an actor and producer in a career that spanned 35 years. Ivah garnered positive reviews along with her husband and both were highly regarded members of the acting community. To put it in perspective, consider that George M. Cohan was among the honorary pallbearers at Ivah’s funeral.

Cobrun and Wills in The Taming of the Shrew

Ivah and Charles

After Ivah Wills’ death, Charles Coburn moved to Hollywood to start a movie career. He’d already appeared in a 1933 short film and in The People’s Enemy, a crime drama directed by Crane Wilbur. However, the roles that would cement his legacy as a screen star began in earnest in 1938 with comedic performances far removed from his classical training, but roles in which he excelled. Coburn’s best movie roles are the ones where he perfectly balances the high-brow snootiness with a touch of bumbling fool. Roger Ebert described him as a toned down Charles Laughton and that’s exactly right. Coburn paved the road to stardom at the age of 61 and became a steadfast presence that could be counted on for his comedic timing as charming old men with affected manner and accent – always with a monocle, which he removed only to eat, and sometimes chomping on a cigar. One cannot help but smile when he appears on screen.

Clarence Brown‘s Of Human Hearts (1938) offered Coburn his first substantial role alongside a first-rate cast led by Walter Huston, James Stewart and another terrific character actor, Beulah Bondi. Although that film is a Western, Coburn played a doctor, the type of professional role along with several judges, business men, a couple of “sirs,” and rich guys that he enjoyably brought to the screen throughout his career.

Charles Coburn’s memorable big screen credits are too numerous to list, but he made important contributions to such enduring classics as John Cromwell‘s Made for Each Other (1939) and Garson Kanin‘s Bachelor Mother (1939). A personal favorite of mine, Preston Sturges’ The Lady Eve (1941) wherein Coburn plays “Colonel” Harrington, father to Barbara Stanwyck’s Jean Harrington, a duo of card sharps adept at swindling the rich, would not be the same without him. The actor followed that Sturges gem with his first Oscar-nominated performance as an irascible tycoon who goes undercover as a shoe clerk at a department store to try to uncover agitators trying to form a union in Sam Wood’s The Devil and Miss Jones (1941). Starring Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings and a slew of fantastic character actors like Spring Byington, Edmund Gwenn, S. Z. Sakall, and William Demarest, you must make time to watch The Devil and Miss Jones if you’ve not seen it. It is bewitching fun.

Coburn and Jean Arthur in THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES

The 1940s served several standouts for Charles Coburn who appeared in 4 to 5 pictures a year in the early part of the decade. Of course, his Oscar-winning performance in Stevens’ World War II comedy The More the Merrier stands tall above the heap. Opposite Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea, Coburn is wonderful as the retired millionaire who finagles his way into a room during the wartime housing shortage. Coburn’s blustering but endearing manner in this film typifies the greatest gift he brought to the movies, by my estimation, and it is hard to resist. Variety agreed with me as of this movie they wrote, “A sparkling and effervescing piece of entertainment, The More the Merrier, is one of the most spontaneous farce-comedies of the wartime era. Although Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea carry the romantic interest, Charles Coburn walks off with the honors.”

Another worthy 1940s turn for Coburn was Ernst Lubitsch‘s Heaven Can Wait in 1943. Here he plays another grandfather and another millionaire with usual memorable flare alongside a stupendous cast led by Gene Tierney and Don Ameche. Once again I must mention Pichel’s Colonel Effingham’s Raid in which Coburn co-starred with Joan Bennett and William Eythe and several other veteran character actors like Donald Meek and Cora Witherspoon. This was a fun discovery.

Charles Coburn received his third Academy Award nomination for what TCM’s Robert Osborne described as a “rip-roaring performance” as a gruff but loving grandfather in the coming-of-age tale told in Victor Saville‘s The Green Years (1946). Following that performance, Coburn’s big screen appearances slowed down significantly. He had signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1945, which required only four films in two years. This meant that the actor had more time to return to the stage and to dedicate time to television work, which he did with gusto starting in 1950 as a premiere guest on many anthology series. Still, Coburn made a few notable pictures in the 1950s delighting audiences with a comedic millionaire performance as Sir Francis “Piggy” Beekman in Howard Hawks‘ Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), a role that could have easily been creepy portrayed by anyone else. He also played against type in John Guillermin‘s murder mystery, Town on Trial (1957), which I must get my hands on.

Coburn with Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe in a publicity shot for GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES

Coburn’s final screen appearance was in The Best of the Post, an anthology series adapted from stories published in the Saturday Evening Post magazine. The March 1960 episode is titled “Six Months More to Live.” That seems a somber ending to a stellar career, but one to be proud of for many reasons not the least of which is that Coburn appeared in five Oscar Best Picture nominees: Kings Row (1942), The More the Merrier (1943), Heaven Can Wait (1943), Wilson (1944) and Around the World in 80 Days (1956). Only the last of these won, but they were all improved by the Coburn brand.

At the time of his death Charles Coburn was married to Winifred Natzka who was forty-one years his junior. The two were married in 1959 and had a daughter together. The actor’s final acting role was fittingly on stage in a production of You Can’t Take It With You in Indianapolis, Indiana a week before his death at the age of eighty-four. The previous year he had been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6268 Hollywood Boulevard. If you ever pass that address be sure to look downward at his star – it was well earned.

A Tribute to Charles Coburn Out of the blue I watched a new-to-me movie the other day about a retired Army Colonel who takes on corrupt politicians in his hometown in Georgia.

[cetacean-content]

SeaWorld seeks restraining order vs. protesters

SAN DIEGO (AP) - SeaWorld is seeking a restraining order against three animal rights activists who disrupted a killer whale show at its San Diego park last month in a protest led by actor James Cromwell.

The company wants to bar Lyanne Fernandez, Ricky Chavez Rodriguez and Lisa Lange from the San Diego park and SeaWorld's nearby waterslide park, Aquatica, according to court documents filed Thursday in San Diego County Superior Court.

Company officials told The Associated Press that the three were particularly aggressive but the order would not bar them from its other parks in San Antonio and Orlando, Florida. The court plans to hold a hearing before deciding, the documents say.

Lange said SeaWorld's action is retaliation for the complaint the trio filed to press charges against the company's head of security in San Diego. They said some of the protesters were thrown to the ground.

"I think it's an odd reaction for SeaWorld. Instead of saying to their security guy, 'Hey, you're not allowed to beat people up,' they seek a restraining order against us," said Lange, who works for PETA in Los Angeles. "He really roughed us up."

Lange said it won't stop her from protesting against SeaWorld. The two other activists could not be immediately reached for comment.

Wearing a "SeaWorld Sucks" T-shirt, Cromwell and six activists with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals barged in to the "Orca Encounter" show July 24 and spoke through a megaphone demanding SeaWorld release its orcas living in tanks and move them to massive pens in the ocean.

Cromwell, who starred in the movie "Babe," told park visitors that SeaWorld was condemning the orcas to premature deaths unless they are moved immediately to ocean sanctuaries.

When park security asked them to leave, the protesters locked arms, went limp and refused. After they were removed by force, SeaWorld alleges one protester later lashed out at a security guard.

PETA has denied the allegations and said the security guard manhandled the three protesters, wrestled phones away and threw two of them to the ground, sat on them and put a knee on a woman's chest until she yelled that she could not breathe.

PETA said in a statement after the arrests that it was a "non-confrontational protest against cruelty to marine life" and that the protesters obeyed the uniformed officers.

Cromwell, who was handcuffed and escorted out of the park, was separated from the other demonstrators when they were taken away.

Fernandez, Rodriguez and Lange were charged with criminal trespassing last month, and one of them also was charged with assault and battery, according to SeaWorld.

If the order is issued and the trio tries to enter the San Diego parks, the company will call police, said Marilyn Hannes, president of SeaWorld's San Diego park.

"We certainly respect free speech. When they demonstrate on SeaWorld Drive, we are respectful and understand that. But this is not about that at all," Hannes said. "This is really about safety."

PETA has long been known for its stunts to draw attention to its protests. But Hannes said it has been escalating in recent months.

"Now that it's gotten to the point of becoming violent, that is beyond acceptable," she said. "We're very proud of the conduct of our security team under difficult circumstances."

Hannes said the request for a restraining order is the first such action taken by SeaWorld that she knows of in her 20 years working at the San Diego marine park.

The educational attraction called "Orca Encounter" debuted this summer at the San Diego park as part of the Orlando-based entertainment company's move to end its world-famous killer whale shows amid public pressure that has intensified after the 2013 release of "Blackfish," a documentary critical of SeaWorld's orca care.

SeaWorld has said the new "natural orca encounters" will replace the theatrical shows.

[carewyncromwell]

The Spells That Got Each Cromwell into the Book of Admittance

Inspired by Hogwarts Mystery's recent A Letter from Hogwarts sidequest (shout-out to @dat-silvers-girl for the playthrough!), here's an analysis of each Cromwell in recent history who attended Hogwarts and what spell earned them their place there. To see how these characters fit into my OG girl Carewyn's family, you can consult the Cromwell Clan family tree here! And if you decide to write a post about your kids' first real use of underage magic, please consider tagging me! I'd love to read what you all come up with! ☺️

(Note: Pearl, Claire, and Blaise's children -- Arsen and Kain Dupont; Dahlia, Iris, Heather and Elmer Yaxley; and Tristan Cromwell -- were homeschooled at the Cromwell estate, so even if their names appeared in the Book of Admittance, I decided not to include them, since they didn't end up actually attending Hogwarts.)

Charles: "Colloportus."

Although the Quill of Acceptance tried to write Charles's name multiple times when he was an infant due to his ridiculously powerful Legilimency potential that allowed him to read the emotions of the people around him even before he could talk, the Book of Admittance would snap shut on it each time and wouldn't actually take Charles's name until he was two years old. Charles was a very quiet child, by and large, but one day he sensed his father Angus was about to leave for work and the toddler had a VERY big tantrum, which culminated in him locking every door in the entire Cromwell estate with magic. Angus Cromwell was so awed by how strong his youngest son's first spell was that he actually ended up staying an hour longer, just writing letters to his other family members about the incident, which calmed little Charles down enough that when Angus did actually leave for work, he didn't mind so much.

Marilyn: "Scourgify."

In Marilyn's case, her first spell was cast in an attempt to get out of trouble. It was Easter time and both sets of grandparents were set to visit, and unfortunately Marilyn and her two siblings had all ended up getting completely filthy playing in the muddy back garden. Realizing that their parents were bound to be very, very upset when they saw them, six-year-old Marilyn ended up trying to magically clean herself up before their parents came in, and for the most part, it worked. What gave Marilyn away, though, was her messy hair, which the spell hadn't been able to fix.

Pearl: "Duro."

Pearl was actually something of a jock when she was young. This tendency was passive-aggressively smoothed out of her as she got older by her mother Marilyn, who deemed it unladylike behavior, but that doesn't mean Pearl didn't still play a bit roughly as a little one. One day, when she was five, Pearl occupied herself in the prison-like Cromwell estate by jumping down multiple stairs on the grand staircase, just to see how many she could skip. After trying to skip four stairs, though, Pearl slipped -- and, in an attempt to protect herself, actually turned her own limbs to stone mid-fall. The collision with the floor actually chipped her leg, which left behind a scar that never healed, even after her parents brought her to St. Mungo's to have her limbs put back to normal.

Claire: "Herbivicus."

In comparison to her older sister Pearl, Claire's first use of magic is as innocent as can be. A very late bloomer magically speaking, Claire didn't earn her spot in the Book of Acceptance until she was nine, when she made a bunch of white hellebore flowers grow out of her head right before a Christmas party being held at the Cromwell estate. When asked what happened, Claire -- delighted by all of the attention -- could only babble that she'd really wanted to look pretty. Marilyn had told her children earlier that the Minister for Magic was going to be at the party and they all had to look their very best, and Charles surmised that Claire had subconsciously thought of hellebores because Marilyn grew them in her garden and always gushed about how pretty they were, at that time of year. Marilyn ended up "pruning" her second-eldest daughter's scalp of the flowers, but proudly secured them back in her braided brown hair for the party.

Lane: "Silencio."

Poor Lane was also a late bloomer, magically speaking. She ironically enough earned her spot at Hogwarts not long after Claire did, though her spell ended up being in response to Pearl scolding her. Lane was so upset and overwhelmed by her eleven-year-old sister berating her for not saying a word to anyone at that aforementioned Christmas party that six-year-old Lane subconsciously cast a Silencing Charm so powerful that Pearl had to be taken to St. Mungo's, just to counteract it. Marilyn reprimanded Lane herself for casting such a strong spell on her oldest sister when she was only trying to help her live up to the Cromwell name, but Charles was actually incredibly pleased by it. He even took Lane alone to Diagon Alley afterwards so he could buy her a new book for his library, as a reward for her strong display of magic. (That book ended up being A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot, which had only been published a few years earlier.)

Blaise: "Immobulus."

Blaise's magic appeared very early. Like Charles, it actually came about because of a tantrum, in response to one of his parents leaving him. In Blaise's case, though, Marilyn was putting two-year-old Blaise down for a nap when he didn't want one and -- more importantly -- did NOT want his mother to leave him alone in his room to sleep while everyone else was downstairs. So after Marilyn put him down and tried to leave, Blaise accidentally paralyzed his mother with a Freezing Charm. This only made things worse, though, since Marilyn couldn't pick Blaise up when he burst into tears, screaming in distress about not being able to reach out over the crib railing to his frozen-still mother standing about a foot away. Charles came upstairs at that point in response to the noise and used the proper countercurse on Marilyn, at which point Marilyn immediately ran over to her distraught son, scooped him up, and coddled him for almost an hour until he stopped sobbing.

Jacob: "Accio."

Jacob's place at Hogwarts was sealed even earlier than Charles's. Funnily enough, I once roleplayed Lane telling this story, so I'll let her tell it!

"Once his father [Evan Bach] and I had taken him with us to a department store. Jay couldn’t have been more than a year old at the time…but this giant plush lion had caught his eye in the toy aisle, and suddenly bam! He’d brought the entire shelf of toys down with a Summoning Charm to try to get at the lion. It confused Evan so much at the time…and of course, I had to act surprised and suggest the shelf had just been unstable…but I couldn’t help it – I was so excited. My baby boy, Summoning objects at a year old! I had so much trouble trying to keep my face straight!"

Carewyn: "Wingardium Leviosa."

Like Charles, the Quill of Acceptance actually tried to write Carewyn's name multiple times when she was still a very tiny baby whenever she'd use her budding Legilimency to sense her brother Jacob's thoughts, but the Book of Admittance refused to take her until she was two years old. This particular day Carewyn had been baking with Lane and she really wanted to eat one of the chocolate chip cookies cooling on the plate on the counter. Not wanting to bother her mother, who had gone to the bathroom, Carewyn ended up subconsciously levitating herself right off the ground and up onto the countertop, where Lane found her little daughter sitting and happily chewing away at a cookie. When Lane asked Carewyn how she got up there, Carewyn could only shrug and say "Up" while dreamily holding her arms on either side of her like a plane's wings. Fortunately Lane did catch sight of Carewyn doing the same trick again later that week when the little girl levitated herself up several stairs, when she was having trouble climbing them to get to Jacob's room.

[anachef]

100 Best Brunch Restaurants in America for 2019

OpenTable, the world’s leading provider of online restaurant reservations, has released its annual list of the 100 Best Brunch Restaurants in America for 2019. OpenTable data shows that 81 percent of diners book their Mother’s Day reservations two weeks in advance, so the list comes at the perfect time to help diners find the best brunch eatery to celebrate the mother figure in their lives. Featuring restaurants coast-to-coast, across 24 states and Washington, D.C., the list is a comprehensive look at the best brunch spots in the country. The Best Brunch Restaurants in America list was culled from more than 12 million verified diner reviews of over 30,000 restaurants in 50 states and Washington, D.C.

From restaurants with magnificent views like Geoffrey’s Restaurant in Malibu, Calif., to brunch institutions like Sadelle’s in New York, to acclaimed eateries like Somerset in Chicago, the Best Brunch Restaurants list features a wide variety of restaurants. California is the most recognized state on the list with 16 restaurants honored, followed by New York with 12 winning restaurants and Illinois and Pennsylvania with eight each. Florida, Texas and Washington, D.C. each boast seven winning restaurants and Louisiana claims five honorees.

The annual list comes on the heels of OpenTable’s national #DiningMode campaign, a challenge to diners to set aside their phones while dining with mom and connect with those around them this Mother’s Day. Diners are now encouraged to give moms the gift of being truly present at a celebratory brunch at any of this year’s winning restaurants making honoring the mom in your life easy and more rewarding.

“On Mother’s Day 2018, we seated more diners than any other day that year and recognize that celebrating mom is a priority for our diners,” said Caroline Potter, Chief Dining Officer at OpenTable. “The honorees on this year’s best brunch list are creating experiences that will dazzle her and make embracing our #DiningMode challenge a snap, with sublime drinks and dishes and friendly service. You won’t be tempted to pick up your phone on May 12 at any of these spots.”

The 100 Best Brunch Restaurants list is generated solely from diner reviews collected between March 1, 2018 and February 28, 2019. All restaurants with a minimum “overall” score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. The overall score is made up of unique data points, such as overall diner rating, user klout, total number of reviews and regional overall rating. Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the sum of tags for which “brunch” was selected as a special feature.

Based on this methodology, the 100 Best Brunch Restaurants in America for 2019 according to OpenTable diners, are as follows (in alphabetical order):

100 Best Brunch Restaurants in America for 2019

Ambar – Multiple Locations Atchafalaya Restaurant – New Orleans, Louisiana Balthazar – New York, New York Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro – Milwaukee, Wisconsin Beachcomber Cafe – Crystal Cove – Newport Coast, California Beatrix – Multiple Locations Brennan’s – New Orleans, Louisiana Brennan’s of Houston – Houston, Texas Bristol Seafood Grill – Multiple Locations The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker – West Hollywood, California Bud & Marilyn’s – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Café Ba-Ba-Reeba – Chicago, Illinois Cafe Fiorello – New York, New York Cafe Luxembourg – New York, New York Cafe Monte – Charlotte, North Carolina Cappy’s Restaurant – San Antonio, Texas Carmine’s – 44th Street – New York, New York Catch LA – West Hollywood, California Chart House Restaurant – Weehawken, New Jersey Chez Zee – Austin, Texas Cookshop – New York, New York The Copper Hen – Minneapolis, Minnesota The Dandelion – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Dining Room at Salish Lodge & Spa – Snoqualmie, Washington Duke’s – Huntington Beach, California Emmaline – Houston, Texas Farmers & Distillers – Washington, D.C. Farmers Fishers Bakers – Washington, D.C. Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens – Corona Del Mar, California Founding Farmers – Multiple Locations The Gage – Chicago, Illinois Gandy Dancer – Ann Arbor, Michigan Geoffrey’s Restaurant – Malibu, California Gertrude’s – Baltimore, Maryland Giada – The Cromwell – Las Vegas, Nevada Grace’s – Houston, Texas The Grand Marlin of Pensacola Beach – Pensacola, Florida Great Maple – San Diego, California Green Valley Grill – Greensboro, North Carolina The Hamilton – Washington, D.C. The Hampton Social – River North – Chicago, Illinois Harbor House – Milwaukee, Wisconsin Hell’s Kitchen – Caesars Palace Las Vegas – Las Vegas, Nevada The Henry – Phoenix, Arizona HEXX kitchen + bar – Las Vegas, Nevada Ida Claire – Addison, Texas The Ivy – West Hollywood, California Jake’s Del Mar – Del Mar, California Kyle G’s Prime Seafood – Jensen Beach, Florida Lafayette – New York, New York Lake Elmo Inn – Lake Elmo, Minnesota Le Diplomate – Washington, D.C. Le Moo – Louisville, Kentucky Lindey’s – Columbus, Ohio Little Goat – Chicago, Illinois Lola Seattle – Seattle, Washington Louie Bossi Ristorante – Fort Lauderdale, Florida The Love – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Maggiano’s – South Coast Plaza – Costa Mesa, California Mama’s Fish House – Paia, Hawaii Mere Bulles – Brentwood, Tennessee Mon Ami Gabi – Las Vegas, Nevada Muriel’s Jackson Square – New Orleans, Louisiana Oxford Exchange – Tampa, Florida Palace – Miami Beach, Florida Palace Café – New Orleans, Louisiana Parc – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Perch LA – Los Angeles, California Pier W – Cleveland, Ohio Poor Calvin’s – Atlanta, Georgia Print Works Bistro – Greensboro, North Carolina The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus – San Francisco, California Sadelle’s – New York, New York Salty’s – Multiple Locations Sarabeth’s Park Avenue South – New York, New York Shaw’s Crab House – Chicago, Illinois The Smith – Multiple Locations Somerset – Chicago, Illinois Spencer’s Restaurant – Palm Springs, California Stanford Grill – Columbia, Maryland Succotash – Penn Quarter DC – Washington, D.C. Summer House Santa Monica – Chicago, Illinois Suraya – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Talula’s Garden – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tavern on the Green – New York, New York Terrain Garden Cafe – Glen Mills, Pennsylvania The Tropicale – Palm Springs, California Top of the Hub – Boston, Massachusetts Tower Oaks Lodge – Rockville, Maryland Town – San Carlos, California Tupelo Honey – Downtown Asheville – Asheville, North Carolina Ulele – Tampa, Florida Unconventional Diner – Washington, D.C. Upland – New York, New York Whiskey Cake – Plano, Texas White Dog Cafe – Wayne, Pennsylvania Willa Jean – New Orleans, Louisiana X2O Xaviars on the Hudson – Yonkers, New York Yank Sing – Rincon Center – San Francisco, California Yardbird – Multiple Locations

The complete list may also be viewed at: https://www.opentable.com/lists/us-best-brunch-restaurants-2019.

source http://www.restaurantnews.com/100-best-brunch-restaurants-in-america-for-2019-042919/

[sensitiveteeth]

had a decent day today. Went to see newms before lessons to talk about the letter dr. Sheva wrote her. She's gunna email my teachers which is good (: then had double maths in the morn which was stressful as usual but also good and we revised trig which was much needed. Then had some hot choco before going downstairs and making a presentation on apples coz we have to do a presentation on something for PSHE. did some bio after and then headed to PSHE to watch everyone else's presentations and then did mine. It went well and was v amusing to watch the other people's (: hannah did hersnob why renaissance babies look so ugly heh. Then ate loads of food outside coz there was some talk going on in the studio and it was super cold ): but the food was v good and then I did some bio notes in the silent study area. Then had double franky where we did a practical. Then met mum at Cromwell and drove to the tavi together. She came to my appointment to ask dr. Sheva some questions which was v helpful. After my appointment I walked up to Joanne's to meet mum and chilled for a bit before heading home. Went to Waitrose first to pick up some stuff and bumped into Justine's mum Marilyn aha she's such a babe. Then got home and finished off my bio notes while eating dinner (: now I'm all showered and ready for bed!

[dietadviser]

My chronic iIllness revealed society`s sick weight standards

I lost 15 extra pounds in 2 months. I must be delighted. At 5 feet 3 inches high, I currently tip the scales at 93 extra pounds. I ought to be frightened. The fact is, since my diagnosis of celiac illness (an autoimmune problem in which consuming gluten creates swelling and damages to the intestinal tracts), I have actually transformed from, as my mother placed it, a 106-pound 'muscular Barbie' at the peak of soccer season to a skinny Minnie - and also I have no idea just how I feel regarding it.

The biggest component of myself despises my new, bony body. For many of my life, I feasted on every little thing I can fit inside my mouth and also never obtained an extra pound. The shocked gawk of the restaurant personnel when they grabbed the vacant plate that made use of to house an extra pound of burger and fries was as tasty as the food itself. When I lastly passed 100 extra pounds my junior year, however, it didn't bother me at all. I enjoyed it.

Many individuals associate thinness with joy, yet from a life time of experience with it, I understood in a different way. I still wince at the memory of fifth-grade women reviewing my 'poultry ankle joints' in the edge of the class. Not to mention that, with the weight I had actually obtained, I could ultimately complete a set of jeans. People didn't (frequently, anyhow) perplex me for a freshman. I also trained to bump up my weight for soccer season when I transitioned from the under 16 to the under 18 playing bracket.

Because of celiac's charming hand, in just a few months, all the muscle mass I functioned so hard to tone have disappeared. Farewell Marilyn Monroe, as well as hello there pant-sagging prepubescent Justin Bieber wannabe! Yet, at unusual times, a tiny part of me looks at my slim body in the mirror as well as believes, 'Yep, that's exactly how, inning accordance with everything I see, an adolescent lady's body is intended to look.'

The reality is, we live in a culture that glorifies slimness. The publications perched on supermarket racks boast expressions like, 'Lose 15 Pounds in Thirty Day!' or 'How I Lost Half My Body Weight!' And the probabilities of seeing a Victoria's Secret design that simulates an oak tree as opposed to a twig? Around as likely as me, the gastric, making a pig of on a gluten-filled buffet.

If anything, my weight loss has actually revealed me that the bulk of teen ladies are sufferers of this media storm. As I have actually dropped weight, the remarks concerning it have continuously boosted. I have actually seen, though, that those that have commented negatively are older, normally my friends' moms. Despite this, the people that understand me finest - my pals - haven't stated a thing.

I can excuse it as politeness or a lack of attention to information, however we've discussed weight in the past. When they lamented over going from size 0 to size 1, I ranted regarding the awesomeness of hips and contours. Apparently I'm the only supporter for putting on weight nearby. Case in point: What takes place if I state my wish to gain weight? It's an instantaneous battleground with great deals of factors at their very own 'fatty locations' and 'You're so fortunate!' cries.

The profits? It's difficult wishing to get weight in a culture obsessed with losing it. It's hard dealing with the conflict between my own healthy image and society's slim ideal. However I'm figured out to battle versus the current so I could be not just healthy however also solid. As well as with the support of other celiacs that are also chugging down the healthy protein drinks, I know I can do it.

A society that causes its individuals to value an ill, slim adolescent girl over her somewhat larger however healthy and balanced alter vanity? It's the unwell one, not us.

This message first appeared at Casey the University Celiac, a blog site concerning a college gastric's gluten-free life and including dishes composed by Casey Cromwell.

[full-imagination]

Rev. Merrill Edwin Graves

Rev. Merrill Edwin Graves, 93, of Spartanburg, SC, died Saturday, March 11, 2017 at Spartanburg Medical Center. Rev. Graves is survived by his wife, Patty Seifert Graves; daughters, Marilyn Graves Kimple of Spartanburg, SC, Judith Graves Schuster of Hampton, VA, and Sharon E. Graves of Travelers Rest, SC; grandsons, Eric Schuster and Daniel Schuster; seven great-grandchildren; stepson, Jeff Miller of Fernandina Beach, FL; stepdaughter, Lisa Miller of Tampa, FL; step-grandchildren, Alex Penaflor, Cassidy Miller, and Justin Miller. He was predeceased by his parents, Roy Edwin and Prudence Hubbard Hersey Graves; first wife, L. Eloyce Hart of Coatesville, PA, mother of daughters; sisters, Helen Clymer and Prudence Oberg; and brother, Donald Graves. Also predeceased by stepsons, Michael Miller and Stephen Miller. Born May 25, 1923 in Bristol, SD, Rev. Graves was a member of the Methodist Eastern PA Conference. He attended Asbury College and the University of South Dakota, graduating in 1945. He attended seminary in New York City at the Biblical Seminary, graduating in 1948. He attended Cromwell School of Theology/Temple University, receiving his Bachelor of Divinity Degree. He was ordained Elder in the Philadelphia Conference, later the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, of the United Methodist Church, and pastored churches at Giegertown (St. Paul’s & Harmony), Honeybrook, Bryn Mawr (Radnor), Thorndale, Bensalem, Elam, and Reeders, retiring in Gettysburg, PA 1985. He moved to Spartanburg 1991 and was active in St. Luke UMC. Funeral services will be 3:00 PM Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at Central United Methodist Church, 233 N. Church St., Spartanburg, SC 29306, conducted by the Rev. Dr. Tom Norrell and the Rev. Dr. Mitchell Kyllonen. Burial will follow in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens, 1300 Fernwood-Glendale Road, Spartanburg, SC 29307 with visitation at the graveside. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Fund, 458 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30308. Floyd’s North Church Street Chapel from The JF Floyd Mortuary Crematory & Cemeteries via Spartanburg Funeral

[carewyncromwell]

Okay, I blame @maleliddell for making me think about this, but...this Lunar New Year marks the year of the Dragon, right? And the thought occurred to me that Charlie would be so disappointed if it turned out he was not born in the year of the Dragon, so I looked it up. And when I did, I found out something that just cracks me up.

Charlie was born in 1972...year of the Rat. As in Percy's-pet-Scabbers Rat.

So yeah, definitely sad Charlie, knowing he wasn't born in year of the Dragon. But to rub some salt into the wound, you want to know which Weasley was born in the year of the Dragon?

PERCY.

Yes. The least outdoorsy, hot-tempered, and wild of all of the Weasleys was born in 1976, a year associated with Charlie's favorite magical creature. Sorry, I just find that absolutely hysterical. 😂

(The other Weasleys' Chinese zodiac signs under the cut, just for kicks!)

Arthur ~ 1950 ~ Year of the Tiger

confident, brave, magnetic, idealistic, thrill-seeking, arrogant, selfish; symbolizes bravery

Molly ~ 1949 ~ Year of the Ox

diligent, gentle, hardworking, reliable, patient, materialistic, stubborn; symbolizes diligence

Bill ~ 1970 ~ Year of the Dog

helpful, honest, trustworthy, unselfish, pessimistic, anxious, timid; symbolizes protection

Charlie ~ 1972 ~ Year of the Rat

ambitious, charming, talkative, resourceful, private, frugal, critical; symbolizes wisdom

Percy ~ 1976 ~ Year of the Dragon

outspoken, energetic, generous, intelligent, perfectionistic, egocentric, impatient; symbolizes authority and good fortune

Fred and George ~ 1978 ~ Year of the Horse

amusing, enthusiastic, independent, persuasive, irresponsible, moody, opportunistic; symbolizes indomitable spirit

Ron ~ 1980 ~ Year of the Monkey

entertaining, intelligent, optimistic, sociable, fickle, secretive, unpredictable; symbolizes cunning

Ginny ~ 1981 ~ Year of the Rooster

adventurous, charitable, funny, loyal, argumentative, boastful, self-involved; symbolizes punctuality and fidelity

[carewyncromwell]

“Everyday people, in their own sweet way, Like to add a coat of paint and be what they ain’t! That’s how our little game is played, Livin’ like a masquerade, actin’ a bizarre charade, While playing the saint!”

~“Facade” from Jekyll and Hyde

x~x~x~x

Ahhh, no!! Carewyn!! D:

Ahem -- yeah, this is a counterpoint to a piece I’ve done in the past about Jacob and how he got ensnared by Charles Cromwell and R’s web...but this is going to take a little bit of explanation! First, though, my musical accompaniment while working on this includes Things Are Not What They Appear from Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, Elsie Lovelock’s cover of Trust in Me from The Jungle Book, and Wolfsong by Omnia. 😊

Okay, right to it. Those of you who know Hogwarts Mystery, there’s a moment toward the beginning of year 6 where MC meets Jacob in his old room at Hogwarts, after following Sickleworth the Niffler, who’s carrying a white quill that it turns out is a threat from R, reminding MC that R still intends to “collect” on one of their friends’ lives. Well, this scene has always bugged me, because Hogwarts is supposed to be nigh impregnable, to the point that even Voldemort couldn’t get inside during the First Wizarding War -- so how does a non-Hogwarts-graduate like Jacob get in so easily?

My answer -- that is not really Jacob. In my canon, the person Carewyn instead meets is an agent of R, who -- with inside help from another agent who plays as the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor -- was able to sneak into the school and impersonate Jacob with Polyjuice Potion. And this agent impersonating Jacob is none other than Carewyn’s maternal uncle and heir to the Cromwell Clan, Blaise. 

Blaise Cromwell is a character who -- quite honestly -- I think deserves multiple punches to the face. He is ridiculously possessive of his family, seeing them as akin to prized toys that no one else is allowed to touch but him, and his sister Lane and her children are no exception. Blaise is just as determined as Charles is to force Lane, Jacob, and Carewyn back into the fold of the Cromwell Clan, and he has no moral compunctions that might temper that desire. He’s more than willing to lie, deceive, torture, or even kill to achieve that goal. And because he was raised by Charles -- who like Jacob and Carewyn was born with immensely powerful Legilimency -- Blaise became a master of Occlumency at a young age, all in the effort of maintaining some privacy in and control over his own mind. This Occlumency and Blaise’s rather convincing act makes it so that Carewyn at first has no idea that she’s not speaking to her brother...at least, not until Blaise as Jacob collides with her in Knockturn Alley, while Carewyn herself is disguised as Patricia Rakepick. But for now, Carewyn is completely unawares...not just because Blaise was so good at capturing Jacob’s mannerisms and overall attitude, but because he sounded so sincere, speaking of his desire for their family to be as it once was. It made it so that when he so “reluctantly” accepted her help with the Vaults on the condition that she not involve her friends “unnecessarily” the way he did Duncan and Olivia, Carewyn didn’t suspect anything amiss. And well, Blaise does want his family as he once had it. He wants his sister Lane back at the Cromwell estate...and he does want her children there with them. Sure, for her and them, it’d be a cage, but they’d learn to accept it. They were family, after all -- the Cromwell estate, and the Cromwell Clan, was where they belonged. 

For however terrible of a person Blaise is, however, I will point out that the moment Blaise collided with Carewyn in Jacob’s old room was the first time he’d really been able to interact with his niece. And however much he was focused on his goal, it didn’t mean he felt nothing, seeing her for the first time. 

Lane had been Blaise’s favorite sibling when they were young -- admittedly largely by default since they were closest in age and Lane was both intellectual and disinterested in social gatherings enough that Blaise enjoyed her company -- so her departure had a profound impact on Blaise, just as it did the rest of the Clan. He missed his third sister dearly, and hearing that she’d not only married a Muggle, but that that wretched man then proceeded to abandon her and her children upon Jacob’s Hogwarts letter arriving at their door, Blaise felt a surge of overprotectiveness toward both Lane and her children. They deserved better than what they’d had to live with -- they deserved to live well, not in poverty; they deserved to be treated like high society, not like freaks; they deserved a real home with the Clan, not living in a Muggle gutter. Jacob and Carewyn’s experience with their father should prove to them the superiority of wizardkind over Muggles -- not drive them further into the arms of Muggle lovers like the Weasleys or Mudbloods like Olivia Green or Ben Copper. With Blaise himself a widower and single father, he’s imprinted some of those twisted paternal instincts onto both Jacob and Carewyn as well -- and when he met Carewyn for the first time while disguised as Jacob, he witnessed her capacity to love first-hand. For while he wore her brother’s face, this usually stoic, pretty little teenager fussed over Blaise, fixing his robes and expressing sincere and open concern for his safety. The closest comparison point Blaise had for Carewyn’s behavior was that of his own deceased mother, Marilyn -- and yet there was no sense of asserting control here, with Carewyn. Charles only used “concern” as a means to an end -- to get a better read on who he was talking to. Even Marilyn would express concern by taking some authority over her children -- telling them to sit up straight, fixing their collars and hair to make them look perfect, because she wanted them to succeed, which would also reflect well on her. But not Carewyn. Her caring was given with no caveats or conditions -- no semblance of dominance or control. It was so...selfless.

Blaise had had no concept that any relative of his could be so weak-hearted. And yet all it did was make him want to bring her into the fold more.

People are rife to take advantage of a child like this. The people around her already have taken advantage of her. These ‘friends’ of hers that she’s so desperate to protect from us...what have they done, to deserve her caring? Who are they, to deserve her loyalty? Muggle lovers, Mudbloods, paupers and orphans...they are not her family -- we are her family!

The thought made Blaise’s inside flare with resentment and anger. 

And I intend to treat her like it. 

At one point during their meeting, Carewyn asked the man she thought was Jacob if something was wrong. Blaise tried to play this off, simply claiming he was lost in thought. Sensing Carewyn might be starting to pull away from him, Blaise offered a shred of vulnerability. 

“...It’s just...the last time I saw you...you were only a child. You still would be a child, if not for the Cursed Vaults...”

Some resentment slipped out despite himself. As much as he wanted his family back together, and as much as he knew his father Charles’s word was law so long as he was head of the Clan, Blaise really hadn’t wanted his son or any of his nieces and nephews to be involved with R. He’d fought hard to keep Tristan and Pearl and Claire’s children out of this whole mess. 

“...I wish I could shield you, Pip. I wish that...things could be just the way they were.”

Carewyn’s eyes softened. Feeling compassion in her heart for who she thought was her brother, she then opened up her arms and encircled “Jacob” in a hug. The gesture made Blaise flinch. 

“Me too,” Carewyn murmured. 

The warmth of her embrace flooded Blaise with a strange, trembling kind of pain -- an ache he hardly knew the origin of. He so rarely received hugs as it was, but this kind of hug in particular -- however much it comforted Carewyn as much as him, once again, there was no sense of transaction, no sense of control. She was just offering him comfort, and she found comfort herself just in giving it...such a weak-hearted gesture, and yet expressed by such a firm, warm embrace. 

Abruptly, before he fully knew what he was doing, Blaise had lashed his arms out and seized hold of Carewyn, cradling her against his chest the way he did his own son, Tristan. The strength of his hug made Carewyn give him a light squeeze in return, which in turn made tears clutch at Blaise’s throat. Forcing them back fiercely, the heir of the Cromwell Clan simply held on tighter, resting his head on top of Carewyn’s as a choked song drifted absently from his lips. 

“The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms... When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken, So I hung my head and cried.”

Blaise hardly knew the origin of the old song anymore, aside from it being his main choice of lullaby for his son, Tristan, when he was young. Carewyn seemed to know it, though. Her lips even curled up in a small, sad smile of her own as she sang the chorus with him --

“You are my sunshine...my only sunshine... You make me happy when skies are gray... You’ll never know, dear...how much I love you... Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

Patricia Rakepick had told Blaise that Carewyn was a true Cromwell, when she sang. Seeing what she meant, by hearing the warm, trained tone of his niece for the first time, made Blaise squeeze Carewyn that little bit tighter.

Oh, if only his mother could’ve heard her, Blaise thought of Marilyn at the grand piano so many years ago...if only she’d had the chance to hear Lane’s daughter sing...

“We can’t forget Laney’s baby. We must get something for the baby...”

When Blaise finally forced himself to let go of Carewyn, he cleared his throat, trying to pull himself together as he turned away. 

“...I should go. The longer I’m here, the more of a chance someone’ll see me. Can’t afford to get you in more trouble, on my account...”

Carewyn frowned. “Mm...”

Even with how disappointed she looked, she still nodded. Blaise turned to her much more seriously. 

“Best not tell anyone I was here, Pip,” he said. “If your friends are anything like mine...I doubt they’ll just stand back and watch, if they know you’re helping me with the Vaults.”

Carewyn’s eyes fell away as she nodded again grimly. She clearly didn’t need to be convinced -- she’d already come to that conclusion herself. 

Good, thought Blaise coldly. The more she separates herself from them now, the easier it’ll be for her to let go of them and return home to us. Then she’ll know what home and family truly are.

The memory of trying and failing to completely modify Ben Copper’s memory outside the Ice Vault -- of seeing him fearfully mumbling Carewyn’s name in his sleep in the Hospital Wing, after he was recovered -- made Blaise’s fist clench around his wand as he left the room and disappeared down the hall. 

Everything would be the way it should be, Blaise thought, once he brought Lane and her children home. He’d make sure Lane, Jacob, and Carewyn had everything they could ever want, once they came home to the Clan. He’d make sure they were content -- that they’d have everything they needed, at home, where they belonged.

Then they’d stay. They’d stay, and never leave again.

[carewyncromwell]

"What do you think?"

"...I think you're...very beautiful."

"I should hope so. And just who might you be? What are you doing here?"

x~x~x~x

Yay, Halloween is almost here! And my "movie character costume" for Carewyn and Jacob's aunt Pearl Cromwell is definitely a combo breaker. Although all of my other entries in this series have featured dressing my characters up as animated movie characters, I decided on a live action movie villain for Pearl -- specifically Mombi from one of my favorite underrated childhood movies, Return to Oz! (As a side, it was bloody impossible to find good quality still image references for this dress!! I had to simplify it quite a bit simply because I had so little to work with.)

Honestly, when it came to thinking of a costume for Pearl, I was kind of at a loss, in the beginning. Both Pearl and Claire are decidedly more subservient to Charles's will than even fellow Clan member Blaise is, considering that Claire is such a passive and ignorant character and Pearl follows him out of a misguided sense of honor -- so casting either of them as incredibly powerful, malevolent, self-focused Disney villains like Ursula or Maleficent seemed incredibly out-of-place. And yet even more "realistic" villains like Mother Gothel seemed more in-line with Blaise personality-wise, since Pearl's style of parenting tends to lean more on sternness and stoicism ("just suck it up and stop complaining," basically), rather than manipulation and feigned, cloying affection. Even Lady Tremaine, who I definitely eyed for a while, didn't come across as that great a match for Pearl, since she's never been the sort to want to social-climb through her children or otherwise, nor is she the sort to get any satisfaction from her subjugation and abuse of others, instead being much more the type to justify it as a necessary evil.

What really shifted gears in my head was finding a villain that looked more like Pearl, and Mombi immediately came to mind, since her original head has reddish curls just like how I imagine Pearl's, although quite a bit shorter and lighter in color. (Mombi's hair actually better resembles mine, funnily enough!!) And then yeah, I made the connection -- Mombi in Oz may be incredibly intimidating in her own way, but she's ultimately subservient to the real mastermind, the Nome King -- just as Pearl is subservient to the mastermind in her storyline, her father Charles. Mombi is perfectly willing to keep a child captive in a mirror on the Nome King's direction -- just as Pearl arguably keeps her own children, Arsen and Kain, inside the stifling Cromwell Manor because Charles is determined not to "lose" any other family members like he did Lane. And in the Real World, Mombi's non-magical counterpart -- Nurse Wilson -- is a very cold, stoic, oftentimes cruelly dutiful character who still betrays a tiny shred of humanity, since she does actually jump into a rushing river to try to rescue Dorothy at one point and looks genuinely distraught (maybe for the sake of her job, but also perhaps sincerely) when it looks like Dorothy is going to drown. This too is very "Pearl" to me: she can come across as heartless a lot of the time, but she isn't pure evil. Admittedly Pearl isn't as vain as Mombi by a long-shot, but hey, can't win 'em all.

I decided to base the head in Pearl's hands on her deceased mother Marilyn, just as a little shout-out to the rest of the Cromwell line. And well, that kind of macabre touch is very true to the film, that's for sure! Return to Oz overall is a movie I know a lot of people see as nightmare fuel, especially in comparison to MGM's The Wizard of Oz, which it tries to be a sequel to but doesn't match in tone at all. For me personally, though, I loved both films as a kid and I still do -- I like the MGM film for its music, dancing, and innocence, Return to Oz for its real sense of danger and darker, more book-accurate whimsy, and both for the unique and likable characters they created.

Coming very soon: our last two main Cromwell Clan members, Claire and Charles, to finish off these Halloween sketches for the year!