#marjorie grande

[teenytinyapprentice]

NPC appreciation week: day 1 - Curious Village / Diabolical Box

Marjorie and Conrad - Diabolical Box

These two are definitely minor minor characters, BUT I just cant resist the giggle I get seeing other mentor and student duos in the series. Conrad's character profile says Marjorie is his role model and he emulates her in every way! Adorable to see Layton isn't the only one with an eager little duckling following close behind hehe

(plus Marjorie writing popular mystery novels after work! Cute!!)

@layton-npc-appreciation-week

[figureskatingcostumes]

Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha's Thriller costumes at the 2023 Grand Prix Final and 2024 Worlds. They kept pretty close to the source material!

(Sources: 1, 2, 3 and 4)

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, a close ally of Donald Trump, vowed to defund the federal police over the indictment of the former president.

Talking to Fox News on Sunday, the Ohio congressman and chair of the House Judiciary Committee said that Republicans will look into defunding the agencies responsible for investigating Trump and ordering his indictment, which was voted for last week by a Manhattan grand jury over the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Trump denies any wrongdoing, calling the investigation a political "witch hunt."

"We control the power of the purse, and we're going to have to look at the appropriation process and limit funds going to some of these agencies, particularly the ones who are engaged in the most egregious behavior," Jordan said in an interview with Fox News's Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures after being asked what his committee can do against the alleged "weaponization of government."

"So, the DOJ [Department of Justice] and the FBI?" said Bartiromo, seeking clarity.

"Yes," responded Jordan. "And what I'd really like, frankly, I'd really like for the government to stay out of the election process."

Jordan has long been a loud opponent of calls for defunding state police in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in 2020 and the protests that followed. But the Ohio Republican's support for law and order does not apparently extend to cover federal law enforcement agencies, which he argued in the Fox News interview have been "turned against the very same people they are supposed to serve."

Calls for defunding the police in 2020 and the following years have included both ideas about completely eliminating the police and proposals to reshuffle funds now dedicated to state police and limit officers' functions.

In January, Jordan condemned calls to defund the police, saying that the attacks against law enforcement discourage "enough good people" from becoming police officers. "We shouldn't have this whole attitude about defund the police," he said on NBC. "That's a problem when you're trying to attract the best to protect our communities."

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee hasn't been the only Republican to call for defunding the Department of Justice and the FBI in the wake of the investigation into Trump.

Last month, Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, another loyal supporter of the former president, called for "defunding some of these bad agencies—the FBI, the DOJ," saying she won't vote for legislation to fund the government unless these agencies' funds are cut.

"I've made up my mind. I will NOT vote for a budget that funds the two tiered justice system in America," she tweeted on March 17. "The Democrat controlled DOJ and FBI top brass are political and have weaponized their power against the right to persecute everyone with conservative values and aligned with Trump, but refuses to prosecute the left for their crimes. The Republican controlled budget must defund the two-tiered justice system and reign in the politically weaponized DOJ and FBI, or I will not vote for it."

The investigation that led to Trump's indictment last week was conducted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, which makes the probe a state-level case. But the New York investigation isn't the only ongoing probe into the former president, who is also being investigated for the possible mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-A-Lago residence and over his role in the Jan. 6 riots. Last year, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed the Justice Department's former public integrity chief Jack Smith to oversee the DOJ's criminal investigations of Trump.

In early March, Florida congressman Matt Gaetz also called to "defund and get rid of" agencies including "the FBI, the CDC, ATF, DOJ, every last one of them if they do not come to heel" during the Conservative Political Action Conference, as reported by USA Today.

Newsweek has emailed Greene's and Gaetz's teams and called Jordan's team for comment.

[moon-soo-ah]

Ice Dance Result

[mwrjorie]

"Can I borrow a kiss? I promise I'll give it back."

deixou a cabeça inclinar sutilmente para o lado, enquanto uma expressão de pura confusão tomava conta de seu rosto. pensou se beijo significava alguma coisa além de beijo, chegando até olhar ao redor, em busca de qual objeto poderia chamar beijo. porém, quanto mais pensava na pergunta, menos sentido fazia ficar buscando. "não sei se entendi direito..." admitiu de uma vez, dando um passo para frente. e se o pedido fosse... um beijo? marjorie poderia ser boa em muitas coisas, mas entender flertes estava bem longe disso. "ok." aproveitando que estavam sós e a demonstração de afeto não seria algo analisado, deixou um beijo na bochecha dela. "era isso?" a encarou sem entender, preferindo manter sua imaginação num campo seguro, ignorando partes de seu corpo reagindo de maneira desnecessária. "francamente, nora. se você queria um beijo no rosto, por que perguntou de um jeito tão estranho?" e por que você queria um beijo? não, não pensaria nisso. era só... coisas de eleonora.

[taylorman2274]

We Care About You (Part III)

Those who have been with you since the beginning discuss the differences they've noticed with and without your presence.

Content Warning(s): Jean, Kaeya, & Albedo Story Quest Spoilers; Mondstadt Archon Quest Spoilers

Notes: SAGAU; GN!Reader; [T/N] = Traveler Name

Word Count: 2.1k

Previous || Next

Taglist: @silverstarred; @victoria1676; @angelofdarkness2; @areaderspov; @andromeda-gay; @ash1; @mercy-not-merci; @toodledoodl3;

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

The sun had fully risen over the horizon by the time all the stores in Mondstadt's main plaza had opened for the day. Blanche was finishing setting up her fruit trays on the counter by the time Marjorie and Timeaus arrived at their respective stores. Sara, on the other hand, had already opened up Good Hunter half an hour ago. This was in case there were any early birds or if any of the aforementioned shopkeepers wanted a quick bite to eat before work.

Today, the Traveler and Paimon were examples of early birds, as the two were enjoying breakfast from Good Hunter. However, as they were eating their respective meals, they were approached by Raymond, a Knight of Favonius.

"Morning, Traveler. Morning, Paimon," he greeted. "Sorry to interrupt your meal, but I'm here to inform you that your presence has been requested by the Acting Grand Master. She requests that you head on over to headquarters immediately."

Paimon groaned. "Does Jean really have to summon us this early? Paimon hasn't even finished her Fisherman's Toast yet."

"I apologize once again, but it would be rude to keep the Acting Grand Master waiting," Raymond replied.

The Traveler shook their head. "No worries. I'm just about finished anyway." They got up from their seat. "Would you like for me to get you a to-go box, Paimon?

"Get a to-go box? Has Paimon not already proved to you what she's capable of? Watch this!" Paimon proclaimed before chowing down the rest of her Fisherman's Toast as quickly as Paimonly possible.

...Said way involved burying herself nose-deep in her plate and practically inhaling all the food left on her plate. The Traveler and Raymond even had to hold their hands up to their faces to protect themselves from any flying food.

Maybe they shouldn't have bought her a triple stack...

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

Despite being invited by Jean herself, The Traveler decided to knock on her office door. It was only proper manners.

"Enter."

They opened the door and allowed Paimon to enter first before letting themselves in. As soon as Jean recognized them, she gracefully got up from her chair and walked around to the front of her desk.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Honorary Knight. I know you must be tired.”

The Traveler shook their head. "It was no trouble. Paimon and I were already up to begin with."

"Is that so? It's a shame my cuties didn't think to greet me in the library first thing in the morning. Your company can certainly revitalize this mage's energy." Came a voice to their left. Both newcomers swiveled their heads to look at the other visitor partially hidden in the corner.

"Lisa? Were you called here by Jean as well?" questioned Paimon.

"I was," Lisa confirmed, perplexion etched on her face, "Though I haven't been told why yet."

"I called you both here for the same reason. However, not everyone has arrived yet. We're still waiting on two more people. Once they’ve arrived, I’ll explain everything," Jean explained.

To pass the time, the Traveler, Paimon, and Lisa began to catch up with each other on what had happened since they last met while Jean leaned against her desk and peeked at the ticking clock on the wall from time to time.

She wasn't worried about the other two members being late. They each were fellow Knights of Favonius members after all. They know the standards that need to be set in order to maintain their position.

A few minutes later, everyone in the office could hear rapid footsteps from outside the room. Not even a second later the door was thrown open by Amber who quickly entered the room and put her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

pant ... pant ... "Sorry I'm late, Jean. I got caught up with something."

Jean shook her head. "Not to worry, Amber. We haven't started talking about anything yet." Jean snuck a peak behind Amber towards the open door. "Did you happen to see Kaeya on the way here?"

Amber straightened up and nodded her head. "I did, actually. He's..."

"Right here."

Kaeya smoothly walked into the office and quietly shut the door Amber left open behind him.

Jean gave a quick nod. "Good. That should be everybody." Everyone gathered around Jean in a semi-circle. "I bet you're all wondering why I've called you here this early."

"To put it simply, I'd rather get this discussion out of the way before we all start work for the day. This mainly concerns the Traveler, but I promise you all are important to this discussion as well."

Jean turned her attention to the Traveler. "First off, how are your adventures going?"

The Traveler looked at Jean in confusion. Jean called all of them here just to ask them about their adventures? "...Pretty well I guess. I've hit a few obstacles here and there but it was nothing I couldn't handle."

Jean nodded. "That's good to hear. And what about this latest obstacle you're facing?"

Now it was Paimon's turn to be confused. "Latest obstacle...?" she murmured, "Oh! Do you mean [Y/N]?"

Amber, Lisa, and Kaeya all widened their eyes in surprise as they looked at Paimon. Jean nodded once again.

"Yes. That's exactly the reason why I've called you all here. Although I may not know much about [Y/N], I understand that you all have had some experience with them. If you could tell me all that you know about them, I'll get a better understanding of what our next action should be."

The Traveler nodded in understanding before looking around at the others. "Should I go first, or do you all want to share your thoughts now?"

Amber was the first to reply. "Sure! I'll go first. In my opinion, the Traveler and [Y/N] are the same person, but also different people. When I first met the Traveler outside of the Whispering Woods, they introduced themselves as [Y/N]. However, once we dealt with the sources of Stormterror's power in the abandoned Four Winds' Temples, they seemed much livelier. That was when they explained that they were actually [T/N], and [Y/N] was this 'ghost or entity-like thing' that possessed them against their will.

Lisa nodded. "It's true. When we were traversing through the last temple, I felt as if my body was not under my control, but I was still conscious to witness what I was doing. It was scary at first, but after a while, I kind of got used to it."

Jean raised a skeptical brow. "And why is that?"

"Because [Y/N] and I were trying to achieve the same thing. They guided me through the temple, defeated all of the enemies, and destroyed Stormterror's crystal, all things that I originally intended to do myself."

Jean brought a hand to her chin. "Interesting..."

Kaeya raised his hand, signaling to speak next. "It's not just that, either. Later on when I had the Traveler lure some Treasure Hoarders to some ruins, one of them accidentally activated a Ruin Guard while attempting to flee. We managed to take it down, of course, while being guided by [Y/N], but I noticed that I had gotten stronger in between fighting the treasure hoarders outside the ruins and fighting the Ruin Guard. We defeated the Ruin Guard a lot quicker than I thought we would."

Jean furrowed her brows. "But Ruin Guards are a lot harder to defeat than mere Treasure Hoarders. Surely you must be exaggerating?"

Kaeya chuckled. "I can assure you, Jean. The strength I gained when guided by [Y/N] is no exaggeration. Surely you must've felt their presence yourself?"

"Outside of the day when I got burnout, no. But even then, I didn't exactly feel I was much stronger."

"Oh!" Amber blurted out. "Speaking of getting stronger, I've noticed that [Y/N] has improved some of my abilities as well! For example, the day before we pulled that whole sleeping stunt on [Y/N], we were helping them complete some commissions around Mondstadt. While we were completing them, I noticed that I could suddenly fire two arrows with one shot! Not only that, but I was able to manually detonate my Baron Bunny by shooting at it!"

Amber frowned. “The only downside is that I haven't had much success replicating these abilities when I'm not with [Y/N].”

"So you've noticed as well?" Lisa asked. "I thought I was the only one to notice." She turned her attention back to Jean. "You see, [Y/N] typically has me defeat hydro slimes whenever they appear, and with them I'm normally able to defeat them in one or two hits. However, I wanted to test a theory I've been thinking about recently. So I went to go find a hydro slime and see how many hits it took to defeat it. Just as I thought, it took nearly double the number of hits before it was beaten."

"I see. And is this something that we should look into?"

"No. I just thought it was something worth mentioning."

"Alright then. And when [Y/N] does guide you, is it only to complete commissions?" Jean inquired.

"Oh no!" Amber eyes sparkled. "We've been helping the Honorary Knight and [Y/N] all across Teyvat! It's amazing!"

Jean smiled. "Then you all must be enjoying your adventures, I presume?"

"But of course!" exclaimed Amber. "I've always wanted to see the world beyond Mondstadt and it's just as grand as I imagined."

"That's good to hear." Jean then looked down at the floor and sighed. "...Honestly, there are times when I wish I could throw my work to the side and travel alongside you, Honorary Knight."

"Paimon is certain that [Y/N] would love to have you join their Adventure Team! If it becomes possible, Paimon will put in a good word for you."

Jean chuckled. "Thanks, Paimon." She turned her attention to the Traveler. "And what about you? What do you know about [Y/N]?"

"It's a pretty long story. The first time I ever got a clue as to who [Y/N] was was when I was in the middle of helping Albedo with his research. During the middle of some experiments, I felt their presence leaving. However, almost immediately after they left I saw a bright light in the sky. It only lasted for a few seconds, but when the light went away, I saw that it had come from Celestia!"

Jean looked shocked for a moment but quickly composed herself. She had an image to maintain after all. "Really?! From Celestia?"

"Yes. Albedo saw it as well and it piqued his curiosity. To make a long story short, he found out that for a brief moment, the light that spawns from Celestia forms as if one is opening a door to an unlit room. He hypothesizes that whoever [Y/N] is, they are not from Celestia but somewhere beyond it. Maybe even another world entirely."

Kaeya smirked. "From another world, eh? So does that mean [Y/N] is an alien?"

The Traveler shook their head. "I don't think so. Most of the worlds I traveled to before Teyvat were inhabited by humans. I would assume that if [Y/N] is from another world, they would be human as well.

"How certain are you?" inquired Jean.

"I'm like 90% certain they're human," the Traveler confirmed. Amber hummed in thought.

"Do you think they might be a god?"

“A god whose eyes are focused on a world separate from theirs? Sounds unlikely to me,” countered Lisa.

"Regardless..." Jean interjected. "[Y/N] has been absent for a while now, correct?" The Traveler nodded. "Have you thought about continuing your journey without them should they not come back?"

"I've had the thought. But I'm willing to wait however long is necessary if it means I get to see them again."

Jean put a hand to her chin. "Are you sure? I would gladly be willing to have Amber, Lisa, or Kaeya travel with you for the foreseeable future."

Paimon nodded. "It's been almost a week since that incident, and yet Paimon has never seen the Traveler lose any determination at all!"

Jean nodded as well. "I see. In that case, I believe that is all I have to say for this discussion. It was nice meeting you once again, Honorary Knight."

"The same goes for you, Jean.”

Everyone exchanged goodbyes with each other and, minus Jean, prepared to leave the office. However, just before they left...

"Hey. Is it just me, or is it getting brighter outside?"

Kaeya looked towards Amber. "I'm sure it's just the clouds moving past the sun."

Amber shook her head, keeping her gaze towards the window. "No... I didn't see any clouds when I first came in..."

The room was silent. Some looked to the window while others kept their attention on Amber.

Suddenly, Paimon gasped.

"Paimon!" The Traveler shouted in surprise. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"...They're back..." she whispered.

The Traveler tilted their head. "Who's back?"

Paimon was too stunned to speak, but it didn't take long for the Traveler to figure out why. Their eyes grew wide in shock.

"[Y/N]!!" They suddenly exclaimed as they bolted past everyone. Everyone quickly followed the Traveler outside.

Once they all gathered outside. They quickly turned their gaze towards Celestia. Just as they thought, a light, though less noticeable during the day, was slowly getting brighter.

"Sorry, Jean! We've got to go! Don't wanna be late!" Paimon quickly said before everyone aside from Jean was teleported away.

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

"It sure is taking a long time to check for updates," you thought.

After countless research, note-taking, and several anxiety breakdowns, you were finally ready to hop back onto Genshin and meet up with the people who you now realize are alive and sentient.

"I hope all this makes a good impression on them."

The door appeared.

With one click, you would be back to where this trouble all started…

Breathe in… Breathe out…

click

The door opened.

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

Author Side Notes: I looked at my fanfiction and decided that it needed LORE™

Once again, I'll be editing this chapter over the next upcoming days. I sort of prefer it as opposed to keeping this in my drafts. I don't want you all waiting for the next part too long!

[if-whats-new]

What's New In IF? Issue 1 (2024)

By Erika, Marjorie, Alex, Zach and Noi

Now Available!

Itch.io - Google Drive - Keep Reading below

EDITORIAL

We were always just lurkers… But no more! We were always just lurkers… But no more!

We had been talking for a while about the Interactive Fiction community, and wondering what we could to do… you know, do our part to help it become its best self.

And out of all the things available out there, between the directories and the group chats, the forums and the discord servers… it can get pretty overwhelming to be part of it all, to keep track of everything. And we realised there wasn't really a newsletter for IF. Something that tracks of what is happening…

RIGHT NOW!

So why not just… make it happen?

Like a lot of things, What's New in IF started on a whim. But we hope we can turn it into something great. Something that can help the community keep track of what's happening.

And we hope that you will join us too!

PS: we did cheat a bit on some dates for this edition :{

ERIKA, MARJORIE, AXEL, ZACH, AND NOI

EVENTS

~ CONFERENCE ~

You can now register for the Narrascope! It is happening June 21-23, in hybrid. They've also released the schedule of talks!

The Interactive Narrative Exhibition is looking for IF pieces to be displayed in a Museum in Poland!

~ ONGOING (VOTING) ~

Until mid-May, the Spring Thing is welcoming players to check out the entries vote for the “Best in Show”!

Do you speak German? The annual Grand Prix has released its submissions and is looking for voters!

~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~

The Dialogue Jam by the @neointeractives group is open for submission until the end of the month. Only Dialogue is allowed!

In less than two weeks, the window to submit for the Text Adventure Literacy Jam 2024 will end. The goal is to make a parser for beginner players.

Also ending at the end of the month is the Amare Games Festival 2024, which is all about love!

On the Choice of Game Forum, the Diversity Jam is running. They accept any CScript game… as long at is not in ENGLISH!

~ ENDED ~

After months of hiatus, the 79th edition of the Bitsy Jam finished recently. The theme was: long distances.

The Second Edition of @seedcomp-if recently released its results. Congratulations to the winners!

~ OTHER ~

The Interactive Fiction Showcase is running throughout the whole year, where you can submit and/or play IF games from a wide variety of authors. It is happening on itch!

GAMES

New Releases

The Dice (Twine) is a psychological horror short game. (@stanwixbuster)

Summoned at 2 (HTML) is a short game where you must complete a summoning circle.

Giving Yourself Away (HTML) is the newest release of the Domino Club.

The Wretched Bitsy (Bitsy) is short adaptation of The Trail of the Wretched in bitsy.

How Do You Like Pain (RenP’y) is a visual novel about pain, death, and maybe nothing. Also part of the ‘Art Without Blood’ universe. (@catskets)

New Releases (WIP)

Corruptant (CScript) is a dark fantasy game, where you play as an amnesiac coping with their situation. (@cyn-if)

No Peace (CScript) is a ONE PIECE inspired pirate project.

The Psion (CScript) is a high-fantasy game, where you have Psionic abilities.

The Red and White Knight (Twine) is a Medieval Arthurian inspired project where you play as Lancelot du Lac. (@theredandwhiteknight-if)

Mutually Assured Destruction (Twine) is fantasy thriller about bonds and destruction.

Blackwood Manor (CScript) is mystery romance project.

Shattered Eagle: Fall of an Empire (CScript) is Roman Empire political intrigue.

hic est nihilum (Twine) is post-apocalyptic fantasy story, where you struggle against dieties. (@nightingale-the-lurker)

Speck (CScript) is a Horror/Sci-Fi project inspired by ‘Alien & Spiecies’.

GAMES UPDATES

Agents of Lucifer (CScript) added chapters 4 and 5 to its demo. (@aprismaticodyssey)

Era of the Archdemons (CScript) added chapter 3 to the demo.

The One Chosen (CScript) added more content to their beta. (@parrotwatcher)

Echoes of Kingdom: The Last Stand (CScript) added extra scenes.

Dawn of Heroes (CScript) added chapters 21 and 22 to its demo.

Honor among Thieves (CScript) added extra content. (@leoneliterary)

Dawn of Heroes (Twine) completed its second chapter. (@bladeweaver-if)

Merry Crisis (CScript) has made its last update available to all. (@merrycrisis-if)

Remnants of the Past (Twine) uploaded the final chapter of Act 1 (limited release before sale). (@remnantsofthepast-if)

What lies in the past (Twine) added chapter 1 to the demo. (@maluarty-blog)

Fallen Light (Twine) latest update is available to all. (@fallenlightsif)

OTHER

Limerence (Twine) is back on Tumblr. (@limerenceif)

We apologize in advance if we missed something, and forgot to add projects to this list. Please, let us know if something should have been added to the zine, and we will shout it out next week!

HIGHLIGHT ON...

A couple of games that we thought were cool.

Social Democracy: An Alternate History by Autumn Chen (DendryNexus)

That weird political game that took Twitter by storm, so strongly that there's even a fan subreddit where you can share your stats. It's all about what might have been…

i won't finish this game by Naarel (RenP’y)

An emotional visual novel about being a struggling indie dev game developer and depiction of suicide in narrative games. It is very short and hits hard.

Eat Me by Chandler Groover (Inform)

It was weird, it was gross… It's just genius. There's no way to describe how insane this game is. Maybe the most disturbing escape game ever made. No wonder it's so highly rated and won awards… TG for walkthroughs!

Your favourite game here?

Do you have a favourite game that deserve some highlighting? Tell us about it! A old or recent game that wowed you so much you want to spam it to everyone? Tell us about it!

We'll add it to the page!

FINAL WORD

We... don't really know what we're doing.

Yes, it's true! Not a lot of thought process went into making this. We actually started putting this together at 3-4am after making the Tumblr Blog.

We haven't really made any plan on what should or should not be included in this zine. We just knew we wished we had something like this when we started.

So while it may seem bare right now, we hope, in time, to fill all the pages, and even add more, as we find more projects, and events, and other IF- related stuff to share!

But for that…

We need your help.

Did you find a cool game that was just released? Or a project that shared a demo or update? Did you come across some cool event? Or found a neat article/blog post talking about IF?

Then, shoot us an ask or submit it on our blog!

THANK YOU!!

ERIKA, MARJORIE, AXEL, ZACH, AND NOI

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2024-ISSUE 1

[whencyclopedia]

Robert the Bruce

Robert I of Scotland, better known as Robert the Bruce, reigned as King of Scotland from 1306 to 1329 CE. For his role in achieving independence from England, Robert the Bruce has long been regarded as a national hero and one of Scotland's greatest ever monarchs.

Robert succeeded John Balliol (r. 1292-1296 CE) but only after a tumultuous decade of side-switching and military ups and downs against English armies led by Edward I of England (r. 1272-1307 CE) and those of rival Scottish barons. A grand victory over the English at Bannockburn in 1314 CE cemented Robert's claim to be the rightful king of Scotland and his skilful diplomacy brought recognition of Scotland's full independence both from the Pope and Edward III of England (r. 1327-1377 CE). Robert was succeeded by his son David II of Scotland (r. 1329-1371 CE).

Early Life

Robert (VIII) the Bruce was born on 11 July 1274 CE at Turnberry Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland. His father was Robert (VII) the Bruce (d. 1304 CE) and his mother was Marjorie, Countess of Carrick. The Bruce family had been the lords of Annandale since the 1120s CE, and they claimed descent from Earl David, younger brother of William I of Scotland (r. 1165-1214 CE). Robert spent a period of his youth in either the Western Isles or Ulster. As the family had estates and properties in England, so, too, he spent time in Carlisle Castle and London. In 1292 CE Robert inherited the earldom of Carrick.

Around 1295 CE Robert married Isabel of Mar (d. c. 1296 CE), daughter of Donald, earl of Mar, and then, in 1302 CE, Elizabeth de Burgh (d. 1327 CE), the daughter of Richard de Burgh, earl of Ulster. With Isabel, Robert had a daughter Marjorie (b. c. 1295 CE) and with Elizabeth, he had two daughters - Matilda and Margaret - and two sons - David (b. 1324 CE) and John (possibly the twin of David but he died as a child).

Continue reading...

[teaquaccey]

Okay… soooo… (Eng ver)

Okay so…

I’ve been thinking of this thing for Sagau Genshin for a while but like…

I’m not sure how to explain it…

So, here’s the idea!

I don’t remember where I heard it but it was about the lore about visions.

Archons don’t give them out like candy, but the gods who give them to the inhabitants of Teyvat as a somewhat “help” to the user to achieve their ambition.

But once their ambition has been fulfilled the vision goes out like Tomo’s or something like that and finally the gods receive something greater than what the user wanted.

But it also serves as an “eye” of sorts like a mini spy camera.

I’m not sure how legitimate this info is but, where im trying to go is…

What if the vision also work as a “shield” and blocks the vision holders ability to identify the reader as the creator and such?

Just imagine…

You wake up in Teyvat and the only people that can identify you as a highly being are the npc’s and not the vision users?

Imagine an imposter au with an imposter that is perceived as the creator by the vision users but that is actually a group of gods manipulating their perception or ability to identify the creator by making one of them play the role of the creator.

The reason behind this is because they want to rebel against the creator or something, i dunno maybe they lost badly against the creator in uno or something like that idk.

And because the vision users don’t have the ability to sense anything strange with you they don’t report it to the rest.

And because of how much energy or attention the gods have to keep on the whole creator play they don’t pay any attention to you for the first months?

You would be free from the vision users…

But the npc’s?

Oh dear…

Imagine the gods and imposter finally notice your presence and send the rest to hunt you down.

Imagine the least likely people teaming up together like…

In Mondstadt it would be like…

-Oh! Amber here for the usual?- Sara asks the outrider.

-An imposter?! No! I haven’t seen anyone looking like their grace…- She answered sounding surprised.

—-

-No information about the so called “Imposter” again Master Diluc- Charles informed the red headed that had visited the Tavern with just that exact purpose.

—-

-An imposter? I’m sorry Acting Grand Master, but I’ve seen no one looking identical to their grace!- Marjorie mentioned looking at the blonde.

-I see…- Jean ponders.

-If any information arises please inform us immediately- She mentioned.

-Of course- Marjorie replied as the blonde left.

Jean left as she went back to headquarters.

Finding the imposter was going to be a bit more challenging than expected.

Lost in her thoughts she barely managed to dodge Blanche and Charles who were carrying boxes with what looked to be food and beverages.

-Oh! My apologies- She mentioned.

-Oh no worries Grand Master Jean- Blanche brushed it off as both her and Charles walked towards Marjorie’s shop

She found it a bit suspicious how the three seemed to be together but soon her concerns went away as she realized how paranoid she was that she was now even doubting about Mondstads citizens.

Jean shook her head in disapproval of her eavesdropping and walked away to see how were the others with the search.

Once the three were in the clear they entered the building where a certain Creator was reading a book.

-Glad to see that you’ve been doing alright, your grace-

In Dragonspine:

-Is something wrong, Albedo?- Timaeus asks.

-You see… there have been rumors of a so called imposter…- Albedo explains

-An imposter?!- Timaeus asks in surprise.

-What do you mean…-

-Mmhh, Timaeus… you have been in the city for longer than I, have you not had any encounter with a person with similar characteristics to their grace?- He asks

-No, I’ve seen no one with their appearance…- Timaeus denies.

-Mmhh I see… by the way, I don’t want to sound invasive but why have you’ve been asking about the price of my paintings? I wasn’t aware that you were interested on the arts- Albedo inquired as poor Timaeus tried to come up with an excuse to not expose that he wanted to get one to give it to the creator because they commented that they liked them.

-Well um… because why not?- He mentioned sheepishly

-Huh…- Albedo pondered.

Suspicious.

In Liyue it might be like…

-Mr. Shitou one of my clients has complained over the lack of quality of the Noctilucous Jade you’ve been selling- Yanfei mentions interrogating Shitou.

-Well, you see business hasn’t been going well lately and…- He tried to excuse himself trying to find an excuse after he has been commissioning different hair pins and accessories to be made with said material to later give them to their Grace.

-Huh… this is the same thing Linglang told me at the antiques shop! Is business really not blooming right now?- Yanfei asked herself.

-Anyways, my client would still want to demand you for the low quality of your products-

-What?!-

-We’ll be paying for the troubles Miss Yanfei-

Before she knew it, Yanfei was now in front of the Northland Bank.

-We are the ones who have been buying all the good quality Noctilucous Jade from Mr. Shitou- Nadia mentioned helping Shitou cover from this.

They didn’t wouldn’t want to see their grace upset because one of their followers business broke because of them…

In Inazuma:

-I commissioned a new kimono for you your grace! Is it to your liking?- Hiiragi Chisato asked as she showed her a beautiful made Kimono she had sent from Fontaine.

-Wow…-

-Ah yes, your grace we have been waiting to give you these for quite some time- Xixi mentioned as she presented a bunch of boxes filled with various gifts.

(I dunno why but I feel like being in Ritou wouldn’t be so bad I mean, here is where most Npc’s are at… just be careful with the boats and every should be fine)

(Everywhere else I think you’d be pretty screwed not gonna lie xd)

In Sumeru…

I’m too tired to keep making stories…

But I think people like Dunyarzard would be so nice! Like she comes from money as far as I can remember so I can imagine her taking us to the Grand Bazaar.

It would still be a bit complicated to go there however since Nilou and Dehya would be there and with the switch that the gods forgot to turn off to recognize you again… yeah it’s gonna be a bit difficult to convince them but we have a sweet, lovely person like Dunyarzard! And the grand bazaar you should be fine… probably…

In Fontaine…

Melusines or Poisson, either place and you should be good at.

But this place is the trickiest however since there seems to be someone with a vision almost everywhere you may go.

Overall…

It would be like a very big game of hide and seek where the seekers(the vision users) are breaking their minds trying to find you while the supposedly spectators that shouldn’t help you are just watching them while helping you, basically cheating in the game.

Just image a war between the two factions like oh my gosh!

There was this Npc’s… I don’t remember her name(also to lazy to search it up xd) that was part of the Aranara quest, like the forest watcher that helped us, you know what I mean? Got into an accident, Aranara help, Aranara quest and finally she went out into adventures with the Aranara that saved her.

Just imagine if we meet her before anything and then she gets her vision like…

She puts it on as an accessory and doesn’t sense the Creator’s aura.

She takes it off and she notices it.

She finds out slowly about what visions really do and with some scholars from the Akademiya they start coming up with a plan or device to take away people visions so that they realize who the actual god is.

The possibilities…

Also dunno where to put the archons here I think they would notice the aura of the creator because they don’t have visions and such so maybe they’re in the rebellion against the gods of celestia and the fake creator.

Neuvillete and Furina would also probably be in the creators side because Furina’s vision is if I don’t remember badly given to her by Neuvillete.

So yeah…

Just something that I’ve been thinking about while I try to sleep.

This is just a very crapy idea but anyways hope someone likes it :,)

Also!

I don’t think my posts are appearing in the etiquettes i’ve been putting them at, because this is a very new blog I made with the only purpose of publishing this.

So if anyone that somehow sees this thread can help me with reblogging it you would be helping me a lot!

I really want to share this Idea with more people!

Once again thank you!

(Also good luck for anyone pulling for Clorinde and Alhaitham!)

(I’m personally pulling for Sethos, fingers crossed that he comes in a ten pull or else I’m gonna be so close to 70 pity and I don’t want neither of the current 5 stars, even though they are cool)

(Anyways good luck and thanks for reading!)

(:D)

[figureskatingcostumes]

Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha’s rhythm dance costumes at the 2019 World Junior Championships and 2018 Junior Grand Prix Final.

(Photos by Skate Croatia, David W. Carmichael and Tina Tyan)

[resplendentoutfit]

Playing Dress Match-up: a painted dress and the actual dress or a close match.

Albert Braïtou-Sala (Spanish, 1885-1972) • Portrait of Marthe Chenal • 1921 • National Library of France Opera Museum

Isn't Marthe grand? And, of course, very rich. I could not find a dress that to my estimate was a good match. That bias cut bodice made from what looks like metallic silk, with a flowy but curve flattering skirt of perhaps crepe? It slightly gathers at the waist, falling to the ankles with a subtle, elegant train in back. Really gorgeous. In my search there were many more dresses of the 1930s that fit this profile. The one below, for example. It was worn by the American businesswoman and socialite, Marjorie Merriweather Post.I posted about her portrait here.

Evening Dress • American • c. 1933 • Cream silk crêpe, cream organza

In 1921, the flapper trend was only beginning to take shape. Waists had dropped a bit and would continue into the decade to drop further.

Fashion changes from 1924-1925

Although I didn't find a dress I liked as a match-up to the portrait of Marthe Chenal, I did find an evening coat that resembles the one she's so brilliantly flaunting.

Velvet opera coat • 1915-1920 • Augusta Auctions

[moon-soo-ah]

Ice Dance - Free Dance Starting Order & Time Schedule

[vickyvicarious]

Beetle Bracket

The substack is over now, it's time to be honest. None of us truly needed The Beetle in our lives. And do you know what we need even less? That's right:

The Beetle Sexyman* Bracket!

*gender, species, and probably even sexiness-neutral

That said, let's subject ourselves to this anyway.

There will be a grand total of five rounds, at the end of which the burning question will finally be answered: who is sexiest in Richard Marsh's The Beetle?

The Beetle Bracket is complete! See below for our final competitor's trophies, and below the cut for number breakdowns/writeups of each round.

Round One Breakdown

In the exact opposite of a shocking twist, Mr. Lindon was absolutely demolished by Train. Out of 130 votes, he got only 0.8%, compared to Train's whopping 90%. Excluding em-dash votes, that adds up to 117 for votes for Train and a measly 1 for Mr. Lindon.

Perhaps the biggest challenge this round was telling the contestants apart (at least in the wonderful accompanying art). However, people pulled through for Edwards, deeming that his ability to survive Sydney is the sexier quality. Out of 55 votes, Edwards won with 52.7%, compared to Peter's 27.3%. Excluding em-dash votes, that's 29 votes for Edwards, and 15 for Peter.

Brick Guy aimed his stones at the voters' hearts, it seems! Out of 58 votes, he won handily with 87.9%, while Mrs. Henderson netted a mere 5.2%. Excluding em-dash votes, that makes 51 votes for Brick Guy, and 3 for Mrs. Henderson.

Another easy victory! The Flirty Constable was confirmed far sexier than Louisa Coleman, who could only disapprove out her window. Out of 47 votes, he got 83%, against Louisa Coleman's 8.5%. Excluding em-dash votes, that's 38 votes for Brick Guy, and 4 for Louisa Coleman.

We always knew this would be the real nail-biter of Round One, and it didn't disappoint! The vote was the closest by far, and both contestants exchanged the winning spot multiple times, but in the end Cat narrowly eked out a win... true to life, at least in my experience of cat vs. carpet battles. Out of 152 votes, Cat won with 44.7%, against Carpet's 42.1%. Excluding em-dash votes, that makes 68 votes for Cat, and 64 for Carpet.

One last gimme to finish us off this round. Out of 65 votes, Glove Seller won with 80%, Matthews trailing at 15.4%. Excluding em-dash votes, that adds up to 52 votes for Glove Seller, and 10 for Matthews.

Round Two Breakdown

Look, he's no Superman - Robert Holt stood no chance against this runaway Train, it seems. Out of 102 votes, it barreled to victory with 58.8% against Bobert's 31.4%. Excluding em-dash votes, that makes 60 votes for the train, and 32 for Holt.

Nearly everyone agrees that No One is sexier than Augustus Champnell! No, not like that. I mean, the detective is significantly less sexy than the mere concept of no one at all. Out of 64 votes, No One handily won with 81.3% against Augustus's 9.4%. Excluding em-dash votes, that is 52 votes for No One, and 6 for Augustus Champnell.

Marjorie Lindon may have three men canonically head-over-heels for her, but neither Edwards nor Tumblr count among those numbers - though this was the closest match this round. Out of 41 votes, he quickly defeated her with 48.8% against her 31.7%. Excluding em-dash votes, that makes 20 votes for Edwards and 13 for Marjorie.

Percy Woodville doesn't want to fight - but luckily the voters were willing to do so for him! Out of 43 votes, he took 58.1%, compared to Brick Guy's 30.2%. Excluding em-dash votes, that becomes 25 votes for Percy, and 13 for Brick Guy.

The Beetle has many mystical abilities. Chief of these, it seems, is being literally the only main character to survive their first round in the sexyman contest! Speaks to the (lack of) sexiness in Marsh's writing, I suppose. Out of 104 votes, The Beetle won easily with 66.3%, while the Flirty Policeman only had 13.5%. Excluding em-dash votes, that makes 69 votes for Theb (nice), and 14 for the policeman.

He survived it twice, thanks to Edwards and The Beetle (more worthy competitors according to this round), but the third time seems to have been the charm. Sydney Atherton was absolutely slaughtered by Atherton's Magic Vapour! Out of 47 votes, the murdergas got 72.3% compared to Sydney's 17%. Excluding em-dash votes, that adds up to 34 votes for the vapour, and only 8 for its creator.

The Cat is no longer just lurking outside Paul Lessingham's house in hopes of pets and food. Oh no, it's shaping up to be a fierce competitor indeed! Out of 58 votes, it won easily with 58.6%, versus Paul's 29.3%. Excluding em-dash votes, that makes 34 votes for our favorite feline, and only 17 for the erstwhile statesman.

Glove Seller took an early lead, and Dora Grayling simply never caught up. Honestly, she'd probably be fine with it, she only cares about Sydney anyway. Out of 74 votes, Glove Seller easily won with 47.3%, Dora only getting 33.8%. Excluding em-dash votes, that equals 35 for Glove Seller, and 25 for Dora.

Round Three Breakdown

In any other sexyman bracket this matchup might not have meant so much, but I think we all understand these were some top contenders who both deserve our respect. Still, only one could continue on... and with the narrowest margin of victory in the entire bracket thus far, that turned out to be the Train! Out of 56 votes, it won with 46.4% against No One's 41.1%. Excluding em-dash votes, that makes 26 votes for Train, and 23 for No One. (Cat vs. Carpet had a difference of 4 votes, being the second-closest match. I'm loving that the fiercest battles are the ones with no people involved.)

Percy Woodville's charms carried the day once again, this time with a rather dramatic lead. I'm sure he's much more surprised than we are. Out of 38 votes, he had 78.9%, leaving Edwards in the dust with 10.5%. Excluding em-dash votes, that adds up to 30 votes for Percy, and 4 for Edwards.

Perhaps it's The Beetle's sheer unbridled charisma, perhaps it's the fact that the vapour has 'Atherton' in the name... Either way, this round was a slam dunk for our favorite coleoptera, proving that at least in this case canon was onto something. Out of 83 votes, The Beetle took 72.3% while Atherton's Magic Vapour could only muster up 13.3%. Excluding em-dash votes, that equals 60 for Theb, and just 11 for the vapour.

Well, it had a good run... but in the end the Cat just didn't know what to do in the face of that many gloves, just like everyone else Glove Seller has come up against. (It's fine, I'm officially declaring that she adopted it. These matches only end in death when the loser sucks.) Out of 52 votes, Glove Seller won with 53.8% versus Cat's 40.4%. Excluding em-dash votes, that would be 28 for Glove Seller, and 21 for the kitty.

Round Four Breakdown

He put up a good fight, and managed to close the initial gap somewhat, but in the end Percy just didn't have the requisite sexiness to defeat the mighty Train. Out of 63 votes, it won with 60.3%, against Percy's 28.6%. Excluding em-dash votes, that equals 38 votes for Train, and 18 for Percy.

Glove Seller may be many things (to us; she is admittedly very few things in canon), but apparently those do not include immunity to The Beetle. Winning with their narrowest margin yet, they still easily took over half of all votes! Out of 47 votes, Theb won with 63.8% versus Glove Seller's 23.4%. Excluding em-dash votes, that makes 30 votes for the Beetle, and 11 for Glove Seller.

As per vast majority vote, there will now be a third-place match next round. Apologies to the three of you who didn't want it, feel free to seek out your nearest hypnotist bugperson and ask them to erase the memories of whatever the results may be from your mind.

Final Round Breakdown

It seems that we are all the Train fiends today. At least for this one particular train. Out of 128 votes, it took the win with a solid 56.3%, against The Beetle's 31.3%. Excluding em-dash votes, that adds up to 72 votes for Train, and 40 for the Beetle. It seems some things are just meant to be. Theb will simply have to fly away with the silver, for now...

While the finale results were accurate to canon, that's not the case for third place! Percy Woodville made one final effort and overtook Glove Seller's early lead. Out of 57 votes, he won with 47.4%, against Glove Seller's 31.6%. Excluding em-dash votes, that equals 27 votes for Percy and 18 for Glove Seller. Honestly, I think she'd be proud of him, and if my official stance means anything to you, then you should know that Glove Wins (aka Persally aka this ship) is beetle bracket canon in my heart.

[lisaalmeida]

" A la naissance, on monte dans le train et on rencontre nos parents. On croit qu'ils voyageront toujours avec nous.

Pourtant, à une station, nos parents descendront du train, nous laissant seuls continuer le voyage. Au fur et à mesure que le temps passe, d'autres personnes montent dans le train. Et elles seront importantes , notre fratrie, amis, enfants, même l'amour de notre vie. Beaucoup démissionneront et laisseront un vide plus ou moins grand.

D'autres seront si discrets qu'on ne réalisera pas qu'ils ont quitté leurs sièges ou s'ils sont toujours dans le train . Ce voyage en train sera plein de joies, de peines, d'attentes, de bonjours, d'au-revoirs et d'adieux. L'essentiel est d'avoir de bonnes relations avec tous les passagers pourvu qu'on donne le meilleur de nous-mêmes. On ne sait pas à quelle station nous descendrons. Donc vivons, aimons. Soyons la meilleure version de qui nous sommes. Il est important de le faire, car lorsque nous descendrons du train, nous devrions ne laisser que des beaux souvenirs à ceux qui continuent leur voyage. Soyons heureux avec ce que nous avons et remercions de faire ce voyage fantastique. Aussi, merci d'être un des passagers de mon train. Et si je dois descendre à la prochaine station, je suis contente d'avoir fait un bout de chemin avec vous.

Librement adapté d'un Texte de Marjorie Noël

[larkandkatydid]

thank you! ariana grande and olivia wilde and that boy from maroon five and other famous people being cheaters is good gossip but not something We As A Society should be worried about

Yeah, to be clear, all of those scandals are very funny. It’s hilarious that a guy who plays SpongeBob is having an affair with glamorous pop star. Even the Marjorie Taylor Greene cheating scandal is funny because it’s amazing that CrossFit is such a socially conservative, desperately horny subculture.

It’s just weird when someone starts ruining the fun by suggesting that this is Behavior We Must Condemn instead of Not Our Business (But Fun).