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my-deer-history · 1 year

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The Will of James Laurens

Notes:

The handwriting here was incredibly difficult to decipher, so there are lots of gaps below - either words I could not make out at all, or some where I've included my best guess. If you have any corrections or suggestions to offer, please do let me know!

There are no line breaks in the original document, but to make for easier reading, I have added them in where they seemed most fitting.

Although all the other names are given in their English forms, for some reason the name Mary is given in the French form of Marie instead.

Transcript:

In the Name of God so be it on this sixth day of the month of September in the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty two in the afternoon at the City of Vigan diocess of Alais in Languedoc I the undersigned James Laurens a Native and Inhabitant of Charles Town Capital of the State of South Carolina in North America but having been for several years in Languedoc because of my health being at present in an infirm state but of sound understanding and having the use of my Memory I find it necessary to explain my last will and testament and make the [—]

and first I recommend my Soul to God in the name of Jesus Christ and as to my body that it be buried in the most private manner and the least expensive

and as to what relates to my estate I dispose as I think I ought institute in [manner] following first it is my will that my proportion which is two fifth part of the debt in Great Britain in the partnership of Hawkins Petrie and Company be paid therewith the just and lawful Interest unless that an argument can be made with the Auditors to receive the payment in South Carolina

I give to my most dear and beloved wife Marie Laurens an annuity of five hundred pounds sterling during her natural life to be paid regularly every six months in advance in the proportions of two hundred and fifty pounds sterling to commence from the day of my decease and it is my will that all my Real and personal Estate be liable for the payment of the said annuity unless that my Testamentary Executors and Executrices should choose to give her some other security for the payment of the said annuity to the satisfaction of my said wife and in case my said wife shall remain in Europe after my decease it is my will that the said annuity be paid to her at the place of her residence [clear] of all deductions and expenses whatsoever

I give unto my said wife all the money I have at present or that I may have in the hands of Mr William Manning of London and also the sum of five hundred pounds sterling invested for my account in the Consolidated Bank of London in the name of Mr John Savage if those two sums exceed the sum of twelve hundred pounds sterling Madam Laurens shall have a right to receive the whole and she shall render an account of the overplus to the Executors but if the said two sums shall not make twelve hundred pounds sterling then it is my will that my Executors and Executrices or some of them pay the sum that shall be wanting in sterling or in that which shall be equivalent to its full value in sterling

I also give unto my said beloved wife all the plate [—] [—] my wearing apparel table [service] and furniture of every denomination whatsoever whether in France London or America

I also give unto my said wife all and [—] my Male and Female Negroes excepting the female Satira whom I declare free from all servitude whatsoever and I [recommend] it to all my Executors and Executrices to assist the said Negro Woman if she be reduced to poverty or in any other distress

I give unto my dear friend Elizabeth Petrie widow and sister of my dear wife an annuity of fifty pounds sterling payable every six months in advance during her natural life unto my friend Edmond Petrie as a token of my regard an hundred pounds sterling and to each of his Brothers namely Alexander and George fifty pounds sterling and to his sister Marie Petrie fifty pounds sterling

I give unto my dear Brother Henry Laurens as a token of my unalterable friendship and esteem the sum of five hundred pounds sterling and twenty pounds sterling to purchase a Mourning Ring as a remembrance of his Brother

I give unto my dear Niece Martha Laurens as a token of my friendship for her and as an acknowledgement for the service she has rendered to me and my family and for her good and gentle conduct upon all occasions five hundred pounds sterling

I give unto my Nephew Francis Bremar of South Carolina the sum of three hundred and twenty pounds sterling to my Nephew John Bremar two hundred and fifty pounds sterling to my Niece Martha [L—] widow two hundred and fifty pounds sterling

I give unto my dear sister in law Ann Sanders as a token of my friendship and esteem fifty pounds sterling

I give as a mark of my friendship and respect for the memory of my deceased friend Jacob Motte to each of the Children of his last Marriage two hundred pounds sterling

I give unto my worthy friend Isaac Motte as a token of my friendship fifty pounds sterling to my worthy friend Louis Gervais as a token of my friendship fifty pounds sterling

I give three hundred pounds sterling to be distributed amongst my poor relations in such proportion as my Executors and Executrices shall think proper

I give five hundred pounds sterling to be distributed among the poor of South Caroline at the discretion of my Executors and Executrices I give unto the Protestant Church at Vigan fifty pounds sterling and in case that the Roman Catholic Church should pretend to and could possess [herself] of this Legacy It is my will that It shall become void and of none effect

And lastly I give unto my dear Nephew John Laurens to my dear Niece Martha Laurens to my dear Nephew Henry Laurens Junior and unto my dear Niece Marie Eleanor Laurens Minor and unto their Heirs for ever all my [Real] and personal Estate of what kind soever and at what place soever they be situated to be equally shared between them subject nevertheless to the payment of the annuity of five hundred pounds sterling to my wife and as my said Niece Marie Eleanor Laurens is under age her share shall remain in trust in the hands of my said Brother Henry Laurens her father and in case that my said Nephew and Niece Henry Laurens and Marie Eleanor Laurens shall happen to die in their minority it is my will that the share to them here above bequeathed shall go and be divided in equal shares between their Brothers and Sisters who shall survive each as [—] [them]

I nominate for my Executors and Executrices of this my will my Brother Henry Laurens my Wife Marie Laurens my Nephew John Laurens my Niece Martha Laurens and my Nephew Henry Laurens

such is my last will and testamentary disposition which I will that it avail in the best manner it [can] by law which [—] of the difficulty I have to explain myself in french though I understand the Language I have transcribed it in English on an [separate] sheet of paper and Mr Louis Gendre Notary Public of Vigan aforesaid wrote and translated it into French upon this sheet of paper dictated by my dear Niece Martha Laurens and in my presence and that of my dear Wife my dear Nephew Henry Laurens and my dear Niece Marie Eleanor Laurens and the said translation made the said Mr Gendre read over the contents to me distinctly and intelligibly and which I clearly understood and comprehended and I declare that it comprises my will most expressively and it is my will that it be fulfilled after my decease the same as though it had been done at Charlestown the place of my residence even though it should not have all the required formalities In testimony thereof

I have signed my name under the two foregoing pages at the [House] where I reside at Vigan aforesaid on the day and year as above I annul all other wills which I have heretofore made Note the utilization of the words and [—] fifty pounds sterling I give as a mark of my friendship as approved James Laurens

(Thanks to @nordleuchten for filling in some of the gaps!)

#james laurens #henry laurens #john laurens #historical john laurens #martha laurens ramsay #harry laurens #mary eleanor laurens #laurens family

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powderblueblood · 3 months

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12 & old Hollywood au gang - fuck me upppp bestie 😘

interrogate me about my characters

12. GRUDGES AND VENDETTAS

YESSSSSS you know these bitches are teeming with drama!

steve harrington— has such a long list of grudges and vendettas, you’d barely know where to start but most notable among them include head of warner bros jack warner for turning him into such a bitter bastard by making him do all of those brainless romantic comedy pictures, louella parsons for making him a tabloid fixture and effectively ruining his sex life and james cagney who he just keeps trying to rumble with on set? steve is sure there’s genuine beef there but he’s never been sober enough around cagney to figure out what the fuck it is. oh, and his family for making him feel like a lifelong outcast so he turned to performing in order to feel love I guess

beadie pike— the cultish evangelical movement in which she was raised and taught to hate herself in, anyone that has ever doubted her talents, chorines that move around too much when she’s fitting them for costumes, the head of warners costume department, one might even say the concept of god and sin itself? and also louella parsons for the terrible things she publishes about her beloved mr harrington

eddie munson— SLIGHT SPOILERS but the mob who still have their clutches in him after helping him get a controversial start in the movie business, the train gang he was part of that landed him in jail before he came out to los angeles, every horse he’s ever been kicked off of (many), and to an extent, pidge sterling

pidge sterling— every single fucking two bit theatre director hack the studio are bringing in because they think shooting a sound picture is the same as directing a play, every actor she’s ever worked with, every person who’s treated her like a glorified secretary on set, her family for ostracising her after she left her first husband, men who won’t let women drive, eddie munson eddie fucking munson

#powder room talk #rosewaterandivy #beadie pike #pidge sterling #burn like nitrate

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bibliophileiz · 5 months

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2023 in Books, Part 2

(posting a day late, oops)

This was a pretty great literary year for me. Even the books at the end of this list I enjoyed reading. I left out an anthology I read for class (Peach Pit is ... interesting) and a book of poetry written by someone I know, just because I don't know anything about poetry and don't want my personal feelings about the poet (she's great) to muddle it even further. I also already posted a separate list ranking the six children's/YA books I read. That still leaves thirty-one books to rank, though.

As usual, this is based entirely on personal preference/enjoyment and not necessarily on quality of writing or story. I reserve the right to change my mind about this ranking as soon as I post it because I am fickle like that. (Although I don't think I'm going to change my mind about my number 1 choice.) Here ya go.

31. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling Dates Read: Dec. 12-13 GoodReads Rating: Three stars Summary: A witch accidentally curses her ex-boyfriend, and by extension her small magical Georgia town. She and her ex have to lift the curse without falling in love (which of course they do anyway). One-sentence review: (directly from my GR review) Cute and witchy, just the thing to get you through finals week.

30. Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld Dates Read: April 28-May 7 GoodReads Rating: Three stars Summary: A musician and comedy writer seem to hit it off when the musician guest stars on the comedy writer’s late-night show, only for the writer to blow it by assuming the musician is a shallow womanizer. A few years later, they rekindle their connection during pandemic lockdowns. One-sentence review: I liked the characters, but as usual Sittenfeld is more interested in commenting on whatever she saw on Twitter while she was writing this then she was on, like, writing a dramatic plot.

29. The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray Dates Read: Aug. 19-27 GoodReads Rating: Three stars Summary: All of Jane Austen’s beloved couples (except the Tilneys), plus the Darcys’ son and the Tilneys’ daughter, attend a house party at the Knightleys’ where Mr. Wickham turns up and is immediately murdered. One-sentence review: This is what P.D. James’ Death Comes to Pemberley SHOULD have been.

28. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Dates Read: May 24-27 GoodReads Rating: Three stars Summary: It’s the 1960s, and chemist Elizabeth Zott was kicked out of her Ph.D. program for reporting her supervisor for rape, and then loses her job after she becomes pregnant outside wedlock, and ends up starting her own STEM cooking show and some other stuff happens, look, I know you already read the reviews of this one. One-sentence review: It was fine, I just thought it was overrated.

27. The Paris Deception by Bryn Turnbull Dates Read: Aug. 23-Sept. 7 GoodReads Rating: Three stars Summary: Two women immersed in the French art world in the 1930s and ‘40s defy their German occupiers by hiding, documenting, and sometimes copying “degenerate” art to keep it from the hands of high-ranking Nazi officials and sympathizers, or to keep it from being destroyed. One-sentence review: The main characters were great and I really like the focus on protecting art and culture from extermination, but the constant time jumps drove me nuts.

26. Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid Dates Read: April 3-5 GoodReads Rating: Three stars Summary: Less than two weeks into her marriage, a young woman is widowed and only meets her mother-in-law at the hospital. The two strangers find a way to navigate their grief together. One-sentence review: While the grief could be gut-wrenching due to Reid’s fantastic writing, the characters were nothing spectacular.

25. Hell’s Half-Acre: The Untold Story of the Benders, America’s First Serial Killer Family by Susan Jonusas Dates Read: Jan. 29-31 GoodReads Rating: Three stars Summary: The Benders were a creepy family in late 19th Century Kansas who murdered people who stayed at their boarding house and then disappeared before they could be arrested. One-sentence review: I’m not super into true crime—it has to be historical for me to even start it--but I did like the look at life in the Midwest.

24. Galatea by Madeline Miller Dates Read: Jan. 6 GoodReads Rating: Three stars Summary: Madeline Miller retells the Pygmalion myth in a way that doesn’t suck. One-sentence review: Miller smartly skips the gender misery by making this a short story and then delivers an extremely satisfying ending.

23. My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite Dates Read: July 26 GoodReads Rating: Three stars Summary: Korede and Ayoola are sisters who fall for the same man. Ayoola is hot and a serial killer, and Korede is getting pretty tired of covering for her. One-sentence review: Despite (or perhaps because) all the characters are awful, this book STAYS with you, and I feel like it would be a blast to talk about in a drunken book club. Note: I listened to the audiobook and want to give narrator Adepero Oduye a shout out.

22. The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec Dates Read: July 24-Aug. 17 GoodReads Rating: Three stars Summary: Three friends in Medieval Scandinavia find themselves in the middle of a Game of Thrones-esque rivalry for the crown and a deadly battle between supernatural forces. One-sentence review: Good story and I liked the characters, but it moved too slowly sometimes.

21. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan Dates Read: May 7-10 GoodReads Rating: Four stars (I was feeling more generous about Grace marrying Hugh than I am right now) Summary: A sewing circle in a small English village in the 1940s decide to pool their talents and resources to help English brides wear the perfect white gown to their weddings, clothing rations be damned. One-sentence review: Ryan excels at writing about women and civilians in wartime, and I would have ranked this so much higher if it hadn’t ended with the best character marrying the worst one.

20. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid Dates Read: Jan. 31-Feb. 8 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: Aging actress Evelyn Hugo (who is not Elizabeth Taylor, by which I mean she absolutely is Elizabeth Taylor) invites a young journalist to write her life story. One-sentence review: The plot was engaging and thought-provoking, but I never could decide how I felt about Evelyn.

19. A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher Dates Read: Oct. 28-Nov. 1 GoodReads Rating: Three stars Summary: An archaeologist visits her mother at the family home in North Carolina only to find that her grandmother’s ghost is haunting it. But how do you banish a ghost once you learn it’s keeping something far worse at bay? One-sentence review: Of all the haunted house books I read this year, this one was the worst, and yet it was still great.

19. To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Waters (That’s right, I ranked a trashy Regency romance above both Romantic Comedy AND Lessons in Chemistry) Dates Read: May 17-24 GoodReads Rating: Four stars (Objectively, this was too many, but I also don’t care.) Summary: When Viscount Penvale’s uncle promises to sell him back the family estate for a steal if Penvale marries his uncle’s ward Jane, Penvale reluctantly agrees. He and Jane make an agreement to leave each other alone, but Penvale didn’t expect to fall in love with her. Nor did he expect his family house to be haunted. One-sentence review: The Regency Vows series just keeps getting better, honestly.

17. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson Dates Read: Aug. 31-Oct. 13 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: Humor writer Bill Bryson and his on-again-off-again friend Katz decide to hike the Appalachian Trail, and Bryson tells you all about its history and natural resources along the way. There are moose, but no (confirmed) bears. One-sentence review: This book got me really into nature and hiking again.

16. The Shining by Stephen King Dates Read: Dec. 1-4 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: I know you know what this book’s about. One-sentence review: Super tense, riveting look into the mind of a toxic, self-absorbed abuser who doesn’t need to be anywhere near blizzards, haunted houses, or children.

15. Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid Dates Read: July 12-23 GoodReads Rating: Five stars (Objectively, this book probably deserves that. Subjectively, I like Regency romances and journalists better than sports stars.) Summary: A retired tennis star full of rage and ambition makes a comeback to keep a younger player from breaking her record. One-sentence review: An absorbing, balanced take on the pressures women athletes face, plus a heart-warming father-daughter story, with some romance and female friendships to round it out.

14. Swamp Story by Dave Barry Dates Read: Dec. 30 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: There is actually too much going on to summarize this book, but suffice to say it involves a desperate single mom, her shirtless fame-hounding ex-boyfriend, a failed journalist with a drinking problem, and a lot of people in the Florida Everglades looking for a cryptid OR Confederate gold OR pythons. One-sentence review: Dave Barry writes about Florida like it’s a drunk, eccentric relative who everyone hangs around at the family reunion even though he smells bad, because he has the best stories.

13. Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas Dates Read: Oct. 15-28 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: During the Mexican-American War, a Wuthering Heights-esque couple learn their homeland is being stalked by vampires. One-sentence review: You root for the couple, you root for the Mexicans, you even root for the vampires once or twice, but you never root for the Texas Rangers. Note: The couple is Wuthering Heights-esque in the sense that he is poor, she is rich, they were childhood sweethearts, and then they were separated—not in the toxic incest way.

12. A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall Dates Read: July 12-23 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: A trans woman believed to be dead at the Battle of Waterloo reinvents herself and returns home to England, only to find that her best friend has been consumed by grief over her death. As she helps him heal—and he slowly falls for her—she battles with whether to tell him who she really is. One-sentence review: I'm a sucker for love stories in which the couple are torn asunder, believe they will never see each other again, and then are reunited unexpectedly. Note: This actually would have ranked a lot higher if all the main couple’s angst wasn’t basically resolved in the first half. The second half is fine but not as good.

11. The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Dates Read: Dec. 26 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: A young woman must choose between two potential “lovers” who come from the woods in this dark fairy tale novella. One-sentence review: Finally, a good werewolf book.

10. The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World by Shelley Puhak Dates Read: April 4-14 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: Puhak writes about the feud between rival Merovingian queens Fredegund and Brunhild in sixth century western Europe. One-sentence review: It’s like Game of Thrones, but real, shorter, and with more women and less sexual assault.

9. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell Dates Read: Dec. 14-25 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: Vowell writes Lafayette’s biography, focusing on his and the larger French role in the American Revolution, all while musing on our country’s inability to agree on anything. One-sentence review: Vowell’s irreverent essay style is just the tone needed to tackle the oft-romanticized American Revolution.

8. The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas Dates Read: July 23-26 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: In the aftermath of the Mexican War for Independence, a young bride moves to her landed husband’s country estate, only to find that the house is super haunted and her new in-laws super racist. One-sentence review: Your standard haunted house story, except the ghost is colonialism.

7. Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune Dates Read: Oct. 29-31 GoodReads Rating: Five stars (was probably generous, but the ending had just made me cry, so) Summary: When workaholic Wallace dies, his spirit is sent to a teashop for transition to the afterlife. But after a few weeks of hanging around teashop owner and “ferryman” Hugo, his reaper, and the ghosts of Hugo’s dog and grandfather, Wallace realizes he doesn’t want to leave what he’s coming to think of as his family. One-sentence review: A lovely mixture of funny and sad, this book is a nuanced look at death and found family.

6. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Dates Read: Nov. 1-6 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: A debutante from Mexico City visits her cousin’s haunted house in the countryside where she’s pulled into a mystery surrounding her cousin’s eugenics-obsessed in-laws. One-sentence review: Noemi is a fantastic character, and the plot is engrossing, which is good because you will hate all the other characters.

5. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer Dates Read: Aug. 9-29 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: In 1996, Outside magazine sent Jon Krakauer to cover the burgeoning commercialization of Mount Everest. When Krakauer climbed the mountain himself, he and his team got caught in a freak snowstorm that resulted in what was then the worst disaster in the history of the mountain. One-sentence review: Apart from being a really tense and riveting account of a brutal natural disaster in an already brutal environment, Krakauer’s account of the 1996 storm on Everest raises questions about who should be on the world’s highest mountain and whether money and fame have blinded guides and climbers to the risks of tackling the summit.

4. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty Dates Read: Nov. 20-30 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: Amina al-Sirafi, a retired smuggler and single mom on the Arabian peninsula, has to get her old band crew back together for the promise of more money than they’ve ever dreamed of when wealthy grandmother hires Amina to rescue her kidnapped granddaughter. But things go awry when the crew learns the girl is with an evil crusader with plans to unleash dark magic and monsters on the world. Inspired by the rich mythology, religions, and history of the Middle East, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean. One-sentence review: I have not had so much fun reading a fantasy novel since I was a kid reading Harry Potter and I can’t wait for the sequel.

3. Lone Women by Victor LaValle Dates Read: Oct. 5-12 GoodReads Rating: Four stars Summary: In the early 1900s, a woman burns her parents’ mangled bodies in their California farmhouse and flees to Montana with a secret locked in a heavy trunk. One-sentence review: Frankenstein meets Calamity Jane in this horror Western about race and female friendships.

2. We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian Dates Read: Oct. 28-Nov. 9 GoodReads Rating: Five stars Summary: Two men reporting for a progressive newspaper in 1950s New York fall in love. One-sentence review: I mean, it’s journalists in love in the 1950s, and one of them is investigating police corruption and the other covered a Civil Rights meeting in DC, so of course I loved this book.

1. The Correspondents: Six Women Writers on the Front Lines of World War II by Judith Mackrell Dates Read: Nov. 27-Dec. 26 (during finals and holidays with family—I don’t think I could have finished the book if it wasn’t so good) GoodReads Rating: Five stars Summary: Mackrell covers the WWII careers of six journalists—a correspondent in Berlin who ingratiated herself in the Nazi Party to tell America about Hitler’s plans for world domination; a photojournalist for Vogue who took pictures from the Blitz to Dachau; a young American whose coverage of both sides of the Spanish Civil War catapulted her to journalistic stardom; Martha Gellhorn whose fury at her husband (you’ve heard of him) compelled her to illegally stow away on board a hospital ship and cover the invasion of Normandy from Omaha Beach while helping wounded soldiers; a rogue freelancer who broke the story of the invasion of Poland and whose thrill-chasing career took her from there to Greece to North Africa and beyond; and Helen Kirkpatrick, who covered the liberation of Paris while Hemingway was getting plastered at the Ritz.

Review: There is too much to say about this book. Mackrell did an incredible job. These journalists’ triumphs and tragedies play out alongside the triumphs and tragedies of the world’s biggest conflict. Each woman had different motivations and goals, from thrill-seeking to career-making, from spite to idealism to simply a love of journalism and dogged search for the truth. While Sigrid Schultz’s Chicago editor applauded Hitler’s control of Germany, Sigrid warned his readers of Hitler’s ambition. When the world turned a blind eye to Hitler’s military build-up and annexation of half of Europe, Virginia Cowles and Helen Kirkpatrick wrote furiously against Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement. And while the rest of the world celebrated the end of the war in Europe, Lee Miller swept through Dachau taking pictures and refusing to ignore the human cost of fascism and war.

All of this was at great personal risk. The Nazis tapped Sigrid’s phone and searched her house until she was finally forced to flee to America in the early 1940s (where her editor promptly benched her for three and a half years). Virginia dodged bombs in Madrid, and Helen dodged bullets in Paris. And Lee Miller defiantly washed off the stink of Dachau in Hitler’s own bath, which was immortalized in a photo her equally defiant boyfriend took in the days after the Fuhrer’s death. Mackrell’s prose also gets into the nitty gritty of correspondent life, how the reporters all camped out in hotels and spent their days chasing stories and their nights drinking whiskey. She discusses the friendships and rivalries—Marth and Virginia became great friends in Spain and eventually wrote a play together satirizing the misogyny they faced during the war. And while the stars are the six I mentioned above, cameos include Mary Welch (Hemingway’s wife after Martha), Dorothy Thompson, Vogue editor Audrey Withers, and “Maggie the indestructible” who convinced an American commander to let her go on a bombing mission over North Africa, paving the way for other women correspondents on the front line after the US entered the war. Plus there are appearances from Picasso, both Randolph and Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, David Lloyd George, the Duke of Windsor after he abdicated, Hemingway of course, and half the Nazi high command. Mackrell uses the women’s own words to describe the bombing of Madrid, the mass evacuation from Paris, the refugee crises in Eastern Europe, and the Night of Long Knives in Germany. Every moment is riveting as Mackrell and the women she writes about pull you into Europe of the 1940s.

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ripper-street-thots · 1 year

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Ripper Street fans, are any of you also Succession fans? I've heard about how well it's written but I have Concerns about seeing it, based on 4 years of flip-outery when viewers make the connection between Tom Wambsgans and 2005 Mr. Darcy.

Edmund Reid is one of my favorite fictional characters and Matthew Macfadyen's work for S3 made him my favorite actor but because his brilliance helped create Reid, he also has the power to destroy him.

On one hand, this could be a chance to see a fantastic actor in a totally different role while a passionate fanbase ships his character with *another* dark-haired North American man played by an actor of Jewish descent (while his marriage to a lovely lady ain’t doing so hot.)

But if the two of them fight in my brain, I believe Tom Wambsgans will kill my beloved Inspector. Reid doesn't stand a chance. He'll be all haunted and dedicated to justice and telegraphing everything and Tom Wambsgans will come up to him smiling with all 32 teeth showing, wearing Macfadyen's face like a bloodcurdling mask that he skinned off with a long knife, and he'll shank Edmund with like, a monogrammed sterling silver Tiffany cheese knife and then Edmund Reid will be bleeding on the ground, his hat knocked off and rocking on its curved crown as the light behind his blue blue eyes goes as dark and murky as the London fog.

And then Wambsgans will do some jerky uncoordinated dance of victory, say something super weird, giving me Matthew Macfadyen American accent jumpscare, piano will overwrite hammer dulcimer and tragic cello, and I WILL NEVER, EVER RECOVER.

So for folks who have tried this, how did it go?

#ripper street #succession #matthew macfadyen #adam rothenberg #nicholas braun #edmund reid #tom wambsgans #homer jackson #greg hirsch #tomgreg

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lonelyasawhisper · 2 years

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The Secret History of Queen

Rick Johnson, Creem, 1st August 1981

TIME CAPSULE OR HAZARDOUS WASTES?

1968—Freddie Mercury meets Brian May and Roger Taylor (then members of the group Smile) in Art School. Brian first heard to say “Freddie! Not in front of company!"

1970—Smile splits up after releasing one single (“Earth”). Brian asks Freddie if he wants to start a new band. “Do octopi have suckers?” Fred replies.

1971—“Lucky” seventh bass player, John Deacon, joins up. Excitement level reaches #4. Bullet Maintenance.

1972—Queen meets Roy Thomas Baker, who, along with John Anthony; produces demos for the band that help them land a contract with EMI. Anthony later pleads “diminished responsibility.”

1973—Debut album proves to be as popular as minimizing civilian casualties. “Around the rime and out,” sez CREEM.

1974—Queen II released. You remember, the one with the black side and the white side that’re both on the wrong side? “Soft core pomp,” sez CREEM.

—Queen supports Mott the Hoople at New York’s Uris Theatre as the first rock bands to play Broadway.

—Brian May’s annual attack of hepatitis forces early cancellation. Although his guitar style is considered rather treacly at this point, you know what they say—good kelp is so hard to find.

—Q II voted album of the year in Japan. The prize: front row seats at the creation of Pink Lady. “Can I lick the spoon?” asks Freddie.

—Sheer Heart Attack recorded for 25,000 pounds sterling (about $1.79 in U.S. funds).

—“Killer Queen” is an international smasharoo. Joe Fernbacher thinks “orgone bleats” for first time.

1975—Night At The Opera released. “Poignancy at its cutest,” sez CREEM.

—“Bohemian Rhapsody” squats at the top of the U.K. charts for seven weeks. Migration officials begin working overtime.

—New Musical Express readers pick Queen as “Best Stage Band” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” as “Best Single.” But the group itself remains the #2 band after Led Zep. This is about as big a deal as being the second most beloved woman in Argentina.

—More awards from NME: First Annual Jobriath Memorial Award for being “last band to make it off the glam-rock bandwagon.” First Annual Freddie Mercury I’ve-Got-A-Tiger-In-My-Trousers Award goes to Jim Dandy!

—Sept. CREEM DREEM appearance temporarily appeases the sun-suit set.

1976—“This year, I can at least sit up!” boasts Freddie.

—Group cans previous management and signs on with Elton John’s manager, John Reid. “So what?” say many.

—At promo bash for the group, Bette Midler punches out then-Mr. Big of radio programming, Paul Drew, for reputedly saying her record is “as quaint an idea as researching an article."

—New Of The World unleashes “We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You” on unsuspecting public. Snuffbrats everywhere rejoice, but CREEM insists that “Queen is the Sha Na Na of rock’s modem age.”

—Joe Zdeb bats .297.

—Study shows that one out of every two American families has at least one member who suffers from motion sickness.

1978—Jazz LP becomes most ignored effort by major act since Tanya Tucker’s attempted suicide. “A parody of their own uselessness,” sez CREEM.

—Joe Zdeb’s batting avg. slips to .252.

—“Today the pond, tomorrow the world!” promo for the movie Frogs becomes Queen fans’ battle cry.

1979—Live Killers released, including controversial pre-taped version of “Boho Rhapsody.” “A typically uncompromising move,” sez the liner notes. “Oh, what a first!”as they say in the new biodegradable tampon ads.

—“Makes you feel like someone is peeing on your grave,” sez CREEM.

—Public response to purchasing a live album that features tapes from previous LPs? Well, if words could deep-fry, Queen would now be a pile of onion rings.

1980—The Game is group’s best-selling album yet. Looks like Merc and the boys have their heels on the pulse of the nation. “Gutless and artificial,” sez CREEM.

—“Another One Bites The Dust” reaches ridiculous heights of popularity for a song that sounds like Trigger counting to six.

—Detroit Lions adopt “Dust” as theme song and promptly lose five games in a row.

1981—Flash Gordon soundtrack released; becomes biggest selling soundtrack album with a yellow cover in first fiscal quarter of ’81. “If Freddie Mercury is ever in a movie,” CREEM meant to say, “the female lead will be Jamie Lee Curtis.”

THE NINE JUICIEST RUMORS ABOUT QUEEN

1. Brian to leave and join Sparks?

2. Before settling on Queen, other names considered included Princess Phones, The Thinkophants, Genotype Cointoss and The John Deacon Experience.

3. Brian to leave and join Kool and the Gang?

4. It was Freddie that tossed the cherry bomb which almost blinded Steven Tyler.

5. Billie Jean King and Freddie boy an item? Wait’ll he finds out what a strong backhand really is.

6. Brian to leave and join Doobie Bros.?

7. Almost 17 years ago, young Frederico’s dentist forgot to tell him to rinse and he still hasn’t!

8. John Deacon is dead.

9. John Deacon isn’t dead.

QUEEN VS. SLIM WHITMAN

“Bohemian Rhapsody” ’s streak of seven weeks at number one is the second longest in British chart history. The champ: American folk hero Slim Whitman, who topped the charts for eleven weeks in 1955.

“Will they be on Hee Haw too?” asks Slim.

INSPIRATIONAL VERSE

“I suck your mind, you blow my head”

DID YOU KNOW...

* Freddie calls everyone “Dear.”

* A can of 2,000 flushes only lasts John three days.

* The band retains a year-around crew whether they’re touring or not, including the guy who hands John a triangle for one note.

* The chief influence on their Flash Gordon movie music was Zither and Zaza’s monumental soundtrack for Prom Night.

* Groucho Marx was given a complimentary Queen II jacket shortly before his death.

* Freddie is a ping-pong champion and hockey expert.

* After the U.S. and Japan, their biggest market is Australia.

* Brian was an astronomer for four years.

* The prize they really received for their Japanese Album of the Year Award was a wooden comb. Well, at least it wasn’t a teriyaki burger.

* Roger takes forty vitamins a day.

* Masquerading as Larry Lurex, Queen had a British chartbuster with a remake of the golden oldie “I Can Hear Music.”

* John Deacon is dead.

* The front of a 1952 Buick looks just like Lon Chaney.

* Japanese fans write the boys letters about the “world situation.” “Situation?”—BM “World?”—JD

PIGSQUEAL ZOOTING?

Some Words On Queen In Concert:

* “The nasty Queenies are back!”—Freddie kicks off second or third U. S. tour.

* “I got chills...hasn’t been anything like it since the Beatles... no one has ever really done ‘Jailhouse Rock’ like they did.”—C. Dagnall, CREEM.

* “Lusty beavers...pigsqueal zooting.”— anon. CREEM.

* “Stunning... they have a sense of Showbiz humor that saves their songs...” L. Robinson, NME.

* “OLD HAT... AMATEUR... NO BIG DEAL... TOO COY... PUNCHLESS... STIFFLY POSED FOOLS... DEMANDING.” K. Nicholson, CREEM

* "Let’s face it, Freddie has got more and more preposterous onstage. ”—Roger.

* “An impossible combination, like singles charts and scimitars.”—J. Mori, Hit Parader.

* “Whether they deserve this acclaim is, of course, a different matter entirely.”—T. Stewart, NME.

* “Totally hopeless...not unlike a Kiss concert.” L. Danna, Trouser Press.

* “That’s the horrible thing about running away—you always meet yourself when you get there.”—Scientist in The Leech Woman.

* “Excellent background music for looking over wallpaper samples or just plain becoming a sissy.”—R. Coathanger, CREEM

* “Tune the fucking guitar!”—many.

CRIMP ME, YOU FOOL!

“I was struck by how Freddie, along with Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell and quite possibly Mick Jagger, was another candidate for my special Overbite Issue of Hit Parader. ”

—Lisa R’s first impression of “Choppers” Mercury

THE REAL STORY BEHIND "KILLER QUEEN”

“It’s about a high class call girl. I’m trying to say that classy people can be whores as well.”—Freddie

FREDDIE SEZ...

More Lip Drool From Zanzibar:

* “We’re not merely a load of poofs.”

* “You’re coming to a fashion show, not a concert.”

* “Liza Minnelli’s a wow!”

* “I mean, how can I play a piano with one leg missing?”

* “Robert Plant has always been my favorite singer.”

* “I can’t wait to see Japan—all those geisha girls and boys!”

MOMMY, WHAT’S THAT BUMP ON HIS LEG?

Freddie Mercury has the most celebrated bulge since Jim Morrison or even Ted Kluzewski. “By the way,” swears the tyke, “I do not wear a hose. MY HOSE IS MY OWN! No Coke bottle, nothing stuffed down there.”

Oh yeah? then let’s hear your explanation for these items found in your dressing room: an iron banana, two bags of R-19 insulation, a roll of dimes, a grasshopper trying to mate with a thermometer, a grassy knoll, a baggie full of virgin’s tears, the Leaning Tower of Cottage Cheese and a refugee shrimper and his family.

Oh yeah, according to Lisa Robinson, he wears “it” to the left.

A WORD FROM THE COMPETITION

“Queen...oh, the English Queen, well...I think they’re going to turn out to be real good”—Robert Plant.

MORE FUN THAN ETCH-A-SKETCH!

Brian on his self-made guitar: “It took two years, It was made from the wood of a 100-year-old fireplace, cast aluminum, and the parts of an old motorcycle engine. The fuzz and phase units are built it.” Neat, Bri’! Now try building some character.

NO SIGN OF A STRUGGLE

Freddie on the egocentricity of “We Are The Champions": ‘‘We thought it may be, but SOD IT!”

QUEEN FAX:

FREDDIE

Astrological Sign: Virgo

Birthday: Sept. 5, 1946

Influences: Liza Minelli, Jimi Hendrix

Ambition: a pinch to grow an inch

Education: grammar school in India, Euling College of Art

Previous Occupation: graphic designer/illustrator

Likes: being stared at

Dislikes: "pockets in trousers"

Birthplace: Zanzibar

Last Book Read: "book?"

Quote: "Touring makes me feel like a vulture's crotch."

ROGER

Astrological Sign: Leo

Birthday: too coy to‘fess

Influences: Yardbirds. Who, Dylan, Lennon, Hendrix and “himself"

Ambition: "to go supernova"

Education: London Dental College

Previous Occupation: gentleman’s outfitter

Likes: vitamins

Dislikes: death

Birthplace: Norfolk

Last Book Read: “Read?"

Quote: “Leave me alone. Reek."

BRIAN

Astrological Sign: Cancer

Birthday: ditto Roger

Influences: Clapton, Beck, Davey O’List

Ambition: "penguin"

Education: earned B.A. in physics at some mystery college

Previous Occupation: teacher

Likes: eating on the phone

Dislikes: hepatitis

Birthplace: "the country"

Last Book Read: “Last?”

Quote: "Live LPs are a copout!"

JOHN

Astrological Sign: Leo

Birthday: Aug: 19, 1951

Influences: Yes; The World, "60 cycles" (?)

Ambition: death to all writers

Education: Chelsea College of Electronics

Previous Occupation: stand-in

Likes: “shiny rubber vests, rope, elastic, raincoats’’

Dislikes: the press

Birthplace: Leicester

Last Book Read: "?"

Quote: “I wish that writers would stop making up quotes and attributing them to me!”

PSYCHIC SUBURBANITES

The vaned-out but still ambulatory Linney family of Hove, U.K., wrote a letter to Queen in 1974 that said the band would become “more famous than the Beatles.” “Previously,” added Brian, “they had only listened to classical music.” To show their gratitude, the guys treated the whole family to a Dirty Picnic.

TWO REASONS WHY JOHN DEACON DOESN’T LIKE THE PRESS

1. “The bass line on ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ is lifted straight out of Chic’s ‘Good Times’ as if the Sugarhill Gang never even existed!”-CREEM’80

2. “‘We Will Rock You’ is a near-clone of Gary Glitter’s ‘Rock And Roll, Pt. 2,’ particularly the bass line.”—NME ’78.

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG SHITTY

Queen’s light show is a favorite of many fans particularly when it outshines the band itself in concert. Included among the visuals: flashpots, strobes, lasers, smoke-bombs, Masonite reflectors, sub alert system, airport landing lights, industrial-strength anti-bug torches, a group of Japanese tourists with flashcubes, a roadie waving a Space Giants penlight and 247 synchronized night-beepers.

THE VACUUM EFFECT

“When a top-flight, proven rock attraction withdraws into a period of inactivity,” states the NME Encyclopedia of Rock, “the void thus created will be filled by substitute, usually lesser-talented acts.” Okay, now guess which group made it big in ’73-’74, when Led Zep and David Bowie were too caned-out to record or tour?

HOW FREDDIE LOST HIS PANTS

“We’d had a hectic day at Top Of The Pops and our promo man, Eric Hall, invited us out for a meal. Unfortunately, the others in the band couldn’t come, they had to go back to the studio [and do the real work— R.J.]. Anyway, I had rather a lot to drink and I seem to remember at some point in the evening that someone removed my shoes and socks and hung them over a lampshade. Then I said something along the lines of ‘well, if you’re going to take everything off, I shall remove my trousers,’ which I did. Then the manager approached and I thought he was going to throw me out, but instead he said ‘I hear you’ve got a gold disc.’ Then he presented me with a bottle of champagne.” But Freddie dear, who popped the cork?

MADAME ARNIE PREDICTS

Cosmic spit from The Sage: “Driven by Brian May’s ukelele fixation, the band’s next LP will be entitled Queen Goes Hawaiian, featuring water chestnuts like ‘Tiny Bubbles,’ ‘Honolulu Lulu,’ ‘Hawaii Five-O Theme,' an operatic (ala ‘Boho Rhapsody’) treatment of ‘Dead Man’s Curve,’ ‘Another One Bites The Poi" and their rockabilly version of ‘Blue Hawaii’.”

ROGER TAYLOR VS. THE RUNAWAYS

CREEM Rock 'N' Roll News (June ’76): Queen’s Roger Taylor had some trouble getting into a Runaways (Kim Fowley’s new all-girl teenaged rock ’em-sock ’em act) concert at Esperanza High School in California’s conservative Orange County. When Roger and a friend arrived at the school auditiorium, it seems they were refused admittance by the teachers and the principal. “You have to let Roger in,” pleaded his friend to the principal. “He’s in Queen.” Replied the school official, “I don’t care if he’s in King. You have to leave or I’ll call the police.” And they left. Wonder what the principal did when he saw the Runaways’ show, which has been described as akin to the Stooges on a good night?

NO BALLS, TWO STRIKES

Chicago White Sox organist Nancy has been trying to get the fans to sing along with “We Will Rock You” during Sox rallies for three years now. That is, until mid-season ’80, when she forgot the chords due to lack of use.

I FEEL PRETTY

Some Of Freddie’s Fashion Secrets:

* Revlon “Touch ’n’ Glow” (color: toasted beige)

* Miners’ black nail polish (one coat) with rhinestones. If no rhinestones are available, substitute sparkle-covered fetuses of Rice Krispies.

* Pink Biba jammies.

* Blouses by Zandra Rhodes.

* Undies by Goodyear.

STOP CRYIN' BRIAN

Quips From The Ever-Colorful Mr. May:

* “I don’t have the urge to do anything. ”

* “I like at least three showers a day. ”

* “I’m a very pig-headed person. ”

* “I have to steer clear of hamburgers.”

* “I don’t look yellowish to you, do I?”

* “My current girlfriend couldn’t stand me at all originally.”

* “Genotype Cointoss? What does that mean?”

Retrieved from The Creem Archive

#article #creem #queen band #freddie mercury #brian may #roger taylor #john deacon #1981

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elitehoe · 2 years

Text

Double or Nothing Predictions

BUY IN

Danhausen and Hook vs Tony Nese and Mark Sterling. HOOKHAUSEN *chants* HOOKHAUSEN *sharpens pitchforks* there will be no peace on this site if our beloved gremlins lose this match.

Is this really the only pre show match??

MAIN SHOW

Kyle O'Reilly vs Darby Allin. KOR end of story, and I'll be taking zero (0) criticism about this.

Jade Cargill vs Anna Jay. ROOTING FOR THE WOMEN!! No seriously I'm rooting for them to have a bomb ass match together... Jade needs to remain that undefeated champ bitch though.

House of Black vs Death Triangle. Honestly I'm 50/50 y'all know how much I love the death daddies and spooky daddies feud. I would love to see this match end with Julia costing Death Triangle and joining the house though.

Scorpio Sky, PVZ and Ethan Page vs Sammy Guevara, Tay Conti and Frankie Kazarian. ..... I just hope and pray this ends the feud. 🤞🏻

Hardyz vs Young Bucks. The winner of this match is truly me!! I won with this one and no matter the outcome this is in my top 3 matches of the night.

Jurassic Express vs Team Taz vs Swerve In Our Glory. ✨🔮Ricky and Hobbs 🔮✨ I love Swerve and Mr Limitless buuuuuut I need to see my favorite twunk and twink as tag champs.

Jericho Appreciation Society vs Blackpool Combat Club, Eddie Kingston and PnP. There will be anarchy in this house if the Blackpool Polycule loses period.

Britt Baker vs Ruby Soho. DESTINATION UNKNOWN RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY SOHO in the name of the father the son and the wrestling spirit 🕯️Ruby Soho Owen Cup Winner🕯️

Samoa Joe vs Adam Cole. OBLITERATE THAT TWINK #joe is gonna kill you ! Sadly though I feel Joe will lose via Lethal interference or Undisputed Polycule interference.

MJF vs Wardlow. ... Is this even happening after yesterday's shitshow?!? Anyways I am just a simple Wardlow apologist.

Thunder Rosa vs Serena Deeb. LA MERA MERA LA REINA DE REINAS MI CAMPEONA THUNDER ROSA! ❤️❤️ Honestly I see this being a show stealing match, these two women are so incredibly talented and I hope they steal the night.

Hangman vs CM Punk. If Hangman Adam Page loses this title I will throttle CM Punk and he won't be able to show up to AEW. Also I would sell my kidneys and my eggs to see Kenta show up at the end of this match.

#these are my thoughts and opinions besties #so don't even try to tussle with me #aew double or nothing #aew #aew lb #soph predicts

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bi-demon-ium · 2 years

Note

MBS and/or Leverage for the fandom meme thing 🤔❤🧡💛💚💙💜

MBS

blorbo: nicholas benedict my beloved<333 i just love him

scrunkly: honestly, a lot of them. mostly the kids and mr b

scrimblo bimblo: mmmm ,,,,, i dont know if anyone is particularly Underappreciated (although i will say i think i was among the first to write any fics actually about mr benedict??? and continued to make much of that content. but i don't know if i'd say he's underappreciated either. hm) so like uhhhhhh uhhhh uhhh uhhhhhhh i think. i think rhonda is underappreciated as fuck so there's that. also milligan but again not sure he counts as underappreciated, but at the same time, he has SUCH a backstory and there are precious few fics about it. but also this is a fairly small fandom so. idk dflkgjdfgg

glup shitto: perhaps jackson and jillson, if they count? if you want a really more small character, mr. oshiro. i just love him.

poor little meow meow: probably curtain. what a loser. i love/hate him. i do hate him but i do also love him.

horse plinko: also curtain. also jackson and jillson to a lesser extent

eeby deeby: still curtain. superhell for you loser

LEVERAGE

blorbo: uhhhh hm. honestly hard to say bc i love everyone but probably hardison! also harry wilson as of redemption, bc i just love him. him being played by noah wyle helps

scrunkly: breeanna! also hardison again sometimes.

scrimblo bimblo: hm..... mcsweeten, perhaps? also harry wilson again. i get the hesitance/lack of content but i love this weird little bastard hes so ready to roll with the weirdness and i respect it

glup shitto: STERLING I LOVE YOU

poor little meow meow: nate. he's a bastard but i do love him and like, i want good things for him, but also i want to hit him with a baseball bat occasionally.

horse plinko: many of the series's villains tbh bc rich people but of the main/recurring characters and all... sterling but in an affectionate way

eeby deeby: again pretty much all the villains dlkgjdfg sorry i dont have a better answer 😩

this is from this post

#thenk u i love u 🥺#askbox

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johntmbl61 · 2 years

Text

Last Days of Rudolf Rassendyll, or The Two Kings (2018)

By JOHN TAN

My twice-told and enhanced version of Anthony Hope’s sequel (to A Prisoner of Zenda, 1894) i.e., Rupert of Hentzau, 1898, of which, by introducing materials for this new, rebuilt book, I tender some little hopes in making it a fuller, a more rounded, and better one!

Edited and translated excerpt from a Parisian newspaper (page 4, upper-right hand corner, originally written by Mdme. Maisie Kumaraswami -Gautier)

“July 7, PARIS: A startling discovery in the Bibliotheque nationale de France archive has raised the question and distinct possibility that the last member of the House of the Elphebergs, King Rudolf V, might have not been buried in Strelsau of which the annals of Ruritanian history had so proudly recorded. As news of this finding was broached and announced to the public it caused all the principal town-gossip at London this morning, and deep speculations in the county of Wessex, England, and also abroad, particularly, in Ruritania as public interest it had stirred deepens with regard to the extraordinary role an almost totally obscure Englishman might have played, in the history of this central European sovereign nation a hundred and thirty-five years ago.

According to the assistant head-librarian of the British Library and leader of the research team, Sir Philipp Antony, who had been tasked with unearthing and cataloguing documents relating to noble families in that eventful age, some thirty-nine letter-sized note-papers and scraps of faded writing addressed to Capt. Andy Drinkwater, commander of the frigate H.M.S. Scheherazade, which had come to light recently, have been proven by a leading expert, the assiduous demonstrations of M. Lelarche, and the brilliant and talented Cherokee graphologist, Mrs. Leonora Bakersfield of Cambridge, Mass., to be by Rudolf Rassendyll’s hand; himself the junior scion of Lord James Haydon Gordon Rassendyll, the eighteenth Earl of Burlesdon; pointing to evidences of a secret intrigue orchestrated against the Ruritanian Queen, Flavia 1 as the year waned in flaming, gorgeous colors in 18-- shortly before she herself ascended the throne in her own right, as, disclosing, over and over again, sterling proof, furthermore, that the white bones that lie within the Elphberg Family Vault, in the Cathedral of Saint Theodosius, Strelsau, instead of the hallowed ones belonging to the last of that illustrious line, comparable and as steeped in monumental exploits and majesty as the Bourbons of France and as famous as the celebrated Plantagenets in England, was but that of the English gentleman: Rudolf Rassendyll, whom we had referred to.

‘It is, further, a salient point to note and not difficult to trace the ad posteriori argumentation,’ the historian noteworthily elaborates, ‘since these yellow sheaves of papers were laid out almost like a complete manuscript, with additional materials, edited and expanded by a Colonel Hoffman Sapt and some brief lines and even paragraphs, appended, that certainly must have proceeded from the pen of King Rudolf V’s wife and successor, Queen Flavia 1, herself. Her beloved Majesty, as everyone is well aware who is knowledgeable or interested in European history, was blessed with a fortitude of mind and strong healthy constitution that had allowed her to reign for forty years after her husband’s death, after which the state became a republic. These obscure but now extraordinary and valuable papers,’ Sir Philipp disclosed, ‘had been acquired by the French antiquary, Robert Jacob Millais, some twenty years ago together with miscellaneous paintings, family portraits, old-fashioned costumes, scrapbooks, folios, first editions, quartos, and very ancient, leather-bound books, from Wickenham Castle, with a view giving to the north, hard by Nettle-Heath, and rising up from the south bank of the Meadowsweet, in South-western Wessex, without anyone delving into them, but how have they come to be placed and collected in the same bundle, are now ongoing subject matters to intrigued theorists; specialists as well as amateurs, and of further inquiry.’

Since this very important discovery was deemed to possess hallmarks of a captivating story, Sir Antony has also declared in an earlier interview with a correspondent of The Evening Standard that besides it warranting corroborative forensic investigation, he intends to place this rare treasure with a novelist, who is to whip it into shape for consumption; for to deny the general reading public and interested parties a tale of high romance recounting mighty deeds of derring-do and many plausible heroisms, in our British historian and researcher’s own words is ‘sheer idiocy, and not to be contemplated, because it’s utterly wrong, an in-advantageous and ill-advised thing to do, since the facts have it in themselves cogent truths regarding the actors in the unfolding drama such as those that have already been mentioned; also, Count Fritz von Tarlenheim, Lieutenant Benenstein, the Count of Luzau-Reischenheim, and perhaps, even more so, that most audacious swash-buckling arch-villain, that demi-devil, young, laughing, irreverent Rupert of Hentzau, all of which, are begging to be told of; preposterous and absurd and hardly credible as though it might be, to a pure-blooded Ruritanian who might have chosen to believe otherwise, instead.”

1: The recent past and home reminiscences

(RUDOLF RASSENDYLL’S NARRATIVE)

I, RUDOLF RASSENDYLL, beseated on a crowfoot and gilt chair in the Palace gardens, hereby, continues his account from where he had left off regarding his adventure in the simple semi-rural setting – rural, I mean, as compared with booming industrial nations like England, France and Prussia, where the Great Industrial Revolution is progressing in full swing – this laid back little, secluded State, far away from great city centers, those economic powerhouses of Europe, by which, I mean, this land-locked and mountainous sovereign country of Ruritania; where, lately, I had brought a great part of my sojourn, and unique experiences, close towards their successful conclusion. My ears could detect my borrowed pinchbeck watch ticking in my fob, softly and dully, and before daylight, it is my desire to quit the same country for a long time to come. The wind was blowing and ruffling the hair at the back of my head, as quill in hand, I am looking over what I had just written concerning my antecedents and my important reason for being at Ruritania this second time around, whereas, I had heretofore vowed to myself never to set foot on her dear soil again! This is not only to acquaint those whose good fortune or a mischance had allowed these papers to fall into his hands, but, by employing these broad strokes I am hoping, also, to afford a slight sketch – an insight, into my own Englishman’s heart, mind, and soul through self-revelatory disclosures that I have been setting down, that very central idea -- being, I am uniquely the man I am, myself, today, -- because my father had been my father!

The recollection, as it comes afresh now to my mind was that in my childhood and youth I had entertained a strong wish that my father come around. Even when understanding that I was faced with too great a probability that the man never could, because, he was adamant not to do so, I am given, even now, to think he never will. Indeed, I have given up this hope a great many years ago: so in truth what could I do with regard to our derailed, problematic father-and-son relationship but wisely blot all or any recollection of the man out entirely? There were times I was completely baffled because I was constantly and repeatedly disappointed due to his attitude, which was, it was okay for him to force us, trick us, or to coerce us, into accepting his blatant half-credible lies and last word in having his way in everything concerning us; which, in my memory today, I had pictured him as burying his nose in his own affairs at his desk while, at the same time, never showing any concern for and ignoring our desperate needs; therefore, treating us with so much impunity that t’was as if it was the deuced right and authority of his parenthood to deny us of everything – my brother and myself, I hereby mean!

‘Because I said so,’ was the implied or explicit message behind his every look, his every cold utterance and distant father’s gesticulations; for grown older, white-haired and stiffer, due to the attacks of gout later, he only noticed us when he wanted something from us: he knew very well how to enforce upon us our obedience that had been owed to him. The rest of the time he cut me dead. Every time he lied, give cop-out excuses or tell implausible tales that we could drive a post chaise, nay, even a locomotive through, he cut me dead. Indeed, I shudder to think what would happen if I had succumbed to the subtle influence of this distant, unpaternalistic, towering figure that dominated and ruled me: yet, my failure to understand altogether why he had found it impossibly hard to give me his love remains to this very moment! Thus, I developed a very simple and basic rule how I am to interact with my fellow human beings: that is to love and have plenty to do with those who need and love me and whom I love and need. It’s a code of conduct I wholly subscribe to; which is, if people do not need me or do not want to give me what I need I tend to have very little to do with them. I shy away from them: but, of course, not everybody should give everything I want to me; nor should I give and not care to receive! But, I believe, when every child observed a parent's face constantly sour, he had never realize he was so thoroughly a dependent until then: and soon, and strangely enough too, he ceases to ask anything that he genuinely wants or needs; and from then on their relationship would break down and it would always be like that. He would devolve his interests upon himself and even ceased to ask himself why. In my particular case, Lord Burlesdon in addition also taunted me by giving me a nickname ‘Sans argent agency’: which, I condescended, knowing my position that I had no inheritance from him to look forward to. I think from my earliest days I had developed an affinity with the helpless and the disadvantaged in that my greatest need is to be needed and I need to give as much as to receive. My place in the world, being in the midst of people, I deem it a blessing with regard to my peculiar environment because it had taught me well to relate as equals with people who are socially of a class below me, while, concerning my dealings with my superiors, I know how to show them deference and respect and maintain our relationships on easy, cordial and friendly terms.

My father was the Eighteenth Lord Burlesdon which is a hereditary title bestowed long ago by Elizabeth the First of the House of Tudor in 1583, and I am his second son. My brother, Robert, was the heir to all my father’s estates, revenues, chattels, miscellaneous properties, and sizeable and productive lands. I was packed off to Eton shortly before my seventh birthday and succeeded in distinguishing myself in going through the public school system. My father passed away six years ago; and Robert had therefore entered into his inheritance six years since; but I often thought of my late old father as still alive and of the present. He haunts me still in a strange way in all I do through a reflexive mental action which colors my every motivation, deed and thought and even personality and temperament by arousing a strong moral sense: something which I am happy to relate, also affects the new Lord Rassendyll of Burlesdon to a certain degree by us doing the opposite to what our deceased father would do. W.W.O.F.D.? What would our father do? is our moral yardstick we measure our actions, by following its precept in reverse. When A Prisoner of Zenda was begun, it had been in a semi-comic tone of humorous raillery, but, not so, in this sequel with which I continued my story left off from those days in laying bare the truth concerning myself, also, about all those whom I have left behind in Ruritania at the end of that same book, especially my little, sweet darling Flavia, who is now the real King Rudolf’s wife and belongs to him. To pick up from thence, my unrest following my decision to leave my beloved and return to England to take up the old life was indeed plummeting my soul to distraction, as most would have expected; in which an unabated chain of rhetorical questionings would at unexpected moments and even incontinent ones harass my thoughts and mood: ‘So, -- what if I was Flavia’s hero, everything she would like me to be? What am I to be, without her forever? What am I – to lose this love of mine?’ Though at first, I was excited by the reaction brought by my strong and noble resolve: and then, I was piqued. For, I had known nothing about or anticipate the sorrow of not seeing her tomorrow – and tomorrow – and tomorrow! Whether, a skein of swans was flying across the sunlit sky of a glorious warm and bedewed morning or whether it was pouring weather, there would be no Flavia to greet me with her sweet and beautiful smile, and sweeter, angelic and gentler words! She still turns me inside out, you see, and I could not get over her.

And then, in my thoughts I would ask myself as the rascal Detchard and the four others had been to Black Michael, am I to also be an unquestioning conformist? For, you see, these people were still lodged inside my brain, though all of them are dead except Rupert of Hentzau, who is very much alive, and then I had a feeling stealing over me that before everything was said and done, we must cross swords once again! Especially, as lately, there were reports in the newspapers that Rupert’s cousin, the Count of Rischenheim had been making waves at court and is showing himself almost too preeminently to be at Rupert’s beck and call.

But I am not a political man and the discrepant values of most unsavory politicians often left me high and dry. Though my father’s character and the self-serving, arrogant or devious men of the world who seek self-aggrandizement in Britain ought to have prepared me for living in the real world, my encounter with the expedient Duke Michael and his black-hearted cohorts was still something of a shock, for, something deep inside me had made me chafe and rebel with regard to their point of view, somehow! A spirit of chivalry and gallantry, having been stirred in my breast, I was longing for a nobler, bygone age other than this one of appreciating value of the Pound Sterling and ever-increasing prices of iron, beef, foods, timbers, fabric, household goods, imports, animals, and coal, that my heart gave me no rest. It was in responding to this impulse that I took my own initiative, when Sapt took me in hand and laid before me the role of a King for me to play when I first came to Ruritania; so, unsurprisingly, to me, my morals had to be brought to the proof when I had to exert self-control at certain crucial times to overcome these fleeting temptations; but, because, I can say I held my ground well, today, I can hold my head high!

In Ruritania, I was in the midst of an organized and cohesive social system as to be among noble aristocrats whom I admired and who had shouldered their responsibility well – like old Sapt and young Fritz – and these friends had, as a result, boosted my courage and underscored my altruistic motives. I was thus able to bring to the fore what was deep inside me, well beyond our own home ground context which made me understand the nature of a mature conscience and what it is to be a Christian in name and in fact. I was, therefore, proud that, in the end, I succeeded in bringing lasting honor to my family name and elevated those of all foreign English gentlemen in their regard though my deeds still had to remain a closed book to the eyes of the world. Be it as it may, I would like to point out -- though many times I yielded to the friendly pressure of these Ruritanian friends of mine, dear friends, whose remembrances are ever sacred to me -- I was thoroughly and fully myself and informed of myself: and Colonel Sapt, that old guard, has been and still is the shrewd and astute servant of the old European aristocracy, which had seen its hey-day. He had accorded me the respect due to a real hero of past ages by treating me as one, despite his tough-as-nails character and personality, and blunt, abrupt manners, though he always tried to hide this from others. They still had believed in manly heroism and gentlemanly gallantry as in England, though here, as elsewhere, the breed is slowly dying out. The new style of conduct – its diametric opposite – is embodied and fleshed in young Rupert, who, for his part in imprisoning the King has been banished from his own country only to return on pain of death; while his estates’ revenues had been impounded by the authorities, and so he is persisting in his feuds because he hated losing his incomes which had once been his and he cannot fail but to countenance vengeance. Fritz, himself, it was who had kept me informed on the latest developments and currents in Ruritanian politics and furthermore I have the habit of perusing the London and foreign newspapers. Flavia never wrote at all.

Therefore, from Fritz it was, I learned news of her. His letters were usually brief and succinct in details and generally about things of his social milieu, our friends, politics, and on a rare occasion or two – conveying in a quaint expression about the Queen’s well-being that had left me to grasp at its deeper meaning. As more letters came it became apparent that I was unforgettable to her too. But I could not come to her and she couldn’t come to me, being married to King Rudolf; and as we cannot change the moral law or play the deuce with public opinion – certainly, never either! -- there was no helping it. That was that!

I had spent last summer in our capital, and was rather tired of the interminable roar of London’s endless streets, its drifting music-hall ditties and hubbub, its huge, almost faceless crowds of people of every country and description; surging along the asphalt and its continuous flowing of vehicular traffics – cabmen, coaches with livery, heavy-laden dray horses, carts stacked with casks of ale and whiskey -- its odors from its private warehouses, public granaries, and arms manufactories, its redolence of eatables, and whatnot – so that even Italian and German operas, or evening bouts with Bohemian acquaintances in Soho -- did nothing to rejuvenate my jaded soul, nor did all the scientific exhibitions, philosophical inquiries in books or discussions in salons, conversations with the Literari, flower-shows, fetes, pamphlets, the Exchange, visits to museums and libraries, pleasuring in or along the River Thames, and every kind of activity that a man could think of to feed his senses! so that, Rose, my brother’s wife made the brusque remark that I looked strangely out of sorts and had developed a hangdog look. For a while, I had written and published poetry, as she suggested, and had interested myself in the art of photography, until, in trying to pander to my wandering fancies, she would often invite me to dine with Robert and herself at their many clubs and in fine restaurants all over the city, and afterwards, off to the West End theaters, but that too failed miserably. My brother observed that I needed a woman in my life to get out of my irregular existence and to make my paramour the first agreeable-looking, fresh-faced young girl which I was ready to fall in love with. I had developed a habit of wearing double-breasted, exceeding high collars: gray and brown twill jobs, in short: which were all the rage of high fashion: decked out with silver buttons, white silk waistcoats, and red or navy-blue cravats, together with black satin breeches and trousers and highly-greased top boots, and on my head, a black top hat, and was always seeking to replenish my wardrobe, my shoe-rack, hangers and stands with these; and appearing before raucous company (which I realized now I abhorred exceedingly) with both arms perpetually akimbo or trust deep into the pockets of my coat’s skirt; or a white kid gloved hand resting nervously under my chin, while be seated on a divan, taking no part in the conversation; I had been, in fact, fast losing my tact and high social polish. The Nineteenth Lord Burlesdon and his chic, pretty socialite wife did not in any basic and fundamental way have any need of my presence and, truth to tell, they really like me to stay with them a few months every year but I saw no point to impose myself upon their generous hospitality. When I was lodging with them, it was sufficient, they always go out of their way to be kind and making me comfortable and to be agreeable in intimate, heart-to-heart-talks; but I understand they have their own life of high society to live which kept them continuously busy; hence, according to my own principle, I don’t want to be around them all the time. Robert even charged me, one day, months ago, to marry the first beautiful woman with a long purse that I took rather a serious fancy to, to cure my phlegmatic humor and ‘stammering replies which had plagued me ever since I returned from that European excursion’ some years ago,-- as our observant Rose had bluntly put it.

My reasoning went, ‘Who has a need for me?' The answer was automatic without hesitation or any need to speculate, ‘The one who loves me! – The one who cannot live or exist without me. – Someone whose life is rendered utterly meaningless and without joy and air without me!' Are there any such persons in England? No! Where is this person? In Ruritania! Who is this person? Flavia!

Flavia! The reader does not know the thrill the sound of that name awakes in my heart. Flavia! If I could only see her one last time, the bitterly cold nights would have been better. To know that she still loves me after all this time was sheer torture in regard to what she has to endure; and to know that she still endures it every day, -- why it fairly drives a full-blooded man fairly insane with pain! Oh, the sheer waste – the sheer waste of good love!

Each correspondence I received from Fritz was wildly anticipated: I would be in a fever of emotional delirium before I receive the promised next one. When the first one of great significance came very cordially worded, I plumbed its meaning behind his salutation with its references to the Queen that had been conveyed through his pen. Three months later, the second similar letter arrived bidding me to come to Dresden at such and such a date and on such and such a train. ‘The Queen has something for you,' the message detailed. And I was also given to understand that Fritz would come this time himself and play the role of royal courier. Also, I was advised to be careful and to be circumspect; for he warned me that the enemies of Ruritania had a network of spies about.

To all Ruritania’s citizens it had been the King who had triumph over his half-brother, Black Michael, and the Duke’s hirelings for none of the part I played could be rightly ascribed to me. Hence, I would go to Dresden once again: and once again, on the same pretext to go to see the pictures and I had caught myself thinking that despite Fritz’s cautionary words being close to the Ruritanian border would do my languishing soul a world of good! Yes: I will once again be an unknown and nondescript fellow, yet, fully resolved in not failing to take every necessary precaution so that the Queen’s good name and reputation mightn’t be jeopardized – because, undertaking her plan will no doubt entail no mean risk with regard to her position.

However, at the back of my mind, memories of my deceased father haunted me. He was only half an honorable, upright, and blameless man but assumed semblances of all these to outside people; but, to my mother his true husband-like honor was punctilious: thus, ironically, in this I truly admire his lights, and so likewise, I told myself, enthusiastically, I must -- I will -- be good and upright. For, regarding being faithful to his marriage he was a towering man without any trace of any nonsense whatever about him. But, otherwise, will my father come around this time, I wonder?

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vintagedreamsofsennett · 2 years

Text

"Born in Wisconsin, U.S.A., in 1885. Before going on the screen was in turn a circus clown and cartoonist. In pre-war days he played chiefly in low comedy but has since had leading comedy parts in "Stranded in Paris," "The Road to Glory," "Miss Brewster's Millions," "Good and Naughty" and "The Show-Off." Height 5 feet 11 inches with dark hair and eyes."

#ford sterling #vintage cigarette card #vintage tobacco card #from my collection #mr. sterling my beloved #stranded in paris 1926 #the road to glory 1926 #miss brewster's millions 1926 #good and naughty 1926 #the show-off 1926

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wherewindysurgeswend · 3 years

Note

🖊 for whoever has the first line of dialogue in the last chapter you wrote/edited!

hi!

ok so the first line of dialogue in my last completed chapter is anna’s, but i feel like i talk about her plenty already, so i’m going with the chapter i have in progress, in which the first line of dialogue belongs to mrs. kittredge!

ok so what i have for her in terms of backstory is a pretty standard period-appropriate upper class upbringing.

born to a wealthy family in february of 1861, margaret sterling was married to joseph lawrence kittredge at age nineteen in 1880. her eldest son, lawrence sterling (larry’s father) was born in 1881, followed by two daughters, martha and and louise, in 1883 and 1884 respectively and, finally, joseph thomas (margaret’s father) in 1886. although mrs. kittredge, in her old age, was widely feared by her relatives and thought of as tough and uncompromising, it wasn’t always so. in her youth, she was often the life of the party, a kind and generous soul beloved by all. this would begin to change shortly after her marriage, but the shift would happen gradually. the life of a society housewife is a difficult one, and it takes a will of steel to withstand its pressures. mrs. kittredge, determined not to bring dishonor upon the family, became what she needed to be. this would come to be a defining aspect of who she was as a person: she would do whatever it took, be whoever she needed to be, to get what she wanted. her husband died in 1906, and she mourned him in the standard fashion, never marrying again. by the time her eldest son and his wife died in 1927, mrs. kittredge was 66 years old and the armor she had built over the years was strong enough that she didn’t seem to be all that affected by it – something which her newly orphaned grandson, lawrence jr., greatly resented. he and his grandmother and never been close, but form then on, the rift between them would widen to the point of no return. her grandson and namesake, margaret, was terrified of her from childhood, never realizing that she and her grandmother had more in common than anyone suspected: both were tough as nails, spirited, and willing to accept what they saw as their duty. perhaps that was why mrs. kittredge had never liked peggy, as the family called her: in her granddaughter she saw a younger version of herself, and perhaps she resented he fact that peggy might get the chance to live a happier life than she had.

thank you!!

(send me a “🖊+an oc“ and i will talk about that oc! It can be a headcanon, a fun fact, a small paragraph of backstory- anything!)

#absolute-nonsense-scribblings #sorry for rambling for so long abt her i just had a lot of Thoughts #questions

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jennyellie · 4 years

Text

Red Riding Hood AU

[Chapter 4: Long Lost Taste]

"Must be Mr. Sterling. He does his patrol around the woods everyday....huh?"

When Red Riding Hood turned around, the tall man was gone. There was nothing but only his yellow basket sitting on the grass.

"Where did he go..?"

Just then, he saw Lance far away running towards him with cold sweats on his face.

"Kid...!! Why in heavens are you here?"

"Mr. Sterling?? How did you find me..?"

"Answers later. You need to get out of here right now."

Red Riding Hood quickly picked up his basket and flowers, and Lance took the boy's hand and started to run.

The hunter and the kid ran through the thick trees and bushes, not knowing the horrendous creature was chasing for his food getting away.

Once they got out of the dark woods, the man caught his breath and answered the boy's question.

"Found some small shoe prints that led to the dark woods. Why were you in there anyway?"

"Umm..I actually wanted to get to my ill grandmother quicker, and saw some pretty flowers on the way..."

"Walter, I know you're worried about her, but she would also want you to arrive with no harm. Did you meet anything or anyone in there?"

"...No, sir. I'm sorry to make you worry."

"At least you are safe. It is my sworn duty to keep the village safe. I wish all of our villagers to be safe when they step out of the fence. Especially you, kid."

Lance then led him to the safe path and both of them went on their own ways.

The wolf that was following them saw the whole thing. His meal was going back to the bright path and the other man...

That man is...

When he saw the hunter, it suddenly felt its body froze and lungs became harder to breathe each second.

The memories were kicking in..

The dark, endless abyss of the burning forest, suffocation by the heat and smoke, and the burning bodies of the pack crying for help...

THEY CAN'T BE DEAD

...It was all because of that armed human.

The face who burned down his pack and his arm into ashes.

The voice who shouted to slay them all.

It was him.

And suprisingly, the child was also that human's most beloved one. It was more than just a juicy meal.

Just then, the wolf remembered the child telling about his grandmother's house, and came up with a idea that could end his life and fill its stomach.

The wolf ran as fast as it could through the dark woods.

After running for a while, it finally found the house with a red roof next to a huge oak tree.

The creature has finally found its long lost taste.

Chapter 4 is out!!

I tried to make Killian's panic attack look like he's really triggered and deep in pain for losing his pack.

Poor thing...

I'm drawing the next chapter to be more scarier and angsty than this...😏😏 Because it's like the climax.

@xxstar-bluesxx @rachi-roo @honeypandonze @ohziland @adonishxney @thesmoothpudding

#spies in disguise #red riding hood au #walter beckett #lance sterling #killian

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matrixaffiliate · 3 years

Text

Bourne

Chapter Update! FFN and AO3

Chapter 26

Harry thanked Sterling as he took charge of his bag. Harry then took Ginny's hand as they disembarked from the ship.

"Welcome to Tangier, Mrs. Potter."

Ginny laughed as she held his hand. "Why thank you, Mr. Potter."

Harry pulled her into him and brought his lips to her ear. "I would like to express my desire to find a room before we go exploring."

"Harry!" Her voice went breathless and Harry laughed.

"Then we're agreed?"

Ginny gave him a half-hearted shove but maintained her grip on his arm. "Yes, I believe we are agreed, oh gracious husband."

"Then to a room with us, beloved and glorious wife."

A room was Harry's main goal, but he'd arranged for a home for the two of them for their stay in Tangier, not wanting the lack of privacy a room in an inn would provide them. Sharing an inn with a mess of strangers when he was traveling with his wife was not something Harry facied, and as he had the funds available, there was no reason to not stay somewhere that afforded them the same privileges of intimate privacy their home in Godric's Hollow did.

"Is there anything else you'll need, Mr. Potter?" Sterling finished setting all of his things in order.

"Will you see to it that the butler knows we'd like dinner to be brought to us in our sitting room?" Harry asked as he sat down at the chair looking out over the city.

"Of course, sir."

"Healy, dear, will you have a bath prepared for after dinner please?" Ginny took off her necklace and set it on the dressing table.

"Yes, Mrs. Potter, anything else?"

"Will you take a turn around the shops with Sterling and see if there are any shops we might like to stop in tomorrow as well?"

"We'll see to it, Ma'am." Healy nodded, then shared a smile with Sterling.

"We'll leave you now," Sterling bowed and held the door for Healy.

"And now we are alone," Harry smiled at Ginny from his chair as the door closed.

"What a fascinating observation, my darling." She laughed before removing her bracelets and setting them next to her necklace

Harry stood and moved to where she stood.

"We've had little occasion to be alone since we boarded the ship from England. Forgive me for being anxious to have my wife to myself again." He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought his lips to hers.

Ginny melted against him. "It has been some time, or have you noticed?"

"I have noticed more than you could imagine," Harry moved his lips along her jaw and up to her ear. "I'm certain I could show you though."

"Then by all means," Ginny snaked her arms around his neck, "show me."

Late into the night, the moon high above the sky, Harry held Ginny close against him. He'd been right that afternoon watching her run through the field near her childhood home. Ginny really was more real than any other woman, she was alive in ways that made his head spin, and she probably could jump up and fly if she set her mind to it. And Harry found himself lucky enough to hold tight and fly with her.

#Bourne #harry x ginny #regency au #regency england au #harry potter x ginny weasley #hinny #hinny fluff #references to jane austen #romance #period romance #harry potter #ginny weasley #fluff #muggle au #harry potter au #harry potter fanfiction

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ask-the-phan-site · 3 years

Text

Phan Cam: Thanks all around.

>November 26. Thanksgiving.

>The Virtual Track of Racer Academy. The Thanksgiving Day Race was now under way. The racers were ready.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! Happy Thanksgiving! This Thanksgiving is different due to circumstances. However, we decided not to let that stop us from celebrating. Which is why we will still be having our annual Thanksgiving Day Race. Now, let us introduce the racers in our race. First up, my oldest nephew, X!

I hope you’re all ready for this! This is going to be unforgettable!

Headmaster Spritle: Next up, my younger nephew, Speed Jr.!

NOTE: I apologize, but this is the only image that could work.

Thanks, everyone! I hope this race will light up your day!

Headmaster Spritle: Next, Jared and Jesse Deucey.

Slice: We would like to dedicate this race to our dad, Ace Deucey. Sadly, we could only spend our Thanksgivings with plait glass between us and can only see our races on TV.

Dice: But if he could be here now, we know he’d be proud of his boys.

Slice and Dice: Pops, this is for you!

>Meanwhile, in a prison, someone was watching TV in the prisoner lounge.

(with a tear hidden being his glasses) My boys...

>Back at Racer Academy.

Headmaster Spritle: Next, from one of our overseas schools and has just made her transfer here despite the pandemic, Annalise Zazic!

I know most of you have your doubts about me, being the daughter of a mechanical menace. But I can assure you that while I’m here, you won’t have to worry... (now sounding threatening) I mean it. I’m nothing like him!

X: (whisper) It’s here, alright. Not a robot this time.

Headmaster Spritle: Next up, our student lesion from Alpha Academy, Alpha Leader!

This race will be a victory for both Racer Academy and Alpha Academy. And since the twins were honorable enough to dedicate this race to their father, I also like to dedicate this race a couple of close friends of mine... Wish me luck, Bobby and Cameron.

Thanks, Alpha. You’re a true pal.

You bet! Hey, we should go to Superboy’s bachelor party as soon as they give they okay!

Alpha Leader: We’ll see.

Nearby Race Fan: Question... Why is there a supervillain here?

Relax, that’s why me and the merman came along. To make sure he behaves himself.

Icicle Jr.: (trying to sound innocent) Can’t I help it that Sterling jerk hurt my fellow ice-guy?

We’re not going to take that chance. Miss Martian and Superboy would kill me if you did anything to hurt anyone. Especially in these times.

Icicle Jr.: Okay, okay.

Headmaster Spritle: Moving on. We have in the Mitch-mobile, Mitch Mitchson!

Aww, I’m just doing this for the people who can’t come here... That, and I’m hopin’ to get more subscriptions for Mitch-Per-View. And more subscribers means more money in the back.

Headmaster Spritle: And now, for our special guest racers! First up, the young genius inventor who will be driving the Mach 60, Ronald Multon!

(in an obviously fake accent) Roe-nald! It’s Roe-nald Muu-tan!

Oh no. Don’t tell me in this timeline, Ronald is still...

Ronald Multon: ... (laughs and speaks in the normal accent) I’m just kidding. Still, it is a pleasure for you all time see me here.

Conor: (a bit relieved) Well, at least he’s using his real voice.

Headmaster Spritle: Our next guest was once a student here, but he’ll be participating in this year’s race. Trey Sterling!

>Everyone was surprised to see... Trey’s spot on the starting lane was empty.

Headmaster Spritle: Mr. Sterling, you did say your son was coming, right?

Well, when I found his bed empty this morning, I assumed he already got up and got ready for the race.

Headmaster Sprtile: Are you sure about that?

Mr. Sterling: I’m sure he’ll be here any- Oh, here he is!

>Trey appears on the commentator’s balcony with an almost depressing air around him.

Mr. Sterling: Ah, Trey, you’ve come! The question is why are you up here when you should be down there with your car?

... I have... something... to say...

>Trey goes up to the podium and Headmaster Spritle moves aside for him.

Trey: I... I won’t be in this year’s race.

>Everyone gasped. Especially Mr. Sterling.

Trey: The reason is... Because me and my father had the race fixed.

Mr. Sterling: (shocked) What!?

Headmaster Spritle: (grinning a bit) I figured as much.

Trey: I had some of the racers attacked or paid them to either lose or drop out... I especially attacked those who disagreed with me... I became a race champion through a lie... I’m not a champion... I’m a cheater... In both sports and in love...

Icicle Jr.: (grinning widely) I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! JUST LIKE THE CALLING CARD SAID!

Kitty Pryde: (quickly) Yes, I know! Now shush!

Trey: I cheated on Bobby Drake and Annalise Zazic because I thought it would make me more popular... And I thought that because I was rich, I could get away with it... I treated them terribly... I even told everyone I would propose to Annalise at this race... But it was a lie just make more money...

Annalise Zazic: (shocked and enraged) WHAT!? You lying bastard! You never loved me, just my money!?

Bobby Drake: (smiling a bit) I know how you feel.

X: (thinking to himself) If Trey and Annalise are through, does this mean I have a chance at her? Wait, no, the race might still go on. I’ll think about this later.

Trey: But the one I need to apologize to most of all... is fellow Bostonian, Zack... Whose last name I never bothered learned... I treated him and his sister like like amatures when I myself was the real amature... (begins tearing up) They were a real professional team and I was just some spoiled brat living off his father’s money... I didn’t deserve that money... I’M THE REAL FAILIER! I’M SORRY! TO ALL OF YOU! (breaks down crying)

Mr. Sterling: (now sounding impatient, a first) Trey, my son, pull yourself together. You’re making a scene.

Trey: ...

Mr. Sterling: (now trying to pretend that this was all very normal) Come now, son, quit joking around, you have a race to win.

>Trey just sat silently without a response. Then, Mr. Sterling did something no one ever saw coming...

Mr. Sterling: (angry, real angry) Now you listen here, you piece of shit, I didn’t pull strings and bribed the board to let you back into this garbage school just to blow it! I swear... Sometimes I think I should have invested in Zack after all. At least he has real talent instead forcing me to fix races so I can bet on them to pay back Sharkhead Eddie for giving me the money start this wretched team!

Trey: (shocked) What?

Mr. Sterling: (realizing what he just said) !

Something tells me you have some explaining to do, Mr. Sterling.

Mr. Sterling: (trying to compose himself) You can prove nothing.

Are you sure about that? Because, we got this recording of you in our inbox this morning and we found the something very interesting about it.

>Mrs. Racer takes out a tablet wirelessly connects it to a holographic screen to show a scene of Mr. Sterling on the phone.

Holo Sterling: Relax, Eddie, I’ll get you your money. Me and my boy have this race in the bag. We fixed it. I paid some of the racers to go away for ‘certain reasons’.

Sharkhead Eddie’s Voice: Good. With this virus still going on, I think it would be best to gather up on old debts while I still can. So you better get me my money soon. Because if you don’t, then perhaps I should pay a visit to your mother at St. Terrence Retainment Home, unless she, like most of everyone else there may have COVID. Or maybe I should go see you sister, the beloved Dr. Sally Sterling, at her clinic in Chinatown, if she isn’t busy with the same virus. Or perhaps your brother, Samuel Sterling. I hear he could use more patrons at his restaurant. Or maybe your other brother, Professor Shelby Sterling, at Harvard University. Yes, I think we should visit him since his students switched to online learning. So, are we clear?

Holo Sterling: (scared) Y- Yes.

Sharkhead Eddie’s Voice: Good. Sharkhead out. (hangs up)

Holo Sterling: (nervous and enraged) That spoiled brat better now blow it.

>The recording ended and everyone stared at the nervous Sterling.

Mr. Sterling: Well, (nervous chuckle) I guess this is quite the predicament.

>Some security guards came and and cuffed Mr. Sterling.

Trey: (still sobbing a bit) I want to make up for what my father did. I will use the money I did earn and donate it. If that is alright.

Mr. Racer: Well, what you did was still a bit unforgivable, but I guess it’s a start. How about to us since the money your father donated to us is clearly not his?

Trey: I could. As long as I have enough for B.O.M.G.T.M. or W.E.B.

Mr. Sterling: (in disbelief) W.E.B.!? You want to give money to those idiots? Especially the fat homo who disappointed me by not rebuilding the school that I was actually hoping to invest in it this time, so instead, came up with that?

Trey: (getting upset) His name is Max Modell. And it was his old lab partner, Peter Parker, who came up with W.E.B.

Headmaster Spritle: He’s right. I think you should start there... But for now, all your attacks on the students and other racers could have gotten them hurt. Even killed. So you still have to answer to the police.

Trey: I... I understand.

>The guards came and cuffed Trey and lead both him and Mr. Sterling away.

>Down in the pits, we saw the whole thing unfold.

Yes! We got it.

We shouldn’t forget to thank Futaba for recording that conversation. We had a feeling something was up.

I just happened to be browsing the school security system and just happened upon this footage. I just thought that something like this needed to come out.

You did well, Futaba chan. I’ll see if you can get an extra helping of pumpkin pie.

X: Forget it. Grandmom says you only get one each. She said getting second helpings of anything wouldn’t be fair for the others.

Speed: It’s true. You should have seen her at the Easter Party. I’ve never seen anyone so mad just for asking for another chicken leg. But there might be some left-overs. We’ll see.

I call dibs on the left-over turkey and ham!

Oracle: Not before I get the turkey first.

Hands off the stuffing.

I would like try all of them. I remembered the last Thanksgiving Dinner we were invited to and liked it.

Yes. I miss that tofu turkey. And I should really ask Dogg what herbal spices he used in it.

If there are any left-overs, I wonder if Grandmom Racer will let me take some back to my father.

I doubt you can get any of it past customs. Especially during a pandemic.

Oh, we have our ways.

(on Carmen’s phone) I’m not sure what that means, but okay.

Oracle: Wish you could be here, Player. It’s way more better than having to see it from a “dark little cave”.

Player: Hey, I’m happy in my dark little cave. Besides, you know us Canadians have our Thanksgivings way earlier than Americans.

Hold on, I think they’re continuing.

>Back on the balcony.

Headmaster Spritle: With that out of the way, we should move on. Good thing we only have one left. And now coming all the way from Los Angeles...

>The sound of an engine can be heard coming. But sounded more like... the roars of flames.

Th- That car!?

That’s a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner. And it appears to be in great condition.

I think they’re more concerned on who is driving it.

Joker: Fox?

Fox: It... It can’t be...

>The car opened... and the driver came out.

Here I am, Racer Academy. Happy Thanksgiving.

D- Dad...

REMINDER: This is a fanmade timeline. Fox and other Persona characters are not really related to characters from other franchises as according to ATLUS. These relations exist only in this fanmade timeline. Please do not hate or sue me for this. Thank you.

Everyone: (except Joker) WHAT!?

Shush! I don’t think he heard you guys!

>But he did. The man the Fox and I were going to see was right here. He turned to us. He seemed to have recognized Skull as an Idol, Panther as a model, and Crow as a famous detective. Then, his eyes fell upon Fox... He was slightly shocked.

Taro Kitano: ... Kitagawa Sensei?

Headmaster Spritle: It looks like the Leader of the Scorchers has seen a ghost. But let’s not cross into that thorny territory. Now, we shall-

If I may, Headmaster Racer, but now we have an empty space in the starting lane. This simply will not do.

Headmaster Spritle: But we’ve had races with one less racer before. I don’t see why that should be a problem.

Professor Aniskov: True. But this time, I must insist. We need someone to replace Trey Sterling.

>Back down with us.

*Chirp*

Conor: Chim-Chim’s right, Zack, this is your big chance to race again.

That’s great, Conor. You, too, Chim-Chim. It would be like a dream come true... But I’m gonna have to turn it down. My racin’ days are long behind me now. Me and Ivy got a new goal in life.

I’m sure we will race again someday. But right now, Carmen needs us and we need her. Until V.I.L.E. is down for good.

Carmen: And besides, Player says our little calling card got A.C.M.E.’s attention. They’re on their way here now, so we gotta leave.

Joker: I see. That’s a shame.

Carmen: Hey, we had a wonderful time with you guys. We should try this again some time.

Sophie: Will we see each other again?

Carmen: (winking) Sooner than you think.

Joker: Carmen, before you go...

If you ever cross paths with my favorite cousin, tell him I said “Hi”... Even if they will happen soon.

Carmen: I’ll be sure to do that.

Player: Hey you guys, they just passed the gates.

Carmen: Happy Thanksgiving. And Happy Holidays.

>With that, Carmen, Zack, and Ivy run off and were gone... Who knows when we’ll see them again. Then, a black car drives up to us and two people in suits came out.

La Femme Rouge! We just saw her here! Where did she go!?

Joker: I’m afraid we have no idea who you’re talking about, Agent Devineaux.

Agent Devineaux: (a bit surprised) How did... Never mind, I know you saw her!

Calm yourself, Devineaux! If we just saw her, then we should follow her where she might have went.

Agent Devineaux: ... I knew that. I just wanted to see if you knew.

Oracle: (whispering sarcastically) I’m sure.

Agent Zari: Happy Thanksgiving.

>With that, the two A.C.M.E. Agents leave.

Conor: I wonder if I should have told them that I put cloaking technology in their getaway car?

As detectives, me and Wolf frown that you aided and abetted a criminal...

But as Phantom Thieves, we say “Right on”.

Conor: Thanks.

Headmaster Spritle’s voice on the speakers: Speed, X, can you send our Japanese guests up here, please? We wish to talk to them.

Speed: Alright! You guys better go. We’ll meet up after the race. If we’re still having it.

Joker: Right. See you all later.

>With that, we leave Conor and the others for now.

>Meanwhile, with Taro Kitano, he goes back inside his car... He is not alone.

Taro Kitano: So the rumors are true. Aren’t they?

I am truly sorry you had to find out this way.

Taro Kitano: So what now? You want me to talk to him? To get to know him?

Goemon: (shaking his head) Yusuke's in no hurry to meet you. Right now, he is content with how things are. He’s in college, he’s a talented artist, he has many good friends... And even someone he can share his heart with.

Taro Kitano: You mean that frizzy-haired guy with the glasses? I see. They look so happy together. It definitely reminds me of... me and her. When I look at Yusuke, I see his mother. And when I see his boyfriend, I can’t help but see myself. And I don’t even know the guy... Except in the ring.

Goemon: You’ll know soon enough... Speaking of comparing yourself with Ren, I have a favor to ask you.

Taro Kitano: (confused) Me?

Goemon: Or rather, someone on your team.

>Up on the balcony, we meet up with Headmaster Spritle, Speed Racer Sr., his wife Trixie, and Professor Aniskov.

Queen: You wanted to see us, Headmaster?

Headmaster Spritle: Professor Aniskov insists we can’t start the race without someone taking Trey’s place... And he suggests one of you do it.

Phantom Thieves: WHAT!?

Professor Aniskov: If it’s not too much trouble.

Mona: Well don’t look at me, Ryuji, Yusuke, Futaba, Haru, or Sumire. We’re still learning.

Wolf: Me and Akechi were asked to assist things with the Sterlings. They thought having a couple of detectives would make things a little more smoother. So we’re out.

Queen: I don’t think Sis would be too happy for me to spontaneously join in a big race like this.

Panther: And I promised the modeling agency I would take a few pics here as inspiration for their next session.

Fox: Then that would just leave...

Me?

?????: Pretty much.

>Then, my parents arrived with the wheelchair bound Defensive Driving teacher, Professor Winn, and Speed and X’s grandparents, Mom and Pops Racer..

Joker: Mom, Dad, so glad you guys decided to stay.

You didn’t think we’d actually miss this, did you?

Nor I. This is proud day for all of us.

Jonny: And who knew it would be on Thanksgiving.

Mrs. Racer: What do you mean?

As some of you may not know, but Mr. Amamiya here had just taken his driving examination with me as the supervisor.

Jonny: I’ve been helping him, too. Ever since last summer.

Professor Winn: Well, after much evaluation and seeing how well you managed your driving, whether it be regular, casual, cruising or even racing, I can honestly say... You passed.

For real!?

Queen: Congratulations, Ren.

Crow: Well done.

Mona: That’s our Joker.

I’m very proud of you, Ren.

Thank you all... Especially you, Yusuke.

>Me and Fox embrace each other lovingly.

Professor Winn: (taking a camera from her chair) Okay, smile!

>Everyone and Fox moves aside as Professor Winn takes my picture. Then, something prints out and she gives it to me.

Jonny: (smiling) You did good, kid.

Mom: Yes, well done. We’re so proud of you.

Thank you all.

Professor Aniskov: (clapping a bit) Now that that’s settled, I think we can get this race started.

Joker: I’m still not sure about this. I don’t even have a car. I mean, I do have one, but I don’t think it’s meant for racing.

Jonny: Professor Aniskov says he has that covered.

???? ??????: Hey, down here!

>We look down at the track. We saw that members of the Scorchers were hauling in a car.

Taro Kitano: Everest is letting you borrow his car for the race! So you better get down here, now!

Mom Racer: Well I’ll be.

Pops Racer: Yeah... (We finally have a speaking role here.)

Speed: (calling from down below) I have something for you, too! Chim-Chim!

Chim-Chim: *Chirp*

>Chim-Chim takes a package up to the balcony and give it to me. I open it up to find it had a white racing suit with some black and two patches on the chest. One a red circle with a white 5 on it that looks like it came from the logo our game. The other patch had a picture of a white coffee cup with some steam coming out with a fancy CL on the cup. There was also a white helmet with a large black stripe in the middle with a red line on each side of it.

Speed: (calling through Chim-Chim) It’s my old racing suit. I don’t use it anymore, so you can have it. But I did change the patches. Consider it an early Christmas present. And a thank you.

Joker: You’re welcome.

Mr. Racer: (a little confused) Thanks for what?

Speed: (awkward) I’ll tell you later, Dad. Right now, we have a race to get going.

Pops Racer: (looking stern) You better tell us later.

Mr. Race: (also looking stern) You bet.

>Chim-Chim climbs back down to Conor. Panther snaps her fingers and I magically change into the racing suit.

(this is the only picture that could be found that is similar) How do I look?

Headmaster Spritle: A bit like Speed when he first started here. Seems only yesterday he first started here... Wait, hasn’t he always? Never mind. It suits you well.

I think my heart just skipped a beat. If only I had my sketchpad, I would preserve this moment for life.

Joker: (smiling) You can do it later. I’ve got to head down.

Wolf: And me and Akechi have to deal with the Sterlings.

Crow: I just hope Trey will be cooperative.

Panther: And I have some pictures to take.

Queen: The rest of us will be at the stands if you want to join us. Text us when you’re ready to join us.

Mom: We will join you.

>We leave. Then, Professor Aniskov stops me for a bit and does something no one would ever think he would do... He gave me an encouraging smile... And a wide one at that... Wait a second.

Professor Aniskov?: (whisper in a very familiar voice) Good luck out there... Favorite cousin. (wink)

Joker: ...

(also whispering) Thank you, favorite cousin. (out loud) It’s showtime!

>We leave the balcony.

Headmaster Spritle: Ladies and gentlemen, filling in for Trey Sterling is one of our Japanese visitors, Ren Amamiya!

>I get in the Thunderbird. Then, I get a call from Speed, X, Slice, and Dice.

Dice: Good luck, Leader!

Slice: You’re gonna need it.

X: Hope you can keep up.

Joker: Can you?

Speed: Pretty bold. Let’s race!

>With that, we begin our engines. A holo-screen shows staring lights.

>Ready... Set... GO!

>We drive off. We go around the regular track once before the arch to the Virtual Track opens.

Automatic Voice: Virtual Track, activated!

>We drive into the Virtual Track. The track was made to look like we were on a giant table where a giant Thanksgiving Dinner was set up. The dishes, foods, and drinks were the obstacles, including a gravy boat spilling gravy around.

>In the stands, Fox, Mona, Skull, Queen, Noir, Oracle, Violet, and Sophie were watching the race when Bobby Drake, Kitty Pryde, Icicle Jr., and Lagoon Boy come to them.

Bobby Drake: Enjoying the race?

Queen: Well, Ren is still in 7th Place. But all in all, it’s going great.

Icicle Jr.: I don’t know about him, but I’m rooting for Alpha Leader. Look, he’s already in 4th.

SPLAT!

Oracle: (laughing) Until he drives into the mashed potatoes.

Commentator: Oh, right into the mashed potatoes.! Hope Alpha Leader can dig his way out. Now, Annalsie Zazic has passed him, narrowly missing the yams! But can she get by the slicing ham?

Kitty Pryde: (cheering) Don’t give up, Alpha Leader!

Yeah, you can do it, Alpha Leader! Keep going!

Skull: (surprised) Yoshizawa san, just who’s side are you on?

Violet: (a bit surprised herself) Sorry, senpai. I can’t just disagree with my favorite X-Man when she’s sheering for her favorite racer.

Kitty Pryde: (smiling a bit) I’m your favorite? I’m quite honored.

Violet: I’m so glad to hear that, Shadowcat san.

Kitty Pryde: Oh, you can just call me Kitty, Sumire Yoshizawa.

Violet: You know about me?

Kitty: I know a thing or two about the world of gymnastics. Plus, we know Spider-Man and the Future Avengers and they told us a lot about you guys.

Bobby: Yeah, we recognized you guys from what they told us, the past two Dream FESs, and those Dancing in Starlight videos.

Lagoon Boy: Yeah, Nightwing and the others told me about you as well. And a certain connection.

Queen: I see. So you have also been having dreams.

Lagoon Boy: How do you think we came to know Alpha Leader and each other?

Icicle Jr.: Yeah, we’ve been having dreams about him and each other for a long time. Ever since the last Dream FES... Along with that guy.

Skull: What guy?

Bobby: Well, maybe it would be better to show you. If you don’t mind.

Fox: Actually, I wish to stay and support Ren.

Sophie: I can record the race for you so you won’t miss much.

Mona: Thanks, Sophie. Okay, we’re coming.

>With that, Mona, Skull, Queen, Noir, Oracle, and Violet follow Bobby, Kitty, Icicle Jr., and Lagoon Boy.

>In a parking garage, they arrive at a black SUV with the X-Men logo on it. It was parked next to an old fashion roadster. Then, Lagoon Boy knock the back of the roaster with the “Shave and a Haircut” rhythm.

??????: Finally! I thought we were gonna die in here!

??????: Hurray! This lovely bear can become the prince he was meant to be! It was getting cramped in here.

??????: Only because you were wearing the suit when we got taken! You should have taken it off when we were leaving!

??????: But I lost my mask! I needed something to protect me from the virus!

??: I’m sure you were only doing what you needed to do.

??????: Thank you for that, Sensei.

??????: Kiss up.

??: Don’t worry, Yosuke, you’re still my best partner.

Yosuke?: (happily) Thanks, Partner.

Kitty: Okay, enough with the shouting, we’re getting you out now.

Bobby: Just try not to kill us when we let you out.

>Bobby opens the trunk. And out comes...

Ah, at last, fresh air! You guys know we can’t get to close like that, do you? We might get the virus.

I feel like an can survive anything with Sensei around. Even in enclosed spaces.

What!? You guys!?

Ryuji san? And the others? You’re here, too?

Queen: Yes, but how are you three here?

Yosuke: (unhappy) Ask him. (points to Icicle Jr.)

Icicle Jr.: (putting his fingers together) Well...

>Flashback.

>Junes Department Store, Electronics Department in Inaba. Yosuke had just finished work for the day. However, it was a slow day.

Teddie: Not many customers today, huh, Yosuke?

Yosuke: What did you expect? Because of the virus, only essential businesses are allowed to open. So the customers are only going to parts of the store that sells the essentials. And I doubt they include electronics unless they need replacing or if they want to do some early Christmas shopping.

Teddie: I see. (sighing sadly) I sure miss playing with the kids that come here. I haven’t even seen Nana chan in a long time. I miss her.

Yosuke: You just video chatted with her this morning.

Yu: (coming in with three take-out bags from Aiya) Talking to each other on the computer and talking in person are very different from each other.

Yosuke: Yu, you’re here?

Yu: I didn’t have time to make dinner tonight, so I picked up some take-outs. I would have ordered it, but due to the lockdown order, Aika’s really busy with other deliveries... There should be some left over to take to Nanako and Dojima san. So I guess we can visit them after all.

Teddie: (dramatically) Thank you so much, Sensei!

Yosuke: (unimpressed) Don’t get too excited, bear. We need to save some for Nanako and Dojima san.

NOTE: Before we go further, let me explain. By this point and time in this fanmade timeline, Yu, after graduating, moved back to Inaba. This time, for good. Yosuke had also moved out of his parents’ house. However, Mr. and Mrs. Hanamura didn’t want to be left alone with Teddie because of the messes he always leaves behind, so they convinced their son to take him with him. Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie all move in together in an apartment that was just a block away from the Dojima residence so they can visit each other whenever they want. Yu and Yosuke attended college in Okina City, though, Yosuke continued to work part-time at Junes and Yu started work as a gas station attendant at Moel. After they finished college, they still work their jobs because Yosuke is still trying to figure out what to do with his life. Though, after a long time of always listening to music on his headphone, dancing at the Love Meets Bonds Festival, and performing at the Dream Festival, he might consider something in music. As for Yu, he wishes to work in Psychology, but that requires him to study a little more into it, so he’s still works at Moel. And Teddie... Well, he does have an “exclusive contract” with Junes.

>Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie make their way through he parking lot to Yu’s car where Yosuke’s scooter was also parked. Then suddenly...

?????? ??: Hey, are you Yosuke Hanamura?

Yosuke: Yeah, who wants to-

>They turned and are surprised by who they saw.

Yosuke: Y- You’re...

Icicle Jr.: Sorry about this. Don’t worry, I’ve been training with Iceman.

>With a blast of ice, Icicle Jr. froze Yosuke and Yu. Luckily, they were both still alive.

Teddie: (boastful) Ha! Betcha didn’t know that ice doesn’t work on moi!

BANG!

>Teddie is suddenly knocked out by a wrench. He didn’t see who did it.

>End of flashback.

Teddie: So that explains the small bump on my head. Good thing I was wearing my bearskin or else it would have been serious.

Queen: So you kidnapped three people from Japan and smuggled them across the sea to America in the middle of a global pandemic?

Yosuke: I think the real question is... Why?

Icicle Jr.: I just wanted to confirm some stuff... Like that you guys are the Phantom Thieves. Besides, do you have any idea how hard it is to book a flight overseas in a global pandemic?

Noir: So you know who we are, huh?

Lagoon Boy: Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. This is out of respect for your friends. And we warned Icicle Jr. that we would send him off to Belle Reve this holiday season.

Icicle Jr.: I’m really hoping to spend it with an old friend of mine... To help her get over that her boyfriend isn’t around to spend it with her.

Kitty: (unsure) I don’t think she’s ready to go back into the fray yet.

Lagoon Boy: It’s true.

Icicle Jr.: (shrugging a bit) I don’t know. If Superboy and Miss Martian can even get engaged, there maybe hope for me yet.

I think we got bigger issues here. Like how you brought these guys here without even testin’ ‘em first.

Kitty: Got you covered. (takes a scanner from the SUV) We bring some with us whenever we go looking for new mutants. We may have powers, but apparently, we’re not immune to COVID. (scans Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie) They’re good.

Yosuke: Well that’s a relief. (rubbing some sore spots) But even though I’m not sick, I’m hurting all over from being stuck in there. Why couldn’t you have just kept us in the nice roomy SUV instead of the tiny trunk of this antique? Who owns this thing anyway?

Bobby: Another good friend of ours... Including you, Yosuke.

Yosuke: (confused) Mine? Who would... Wait, now that you mentioned it, I have seen this car before... in a dream.

Yu: Same here. When I think about that dream, I have the oddest feeling that I should thank you. But for what? I know you helped me a lot, Yosuke, but what I should thank you for is something else.

Yosuke: Yeah. But I just can’t remember. Then again, that dream isn’t as clear as... No, we should think about that one.

Yu: I agree.

Teddie: (confused) I don’t get it.

Yosuke: If this car is what we think it is... Where’s the owner?

Lagoon Boy: Most likely outside watching the race.

Yu: Race? What are you talking about? And where are Joker and the rest of the Phantom Thieves?

Sophie: (on Oracle’s phone) You’ll meet Fox, Panther, Crow, and Wolf in the stands. As for Joker, you should see for yourself.

>Sophie was now showing me now neck and neck with Annalise on a bridge over a casserole.

Yu: Is that a casserole?

Violet: We’ll explain later. Right now, they’re waiting for us.

>With that, they all head back to the stands.

>Back on the stands, Fox, Panther, Crow, and Wolf were surprised to see Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie here. They explained what happened.

Wolf: (whining) Please, one crime at a time. We already just dealt with the Sterlings, and we’re celebrating here.

Icicle Jr.: I just said I was sorry.

Queen: By the way, where is this friend of yours?

Bobby: I guess he stepped away for now.

Yosuke: Can you blame him? It would be awkward for a French guy to be at an event for an American holiday.

Violet: Hey, Senpai’s catching up to Taro!

>In the Virtual Track, I was catching up to Taro Kitano with rows of glasses of sparkling cider surrounding us. Some of them kept falling to try and drown us.

Commentator: Ren is gaining up on Kitano. Can fresh college student pass a seasoned pro?

Just so you know, I’m not going easy on you just cause you and my son are dating, kid.

Joker: I don’t expect you to. I wanna beat you fair and square. We’re all equals here.

Taro Kitano: Good. Hope you’re ready for this.

Announcer: This is it, folks! Speed, X, Kitano, and Ren are at the final part of the race. The man course itself: THE TURKEY!

>Before us was a giant cooked turkey the was guarded by robot turkeys with titanium drills for beaks.

Speed: Time to carve this bird!

You bet! It’s showtime!

>We managed to tear are way through the robot turkeys. They drill hard, we be are harder. Then, some of them were now ganging up on Speed and X.

Joker: We can’t let them get drilled by robot turkeys, will we?

Taro Kitano: I guess. Fine, we’ll save them from the robot turkeys... Now that’s something I never thought I’d say.

>We managed to drive up and beat the robot turkeys with the cowcatcher on the Thunderbird and Taro Kitano with his car’s hook. Finally, they were gone and Speed and X drove up ahead.

X: Thanks for that.

Speed: Now let’s go!

>We make it to the end of the rack. The exit portal arch looked like an eaten-through pumpkin pie. We drive in and back into the real world. Once out, Speed was the first to cross the finish line, then X, then Taro Kitano, and I was the last one. The remaining racers followed.

Commentator: And that’s that! Speed Racer Jr. comes in a spectacular 1st Place! His older, brother, X, in 2nd! Taro Kitano in 3rd! And Ren Amamiya in 4th!

>The crowd was cheering loud. I could see my friends in the stands. Wait, why are Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie here? Actually, never mind, this is a great moment for me. Then, I look up to the commentator’s balcony. The Racers were smiling and waving that Speed and X came in 1st and 2nd. Then, I look to my parents who are waving to me. Then, I looked to “Professor Aniskov” who was also waving to me. Finally, I turn back to the stands and see Fox.

????????? ???????: WHERE IS HE!?

>Uh oh, the jig is up. I see the real Professor Aniskov wearing nothing but his boxers, a white tank-top, and a very angry look on his face. With him is my favorite cousin’s favorite every-vigilant inspector.

Excuse me, Racer Family, but I found this man tied up in a closet somewhere. You wouldn’t happen to know where to find a man who looks just like him, would you?

>The other Aniskov was already gone.

Jonny: (smiling) Not at all, Inspector.

Mr. Racer: ... Not me, either.

Headmaster Spritle: Nor me.

>The other Racers just shook their heads.

Professor Aniskov: (upset) Are you serious!? He was just here!

Inspector Zenigata: Don’t worry, Professor. I’ve been chasing Lupin for the longest time. Knowing him, he can’t be that far.

>You don’t know that half of it, Pops.

>In the same parking garage, the other Aniskov had just come in when a car shows up.

Cutting it rather close, aren’t we? I’m not sure Fujiko would want to spend Thanksgiving alone this year.

Professor Aniskov?: (laughing) Don’t forget, Jigen, I have family, too.

Jigen: Even though he’s not related to you by blood?

>Then, the other Aniskov removes his disguise.

True... But do you want to tell his Persona that?

Jigen: ... Good point.

>Suddenly, someone comes running in. It was Pops Zenigata.

Inspector Zenigata: LUPIN, YOU’RE UNDER ARREST!

Lupin III: Took you long enough, Pops. Probably because ACME came here looking for my rival and told you to stay back. But I’m afraid I have other plans to get to. Happy Thanksgiving!

>Lupin III gets in the car where Goeman was already seated and Jigen drives them off. Pops tries to chase after them... But the car they my friends were just at drives up and blocks him. Lupin, Jigen, and Goemon get away.

Inspector Zenigata: (angry) Hey, what’s the big idea!?

>Icicle Jr. walks in.

Icicle Jr.: Sorry, Inspector! My friend was just leaving.

Inspector Zenigata: I should have known crooks like you and him stick together.

Icicle Jr.: Hey, don’t blame me for that thief’s escape. I was just seeing my friend off before I go to the feast with my other friends.

Inspector Zenigata: Grr! Fine. But you better watch yourself. One of the heroes you face is here today.

Icicle Jr.: (smiling) Who do you think invited me?

>The inspector just stood silent with his teeth gritting. Then, he ran off after my favorite cousin. Then, Icicle Jr. goes over to the driver of the car.

Icicle Jr.: Hey, thanks for helping Lupin and his friends escape... And thanks for helping me bring Yosuke and his friends here. I really appreciate it.

Anytime, Cameron. Anytime.

>Another successful heist.

NOTE: I apologize that this post was a bit long, we tried to cram as much of this day in as possible.

#phantom thieves cam

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