#not to be dramatic but marriage documents express shipping

[hopeinthebox]

if we’re just out here confessing to you then: i simp for you every single day on this horrible site 🥺

AND I FOR YOU MY DARLING!!!!!!!

[skyward-floored]

Hyrule Warriors - oneshot

Hello there, I’m sick and not up for much, so I’m crossposting some oneshots from my zelink/other ships fic on ao3 that never made it to tumblr :) (which are also technically courage of ages but shhhh)

Anyway, first up is Hyrule Warriors! Them <3

————————————————————

“What’s up buttercup?”

Zelda rolled her eyes at the call that came from her balcony, getting up with an eagerness rather contrary to the exasperated expression she wore.

Strolling outside, she looked up the wall where the voice had come from, putting a hand on her hip as she saw Link dangling from a ledge several feet up. He was hard to see, silhouetted by the setting sun, but his scarf flared out behind him and made him easier to spot.

“You I’d have to guess,” she answered dryly, and felt her heart flutter when she made out Link grinning at her.

He then began climbing his way down the vines growing along the side of the castle, slowly so as not to slip. Zelda watched him climb for a moment, wincing when he missed a foothold and slipped a bit anyway.

“You could have come through the door you know,” she suggested as he clambered down, “less general risk to life and limb.”

“Too many people around,” he replied, landing with a flourish a few feet away from her. “Would’ve been too many questions.”

She smiled at his dramatic entrance, rolling her eyes as he bowed.

“One of your better landings,” she teased, and Link gave her a winning smile, then promptly tripped over a loose stone.

Zelda let out a laugh as he flailed, only barely managing to catch himself and not face-plant. He leaned casually on the railing around the balcony, and pointedly ignored the fact that his scarf was twisted oddly around his leg.

“I meant to do that.”

“Mm.”

Zelda began to walk back into her room, and Link followed her, trying to shake out his leg without her noticing. “I did!”

“Of course, hero.”

She sat back down at her desk, with Link a few steps behind her, letting out a yawn as she picked up her pen again and went back to filling in the documents.

“And what fun-filled paperwork are we doing this evening?” Link asked, leaning over and completely blocking her light. She swatted him with her writing instrument, and he pulled back, giving her another grin. She somehow managed to hold in her amusement at the large smear of ink across his nose he didn’t notice, looking back at her desk with a small sigh.

“Only a hundred or so papers that need my signature.” She tried to make sure it wasn’t a complaint, but the tiredness leaked out through her voice anyway. “I’ve been at it all afternoon, I swear that stack has multiplied.”

Link looked at the large pile of papers still sitting on her desk, and the playfulness faded from his eyes.

“You need to get out for a bit?” he asked gently.

Zelda sighed again and shook her head. Goodness did she ever.

“I wish I could. But I’ve got to finish these, and there’s a meeting tonight as well. If we go anywhere I won’t have enough time to come back and prepare,” she said disappointedly.

Link’s brows lowered a bit. “Council meeting?”

Zelda rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on at the mere thought of it. “Yes. It should just be business as usual. We’re supposed to discuss farming communities affected by the war and how to provide assistance for those worst hit, but...”

“...But?”

Zelda sighed. “They’ve been bringing up marriage again.”

Link’s face turned worried, though it held an equal amount of outrage along with it. The council hated him, and the feeling was definitely mutual, but recently their vendetta against Link had gotten much more personal. They were now trying to convince Zelda she needed to marry as soon as possible, and any suitors had to be royalty.

Which Link was not.

“Again? I thought Impa had gotten them off your back about that,” he muttered, an edge to his voice.

“She had. But since she’s checking on those monsters by the Lost Woods they must figure they can get away with it,” she groaned, “if I have to hear about how rich Prince Roalphu of Labrynna is again I may just bring my rapier along.”

Link didn’t laugh at her words like he usually would, instead going quiet.

Zelda went quiet as well, watching as Link seemed to think something over. His mouth was pressed in a worried line, wrinkling the scar on his jaw, and when he looked back up his expression was surprisingly gentle.

“Zelda...” he finally spoke in a soft voice. “You don’t have to marry anyone you don’t want to, you know that right?”

Zelda looked at him seriously, feeling her heart ache. “I know. But Hyrule might need me to.”

Silence fell between them.

Zelda looked down at the parchment in front of her, running a tired hand across her eyes. Of course she didn’t want to marry any of the pompous idiots her council kept recommending to her, they were all numbskulls who cared nothing for her or for Hyrule as a whole. But the truth was that the kingdom wasn’t in the best of shapes after such a disruptive and messy war, and funds were on the low side of things.

And if marrying a pompous idiot could help with that, then she’d put aside her own feelings and do what she had to.

She sighed yet again, and felt Link slip his hand into hers, giving it the gentlest of squeezes. She squeezed back and looked up, meeting his bright blue eyes.

“Sorry,” she apologized quietly. “You snuck in here to visit me and here I am just complaining.”

“It’s alright,” Link replied, his voice gentle. “I get it. I imagine it’s worse without Impa around.”

“It is,” Zelda admitted in a whisper.

Link squeezed her hand again, then leaned in, gently bumping his head with hers. She leaned in as well and he gave her a smile.

“Well, we may not have time to sneak out, but we could always do something here,” he suggested, changing the subject.

Zelda raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Oh yes? Like what?”

His eyes twinkled.

“Game of chess?”

Zelda stared at him, her brows narrowing. “Link that never ends well.”

He smirked, twirling her pen he’d somehow stolen. “Sounds like you’re just afraid you’ll lose.”

Zelda knew exactly what he was trying to do, and hated that he knew her well enough that he knew it’d work. Both of them were excellent strategists, so much that games of chess could get rather heated at times. They were about even in ability as well, so it was never a given which one of them would win.

And Link knew fully well a game always cheered her up.

She sighed and poked his chest with her finger. “Fine. One game. But then I get back to work.”

Link smiled at her, his eyes still twinkling maddeningly.

“Of course your highness.”

(...)

Zelda fell asleep halfway through their third game.

Link smiled at her head resting on the edge of the chessboard, hair having knocked over several pieces while a rook pressed up against her cheek in a way that couldn’t have been comfortable.

He gently tugged it out, deftly replacing it with a pillow he borrowed from her bed, then draped a blanket over her as well.

As suited as Zelda was to the stress of battles and the split-second decisions that arose from them, politics and their stressors were a whole other deal, one that wore her out more then Link knew she’d ever admit. And this kind of stress always made her sleepy, which he also knew would win out the moment she felt like she could relax a little.

She shifted a little and he smiled, fixing the blanket around her shoulders.

He glanced over at the pile of papers on her desk, and twirled Zelda’s pen thoughtfully in his fingers as he wandered closer to the stack. He’d seen her sign hundreds of things like this... maybe he could lighten her load a bit.

Forging signatures may have technically been illegal, but in this case Link was willing to bend the rules a bit. Zelda would certainly do the same for him.

He nodded to himself, decision made, pressed a kiss to Zelda’s forehead, and cracked his knuckles and got to work.

(...)

By the time Zelda woke up for her meeting, he was gone, nothing but a complete pile of signed documents and a smear of ink on her desk to show he’d ever been in the room.

[manikas-whims]

for quick headcanons: soc ships proposals

these are simply my take, you don't have to agree. and if you wanna add something, reblog and do add your own spin :3

⚠ Warning ⚠ Long Post.

WESPER

• Since their anniversary as an official couple is coming up soon, Wylan decides to propose.

• But he realizes planning isn't exactly his best forte and seeks help from none other than Ketterdam's best schemer Dirtyhands himself.

• Kaz is flattered but even he is weak when it comes to the matter of hearts. He still agrees though, provided Wylan invests a bit in his newly brought club around the Lid. Wylan agrees.

• So Kaz simply asks Wylan to bring Jesper with him to the Fifth Harbour on the day of the event. Wylan is suspicious but he agrees in the end.

• Wylan manages to keep Jesper busy by portraying as a model for Marya's next painting, just so he can go out and pick a ring.

• When the day arrives, Wylan asks Jesper to meet him at the Fifth Harbour by 6 bells.

• Jesper being bad at dates doesn't remember if its because of some special occasion. So he decides to keep it safe and buys a bottle of expensive alcohol.

• When Wylan and Jesper arrive on time, they're both too shocked to speak, their mouths wide open.

• Kaz being Kaz has got the whole harbour decorated in traditional Kerch and Zemeni colors for the duo. There's fairy lights hanging all over, varying cuisines that Jesper has never seen in his life before and a band hired to play throughout the night.

• As they walk in, they spot Nina speaking with Colm Fahey who got invited earlier on by Kaz and Inej gave the man a lift on her Wraith as she herself didn't want to miss two of her favorite people's proposal.

• Jesper is slightly worried because of his father's presence, even more worried because he believes today's supposed to be some big event that only he can't seem to remember.

• Matthias is standing with a Priest and he comes over to congratulate Wylan & Jesper.

• The pair is very confused and so Matthias quirks his brows and tells them: "Brekker said you're getting married."

• The bottle of alcohol in Jesper's hand drops and Wylan is stuttering, unable to form coherent words. He finally yells: "This isn't what I asked Kaz!"

• Kaz finally shows up, Inej at his side. Everyone's staring at him and he shrugs. "What? Too much."

• After a few minutes of yelling and chaos between their squad, the situation is finally calmed down.

• Wylan rummages out the ring from his pocket— a golden band with their initials 'W+J' engraved in it along with intricate patterns. He looks at Jesper. "So amongst all this extravaganza, if I tell you that I want you to adore my stupid face for the rest of our lives, will you?"

• Jesper is wide eyed and has that kinda dubious expression because Wylan has managed to surprise him yet again. So he just tries to collect himself and goes, "Ofc! I already told you I like your stupid face."

• They hug and kiss and everyone cheers. Nina proposes an after-party with waffles.

• Kaz suggests they could still get married cause we know he's secretly the biggest Wesper shipper xD

Thankfully Inej drags him away.

• The actual wedding takes place a month later and yes, Kaz is the wedding planner. Kuwei is that uninvited guest..:)

HELNIK

• Nina keeps joking about wanting Matthias to propose. But she doesn't realise all her meaningless teasing has actually spurred him into action.

• He's secretly making plans and has only told Inej and Wylan about this because he knows Jesper will end up babbling. And Kaz is the last person he wants to take help from.

• He needs a place and proper timing. Inej takes up that task on herself and somehow convinces Kaz to let them use The Crow Club for just one evening.

• Wylan helps Matthias in purchasing a custom ring with a heart-shaped ruby. With his newly acquired mercher title, Wylan’s got connections with the best jewelers in Ketterdam. Marya also tags along cause she believes they'll need a woman's opinion on this.

• So on the day of the event, when Nina is coaxed into wearing the best replica of a Ravkan Kefta and brought into the Crow Club by Inej, she's excited but also wondering whats up.

• Wylan is playing some romantic melody on his flute.

• The whole club is lit by candles and as the members of Dregs part slowly, at the end is Matthias in replica of traditional Fjerdan garbs (another courtesy of Kaz).

• Nina's eyes keep growing wider and she's at a loss of words when Matthias bends on one knee. "Nina Zenik, will you be the beguiling Drusje to this mighty Fjerdan till the end of time?"

• There's tears in her eyes and she looks around everyone. Wylan is smiling, Inej gives a nod, Jesper gives a thumbs up and winks, even Kaz's eyes flash somewhat in approval.

• She looks back to the brave blond soldier she fell for. He must've planned for them to be unified in their own lands' traditional clothes. She smiles, already tearing up. "Saints Matthias, I'm supposed to be the one full of surprises." She messily wipes her eyes and mumbles, "I..will."

• The whole Dregs break into a roar of cheers as Matthias glides the ring on her finger. Marya is clapping her hands in joy.

• Rotty yells from somewhere in the crowd, "KISS HER YOU PODGE!!!" And Matthias tilts his face down. The newly engaged couple share a passionate kiss.

• Their wedding takes place in a Ravkan forest. King Nikolai himself decides to give his blessings (in disguise ofc). Zoya and Genya are there too.

KANEJ

• It will be super vague. Like Kaz and Inej's relationship is built more on silent gazes and fleeting touches. So they've got this unspoken thing going on. They both know they're each-other's but never actually address it.

• Inej has returned from another of her sea adventures and taking a short break in Ketterdam. She's casually sitting by Kaz's window, feeding the crows while he works on his papers.

• He glances at her, mesmerized by the sight of her glowing skin in the evening sun. Her long hair (free for once) sways due to the wind as she peacefully smiles and looks out at the city.

• He just speaks out of nowhere, "Inej?"

She turns her head and looks at him, the smile never leaving her face. "Yes Kaz?"

"Do you want to tie the knot?" he asks.

The smile immediately leaves her face and she frowns, unsure about his words. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

• He puts his pen down, passes a hand through his hair and huffs out a breath.

"I'm saying my dear Wraith," he starts, methodically taking off his gloves and then joins her at the window. He offers his palm and she gladly places her own in it, her eyes somewhat expectant. Kaz quirks his lips slightly and continues, "would you like us to exchange vows and make it official?" He squeezes her palm and gestures between them.

• She's stunned for a moment because between the two of them, its always her initiating any sort of new action— a hug, a kiss,..making love. And it has taken them a good amount of years to reach this level of intimacy without triggering the other’s traumas so its even more shocking that Kaz asks her first. A small part of her had even wanted to propose him some time in the future but now he's clearly beaten her to that.

• "Inej?" Kaz rubs the back of her hand, "if you don't want to—"

"NO! I do!" she says hurriedly before he can take it back and he breaks into that crooked grin of his, fishing out a simple silver band with a single black feather atop it, its end pointy like a knife.

He smoothly slides it onto her finger and they exchange a gleeful smile.

• After a few minutes he goes, "So like..do you want to do this my way or yours?"

And she's confused so he explains. "If its your way, we can have a traditional Suli wedding, whatever your people do and take your parents' blessings."

He adds a dramatic pause later, "If its my way, I'll just ask Specht to put our names on a marriage document and be done with it."

She rolls her eyes.

• In the end, Inej tells the other Crows. Jesper wiggles his brows, teases Kaz but also gives him a big hug. Wylan is surprised but also happy. Matthias is slightly displeased at the holy bronze girl for letting herself be charmed by this notorious demjin. But he does believe that the two belong with no one else and congratulates them.

• Nina takes it upon herself to plan the wedding and decides it should be a Suli one. She wants to see Inej draped in red. But also wants to see Kaz out of his fitting suits for once and in traditional Suli clothes for men.

• Mr. and Mrs. Ghafa find their son-in-law quite odd but give their blessings happily because there's no one else who'll be more suitable for their lovely daughter.

.

Send your SoC Headcanon requests via asks

SoC Masterlist

[heliopauseentertainments]

The Unlucky Marriage of Drift & Ratchet

This is unfinished, just the first chapter, but is based on a prompt from @decepti-thots​.

On AO3 (where the rest will be posted when/if finished because Tumblr is not built for chapter work).

Continuity: IDW1

Relationships: Drift/Ratchet, Drift & Rodimus, Megatron & Rodimus, implied past Drift/Rodimus, some background/minor relationships, ambiguous relationships

Characters: Drift, Ratchet, Rodimus, Megatron, Chromedome, Rewind (so far)

Warnings: Alcohol use

Summary: In which a captain's duty to officiate bonding ceremonies is a problem.

—

“Rodimus, what is this?”

The datapad was dangled in front of Megatron’s face by a speedster that had dramatically draped himself over a shoulder, likely with the express purpose of being annoying. At least since he was seated at his desk, Rodimus hadn’t had to jump this time to clear the distance. Unfortunately, this method of document delivery also meant the datapad wasn’t being held completely still. That made reading it next to impossible.

“Some stuff.”

“I can see that, yes.” He reached out and took the datapad from Rodimus’ grasp before holding it closer to his optics. He probably should have put on his spectacles, but this worked just as well. “But what is it specifically?”

“A conjunxual license application.”

Megatron sputtered, nearly dropping the damn datapad. Oh no.

“A what? For whom?”

“Calm down. Not for you.”

Oh, thank Primus.

“It says right there!” Rodimus, still using his co-captain as furniture, reached over and poked the document with the tip of his index finger. “Use your optics! I know you’re not blind yet.”

Indeed, upon closer inspection, it did seem to be as Rodimus had said.

A conjunxual license application.

For Drift and Ratchet.

“Oh, finally.”

“Finally‽” Now it was Rodimus’ turn to sputter, wriggling on his perch and slapping Megatron in the back of the head with the fin of his spoiler for the fifth time today. “What do you mean ‘finally’?”

“Now Magnus will stop writing them tickets for unlawful fraternization and I don’t have to void them for being unenforceable.” Come to think of it, Megatron thought, that was probably why they were bothering to file the paperwork anyway. He set the datapad down on the desk in front of him, reaching out with his left hand to grab a light-pen from the little desk tidy that Minimus had given him for his creation day. Very handy.

“Hey, hey, what are you doing?”

“What does it look like? Signing it, of course.” What else could he be doing with it? Drift and Ratchet were their—well, Rodimus’ friends. The least they, as the captains, could do is assist the crew in their happiness. Sure, it was really only a formality given that, to their knowledge, there were no other Cybertronians in this universe and the ship’s command crew was the closest thing to a government they had. “I see no reason to deny the application.”

“But—“

“But what?” The light-pen was put back in the desk tidy. “Don’t tell me you have some sort of objection.”

Why would he? Sure, Rodimus had told him about the whole fiasco with Overlord and Drift, but that was long behind them now. This universe was about a fresh start, not dwelling on the past, even if was something everyone on board the Lost Light struggled with.

“Well, no, but….” Rodimus trailed off, but Megatron only looked at him out of the corner of his optic, a silent indication that he would relatively patiently wait for an answer.

“But as the captain I would have to officiate and that’d be kind of… awkward.”

Megatron breathed a resigned sigh. At least this time Rodimus didn’t say “mad awk.” While he didn’t know the details of the history between the speedsters and the medic—he would, in fact, prefer to keep it that way—he could accept that it would probably be the most comfortable for everyone involved if Rodimus did not participate in any official capacity.

“Luckily for you, I’m here. I’ll do it.” Look at that little problem just solve itself. Teamwork. He reached over to pat his co-captain on the arm, at least as much as he could reach with the odd angle.

Besides, it ought to be straightforward, no matter the strange history between everyone aboard.

All four Acts would be done by the pair in private—that’s their business and he really did not want to know—and Megatron would just sign the paperwork at the party, shake their hands, and leave. That was how it had worked when he commanded the Nemesis and whenever he had happened to be present at a Decepticon base when someone there filed an application. Should be no different here, he thought. He knew he was what Rodimus would call a “buzzkill,” but those celebrations weren’t for him. He’d always been uncomfortable at such… personal functions.

“You?”

“Yes. Now get off of me.” Wait. “Please.”

—

“Drift, are you sure this is what you want?” Ratchet had left the door to his washrack open when he had gone inside to get cleaned up for the “big day” so they could keep talking. It was as though the medic had sensed something was off in Drift’s manner today. Frankly, he wasn’t sure how he felt about being… perceived like this.

“Of course, why….” Drift paused as he sat with a mirror in hand to touch up the paint under his optics, his voice trailing off in a moment of doubt. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, for one thing, you’ve been painting over the same spot for the past several minutes without even letting it dry.”

Damp, partially dried red paint clung, coagulating, to the end of the brush in his hand.

Red.

He could practically hear Rodimus’ voice. Talking about revenge while being repainted, red and gold disappearing under purple and black.

When Drift didn’t reply, Ratchet continued, perhaps a little louder than necessary to be heard over the spray of solvent in the shower.

“We don’t have to do this, you know. It’s just a formality.”

That was true. It was just a formality. It wouldn’t have changed how they lived except for a few bits of paperwork. And no more tickets for fraternization. That was probably the only reason Ratchet had originally suggested just marrying and being done with it.

“I know, I know,” Drift said, unsure if he could even be heard over the roar of solvent. “I… I still want to.”

—

“Rewind,” Chromedome started, settling down in a chair in the back of Swerve’s bar while the minibot fiddled with the camera on the side of his head. “What are you doing?”

“Getting ready for the circus.”

It looked like he was swapping out for a different lens, but Chromedome couldn’t figure out why. The regular one was perfectly fine for most purposes.

“Circus? It’s just a wedding.” Sure, it was the first one to happen since they had left their home universe, but it wasn’t particularly special. It was a long-time coming and really was only to formalize something that had already been the de facto situation. It was still a good excuse to have an occasion though.

“Yes, it is, but there is one thing that you’re forgetting, Domey.”

“Which is?”

“Guess who’s officiating.”

Oh.

“No, you can’t mean—“ That would explain why Rodimus had taken a seat at the bar and was slumped over what looked like at least three half-empty cups of high-grade. Actually, no, Chromedome thought, even if this captain were officiating, there was a chance that would have happened anyway.

“Oh, yes, I do. This is going in my cringe compilation.”

[snicketsleuth]

A chronology/reading order of Lemony Snicket’s works

The works of Lemony Snicket are often a conglomeration of documents from various sources and authors, frequently presented out of order. The following article intends to better classify the aforementioned documents by determining when they were written, forwarded, read and later made available to the general public (e.g. “us”, the readers).

This list has two purposes:

it can be used as a reading order suggestion for people who may want to experience the narrative in a more chronological manner

it is an attempt to put various events in relation to one another and create a more coherent picture of Lemony’s life, particularly regarding the various documents scattered across Lemony Snicket’s un-Authorized Autobiography and The Beatrice Letters.

This list is neither official nor to be taken as granted. In order to make sense of the chronology, some arbitrary decisions and interpretations had to be made. If you do not agree with the logic of the chronology, please feel free to express your views in the comments.

A quick reminder on the abbreviations used within this article:

LSUA = Lemony Snicket’s un-Authorized Autobiography

TBL = The Beatrice Letters

FU:13SI = File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents

For futher references, please also refer to the timeline (Link) whose purpose is to classify events within the series which do not match the creation/publication of a particular document.

More after the cut.

Before “All The Wrong Questions”

An unnamed member of V.F.D. writes a letter to secretary J. regarding the potential recruitment of a young volunteer (LSUA, p.52). The youngster in question is implied to be Daniel Handler himself (according to LSUA’s index).

Lemony meets Beatrice for the first time then sends her an apology note (TBL, LS to BB #1).

During “All The Wrong Questions”

NA (although the supplementary material FU:13SI happens between “When Did You See Her Last?” and “Shouldn’t You Be In School?”).

Between “All The Wrong Questions” and “The Bad Beginning”

Lemony writes to Beatrice about an upcoming expedition (TBL, LS to BB #2).

The official V.F.D. disguise kit manual is written (LSUA, pp.99-108). The recruitment guide (LSUA, pp.189-191) could also have been written at the same time. NB: the disguise kit manual and the recruitment could actually be much older than that. However the disguise kit manual mentions sugar bowls, which implies that it would have been written at around the same time period as the earliest mentions of the sugar bowl (first vineyard letter, LSUA, pp.84-86, see below). Note that sugar bowls are never mentioned in “All The Wrong Questions”, which seems VFD’s obsession with the sugar bowl only started after Lemony graduated and became a dramatic critic.

Lemony writes to Beatrice to warn her that he will soon be appointed as dramatic critic for the “Daily Punctillo” (TBL, LS to BB #3).

Beatrice writes a poem hidden inside the booklet of her play (TBL, last pages) but Lemony fails to notice it.

Lemony writes to Beatrice to schedule a date where he plans to ask her hand in marriage (TBL, LS to BB #4).

Lemony writes a letter regarding his childhood memories to Dr. Charley Patton ( LSUA, pp.8-21) before his intended marriage to Beatrice. An unidentified person will later make notes to this letter, remarking on inconsistencies in Lemony’s testimony.

Lemony writes a scathing review of Olaf’s new play (LSUA, p.77-79), also announcing his upcoming marriage to Beatrice.

Jacques (who is currently working inside the Queequeg) learns of Lemony’s review and writes his brother a letter, telling him 1) to go to Damocles Dock in order to plan his exile, 2) not to contact Beatrice ever again. He also mentions that Lemony should expect to get fired from the Daily Punctillo very soon.

The next day, Eleonora publishes a retractation and announces Lemony is fired (LSUA, p.80). She also announces the beginning of a new column by Geraldine Julienne.

The same week, Lemony manages to slip his rebuttal to Eleonora’s retractation into a morning edition of the newspaper (LSUA, p.81). Eleonora submits a second retraction in the evening edition (LSUA, p.82) and confirms that Geraldine’s column is scheduled to begin the next day.

The Vineyard of Flagrant Drapes writes a letter to Lemony, urging him to cancel the wedding as Olaf plans to crash it (LSUA, pp.84-86). This letter is later acquired by the Duchess of Winnipeg somehow.

After the debacle, Lemony is forced to hide in a VFD headquarter. During that time, the (real?) Captain S. writes instructions to Lemony so he can escape from the country on the Prospero (LSUA, pp.109-111), remarking on Lemony’s firing, and includes tickets with the letter (LSUA, pp.112-113). This letter and the tickets are sent to Larry in Damocles Dock so he can give them to Lemony when he gets there.

A crisis meeting is held with different members of VFD. J., the secretary, writes a live transcript of this meeting (LSUA, pp.33-47). It appears that the “J.” and “K.” characters present at the meeting are not Jacques and Kit, although Daniel Handler appears to be there. Several photographs (LSUA, pp.48-51) will later be added to this transcript. Olaf and Esme crash the meeting, threatening to light it on fire unless the volunteers agree with their demands.

After the meeting, the volunteers have no safe place left in the vicinity. Lemony has nowhere to go. He receives a break-up letter from Beatrice, brought to him by carrier pigeons, and answers back with a coded letter regarding her co-star’s possible duplicity (TBL, LS to BB #5).

Lemony then supposedly receives Jacques’ letter around that time and goes to Damocles Dock. Larry gives Lemony the Captain’s letter and the tickets.

A photograph of the ship is taken on the day it leaves port (LSUA, p.91). The Daily Punctillo publishes an article about the ship’s mysterious departure (LSUA, pp.93-95).

Lemony writes to Beatrice to warn her of an upcoming danger (TBL, LS to BB #6). It seems likely that this message was sent some time before Sunny’s birth but there’s also an argument for Violet’s and Klaus’.

During “The Bad Beginning”

As soon as her learns about the Baudelaire fire, Lemony dispatches Brett Helquist to draw the scene of the crime. Helquist draws the smoldering remains of the Baudelaire mansion and writes a letter to Lemony with said drawings enclosed   (LSUA, pp.182-183). He plans to discuss both documents at the Valorous Farm Dairy where a meeting with Lemony Snicket and photographer Meredith Heuer has been set.

Lemony writes an early draft of the first chapter of “The Bad Beginning” (LSUA, pp.177-178). Babs later receives this early draft and writes a note to Hal (LSUA, p.176) so he can add it to the Snicket file. Lemony also writes a letter to his sister (LSUA, p.192) announcing his intention to write a book on the Baudelaire case.

Between “The Bad Beginning” and “The Reptile Room”

The new dramatic critic of the Daily Punctillo (not Lemony) writes a scathing review of Al Funcoot’s play. Enraged that Olaf is being criticized, Esme writes to Geraldine Julienne to pressure Eleonora Poe into firing the dramatic critic, as well as to enquire about Jerome Squalor’s habits. The critic is fired by Eleronora Poe. Geraldine answers Esme’s letter (LSUA, p.119-120), confirming the new critic’s firing, with a menu of the restaurant at which Jerome usually eats (LSUA, p.121).

Gustav Sebald writes a movie script to warn Montgomery Montgomery of his new assistant and of the survivor of the Baudelaire fire (LSUA, pp.61-65).

The movie is shot. A photograph of a toddler helping Gustav build the snowman is taken, with Gustav not actually appearing in the picture as he was hidden behind the snowman (LSUA, p.71). A photograph of the actor playing Young Rölf is later taken (LSUA, p.53 and p.57). Other miscellaneous pictures of the production are taken during that time (LSUA, p.68, p.69, p.70).

Lemony realizes that Montgomery Montgomery does not know the Sebald code and that the plan needs to be changed. He schedules a meeting with Gustav Sebald near the Swarthy Swamp. On his way to the meeting, Gustav is spotted by Olaf who drowns him.

Lemony arrives at the appointment and waits nineteen hours for Gustav Sebald in the Swarthy Swamp. To pass the time, he writes a letter to the cheesemakers (LSUA, pp.55-60). Lemony is unaware that Gustav is actually already there, drowned at the bottom of the swamp.

Between “The Reptile Room” and “The Wide Window”

A review of “Zombies in the Snow” by Lena Pukalie (an anagram of real-life film critic Pauline Kael) is published (LSUA, p.165) and finds its way to Lemony’s commonplace book.

During “The Wide Window”

A photograph of the Baudelaire orphans on Damocles Dock is taken by a mysterious person. Two copies of this photograph later end up in possession of K./R. (who later sends it to Olivia Caliban a.k.a Madame Lulu).

Between “The Wide Window” and “The Miserable Mill”

Jacques Snicket visits Olivia Caliban at Caligari Carnival and asks her if his brother is alive. She gives him a copy of the photograph which R. sent to her, indicating that Lemony may be currently tracking down the Baudelaire orphans from his taxi. Jacques leaves to investigate Dr. Montgomery’s house as he knows that a book on the secret Mortmain Mountains is kept there. When he arrives, he is surprised to find Quigley. Jacques gives his copy of the photograph to Quigley.

Olaf’s henchmen kill Firstein in Paltryville, intent on replacing him with the Bald Man under the pseudonym of Flacutono. They use the the lumbermill’s machines to destroy Firstein’s remains.  Jacques learns of Firstein’s death and leaves for Paltryville, instructing Quigley to stay behind. In Paltryville, Jacques manages to send his investigation to the Daily Punctillo for an article. But Jacques is discovered by Olaf’s agents and has to flee. Because the body parts are unindentifiable, Detective Smith covers up the murder as the accidental death of an unknown person. Sir does not explain his foreman’s sudden disappearance to the workers. The Daily Punctillo uses Smith’s version for its final version of the article (LSUA, p.118). An earlier edition of Jacques’ article did survive (LSUA, p.117).

Jerome and Esme spend an evening together, at the end of which Esme bullies Jerome into marrying her.

Jerome schedules a wedding at the Vineyard of Flagrant Grapes where Esme hopes to receive the sugar bowl (perhaps because she expects Jacques to attend his friend’s wedding). The vineyard writes back, confirming the wedding but declining Esme’s request (LSUA, pp.84-86). Somehow the Duchess of Winnipeg later manages to get her hand on this letter. Jerome also sends a wedding invitation to Jacques Snicket. Fernald starts working as a doorman at 667 Dark Avenue in order to intercept any letter Jerome may be supposed to receive.

The Duchess fears that keeping the two vineyard letters is no longer safe for her. Unaware that Isaac Anwhistle is dead, she writes a letter to Kit Snicket, asking her to archive the two vineyard letters (LSUA, p.83).

Jacques finds out that Esme plans to marry Jerome in order to access the old V.F.D headquarter at 667 Dark Avenue. Fearing the worst, he writes Jerome a letter (LSUA, pp.122-124), but the wedding happened so quickly that Jerome was probably already married by the time Jacques found out about his engagement. Sometime during Jerome’s and Esme’s honeymoon, Jacques’ letter is intercepted by Fernald who works as a disguised doorman. Fernald and Olaf’s allies analyze Jacques’ letter and find out the village where he is hiding. 

Between “The Miserable Mill” and “The Austere Academy”

An unnamed person adds a photograph of the Quagmire triplets (with a note) to the “Zombies in the snow” file in the Sebald archives (LSUA, p.70). This is because the movie was made for Montgomery Montgomery and Quigley Quagmire eventually escaped from his childhood home to Montgomery’s house.

Lemony Snicket writes Sally Sebald to inform her of Georgina Orwell’s death. Sally answers, informing him of the circumstances in which the survivor of the Baudelaire fire was hidden (LSUA, pp.66-71). Sally also finds the photograph of the Quagmire triplets inside the file and does not understand what it’s doing there. Lemony will later replace the photograph of the triplets with a photograph of people “around the same age”.

During “The Austere Academy”

At this point in time, first editions of “The Bad Beginning” and “The Reptile” apparently already exist. We see excerpts of these two books later on in other documents. This edition finds its way to a library which has recently been overtaken by the tweed-coat-wearing librarian. This is a contentious topic as “The Reptile Room” mentions Klaus and Violet reflecting on its events “years later” even though only a few months/weeks have passed at the time of the book’s publication. One can only assume that these passages are either:

 the result of Lemony making reasonable assumptions on Klaus’ and Violet’s future,

additions which Lemony made years later as he kept updating the books with new details of his investigations (in which case what we, the readers, are reading is not the first edition of the book read by Al Funcoot’s fan, bur rather a later edition). This is plausible because “The Bad Beginning” got an updated edition called “The Bad Beginning: Rare Edition” with additional notes regarding Lemony’s more recent findings on the events depicted in the book.

Al Funcoot (probably Olaf under a pen name) writes to one of his fans, ordering him to investigate the fate of Montgomery’s collection of reptiles. The henchman goes to his local library and reads excerpts of “The Reptile Room” (LSUA, pp.147-148).

The henchman (now disguised as a cow) roams the surrounding of Lousy Lane, looking for survivors of Montgomery’s collection. The henchman noticeably hears the Dissonant Toad who is repeating something he once heard Olaf say. Supposedly the comment made by Olaf on how incovenient it is to drown someone happened the night of Monty’s murder. The toad was in the Reptile Room that night and heard Olaf kill Montgomery, after which he wondered aloud how he was going to dispose of the body. The henchman disguised as a cow also spots the Mamba du Mal as well as other reptiles. The henchman later reaches the Valorous Farm Dairy but does not dare approach the location.

The henchman disguised a cow sends Al Funcoot his own report of the events (LSUA, pp.145-153). The information from his report will later be used by Olaf’s allies to find and kill the survivors of Montgomery’s collection. Only the Incredibly Deadly Viper is now safe for now at the Valorous Farm Dairy.

Growing frustrated with his unsuccessful hunt for the Incredibly Deadly Viper, the henchman disguised as a cow finally works up the courage to ask the cheesemakers about the reptiles. Suspecting his ill intentions, the cheesemakers immediately write a postcard to Lemony so he can be warned that Olaf’s henchmen are looking for reptiles near the Valorous Farm Dairy (LSUA, pp.155-156).

Lemony writes a letter to the Duchess, announcing his intention to attend her Masked Ball (LSUA, p.144) even though the survivors of Montgomery’s collection are being hunted.

Supposedly the events of the Masked Ball happen soon after (Lemony flashes back to the Masked Ball in the beginning of the eleventh chapter of “The Austere Academy”). After the Masked Ball, Coach Genghis arrives at Prufrock Prep (fourth chapter of “The Austere Academy”).

Between “The Austere Academy” and “The Ersatz Elevator”

Jerome, who never received Jacques’ letter, writes Jacques to announce Esme their plans to adopt some children (LSUA, p.125).

Quigley, growing impatient, reads an article of “The Daily Punctillo” which describes his siblings’ kidnapping. He leaves for Paltryville.

Jerome writes a letter to Jacques Snicket, lamenting the fact his friend wasn’t present at his wedding (LSUA, p.125). Esme is planning to acquire the custody of the Baudelaire orphans during that time.

During that time, the tweed-coat-wearing librarian seems to change jobs as he now works at Prufrock Prep. Carmelita Spats runs into him, which earns him an appareance in her autobiography (LSUA, p.171).

During “The Ersatz Elevator”

The Duchess (or somebody impersonating her) writes a letter to Lemony (LSUA, pp.25-28). This letter was supposedly written during the “first few days” that the Baudelaire orphans spent with Esme and Jerome at 667 Dark Avenue (mentioned in Chapter Three of “The Ersatz Elevator”), before Gunther’s arrival.

At the In auction, the Esme Squalor fan club bids on the corpse of the Mamba du Mal. This is reported by the In Auction catalog (LSUA, p.164) and Lemony includes a page of the catalog in his commonplace book.

Lemony sends the cheesemakers a note (LSUA, p.159) with the contents of his commonplace book (LSUA, pp.161-175). The excerpts contained in the commonplace book are intended to warn the cheesemakers of the reptiles of montgomery’s collection and the secret messages/codes they can communicate. One of the excerpts is a newspaper describing how the Mamba du Mal was killed and auctioned.

At the Valorous Farm Dairy, the meeting planned by Meredith, Brett and Lemony goes haywire as they have been spotted by the villain disguised as a cow. The dairy is burned down by the villain but Meredith manages to take one last photograph of the dairy before the fire (LSUA, p.185). The three volunteers flee. Lemony leaves a copy of his drawing of the burned down Baudelaire mansion behind in the commotion.

Detective Smith covers up the arson when reporters of the Daily Punctillo come to investigate the fire. He provides the reporters with Brett’s drawing, unaware that it actually concerns the Baudelaire mansion. The drawing may have ended up in the archives of the Daily Punctillo. The Daily Punctillo publishes an article on the “accident” (LSUA, p.184).

During “The Vile Village”

Lemony receives the suspicious letter from the Duchess at Veblen Hall while he’s interviewing witnesses about who was driving the car on the day the Quagmire triplets were smuggled out of the city by Olaf. He fears that someone may be impersonating the Duchess and writes a note about it (LSUA, p.30).

While the Baudelaire orphans are working at the Village of Fowl Devotees, Arthur Poe meets his sister Eleonora Poe in Damocles Dock. Their conversation is recorded by a mysterious individual (LSUA, pp.134-137). The transcript of the recording is later found by an unnamed individual.

During “The Hostile Hospital”

Olaf (under the alias of Al Funcoot) knows that the Baudelaire orphans are probably somewhere in the Hinterlands and that they’ll soon try to use a telephone or a telegram machine. In order to thwart them, he writes to Eleonora Poe under the alias of Al Funcoot, convincing her to publish articles about the danger of telephone poles and fake telegrams, and later writes to an unnamed person about said article. Esme also manages to phone/write Geraldine Julienne, ordering her to lock up Eleonora Poe once the articles are published.

Eleonora writes to Arthur Poe, warning him of the danger of fake telegrams. The telegram sent by the Baudelaire orphans in the Last Chance General Store (LSUA, p.140) reaches Arthur’s bank some time later and is as such ignored.

During "The Carnivorous Carnival”

While the Baudelaire orphans try to use the phone at Caligari Carnival, the unnamed person chops down the telephone poles. This ends the connection, leaving the Baudelaire orphans confused as to why the person on the other end isn’t responding anymore. Later on, the unnamed person writes back to “Al Funcoot” (LSUA, p.132-133), thanking him for the article.

Kit roams the financial district looking for scraps of newspapers. She writes a note about that to the cheesemakers (LSUA, letter on pp.75-76). The note and the scraps of newspapers are later found by an unknown person (LSUA, note to file on p.75).

During “The Slippery Slope”

Geraldine Julienne locks up Eleonora in the basement of the Daily Punctillo’s building. Eleonora sends a telegram to her brother (LSUA, p.141), but the message is ignored by Arthur Poe on the account of her article.

During “The Grim Grotto”

As he’s following the Baudelaire orphans’ footsteps, Lemony writes a letter to his sister Kit Snicket, instructing her to meet him at the Hotel Denouement, and slips it into the pages of the manuscript (end of Chapter Five) of “The Slippery Slope”. It’s extremely unlikely Kit ever received the manuscript as she seems to believe her brother is dead in “The End”. Indeed the V.F.D. meeting scheduled at Hotel Denouement happens during “The Penultimate Peril”, which would leave barely a day for said manuscript to be forwarded to Kit. One can only assume that the letter was kept within the manuscript and never removed (for sentimental reasons?). Interestingly the letter does not specify a date and “Hotel Denouement” could refer to the underground library beneath the pond rather than the building on the surface, which means that said meeting could have been scheduled much later than the building’s eventual destruction.

Arthur Poe sends a thank-you letter to Eleonora (LSUA, pp.138-139), including the two telegrams he received (LSUA, pp.140-141).

During “The End”

Remora slips on a banana peel and quits his job at Prufrock Prep. Kit Snicket is hired to replace him and teaches at Prufrock Preparatory School for a few days. This supposedly happens during the “days” the Baudelaire orphans live with the Islanders doing pretty much nothing on the Island (this undefined time period is described in Chapter Five of “The End). A photograph (LSUA, p. 127 and p. 142) is taken of Kit “supervizing” the children during gym class. Genghis and Tench no longer teach at Prufrock, so without anyone to teach them the Prufrock students just sit around looking at a camera during their gym class. During that time, Kit also seems to write a note (LSUA, p.154) about receiving the postcard intended for Lemony by the Prufrock librarian.

The Daily Punctillo publishes an article warning parents about their children reading forbidden books. The Spats parents send that article to Nero who subsequently fires Kit Snicket and writes back to the Spats parents in gratitude (LSUA, pp.129-131).

After “Chapter Fourteen”

Lemony eventually publishes an updated edition of “The Bad Beginning” with additional notes (The Bad Beginning: Rare Edition) in which he announces his intention to release the thirteenth and final volume of “A Series Of Unfortunate Events”.

Lemony is officially declared by the authorities. The Daily Punctillo publishes an official declaration of death, announcing a burial even though no body was identified (LSUA, p.3, see also the back cover with Lemony’s note). Lemony attends his own burial where photographs are taken (LSUA, p.4 and p.7). Lemony writes a note to explain the photograph and the Daily punctillo clipping and adds it to the Autobiography file (LSUA, pp.5-7).

Beatrice Baudelaire Jr eventually learns of his uncle and his research on the Baudelaire file. She starts tracking him down and sends him several letters (TBL, BB to LS #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5). Lemony does not answer these letters as he believes the author of these letters to be Esme impersonating Beatrice Baudelaire Sr.

Beatrice Baudelaire Jr eventually meet in person at a party. During the party, Beatrice Baudelaire Jr writes her uncle an apology note (TBL, BB to LS #6). Daniel Handler later writes about this party (LSUA, pp. ix-xvii and p.193) and the autobiography is finally published.

Lemony decides to publish the letters of both Beatrices and writes a letter to his editor (TBL, foreword). The final volume of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” (including “Chapter Fourteen”, which seems to have been written conjointly with Beatrice Baudelaire Jr) and “The Beatrice Letters” are then published.

[ask-de-writer]

SEA DRAGON’S GIFT : Part 75 of 83 : World of Sea

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SEA DRAGON’S GIFT

Part 75 of 83

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

140406 words

copyright 2020

written 2007

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

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Users   of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may   reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information   remains intact.  They may use the characters or original characters in   my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical   compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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New to the story?  Read from the beginning.  PART 1 is here

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Sarfin now looked as if the bundle of parchment had exploded.  The Council witness was outraged.  Blind Mecat was looking sightlessly sideways at Dark Iren and both were sporting Dragon grins, full of amusement and fangs.

Sarfin sourly agreed, “You have made your point.  This is the wrong Court for the matter of the counterfeiting.  Your proposal has merit and will be adopted after examination of the ships books.”

Kurin held out more parchments from the pile in front of her.  “Here. This is a fully referenced abstract.  It cites the Grandalor’s books by volume, page and line.  It will make the search much easier.”

This batch of parchment was gratefully accepted by the Judge, who was beginning to feel that things were out of his control.

“Now,” said Sarfin darkly, even angrily, we come to the admitted matter of slavery.  You stipulated that the Grandalor has violated the First Great Law, and sold victims into servitude.”

“I said no such thing, your Honor,” said Kurin politely.  “I said that they sold indentures to the Arrakan fleet.”

“It’s the same thing,” retorted Sarfin.

“Tis nae!” exploded Tanlin angrily.  “Do Oi look a slave?  Oi sold m’ indenture six times t’ earn m’ Master’s Certificate!  Oi made enough t’ buy a share o’ t’e Princimorn as well!”  More calmly, she explained, “Indenture, w’ich’s for a term fixed by contract, is t’e ‘eart o’ t’e Arrakan educational system. Each ship ‘as t’e duty t’ teach t’e young fry t’ read, write an’ figure.  After t’at, t’e youngsters decide w’at t’ey wont t’ do an’ sell t’eir indentures t’ learn.  T’e Master gets t’e person for a set term, paid in full at t’e start. T’e student gets room, board, payment for ‘is service an’ instruction in t’e art.  T’ere’s nae slavery.  W’at Barad did wa’ dune in Arrakan Water an’ legal t’ere.  T’e T’ird Groit Law, about respecting t’e law and customs o’ ot’er fleets in t’eir ane woters is all t’e defense Barad needs.”

“And the money from these sales that Barad made?” asked Captain Farrol with a skeptically raised eyebrow.

“Strictly regulated by Arrakan Law,” Kurin answered.  “A maximum of ten percent of the sale, after deducting specific documented costs of training, is available to the broker.  The balance must be paid to the student and to no other person whatsoever.”

“So,” asked Urson, “where does the Grandalor come up with these,” she spat the word, “indentures?  Violation of the Marriage Laws?”

Kurin looked at her with such pity that Captain Urson felt like crawling out a scupper.  “A friend of mine once said that if you want to ask a question, you should allow it to be answered, not answer it yourself.”  She turned to Barad.  “Sir, would you be so good as to explain to them where you got the students for your trade?”

Barad got slowly to his feet.  “Captain Urson, you in particular should know where my students come from.  Seven came from your ship alone. They chafed under your hard style of Captaincy and became trouble makers.  You put them off and they would have drowned had I not taken them in.  One is a lead deck-hand and content.  Another became a Master boat-builder.  A further one is a sail lofter.  The others are a bosun, Second Officer, First Officer and a Captain.  And you just threw them away.”

Barad put hands on hips and angrily surveyed the Court.  “I took men and women in when you found them inconvenient.  Easier to let them drown. You never investigated when they ‘disappeared’ because they were already condemned.  Now, you play at outrage.  Your mistakes live and prosper in the neighboring Arrakan fleet.  That is why the Arrakan trade has dropped off to nearly nothing.  They know you and your ways.”

He turned and faced Sarfin.  “Sir, of the whole Naral fleet, only your ship has never given me a student.  The only other ship like that is the Longin, and we did, to our regret, take on Silor Elon.”  

Kurin reached up and took Barad’s sleeve.  “We will tell that in it’s proper context.  Thank you for the clear explanation of where your students came from.”  

Barad looked down at her and smiled.  Then he sat.  

Sarfin looked like he could use one of Doctor Corin’s stomach cures.  “So, the indenture trade as conducted, is completely legal.  It has been the means of saving a fair number of lives into the bargain.

“Now, we must address the Charges, as they and the stipulated ramming are connected.”  Sarfin just looked tired and sad now.

“How do you plead to the First Charge.  Murder and attempted murder?”

Kurin stood before Sarfin, hands behind her back, the breeze ruffling her white hair.  “Captain Sarfin, we plead not guilty,” she said firmly.

“Kurin, we know that the plot to kill you, which miscarried and slew Garfin Halin Grython originated on the Grandalor.  At the highest levels, too,” Sarfin reminded her.

In genuine outrage, Kurin demanded, “What?  Is the Judge the prosecutor now?  Where is there justice in such a hearing?”

Sarfin actually cringed just a bit.  Then he said, “I must apologize.  You are correct.  The case against the Grandalor and her officers and crew to be determined will be presented by Council prosecutor, Captain Farrol.”  He smiled a little and added, “I will try to keep an open mind.  Captain Sula will assist me in that effort.  It was she who brought the fleet’s attention to the violation of the Grandalor’s rights and then made possible this expedition to restore those rights.”

Kurin immediately calmed herself.  “I apologize for my outburst, your Honor.  I have known you for a long time and am well aware that you have earned your nickname ‘the wise.’  All that I ask, for my clients and friends is that you set aside what you believe that you know and hear the case on its merits.  It is far different than even I believed, and I was a victim of the crimes involved.  If I believed that I were representing the criminals, I could not be here before you.”

That caused a small uproar among the audience.  Kurin could easily hear the words ‘young and gullible’ among others.  Her cheeks burned with the embarrassment of anger.  She did not consider herself gullible.

Sarfin regarded Kurin thoughtfully and nodded acceptance of her statement. Turning to Captain Farrol he asked, “Are you ready to proceed with the case against the Grandalor?”

“I am, your Honor,” he replied.  “The essence of the case is simple and the evidence compelling.

“About seven or eight Wohans ago, the Grandalor began to search for an Ord. Captain Barad, all of his officers and many of his crew participated in this search.  They finally obtained the deadly thing from the Dolthin.

“Ostensibly, the Ord was to be used for experiments in fishing.  The idea presented was to try to find a way to make it safe to catch large predator fish like Strong Skin, Wing Ray and Hag.  This was a transparent ruse.

“The real goal was murder.  Master Selked made a deadly awl out of one of the Ord’s spines.  The death-dealing awl was hidden in a kit of sail stitching tools.

“The target of the plot was none other than Kurin herself, who now defends the culprits!”  He pointed dramatically but his gesture was spoiled by Kurin yawning lightly behind her hand.

“Is that all?” she asked quietly.  “Garfin, I know, died of mishandling the awl because he didn’t know what it was.  That does make his death murder, of course.

“Do you have the sewing kit for evidence?”

Irritated that Kurin was being so direct, and stealing his thunder, Captain Farrol, said, “Of course.  It is right here.”  Donning a pair of gloves, he produced the box, once neat, now marred by the ugly green of Red Weed test paste, showing how far the contamination had spread.

Kurin addressed Sarfin politely, “Would you please get Masters Juris and Selked here?  I want their expert testimony.”

Captain Farrol immediately objected, “Master Selked is a part of the conspiracy.  His testimony is worthless.”

“Why not let the Court decide the value of his testimony?” Kurin riposted.  “Or do you have any need at all for the Second Great Law?  Willful violation of rights under the Great Laws is grounds for loss of Captaincy and Master’s Certification.  

“I wonder how the Captain’s Council would react if that matter were pressed.  There are those here,” Kurin gestured at at the rail, where five Great Sea Dragons were watching the proceedings, “who can press the issue if they have reason to do so.

“Blind Mecat, a question please.  How important are the Great Laws to the Dragons?”

“Little Fish, we regard the Great Laws as the core of human ecology.  Without them, both humans and many other species impacted by them all suffer,” Mecat replied.

“Thank you, Cat.  Captain Farrol, the purpose of this trial is to determine whether any of the accused are guilty of anything.”

TO BE CONTINUED

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[worddevdealswithml]

The Prince’s Bride

Chapter 20: Face to Face

“Marinette, I’m so sorry,” said Adrien, his forehead pressed against hers.

Marinette managed a laugh that was barely more than a breath.

“What hideous sin have you committed, lately?” she asked, and he could feel the warmth of her breath on his chin as she spoke.

“Well…” he said, and almost couldn’t continue, but…  “I got married.  I… I didn’t mean to, but the ring was on my finger, and… Apparently the Gilded Kingdom doesn’t need an ‘I do…’”

“Adrien…” she said, softly. “I don’t care.”

He blinked, and looked at her.

She smiled.  “For the past two years, I’ve been the most feared pirate on the seas.  I’ve had fleets chase me down to kill me, and they’ve never managed it.  Refusing to accept what’s supposedly a lawful marriage… It barely even registers at this point.  For that matter, it’s probably less lawful to have broken in tonight. Wouldn’t you agree, Gabriel?”

“I have no intent of needing to make the comparison,” said Gabriel, transformed into the purple of his Miraculous, sword in hand.  “This will be to the death.”

“Oh…” said Marinette, and she seemed disappointed.  “I wish.”

“You wish?”

“I wish I could kill you, but I wouldn’t subject Adrien to the sight of his own father’s death, nor could I live with myself if I knew that every time he looked at me, he knew I had killed you.”

“Then this fight will be over quickly.”

Marinette laughed, as Adrien backed away.  “Oh, I never said I wouldn’t fight.  No… What I intend to do might be even worse than death, to you.”

Gabriel raised his eyebrows. “Do tell.”

Marinette smiled.

“The first thing will be taking your Miraculous.  Obviously.”

“Of course,” said Gabriel.

“And then… Then I make you regret making it obvious that you recognized me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Back in the fire swamp. Don’t you remember?  You said I’d been ‘sabotaging’ you.  Except, you seemed to have forgotten that the orders you sent to your operatives were written.  Specifically, they were carrying their orders.  Meticulously dated, code-named, but easily traced back to the source, if you knew where to look.  And now I do. The pirate ship Revenge has almost 3 years of your orders.  At least, those that we found.  Nathalie’s name shows up once or twice.  You should probably have kept it encoded.”

Gabriel’s expression had soured.

“Every underhanded, backstabbing, treacherous bargain, assassination, or theft that you’ve made, all perfectly documented.”

“I made the mistake of not finishing you myself, last time.  Not this time.”

“Ah- Father?  What are you—

“Silence, Adrien.”

He gathered himself.

“What then?  You depose me, discredit me, then what? You leave this country as an annex of the Gilded Kingdom?  You let it collapse?  What skill do you have for leadership?”

“I’ve spent the past two years leading people into fights they aren’t guaranteed to survive.  I’ve spent the past five learning to be calm, calculating, and charismatic,” said Marinette, almost mockingly.  “Adrien’s spent his whole life learning to be royal. Add a few trustworthy advisors, and I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”

There was a long moment of silence, and then…

There was a shift in the way Gabriel held his shoulders, and he inclined his head slightly.  

“You should have come back 3 months ago.  You might have convinced me.”

“I should never have left; you’re not worth convincing.”

“Not even to convince me that you can fight?” asked Gabriel, shifting his grip on his sword, “You’re bluffing.  You’ve barely moved since I’ve entered the room.”

“It’s possible,” said Marinette, still motionless.  “I might be bluffing.  Maybe, I decided that the best way to die to the very definition of a villain was after putting a bit of fear in his chest.  Maybe I’m only lying here because I lack the strength to stand…”

Finally, she reached down, and extracted her baton.

“Then again…” she groaned, sitting up, “maybe I was buying myself time to recover my strength. Maybe you fell for it.”

She rose, ponderously, and Gabriel’s eyes widened, and he uneasily took a step away.

And then, she was on her feet.  

She lightly flipped the baton to her other hand, and in the newly freed one…

There was a crackle of dark, burning lightning.

“I seem to recall hearing that you saw what was left of Lila?” she said.  Gabriel gave her a searching look, and she smiled.  “I think even Adrien would forgive me if you… forced my hand.”  The smile dropped, and her expression was suddenly deadly serious.

“Hand over your Miraculous.”

And then…  Even Gabriel, with all the anger in his eyes, with all the care he took with his emotions, couldn’t quite hide the fear in his eyes.

He reached up, and… pulled the Miraculous away.

The sword vanished. The purple vanished, and he was once again in the formal clothes he’d been wearing to the wedding.

“Now.  Sit down,” said Marinette.

--

“The issue becomes how to tie you up,” said Marinette, “I can’t trust you to tdo it yourself, and I wouldn’t ask Adrien to do it, and nobody wants me to do it…”  she glanced at the storm in her hand, “I’d need both hands.”

The door opened, and the question was handily defused as Alya and Nino pushed inside.

They looked around.

“I see things went well,” said Alya, clearly the worse for the wear, but still standing tall.

“Oh, hey, dude,” said Nino to Adrien, “been a bit, huh?”

“I…  I suppose it has been,” said Adrien, slightly unnerved at the sight of his former captors.

“So…” said Marinette, “I don’t suppose one of you could take him outside, could you?”

Alya and Nino looked at each other.

“Yeah sure,” said Nino, and with the ease of a giant, pulled his unstoppably upwards, and out of the room.

Alya followed him.

And then…

“Well,” said Marinette.

“Well.”

“So?  What now?”

“I…” said Marinette. “I don’t know.  I had half an hour maximum to plan this, and I was mostly worried about getting in.  I had vaguely considered doing the thing where I made a dramatic entrance and ruined the wedding, but…”

She let out a breath, and her legs shuddered underneath her.

Adrien bolted forward, narrowly managing to stop her from falling.

“I’m not sure I’m up to that tonight,” she said.

“No,” said Adrien, “it’s okay, we can… we can…” he looked around, and managed to flop her over onto his bed.  “We can handle it in the morning.”

As she landed, she let out the groan of extended tension finally released.

“Right,” she said, “that’s… yeah…  In the morning.”

“Listen…” she said, “I’m just going to…  Just… Take a nap, okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, “I’ll be here.”

She managed to laugh, weakly.  “All that work to rescue you, and now you’re looking after me.”

“Yeah, well…  I’m sure you’d look after me if I couldn’t move.”

She smiled, eyes closed, and something in her face told him that she was already almost asleep.

That was fine.

This was fine.

It was all a mess, yes, but… He had Marinette with him, now.

Almost idly, he looked down at the Miraculous in his hand.

His hand clenched around it.

Nobody was going to pull them apart again; he knew that with the certainty of someone who didn’t care what the truth was supposed to be.  He’d make it the truth.

[kierakravec-blog]

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[loansinghfinanceblogme-blog]

After covering some amazing tourist friendly destinations throughout December, we finish off the first week of 2019 by looking at 3 more world famous destinations. Today, we look at Hong Kong and the best places to go visit within it.

Funds To Travel

We millennials love to work (or at least pretend to). We are so engrossed in our daily tasks, PPT presentations, client meetings, smoking breaks, unending gossip that we forget about the more important things in life, such as family, friends, pets and pizza.

Many of us promised our family that we would go on family vacation by the end of this year. Some of us might opt for spending the start of 2019 in a different country. Some might want to see the sun rise in the east (literally) or some would prefer ogling at the fireworks of Burj-Al-Dubai. We all have our individual plans and travel itinerary to follow.

Some of you might want to go on a world tour perhaps. Whatever the reason for the travel or whichever destination you want to visit, you will need funds. It is not easy for salaried individuals to keep aside some form of travel funds when there are so many priority expenses to cater to. So, what do salaried individuals do in order to go on a holiday? Apply for a travel loan of course.

What makes a travel personal loan so perfect for salaried millennials?

Travel Loan at Loan Singh

The unsecured aspect of a travel loan in itself makes it a potent financial solution in times of travel cash crunch. Suppose you remove the offline paperwork, delayed verification, repeated trips to the bank and delayed approval, from the travel loan availing process.  And then you turn the process online, with only 3 documents (to be uploaded), an approximately 5-minute application process and doing all this from the confines of your home. These features, my friends, make an online travel loan even faster to avail.

An online travel personal loan is a fantastic option during times of sudden travel plans. Sometimes, your savings might not cover the cost of a complete travel holiday. You might sometimes need to supplement your emergency travel fund with a shot of cash from other sources. It is true that a number of traditional lending institutions provide travel loans. But, isn’t an online travel personal loan synonymous with quick, instant and requiring less paperwork?

So, what’s the best source of travel funds to plan a sudden ‘zindagi milengi na dobaara’ travel trip? How can you travel the world with the least of hassles and no tension? How to apply for an instant travel personal loan? Are there any online travel personal loan providers in India? The single answer to all these questions is Loan Singh.

Which are the popular beach destinations in the world?

Travel Loan Features

Travel loans are a type of personal loan. These are provided to salaried professionals who are seeking funding for travel. More and more millennials are opting for online digital lending platforms to apply for travel loan. These platforms marry the instantaneous facet of online lending along with the swift backend processing of credit underwriting.

A simple travel loan application process is further coupled by instant e-approval based on credit worthiness. Even applicants with no credit score can apply for a loan, albeit with a 6-month salary credit. Thanks to travel loans at Loan Singh, millennials can now avail up to 10 Lakh for travelling to some of the most gorgeous and stunning locales around the world.

With travel personal loan being secured in nature, you do not need any collateral, guarantor or security. The travel loan can be used to cover travel (airfare, train, bus, Uber, Ola cab etc.), sightseeing, pilgrimage, accommodation, tours, excursions and shopping. Travel personal loan can be used for either domestic travel holidays across India or a foreign trip to go see the world.

Need funds to go see any part of the world or explore India?

Travel To Hong Kong

Ever wonder how those dramatic lit skylines you see on desktop wallpapers, actually look in real life? Do you wish to know where can you go see such a skyline close to India? Why Hong Kong of course!

From Hong Kong’s Times Square shopping mall to Victoria Harbour, the festivities simply take you on a whirlwind joyride. There is luxury shopping to experience, mouth-watering dishes to partake and absorb the unending energy of the city. Electronic gadgets are sold at each pavement, with people crammed at tiniest places. The city promises an interesting study in ancient Chinese culture along with its own. There are beaches, hikes and fishing villages to choose from.

Let’s start with Hong Kong Star Ferry. Dating back to the 1880s, the paid tourist ride is a cool place to start off your Hong Kong sojourn. The close by Victoria Harbor lets you visit ships in all sizes and shapes. While on the ferry trip, get a feel of Tsim Sha Tsui’s green mountains. The wide-open spaces are the opposite to the city’s tighter confines. The ferry can be boarded every 10 minutes, with a new one replacing the other. A laser light show in the evenings should be perfect to end the day.

The next place to go visit is the Victoria Peak. By riding a tram towards the top of the peak, you get a bird’s eye view of the city’s skyscrapers, islands and the Murray Building. The lush greenery of the nearby park will give you the impression of visiting a meadow among all the skyscrapers.

The Wong Tai Sin Temple is located at Kowloon and built in honor of the Taoist god Wong Tai Sin. The god is regarded as the bringer of good luck and healer of ills. The temple complex houses the Hall of Three Saints and the Good Wish Garden. A great place for some tranquility.

The Ocean Park in Hong Kong is a great place for some adventure. Filled with theme parks, roller coasters, exotic wildlife and a Grand Aquarium, the park also boasts of the world’s largest aquarium dome, which spans 5.5 meters in diameter. Thousands of fish (approximately 400 species), sea stars, sea cucumbers and a reef tunnel are part of the attraction. You can also participate in a Giant Panda Adventure, where you get to see the endangered Chinese Giant Salamander. You can also enjoy fun rides such as Space Wheel, Raging River, Mine Train etc. And then there is Disneyland too. Nuff said.

The largest free-standing statue of Gautam Buddha, the Tian Tan Buddha Statue is located atop Lantau Island. It took 12 years to be completed. You can watch the sun rise, and also get a great view of the surrounding islands. The Temple Street Night Market in Hong Kong is a great market to experience great foods and goods. You can buy everything from jade jewelry to electronics.

What are some useful travel tips when going abroad on a holiday?

About Loan Singh

Loan Singh is a digital lending platform that prides in providing online personal finance loan or unsecured personal loan to salaried individuals. You can apply for quick funds as an easy emergency loan which is not a bank loan. We provide a loan with the best personal loan interest rates. The instant funds, or instant loans, are loans between Rs. 50,000 and Rs.10,00,000 taken for purposes such as:

Home improvement loan/Home renovation loan

Marriage loan/ Wedding loan

Medical loan

Used vehicle loan

Consumer durable loan

Vacation loan

Debt consolidation loan

Credit card refinancing loan

Job relocation loan

Smartphone loan

Travel loan

Festival loans

Gold jewelry loan

Shopping loan

Lifestyle loan

Short term loans

You can calculate your easy EMIs using our personal loan EMI calculator. We accept bank statement and PAN, for quick loan approval. A bad credit score or credit report errors can lead to personal loan rejection. The ‘Loan Singh Finance Blog’ is one of the best finance blogs in India. Loan Singh is a product of Seynse Technologies Pvt Ltd and is a partner to the Airtel Online Store.

Loan Singh’s Online Presence

Loan Singh is not an anonymous digital platform. We are present on almost all leading social media platforms. All you need to do is look for us. You can find us on Loan Singh Facebook, Loan Singh Twitter,Loan Singh Google+, Loan Singh YouTube, Loan Singh Pinterest, Loan Singh Instagram, Loan Singh LinkedIn, Loan Singh Blogarama, Loan Singh Google Business, Loan Singh Bank Bazaar, Loan Singh Medium, Loan Singh Reddit, Loan Singh Tumblr, Loan Singh Scoop It, Loan Singh Feed, Loan Singh Storify, Loan Singh Digg, and Loan Singh Blogger.

Loan Singh In The News

Loan Singh in Business Standard, Loan Singh in inc42, Loan Singh in Financial Express, Loan Singh in ZeeBiz, Loan Singh in Economic Times, Loan Singh in Analytics Mag, Loan Singh in Know Startup, Loan Singh in Deals4Loans, Loan Singh in Airtel Press Release, Loan Singh in TechCircle, Loan Singh in Medianama, Loan Singh in Hindu Business Line, Loan Singh in Digital Terminal, Loan Singh in Tele Analysis, Loan Singh in India Info Online, Loan Singh in Daily Pioneer, Loan Singh in Ciol, Loan Singh in Livemint, Loan Singh in MoneyControl, Loan Singh in Owler.

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