#queen elizebeth i

[othmeralia]

John Dee needed to make this note about good angels... I wonder what he wrote about bad angels!

Found inside: A true and faithful relation of what passed for many yeers between Dr. John Dee (a mathematician of great fame in Q. Eliz. and King James their reignes) and some spirits

[hanmeowsung]

I have less feelings about queen liz dying than I had of tankhun’s pet koi Elizabeth dying

[ch3st3r3]

What the hell is going on; 8-9th September 2022 edition

- Combination of Tumblr and Twitter polls announce Sans (a character from the games Undertale and Deltarune) the winner of the Tumblr Sexyman poll between him and Reigen, a character from the anime “Mob Psycho 100”. #Sanssweep

- Toby Fox, creator of Undertale and Deltarune wrote a fan fiction about Sans victory over Reigen, making Reigen cannon in the Undertale/Deltarun universe.

- Pokemon Company announced a new upcoming Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet “Klawf”.  

- Queen Elizebeth of UK dies at age 96.

- The Crab rave meme is often used as celebration, with Tumblr celebrating the Queen’s death and Klawf getting wrapped up in the wave of crave rave memes.

- The beloved meme cat Thurston Waffles passed away :(

- “Destiel” the pairing of Dean and Castiel from the TV show “Supernatural”. When this ship was announced as cannon, Vladimir Putin resigned as President of Russia. Many are drawing comparisons between a monumental Tumblr event and the removal of a country’s head from power as the wheels of history repeating the motion.

note that Destiel and Putin resigning as PRESIDENT of Russia happened in November 2020 - Putin is still currently Prime Minister of Russia

- September 8th is Star Trek Day, in which a character called Data references the “Irish Reunification of 2024″. Many see the Queen’s death as phase 1 of this.

- It is US Senator Bernie Sander’s 81st birthday. Happy Birthday Bernie!

- Splatoon 3, a game featuring intelligent aquatic wildlife having built a society, releases on September 9th

- Youtube star Trisha Payta gives birth 3 minutes after the Queen dies.

- A Pine Marten, a small stout, has been sighted in London for the first time in 100 years

- Kiwi Farms, a social media site for extremists, “worst place on the internet”, has shut down

Im sorry but I don't have links to all of these, this is just a summary of what is going on

I’m glad that folks ARE questioning and fact checking this summary, it’s good to fact check anything these days and that has prompted me to clarify some parts of the post while others are updating the information. There’s a lot going on in the world right now and to view it solely through tumblr lenses means y’ won’t get the whole story. I hope this post, while not 100% correct, updates and explain some parts of current events to lead them into doing their own independent investigation into the full story.

EDIT 2023: happy 1 year anniversary to this post. What a lot has happened in one year.

[babeluvvy]

PROM QUEEN

SHOTO T. X MUSICIAN!READER

¨God save the prom queen..¨

a/n: first post! This is based on the song ´prom queen’ by molly kate kestner! but basically think of the reader as Hannah Montana, the reader's mother is in fact a hero (an American hero who came to japan for school!)

Feel like this isnt my best but i can't wait to go on school break 😔✊

WARNINGS: abuse, kinda cringe(??????) & fem reader

wc: 2.2k

You had an interesting life, scratch that, it was horrible

You hated it

Your mother was a prohero in America and your father? Never knew him. Your mom was young when she had you and now she blames everything going bad on you. It's not like its her fault that she was the one who got pregnant

But according to her it was your fault

Whatever, you didn't care but you also didn't have control over your own life. Your outfits were picked by the best designers, your makeup always perfect, your hair always in a fabulous style, friends? Who needs them when you are perfect, but that would make you cold, So actor friends it was

This was your life

The perfect child. Straight A´s, handsome and rich boyfriends, the prettiest friends, and the perfect life

You hated all of this- you didn't want this!

You loved something else

Music

That was your passion, making beats, singing, just everything about music made you happy, nothing could beat the lovely feeling you got when playing your drums or singing to a new beat you created in the basement of you castle like house-

You loved it, but your mom hated it. She hated all this- for ruining her life the least you could do was be the perfect daughter she wanted!

¨Y/N!¨ your mother yelled at you, you were in the basement again playing your drums, she´ll make sure the maids threw it away today ¨Why did Elizebeth call me and tell you blew her off today?¨ she question her face red ¨I just wanted to be by myself for a while, we hang out everyday- i barely get time to myself anymo-¨ a slap echoed across the room and your cheek began to feel hot it was stinging. Your mother slapped yo– ¨The least you could do is hang out with your friends for a few hours!¨ ¨Those people are not my friends!¨ you yelled back and yelped when she grabbed you by your ear ¨I think you forgot who you are speaking to.¨ she said looking into your eyes, you forced your eyes closed.

You just wanted to find people who could relate to you

So you did

You made a band, Bear, whos real name was Tod was you drummist, May was your guitarist, Lauren you bass and Opa who was your pianist

These were your people

But when your mother informed you that when older you would go to UA, going to one of– no! The top hero school in japan

Not gonna lie, you were proud of yourself! You wanted to be a hero for those like you, a hero who can make people smile with either actions or music, but now you'll be learning how to do both! So you made a plan

Your mother normally sent you an allowance every week and you decided that you and your friends will live together– since your mother was staying in America you'd have a house to yourself!

And the first few months of UA were the best– and now you and your band are performing in japan (after learning japanese, opa still sometimes slip up) but besides that everything was great! Excellent! Grades were still up, with a disguise no one knew you were America's number 4 heroś daughter, everything was how you wanted it..!

Until you start falling for Shoto, could you blame yourself? He was charming, he was sweet and he was nice. He was a little awkward and clueless but that's just how he is, And you loved that

So you got closer to him– and closer, but nothing ever happened because he was dunce and you were to coward

¨Guys i just got some tickets for the S/N concert! I got 4 tickets!¨ Izuku said holding up the tickets, you turned to look ¨but there's 5 of us¨ Tsu said looking at the rest of us 

¨Oh shoot– you're right..¨ he said looking at us ¨Well i could sit out! You guys can go i have to train anyways–¨ ¨No!¨ you said crushing his suggestion down immediately

¨I have a meeting with my mother so i'll just sit out of this one! Plus if my mom found out i went to one of her concerts id be 6ft under ground anyway¨ you murmured ¨And its final!¨ you said sternly and watched as they began to plan

You had to go to practice cause you had a concert tonight anyways, you waved your friends bye and quickly made it to the bus stop and to the traditional japanese home your mother bought for you– ¨ Y/NNN!!¨Opa yelled while running to hug you, you chuckled and hugged her back feeling that she was extremely cold 

¨I learned a new trick for the concert tonight! I kinda got inspiration for your class at the school festival¨ she giggled “make sure ask Bear to warm you up before you get sick, cause i am NOT taking care of you” you spoke even though you knew you would. She groan and turned around calling out for Bear

Time to work!

You cleared your throat and fixed on the (f/c) wig you had on your hair, you turned to look at your bandmates “Boss! We’re about to go on stage!” you heard Lauren yell and taking the violin from its case 

Opa having her piano on her waist and having the stand in her hand. You smiled and fixed your outfit before finally going on stage

‘’HELLO MUSUTAFU!’’ the crowd erupted in shouts of ‘’i love you’’s and ‘’omg its actually them’’s 

You scanned the crowd and spot mixed hair– it was  your classmates

Shit.

You thought to yourself while looking at May, she saw the worry on your face and gave you a nod, you had to do this, people came for you and paid for you

No matter what you were going to play

And hey, maybe you can show off a little too!

It was going amazing and you finally made it to the final song of the album– ‘prom queen’ you wrote it a while ago when you were in middle school– you were proud of it, it was one of your most known songs

You cleared your throat as the song began–

‘’God save the prom queen, Teenage daydream; just another dressed up heartbreak”

You sang in the mic hear the background music play in your ears 

“God save the prom queen, only 16– turned her tears to diamond in her crow–wn..” you said as the back up people use their water quirks to show a girl who looks like you holding a crown and crying

You heard Bear beat on the drums as you continued to sing “she's the first in line at the party– she's the first in line at the club! And she's got that body, always gotta flaunt it, everybody’s looking up” the crowd shouting and singing with you and watched as May helped the backup dancers and made the water form the girl walking with a guy behind her 

“When she walks by you wanna be her and your boyfriend not to see her! Cause she's got that fire, doesn't even try– her booty has its own zip code–”

You look in the crowd as your classmates dance– except Shoto..

You made eye contact with him and the crowd sung 

“The all the peasants bow down!’’ and everyone bowed as a joke everyone but Shoto

Your eyes never leaving his, you continued to sing “God save the prom queen! Teenage daydream, just another dress up heartbreak! Only 16! Turned her tears to diamonds in her cro-own!”

You looked away from Shoto and looked at her bandmates and the water turning into a crown

You cried in your room, you again got yelled at by your mother for not getting an A + plus on your test. It was a science test but so small– why did she have to be like this! Not everything had to be perfect! She wasn't perfect! So why did you have to be perfect? 

‘I wish someone could save me..’

“Diamonds in her crown!” you yelled into the mic as your eyes welled with tears. You quickly wiped them away before they could fall

You looked back at Shoto and you could swear he had a look in his eyes– he knew.. He knew this wasn't S/N it was you..

You knew– you could feel that he knew

She looked away from him feeling ashamed– “Take a look at the future, who knows what's ahead? There's a house on a hill with an indoor pool and a millionaire in her bed!” the body of water turning in a man who has a ‘charming’ smile but horns and a tail appear on him showing that he was evil

“And the years go by and she still dreams– ‘She's the hottest girl in town’”

She danced with the mic in her hand and watched as everyone shouted loudly– “And the makeup's stronger, gotta wear it longer Just to keep a man around..”

“Were over '' What? You chuckled thinking he was joking “What?” you asked and looked at him and saw how serious he was “What..?” you asked again “You just– you're just not my type and your mom is cutting my pay back..” your eyes widened as you heard you mom was PAYING him!? You couldn't believe it– why did you believe him when he asked you out–

‘I wish someone could save me..’

“God save the prom queen! Teenage daydream, just another dress up heartbreak! Only 16! Turned her tears to diamonds in her cro-own!” you said looking at Shoto again, his eyes had sympathy, his brows frown

“And she lives her dream through the magazines.. And her daddys gone and she needs someone…”

You felt the water swell in your eyes slowly creeping to fall out

“And she got the looks and the boys on hooks! But she’ll trade it all for a heart that's who–ole..!”

‘I'll make you regret being treated me like trash, mom.. Everyone will know how you really are– the true you..’

May clicked a button and behind you there was screenshots of messages between you and your mother, bruises from her and others, muted videos of your mother throwing and yelling things at you

Everyone went silent as you looked in the crowd and saw Shoto staring at you and mouth the lyrics

“God save the prom queen..” 

You began to cry and ripped the wig off your heard, your grip on the mic got tighter as you held on– felt like you were gonna fall to your knees

“God save the prom que–en! Teenage day dre–eam!” You screamed in the mic, your mascara running down your face

“She turned to tears! She turned her tears to diamonds in her cro-own…” you sang softly as everything went black and you looked around. And walked back stage

You heard commotion from the back rooms you quickly went over to see Izuku, Tsu, and Ochako trying to hold back and angry Shoto while he's arguing with the guards

You quickly went over “Guys! Guys!” you say panicked and watched the guards look at you 

“Ma’am– this boy was trying to come back here! He tried to burn me and Mu” your guard said grabbing Shoto by the arm

You told him to calm down and watched as Shoto quickly hugged you tightly, you stumbled back being surprised by the hug from Shoto, you hugged back while shaking slightly

He hugged tighter “i know what it's like” he whispered in your ear and you completely broke down again crying in his white shirt

Life is now better!

You cut your mother off ! She sometimes wish you happy holidays and you guys sometimes but besides that she doesn't talk to you, she is now a retired hero– well forced to retire

After your concert she was pressured to stop doing hero work and turn in her hero license 

You still were getting paid from her cause she want to ‘make up’ you felt bad at times but this was her fault

She did this to herself, you did still visit from time to time, because Shoto is doing the same with his father and learning to forgive him so should you

Yes, you and Shoto were together, after the concert you two went on dates and he soon asked you the question, to be his girlfriend and ofc you said yes!

“Princess” he called out to you, you turned around and made eye contact with him with a soft smile

You quickly went up to him and gave him a hug as he chuckled– it was your second anniversary 

You both were 3rd years at UA and graduation was soon

He rested his forehead on yours and closed the gap between you both and his soft lips met yours

You pulled away and smiled at him

“Hey Sho..” you said softly, you heard him let out a soft ‘hmm’ you gave a peck to his lips again and looked in his mixed eyes

“Thank you for saving me..”

[imagineanime2022]

She's A Gamble

Ciel Phantomhive X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 882

Requested: Anon

Request: If it’s okay, can I request Ciel with a fem!s/o who’s like Celestia Ludenburg from Danganronpa? If you don’t know who that is I’ll give a brief description. S/o is really good at gambling, like she has never lost a match, really intelligent, dresses in a gothic Lolita like style, lies a lot to get her way and she get really scary when she’s angry.

AN: Ciel is aged up for this, I know canonically he went to a lot of seedy places but we’re just going to age him up for the themes and romance.

Ciel met you when he was investigating something for the Queen, you had caught his eye as the only woman in the place and seemingly the most sort out gambling opponent and in some cases ally. You were dressed in a gothic lolitia style dress, it was black with the pastel purples accented lace and accessories, honestly from Sebastian’s point of view you matched the young master perfectly and that was only proven more right with you sharp tongue and you ability to turn any situation into a winning one.

You glanced at the queen's guard dog as he walked into the small underground gambling ring. “Don’t get distracted sweetheart.” One of the men on your right spoke and you looked at him and rolled your eyes. “I’m not distracted.” You answered, putting your cards on the table and effectively ending the game, you gathered the winning that you had acquired but before you could move away from the table the man grabbed your arm, you glanced down at the harsh grip around your wrist. “Sebastian.” You vaguely heard across the room before a shadow loomed over you but you looked up at the tall butler and smiled. “Please sir, go back to guarding your master. I can handle this thug.” The smile on your face was sweet, almost sickeningly so, you were almost unnerving to the others around, the man in front of you that you later learned was Sebastian bowed in response and stepped back, though he still remained close in case you needed help. You easily twisted your arm out of his grip and slammed the man's face into the table. “I’ve been attending these underground meetings for as long as I can remember so I suggest you think before you attack me next time, your status does not protect you down here.” “You’ve been here before?” Ciel asked as you walked past him. “Ciel Phantomhive.” You smiled, you were trying to be friendly it would seem but Ciel had been lied to before. “You know my name?” He asked. “Everyone knows the name of the best bachelor in town, you know after you and Elizebeth parted ways, every eligible bride had your name in their mouth and all of their father’s ended up here.” You explained. “I told you young master you are somewhat sought after.” Sebastain said from his place behind him. “You’ll do.” Ciel finally said and you looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “For what?” You asked, leaning towards him. “I intend to destroy this place by order of the queen, you are going to help me do it.” He said and you looked at him and smirked. “As you wish.” You nodded. “Your name?” Ciel asked. “I’m sure you already know that.” You said as you disappeared into the crowd to continue your winning streak.

Years later and the ring was shut down but you hadn’t left Ciel’s life in fact he offered you shelter in his home after realising that you didn’t have anywhere else to go. He noticed that if you were good at talking, should you find yourself in a situation that could ruin his reputation or that of someone close to the family, you could talk your way out of the problem and even sometimes flip the blame. People just assumed that you were a couple considering he would usually take you to events, dance with you or use you to redirect attention.

Before you knew it you were acting like a couple without having made it official so one day after Sebatian had brought Ciel his tea you decided to go and see him. “Ciel.” You called as you opened the door, the other servants had nearly had a heart attack when they realised how informally you addressed the young master. “(Y/N) what are you doing up here?” He asked. “I wanted to ask you something.” You said closing the door as you walked towards the desk, he had the tea Sebastian had brought him in his hand. “Yes?” He urged you to continue. “Well I wanted to ask you about how long you planned to string me along.” You said, you had decided on the way up that you needed to be more direct otherwise he just wouldn’t understand what you were saying but by the way that his cheeks heated up you might have been too direct. “Excuse me?” He asked. “”Well you treat me like someone you are courting and yet you haven’t asked me for permission.” You smiled as you walked around the back of the table to stand in front of his chair which had been side facing the whole time. “Any reason for that?” “I was unaware that was how you felt.” He said after a moment of thinking “do you want an official courting?” “Do you remember what I called you when you first met me?” You asked as you leaned forward, hands on either arm rest effectively caging him in as your face got closer to him “who wouldn’t want that, my love?” You leaned forward pressing a quick kiss to his lips before standing up and leaving “I’ll be waiting for your official proposal.” Ciel didn’t say anything he just watched as you left through his office door.

Request Here!!

[sassyfrassboss]

https://twitter.com/whoopigoldberg/status/1567948960408518656?s=46&t=vUSIwUcFS348kcPwc54PYQ

WHOOPI?!

Several years ago, I met Queen Elizebeth at The Royal Variety Performance of 2009. As she approached me, all i could think of was WTH?? I’m an American kid from the projects and I’m in the company of the Queen of England. I was in awe. Rest In Peace. God Save the King

Like @the-empress-7 said earlier...we are about to see the amazing power and respect the monarchy holds in this world.

[espionn]

hey so fun fact, today is the anniversary of the first time i told my gf i loved her, the date of which i remember because it was the day the queen of england died. and i did that specifically bc i knew this way i would remember. so it is an actual factual statement i can make that the death of queen elizebeth ii actively caused a pair of dumbass gay people to admit they were in love. happy fucking dead queen day everyone

[opinionatedscreamsintothevoid]

Why are people celebrating the Queen’s death?

  I mean, maybe I’m just a party pooper or don’t understand something, but I find it really strange and very disrespectful that people are doing this.

   I was raised to respect the dead, especially if they were recently deceased, and while people like Hitler may be slightly except,(strictly on the grounds of how awful they were and all the hurt they caused.), I don’t remember Queen Elizebeth ever doing anything to warrant so much disrespect?

   Could someone enlighten me on this? I’m confused.

[casawio]

we're on lunch which means i got to yell "QUEEN ELIZEBETH THE SECOND IS DEEEAAD"

[shipcestuous-two]

Today I learned that, last year after Prince Phillip's death, a bunch of people gave Lana Del Rey shit on Twitter for tweeting "I've always loved the way they loved" about Queen Elizebeth & Prince Phillp... because they're distant cousins. These people are so fucking stupid, I'm so tired. 🤦🏽‍♀️ (Of course, it's Lana, so they'll give her shit about anything she says or does. 🙄)

I really don't know what to do with people sometimes. I'm tired too!

They're not even first cousins.

[machomannrs]

sara paylon and casey paylon

the fort mcmurray chriastian who moved above bohiemia and threw a bag of dog crap at me as mulder of the FBI walked past me.

the bilble thumpers from fort mcmurray alberta who burned down the railways station in waterways

these are the owners of the waterways vegitable gardens in fort mcmurray

lauriepedelibourde@gmail.com                     queen elizebeth 2            irene from al anon

the waterways vegitable gardens employ mexican s who rake up leaves on the streets of fort mcmurray alberta and lay sod on new house developments. the heros of jalisco. the bombaderos who fight the fires of alberta. newsapers heros of jalisco

sara paylon daughter casey who killed her children, the girl having sexin the phych ward fort mcmurray eatting act2 microwave popcorn. having sex on the phych ward. dr oflynn diagnosed HYSTERIA 1993 northern lights regional health center fort mcmurray-

i expect them to all be exicuted by firing squad

i am kelly brian dombrowski

in puerto vallarta.

this is a command

exicute these cowards in the hills and lets the animals eat thier corpres

 bobederos de mexico.

[farawayeyes4]

The Shakespearean Ciphers Examined: An Analysis of Cryptographic Systems Used as Evidence That Some Author Other Than William Shakespeare Wrote the Plays Commonly Attributed to Him by William F. Friedman and Elizebeth S. Friedman.

This book examines in exquisite and rational detail why and how every cipher (most often attributed to Francis Bacon) applied to the Works of William Shakespeare is invalid and null. The Friedmans were top cryptoanalysts in their day. Elizebeth Friedman is famous for being the codebreaker that decrypted Al Capone’s messages and less famous for being the cryptanalyst that broke the Nazi spyring in South America during World War II. Her husband, William Friedman worked for the government as a cryptanalyst and worked on Nazi spyrings in Europe. This book, written after the War, examines the cryptography often ascribed through the centuries to disprove Shakespeare’s authorship. They meticulously explain, provide historical reference, test, and debunk each method deployed by what they call Baconians who favor Francis Bacon as author of the Works. They delve into printing practices of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, also proving the ciphers used to be false. It is highly readable and understandable. The oddest elements of theories they debunk have more to do with who Baconians believe Francis Bacon to be and less to do with their belief in authorship of the plays, although that is intertwined into it. The Friedmans detail and address the ciphers also commonly believed to be hidden within the Works by Baconians that detail the parentage of Bacon. They believe, with no evidence whatsoever, that Francis Bacon was the product of a love affair between Queen Elizabeth I and her favorite Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Not only is he royal, there’s evidence that he’s also the half brother of Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex and that the Earl conspired with the Queen to kill Dudley, their father while he was his own mother’s lover. That Baconians believe these notions makes the entire cipher element all the more implausible in its presentation. For the question of authorship and the examination in my book chapter, none of this is really relevant to the question save to be a counter to a documentary that relies on the very ciphers debunked heavily by the Friedmans nearly 60 years before the documentary was produced. In the end, it should not matter who wrote the Works of Shakespeare. After all, they still exist no matter what name is slapped on it. Rather, it matters most to those who have divided themselves into the camps of Baconians or Stratfordians. Personally, I find the cipher to be beyond ridiculous not because I believe that strongly in Shakespeare’s authorship, rather it’s because it is so beyond over complicated. Is it not simple enough that Shakespeare is Shakespeare and wasting precious time pouring over text to dig up some wild cipher to prove otherwise is just silly? And why Francis Bacon (who Baconians also believe wrote all of Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe, Philip Sidney, and a handful of other notable Elizabethan authors on top of his own works)? It just seems tedious when one thinks it through, and it is clear by the end of the book that the Friedmands have found the exercise just so.

[princynic]

happy january 1st everyone! in a need for repetition and consistency i went onto roblox for the first time in a while and i saw

oh boy!!! i can’t wait to play Queen Elizebeth Obby [RIP] on ROBLOX as recommended to me By ROBLOX! thank you ROBLOX!!!!!!!!!!! im so excited :)

[yourlocalloserdefunct]

Songs that radiate...

Micheal Afton energy!

Boys Will Be Bugs - Cavetown

Wolf In a Sheep's Clothing - Set It Off

Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus

Guess I'll Go Eat Worms - (???)

Evan Afton energy! (Crying Child)

It's My Party - Lesley Gore

Suck It Up - MARETU

Treehouse - Alex G

Locket - Crumb

Elizebeth Afton energy!

Icicles - The Scary Jokes

Daddy Issues - The Neighborhood

Candle Queen - Ghost and Pals

Kill the Lights - Set it Off

William Afton energy!

When He Died - Lemon Demon

Hey Kids - Molina

Bust Your Kneecaps - Pomplamoose

Choke - I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

Henry Emily energy!

Bruno is Orange - Hop Along

Just Take My Wallet - Jack Stauber

Spy? - WHOKILLEDXIX

I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire - The Ink Spots

Rb with a suggestion if you want a FNaF kinnie playlist made for you! Thank you!

[flareondotcom]

that one post ive seen floating around about living in a bit of a bubble of tumblr mutuals and then getting suckerpunched by encountering someone irl who’s like ‘wow the british monarchy is so classy and cool’ is Absolutely true bc one time i mentioned casually that i was following the is-queen-elizebeth-dead-yet countdown tumblr account and how amusing it was, and my friend was like “wow damn... what did she do???” and i was like. im sorry? and they were like “what did the queen do to make ppl hate her that much” and i was like. you want me to. show you receipts,, on the brittish royal family??? the monarchy? of England? is that what youre asking? 

[scorrigan]

I was watching a show on dvd and the last season is not on netflix, so I am revisiting.

Black Adder

some people latched on to british imports like monty python, doctor who, or fawlty towers, but what was on when I was watching was Black Adder.

This is the show that the Mr Bean dude made before Mister Bean. 

It takes place in 4 centuries, the first show in the 1480s, as an alt history of Richard the 4ths bastard son; the second in queen elizebeth I’s reign, the third  in regency, and the fourth in the trenches of world war I.  The first black adder is a coward and a dolt, but his descendants are shrewd, cunning, ironic, cowardly, and all ultimately doomed.  As the character get’s poorer, his wit seems to grow until he achieves a kind of heroic nihilism surviving among more powerful idiots in the trenches of world war 1.