#martha washington goes to war

[holy-shit-comics]

#martha washington #martha washington goes to war #give me liberty #dark horse comics #comics #comic books #frank miller

[omercifulheaves]

Martha Washington Goes To War Art by Dave Gibbons

#comics #martha washington goes to war #martha washington #dave gibbons #frank miller

[multifamdomfan]

Hi, if requests are still open and if you still write for Hamilton could I request an imagine where the fem!reader was Alex’s wife, they met and fell in love during the Winter's ball. And, she first met him when she was in the war (dressed as a man) but Alex never knew it was her until he found out himself. And maybe has a near-death experience fighting in a duel for any reason you want. And years later, she maybe becomes a lawyer/statesman or whatever as long as she's not a housewife and she finds out Alex had an affair and she like goes to Laurens for comfort but he ends up confessing he has loved her since day one when they met at the Winter's ball but saw she was so much happier with Alex (and it's kind of like an Angelica situation.) and how he would have never if he knew that was what Alex was going to do to her. And finally, he asked her to be with him. Also, could you please make the reader Washington's adopted daughter? I know it's a lot but even if you don't do it, thank you for just reading it. I just kinda wanted a lot of angst followed by fluff but since I can't stand the thought of having been with some who cheated on me and didn't love me, could you please make Alex still love the reader but realize if he wanted her to be happy, he would have to let her go and as soon as the Reader is thinking "You know what? I should forgive." He just dies. I feel bad for the Reader, not gonna lie. Thank you again. <33

Prompts: "May I have this dance?" (Hamilton to Reader) "Shit, are you bleeding?!" (Hamilton to Reader) “You need to leave. Right now.” (Reader to Hamilton) “You need to let her go.” (Anyone who seems right to Hamilton) "Those things you said yesterday… Did you mean them?" (Laurens to Reader) But hey, it’s up to you, I'm just giving suggestions on what I was thinking.

Note: And yes, in my fantasy world, Laurens doesn't die and is still alive in Act II.

😮😍 I love this request! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I hope you don't mind but I'm turning this into a two part.

warning: angst,character death,cheating

Why does love hurt so much? Pt. 1

I was reading my book in my room when my dad, George Washington, knocked gently against the door. Well if you want to get technical he's my adoptive dad. My biological parents when I was young and was sent to the orphanage when George and his wife ,Martha, adopted me. I closed my book and put it down and called out "Come in!" When Dad came in I immediately knew that something was wrong. He was fiddling with his hands and his eyes cast down onto the floor looking frantic. "What is it father?"

"Y/N I need to tell you something," I looked at him curiously while Dad was looking like he was trying to find the right words to say. "There is really no way to say this but I'm going to go to war." He said this quickly and nervously watching to see how I'll react.I didn't respond, not at first I looked at him with a blank expression trying to comprehend what he just said.

"What?" He remained silent like he was waiting for me to tell, scream, or do something. "Let me come with you, I can help!"

"No! You're not coming, it's too dangerous."

"But you're going! You will be there to look after me and you taught me to use a gun since I was ten!"

"I won't always be there to look after you, I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you. Just promise me that you won't follow me."

I sighed in defeat "I promise." Dad came up to me and hugged me. I hugged back thinking about how I lied to his face.

I put my hair that's now shoulder length and tied my hair up. I looked down at myself with my uniform on with bandages over my breast to flatten them out. I nodded at my reflection in approval before walking out of my tent. My dad found out that I was pretending to be a man to fight in the war immediately but he kept my secret.

I approached my friends Lafayette, Hercules, John, and Alexander. We became friends quickly, and no. They have no idea that I'm a woman and plan to keep it that way. There is one problem, I developed a crush on one of the four men. It's Alex, I couldn't help it. He's passionate, smart, and kind. "Hey James!" Hercules called over to me.

Yes James is the name that I chose because it was my biological dad's name. "Hi." I responded, lowering my voice and octive to keep from sounding too feminine. I sat next to Alexander and joined in on the conversation before we heard a loud noise. We all turned our heads to see what it was. It was the red coats, we sprung into action grabbing our guns.

There was death all around us with an overwhelming smell of blood but we had to keep moving I killed a couple men before they could kill me first. Then I was a man aiming for Alexander about to shoot, without thinking I shoved him out of the way and took the bullet. All I could hear was a distant yelling at the word "James!" He quickly rushed over and got in my field of vision. "Shit, you're bleeding."

"You need to leave. Right now." I responded not wanting him to find out. Alex ignored what I said and ripped my shirt off and saw the bandages being soaked with blood. He looked shocked at first but knew it wasn't the time to talk about it and used my shirt to apply pressure to the wound and rushed me to the medics.

#alexander hamilton #alexander hamilton x reader #hamilton x reader #hamilton musical #hercules #marquis de lafayette #john laurens #john laurens x reader #george washingdad #martha washington #george washington

[lizardsfromspace]

A while ago I watched Deliverance, the 1919 biopic of Helen Keller that stars Helen Keller as Helen Keller and over which she was supposed to have creative control, and if you've ever been curious when the de-politicization of Helen Keller started, the answer is apparently "while she was alive, in movies she starred in as herself (and where Anne Sullivan played herself, too)"

Unlike the Miracle Worker it follows her into adulthood (the first act is her childhood, the second act her college years, and the third is contemporary), like the Miracle Worker it doesn't get into what she did after learning language besides learning a lot, unlike the Miracle Worker it does feature Martha Washington, the young black girl who was the first to communicate with her and who helped her develop a improvised system of signing before Anne Sullivan ever met her, but she's only featured as a racist "comic relief" character. Regardless the first act of the movie - the story of The Miracle Worker, abridged - is the best part

I'm not sure what the movie is going for, and I don't think the people involved really knew, either - it sounds like Keller wanted it to be more psychological and the director wanted it to be more traditional? Sometimes it's a straightforward biopic and sometimes it dives into fantasy sequences (including one random cutaway to Jesus?), and it turns out the story of adult Helen Keller is pretty ambling and directionless when you remove everything she did, said, and believed in in favor of a blandly inspirational education narrative

So the actual story arc belongs to a entirely fictional (as far as I can tell?) character named Nadja, who's introduced as a childhood rival of Helen Keller. See, when they were in grade school Helen Keller stole her crush from her and their teacher liked her better, and they don't interact again after that, and Nadja doesn't seem to have any lingering hostility towards Helen Keller or blind people, but the movie constantly cuts to her terrible, sad life. Her husband dies and her son goes off to World War I and comes back blind, and apparently this plotline existed to show the plight of blind Great War veterans, but they never really have a rivalry in the first place and Nadja/Keller never really contrast each other, since Nadja's poor and sad from the jump. However accidentally, it's framed like this is her karmic punishment for having a grudge against Helen Keller so minor a romcom antagonist would call it "pointless" and "easy to resolve"

Anyway the movie's only political stance is a sense of patriotism for the noble, necessary sacrifices of World War I, which was. Not Helen Keller's opinion on the war, I feel

Helen Keller boycotted the premiere of her own movie since there was a strike on and she refused to cross a picket line and that rules at least.

#film #movies #silent film

[pod-together]

Day 3 Reveals!

There's A Dinosaur In The Medbay [text, audio] (The Transformers (IDW Generation One)) written by autobotscoutriella, performed by Gilraina Summary: In which Brainstorm's latest science experiment escapes the lab. Instances of Grace (Flight of the Heron - D. K. Broster) written by Garonne, performed by Luzula Summary: On his first morning in London, two days earlier, Keith had opened a newspaper to learn of the trial of four Jacobite lairds and their condemnation to death. The first name was Ewen Cameron of Ardroy, printed in irrefutable black on white. howling ghosts who reappear (Hades (Video Game 2018)) written by GwenChan, performed by GoLBPodfics Summary: When during a run through Elysium Patroclus finds himself a casualty of cross-fire, Zagreus discovers just how deep Achilles' affection for his companion goes and the old fury that still brews beneath the surface. Torn Asunder [text, audio] (Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types) written by nemorps, performed by GhostCwtch Summary: "Geralt?" Ciri asked in barely more than a murmur. "Hmm?" "What… What was Roach like?" Roach, the horse, was standing not ten feet away, dozing peacefully. Geralt heaved a sigh, rolling onto his back to stare up at the empty canopy. Only the barest hint of stars made it through the foliage. "She isn't gone." "Isn't she?" Geralt shook his head, though Ciri likely couldn't see it in the darkness. "I can still feel her. In my mind; in my heart. She's there." The Bunny Hop (陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù) written by FlutterFyre, performed by pezzax Summary: In the middle of serving punishment in the Library, Wei Wuxian disappears. Lan Wangji spends the next few days searching unsuccessfully for the missing disciple. Meanwhile there is an adorable bunny who has moved into the Jingshi. Who Let the Constructs Out? (The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells) written by CompletelyDifferent, performed by AirgiPodSLV, ArtemisTheHuntress, averytree, blackglass, ffg_podfics, Flowerparrish, GoLBCollabs, horchata, kalakirya, kittona, mistbornhero, and with Summary:

“Why,” Dr. Ayda Mensah asked, “am I looking at a ship full of augmented cats and dogs?” “You aren’t,” said SecUnit. “They’re constructs.” Only approximately 5.9% of my full floorspace is occupied by fauna, said the Perihelion. “Also,” said Three, “six of them are birds.”

Dr. Mensah attempts to piece together one (1) single mission brief from the three oral reports she receives before Iris comes back with more kibble (or anyone needs to use the litter box).

Sink My Teeth (Formula 1 RPF) written by LoveLeah, performed by growlery Summary: Writing the summer menu feels like writing his vows. Sunrise/Sunset (Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types) written and performed by Ghost_writing Summary: A random day of war during the clone wars. 一家人 | One Family (魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)) written and performed by dragongirlG and PandaReads Summary: Lan Qiren awaits the arrival of his family members, both old and new, on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Clipped Wings [text, audio] (镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)) written by Mo_on_raccoon, performed by flamingwell Summary: The strange weights move along Shen Wei's back. Heart hammering in his chest, he reaches backward and cannot swallow a cry of surprise that echoes off his narrow prison. His wings. His wings are back. But Ye Zun is nowhere to be found. Zhao Yunlan isn't here either. And Shen Wei is trapped. Wolves of Washington (DC) (Teen Wolf (TV)) written by melly_diamond, performed by readbythilia Summary: It should have been over. Completed, utterly over. Bartley should be a distant memory, spoken only of under a therapist's supervision. Mexico should never be spoken of at all. Special Agent Stiles Stilinski is a shell of a man; abandoned by everyone, he goes through the motions of his daily life, waiting for the end; it has to come sooner or later, doesn't it? But before nature takes it's course, a werewolf comes to his door. Quite literally. Captain Derek Hale of the Elk Grove Police needs his help - his, Stiles' and when he tells him why, Stiles understands that closing the final chapter on that part of his life is one last thing he needs to do. Stiles and Derek return to Bartley to put it all to rest. Everything. Everything.

#podfic #fanfic #teen wolf #guardian #mo dao zu shi #star wars the clone wars #formula 1 rpf #the murderbot diaries #the untamed #the witcher #hades #flight of the heron #the transformers

[kudosmyhero]

The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #431: The Carnage Cosmic

Read Date: October 16, 2022 Cover Date: February 1998 ● Writer: Tom DeFalco ● Penciler: Joe Bennett ● Inker: Bud LaRosa ● Colorist: Bob Sharen ● Letterer: Richard Starkings ◦ Kiff Scholl ● Editor: Ralph Macchio ●

Synopsis: The Silver Surfer has been possessed by the Carnage symbiote and now struggles to keep in control. Seeing the Surfer struggle, Spider-Man tries to help, but the symbiote can access Norrin Radd's Power Cosmic and uses it to keep the wall-crawler at bay. The Surfer tells Spider-Man to keep away and let him try and handle this situation. Flying away, the Surfer smashes through a building, forcing the wall-crawler to save nearby bystanders who are beneath the rubble. At that moment, at the Empire State University lunch room, Mary Jane and her friends listen to the radio for further reports about Carnage's recent escape from Ravencroft. Mary Jane is particularly worried and hopes that her husband hasn't done anything stupid like go into costume to face his foe. While at the hospital, Martha Robertson is released after the wounds sustained from being attacked by Carnage have been patched up. Deeply upset by the situation, Martha tells her husband Joe that he has a choice to make: He needs to either choose the Daily Bugle, or their marriage. That's when Joe hears someone calling for help down the hall. This turns out to be Spider-Man who has arrived to get Cletus Kasady some medical help, as he has been in a bad way since his symbiote abandoned him to bond with the Silver Surfer. Although the doctors on site are quick to take Kasady into their care, security tries to arrest the wall-crawler, forcing him to flee to evade capture.

Meanwhile, in deep space, Cosmic Carnage flies far away from Earth. The symbiote has tapped into a distant genetic memory of a time, many years ago, when a planet conquered by symbiotes became the latest in the many planets eaten by Galactus. Remembering how the Silver Surfer was present as his master consumed that world, the symbiote intends to use the former herald of Galactus to get revenge against the cosmic being that slaughtered so many of its own kind. While back on Earth, Spider-Man tries to call the Avengers, but unfortunately the team is not present at the mansion. The wall-crawler is forced to cut the call short when a trio of men try to capture him and claim the bounty on his head. Back at the hospital, Martha Robertson has calmed down and tells Joe that he can't just quit at the Daily Bugle for her, he must also because it is what he wants to do. Joe has a lot to consider, however the recent sale of the Bugle to Norman Osborn, things have been very different at the newspaper. In one of the other rooms, a doctor has determined that Cletus Kasady is suffering from a severe form of stomach cancer and that the symbiote was preventing from killing. Hearing this from outside the window, Spider-Man believes that death-by-cancer couldn't happen to a more deserving person, however, due to his moral code, the wall-crawler can't just stand by and let Cletus Kasady die. Unfortunately, he cannot do that unless he can find some way to separate the symbiote from the Silver Surfer.

Back in space, the Silver Surfer continues to struggle with the symbiote. The creature responds by flooding his mind with memories of Cletus Kasady and his abusive childhood. While on Earth, Spider-Man goes to Washington Square Park to see if his friend Nate Grey, the X-Man, is present. However, he is chased away by the strange cult that has gathered in the area to worship him. Swinging up to the rooftops a frustrated wall-crawler wonders why he helps the very people who fear and hate him and begins considering leaving Cosmic Carnage for them to deal with. At that moment, the Silver Surfer reaches deep within his mind and uses the Cosmic Power to stop the warring personalities that is sharing his mind. By this point, Peter Parker has changed back into his street clothes, still wondering why he even bothers. However, when he sees something come rocketing from the sky toward the hospital where Kasady is staying and realizes that he really can't just stand by and do nothing. Changing back into Spider-Man, the wall-crawler attacks Cosmic Carnage, not wanting the symbiote to merge with Kasady again, deciding that the menace of Carnage must end. When news of Spider-Man's battle is broadcast on the radio, Mary Jane faints when she hears that her husband is battling a Carnage possessed Silver Surfer.

The battle continues on, the Silver Surfer tries to convince Spider-Man that letting the symbiote bond with Cletus Kasady again is the right thing to do. Realizing that if Kasady dies, the symbiote could permanently bond to the Silver Sufer, the wall-crawler realizes that the lesser of two evils is the best solution in this case and helps the Surfer get past security. When the symbiote bonds with Kasady, Carnage is ready to start slaughtering people all over again. However, the Silver Surfer refuses to allow any more deaths to happen because of this and uses the Power Cosmic to imprison Carnage in an unbreakable shell of ethereal energy. While at the Daily Bugle, Joe Robertson pays a visit to J. Jonah Jameson to tell him that he is leaving the Bugle.

(https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Amazing_Spider-Man_Vol_1_431)

Fan Art: The Hybrid Symbiote colored by ProfessorAdagio

Accompanying Podcast: ● Untold Talks of Spider-Man - episode 06

#marvel #marvel comics #my marvel read #podcast recommendation #comics #peter parker #spider-man #comic books #fan art #fanart #podcast - untold talks of spider-man #the crossover that dreams are made of #the team up that dreams are made of #silver surfer #carnage

[il-aristosachaion]

K I'm just going to compile the entire outline right here, also because due to the fact I let my friend borrow my copy of Washington's Indispensable Men while writing the majority of it, I fucked up the timeline a little bit so I had to add in a scene closer to the beginning of the episode versus the end

I also have conflicting sources about White? Wikipedia, which I looked at just to see how much was known about him, lists him as an Irish man, but gives no source. Washington's Indispensable Men lists him as a Pennsylvanian, but also gives no source. I'm inclined to believe the latter over the former, though; but I don't think it would be unreasonable to meet in the middle and have him mention something about wanting to return home to Pennsylvania, while still having an Irish accent and being of Irish descent.

Scene one:

Camera starts on shot of Atlantic Ocean, coast of Europe. The water takes up one third of the shot; sky takes up two thirds Gangplank smacks down just above the mid-point and boots thud across it. People chatter and clamor; a seagull shrieks overhead Camera cuts up to Laurens; slightly overhead shot, he's looking at something just past the camera. He's haphazardly holding his bags; they look in constant danger of falling. He makes his way across the deck, dropping a bag and having to stop and pick it up Camera cuts down to the bag. Instead of Laurens, John White picks it up. The camera follows the bag as it moves up and continues until it lands on White's face. Brief exchange between the two (with a name related joke?)

Scene two:

Cut to Laurens below deck, setting up his things and looking a little disgusted at the poor conditions/accommodations Laurens and White talk for a bit (about their war and their stances on it?) and the ship leaves dock. Another brief exchange and Laurens goes back above deck Camera is behind him, showing his torso up as he watches the coast get smaller and smaller. Before it disappears, he waves/salutes goodbye to it*

Scene three:

Shows the monotony of ship life; repeated scenes of card games, eating, sleeping, reading, etc

Scene four:

The Johns are above deck, leaning on the railing, looking out on the ocean, not talking. They stand close together, shoulders brushing A ship is approaching on the horizon. Laurens tenses up, White tells him to calm down, they won't attack, French ships (which they're currently on) are neutral. Laurens doesn't relax British officers board the ship. One comments about the Johns being American. Another sneers at them, but otherwise ignores them. Laurens growls. White puts his hand on his shoulder The officers check the ship's papers then leave. Laurens fires a few curses after their ship and retreats below deck

Scene five: Cut to overhead shot of Laurens in his bunk/hammock laying down. It's dark, thunder can be heard. Laurens is staring blankly into space; White asks what's wrong. Laurens says he's thinking about Martha, she doesn't like storms. He hopes it's not storming there. Left ambiguous if this is said in genuine (platonic) affection or to keep up appearances. This ambiguity is continues throughout the series. White reassures him she'll be okay, Laurens looks away, guilts. White misinterprets this as sadness at leaving his wife and child and says he'll be able to write to her until they see each other again. Laurens half-heartedly agrees. Laurens rolls onto his side. They say goodnight; and fade to black.

Scene six:

Shot of the sun rising over the water; it's calm and peaceful. Camera pans backward to the ship. A seagull is sitting on the railing of the middle of the ship. It's preening, then it looks up, shrieks, and flies away just before someone runs past. Another man runs behind him. The camera cuts to the two men, Laurens and White, standing in front of the poll that houses the crow's nest. One of them asks the other if they're ready, to which they nod. Laurens grabs the ropes and begins climbing. White hesitates, mutters that they'll get in trouble, and follows him. Camera cuts backwards, showing the silhouette of the ship with White and Laurens climbing up in front of the sunrise. Cut back to Laurens and White, now in the crow's nest. Both are leaning on the rail, but Laurens is leaning further out. White has his hand on Laurens' shoulder. Conversation ensues. They get interrupted by a crew member, who scolds them and makes them get down. Laurens mostly ignores him until White drags him down with him. The crew member shoves Laurens away out of annoyance, to which he attempts to fight him. White has to drag him away again.

Scene seven:

Cut to White and Laurens back below deck, arguing. White says that Laurens can't go picking a fight with everyone who annoys him, Laurens defends himself. More arguing ensues. One of them storms back above deck, the other remains below. Something something something Cut to later in the evening. Both are now below deck in their bunks/hammocks. They apologize

Scene eight:

Some filler soft stuff that shows their friendship (maybe Laurens has some drawings of White?) Ends with them lounging together and drawing (Laurens is helping instruct White?)

Scene nine:

Quick montage of them departing in the West Indies. They search for a ship to take them to America (hijinks ensue?) and board. They set up their things; one of them makes a dry remark about ships being more familiar than their own home More repeated scenes of card games, sleeping, conversation, etc. In the middle of one, a boom is heard. The Johns stop, look up, look at each other, and run above deck The ship is being chased by two British brigantines. Laurens tries to run to a cannon but is stopped by White. Brief argument, and White helps him with the cannon They're both himbos and know how to use a cannon *in theory.* It takes them a bit, but they get there. Their shot completely misses, but they cheer anyway. Their ship is faster than the British's, and they escape They talk about the skirmish, excited and adrenaline-fueled. They are himbos. The are in their early twenties. You can imagine how it goes.

Scene ten:

A cry signaling the nearing of land is heard. The Johns race above deck (pulling at/tripping each other in their haste to be first?) They gaze out at the coast of South Carolina in awe, exchanging but a few whispered words They watch as the coast grows bigger. They eventually pull themselves away to gather their things and prepare to depart The departure is messy and chaotic; people bump into Laurens. He calls out to White, who doesn't hear him and is swallowed but he crowd. He's left floundering, and muscles his way out of the crowd The camera pans up behind him, displaying the busy and bustling streets of South Carolina

End of episode one

I think it's good so far! If I get any extra idea I'll tell you, but so far I think the only thing that could be worked on is just writing actual dialogue but that's not a huge worry rn.

I think since we have so much spare time of not much happening on the ship, we could use this time to settle in character. Like your idea about White mentioning Philadelphia, things like that can show character without it being too forced.

I was wondering if it would be a good idea for Laurens to have flashbacks or continues memories of his childhood throughout the show. Maybe the sea reminds him of a memory with him and Henry (the firstborn of the Laurens children) or something. It could show into his past without using exposition, and even show his past trauma with his father and show how that impacts his actions.

But idk what do you think?

#asks #tracyn 🎤 #amrev show

[jacepens]

Two of Us

A brief intro: this was what I sort of consider my first washette writing expect it's just detailed notes about how I wanted each chapter to go

Fandom/Tags: Hamilton, George Washington/Lafayette, draft, historically accurate

Chapter one- the dinner party! Laf is a brand new (honorary) major general and meets George! Later that night, George invites him to live with him and become a part of his military family

Chapter two- Lafayette gets very excited and is dressed and packed to the nines. Then he shows up and everything’s a shit show but Laf is like, it’s cool. I came here to learn not to teach.  And George is like ❤️.

Chapter three- Army meeting thing next day. Looks like Howe is just going to attack Charleston- not Philadelphia. Next day- oh shit. He’s headed this way! Prepare for battle!!

Chapter four- Brandywine. Here we go. George, please let me fight. George (not thinking or in the mood to argue) yeah ok sure, wait. Too late. Lafayette goes in and is pretty awesome. Meets up with George and he’s like, your leg! Laf like, pffffh. I’m fine. Shit. And George is like: we’re getting that dressed immediately! A few days later he’s transported upriver but before that, he and George have a nice chat. Right before George shows up, he’s writing to Adrienne. Then after talk George writes report to Hancock

Chapter five- Laf has been moved to Bethlehem. Germantown happens and it’s bad. He wants to go and fight but George sends a letter urging him to wait. Laf writes a bunch of letters to France like, support America!!! Yay Saratoga! Laf gets very excited and writes to George like: for the love of God let me fight. Then when he doesn’t hear anything, he gets up and goes even though he can’t wear a boot to Whitemarsh where he is. Friends with Greene. 

Chapter six- Valley Forge. Also dead Henrietta. He has a gut(cot??) to himself. People want George gone cause valley forge sucks. Established board of war. Good gay sweet flirts. Comfort.

Chapter seven- the gang is pissed at congress. (Oh my god, Alex. They would be so GOOD for each other. Greene’s over here like: that’s what I said!) they have long talk everyday! Still trying to hurt Washington, they appoint Laf for an expedition they know will fail and will give him the same rank as George. Gil is pissed and like, George! Look at this shit!! Anyway, he arranges some stuff, heads up to Canada and there’s literally nothing! He is super pissed and writes to Henry Laurens and then to George. George writes back a message of consolation. Laf just wants to be with him and vice versa and valley forge has realllllly gone to shit now.

Chapter eight- it’s from George perspective at valley forge!! Half the men are dead. He’s worried about Gil and just needs him in general. Need more details for George chapter but will end with letter from Gil saying he’s coming back and all is well again! Yay!

Chapter nine- Greene and Steubem have saved the day! Gil gets to meet Martha! Stuff is more organized and George has appointed Laf head of foreign affairs, which he does very well with. He’s helping George with a lot of training and clothing his own calvary. Also he’s being a sweetheart. May 1st, George gets a letter that he reads out loud to Gil. The treaty of France has been signed! Gil gets so excited that he kisses George and he’s crying! But he kinda brushes it off. Everyone is celebrating and super excited at valley forge. THEN Gil finds out Henrietta is dead. And he has to go out and pretend he’s happy but that night he talks to George and he comforts him and they cuddle.

Chapter ten- woes vs woahs

So, war is over and yay and stuff! But for some reason Laf is sad and upset and emotional

And he’s confused cause he should be happy

He also doesn’t realize that George has been spending more time with him than usual and that all the extra time with George has been breaking his heart even more (and George is feeling the same but instead he wishes to spend all his time with Gil)

Then there’s a nice party with an orchestra you know

And Laf just wants to leave because he’s had enough of this talk

And the whole night George has wanted to be with him but so many people have been bombarding him with questions and comments, and he can’t be rude, but he can’t hardly take two steps without having to talk to someone but he just wants to get to Gil because he sees how upset he is from across the room!

Then George eventually makes it over and is like, “I can tell something’s wrong, what happened?”

And Gil’s like, “Is it that obvious?”

And George kinda half-heartedly jokes (aw. Look at him trying to joke for Gil’s sake) like, “I don’t think so, I think I just know you pretty well.”

And Gil’s just kinda looking at him, smiling, and wishing that he could be alone with him for hours and just lay in bed next to him talking until the sun rose but instead what he says is something like:

“Oh please, don’t worry for my sake. It’s nothing. You need to enjoy this wonderful occasion and forget all about silly old me.” because HE’S CONFUSED (And doesn’t think he can handle George being so kind and sweet to him at this moment as it is making his heart ache more than it ever has before)

And George is like: “Nonsense! I will worry about you all I want because I care about you and you mean so much to me and your happiness brings me joy.”

And then he puts his hand on his neck and like, in his curly hair and Gil really loves the gesture (it’s not unusual, it’s the first thing he does when comforting Laf) but then his heart starts beating like crazy and he’s shaking a little and he has to pull away because his head was spinning and that whole thing felt embarrassing in public (because George was over here looking into his eyes and he just couldn’t take it at that momentXD) and he’s just looking at the ground

George is kinda confused because Laf’s never done that before and Laf feels a little guilty about it but he’s still kinda shook up and George is like, “I’m sorry Gilbert, it wasn’t my intention to make you uncomfortable.”

And George is kinda at a loss for words as he realizes that Gil seriously upset

And Gilbert, feeling guilty and emotional says something like, “I’m sorry but I just need you to leave me alone right now, please leave.”

And you know, Gil doesn’t really want George to leave, he just wants his overwhelming feelings to  be quiet and let him go and thinks that temporarily removing George will accomplish that

And George, knowing Laf very well, knows that he hates being alone when he is distraught like this and is confused at the request, wishing to stay and comfort him (and enjoy every last second they had together before his heart was ripped in half) so he tries to assert his place and says that he will stay with him no matter what

But Laf just kinda snaps at George for a moment telling him to, “Leave me be!” While fighting back tears (Because why does he have to be so perfect and know exactly what he needs?? He can’t stand his kindness because he’s trying to forget him and not kiss him with the force of a thousand waterfallsXDXD)

(oh. That’s why this is making me so sad. That makes a lot of sense.)

And George fucking KNOWS that Gil, deep down wants him to stay (why is he crying?!? Don’t cry!!! Omg I love you so much!!!! Oh my god. I love him. That makes a lot of sense.) but he can’t be cruel when Laf has asked him to leave twice now even though it breaks his heart

So he simply takes a deep breath and slowly walks away

Laf is half-inclined to run after him, kiss him and confess everything and to apologize for his behavior but (luckily) George was lost in the crowd before he could

Now Laf really wanted to go back to his quarters and pretend that none of this happened. Pretend he didn’t finally make sense of the storm in him. Pretend he didn’t want to start singing on the rooftop that he was in love because that love was futile and impossible to pursue, especially when they were almost out of time.

So he left, and moped in his room

He’s awake (and balling) for hours and obviously can’t sleep because he has so much on his mind but then he hears a knock on his door that scares him half to death and then hears a familiar, “Lafayette, can I come in?”

Just for a second Laf doesn’t say anything but then George says, “I heard you Gilbert I know you’re awake *sigh* just please let me in.”

Lafayette says a little “ok” and George lets himself in

After his wallowing all night he was actually very very happy to see George and his presence was just the one he needed after an extremely emotionally exhausting night, and a small part is begging him to leave but Laf is a little weaker and listening to his (ridiculously in love) heart over his brain

George stands there awkwardly at the door and begins to speak but is then interrupted by Laf patting the bed next to him and George immediately obliges, unable to keep himself from Gilbert and as he sits down Gil wraps George up in a big hug and he hugs back very intensely with all the gd emotions they have to give

Gil can hear George sniffle and feels tears on his shoulder (Gil would be crying, but like, he’s been doing that all night and is so tired)

After a moment (and after George stops crying) Laf is like, “George. I’m so so sorry about tonight.”

And George is immediately like, “You think that’s what I’m upset about? I’ve been so worried about you all night, you weren’t acting like yourself at all. I’m not mad in the slightest, I’m worried about you.”

They part, but not very far and they’re holding hands

Gil says: “I’m okay now. Or at least better than before.” (after a moment). “Thank you. For coming here in the middle of the night, to comfort me, to check on me. You didn’t have to. But thank you.

And George’s heart is just melting as he’s like, “You may not understand Gilbert, but I simply had to come see you. I believe I didn’t have a choice in the matter, andI would so much more for you, with no thanks if it meant I could make you happy and be by your side.” And he kisses Gil’s knuckles and Laf is practically having a heart attack with how much he loves this man and George is trying his goddamn hardest not to kiss him

George: “Lafayette, there is something that I need to tell you before this night is over. Something that’s been gnawing away at me for such a long time now *deep breath*”

Gil is sitting still, stopped breathing, waiting to hear the words he had been dreaming of (that sounds cheesy)

George suddenly pulls Gilbert in for a big hug (cause he’s kinda scared to see the look on his face when he says what he needs to say) and with a quiet voice, proclaims his love for Gilbert

And Gil, although at first thrown off by the hug, hugs him back with a big smile on his face and small tears falling from his eyes and he says: “George, I love you too. I love you too!”

Then they’re both happy crying and giggling and hugging the daylights out of each other until they’ve just kind of exhausted themselves and part

And with their faces so close together, hearts on their chest, tears in their eyes, George places his hand on Gil’s cheek, completely taken aback by his beauty, and they finally kiss! And it’s great. And they pretty much just make out and chill and chat til the sun comes up (but only kissing because like, that whole night was stressful and they’re both tired, leave them alone.)

#jacepens cleaning out wips #hamilton #washette

[lauraroleplayss]

Starter for @gen-washington

// ;; Flashback thread to when Eloise is sixteen and open war has been declared. She's determined to join her father in the war.

Eloise Washington, a bright, vivacious young girl of only sixteen years old, had been mentally preparing herself for the argument that would soon fall on her and her father. It was after dinner and he had already retired to his study. She was smoothing down her full skirted dress. Her hand was shaking. Her hair was hanging down in waves that fell to her back. She stood tall and proud as she continued to stare at herself in the mirror. Her mind was set on one thing and one thing only. Trying to convince her beloved father that she, too, can and should follow him to the camp.

Open war had been declared not too long ago against the British and her father was leading the Continental side. Her heart almost dropped when he had told her and that had been when she had made the decision. She had already talked with Martha about that. Her mother had been firm on having Aria staying home and continuing her education on being trained for lady skills and marriage. She had made the danger of commenting that, as the General's daughter, her future husband must be careful on how he handled her. She wasn't some type of delicate woman. She had been raised to think for herself and was too liberal. Too open minded if one wants to be more precise.

The hallways of Mt. Vernon were bustling with the servants and slaves at this hour. They stopped to bow or curtsy. Eloise idly waved a hand to let them resumed what they had been doing. She finally reached his study. "Papa?" She called as she knocked on the door. She waited until she had given permission to enter. She slipped in and closed the door. Here goes nothing, she thought and walked up to his desk. Foregoing the formalities, she kisses his cheek and hugs him. "Do you have a minute or two papa?" She asks him. "There is something I do wish to discuss and it's a matter of importance before you ride off to the war." Eloise took a deep breath. "I wish to join you at both the camp and the war. I wish to fight." 

[justdreamsstuff]

Here are 75 quotes about success to inspire you to keep pushing forward and achieve your dreams

"If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success." James Cameron

"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." Henry David Thoreau

"Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out." John Wooden

"Entrepreneurs average 3.8 failures before final success. What sets the successful ones apart is their amazing persistence." Lisa M. Amos

"If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary." Jim Rohn

"Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life--think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success." Swami Vivekananda

"Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion." Tony Hsieh

"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." Walt Disney

"If you are willing to do more than you are paid to do, eventually you will be paid to do more than you do." Anonymous

"Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." Winston Churchill

"Whenever you see a successful person, you only see the public glories, never the private sacrifices to reach them." Vaibhav Shah

"Success? I don't know what that word means. I'm happy. But success, that goes back to what in somebody's eyes success means. For me, success is inner peace. That's a good day for me." Denzel Washington

"Opportunities don't happen. You create them." Chris Grosser

"Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value." Albert Einstein

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." Charles Darwin

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." Eleanor Roosevelt

"The best revenge is massive success." Frank Sinatra

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas Edison

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." David Brinkley

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Eleanor Roosevelt

"The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one's destiny to do, and then do it." Henry Ford

"If you're going through hell, keep going." Winston Churchill

"What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise." Oscar Wilde

"The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success." Bruce Feirstein

"Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great." John D. Rockefeller

"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." Nathaniel Hawthorne

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." Albert Einstein

"There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed." Ray Goforth

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." Arthur Ashe

"People ask, 'What's the best role you've ever played?' The next one." Kevin Kline

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." Thomas Jefferson

"The starting point of all achievement is desire." Napoleon Hill

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out." Robert Collier

"If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work." Thomas J. Watson

"All progress takes place outside the comfort zone." Michael John Bobak

"You may only succeed if you desire succeeding; you may only fail if you do not mind failing." Philippos

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear--not absence of fear." Mark Twain

"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone." Pablo Picasso

"We become what we think about most of the time, and that's the strangest secret." Earl Nightingale

"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone." Bill Cosby

"Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending." Carl Bard

"I find that when you have a real interest in life and a curious life, that sleep is not the most important thing." Martha Stewart

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

"The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself." Mark Caine

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." Mark Twain

"The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus." Bruce Lee

"Rarely have I seen a situation where doing less than the other guy is a good strategy." Jimmy Spithill

"Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down." Charles F. Kettering

"If you genuinely want something, don't wait for it--teach yourself to be impatient." Gurbaksh Chahal

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." Steve Jobs

"If you want to make a permanent change, stop focusing on the size of your problems and start focusing on the size of you!" T. Harv Eker

"Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don't wish it were easier; wish you were better." Jim Rohn

"The No. 1 reason people fail in life is because they listen to their friends, family, and neighbors." Napoleon Hill

"In my experience, there is only one motivation, and that is desire. No reasons or principle contain it or stand against it." Jane Smiley

"Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time." George Bernard Shaw

"I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well." Diane Ackerman

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." Jim Ryun

"Our greatest fear should not be of failure ... but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter." Francis Chan

"If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much." Jim Rohn

"Nobody ever wrote down a plan to be broke, fat, lazy, or stupid. Those things are what happen when you don't have a plan." Larry Winget

"To be successful you must accept all challenges that come your way. You can't just accept the ones you like." Mike Gafka

"Be content to act, and leave the talking to others." Baltasar

"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." Margaret Thatcher

"Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it's holy ground. There's no greater investment." Stephen Covey

"I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite." G. K. Chesterton

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." Thomas A. Edison

"The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize." Robert Hughes

"What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?" Robert Schuller

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing." Abraham Lincoln

"Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential." John Maxwell

"Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really: Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that's where you will find success." Thomas J. Watson

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." Albert Einstein

"Success is just a war of attrition. Sure, there's an element of talent you should probably possess. But if you just stick around long enough, eventually something is going to happen." Dax Shepard

"My tombstone? I'm thinking something along the lines of, 'Geez, he was just here a minute ago.'" George Carlin

[aion-rsa]

From Man of Steel to Zack Snyder’s Justice League: A Complete DCEU Timeline

https://ift.tt/3eYjG5C

This article contains spoilers for Zack Snyder’s Justice League and other DC movies.

The timeline of the DC Extended Universe began in a fairly clear manner, with most of the events of Man of Steel set in 2013. As more films were released, containing flashbacks, or lacking a clear chronological setting, things became increasingly complicated. And by the time we got to Birds of Prey film, its precise placement in the DCEU is downright murky. But there are contextual in-universe clues in the form of media, gravestones, mugshot photos, or throwaway lines of dialogue that provide some clarity. 

With the long-awaited release of the Snyder Cut of Justice League hitting HBO Max, it’s a good time to break down what we know so far about when some significant moments in DCEU history took place.

100,000 B.C.

The Kryptonian Expansion: Krypton begins interstellar exploration and launches scout ships into the void of space. They colonize and flourish for 100 thousand years until artificial population control is introduced. (Man of Steel)

18,000 B.C.

A Kryptonian scout ship crash lands on Earth; one Kryptonian escapes the craft, leaving behind an empty pod. (Man of Steel) According to a Man of Steel prequel comic that may may not still be canon, her name was Kara Zor-El.

Thousands of Years Ago

Darkseid seeks to conquer Earth, but is foiled by the combined forces of man, Atlanteans, Themyscirans, Olympian gods, and at least one member of the Green Lantern Corps, Yalan Gur. Three Mother Boxes are hidden across the planet: in Atlantis, on Themyscira, and with mankind. (Zack Snyder’s Justice League)

Millennia after the Amazons are created, Ares goes to war with the Olympian gods, and kills all of them, including Zeus. Themyscira is created with Zeus’ remaining power. Somewhere during this period, Atlantis sinks beneath the waves. (Wonder Woman)

The ancient wizard Shazam imbues a champion with the powers of six mythological figures, only for him to become corrupted by the power. (Shazam!)

Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Queen Hippolyta, grows up on the hidden island, and trains to become a warrior under General Antiope. (Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman 1984)

1918

Diana saves Steve Trevor who has crashed on Themyscira. He warns her of the great war, World War I, raging across the globe. She joins him in the world of man, and together they seek to stop the evil Dr. Maru and General Ludendorff (who Diana incorrectly believes is the God of War, Ares). Steve Trevor dies. (Wonder Woman)

Read more

Comics

Wonder Woman Movie: Complete DC Comics Easter Eggs and Reference Guide

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

Does Zack Snyder’s Justice League Set Up Wonder Woman 3?

By David Crow

1974

Thaddeus Sivana is magically transported to the Rock of Eternity and fails the test of worthiness conducted by the wizard Shazam. (Shazam!)

1980

After the explosion of his homeworld, Kal-El of Krypton crash lands on Earth, and is taken in by Jonathan and Martha Kent of Smallville, Kansas. This date is approximate, but while being interrogated in Man of Steel, Superman says he’s been on the planet for 33 years. (Man of Steel)

1981

Thomas and Martha Wayne are murdered in Gotham City, leaving their young song Bruce an orphan with a serious grudge against criminals. (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)

1984

Diana Prince operates in secret as the heroine Wonder Woman, while also working by day at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. After unwittingly using the Dreamstone, she resurrects Steve Trevor (who inhabits another man’s body). Barbara Ann Minerva, also through the use of the Dreamstone, gains superpowers and is ultimately transformed into Cheetah. Businessman Max Lord wishes to become the stone itself, and uses his powers to create global chaos. (Wonder Woman 1984)

Read more

Movies

Wonder Woman 1984: DC Comics Easter Eggs and Reference Guide

By Delia Harrington

Movies

Wonder Woman 1984 Post Credits Scene Explained

By Mike Cecchini

1985

Lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry rescues and falls in love with Atlantean queen Atlanna; Arthur Curry, aka, Aquaman is born shortly thereafter. (Aquaman)

Circa 1995

Bruce Wayne begins operating in Gotham as the vigilante Batman.

1997

Jonathan Kent dies in a tornado after discouraging Clark from using his powers to save him. (Man of Steel)

2013

This is a bat-signal in the dark, but this is a reasonable estimate on when both Dr. Harlene Quinzel becomes Harley Quinn, and when Dick Grayson, Batman’s partner Robin, is murdered. Suicide Squad lists Quinzel’s date of birth as July 1990. It seems unlikely she would have become a psychiatrist, and assigned to the Joker in Arkham before age 23. Still, Robin is dead by October 2014 (and presumably dead by the Black Zero Event in late 2013, as shown in Man of Steel). This allows for about a year for Harleen to help Joker escape Arkham, take a transformational acid bath, and help the Clown Prince kill Grayson.

Read more

Movies

Man of Steel: Complete DC Comics Easter Eggs and References Guide

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

Superman Movies Ranked: The Best and Worst of the Man of Steel

By Mike Cecchini

Batman apprehends Floyd Lawton, aka the hitman known as Deadshot, while he’s Christmas shopping with his daughter. (Suicide Squad)

General Zod invades Earth, and Superman reveals himself to the world. Bruce Wayne witnesses the battle between the two, and sees the Wayne Financial Building in Metropolis collapse. (Man of Steel)

2014

Harley Quinn is captured by Batman after Joker drives their car into the harbor, and abandons her. When she is introduced in Suicide Squad, she is listed as an accomplice to Robin’s murder, which is what leads to her arrival at Belle Reve prison. (Suicide Squad)

2015

Victor Stone and his mother are in a car accident which kills her, and puts him on death’s door. Victor’s father uses Mother Box technology to keep him alive and transform him into an incredibly powerful cyborg. (Justice League)

2016

The holy trinity of DC meet! Batman and Superman duke it out before joining forces against Lex Luthor’s Doomsday creature. Meanwhile, Diana joins the action, and dons her Wonder Woman suit in battle. Sadly, Superman dies, but Bruce and Diana decide to form a league of heroes. (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)

Read more

Comics

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Complete DC Comics Easter Eggs and Reference Guide

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

Suicide Squad: Complete DC Comics Easter Eggs and Character Guide

By Mike Cecchini

Amanda Waller establishes the government sanctioned Task Force X, also known as the Suicide Squade, to respond to metahuman threats (and following the death of Superman). Enchantress enslaves Midway City, but is ultimately thwarted by the squad. (Suicide Squad)

2017

Bruce Wayne and Diana assemble a team including Barry Allen, Vic Stone, and Arthur Curry to battle Steppenwolf, who has returned to Earth. Superman is resurrected, and ultimately joins the fight. Shortly after Superman’s return, Lex Luthor breaks out of Arkham and reveals Batman’s secret identity to Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke. (Justice League)

2018

After defeating his half-brother Orm and stopping a war between the underwater kingdoms and the surface world, Arthur Curry ascends the throne as king of Atlantis, wielder of the Trident of Atlan, and ruler of the seven seas. (Aquaman)

2019

Billy Batson is granted the powers of Shazam, and thwarts Dr. Sivana’s evil plans. While this could take place a little earlier, it is pretty well established within the film the events occur after those of Justice League, so we’ll just default to year of release here. (Shazam!)

Read more

Comics

Shazam: DC Comics Easter Eggs and References Guide

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

Shazam 2 Will Have a Sinbad Cameo and a Cool Title

By Delia Harrington

Barry Allen encounters a parallel universe version of himself in STAR Labs. Though it is unclear when in his timeline the encounter occurs, it is before he has adopted the moniker of The Flash — which is given to him by the Arrowverse’s Barry. Based on his reaction to the meeting, it can be assumed this takes place before Barry has explored other realities via the Speed Force. (Crisis on Infinite Earths)

2020

Harley Quinn and Joker break up, and she establishes a new life in Gotham. She goes to war with Roman Sionis, and the Birds of Prey are formed. The events of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) take place after both Suicide Squad and Justice League — and at a time when Batman has gone missing.  (Birds of Prey)

202?

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

As seen in the epilogue of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, in a potential future, Superman has succumbed to Darkseid’s anti-life equation following the death of Lois Lane. As a result, he becomes a powerful weapon wielded against humanity, and his former teammates, including Batman and Flash, as well as Mera, Slade Wilson, and Joker. Many heroes of the past, meanwhile, have perished. (Zack Snyder’s Justice League)  

The post From Man of Steel to Zack Snyder’s Justice League: A Complete DCEU Timeline appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2OTXe2G

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[ciceroprofacto]

Song of Alexander Summary

For those of you who can’t/don’t have time to re-read:

Prelude and prologue-2

Alex realized Washington’s the most likely leader to win the war and becomes an aide for his ability to conduct vital intelligence work virtually unnoticed.

He convinces Washington to take John Laurens on staff because he needs support against political rivals like Gates and Mifflin.

John is an idealist with a muddled history of misplaced guilt and homosexual tendencies.

3

John is attracted to Alex. Alex plans to exploit that by seducing him.

John and Lafayette get along- instant bros.

Victory at Freeman’s Farm hints at General Gates’s campaign’s coming success

Alex tries to get John to have sex with him at the celebration, but John resists because of previous breakup with Francis and guilt he’s associated with that ‘sin’.

He offers friendship instead which makes Alex feel threatened.

4

Despite Alex’s hesitation, they’re on the path to becoming real friends because they share a lot of interests and Alex is actually Soft. 

Besides, John has unrealistic abolitionist ideals which makes him seem less-intelligent and less threatening. So, when Alex has the chance to continue his seduction, he doesn’t follow through with it.

Battle of Brandywine- Lafayette saves John’s life.

5

Alex was sent to burn supplies and is suspected dead by Captain Lee’s detachment

John’s connection to Congress is used to urge them to evacuate Philadelphia.

John White comes to camp. Makes Alex nervous again because he’s jealous.

Victory at Saratoga makes Lafayette a vital ally for Washington, but John is already closer to Lafayette than Alex. 

Since John resists seduction, Alex extends work to him in a show of friendship.

Alex and Lafayette both leave- to heal injuries and prep Philly for evacuation.

6

John’s developing as a soldier and has moral conflict over his own violence. Alex returns to camp and soothes that while introducing him to reconnaissance work.

Alex leans into John’s offer for friendship. He reveals information about himself in a system of bartering for information and supports John’s command in skirmishes leading up to the Battle of Germantown. He shows more and more of his influence over Washington and his involvement in intelligence work.

John’s judgment at the Chew house extends the effort beyond their culminating point, expending resources, time, and ultimately leading to John White’s death.

7

John’s guilt over White’s death and his inability to return to work with his injuries lead him to a depressive spiral. He takes it out on Alex.

Shrewsberry and Tallmadge attempt to intervene, Tallmadge taking John out to drink with the intention of having Alex there.

They start a fight over insults to Washington’s command, favoring Lee.

After the lecture for fighting, Alex makes the case for John’s official appointment.

8

John continues his downward spiral over White’s death, fearing his own apathy.

Tallmadge gives him the opportunity to interrogate a prisoner and he shows Washington he can be useful for this type of work. Alex doesn’t discourage it.

Alex confronts John on the way to the Delaware fort. He’s invested himself in this friendship and feels adrift and threatened by John’s emotional retreat.

They meet the Marquis de Fleury and John starts his work supporting this effort. 

9

Washington informs John of the reputational risk of his mistakes at Cliveden and offers to protect him while asking John to reinforce his connection to Henry.

Alex conducts a subconscious campaign aimed at either proving John’s unworthy of his attention or getting John to prove his own investment in their relationship

The way that Wilkinson reported General Gates’ victory at Saratoga then received an unmerited promotion, and now increasing signs of mismanagement in the Quartermaster Department are starting to reveal collusion between high-ranking officers in the army.

Alex and John disagree over how much to trust Washington with his reputation

10

Alex left to take the minutes of Washington’s Council of War without saying goodbye. 

Lafayette returns to camp

Alex falls ill on the road. 

11

John meets Major Clark- General Greene’s aide and Washington’s primary informant in New York City. The only spy who’s successfully remained undercover there.

Alex’s letters indicate that he’s dying.

John goes on a raid with Lafayette. Reuniting with the man shows him how much he’s changed since Germantown. Lafayette doesn’t mind.

He’s nearly killed by a former-slave militiaman before an earthquake interrupts.

12

Hamilton returns to camp and is seen by Doctor McHenry.

Laurens reads a letter from Ned Stevens and starts to realize how much he doesn’t know about Alex He feels more evenly-matched to Alex now, understanding his job..

They argue over how much or how little to tell Lafayette about the cabal.

A committee of congressmen comes to camp to collect Washington’s reports of the things the army needs. The lineup of representatives is obviously a political move. Alex brings John to talk with them while Lafayette’s going to ask their opinion of the assignment he’s received to lead an expedition into Canada. 

Alex plays his illness to a political angle and John snaps at him about how worried he’s been. Alex survived his illness to accept John’s friendship and he meets John halfway.

John finally overcomes his hangups over comparing Alex and Kinloch

13

Alex nearly dies and John saves him.

Alex provides constructive feedback about the Black Battalion from his sickbed.

John cares for him through his recovery and they develop their ability to be physically-affectionate, but Alex is pushing things along too fast in order to avoid feelings while John wants it to be loving and honest

Alex is jealous over John’s interest in Clark and John keeps his concerns over Alex’s link to Cope secret. When that truth comes out, they fight.

Alex realizes that Washington is sending Lafayette to Canada without knowing about Gates’s part in the Cabal so that the expedition will fail and he’ll blame Gates for it.

They have no choice but to allow it. Washington needs Lafayette.

14

John suggests Washington give Alex work to apologize for their fight. Washington assigns him to Lee’s exchange- with unspoken ulterior motives.

Tench gives Alex a court-martial case about sodomy in Aaron Burr’s unit- Alex is concerned about what that will do to John psychologically. He’s also worried about why Tench gave it to him. He compiles arguments to defend their relationship logically. John doesn’t need that. He needs Alex to slow down his push for physical intimacy while he figures himself out.

Conway leaves camp, expecting to be Lafayette’s second in command in Canada

Alex has a tense relationship with Martha Washington, but John wants to use her to make him the Quartermaster General. She doesn’t bite. Alex is unknown to Congress. She suggests General Greene instead.

Alex pushes for a definition of what they are to each other, but John doesn’t know.

If he isn’t going to mean it, Alex would prefer John stop flirting with him.

John’s father rejects the Black Battalion plan and John is upset, wants to challenge the world with it, but he doesn’t have the resolve to do so without his father’s support. Alex would stand by his side with or without and he’s disappointed by John’s hesitation.

John latches onto the idea of establishing the position of Inspector General- using that as a way he and Alex can be partners.

15

Everyone on staff has doubts about the major role John wants for the Baron von Steuben 

John tries to convince Martha Washington to help them push for Steuben’s position as Inspector General, but she’s unhelpful. Instead, she makes John question whether he understands what influence Alex wants.

As Alex and John train each other in drill and fencing, John still wants Alex and can’t help flirting. Even if Alex has asked him not to, Alex still flirts with his body language and John recognizes the difference between flirting with Alex and flirting with Francis. It’s emotionally safer with Alex who doesn’t see his feelings as shameful.

John realizes that Alex has grown to expect his retreat every time they flirt physically. 

Baron von Steuben is blatantly gay in a way that makes John uncomfortable.

Alex notices John’s discomfort and is worried about it and frustrated with it. He’s also frustrated with the lack of action against Gates after the Genl. tried to trash his reputation.

Gates accepted a challenge to duel from Wilkinson- beneath him and embarrassing.

Steuben is intelligent- more difficult to control than John expected, but better-suited to the post of Inspector General than he could’ve hoped. The congressional committee and Washington like him- Alex also likes him. John’s intimidated by him.

John starts giving up on the Battalion idea and Alex is upset with him.

Alex starts pulling away from helping John with drill and John is upset with him.

Alex is nervous that the Enslin trial will not be conducted fairly. He goes to Steuben for advice about it. Caty Greene is there and she’s already made friends of Steuben. 

John communicates to Steuben that he doesn’t need to like him, he’s determined to work with him. Steuben communicates that he knows John is gay.

Meade is suspicious of Washington’s motives for assigning Alex to Lee’s exchange.

John sees sex marks on Alex’s back and jerks off to the thought of Alex being with a man, feels bitter at Francis for making him feel ashamed of such a thing.

John delivers Steuben’s unofficial appointment from Washington for Steuben to act as Inspector General.

16

Discussing philosophy with Caty, Steuben’s staff believes camp is the place to test ideas of self

Steuben’s making a good name for himself in camp. Alex thinks John should be reassigned to work with him and sends an old friend, Nicholas Fish to deliver that message.

Alex creates a rumor that he’s sleeping with a married woman so that will be reported to Washington and keep everyone from investigating who he’s really sleeping with.

Alex is only sleeping with another man to divert his desires for John, but John insists that, if he does this with anyone, it should be him. Alex thinks he’s saying that out of pity.

John tries to confront him about the misunderstandings by bringing him to one of Steuben’s parties but they only make things messier and start dragging other people into their drama.

John gets one-on-one time with Joseph Reed and considers the differences between a political and a military career

Alex gets drunk and tells John he misses training with him. John admits he wants to have sex, but Alex thinks he’s only saying that because he’s also drunk.

After the Enslin trial is completed, John confronts Alex again, offering another chance to work together on Steuben’s position as Inspector General. Alex forces John to answer for the internalized homophobia he projects onto Steuben, but John forces Alex to answer for the way he’s avoided their unfinished discussion of what kind of physical relationship they want. Alex is overwhelmed when John doesn’t retreat from their physical flirting.

Alex admits why he suggested John for Washington’s staff.

17

Intelligence has arrived that General Howe is being replaced by General Clinton

Alex tells John that even if he initially suggested him for his political connections to his father, John remained politically useful by creating connections to Lafayette. John refuses to let Alex point to that as the sole reason he wanted him to stay on staff.

Enslin is drummed out of camp. Steuben insists that John watch it and confront the fact that this man deserved punishment- not because he’s gay, but because he preyed on a subordinate.

John seeks comfort in his new physical dynamic with Alex.

Washington wants to fight Howe on the retreat even if Steuben’s not had time to train the army to professional order and John’s worried about the political implications of that. Alex isn’t as concerned- doesn’t believe the full utility of John’s plan.

John meets Kitty Livingston and gains more of an understanding why he’s a good match for Alex.

Washington is increasingly frustrated with his inability to get his generals and the French to support his idea for a plan on Howe before the change of command and he starts working on another plan to capture Clinton who is to replace him.

Alex and Clark are involved in the planning and John confronts him after seeing hickeys on his neck. Alex jerks John off to avoid explaining the mission he’s being assigned to.

Alex goes to observe the Baron leading drill but refuses to stay and be of proper use and John is hurt by that. John focuses in on his work with the model company and Steuben.

Alex packs to leave on his mission without telling John what it is, but John figures out that Clark is involved and tracks him down. Together John and Clark chase Alex down and John convinces him not to go through with a mission that would solidify his place as a spymaster over an aide de camp- a mission that would kill his political potential.

John finds Enslin’s friend, Lieutenant Fairclough trying to hang himself in order to avoid being caught in the same crime as Enslin and he’s shaken by their brand of homosexuality. He searches out Alex to feel that he’s separate from them.

#this is slightly less-painful than trying to get back into the story just to read 18

[moonmeg]

How do you headcanoned historical Hamliza meeting (the 1st and 2cd time?)

I know this is not confirmed, but I'm a supporter of the idea that they might've met in 1777, when Alexander was in Albany on important business with Philip Schuyler and stayed at the Schuyler mansion. I just like to think Eliza was there and Alexander made attempts at flirting with her but not because it was like love at first sight but because it was simply his nature to be a giant flirt. They spent some time together, he listened to her play the piano and had a few little conversations but nothing serious on both sides.

Who would've thought that they both leave an impression on the other one. Not like a longing for a second meeting but just the vibrant memory and picture of the other one.

Their second meeting then would be in early 1780, when Eliza was visiting her aunt Gertrude Cochran and her uncle John Cochran in Morristown. Here are picture it nothing spectacular either. Aunt Gertrude took Eliza with her to the headquarters to have some tea and so on with Martha Washington. Alexander awkwardly bumps into Eliza and they're like "Oh! Nice to see you again!" and have a little conversation with aunt Gertrude as part of it too. But nothing serious here either. Though they started to develop feelings somewhat. Nothing big but still.

Then, I seriously follow the idea of a sorta ball that both attend. Alexander tries to get Tench Tilghman, who he knows has a crush on Eliza, to jump over his own shadow and ask her to dance with him but he refuses so Alexander tries to be a good friend and is like "It's not that hard. Watch and learn.", goes over to Eliza and asks her to dance with him. As they glided across the floor, they talked a little, Alexander in his nature not leaving a little flirting out. Eliza then accepted dance invitations from other officers and soldiers, including Tench, but made her way outside when she saw Alexander's red-brown curls disappear through the door.

Outside now they got a little closer talking about the war and more. Feelings for the other one grew.

And thus a courtship wasn't far away :>

#hamilton #historical hamilton #historical hamliza #hamliza #alexander hamilton #eliza schuyler #eliza hamilton

[my-lady-knight]

Favorite Reads of 2020

I take back everything I said last year about how 2019 was a comparatively bad reading year for me. 2020 was even worse. I only read 48 books, I could barely focus on reading even when I did find a book I liked, and, just like last year, I ended up with fewer favorites than usual. Starting in August I’ve been having trouble reading any written media that isn’t TOG fic. And some of my eagerly awaited releases by favorite authors ended up being disappointments (Deeplight by Frances Hardinge and Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee).

2020—the year that keeps on giving.

I sincerely hope 2021 will be a better year in all respects, including my reading habits, but, as with everything else, who knows.

Regardless, here’s my list of favorite reads of 2020, in chronological order of when I read them:

Network Effect by Martha Wells

I’d read the first four Murderbot Diaries novellas when they first came out and enjoyed them, but I didn’t fall head-over-heels in love with them. Maybe because they were novellas, and too short to get fully invested? Possibly. As it turns out, Network Effect is the novel-length fifth entry in the Murderbot Diaries that turned me into full-on squeeing fan—SecUnit, aka Murderbot, continues to be its delightfully acerbic, antisocial self, SPOILER makes another appearance and oh how I’d missed this character, the supporting cast is fun and endearing, and the novel-length story means there’s time and space for the brand-new corporate espionage/colonization/alien civilization murder mystery to unfold and spread its wings. (Sounds like a Sanctuary Moon plot tbh). SecUnit is possibly my favorite non-human fictional character atm, and I am now fully on-board for every and any new story in the series.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

When I first heard about this book and read the words “time travel romance”, I immediately went, “Nope, not gonna read.” I don’t like reading time travel stories, and honestly, I was imagining it to be something like The Time Traveler’s Wife, which granted I haven’t read but also sounds like it’d be the opposite of my cup of tea. 

And then I went to a reading where Amal and Max took turns reading chapters – letters written by Red and Blue, enemy agents who repeatedly taunt and thwart the other’s plans to ensure their side is the one to win the time war and who can’t resist smugly outlining just how they’re staying one step ahead of the other – and the prose was witty and gorgeous and clever and intricate, and Red and Blue were snarky and arrogant and talented and fun. I had to read it. And I ended up loving it, this enemies-to-lovers story that is a meld of fantasy and science fiction such that they’re indistinguishable from the other, where the past is as equally fantastical and alien and imaginary as the future, where Red and Blue’s power play transforms into something different and scarier and more intimate than either of them imagined. 

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

Becky Chambers has done it again, writing a gentle, hopeful story about humans working together out of a share a love and fascination for scientific exploration and wonder for all the possibilities the entirety of space can hold. With the advent of both space travel and technology that alters human physiology to allow them to survive otherwise inhospitable environments, a team of four astronauts and scientists have embarked on a mission to ecologically survey four distant planets and the life forms that inhabit them, from the microscopic to the multicellular—not to conquer, but to record and to learn and to share the gathered knowledge with the rest of Earth. In the meantime, lightyears away, Earth is going through decades without them, and the four of them must also contend with a planet that may have forgotten their existence—or that’s abandoned the entire space and scientific exploration program.

Reading Becky Chambers is the literary equivalent of sitting down with a warm mug of my favorite tea on a bad day – I always feel better at the end and like I can imagine a future where humanity does all the wonderful things we’re capable of doing.

A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker

I started reading this book right as NYC was gearing up to go into lockdown, which should have made this a terrible choice to continue reading since part of the premise is that a combo of multiple stochastic terror attacks and a brand-new, deadly plague upend the world as everyone knows it by causing the U.S. to pass laws that keep people physically apart in public for their own safety and make concerts, theatre, and any other kind of artistic gathering obsolete.

But that’s largely just the set-up, and the real story is that of Luce Cannon, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter who played the last major concert in the before times who twenty years later performs in illegal underground concerts, and Rosemary, a younger music-lover who’s only lived in the after-times, and who’s taken a new job scouting out talent to add to the premier virtual entertainment company’s roster of simulated concerts.

It’s a love letter to live music and what it feels like to connect and build community via music in unusual and strange and scary times, the energy involved in making music for yourself, for an audience, exploring the world around you, imagining and advocating for a better tomorrow, and embracing the fear, the possibility, and the power of change, both good and bad. This was the book I needed to read at the beginning of the pandemic, and I’m thankful I ended up doing so.

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019 edited by John Joseph Adams and Carmen Maria Machado

When I end up loving half of the stories in an anthology and greatly enjoying all but two of the rest, that’s the equivalent of a literary blue moon for me. My favorites included the following;

"Pitcher Plant" by Adam-Troy Castro

"Six Hangings in the Land of Unkillable Women" by Theodore McCombs

"Variations on a Theme from Turandot" by Ada Hoffmann

"Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Memphis Minnie Sing the Stumps Down Good" by LaShawn M. Wanak

"The Kite Maker" by Brenda Peynado

"The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington" by P. Djèlí Clark

"Dead Air" by Nino Cipri

"Skinned" by Lesley Nneka Arimah

"Godmeat" by Martin Cahill

"On the Day You Spend Forever with Your Dog" by Adam R. Shannon

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

No one is more surprised than me that Harrow is on this list, given that I am one of approximately three people in the universe who did not unequivocally love Gideon the Ninth. 

And yet the sequel worked for me. 

Maybe because this time I already knew and was used to the way the world and the Houses worked, and I knew to not take anything I read for granted because I could be guaranteed to have the rug pulled out from under me without even realizing. Maybe Harrow’s countdown/amnesia mystery worked better for me than Gideon’s locked room mystery. Maybe the cast of characters was more manageable and fewer of them were getting murdered left and right before I got a chance to get used to them (and some of them even came back!) Maybe it’s that Harrow blew open the potential and possibilities Gideon hinted at and capitalized on just how fucking weird and mind-blowing the whole premise is in a way that felt incredibly and viscerally satisfying.

Also SPOILER happens three-quarters of the way through. That was pretty fucking awesome.

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

P. Djélí Clark is a master of melding history and fantasy in ways that are in turn imaginative and clever (his fantastical alternate-history, early 20th-century Egyptian novel A Master of Djinn is one of the books I’m most looking forward to in 2021), while also using fantasy to be frank and incisive about the history of American antiblack racism (as in the above linked story in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019). Ring Shout combines the late-nineteenth and early 20th-century history of the rise and normalization of the KKK with Lovecraftian supernatural horror, in which the release of The Birth of a Nation summoned literal monsters (called Ku Kluxes) that became part of the KKK’s ranks. Maryse Boudreaux is a Black woman who’s part of a grassroots organization hunting both the monsters and the human members in order to keep the Klan at bay. However, there’s soon to be another summoning ritual atop Stone Mountain that will unleash even more Ku Kluxes into the world, and Maryse and her friends are running out of time to prevent it from happening.

Maryse is a fantastic character, as are her two friends—brash, unapologetic Sadie and WWI veteran, weapons expert Chef—her mentor and leader of the Ring Shout group Nana Jean, and all the other members of the group who work and fight together as a team and a family. Maryse’s past and the journey she goes on in the book to uncover the truth and stop the summoning is harrowing and heart-stopping, the supernatural elements are both horrific in and of themselves while also undergirding the real-life horror of the KKK and the hatred they engender. It’s smart, it’s fun, it’s eye-opening, and it’s also being turned into a TV show starring KiKi Layne. It’s really, really good.

The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

“Stick to the brief.” This is the maxim given to Dietz and all the other soldiers who join the war against Mars, where soldiers are broken down into light to travel to and from their assigned battlefields instantaneously. Only Dietz isn’t experiencing the jumps like everyone else – Dietz, like Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse-Five, has become unstuck in time and is experiencing all the battles in the mission briefs out of chronological order, to the point that Dietz starts to build a picture of a war and a reality that’s been sold to Dietz and everyone else on Earth as pure fiction. 

I’ve always appreciated Kameron Hurley’s stories, but this is the first book where she fully succeeded at writing the book she set out to write—it’s fast-paced science fiction thriller in the form of a loaded gun that takes brutal aim at late-stage capitalism, modern military warfare and the dehumanization of everyone involved on all sides, the greed of ungovernable governing corporations, nationalistic and military propaganda, the mythology of citizenship and inalienable rights, and it’s viscerally bloody and violent without being grotesque in the way all of Kameron Hurley’s books are. Especially important for me, I loved that Dietz went through the entire book not being gendered in any way, shape, or form (those last five pages didn’t exist, what are you talking about), and I love in general that Kameron Hurley is committed to writing non-male characters who aren’t less violent or fucked-up or morally superior to men just because they’re not men.

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Middle grade is a hard sell for me these days, as are books in verse, and I wouldn’t have known this book existed if it weren’t for the Ignyte Award nomination list earlier this year. As it turns out, this book, the story of Jude, a pre-teen girl who wants to be an actress who leaves Syria and the encroaching civil war with her mom to go live in the U.S. with her uncle and his white wife and their daughter while her dad and older brother stay behind, is full of beauty, curiosity, humor, confusion, grief, pain, and joy, and the poetic prose is both lyrical, nuanced, and perfectly fitted to Jude’s voice. I devoured this book in one day, which is the quickest amount of time it took me to read any book this year, including novellas.

Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram

The first book Darius the Great Is Not Okay was one of my favorite books in 2018, and I’m ecstatic that the sequel is equally as amazing.

It’s been approximately half a year since Darius went to Iran, met his maternal grandparents in person for the first time, and found his best friend in Sohrab, and in that time he’s come out as gay, joined the soccer team, got an internship at his favorite tea shop, and started dating for the first time. Darius is also working through some things though—when and if he wants to have sex with his boyfriend, his grandfather’s worsening illness, his dad’s recent depressive episode, his emotionally distant paternal grandmothers on his coming for an extended stay, the fact that he’s getting to know and growing closer with one of his teammates who’s best friends with Darius’s years-long bully, and a bunch else. 

Darius the Great Deserves Better has the same tender and vulnerable emotional intimacy as the first book, more conversations over tea, new instances involving the mortifying ordeal of being a cis guy with a penis, even more Star Trek metaphors, and so much growth for Darius as he works through a lot of hard situations and feelings, and strengthens his relationships with all of the people in his life he loves and cares about. I can’t think of any other book that’s like these two books, and I love and treasure them dearly.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

I had zero awareness of this book until a bunch of SFF authors started praising it on Twitter a couple months before the release date, and I was intrigued enough to get a copy from the library. I loved this book. I happened to be reading it right at the time of the presidential election, and it phenomenally served the purpose of desperately-needed distraction from the agony of waiting out the ballot counts.

It’s book about the power behind borders, citizenship, exploitation, and imperialism, set in a late-late-stage capitalist future, in which a prodigy invented the means to access and travel to slightly divergent parallel universes to grab resources and data – but only if the other universe’s version of “you” isn’t there. It’s the story of a woman named Cara – poor, brown, born in the wastelands outside the shelter, security, and citizenship privileges of Wiley City – who’s comfortably employed to travel to all the parallel worlds no one else can visit, because all her counterparts in those worlds are dead from one of the myriad ways Cara herself could have died growing up. It’s the story of Cara traversing the muddied boundaries between her old life and her new one, the similarities and differences between her own life and that of her counterparts, as well as the figures of power who defined and shaped her and her counterparts’ existences, and solving a mystery involving the unexplained deaths of several of her counterparts and the man who invented multiverse technology.

It’s a story of the permeability of selfhood and self-determination, and complexity of power dynamics of all kinds – interpersonal, familial, collegial, intimate – and the interplay between violence and stability and identity, and how one can be both powerful and powerless in the same dynamic. It’s a story with literary sensibilities that is unequivocally science fiction, written with laser-precise prose that flays Cara open and puts her back together again.

I worry this description makes this book sound dry and removed when reading this book made me feel like I was coming alive every time I delved back into it. This is a book I cannot wait to reread again to experience the brilliance and skill and thoughtfulness and emotion of Micaiah Johnson’s writing. I have no clue what, if anything, she’s writing next, but I have a new favorite author.

Honorable Mentions

Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

Stormsong by C. L. Polk

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (I feel bad putting it here and not in the first list – it is undeniably a modern classic and a brilliantly crafted book! But I had zero interest in any of the Italy chapters, and I found the way he finally figured out how to access fairy magic by essentially making himself mad to be both disappointing and narratively unsatisfying.)

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi

For my yearly stats on books written by POC authors, in 2020 I read a total of 24 books (one of which was co-authored by a white author), which is fewer than last year (30). However, because I also read fewer books this year overall, this is the first year ever that I achieved exactly 50-50 parity between books written by POC and white authors. I honestly wasn’t expecting this to happen, as I stopped paying deliberate attention somewhere around April or May. Looking over my Goodreads, the month of September ended up doing a lot of heavy lifting, since that’s when I read several books by POC authors in a row for the Ignyte Award nomination period. But also, it does look like the five or so years of purposefully aiming for 50-50 parity have materially affected my reading habits, by which I mean even when I’m not keeping my year’s count in mind, I’m still more likely to pick up a book by a POC author than I was five years ago when I had never kept track at all. My goal for next year is to once again achieve 50-50 parity and to not backslide.

#long post #book recommendations #book recs #favorite books of 2020

[readreadbookblog]

You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington by Alexis Coe

https://www.amazon.com/You-Never-Forget-Your-First/dp/0735224102

It is commonly known now that not only is history written by the victors, but mostly by old white men. That must be why there was strong praise for Alexis Coe’s book, You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington, when it was first released. Besides having maybe the best cover for a book on Washington, Coe’s book also has the distinction being the first Washington biography written by a woman.

Having all this information, I expected an interesting look/take on Washington, especially regarding how after almost two years of reading books dedicated  solely on the first president, they all start to sound the same with little details or insights differing depending on the author.

Coe begins her book with a preface that destroys previous mentions of Washington’s mother, Mary. Usually depicted as an old, cranky, self-centered, controlling mother to the great general, Mary is shown by Coe as not that but rather a woman of her times. All her thoughts and actions not only reflection her life experiences but are the norms of several colonial-era women of the time that were also women that suffered from weak family prestige, loss of husband/children, agrarian housewife, poor, and frontier life. Coe really takes a beating to Ron Chernow, who she justifiably points out how Chernow added his only male bias to Mary’s text and words, not taking into account her environment or time period that she was living in and made a good counterpoint using said evidence that Mary was actually a thoughtful and caring mother whom Washington doesn’t seem to harbor ill temper or see her as a burden. I personally kicked myself for taking Chernow’s words to heart in this, not applying my own personal thinking skills. A often repeated quote is that “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” Coe points out that this type of error often occurs because male historians often focus and write more on Washington’s military feats and history, relegating other social history either aside or to female historian. This is why Coe was the first woman to write a straight biography of Washington, while other women were to write on Washington and his relations to say the constitution or slavery or just a biography on his wife, Martha, instead.

Coe calls these male historians ‘The Thigh Men’, as they often over emphasis not just Washington’s abnormal height, but also other parts of his with the most attention centering on his stone unfazed face. They “...take every opportunity to remind readers that the great general was very, very manly” (xxxii). But all this historic revisionism all takes place in the first two chapters of the book (technically not even the first two but rather the preface and introduction). The rest of the short book is not really written as a tradition book but more in a reference per chapter. For example, if you want to read about Washington’s spies, there is a chapter dedicated solely to that and only that. You are not going to find any other references outside of said chapter. There is chapter dedicated to Washington’s romantic life but never mentioned again. This seriously hurts the book’s value as Washington resource. His secret failed but continuous letter writing flirtatious affair with Sally Fairfax is really not seen as such but rather told in a sentence, loosing it’s significance. The Revolutionary War comes and goes in less than three chapters, again pointing out the major feats and accomplishments that Washington had but the hardship and suffering is pretty much glossed over. With the easy and non formal writing of Coe, at times it feels like the book was written in a listial Buzzfeed style book.

So Coe’s book fizzes out after the first ten pages basically. I would say that Coe’s first two chapters of this book are must read material of any Washington scholar or reader, and then move on to something like Chernow’s book. His book isn’t bad or unusable simply because he did some pretty big errors in writing his biography on Washington, it still is a good book and resource, even Coe herself still recommends it. Just remember to be a smart reader. And this advice goes not just for Chernow or any other history book, but really for life in general.

#you never forget your first #george washington #alexis coe #washington #president #US Presidency #Ron Chernow

[revolutionary-demosthenes]

Two unrelated questions—1: Do you support the theory that John Laurens’s (and possibly Alexander Hamilton’s) death was assisted suicide? 2: What do you think life would be like if Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens could’ve gotten married? I love your blog, and I am totally going to never ever bored in House #7.

These are great questions! This is going to be a pretty very extremely long post, particularly the bit about your first question, so I added sub-sections to make it easier to read. I hope this is helpful!

TW: Mentions of possible suicidal and self-hating thoughts and feelings. If anyone reading this has had these sort of feelings, please reach out to someone and get help. Do not give up. You are loved. You are needed. You are worthy.

1: John Laurens and possible assisted suicide

This first question is difficult to answer, and there are lots of theories on it. It can also a very painful topic to discuss. Please take note of the TW. If this post is going to be triggering or upsetting to you, take care of yourself and skip it.

Let’s review the facts and circumstances around Laurens’s death to start.

After assisting Hamilton with taking redoubt 10 during the battle of Yorktown, John Laurens traveled back to South Carolina to again try and pitch the South Carolinian delegates for his black battalion. This was his third attempt, I believe.  Again, his idea was quickly shot down, and it may have made it worse that that was what everyone was expecting. A letter from George Washington written July 10th, 1782 states, in a somewhat cynical tone perhaps more reminiscent of Hamilton’s worldview, 

“I must confess that I am not at all astonished at the failure of your Plans.That Spirit of Freedom which at the commencement of this contest would have gladly sacrificed every thing to the attainment of its object has long since subsided, and every selfish Passion has taken its place—it is not the public but the private Interest which influences the generality of Mankind nor can the Americans any longer boast an exception—under these circumstances it would rather have been surprizing if you had succeeded nor will you I fear succeed better in Georgia.”

John Laurens was also collecting intelligence for General Greene, his commander at the time. 

It is worth noting that most of Laurens’s time down south after Yorktown was spent trying to find military glory, which he did not achieve. He led several unsuccessful or insignificant skirmishes with the few remaining British soldiers.

Laurens also had just heard of the death of his wife, Martha.

He was confined to his bed with malaria, but heard that there was going to be a fight by the Combahee river on August 27, so he literally got up off his sickbed to fight in what has since been dubbed a ‘small skirmish.’

The British soldiers had been tipped off about the continentals coming. Laurens, who was leading a small detachment of soldiers, knew this. He could wait for more soldiers to arrive, or he and his men could start fighting.

Three guesses as to what he chose.

John Laurens had visited the Stock family the past night, and “enjoyed the company of Mrs. Stock and her daughters.” (John Laurens and the American Revolution, by Gregory Massey)

Now, I know there are many theories on this, but in this post I’m going to be examining two main ones. Firstly, that John Laurens’s death was not suicide, but instead another desperate grasp for glory, and alternately, that his death was to some degree planned and/or expected.

Theory A: John Laurens’s death was not assisted suicide/planned/intentional:

In very simple terms, this theory is mainly supported by the fact that John Laurens (and Hamilton, for that matter) were honor-obsessed and both had a thirst for military glory. Both were needlessly reckless in battle from the very start. Lafayette observed of Laurens at the battle of Brandywine, “It was not his fault he was not killed or wounded, he did everything that was necessary to procure one or t’other.”

Some evidence that also supports this is that Laurens’s battalion idea failed several times. He may have wanted to prove himself by becoming a famed fighter like the warriors of Greece and Rome that he admired. 

His dash to the Combahee can be seen as in line with this. Opportunities for fame in battle were running scarce and Laurens didn’t want to miss any possible opportunity. You can also apply this to why he went ahead instead of waiting for the rest of the men during the battle. It would have been seen as more courageous to face them head on, outnumbered. 

John Laurens was often overshadowed by his father, Henry Laurens. Military fame of the right amount could’ve possibly elevated John his father’s social status.

Also important to note, what Laurens did on August 27th was not out of character. So one could make a compelling argument that even if Laurens was not planning to survive the war, the battle at the Combahee was not necessarily the one he wanted to go out on. Especially because it was such a small action, not a glorious stroke of military genius.

So I do think that it isn’t unreasonable to read John Laurens’s death as accidental, however, if you are asking for my specific opinion I do think this next possibility is more likely.

Scenario/evidence in which John Laurens’s death was assisted suicide/planned/intentional:

(This is where the TW applies most heavily, just one last warning.)

John Laurens had a privileged life in some ways, certainly. He was the son of an extremely rich man, got part of his education abroad, and generally had all the inherent advantages to being a rich white man who was the eldest son of an even richer white man.

But his life (much like his friend Lafayette’s,) though seemingly tranquil and privileged, was filled with grief and loss from a young age. John Laurens’s mother, Eleanor Ball Laurens gave birth 11-13 times. Of these children, only five lived past early childhood. When John was about three, one of his closest playmates, his older brother Henry, died. And this was only one of many times (the exact number unknown because of the disputes of how many children Eleanor actually had) that John lived through the death of a sibling.

And there is one sibling death in particular that almost certainly hit John the hardest. His 10 year old brother Jemmy, while they were in Europe, and while John was technically in charge of him, fell and fractured his skull. Much like the Hamilton’s spending the night with a dying Philip, all John could do was try and comfort Jemmy while waiting for the inevitable.

Then of course there was the Francis Kinloch break-up. Obviously horrible. Then (possibly as a result of that breakup) getting a girl pregnant and being forced to marry her. 

America. War. Alexander Hamilton. Love. Keeping the love hidden. France. Yorktown. The last attempts to become a war hero.

It is fact that Laurens and Hamilton based their relationship off Ancient Greek, Roman, etc. gay relationships. In this tradition it was traditional to be reckless in battle to impress your lover. So maybe it makes sense for Laurens to act insanely reckless when he and Hamilton are fighting together. But why would he keep acting that way after Hamilton goes home?

While on the subject of Hamilton, some of the most compelling evidence for John Laurens’s death being a suicide is that he clearly struggled with self-hate, likely because of his sexuality, for a long time. Think about it; he lived in a society that was not just unaccepting of same-sex love, and particularly acting on same-sex love, but it was literally a crime and being caught could result in extreme punishment.

Furthermore, John Laurens, as namesake, eldest son, etc, was under massive amounts of pressure to be perfect. To not bring shame to the family. 

When John was in SC towards the end of his life, he had been away from Hamilton for more than a year. It is possible that without the gratification of the relationship (i.e., they are together, interacting on a day-to-day basis) John began to feel more unsure of their relationship? We do see that when John was away from his lovers, the relationships grew more distant and even unraveled. Yes I’m talking about Francis Kinloch now. But also as more time went by and Hamilton was back home in Albany and John was still in SC, their letters become less frequent. (Or more frequent but destroyed or lost. Honestly though JCH why???)

I also think that Laurens may have been worried that he and Hamilton’s distance was the only reason they could keep up a romantic relationship. Could Laurens have felt that once he “put on the toga” or joined congress, he and Hamilton would have to be just friends because of Hamilton’s wife and child? Judging by this line from a letter from Hamilton to Laurens, “Your impatience to have me married is misplaced, a strange cure by the way, as if after matrimony I was to be less devoted than I am now,” we can infer that Laurens may have at first have been supportive of the idea of Hamilton having a wife, perhaps because he thought that Hamilton was just using her to appear straight. In this letter, Hamilton also does allude to suicide. He tells Laurens, “For your own sake, for my sake, for the public sake, I shall pray for the success of the attempt you mention; that you may have it in your power to act with us. But if you should be disappointed, bear it like a man; and have recourse, neither to the dagger, nor to the poisoned bowl, nor to the rope.” I think it is extremely interesting that this comes in the same letter as the one where Hamilton tells Laurens he is getting a wife. The attempt Hamilton refers to in this passage is the attempt to free Laurens from being a prisoner of war, but I wonder if it has some sort of double meaning. 

I also believe it significant that Henry Laurens seemed to get very anxious when John sent him a letter from Geneva at mentions suicide. From John Laurens and the American Revolution: “John’s haste perhaps explains an ambiguous passage that slipped into one of his letters. He referred to ‘two people the most addicted of any in the World to Suicide.’ Alarmed by these words, Henry sent an emotional reply: ‘What can be meant by addicted, to an Act, which can be perpetuated but once & no Man’s devotion to it can possibly be determined from anything short of the Commission? But, my Dear Son, I trust that your opinion on that Question is So firm, that you are armed with Such irrefragable proofs of the Impiety as well as Cowardice of Self Murther, as puts you out of danger of being made a Convert to Error, by any Man be his “Rank and distinction” ever So great, or by the finest thread of declamation tickling the ears and & fatally Captivating the Hearts of Giddy & inexperienced youth’”

The context of the passage from John’s letter is unknown, but his father acts so defensive and seems to be reassuring himself that John would never do that in his letter that I wonder if it was already a topic that Henry worried about. If this is the case, this suggests that John knew was queer from a young age, not just when he met Francis Kinloch, (and that letter is from around that time, just as a side note.) and/or that John had had mental health issues before this time.

Also significant: moving forward to August 1782, John was sick. He was bed-ridden. And he knew the fight at Combahee river was not going to be big. It was a small foraging party. All the redcoats were going to do was basically steal some flour. But still, he dragged himself over there.

He led his men forward even though they knew the redcoats were ready.

Then he immediately was shot down.

So, --dear anon who is probably horrified with the length and long-windedness of my reply--, here is the theory that makes most sense to me:

John Laurens had been having mental issues like depression for a long time. When he was with Francis Kinloch they alleviated slightly, but when Jemmy died and Francis Kinloch broke up with him, they came back full force. Since being with Kinloch had made John happier for a time, he decided to seek out more love. Wait a minute, John thought, if I can love a woman, that’d be killing two birds with one stone... the love will make me feel better, and it may cure me of my forbidden love for men.

But when John got Martha pregnant and was forced to marry her, I doubt that made him feel better. So he wanted to go to America and fight in the war. He believed in his countries independence, and this would be a way to go out with easy glory on the battlefield, should he want to.

He met Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton managed to convince John that their love wasn’t a sin or a sickness, and they were happy together. 

Then Hamilton told Laurens he was getting a wife. He knew that this would be hard news for his Laurens, so in his next letter he made sure to make clear that they could still love each other.

But Laurens did not think that would be possible, once he realized that Hamilton really did love his wife, and was not just using her to appear straight. Laurens also knew that even if they did continue their relationship after the war, both he and Hamilton would feel guilty for what they were doing, especially considering that Hamilton really did love Eliza so much.

When the black battalion plan failed for the last time, it brought feelings of failure and hopelessness to Laurens.

When Laurens heard of the death of his wife, it brought back the guilty feelings for getting her pregnant, especially because she had fallen ill trying to bring Fanny to meet her dad in France.

When Laurens visited the Stock family the daughters again reminded him of his inability to have love for women. They also perhaps reminded him of his own wife and daughter who he had essentially abandoned in Europe.

With the war nearly over, Laurens decided if he wasn’t going to survive this war, he had to fight in some battles. So he got off his sickbed to go fight. 

He knew it would be risky to go ahead without waiting for the main army during the small action at the Combahee, but he had done things that reckless before. And if he was going to die in battle, this would likely be one of the last opportunities.

To conclude this answer: I do support the theory that Laurens’s death was to some degree suicide, with assisted suicide being the closest label to what I believe it was. However I do think it was a complicated death that doesn’t necessarily fit perfectly within any label. I believe it was a combination of mental issues partly borne of being queer in a time that was unaccepting of same-sex love, the failure of his plans for abolition, being reckless in battle regardless, and, if he was going to die, wanting to die a war hero.

I think these factors together led to a premature death that was not planned exactly, but probably pre-mediated upon. What I mean is, Laurens wasn’t going to try and get killed, but he wouldn’t be cautious or try particularly hard to not get killed. 

As for Hamilton, I honestly think it could go either way. Though I tend to lean toward Chernow’s answer, which is that it was not suicide, just stupid. (Like, Hamilton, your son literally died by shooting at the sky in a duel you are taking your own advice that failed horribly??) The main reason I believe this is that Hamilton had something Laurens lacked; a family whom he loved very much. Even though his political standing was slipping, I don’t think Hamilton would’ve wanted to leave his wife and kids.

Anyway, I hope this answers your question. Now for the much less depressing answer to the question,

2: What do you think life would be like if Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens could’ve gotten married?

I’m slightly unclear on whether you mean if they could’ve gotten married back in the 1700s or whether you’re asking for the modern AU I think is most accurate.

Assuming you mean if they could’ve gotten married in the 1700s, I think that they would have as long as it was main-stream and socially acceptable. I think they would’ve been very happy together, and I like to indulge in the fantasy of President Laurens and VP Hamilton.

I think John Laurens would not have died. I think he and Hamilton would have worked in the government together. I also do not think Hamilton would have would’ve dueled Burr.

John Laurens and Hamilton would’ve written together about 1,000,000,000 pamphlets against Jefferson and Madison. 

The only duel would be Laurens vs Jefferson.

And they would’ve lived to a lovely old age together, adopted some kids, and lived happily ever after.

Never mind this is also depressing.

Thank you for the kind words about my blog and the great questions! Yes, if you are bored, house 7 is the answer. 

If anyone has other asks for me, feel free to, well, ask them! And if you would prefer a short answer just tell me so, I won’t be offended!

#John Laurens #sad #death #Alexander Hamilton #Francis Kinloch #Henry Laurens #married #ask #anonymous #awesome questions