#3. i think this actually happened in 1859 my bad | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

archduchessofnowhere · 2 years

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If you were to actually write a TV show about young Sisi, how would you do it properly?

Ohhh I have SO MANY ideas, however I’m not sure how rentable they are since they all cater specifically and exclusively to me alone lol.

First of all, I think that as a society we have to accept that young Sisi doesn’t really make for a great protagonist, at least for modern audiences who prefer a more assertive heroine; that’s why we ended up with Girl Boss Elisabeth in both RTL Sisi and The Empress. So I would make it an “ensemble” show rather than a Sisi solo show, focusing also on other people from Elisabeth’s family, because during these years there are legit moments in which she just doesn’t do anything super interesting to adapt on a screen. But if we follow a larger cast we can switch perspectives from time to time and avoid the two bigger problems of Sisi media: the heavy fictionalization, and the bad pacing (either too slow like in The Empress, or too fast like in Sisi 2009). Also this is my show, so we get all the siblings - Elisabeth’s three brothers and four sisters, and FJ’s three brothers. They’ll have their respective side plots and will be important supporting characters in many episodes.

For a first season I think the time period RTL Sisi covers is actually pretty good, so I would follow a similar timeline, except that I would actually respect the order in which the events happen (remember that they setted the Italian War of 1859… in 1856). So my hypothetical first season would cover the years 1853-1859 in eight 50-70 minutes long episodes. And the costumes, hairstyles and manners would be period accurate.

Actually I got excited so here is a very rough sketch of what my ideal young Sisi series would be like:

EP 1 - 1853-1854: I would add some flashbacks to 1848 (their previous encounter, FJ becoming emperor, etc), but honestly there isn't any other moment better than Ischl in 1853 to start the story. This weekend is the most overdone moment in Elisabeth's life, so I don't want to focus much on this tho: half way through the episode (and one Karl Ludwig getting his heart broken later) they'll be already engaged. There will be no scheming between Ludovika and Sophie, nor any secret meeting between Sisi and FJ: they simply met during dinner and he became in love at first sight, that's it. The rest will be Elisabeth getting ready for her future role as empress, and we'll end the episode with the wedding.

EP 2 - 1854-1855: The second episode will cover Elisabeth’s first year as an empress, with the Crimean War as a background conflict. We’ll see Sisi trying to adapt to life at court, the visit she and FJ made to Bohemia (where Emperor Ferdinand and Empress Maria Anna will make a cameo), and her first pregnancy. Archduke Max visits Vienna and instantly hits it off with his new sister-in-law, much to the annoyance of FJ. We’ll also see archduchess Sophie’s clear favoritism over Max. The episode finishes with the birth of baby Sophie.

EP 3 - 1856: The episode starts with Elisabeth already entering confinement again. Then Gisela is born, and the disappointment over a second girl is obvious. Elisabeth and Sophie disagree on how to take care of the girls, and the placing of the nursery is a great conflict. This is also the first real conflict between the two women in the series. The rest of the episode will cover the imperial couple and their daughter’s visit to Lombardy-Venetia, where we will see first hand the deep hatred towards the Habsburgs in the Italian provinces. Meanwhile in the B plot, Archduke Max courts Charlotte of Belgium, and in the C plot, Duke Ludwig starts his affair with Henriette Mendel. After the visit, FJ decides that serious changes have to be made and appoints his brother as viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia. By the end of the episode, Max and Charlotte get engaged.

EP 4 - 1857: This episode will cover solely Sisi and FJ’s visit to Hungary. Elisabeth visibly falls in love with the country, and people also love her back. We’ll also dive deep into the brutal repression of Hungary after the revolution of 1848. However, half way through the episode, Sophie and Gisela get sick, and their illness will lurk during the rest of their parents’ journey, until they’re urgently called back. The episode finishes with baby Sophie’s death. There will be no side plots, the Imperial couple and their children will be the sole focus of this episode.

EP 5 - 1857-1858: The episode starts with Max and Charlotte getting married. Then we shift to Elisabeth, who’s in deep mourning; throughout the episode we’ll follow her in her guilt and grief until she comes to terms with the loss of her daughter. Later on Charlotte gets introduced at court, and starts off with the wrong foot with her sister-in-law. After this visit, Max and Charlotte travel to Lombardy-Venetia, where they settle in their new role. Meanwhile in the side plot, Henriette Mendel tells Ludwig she is pregnant. I know it is too on the nose, but I want to make parallels between Marie Larisch and Rudolf, since they were both born in the same year but under wildly different circumstances; so the episode will finish with Elisabeth (who accepted that she isn’t guilty of baby Sophie’s death) finding out she’s pregnant for the third time, while Marie Larisch is born, and Ludwig starts to ponder about what to do with his new secret family.

EP 6 - 1858: The opening scene of this episode is a pregnant Elisabeth who is following every order and recommendation the doctors give her: she promises she won’t do anything, so as to not endanger the child. But with this Sisi is also breaking the fourth wall, because she really won’t do (almost) anything this episode: the protagonist will now be Helene. Personally I hate how Nené is reduced to the rejected, bitter sister so I’m making her the heroine for the whole episode because fuck it this is my show. Back at Possenhofen, the imminent engagement of Marie, the third daughter, with the Crown Prince of the Two Sicilies is the main event, but this also makes it obvious that Helene is practically a spinster now. So Ludovika decides to intervene and invites prince Maximilian of Thurn und Taxis, with the hopes he might be interested in Helene. What follows is a full on fictional recreation of their meet cute and courting until Prince Maximilian proposes to Helene. But there’s a problem: King Maximilian doesn’t approve of the union giving their different ranks. So Elisabeth (who’s finally back on the screen after like forty minutes) intervenes, convincing their cousin to allow the marriage. Elisabeth then enters confinement, lamenting missing her sister’s wedding. The episode finishes with a happy Helene getting married.

EP 7 - 1858-1859: The episode starts with Rudolf being born: all of Vienna rejoices over the birth of the heir. Marie becomes engaged to the Crown Prince of the Two Sicilies, and she and Ludwig (who’s making his mind about whether to marry Henriette or not) go to Vienna and stay there with their sister Elisabeth for two weeks, so we will see them having fun and bonding. Lots of talks about the Italian peninsula being an unstable place, the unification movement growing stronger, etc. Meanwhile at Lombardy, Max struggles more and more to push forward his policies, and the rift between his ideas and his brother’s become obvious. The episode ends in Trieste where Elisabeth and Ludwig say goodbye to Marie, who’s sailing to Naples; Ludwig reveals to his sisters his marriage plans and Sisi promises him to help him out.

EP 8 - 1859: For the season finale, the entire episode will cover the second Italian War of Independence. I don't have a clear structure for this one tho, but it will start with Max dimiting from his job as Viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia, and it will have Elisabeth being extremely worried about her husband's well being and running a hospital for the wounded. Also Ludwig will marry Henriette Mendel in the side plot.

You can totally tell I’m the showrunner because no one would make episodes six and seven lol. This is what I meant with “cater specifically and exclusively to me alone”. Anyway, this is just a rough sketch, there are many important events/personages that I didn't mention here that I would love them to be in this hypothetical series. It's not 100% historically accurate either, I did move some things around so the narrative flows better, but nothing too drastic, and the characterizations would be as close to their historical counterparts real personalities as possible. I accept criticism and also would love to hear other people's ideas for a series!

#i don't know how should I tag this. ideas for a series that's never going to be made?#empress elisabeth of austria #asks

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aphrodite-would-be-proud · 3 years

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I just read the Erwin date scenarios and it’s so hood AGH could you please do one for armin? Plz 😚

You read my mind👀 ngl I think about Armin each time I write something for Erwin, despite them being alike i like to compare the differences and think they have different tastes and love languages.

Erwin strikes me a more act of services and gift giving guy while Armin would definitely go for words of affirmation and quality time.

Type of dates with Armin PT.1 {pt.2 in masterlist}

{ Armin x reader | tw: none | fluff, romance | modern }

{ "in bloom" by Abbott Fuller Graves 1859–1936 }

Ideal dates : these are dates he plans up ahead, makes sure they go smoothly and you're both are having fun. He really looks forward to these dates, they're like an event for him. He saves them up for important occasions like your anniversary, valentine's day, birthday, etc.

1. Spending a full day on the beach: when i say a full day I mean it, he's driving you there really early in the morning while you're struggling to stay awake in the passenger seat. He doesn't even need coffee he's running on 100% pure determination and will.

You'd arrive before anyone there, to get the best spot of course. It's close enough to the sea that you can feel the humidity of the water in the air, yet far enough from the rest of the beach that other people won't bother you.

He'd understand if you were too sleepy to help him set things up, he'd just kiss your forehead before letting you go back to sleep, promising he'll get you something to drink when the stores open.

You wake up to the smell of your favourite hot drink, just around 8am. The sun is up and the air is refreshing, you can hear the quiet chatter of people far away just arriving here. You sip your drink as Armin guides you to the small comfortable space he made, proudly showing off his work.

Please praise him and give him a kiss on the cheek, he will melt.

The rest of the day is spent with you two swimming lazily in the water, feeling the warm sunlight on your skin. Collecting whatever pretty seashell you see, using some to decorate the sandcastle Armin built with you. He takes a pictures of you at seemingly random moments, he promises to show you when he devolps them later.

You help him dry his hair afterwards, he take you to get ice cream. Despite getting you one too, he still ends up sharing his own with you, and if you're up for seconds he'd happily oblige.

When night falls and the people began leaving, the waves of the ocean get a little higher, wind turning colder. Don't worry, Armin thought about that, that's why he brought blankets.

He'd wrap you both in the same one, even holding you close to him, it's for warmth he says and yet he seems like he was looking forward for this. You help him in making a small bonfire, he brought marshmallows.

The rest of the night is spent with you laying against him while huddled in a blanket, looking at the heavens above and the constellation of the stars.

He takes your hand in his, guiding your finger to where polaris is. "It never changes" he says "no matter what" and from that star, he guides you through the formation of the little dipper.

Just right under it, directly under the polaris, begins the big dipper, a close replica to its little sister.

You spend hours like this, looking at the stars as new formations come and go with the time. You were early enough to catch Aries as it was leaving, pleiades, the seven sisters shining brightly next to it.

And just after midnight it was Sirius turn to say goodbye. That's when both of you decided to call it a night, he hugged you close to him, you could feel his heartbeat slowing down, he was oh so warm and tasted just like chocolate and marshmallows when you kissed goodnight.

2. Going on an adventure and trying new things: Armin has the need to try new things and gain new experiences, despite being someone who prefers small groups of friends and getting lost in a book than socialising. It's something that's been a part of him since he was a child, he wants to experience what the world has to offer and won't say no despite how utterly terrifying it can be to him.

And he wants to have those experiences with you, to share his love for the unknown with you, to see your reactions and share his own thoughts. The only thing that's better than going on adventures to him is going on adventures with you.

An adventure could be anything really, it could be going diving underwater or going to that creepy looking supermarket that never closes, you never know. An adventure is an adventure after all. The possibilities are endless.

So don't be surprised when he asks for you to go with him sky diving for his birthday despite knowing how terrfied he is of heights and how even a carnaval ride can make him sick.

Good or bad he doesn't care, he just wants to try and learn everything. He's full of curiosity and surprises that you'd never get bored, although a good thing about him is that he never is unprepared.

Yes he will take you on seemingly dangerous adventures but know that he really deeply thought about this before hand and is prepared for all the different scenarios that could happen, he likes the unknown but he's smart and cautious on how to approche it.

Not to mention that a single adventure can leave him satisfied for a long time before craving a new rush, probably once or twice a year. Just frequent enough to be something to look forward to but not too frequent that it becomes boring or too repetitive, he manages to keep that balance and walk on that thin line.

3. Hot air ballon ride: just imagine, it's early autumn, the weather is just right to wear those cozy yet good looking clothes, the earth seems like it's turning slower than usual as the trees change colours.

Around sunrise or sunset, both of you are high up in the air, the sun clearly in view with the golden clouds surrounding it. The world managing to look so small yet so vast at the same time.

Armin is wearing his favourite sweater and scarf combo, he's holding your hand in his pocket to keep it warm. It's just you and him isolated from the rest of the world like other people dont exist anymore, and strangely he's okay with that, at peace even.

He brings a camera and captures how the sun reflects in your eyes, how the chilly air makes you rub your hands together for warmth and how utterly breathtaking you look.

Beautiful, gorgeous even, these are the only thoughts in his mind at that moment.

And so Armin made a promise to himself that in the far future, when he wants to be even closer to you, to vow his life to yours, he'd propose on a hot air balloon.

But as much as he likes staying up in the air with you being his angel, the process of booking a ride is much more complicated and time consuming than he originally thought. Meaning he doesn't get to enjoy these rare heavenly moments as he wants to.

He needs to make reservations in advance, not to mention how important it is to choose a trustworthy company. Lastly how rides depend on the weather conditions, needing to reschedule if the weather takes a turn to the worse.

4. Visiting the aquarium or planetarium: he's just a boy with oceans for eyes and stars in his smile, can you really blame him for gravitating towards these places? Or for diving too deep in knowledge about the sky above and sea below?

Whenever the weather is too harsh for a beach trip or the sky is too cloudy for a stargazing night, these two places are his to go backups.

He's memorised the place like the back of his hand, no need for a map. Want to see the shark tanks and how they're doing? He'll take you there and introduce to them and the silly nicknames he gave them. Or how about saying hello to the dolphins who'll show off some moves just for your attention, or maybe you miss seeing the adorable penguins wobble around?

He knows endless facts about each fish kind, he makes it seem so fascinating and the way he phrases the information and coats them in milk and honey makes it impossible for you not to engage.

You both could have a slow with few words spoken walk and it still be as interesting, he'd even make special playlists to listen to while walking around and sharing his earphones.

Meanwhile at the planetarium, sometimes in the early mornings you'd run into kids just arriving for their school trip. Racing each other to the solar system panel and looking in amazement when the stars show begins. You and Armin have a nostalgic feeling when watching them, yet when you look at each other you remember how good it feels like to be grown and have someone special.

You never could get bored of seeing the stars, especially not with Armin.

5. Trying a new kind of art: one time you asked him what does he think the meaning of art is, what even is art?

"Art is communication" he said.

Armin has a deep love and appreciation for all kind of art, from classic oil canvas paintings to old greek sculptures. He doesn't pick a side, he likes both the modren and classic.

Music is art, writing is art and even making pottery is a form of art too. He wants to experience it, not for a need to acolmplish something or to rival Shakespeare, but for a need to communicate his emotions in a more subtle and personal way.

Like a secret language only he can decipher the meaning of, after all he was the one to create it.

Whenever he tries a new form of art, his usual fear of failure and absurdly high expectations actually go out the window. There isn't good and bad art, there's just different levels of communication and different styles.

So to him, the act of bringing you both some watercolours and cotton papers to paint on for a date is incredibly intimate, that's his true feelings and emotions he's showing you. But don't worry, he isn't here to take the whole thing seriously, he's actually playful and mellow most of the time.

Or maybe he'd like to make pottery with you, an excuse to put his hands around yours while sitting intimately close, maybe even give your shoulder a couple kisses while you shape the vase you agreed on making.

The next day, you find the finished vase near the window with a sunflower arrangements inside.

It also could be you two sitting next to each other, working together on a page of an adult colouring book or maybe to each one his own book. He'd hog the color blue most of the time so watch out, and don't lend him yours because he will hog it too.

Or maybe as a fun past time, you'd both attempt to make poetry, expect you're getting more and more drunk on the fruit flavoured beer he brought with him. You had fun laughing while reading what you came up with the next morning.

6. Going fruit picking in summer: it's his favourite way to celebrate the arrival of his favourite season, wear something light, pack some lemonade and go enjoy what mother nature has to offer.

You two would walk around in the fields, he's wearing a straw hat to block the sun, he thinks it looks better on you. Both of you looking at the fruits waiting to be picked, choosing the really unique shaped ones, the colourful ones and the especially delicious looking ones.

You might meet some small friends along the way, like a couple ladybugs that were crawling up Armin's arm. Two butterflies dancing in the air and even a frog that's taking a walk from its lake home nearby.

Going home that day with baskets full of different fruits waiting for your use, Armin and you discuss all the different ways you could use them for, like making delicious smoothies, or maybe saving them for baking a pie or cake. Maybe cutting them in small bites and covering them with different kinds of chocolate, maybe just making a fruits salad to enjoy while Armin reads you a book

Or maybe, maybe just washing them and eating them raw. Yeah that option sounds the most appealing after a day of walking through fields in the sun.

He'd feed you some, push them against your lips and smile when your eyes subtly light up at the sweet taste....maybe a kiss after so he could taste it too?

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detectivejay-chuckles-halstead · 4 years

Text

Thanks // Jay Halstead x Reader // Pt 7

Description: Jay and Y/N take a step in their relationship as Y/N gives him some surprising news

Warnings: None

Pairing: Jay x Reader, Reader x Mouse!Platonic, Jay x Mouse!Platonic

Words: 1859

A/N: The moment we have all been waiting for. I’m not sure how many parts this is going to be quite yet. I do have an ending planned that will tie everything together in the end. Maybe 15-20 parts?

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

“Doctor Charles, do you have a minute to talk about something personal?” you asked your boss a few days later when you both had a free moment, hoping he could help you with the Mouse situation in some capacity.

“Of course. Come in,” he insisted, motioning for you to take a seat in one of the chairs across from his. You smiled, sitting down. “What can I do for you?”

“I’ve started volunteering at a nursing home about an hour away from here -- a veteran’s home actually. There’s a resident there, late thirties with a TBI. I was there the other day with a friend of his, and he had an emotional outburst,” you began explaining softly.

“Which is very common in those types of patients,” he added, which got you to nod in agreement.

“They sedated him before telling us we needed to leave for the day. I may have insisted that it wasn’t going to happen. He’s a ward of the state, no family left. His friend is the only one besides me that goes and visits. His care is fine when it comes to physical needs, but this staff doesn’t seem to comprehend the complexity of brain injuries. When speaking to this friend, he told me that it wasn’t the first time this patient has gotten sedated and then been told to leave,” you continued. “Do...I was thinking that maybe he could petition for guardianship, move his friend to a facility that would have better resources. He’s on military benefits, so cost-wise it wouldn’t be too extreme. What do you think?”

“Petitioning the courts for guardianship of an adult is difficult in itself, let alone for somebody that has no family,” he answered, a quizzical look apparent on his face. “How do these two know each other?”

“They served together, both discharged medically from the same accident. His friend shows up twice a week, every week for at least four hours each day. He’s his only visitor. When he’s around, the patient is much more engaged than he normally is.” Daniel nodded, obviously thinking.

“Let me talk to a couple of my friends who work within Child and Family Services and see what the options are, the risks and benefits. I can have you more information on it by the end of the week.”

“Thank you,” you told him, smiling as you left the room. You pulled out your phone, shooting a quick text to Jay ‘beer and pizza, my place, 9pm. Have something you might want to hear’ before shoving the device back in your pocket and getting back to work.

The day seemed to fly by, bounding up the stairs to your apartment and getting ready for Jay to show up. You’d ordered the pizza, he was bringing the beer, it was going to be a great night. Especially since you had an idea when it came with how to help Mouse. All you had to do was see if Jay would be interested.

Nine couldn’t come soon enough, hearing a quick rasp on your door. When you opened it, you were met with Jay’s smiling face and a six pack in his hand. You could barely contain your excitement, leading him inside.

“So, what’s got you all excited? It’s not Christmas,” he asked as you opened the top to the pizza box, Jay opening two of the bottles and setting one in front of you.

“Okay, it’s a crazy idea. And I would understand if you don’t want to do it because it’s a lot, but there’s a way to move Mouse to a facility that is better equipped and prepared when it comes to the effects of his brain injury,” you explained before taking a bite from your pizza.

“Oh?” He opted for the drink, shaking your head softly with a smile. Such a Jay thing to do. The more time you spent with him, the more you wondered how you hadn’t met each other sooner.

“So, again, this is just an idea, and you obviously don’t have to agree with it. We can figure something else out, but,” you smiled, taking a bite from your pizza. “You could petition to be Mouse’s legal guardian since he’s considered a ward of the state. You’d be able to choose where he goes, what his treatments would be. It’s going to be rough, you may not even win, but you can try,” you explained.

“What would that entail exactly?” he said after a minute of silence, seeming to mull it over in his head.

“You would make all of his medical decisions. Who his doctors are, what medications he will or won’t get, what facility he stays at. Everything when it comes to his care would be your decision,” you explained again, not sure how else to word it. “I know you don’t know a lot when it comes to the medical stuff. And I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this if you don’t want to. It’s a lot of responsibility. But if there would be anybody who would win this case, it would be you considering your history with Mouse.”

“So, I could get him out of that place, closer?”

“Yeah. And if you need any help with understanding the medical side of everything, I can do my best to explain. And you have Will,” you then reminded him. “Again, this is all if you want to. You don’t have to make a decision right now, and you don’t have to do it. Just consider it, maybe? I don’t know.” You shrugged, not knowing if it was something he’d even be interested in. He was so busy with his job and life already, you felt stupid for even considering he’d have time to become Mouse’s guardian.

“What would it take?” His answer took you off guard, a look of hope clear as day on his perfect face.

“A lot of paperwork. There would be hearings, a judge would have to deem that you being Mouse’s guardian would be in his best interest. I can get Dr Charles to assess how he’s being treated at his current facility, go over his medical records, treatment notes. He can make an argument in your favor. Then, you’d need multiple character witnesses. You’re going to need a good lawyer, Jay, because there’s a chance that because of your job, they might say no.” You didn’t want that to happen, especially considering that it seemed Jay wanted to do this. Or he was at least seriously thinking about it.

“Nobody has ever told me this has even been a possibility,” he told you with a sad laugh. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“I just want to see Mouse in an environment he can thrive in, not just survive. He’s grown on me. You both have.”

He smiled, hooking his arm around your shoulders and bringing you against his chest. You could feel him press a kiss to the top of your head before resting his cheek on your hair. Being this close to Jay was Heaven on Earth, you were sure of it, bringing your arm across his abdomen, fingers loosely grasping the fabric of his shirt as the two of you refocused your attention on the movie that you’d turned on -- not exactly sure what was going on since your conversation had interrupted it.

As the credits rolled, neither of you moved to get up, Jay just reaching over to grab the remote before leaning back on the couch. Quickly, he flipped through the channels, landing on a Brooklyn 99 re-run.

“Don’t you see enough of this every day?” you asked him, curiosity peaking at his show choice.

“Yeah, but this is more focused on the interdepartmental relationships, and less to do with the actual cases. It’s fairly accurate too, though Voight would kill us if we tried doing half the stuff on this show,” he answered, squeezing you a little tighter with a smile.

“I wish there was a medical show like that...Maybe Scrubs would be considered the equivalent, but…” You just shrugged.

You weren’t expecting the spark between you as you looked at each other, mirroring smiles. The next thing you knew, you were tasting the beer and pizza on his lips, not quite sure who initiated it. It didn’t matter though, as the two of you moved together, your hand coming up to rest on the back of his neck. The positioning wasn’t ideal, not as comfortable as it could be. But Jay’s lips on yours was the perfect distraction.

When he pulled back, you couldn’t help but gently bite your bottom lip, looking up at him through your lashes. His lips were red, desire evident in his eyes. As you looked at him, your fingers gently ran along his cheek and jaw, feeling the soft scratch of his stubble against sensitive skin.

“After you left the first time I met you,” he began, not breaking the eye contact, “Mouse alluded to this happening. As if he already knew.”

“What is this, Jay?” You wanted him. In that moment, more than the air you breathed. Yet, you needed to know if this was just a one-off, or if he saw this going somewhere. Because you didn’t want to fall into feelings with him, just for him to not want it. It would change everything, in a bad way, and would affect your relationship with his friend as well.

“I want you, Y/N. More than friends, something...epic?” You giggled at his choice of words, bringing his lips down to yours again with fingernails scratching his scalp gently. Epic...That’s what it was going to be, you were sure of it.

The kiss turned from innocent to not very fast, quickly repositioning to straddle his lap. His hands found your hips, pulling you close as lips fought for dominance. A dance, a battle that had either no winner or two winners. It didn’t seem to be the latter when he pulled away, breathless.

“I should get home,” he said, voice rough. That was the last thing that you wanted, but you weren’t going to argue it. Instead, you just nodded, a last, quick kiss before you climbed off his lap. It gave you a minute to straighten yourself out.

“Text me when you get home?” you asked as he stood up, regaining his balance after sitting for so long. He nodded in agreement, a smile on his face as he grabbed his jacket, shrugging it onto his shoulders. You walked him to the door, close behind.

“I’ll see you in a couple days,” he assured you as he opened the door, leaning down for one more kiss. “That’s never gonna get old.”

“Night, Jay.” As much as you wanted him to stay, you knew it wasn’t the right time, not yet. You knew, though, that it was getting there. Slowly but surely, nearly three months of knowing each other, growing a friendship. You knew it was getting there as you watched him walk down the hall, shutting and locking the door when he turned out of sight.

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#jay halstead #jay halstead imagine #jay halstead smut #jay halstead x reader #mouse chicago pd #fanfiction

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edwad · 4 years

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What are your least favourite Marx books? Which ones are the worst?

this is sorta tricky because i guess you’d have to define “books” since

many of his most famous writings are tiny pamphlets or speeches which were then published as articles or pamphlets and might not properly be considered “books”, especially since some of them were only published posthumously as texts once transcripts were found for speeches. value price and profit would be the go-to example for this.

a lot of the “books” we now have are really just editorial collages of manuscripts that were not written in the format of a “book” and were in many cases not even intended to be published. so when we try to measure their worth in how Good they are or not, sometimes the “book” we’re talking about doesn’t really exist or is constructed/“finished” (often poorly) from the raw manuscript(s). great example would be the economic manuscripts of 1864-5 which were then turned into volume 3 of capital, but the debate around the nature of engels’ job as editor means that the “book” capital volume 3 is considered by many to be inferior to the unadulterated manuscripts, if not an outright distortion of them.

but if we can sorta treat all the published texts as “books” (excluding like, individual articles unless they are noteworthy enough to single out. if they’ve been published as a pamphlet and are considered Important Texts i’ll consider them here) and ignore the fact that marx was an extremely prolific writer (meaning that there’s a lot that i haven’t read), id largely come down on the younger marx.

i think pieces like the communist manifesto, paris manuscripts, wage labor and capital, etc are relatively intellectually immature compared to his later works. a lot of what’s in them had to be corrected or outright abandoned by the 1860s. there’s also the problem where the paris manuscripts suffer from the 2nd problem listed above where they are mishmashed together in such a way that they appear inconsistent and where the actual process of inquiry gets lost in the rearranging of pieces of text. for example, the piece we read at the beginning as the “preface”, but which was actually from the third manuscript and was pulled to the front by editors, shows an attempt by editors to “finish” what marx apparently would’ve done himself, despite the fact that the manuscripts were from marxs personal notebooks and for his own development/clarification as he studied, not manuscripts for a “book”. this seemingly minor change reflects the overall editorial attitude to the publication of the manuscripts. a more apparent alteration is in the last “manuscript” regarding the critique of hegelian philosophy, which was never written by marx. it is an “essay” compiled from paragraphs and stray remarks throughout the paris notebooks, put together in a semi-coherent order so that it could stand as a single text (the same thing happened with the first “chapter” of “the german ideology”). when editors are this bold, it is hard to distinguish the good/bad of marxs work from the heavy hands of editors.

the same is true of wage labor and capital, which was republished by engels after marxs death with numerous “corrections”, especially around the category of “labor-power” which marx developed in the late 1850s, about a decade after WLC was written. the result is that engels decided to publish “not as Marx wrote it in 1849, but approximately as Marx would have written it in 1891,” which ignores the fact that merely changing “labor” to “labor-power” everywhere in the text that mentions its sale as a commodity doesn’t magically bring it to some hypothetical peak. marxs theoretical foundations between 1849 and 1867 (not to mention 8 years after his death in 1891!!) were radically different, meaning that the updating of a single category doesn’t resolve the problems of the text. here again, the editor plays a heavy role in the reception of the text (if you’ve read WLC, you almost certainly read the 1891 edition with engels’ editing), but also the theoretical foundations themselves are inadequate and were jettisoned in a matter of years.

the communist manifesto comes from this era of marxs thought as well and suffers from the same problems, although marx and engels treated the text as a kind of “historical document” which shouldn’t be altered, displacing the explicit “corrections” to the prefaces of later editions. regardless, its fame as The text of communism means that it becomes the go-to text for encountering and combatting communism. this is why it’s taught in high school classrooms and why jordan peterson thought it was enough to simply deal with the manifesto (beyond the fact that he’d obviously never read anything else by marx) as if it was the final word on communism. it isn’t, and the text has many problems that it’s authors pointed to, but also several which are only ever made implicitly in other texts, as the theoretical foundations are constantly being placed under scrutiny and changed. in the manifesto, he is largely uncritical of political economy’s categories, adhering to a malthusian conception of wages and a naïve theory of crises.

but there’s another issue, which isn’t wholly unrelated here, regarding the esoteric/exoteric dimensions of marxs writings which aren’t really grappled with until the 1970s by the neue marx-lektüre, concerning the ways in which marx would often write in “popularized” fashion, resulting in a kind of theoretical “dumbing down” of the concepts. he was extremely aware of the need to make himself understandable and even rewrote the beginning of capital several times in order to escape the same fate of the 1859 contribution which did poorly, in large part due to the fact that most people didn’t really understand it and those that did weren’t the people he was trying to reach.

the problem is that this often led to simplification rather than clarification, crudifying the analysis and turning it into something else which meant, at the end of the day, he was still misunderstood. this problem exists in many of his texts (even my favorites), meaning that some of his pieces, especially those which are often more explicitly political, become somewhat contradictory when compared to his private notebooks at the time. another serious and related issue here is the political censorship he faced at the time, which likely had a lot more to do with the way he expressed himself in published texts than we typically think. in my view, both of these things together help explain bernstein’s identification of a reformist tendency in the later marx, which was combatted by equally bad readings of traditional “exoteric” marxisms.

anyway, this is less a list of my least favorite marx books and more of a marxological wash of problems with making lists like this in the first place. it’s often hard to distinguish between marx and his editors, but also he was constantly developing and self-criticizing older conceptions, meaning that his “worst” books for me come from periods/texts where he isn’t on very firm footing (basically everything he wrong up to the grundrisse as far as i’m concerned), but excluding some of the texts which i think are actually quite strong despite their editorial weaknesses. my interest, then, is in understanding his intellectual development and bringing context to some of his later positions. that makes even the worst texts really important, even if i don’t find them adequate, which is sorta the point since he didn’t either.

#marxology

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nickgerlich · 3 years

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Spin Class

Charles Dickens wrote in A Tale Of Two Cities, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

That was 1859. The crazy thing is, those words are just as true today as we reflect on companies that thrived--and died--thanks to COVID. It either made you or broke you.

And one of the thrivers is Peloton, a company that was by its very design set up with the perfect antidote for lockdown. It’s hard to beat a personal workout system in the safety of your own home. Social distancing was never easier.

But Peloton (which is a cycling-related term referring to the main group or pack of cyclists in a race) is much more than just fitness, at least in terms of corporate strategy. They have built a community of happy clients, working out diligently under the umbrella of health and wellness. Think social network and accountability partners. It’s sheer genius, even if it comes with a price. It’s sticky, but expensive.

Yes, expensive. Two models of stationary bikes are available, at either $1495 or $2495. While the bike alone is enough for workouts (hey, you can watch Seinfeld on Netflix while you workout), to be able to tap into the community and the massive library of classes runs $39 a month. If you’re more on a budget, you can opt for the app at $13 a month, but it only works on your mobile device and has far fewer features.

That’s an expensive machine right there. As a cyclist myself, I can tell you with all honesty that I give a hard pass. It’s not that I am opposed to working out, of course. I would rather ride outside, and having been a long-distance cyclist for 35 years, I have no problem cycling by myself. I listen to podcasts while in road warrior mode. Unless we are truly experiencing a winter of despair, I will be outside.

Otherwise, I have a phrase for what happens next: day off.

To be fair, I did buy an indoor trainer stand during COVID for about $225. It allows me to set my rear wheel into a contraption that turns a weighted metal cylinder to provide resistance. I parked it in front of the TV and watched Netflix for an hour. That’s a heck of a lot less than Peloton and its services.

So who is Peloton for, you ask? It is for those seeking fitness and health, have money, and actually do not like to, or cannot, cycle outdoors. In the short daylight of winter, I can see the benefits. If you’re in Minnesota, I definitely see the benefits.

That said, I am also thankful for a very flexible work schedule so I can get on the road around 3:00. It just has to be pretty darn cold or snowy for me to use my indoor trainer, which I liken more to punishment for a sin I cannot remember committing.

And then there is the cliched long-term result of owning home gym equipment that goes unused. They often become very expensive clothing racks. In fact, they are perfect for this, but why spend $2500 for a Peloton, Bowflex, NordicTrack, etc.?

While I admire Peloton’s business model, and salute those who actually use the product and related services for their good health, it’s not for everyone. Just like I would never be caught dead owning an e-bike, I’m good with using my modest indoor trainer only during those spells of bad weather we get every once in a while. There are many like me.

I’m going to social distance myself from this one, and later today, distance myself from everyone and everything else for a quick 30 miles on the road. Maybe I’ll listen to some Charles Dickens.

Dr “Share The Road“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

#marketing #Peloton #stationary #cycling #fitness #health

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carry-on-kissing-snowbaz · 6 years

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Time Travel and Ducks (COC Day 3)

Day 3: Time Travel AU

I am honestly not sure what happened with this. But I hope you enjoy a 3rd year fic in which fighting the chimera goes wonderfully wrong for Simon and Baz. @carryon-countdown

Word Count: 1647

Simon

He was going to kill Baz. Even if he had to hunt down a musket to do it, he vowed he would get revenge for this.

Only a few minutes ago the two of them had been arguing while fighting off the chimera, the chimera which Baz had conjured, when suddenly he’d yelled out a spell at the precise moment Simon had grabbed him in a panic. Without meaning to, Simon had pulsed some of his magic into Baz at the exact moment he’d finished saying the spell.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times!” Baz had shouted.

Under normal circumstances, the famous Charles Dickens quotes could be used as a spell to right something that was going wrong in the moment, to make the best of times and all that. But, when Simon’s magic had tinged the spell, it had sent them back to the very time the quote had been conceived.

Simon and Baz were sitting, very uneasily on the steps of the British Museum, after having learned from a newspaper about what had just happened to them. That was how they’d figured out they had landed themselves in 1859.

“I cannot believe this,” Simon muttered.

“I know,” Baz said, “The book was set during the French revolution, how did we end up here?”

Simon looked at him, unsure he was hearing him correctly.

“Are you actually making jokes right now?”

Baz shrugged.

“It’s not a joke really, I’m just questioning the accuracy of the spell.”

“We’re doomed,” Simon said, “I mean seriously doomed. I do not want to live out the rest of my life with you as the only person I know. In the Victorian Era at that.”

Baz frowned.

“I’m sure I could track down some of my ancestors living in this time.”

Simon growled.

“And what about me?” He asked.

“Well,” Baz said, smirking, “You don’t know who your parents were. Looks like you’ll be on your own.”

Simon felt like going off and then realized that he couldn’t. There was no way that he could go off in front of the British Museum, especially not almost two hundred years before the present. He had no idea how it would effect the current timeline.

“You are absolutely unbelievable,” Simon said.

Baz glared at him.

“At least I’m not the git who supercharged someone in the middle of a complicated spell!”

Simon shook his head.

“Fine,” he said, “I’m sorry for that. Next time you summon a chimera to kill me, I’ll try to focus a bit more on the whole ‘no touching’ thing. But for now, will you please help me try to figure this out?”

Baz rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” he said, “Will you just calm down? All we need to do is figure out a spell that would do the same thing and send us back.”

Simon raised his eyebrows.

“Oh yeah, super easy. I guess we’ll try out Tik Tok on the clock and just hope for the best?”

Baz raised his eyebrows, considering it.

“That isn’t a half bad idea actually,” he said.

“I wasn’t being serious!” Simon shouted.

Baz glanced around them, nervously. The people around them were staring at them and whispering. Simon knew that, although not the worst clothing to be caught in during the Victorian Era, their Watford uniforms still stood out. The grime from the fight with the chimera also looked suspicious.

Baz said, “Before we figure this out, can we at least get some proper clothes so we don’t stand out?”

Simon sighed.

“All right,” he said, climbing down the steps, “But you’re buying me some food on the way.”

Baz

Snow seemed to warming up to Victorian London as he ate his way through all the street vendors had to offer. Baz had to drag him away from the vendors before all of Snow’s talking made them suspicious. He was worse than a child in the zoo.

They’d been looking in storefronts for hours while Snow sampled all his treats. Baz had had to tear him away from a toyshop at one point, though even he had to admit it had been pretty spectacular. Later they’d walked past a music hall and Snow had had to drag Baz away from it.

Snow looked fine in his clothes, even Baz had to admit it. He was wearing a grey suit with a ridiculous top hat. It made his blue eyes and bronze curls stand out. Baz had gone for a deep green suit and hat, splurging on a cane just because. Snow had made fun of him for that but Baz had threatened to stop spelling money if he kept making fun of him.

They finally settled at Hyde Park and sat to eat a few ham sandwiches.

“This hasn’t been so bad after all,” Snow said.

Baz glanced at him and felt the corner of his mouth tug up. Snow had grease on the corner of his mouth and was looking at a duck a few paces away with a fond expression.

“So you’d be happy to spend the rest of your life with me here in 1859 London?”

Snow glanced at him.

“You said you would leave me to find your ancestors.”

Baz threw a piece of sandwich bread in the duck’s direction.

“I didn’t actually mean it. I’ll always be stuck with you.”

Snow smiled at the now sated duck.

“Wow, how romantic.”

Baz felt his cheeks go warm.

“Let’s uh, figure out a spell to get us home,” Baz said.

Snow took another bite of his sandwich.

“Actually,” he said, mouth full, “I came up with an idea while we were getting our clothes.”

Baz frowned.

“Why didn’t you say something?”

Snow shrugged and looked down.

“I guess I was just having fun,” he said.

Baz didn’t understand why, but he had the sudden desire to grab Snow’s hand and squeeze it, to reassure him or something.

“It has been fun today,” Baz admitted.

Snow looked back up at him.

“Why can’t we be more like this back home? Go eat together and feed ducks together.”

Baz sighed.

“Because my family wants you dead. And your Mage wants to kick my family out of the World of Mages entirely.”

Snow squeezed his lips together.

“Well,” he said, “We’re only thirteen. I say we leave this big stuff to them. If they want to fight it out, then why should we worry about it?”

Baz rolled his eyes.

“You know it isn’t that simple.”

Snow picked at the grass on the ground, head hung low.

“I know,” he said, glumly, “But I want it to be different.”

The duck had come closer to them, squawking for more food. Baz handed it the rest of his sandwich. It really was a greedy duck and far too comfortable with humans.

“Why? Haven’t you always wanted me thrown in a dungeon,” Baz said.

Snow reached out to pet the duck. For whatever reason, it let him, ignoring him while it finished Baz’s sandwich.

“I did. But I don’t think I ever really meant it. I don��t want to now.”

Baz frowned.

“A few hours ago I tried to get that chimera to kill you,” Baz said.

“We both know you were only trying to scare me,” Snow said, “You knew I’d just go off.”

Baz looked around him, at all the people walking with parasols.

“Well you didn’t,” Baz laughed, “Obviously.”

Snow laughed with him, startling the duck.

“Maybe,” Baz said, “When we go back, I work on my family and you work on the Mage. Maybe…we try to be different.”

Snow nodded.

“All right,” he said, “Then I’m ready to share my spell idea.”

“What is it?”

Snow looked at his face, his eyes warm.

“Time flies when you’re having fun.”

Baz felt his heart stutter. He hadn’t thought it was possible that Snow would ever like him, but here they were having fun together. He knew that the spell would never work if they hadn’t come together as they had. It made him feel warm and a bit tingly. He didn’t understand it but for once he didn’t fight it.

“All right, let’s go behind a tree before we do it. I don’t want to scare the locals.”

Snow looked lovingly at the greedy duck.

“Can we take her?”

Baz frowned.

“No.”

“But Margery loves us,” Snow pouted.

“You named the duck?”

They were walking over to a tree, the duck following them.

“Well I wanted to name her Butter but I knew that you’d think that was stupid.”

Baz snorted.

“It is stupid. Wait, Margery…margarine…”

Snow looked away, guilty.

“You are seriously disturbed,” Baz said.

“Does that mean I can take Butter?”

“No! Haven’t you ever heard of the butterfly effect?”

They crouched behind the tree.

“Yeah but I’ve never heard of the duck effect.”

Baz ignored him and put his hands on Snow’s shoulders.

“We ready?” he asked.

Butter the duck settled at their feet and Baz saw no way to dissuade her from coming with them.

“Yes,” Snow said.

“Time flies when you’re having fun!”

Butter quacked.

And then they were gone.

Simon

They were sitting in their room at Watford, thankfully in the right time period, telling Penny all about their adventure. She was sitting on the bed, stroking Butter, while she listened intently.

“Well,” she said, “I’m very glad you idiots didn’t mess up the current timeline.”

Baz smiled at Simon and he felt a small flutter in his stomach.

“I have to say though,” she said, “It sounds like you two went on a date.”

Simon glanced worriedly over at Baz, who looked similarly nervous.

“Penny!” Simon said.

Butter quaked.

“See? Us girls know the truth.”

That made them all laugh.

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nitinsingh43-blog · 5 years

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10 Fun Facts About Charles Darwin

Everyone knows about Charles Darwin and his theory of natural selection, but did you know that he once ate an owl, just for kicks? Or that he almost didn’t make it aboard HMS Beagle because of the shape of his nose? Behold Neatorama’s 10 Fun Facts About Charles Darwin:

1. Darwin Once Ate an Owl

Darwin was an inquisitive man. Sure he was curious about nature and all that science stuff, but he’s also a guy. So when he saw strange animals, he often wondered what they would taste like. The difference between Darwin and the rest of us is that he actually ate ‘em!

While he was at Cambridge University, Darwin joined the “Gourmet Club,” which met once a week to eat animals not often found in menus, like hawk and bittern (a type of wading bird in the heron family). His zeal for weird food, however, broke down when he tried an old brown owl, which he found “indescribable.”

But that one episode didn’t end Darwin’s weird gastronomic proclivities. During the voyage of the Beagle, he ate armadillos and agoutis (the rodents were “best meat I ever tasted,” he said).

In Patagonia, South America, Darwin ate a puma (it tasted like veal) and an ostrich-like bird called a Rhea. Actually, Darwin had been looking for this particular species of Rhea, only to find that he had been eating one all along. He sent back the uneaten parts to the Zoological Society in London, which named the bird Rhea darwinii after him!

In the Galapagos, Darwin ate iguanas and giant tortoises. He liked it so much he loaded up 48 of them aboard the Beagle, to be eaten on the journey back!

Sources: Darwin’s Dinner at Quite Interesting | The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin by Charles and Francis Darwin

2. Darwin Wanted to Be a Doctor, But He Couldn’t Stand the Sight of

Blood

Darwin attended Edinburgh University in hopes of becoming a physician like his father, but soon abandoned the idea because he couldn’t stand the sight of blood. So he decided to study divinity instead and become a rural cleric, which would fit his hobby of being a naturalist just fine (Source).

3. Darwin’s Nose Almost Cost Him The Voyage on the Beagle

The Captain of HMS Beagle, Robert FitzRoy, was about to embark on a survey expedition to South America, but he was afraid of the stress and loneliness of such a voyage (indeed, they have driven the previous captain of the ship to commit suicide). So FitzRoy asked his superiors for a well-educated and scientific gentleman companion to come along as an unpaid naturalist whom he could treat as an equal. The professors at Cambridge recommended then 22-years old Charles Darwin for the trip.

At first, Charles’ father Robert objected to the appointment — after all, such a voyage would take years and would get in the way of him being a clergyman. But Darwin’s uncle was able to persuade him not only to let his son go, but also support him financially.

Darwin and FitzRoy got together well, but later Darwin found out that he almost didn’t get picked for the voyage … on account of the shape of his nose!

“Afterwards on becoming very intimate with Fitz-Roy, I heard that I had run a very narrow risk of being rejected [as the Beagle’s naturalist], on account of the shape of my nose! He was an ardent desciple of Lavater, and was convinced that he could judge a man’s character by the outline of his features; and he doubted wheather anyone with my nose could possess sufficient energy and determination for the voyage. But I think he was afterwards well-satisfied that my nose had spoken falsely.” (Source: Charles Darwin: His Life Told in an Autobiographical Chapter, and in a Selected Series of His Published Letters, by Charles Darwin — 1902)

4. Best Birthday Gift Ever: a Mountain!

For Darwin’s 25th birthday on February 12, 1834, Captain FitzRoy named a mountain after him. Yup, Mount Darwin. It is the highest peak in Tierra del Fuego.

A year earlier, Darwin and his shipmates were on a small island in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago when a huge mass of ice fell from the face of a glacier and plunged into the ocean, causing a huge wave. Darwin ran to the shore and saved the ship’s boats from being swept away. For saving everyone from being marooned, FitzRoy named the area Darwin Sound.

And as if one mountain isn’t enough, Darwin got three more named after him: There are other Darwin Mountains located in California, Tasmania, and Antarctica.

5. The Full Title of “On The Origin of Species”

Larger photo: University of Sydney

You probably know that Darwin’s most famous work, outlining his theory of evolution, is On the Origin of Species.

But what most people don’t know is the full title: On the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. It was published in 1859, twenty years after his epic voyage (yes, he took his sweet time in publishing his work, which he only did because Alfred Russell Wallace came to the same conclusion of evolution and Darwin didn’t want to be left behind). A total of 1250 copies were printed and it went on sale for 15 shillings. It’s now valued at around $23,000.

In the 6th edition, the title was changed to The Origin of Species.

6. Darwin Didn’t Invent the Phrase “Survival of the Fittest”

That was Herbert Spencer, a philosopher and contemporary of Charles Darwin. After reading Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, Spencer wrote Principles of Biology in 1864. He coined the phrase “survival of the fittest” and extended Darwin’s theory of natural selection into the realm of sociology, ethics, and economics.

Darwin himself used the phrase in his 5th edition of The Origin and gave full credit to Spencer.

7. Darwin Married His First Cousin

Darwin was a logical man, and he approached the important issue of marriage like he would any problem. In The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Darwin made careful pro and con list of marriage to his first cousin, Emma Wedgwood:

Image: Cambridge University Library — The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

Under the title “This is the Question,” Darwin wrote in the “Marry” Column:

Children — (if it Please God) — Constant companion, (& friend in old age) who will feel interested in one, — object to be beloved & played with. — — better than a dog anyhow. — Home, & someone to take care of house — Charms of music & female chit-chat. — These things good for one’s health. — Forced to visit & receive relations but terrible loss of time. —

W My God, it is intolerable to think of spending ones whole life, like a neuter bee, working, working, & nothing after all. — No, no won’t do. — Imagine living all one’s day solitarily in smoky dirty London House. — Only picture to yourself a nice soft wife on a sofa with good fire, & books & music perhaps — Compare this vision with the dingy reality of Grt. Marlbro’ St.

… and in the “Not Marry” column:

No children, (no second life), no one to care for one in old age. — What is the use of working ‘in’ without sympathy from near & dear friends — who are near & dear friends to the old, except relatives

Freedom to go where one liked — choice of Society & little of it. — Conversation of clever men at clubs — Not forced to visit relatives, & to bend in every trifle. — to have the expense & anxiety of children — perhaps quarelling — Loss of time. — cannot read in the Evenings — fatness & idleness — Anxiety & responsibility — less money for books &c — if many children forced to gain one’s bread. — (But then it is very bad for ones health to work too much)

Perhaps my wife wont like London; then the sentence is banishment & degradation into indolent, idle fool —

He concluded that he should marry, and wrote:

Marry — Marry — Marry Q.E.D.

It is ironic that the man who gave rise to the importance of genetics in natural selection chose to marry his first cousin (Darwin wasn’t alone in this — Einstein also married his cousin), but one thing is for sure: Darwin cleverly avoided adding more relatives to visit!

8. How Darwin Lost His Faith in Christianity

Darwin was actually quite a religious fellow when he began his voyage on the Beagle (he was fresh out of divinity school). Aboard the ship, Darwin was known to quote passages from the bible to rowdy sailors on board.

But something happened during the trip that made him less religious. Darwin saw slavery firsthand as well as the wretched living conditions of the natives of Tierra del Fuego and wondered why God allowed such inhumanities to happen (Source). Darwin became skeptical of the history in the Old Testament, yet still believed in the existence of God.

Darwin lost his faith when his daughter Annie caught scarlet fever and died at the age of 10. He wrote “We have lost the joy of the household, and the solace of our old age … Oh that she could now know how deeply, how tenderly we do still & and shall ever love her dear joyous face.” The heartsick Emma filled a small box with Annie’s small treasures and kept it until her own death. (Source)

From then on, Darwin continued to help the local church with parish work, but would go on walks while his family attended church on Sundays. When asked about his religious views, Darwin denied that he was an atheist, but called himself agnostic.

In 1915, Lady Hope claimed to have visited Darwin and witnessed his deathbed conversion back to Christianity. This was refuted by his children, who noted that his last words were to Emma: “I am not the least afraid of death — Remember what a good wife you have been — Tell all my children to remember how good they have been to me.” (Source)

9. Darwin was a Backgammon Fiend

After his return from South America, Darwin developed a life-long illness that left him severely debilitated or bed-ridden for long periods of time. Darwin consulted with more than 20 doctors, but the cause of his disease was never discovered (Wikipedia has an interesting list of possible illnesses).

Over the years, with the help of Emma, Darwin developed a strict routine that seemed to help in alleviating the symptoms. AboutDarwin.com has an interesting glimpse into what everyday life was like for Darwin.

Of note is Darwin’s strict schedule for playing backgammon. Every night between 8 and 8:30 PM, Darwin would play 2 games of backgammon with Emma. He even kept score of every game he played for years!

10. Church of England Finally Apologized to Darwin

When Darwin’s work on the theory of evolution came out, the church attacked him vociferously. Now, 126 years after his death, The Church of England has apologized to Darwin:

Charles Darwin: 200 years from your birth, the Church of England owes you an apology for misunderstanding you and, by getting our first reaction wrong, encouraging others to misunderstand you still. We try to practice the old virtues of ‘faith seeking understanding’ and hope that makes some amends. But the struggle for your reputation is not over yet, and the problem is not just your religious opponents but those who falsely claim you in support of their own interests. Good religion needs to work constructively with good science — and I dare to suggest that the opposite may be true as well. (Source)

If you like this article, you’ll probably love these 10 Fun Facts articles on charles darwin-

Charles Darwin Theory

Charles Darwin Facts

Charles Darwin Childhood

Charles Darwin Death

Charles Darwin BOOKS

#on the origin of species #charles darwin

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