#they visited Jane's parents and they spent some time with them

[ro-rogue]

the tragic thing about john doe is that he was doomed from the start.

he was likely born in a low- or mid-tier district: new bostin high's old king, zirian, was the only one john had trouble beating, before he figured out how to amplify abilities, and at the time he beat zirian, zirian was a 3.7. zirian, pre-john, was considered incredibly powerful, nigh unbeatable. in new bostin, someone who was barely an elite was considered incredibly powerful.

god-tiers are already incredibly rare. they're even more rare than high-tiers, and whenever remi, blyke, and isen visit a low-tier district as vigilantes, everyone regards them almost as royalty - unbelievably powerful, unreachable, divinity on earth. they are with dozens, and they’re terrified of a single, non-hostile girl. also, some of the background characters say: “what’s a high-tier doing in branish?” “yeah, they would never come to a place like this.” most low-tiers likely have never even seen a high-tier in the flesh, let alone a god-tier.

add to that that wellston is supposed to be the most powerful school in the province, at least, and before john, there were only two god-tiers in attendance: an 8.0 and a 6.3. and before arlo became king, rei was, and rei was a 5.8. the king of the strongest school in the province was a 5.8.

jane doe was raised in a god-tier family. she knows, presumably, what it means to be a god-tier, when everyone around you is weaker than you, and not by a little bit. but jane has been gone since john was a toddler - and the only person left to raise him was his father. his cripple father, who has lived his whole life being spat on, disregarded, considered less than.

and then you have john. john first discovered his ability in his last year of middle school. unordinary doesn't give us an exact timeframe, but it is mentioned that he first uses his ability towards the end of the school year. if we assume that the education system in unordinary is comparable to the us education system, then that makes john about fourteen years old. it is never mentioned when most kids discover their abilities, but sera mentioned that she got martial arts lessons for a few years when she was a young child, but stopped when her ability came in. assuming sera's development is normal and abilities usually come in at the same age regardless of level, that would place the average age well before ten. another thing: everyone around john seemed to assume he would never get an ability. they considered him a cripple. which either means that late-bloomers are so incredibly rare that it isn't even considered a possibility, or john was so far past the age of ability manifestation that no one thought it was possible.

of course, his dad was also a cripple, and since genetics are a thing in uno, it would make sense for people to assume john would be a cripple even before he passed the manifestation age. (and treat him accordingly)

john got expelled in his second year in high school. when, exactly, doesn't really matter. once again assuming that the uno education system works like the us education system, that would place john at 15-16 years old.

so you have this kid, sixteen years old, who's had his ability for about two years. he spent most of his life being considered the lowest of the low - spat on, disregarded, less than. his dad, his only parental figure, has had those exact same experiences, and the only thing he can tell his child is that that is just the way the world works. it's unfair, but that's life.

but then he gets an ability. and within two years, he is almost twice as strong as the second strongest kid around. none of the adults have ever met someone as strong as him. him, the former cripple, with the cripple father. former lowest of the low, now a god amongst men. the kids, though, his classmates, his peers, they don't really understand his power. how much stronger he is than them. to tell the truth, he doesn't either, not fully. he's never met someone as strong as he is, at sixteen. but his classmates, they just remember when they used to walk all over him. when they would beat him bloody and then complain about getting his disgusting cripple blood on their shoes. and now he dares to stand above them?

they don't like him. of course they don't. cripples aren't able to become gods. they can't comprehend that john did.

and john, obviously, lashes out at his former bullies. he finally has a chance to pay them back, for all the cuts, bruises, broken bones he'd received from them over the years. he's stronger than them, and it's his turn to make them hurt. he goes farther than they did - their abilities are useless against the might of his power - but he doesn't really care. (they never held back, so he doesn't either, and the damage he does is much, much worse. the adults are mad, and he doesn't get why. he's only doing what everyone else does.)

the adults have no idea how to handle him. he's out of control. but they've never seen an ability this powerful before, except on tv, or in stories. high-rankers are supposed to keep order. (but no one listens to john. why would they? he's just a cripple, the lowest of the low, who managed to cheat the system.) his dad, kind-hearted william doe the cripple, has no idea how to help him. he can't relate to his problems at all. (is there even a problem? who wouldn't want to be powerful? for william, for adrian, for claire, it'd be a dream come true. it used to be, for john.) there is no one around who even vaguely knows what it's like to be a god-tier, or even a high-tier, or even just a high-ranker in general, except for zirian, who's barely a high-ranker at all, and who hates john for dethroning him. there is no one who understands him.

so then you have john. sixteen years old. god-tier. angry at the world, and the world is angry at him. how was he ever supposed to win?

#thanks for reading my incredibly long rant #i just. have so much to say abt john's character #unordinary #uno #john doe #unordinary webtoon

[vikkirosko]

Headcanons Single parent

⚾️ Scout x Reader 🍗

When you met Scout, you seemed to him a pleasant person with whom he was interested in communicating and flirting. When he had a weekend off, you went on dates. He was serious and hoped that your relationship would last a long time. He was happy when you invited him to visit you, but a surprise was waiting for him in your house in the person of your five-year-old son

You were a single parent and have been raising your son for five years. The second parent left you and your child, so you took full responsibility for yourself and so far you have coped well with your role as a parent. Your son had to go to school soon, so you were often busy. You worked hard so that your son would have everything he needed and even more. Every time you told someone you liked that you had a son, they left pretty quickly and stopped communicating with you. That's why you didn't tell Scout about it. You were waiting for the right moment and it was by inviting him to your home that you decided to tell him the truth. But Scout didn't leave

Scout saw that you were busy, so he proudly offered to play with your son while you were busy. You were grateful to him and went about your business, but you continued to listen to make sure that nothing bad would happen. Scout joked a lot and played with your son like a little brother. Your son has never had a person with whom he could behave so freely before. When you finished your business, you saw both of them, tired, sleeping on the couch. You didn't wake them up and, smiling gently, covered them with a blanket

You were glad that Scout wasn't bothered by the fact that you had a child. He was like an older brother or a friendly uncle to your son. You were glad that his feelings for you did not weaken and he was even ready to help you with taking care of your son. He couldn't help him with the upcoming school, but he could help you with care and upbringing

🪖 Soldier x Reader 🦅

From the first day of acquaintance, Soldier was in love with you, which he quickly told you. You started dating a couple of months later and you saw each other often, but usually during the day. You had a job and in the evenings you usually spent time at home. Soldier didn't know the reason until one day he came to your house. He planned to surprise you, but when you opened the door to him, he heard a child's voice asking you who came to you

As it turned out, you were a single parent and you had a six-year-old daughter. You didn't go into details about your partner, just said that you are now alone with your daughter and that despite the fact that you like Jane, you didn't want to put a romantic relationship above your daughter, but Soldier wasn't going to try to somehow influence your relationship with your daughter and was even glad that that you had a child. He imagined how to communicate with boys, because he worked surrounded by men, but it was more difficult with a girl. He has become a frequent guest in your house. The fact that he knew about your daughter allowed you to see each other more often and the girl quickly became attached to him

You could safely do cooking without worrying that your daughter might get bored. Soldier was happy to communicate with her and participated in her games, changing them in a military way. Your daughter was having fun with the new plots he was coming up with and you asked him every time to make them less detailed when it came to some of the scenes he described. He tried to do as you asked, but it didn't always work out, but as long as your daughter was happy, everything suited you

When your daughter first called Soldier Dad, he was surprised by this and could not hold back tears. When you saw him like that, you couldn't help but smile softly and hugged him. For the first time in your life there was a man who accepted you and your daughter

🔥 Pyro x Reader 🦄

Pyro met you at a toy store. He came there to look at toys, and you were choosing something and accidentally bumped into him. He apologized to you for a long time, even though you didn't immediately understand what he was saying, but he offered to help you choose a toy as a sign of apology. As it turned out, you were choosing gifts for your daughters on their birthday. Pyro was happy to help you choose gifts and a few days later you met again

You liked him despite the fact that he had some oddities and after a few months of the relationship you decided to introduce him to your daughters. You had two seven-year-old twin girls whom you loved very much and with whom you introduced Pyro. Your daughters were surprised when you introduced them to him, but they quickly accepted him and arranged a tea party with him, in which he gladly participated

Every time Pyro came to visit you, your daughters were sincerely glad to see him. They played with him while you were busy and were happy when he was at your family events. They were ready to accept him as a part of the family and it genuinely pleased you. Your daughters rarely trusted strangers so easily, which is why Pyro stood out so much

The relationship with Pyro was not the first after you became a single parent, but your daughters liked only him. He was genuinely attached to them and you were glad that you could not be afraid that your daughters would be against your relationship. You sincerely hoped that Pyro would become a part of your family

🍺 Demoman x Reader 💣

Demoman and you met in a bar. You worked there and didn't mind chatting with a regular customer at all. You always listened to what he was talking about and drove him home several times when he was too drunk and couldn't drive himself. You both liked your communication and you started seeing each other not only in the bar where you worked and finally you started dating. However, a much more important step was that you introduced him to your sons

As it turned out, you were a single parent and you had two eight-year-old sons. You didn't say what happened to your partner, but you loved your sons and took care of them. You were worried about how your sons would react to Demo, because you had never introduced them to those you met before, trying to separate relationships and family. However, he quickly won the favor of your children by telling them stories from his childhood, especially about how he came to the sorcerer's castle

Tavish really treated your children with care and attention. He often thought that he would like a family, but before he did not have the opportunity to become a family man because of work. However, you and your sons seemed ready to accept him into your family. It really meant a lot to him

He hoped that in the coming holidays he would be able to invite you and your sons to his home to introduce you to his mother. He appreciated that you introduced him to your family, which is why he wanted you to meet his family too. He was sure that his mom would be able to accept you as family members

🥪 Heavy x Reader 🐻

Heavy and you were able to get along from the first day of your acquaintance. He told you about his family and you listened with interest to stories about his sisters when they were children. You didn't have any siblings so you didn't know what it was like. However, you told him that you had two daughters, the eldest was twelve and the youngest was eight. They were your family and when you were sure of your relationship with Heavy, you decided to introduce him to them

Your daughters could not immediately feel at ease with him. He seemed very big against your background, and against the background of your daughters, he seemed just a giant. However, Heavy was able to find a common language with the girls, after all, he had three younger sisters, so after several meetings they were glad to see him, as if he had been part of your family for a long time

Every time he came to your house, he helped you cook, told your daughters about life in a small house among the snows, about his sisters and mother. They always listened to him with interest and asked a huge number of questions. You smiled softly, rejoicing that your daughters were so attached to him

He hoped that someday you will be able to live like a real family. He sincerely loved you and sometimes imagined how you could live in a big house, he, you, your daughters, and his mother and sisters would come to you for the holidays. It was a quiet and peaceful life that he wanted for his family and for you

🧰 Engineer x Reader 🎸

Engineer always thought he would have a family. He thought about it when he was younger, then he focused on work. But when he met you, he will want to start a family again. He genuinely liked you, and he hoped that your relationship could become serious. However, you usually didn't agree to late dates, saying you needed to be at home. Engineer treated this with understanding. When you asked him to come to your house, he was surprised, but agreed. But he was even more surprised when he found out that you had two sons

You didn't talk about your ex-partner, but you understood that since you raised the children alone, it means either something happened or you broke up. He didn't ask you about it, knowing that if you wanted to, you would tell him about it. Your sons were suspicious of him at first, but his sincere friendliness was able to endear your younger son, while the older one continued to treat him with great distrust

Dell understood that he could not become a father to your sons, but he hoped that he would be able to establish a relationship with them. He often came to your house, spent time with you, had a barbecue and was part of your family holidays. You saw how your youngest son was glad when Dell came and even your eldest son began to treat him more warmly, although he did not show it openly

Engineer and you were happy together. The people who saw you took you for a family, and it pleased you both. Perhaps the day when you can really call each other family was much closer than you might have thought

🕊 Medic x Reader 💉

You met Medic in the library where he periodically went. You worked there as a librarian and quite often you chatted about everything in the world. You were an educated and interesting conversationalist with whom Medic liked to spend time. However, even when you started dating, there was a feeling that there were still unsaid things between you. As it turned out, this was indeed the case. As it turned out, you had a son

You were a single parent who raised a fourteen-year-old son. It wasn't as easy as it might seem. Your son had a rebellious period and because of this you often quarreled. You haven't even tried to arrange your personal life for a long time, but now that your son is older, you hoped that everything would finally go well. Medic was not bothered by the fact that you had a son, but your son did not perceive his appearance in your life as something good

Every time Ludwig came to you, he felt your son's aggressive gaze on him. Your son didn't like the fact that your usual way of life. He was satisfied with how you live with him and he did not expect the appearance of Medic. Ludwig understood this and was in no hurry to become your son's best friend, but he did not think to start feuding with him

Medic understood that you put your son's well-being first and you hoped that Ludwig could become part of your family. It was still too early to talk about it, but the fact that your son, though gradually, began to trust him already said a lot

🦉Sniper x Reader 🎷

Sniper's parents sometimes talked to him about finally starting a family, but he didn't think it was a good idea. He lived in a camper, worked as a sniper and it was difficult for him to call himself a family man. Even when he met you and you started dating, he didn't change his mind. And he was very surprised when he found out that you had a child

You were a single parent and for ten years you have been raising your son. Your child was very sociable and when you introduced him to Mundy, your son quickly took a liking to him. It was strange for Sniper. It was unusual for him to communicate with a child, but he tried to do everything right. You saw how hard he tried and it made you smile sincerely

Sniper had no idea how hard it could be to raise a child alone. Several times he looked after your son while you were cooking dinner or finishing preparations for the coming day. He felt awkward participating in the games that your son came up with, but looking at your soft smile and hearing your son's laughter, he felt for a few moments the family warmth that his parents must have experienced

Every time Mundy spent time with you, he thought that maybe living with a family wasn't so bad. He didn't know what it would look like if you were more than a couple, but sometimes it seemed like a really good idea to him, but for now he put it off, rejoicing at what he had

🚬 Spy x Reader 🗡

Spy decided for himself a long time ago that he is not a family man. He knew that he had a son, but he did not participate in his upbringing and had no idea how to communicate with him now that his son was already an adult. He started a relationship with you confident that he wouldn't have to think about it, but pretty soon he found out that it wasn't quite like that

You were a single parent raising a fourteen-year-old daughter. You and your daughter had a trusting relationship, so you didn't hide your romantic relationship from her. Spy was surprised when he met your daughter, who had returned earlier from her friend. You introduced them and your daughter, to Spy's surprise, was friendly to him. She was glad that you finally got busy with your personal life

Spy didn't see your daughter that often, but every time they met, she was friendly with him, not as a possible father, but as an adult acquaintance. It calmed him down a little. Gradually, he took a liking to your daughter, sometimes perceiving her as his own daughter. It was much easier to communicate with her than with Jeremy, and he himself did not notice how he began to take paternal care of her

You smiled gently as you listened to your daughter telling you and Spy about her day. Spy himself did not notice how he smiled at this. He understood that such a peaceful life was very rare for him and he did not rule out that he would have to leave you, but while he had the opportunity, he used it

#Team Fortress 2 #Team Fortress 2 x Reader #Team Fortress 2 headcanons #tf2 #tf2 x Reader #tf2 headcanons #Scout #Scout x Reader #Soldier #Soldier x Reader #Pyro #Pyro x Reader #Demoman #Demoman x Reader #Heavy #Heavy x Reader #Engineer #Engineer x Reader #Medic #Medic x Reader #Sniper #Sniper x Reader #Spy #Spy x Reader

[artficlly]

face the music (chapter 11)

Music College Marvel AU - Chapter 11

!frat!musician!bucky x !frat!musician!steve x !musician!femreader

Warnings: some fluff, some angst, sinful thoughts, mentions of violence, general icky, lmk if i missed anything

Word Count: 3.7k

A/N: aaaa sorry this took a couple days to get up. been crazy busy and tired with work stuff ugh. this isn't a super amazing chapter, but i wanted to get it out. i really struggled with this, the apartment scene got rewritten like 3 times lol. from here things really start rolling!! the song referenced in the revenge livestream is luxury problem by lunachicks!! not proof read - srry for any typos.

chapter masterlist | main masterlist

You had been out all day, class, practice and then filming with Scott, Clint and Loki. This had been the pattern for the last week, and frankly you were exhausted. Any spare time you had, you spent sorting through paperwork or editing down the interviews. It was Friday, you had finally called a wrap on the filming and were ready to crash into bed. 

Loki hadn’t opted to stay out, something about going drinking with a ‘friend’ and probably being out for the night. You weren’t really one to pry into Loki’s private life, so you had tiredly bid him a goodnight. You knew Jane and Thor would be out, they had plans to visit Jane’s parents for the weekend. You had caught them packing up Thor’s truck early this morning when you departed for campus. 

The idea of being alone in the apartment? That thought was the only thing that had kept you going this afternoon. You were ready to snuggle up in bed, maybe watch some Netflix with some takeout and call it a night. Though, those plans flew out the window the moment you walked through the door. 

The sight of Bucky and Steve in your kitchen was not the cozy evening you had been anticipating 

“Hey darling! Want a beer?” Steve had called you from the over side of the island. You had only given the two of them a tired, confused look and sighed with a shrug of acceptance. 

“How did you get in?” You asked. More importantly, why were they here? Not that you were complaining, it was just unexpected. You had barely seen them all week, only at practices but even that was brief. You had heard Clint was doing his usual Friday rager, you had expected them to be there, not camping out in your kitchen. 

“Thor told us where the spare key was.” Steve replied, popping open the cap of a beer for you. You don’t even want to ask when or why they spoke to Thor. Instead, you head into your room to dump your belongings. You can hear the two boys chattering away as you place the paperwork on your desk, along with your laptop and abandon your bag at the foot of your bed. 

“What… what is this about?” You asked, approaching the kitchen cautiously. Bucky has his forearms braced against the island surface, skin bicep bulging against the short sleeve of his shirt. You turn your attention to your beer before they catch you staring too long. 

“We knew you were super busy this week, so we wanted to do something nice for you! We ordered takeout, should be here soon.” Steve explains, shoulder bumping against Bucky’s. 

They had wanted to do something nice for you? That made your stomach flutter a bit. This week had been a bit hellish, and other than Sharon doing some mercy missions to the coffee shop, no one had noticed your exhaustion. You had barely seen the boys, yet they had noticed. You suddenly felt a bit bad for not seeing them as much, when it was obvious they wer epaying attention and looking out for you. 

“You’re not going to Clint’s party?” You ask, taking a swig of your beer. Clint had invited you earlier, but you had declined saying you were too tired. You were sure you’d get all the gossip from Sharon later. You still had to ask her about this… thing… between her and Clint. You had noticed them talking and laughing together. Scott had even mentioned that Sharon had visited him at the frat. 

“Nah. Might be best to sit it out this time, considering how awful the last party was.” Steve replied, attention turned to his phone as he tracked the delivery driver who seemed to be pulling into the apartment complex. 

You arched an eyebrow at his words, awful? You had thought - despite Sharon being punched and your meltdown - that it had gone well. Maybe only because you ended up cuddling with the both of them. Did he think that was what made it awful? Had you entirely misread that situation? He had been eager to flirt with you during revenge plan practices - even turning up at your apartment now. It all felt muddled up in your head. You’d blame it on the exhaustion. 

As if Bucky can sense your worry, he pushes off the island to walk around to your side. You smile at him softly as he approaches. You didn’t know how he managed to pick up on the slightest changes of your mood so easily, but it was comforting to know that he cared. 

“We’ll find a movie to watch while Steve gets the food.” Bucky says to you, a hand on your back to guide you into the lounge. You don’t protest, instead sitting onto the couch next to him. Bucky’s hand snakes around your shoulders, pulling you into him. You rest your head on his shoulder with a sigh, ready to debate movie choices. 

*

Empty takeout boxes and beer bottles line your coffee table, the finished movie long forgotten. One beer had turned into two, which had quickly turned into a few more. The three of you sat around the lounge chatting and laughing. Any exhaustion or anxiety from earlier was long forgotten. 

Steve sat on the other side of the couch from you, fiddling with a deck of cards. He had insisted on some drinking game which never came to be, instead showing off all his different shuffling techniques. Bucky was sitting on the floor, back to the TV. He had been digging through Thor and Jane’s movie and game collection, occasionally making judgemental comments on their taste. Thor and Jane were definitely the action-movie-romance type, whereas Bucky was more rom-com to fantasy-adventure style. You found it cute, Bucky Barnes, a softie at heart. 

“Surely Thor has one of those stupid drinking card games? You know the one that’s like ‘who is the last person you kissed’ and you answer or take a shot.” Steve rambles, cards flying between his hands. You screw up your face, swallowing the mouthful of beer you had just taken. 

“How sleazy do you think Thor is?” You laugh, Bucky seemingly sharing your sentiment as he laughs along with you. 

“I dunno, I just heard he’s a big party guy.” Steve replies sheepishly. You could understand where that assumption came from. Thor was pretty notorious in your friend group for downing an unbelievable amount of alcohol and getting into mischief. He had mainly settled down since meeting Jane, but sometimes they got up to trouble together, 

“Those games don’t work with three people, you need like, at least ten.” Bucky cuts in, placing the last movie back into the cabinet. You hum in agreement, tapping your fingernails against the glass of the bottle. 

“Steve, who was the last person you kissed? Bucky? Wow, what a surprise.” You add sarcastically with a giggle, which makes Bucky chuckle and Steve groans in embarrassment. 

“You’re never gonna guess who the last person I kissed was,” Bucky cuts in, laughing harder. 

“Ha. Ha. You’re both soo funny.” Steve grumbles, you nudge his thigh lightly with your foot. He ignores you, still flicking the cards between his fingers. You examine the side of his face, the way his brows are drawn into a look of concentration. 

“Who was the last person you kissed, Siren?” Bucky asks. You rip your eyes away from Steve, arching an eyebrow at Bucky, exhaling out of your nose sharply.

“I don’t know, probably my ex.” You say, tone suddenly less amused. You take a swig from your bottle to hide your reaction. 

Bucky frowns a bit, Steve stiffening. You had never asked Bucky if he had told Steve about your story. Judging by the way Steve had clenched his jaw, hands stilling… he must know. You had never explicitly told Bucky to not tell Steve, nor did you mind. You just wondered how he reacted, what he thought of you. You hated that somehow, now and forever it was always drilled into your brain that you were weak for what had happened. You didn’t want Steve to perceive you that way. You doubt he would, Bucky never treated you differently. 

“Not a fun answer, sorry.” You say with a nervous laugh, trying to break the tension. Bucky shifts uncomfortably, as if regretting his question. You open your mouth to comfort him - to tell him it’s fine. But Steve speaks up instead. 

“You should kiss me instead.” Steve suddenly says. You turn, giving him a bewildered look. 

“What?” You cough out. Was he trying to cover for the awkward tension? Make Bucky feel better by making himself the fool of the situation? 

“So you have a fun answer, for drinking games.” He continues, looking up to meet your gaze with a cheeky smile. Oh. He was joking. Obviously. You try to cover the blush that has flooded your cheeks by taking another swig from your drink. Obviously he was joking. There's still a small prick of hurt in your chest, that he would joke about that. Maybe a part of you would’ve said yes, even if it was absurd. Your tipsy brain liked the attractive boys in your apartment, was that so much of a crime? 

“How many drinks have you had?” You laugh, trying to hide your own embarrassment. 

“Probably too many to be playing a drinking game.” Bucky teases, eyes focused directly on Steve. You wonder if Bucky was also upset by that comment, considering Steve was his boyfriend. They had discussed their poly nature with you before, but you never thought they looked at you in that way. They saw you as a friend, one they sometimes flirted with… and cuddled in bed with? God, you were confused. 

Steve opens his mouth to continue to joke around, but Bucky’s phone starts ringing. He frowns at the screen, glancing up at Steve with an annoyed expression. 

“It’s Clint, should we take bets on what’s gone wrong? I swear we can’t leave for one night.” He grumbles, picking up the call and walking into the kitchen. Steve hums as he thinks, you watching as he drums his fingers on his thigh. 

“Some fresher has probably put a hole in the wall.” Steve says to you, while you shake your head. 

“Why wouldn’t he just tell you when you got back? I think it’s going to be something to do with Sam and Wanda.” You suggest. You could imagine how the world would spiral if Sam and Wanda had a fight, the two of them clung to each other at parties. Even if they weren’t official, everyone knew. 

“Oh, yeah? Maybe Natasha’s had another one of her meltdowns.” Steve chuckles, you roll your eyes. 

“I swear she hates me.” You mutter, finishing the last of your bottle with a sigh. 

“I wouldn’t take it personally, she hates everyone.” Steve laughs, neatly shuffling the cards back into a stack. You watch his fingers as he slides the cards back into the cardboard pack. 

“Except for Yelena.” You cut in, Steve nods with a hum.

“Lets pray that Kate never breaks up with her, god could you imagine that?” Steve laughs, looking up at you. 

“God, Kate would be dead, like, instantly.” You giggle. 

The two of you pause when Bucky comes back into the room, a worried frown across his face. Something bad must have happened, Bucky didn’t often look as dressed as he did at that moment. You slide your empty bottle onto the table. 

“What happened?” You ask, turning so you’re facing him. Bucky sighs, running his hand through his hair. You had noticed he did that when he was stressed about something, a nervous thing. You suddenly have the strong urge to reach out and comfort him. 

“Walker. He turned up uninvited, started smashing shit. He was just looking for a fight.” Bucky sighs. You now understand why he was so on edge. John Walking, ruining everything per usual. You are suddenly glad you decided you were too tired for the party. Enduring him on campus was bad enough. 

“Shit. Is everyone okay?” You ask, standing. Steve rubs his face, making a noise of disbelief. 

“Apparently Natasha gave him hell. They managed to kick him out but he smashed up some of the stuff in the kitchen.” Bucky chuckles a bit, you can tell he’s trying to de-escalate any stress that might surface. 

“We should probably head back then.” Steve sighs, standing. You glance between the two boys. 

“Do you want me to come?” You offer, stepping closer to Bucky. He shakes his head, sending a long look at Steve who frowns. You’d learnt some of the silent looks they gave each other, and that was definitely a ‘we’ll talk later’ look. 

“What?” You question, did something worse happen that they were hiding from you? 

“I didn’t want to say anything… but he was looking for you. Sounds like he got drunk and decided to get revenge about the suspension shit. Probably best if you stayed home, just in case he comes back.” Bucky grumbles, you feel Steve move closer.

“Oh.” Is all you can manage. You feel numb. Exhausted. Too tired to spiral into the worry that information brought up. Steve reaches out, bundling you into his chest for a hug. 

“Just a few more days until the revenge plan. It’s gonna be alright, darling.” He murmurs into your hair as you wrap your arms around him in return. 

“I know…” You sigh. “Text me when you get back and stay safe, please.” 

You unfurl yourself from Steve, but are quickly pulled into a hug by Bucky. 

“We will.” He murmurs, pressing a kiss to your forehead. 

*

Sneaking onto campus was easy, thanks to some of the buildings being open all hours. Security didn’t really question your small group as you slipped out of the 24 hour study areas, down the hall into the practice hallway. 

You had stashed most of the instruments and gear you would need earlier in the day. You had decided that sneaking around campus with a bunch of live streaming equipment and instruments wouldn’t be super inconspicuous. 

Nerves had been biting at you all day, squeezing your chest and making you feel sick. Some of the others shared your stress, while some like Scott and Clint seemed to be having a great time. Steve and Bucky would send you reassuring glances, as well as gentle touches to ground you when they sensed your anxiety got the better of you. 

Everything was set up, Clint and Scott were fiddling with the last of the live stream setup. Sharon was warming up her voice, MJ and Peter muttering between each other, Steve and Bucky hanging by the drum set. Loki was guarding the door with his usual scowl. 

You had laughed nervously when Clint and Scott had shoved a couch in front of the door, stacking a couple chairs on top as a barricade. It was almost guaranteed that the administration would see the stream as soon as it went live. The barricade would buy you a couple extra minutes before security barged in. 

You let out a long exhale as Clint and Scott motioned that they were going live. Everyone quickly shifted into place as you tapped the microphone to make sure it was on and ready. A few words of encouragement were thrown around as Scott counted you down. One deep breath and you were speaking. 

“We’re live streaming today because we need your help.” You start, looking past the microphone into the camera. 

“In the description, comments and also in the title of this livestream you can find a link. This link will lead you to a video, as well as a petition. All we ask is that you watch the video and sign the petition. You can watch the video now, or you can keep watching the livestream and watch it afterwards. 

The petition we are presenting is to have our fellow classmate John Walker suspended from campus and face repercussions for his actions. John has displayed a pattern of violent behavior which has been ignored by College Administration as well as the Board. It is also a high possibility that they have both been paid off to allow John to keep his spot in the College.

In the video we have interviewed a group of victims, all of which are asking for the College and John Walker to take accountability. This video also includes my own personal experience with not only John - who attacked me - but also with the College. Not only was I denied a spot to testify at John’s suspension meeting, but the Head of the College, Tony Stark, implied that I had invited the violence against me. 

There are more details in the video, as well as documents detailing all of these experiences with John and the Board attached to the petition. Please check them both out, in the meantime we’re going to play you a song!” 

You turn back to the group with a nervous smile, Bucky nodding as he taps his drumsticks together to count you down. 

“This song is dedicated to John Walker, thank you.” You speak into the mic with a nervous smile. 

The music starts around you, Steve taking the lead with the electric guitar and Bucky hitting on the drums. Sharon and you both start on vocals, MJ on the bass doing the backup vocals when needed. The song is an easy pace at the start, you know later it will become a lot faster as the punk rock elements come in. You had chosen this song specifically because it had a lot of energy to it, as well as having some pointed lyrics. 

You’re thankful for the music, feeling some of the stress and anxiety drain from your body as your focus on the performance. 

The music fades slightly as it is your turn to solo the lyrics. The section wasn’t super hard, just required you to belt a bit which Sharon wasn’t as good at. You had the breath work to propel your voice quite loudly, whereas Sharon leaned more soft-girl indie these days. 

Isn’t it hard when you're spoiled rotten?

Got another luxury problem problem!

As you were belting, the music comes back in fast. Sharon and MJ come in helping with the vocals. As you’re singing, you catch Loki making worried gestures at Scott and Clint. You can see the seats and couches pressed up against the door rattling, like someone is trying to push inside the room. 

You send a worried glance in Steve’s direction. Despite being concentrated on his guitar, he sends a nod of acknowledgement to you. The door could burst open at any moment, security pouring in and shutting it down before the song was finished. The song wasn’t super important, it was more to just keep the livestream running and grabbing as much traction as possible. 

Even though I'm alright

I like to sit and pity myself because it hurts

As if on cue, as the vocal drop out for the instrumental section, the door finally pushes open. The chairs stacked on the couch clatter to the ground as the couch is shoved out of the way. Loki dodges out of the way of some security, ducking behind the camera with Scott and Clint. 

Stark walks in, alongside a group of security. He sighs, motioning for the security to drag Scott, Clint and Loki out. They give the security some trouble, slipping out of their grasp and laughing at their serious faces. 

“Ah, The Head of College has decided to join us!” You announce into the microphone, over the guitar and drums. You don’t know where you found this confidence, maybe it was just the music fueling your rage. 

“Shut it down now, you’ve had your fun!” Stark shouts over the music, attempting to grab the camera. He’s shoved away by Scott, who is still running circles around security. 

“Tell me, Mr. Stark. Are you also taking bribes like the Board?” You ask with a grin. Stark gives you an exasperated sigh, grabbing the camera. The tripod slips, knocking the camera sideways. You would still be in the footage, except from a low angle on the floor and sideways. The audio is still going through clearly, the instrumental coming to an end as Sharon takes over your singing section, seeing that you’re occupied. 

What do you do when they're all after you?

What can you say? Your life is shit today!

“That’s enough!” Stark shouts, stepping onto the stage. He attempts to grab the guitar from Steve, but he just dodges, continuing to play. You stand in Stark’s way, blocking him from Peter and Bucky as he continues on his warpath. Sharon and MJ are still screaming into the mic, grinning as they enjoy the scene playing out. 

“We tried discussing this with you in private, but I guess we had to get your attention another way.” You say in a singsong voice, laughing as he snatches the mic from you and marches off the stage. 

“Turn it off!” He snaps at some of the security, who look between each other in confusion. 

You idols idolize you, all you friends despise you

Your life is shit, cuz you’re living it!

Moving back to the main microphone, you continue singing with Sharon as the lyrical section comes to an end. The security guards have given up on trying to catch the boys, instead fighting to unplug the livestream from the power plugs. 

As the song draws to a close, you snatch the mic from its stand, departing the stage to crouch in front of the toppled over camera. 

“Remember to watch the video and sign the petition!” You say with a grin, before you’re roughly grabbed by security who haul you towards the door. Chaos ensues as the last of the livestream captures the shouting and scuffle as you are all thrown from the practice room. One of the security pulls a plug and the livestream goes dead. 

“Sorry Peter, we’re definitely getting suspended.” You sigh to the boy, who just sheepishly smiles at you in return.

#bucky x reader #james buchanan barnes #bucky fanfic #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes #bucky x you #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes series #steve x bucky #steve rodgers x you #steve x reader #steve rodgers x y/n #steve rodgers x reader #steve rodgers fanfiction #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x you #steve rogers #captain america #stucky x y/n #stucky x you #stucky x reader #marvel au #marvel fic #mcu fic #my fic

[fashionsfromhistory]

"I was sent to Vivienne Westwood's famous shop World's End in the Kings Road in London by a friend of mine when I was 19 and living there for a while. It was 1987. He wanted one of those belts that were very popular in the late 80s that had metallic buckles that had letters in them. While you could buy "Boy" ones from the shop BOY London, at World's End they custom made them. It was then I was seduced by the clothes that seemed to have no comparison anywhere and the shop that was like something out of an Enid Blyton story with its clock that ran backwards, its tiny size and sloping floors, with walls adorned with bustiers and crinnies and rocking horse shoes. I was quite intimidated but I really was hooked from that first visit and I don't recall having even tried on any clothes. I obviously did get back and the crinnies and Statue of Liberty tops and rocking horse shoes made me feel incredible and did the most dramatic things to my body. I felt and looked different than I ever had. I came back to Melbourne and moved to St Kilda with a new friend that I had made while working at Galaxy, a clothing shop in Chapel St, South Yarra, run by Sara Thorn and Bruce Slorach who were fashion designers. I went out to night clubs, studied at uni and worked part time. I met my partner at the time, Oleh Witer, at a party on a boat. We were both wearing Westwood, so had at least one thing in common. At the time he was in a band that he started called Big Pig. They had a few hits in the 80s - Hungry Town, Big Hotel and Breakaway that made it as title track of the hit movie Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Oleh had been wearing Westwood for years, and had some fabulous pieces including some original shoes that Patrick Cox had made for Westwood, an original rope t-shirt and bondage trousers, amongst other things. He and his ex-partner, Jane Francis ("Minnie") had spent a lot of time in London and had had market stalls near Ben Westwood's (Vivenne's son). Oleh had also modelled for Vivienne in the 80s in one of her fashion parades. Minnie ended up working for Vivienne for many years, mainly in accessories and particularly jewellery. She apparently had one of the most incredible collections of pristine Westwood too, that had never been worn. Over the late 80s and early 90s when I was 19 years old to probably around 22-23 years old, I didn't wear anything else, I just couldn't, nothing was quite as avant-garde, attention-grabbing or fun and beautiful to wear. It suited the things I did, and the crowd I hung out with who worked in fashion, music, film and television. Over this period, I travelled to London a number of times and bought more clothes whilst there, or had clothes sent over. Also, during this time, Vivienne had a major exhibition in Canberra and Oleh and I drove up from Melbourne to see the show and hang out with Ben, his girlfriend, Yasmine, and Minnie who were traveling with Vivienne and Andreas, her husband. We spent a few days with them swimming in their hotel pool, eating bags of cherries from Oleh's parents' tree (they lived in Canberra) and sampling oysters from the NSW south coast which we visited with them. The night before the opening we spent time trying on clothes that they had bought from London, Vivienne choosing outfits for all of us. It was at this time that she gave me the blue rose print swimming costume. The night of the opening I wore a draping toga type dress that was gorgeous, and I didn't get to keep. I was photographed in it and my pic was in Vogue's coverage of the event with a close friend of mine, Matthew Flinn who also wore a lot of Westwood and recently passed away. During this time, there was a tribe of us that all wore Westwood with healthy competition. We were all obsessed and usually wore nothing else. I can't tell you why exactly, but for me, her clothes made me feel special and different from other people, and of course, fashionable but in a way that didn't really follow fashion, that is her clothes felt fashion-forward. I believe Vivienne Westwood is fashion-forward, she is doing her own thing and that most other designers are influenced by her work some time later. Her clothes were sexy and bold, and you had to be brave to wear most of them. They were certainly not for wall flowers, certainly not the ones I generally chose. My collection of clothes is the best representation of my life at the time I wore them, think the infamous Razor club of Melbourne, the crazy Daisy Chain club in London that Leigh Bowery used to frequent, most commonly in his naked woman outfit or the one with lit lightbulbs on his head, the Kings Road of London with Westwood and Katherine Hamnett, dance music - house and acid, making lavish music videos directed by Richard Lowenstein (Dogs in Space) and Paul Goldman (Australian Rules)."

Natalie Elliot to a Powerhouse Museum curator on her Vivienne Westwood pieces, donated 2006

#vivienne westwood #quotes #powerhouse museum #i thought this was very interesting so i'm sharing

[polgara6]

Arcade

Carol Cox/Luxy Leroy Childhood AU

Sitting on a bench outside the arcade, leads to young Carol meeting a boy who makes her heart beat funny.

Carol was sitting outside the arcade waiting for her parents to pick her up. She’d never been inside the arcade but her parents had told her about all the horrible things that happened in there. Greed ran rampant and Carol was a good girl so she never went inside. She checked over her clothes as she sat. Her black Mary Janes were perfectly clean, her socks were perfectly white, her skirt didn’t have a wrinkle and lay perfectly flat, her sweater didn’t have a spot on it, and her most prized possession, her rosary, was perfectly polished and clean as a whistle.

She was about to start checking in her hair when the door to the arcade slammed open. A boy ran out like the hounds of hell were chasing him, his pockets overflowing with tickets. She’d heard other children bragging about them so she could only assume that’s what they were. The boy had long hair, far too long to be proper, and he was wearing a backwards baseball cap like she’d heard hooligans do. She wasn’t quite sure what a hooligan was honestly but she knew it was bad.

Other then that though he looked pretty normal. He had a nice polo shirt and some shorts. His freckles reminded her of the youth pastor who visited their church once. He’d made her cheeks feel hot when he’d smiled at her and she’d had to pray twice as hard that night. Suddenly the boy whipped around like he’d felt her staring at him.

“Hi I’m Luxy” he said cheerfully waving at her. She couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on her lips as she waved back. This boy seemed really nice and though she knows she’s not supposed to talk to boys outside of school and youth group maybe this boy wasn’t so bad.

“Hi I’m Carol” she introduced herself. The boy’s smile got even bigger as he walked over to her bench. She automatically scooted over so he could sit down as well. She’d never been this close to a boy she wasn’t related too; after all even in school they separated the boys and the girls and they did the same in youth group.

“Do you want some tickets?” He pulled some of the tickets out of his pocket revealing even more. Carol wasn’t sure whether to be horrified or impressed. He was clearly someone who spent a lot of time indulging greed but she’d overheard from the other children that it was particularly tricky to get tickets in this arcade compared to the other one across town.

“No thank you, I’m just waiting for my parents” Carol responded fiddling with her waist length hair. She wasn’t allowed to cut it beyond little trims and when she was an adult she knew she wanted it short. Her hair was far too much to handle. Luxy seemed disappointed at her response slumping slightly before promptly bouncing back.

“Aww are you sure, you can get some good stuff at the prize counter with these” he said shaking the tickets like that would somehow make them more enticing. Carol couldn’t have helped the giggle that came out of her if she tried. This boy was clearly covered in sin but he was so… something. Carol didn’t have a word for what he was but it made her heart beat faster and her cheeks flush.

Then her parents station wagon came around the corner. Carol immediately felt a mixture of sad and guilty. She knew that if her parents had come a second later she probably would’ve said yes to this charming boy then where would she be? Nowhere good that’s for sure.

“That’s my parents car I have to go, it was very nice to meet you Luxy” Carol said struggling to keep her tone even. The boy pouted visibly but still waved goodbye. Carol realized he was sad to see her go. A funny feeling emerged in her stomach that she wasn’t sure if she liked or not. She got in the car.

“Who was that Carol?” Her mother asked.

“His name is Luxy, he was waiting for his parents too I think” she responded. Her mom hummed a thoughtful note.

“You should stay away from him Carol, you know boys are bad news”

That was the end of it. Carol knew she was to never go near Luxy and by extension the arcade again. But she knew she would probably think of him later and the strange feelings he’d given her. He was full of sin and she had to remain sin free to get to heaven but the feelings were so nice. How could that be sin?

———-

End note: Hello all, so I’m obsessed if that wasn’t completely clear. I’m also working on two worstthrust fics over on ao3 so that’s fun. I will post about updates on here or at least I’ll try too. My beta’s are my sister who is equally obsessed but despises reading and my aunt who I see once a week who has no idea what we are talking about but is incredibly supportive. So if things take a hot minute you know what’s up. Now Carol and Luxy… they are so cute. They are so fucking cute I can’t. The dildo noir vid was incredible and I loved it. Although Luxy and Flint would also be very cute. The simultaneous joys and sorrows of being a multi shipper. Anyway everyone have a good choose your own adventure release day to those who celebrate! See you guys later!

#brandon rogers cinematic universe #brandon rogers #carol cox #luxy leroy #brcu #caroluxy

[ladymdouglas]

♱ [marjorie – lily james – 28 – lady] ♱ bienvenidos MARJORIE. you hail from SCOTLAND and have been risen to the position of a LADY. you are a member of the house of DOUGLAS and will go down in history as the LEVERAGED. though you are RESTLESS & STUBBORN, you are blessed with being PERCEPTIVE and ALTRUISTIC. ♱ / penned by K.

She is the eldest daughter of James V, though unlike her ruling half-sister, Arabella, Marjorie has the distinction of being born illegitimate: the product of a passionate union between Jane Douglas and the late Scots king. She is used as a bargaining chip by both her mother and brother, a sagely played card intended to undermine the regency thinly protecting Arabella – which, as every Scot knows, is merely a carefully-constructed house of cards, a singular breath away from collapse.

BIOGRAPHY:

White dusted the Highlands. A stillness known only to winter frosted the air, broken by the occasional crunch of snow underfoot, the hurried trot of shivering horses and wisps of steam emerging from momentarily open doors, behind which faces bitten by cold peered out to watch a brilliant sunset settle over frozen lochs. This was the Scotland that welcomed Marjorie into the world after hours of extensive labor and delivery.

During her earliest years, she was blissfully unaware of the significance of her parentage – a brilliantly happy child, the light of any room she entered with a giggle that could warm the coldest of hearts and lift the deepest of sorrows. But as Marjorie grew, she began to notice the judgmental stares and hushed whispers that followed her each time she was made to curtsy to her younger, legitimate half-sister. She saw the way the people heralded her older brother as King James V’s rightful male issue while looking through her, as if she was nothing more than pretty window dressing.

It might have bothered her had any courtiers ever been bold enough to comment on her uselessness to her face, but they either lacked the courage or wanted to garner favor with her brother badly enough that they wouldn’t dare – or perhaps it was her mother’s status that kept them from speaking out. Mistress or not, between her clan and her relationship to the Scots king, few would risk Jane’s ire. Whatever the reason, Marjorie ignored the quiet mockery, deciding they were all fools.

How could they not see the privilege she’d been blessed with? She was born with parents who could indulge all her interests and she was given reign to explore them fully.

That freedom gave way to a beautiful mind, always thirsting for knowledge, capable of great vision and intellectual feats. Marjorie devoured books in Latin, French, English and Gaelic, feasting on the musings of the world’s greatest thinkers. She studied music and the arts, practiced dancing and piano at her leisure and spent her free time pursuing charitable endeavors, becoming a paragon of ladylike sensibilities. She learned to pay attention, keep aware of court movements and tuck away any morsel of information that might be of use to her, and soon, she had a reputation for kindness. After all, few would remember a book mentioned once in passing by an acquaintance who longed to read it, much less appear with it in hand for them to borrow upon their next meeting.

Marjorie enjoyed that reputation, leveraging it in order to convince others to join her in charity. “There is always a need for extra hands at St. Leonard’s,” she would say, hoping to persuade some lady or other to join her in praying for the sick on her next visit.

She thought perhaps she had won the court’s begrudging respect for those efforts until one evening, shortly after the king had passed, she heard someone suggest amidst the clamor of a bustling ballroom that her pursuits were a waste when she ought to be focused on finding a husband.

The implication that she was only valuable so long as she married well soured her to romance, even though the realities of being the sister of a man with a dynastic claim to bolster had never been hidden from her. She’d always known that she would marry for position, rather than love, and she was practical enough to be okay with that. Such was her duty, and for her family, she would see it done without complaint.

But did that really mean she would never be seen for who she was? That nothing she did would ever matter, aside from that one act?

Those questions haunt her as she watches her mother and brother vie for power, as she feels herself being pushed around like a chess piece in the game of thrones. Marjorie longs to be seen, to be valued. It is her greatest weakness. She dreams, secretly and with the knowledge that dreams are often the cause of a heart’s greatest disappointment, of a husband who allows her the same freedom she’s always been blessed with, not because he wants her out of his hair, but because he recognizes that she is an asset in and of herself.

#coronaintro #intro #i'm sry if this looks TERRIBLE the editor is working against me

[daydreamgoddess14]

My bad habits lead to you pt. 1

MASTERLIST

Sequel to We lie awake in love and fear

From a prompt by @lilacmermaid25:

5 times Ted returns from Kansas for a wedding, one time he returns 'just because'.

Chapter 1

Beard and Jane - November 2023

A sunset wedding at Stonehenge. Rebecca had been to some beautiful weddings - some tiny and intimate, some grand and obscene (including her own to Rupert), but she could honestly say that she’d not been to one in such a wonderful setting. Though it was November, they were lucky - it had been one of those crisp, bright, cold days where you could almost forget it was winter and barely 8 degrees outside. It hadn’t been planned. Beard and Jane had discovered their pregnancy during the summer and calculated the dates back to the night of the gas leak - or perhaps any point during that week really, there was a lot of action that week after all. They’d spent a couple of months debating back and forth on the idea of marriage before deciding that to protect Beard’s UK visa status and parental rights, it was better to have a bit of paper than nothing at all. They’d pulled the plans together in the space of about a month - with a little of Rebecca’s considerable influence and that of a top flight premier league team. She and Keeley got ready in Rebecca’s suite at the nearby hotel they’d dance the night away in later on. Keeley’s room had been taken over by Roy, Jamie, and whoever else had chosen to hang out with them. The two women could hear the music from the next corridor.  

“Roy asked if I’d ever get married.” Keeley said suddenly from the bathroom. Rebecca dropped her mascara wand on the white linen bed sheets.

“Shite. He asked what?! What did you say?”

“I asked if he meant to him or just… generally.” The loo flushed and Keeley reappeared. “I said maybe generally, but if he meant to him then we’d still have a lot to sort out.” Rebecca still sat open mouthed in shock. “Shut your gob before I stick my hand in it. You look like a fish.”

“Sorry, I just… I didn’t expect Roy to be so…”

“Open?”

“Stupid! Surely he knows that you’re both not in that place right now? And what about Jamie?”

“We talked about Jamie. We talked to Jamie. One day, Jamie is going to go off and find someone and eventually want to settle down. Until then, we want him to stay with us for as long as that’s what he wants too.”

“In whatever situation you’re currently in?”

“Yep.” Keeley popped the P.

“Is it working? Are you all happy?”

“So far so good. I know it’s a bit unconventional, but it really does work.” Rebecca smiled warmly.

“I don’t give a shit how unconventional it is, as long as you’re all ok with it. You’re consenting grown up people, you should do what you want. I only want you all to be happy.” Keeley met her eyes in the mirror and smiled back.

“Thanks babe. What about you, how’s it going with Matt?” Matthijs had been kicked out to Roy and Keeley’s room, though his was only a flying visit - quite literally he was flying out of Bristol airport shortly after the wedding ceremony.

“It’s going well. The traveling takes its toll a little, it’s not like he spends a few weeks in one place and then is away for a few weeks - sometimes I think that would be easier.”

“Heard from Ted recently?”

“Yes, we spoke a few days ago. He should be here soon.”

“And how are you expecting that reunion to go?” Keeley asked in a singsong voice.

“Keeley, we spent one night together. We knew it was only one night, it was only ever going to be one night.”

“But you haven't spoken that much since he left?”

“He’s only been gone 6 months. We speak often enough!” Keeley hummed. 

“Well when he sees your dress, he’ll be on the floor and Matt will have to step over him to get to you. Which won’t be awkward at all. God I’m so fucking glad I have first class tickets to that shit.”

“Nothing is going to happen.”

“Matt doesn’t know that you and Ted had one night of wild passion though.”

“One night and one morning, actually. No, he doesn’t. And he doesn’t need to know. He knows that Ted and I are close friends and he accepts that Ted is and will always be, a huge part of my life.”

“But he doesn’t know about the sex.”

“Correct.”

“The mind blowing, life altering, never going to orgasm like it again ever for the rest of your life sex?” 

“Thanks for reminding me. That’s absolutely the most helpful thing you could do, Keeley.”

“Well, I’m not picking fault - he’s a nice bloke, but has Matt ever made you feel the way Ted did?”

“No. Not that the sex is bad, it’s not. It’s very good.”

“It’s just not life altering. Got it, thanks for clearing that up.” Rebecca glared in the mirror.

“It doesn’t have to be life altering.”

“I just remember a certain, very close and very supportive friend of yours telling you that you deserved more. That’s all. And he may not always come with the right answers, but Roy was dead right on that one, Rebecca. You know he was.” Rebecca couldn’t disagree with that. She finished off her makeup and took her dress into the bathroom. It was going to be fine. Ted knew about Matthijs and Matthijs knew about Ted. They would meet, they would shake hands and it would be fine. There was not going to be some silly, unnecessary fight to win her over. She left the bathroom with her dress unzipped to ask Keeley for help when she noticed the tiny blonde had disappeared. She could hear voices and checked the time - it was probably Roy and Matthijs trying to hurry them along for the ceremony. She stepped into the second room of the suite to find Ted hugging Keeley.

“Ted!” She beamed, rushing over to greet him. Keeley moved away and Rebecca stepped into Ted’s embrace. Her head found the spot on his shoulder where she could breath him in and his arms wrapped around her back.

“Hey Becca. Think you’re a little underdressed.” He mumbled into her ear before kissing her cheek. She could feel his large, warm hands directly on her back.

“I’ll get that, thanks Ted.” Keeley said with a knowing grin. The zip slid up and Rebecca adjusted the dress.

“You look beautiful.” He smiled, next to her, Keeley cleared her throat. “You too, Keeley. As always.”

“Charmer. I’ll go and get Roy and Matt and we’ll go to the bar before we head out. It’s cold out there, we’ll need a stiff drink to keep us warm!” Keeley left, leaving the suite door open. Rebecca reached for her shoes, Ted offered his hand so she could step up into them.

“How was your flight? How’s Henry?”

“He’s really good, thanks. The flight was fine”

“And Kansas?”

“It’s still there.” She smiled softly at his reply, cupping his cheek in her hand.

“Oklahoma?”

“Can we Oklahoma later?” He asked.

“Of course, darling.” He held up her thick woolen coat so she could put it on. She took the opportunity for one more hug before they left for the bar. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You too, sweetheart.”

“Come on, let me introduce you to Matthijs.”

The bar was beginning to fill up - everyone had the same idea of warming up with alcohol before the ceremony. Trent was pouring brandy into a hip flask while members of the team passed glasses of whiskey down the line. They all stopped for Ted. Various shouts of "Coach!" or "Ted!" rung out and everyone crowded him to shake his hand, clap him on the shoulder, or, in Dani’s case, cry into his arms. Rebecca went to the bar for the usual triple Jack Daniels while she waited for them to settle down. She took it with her to where Keeley stood with Roy and Matthijs. 

"He's a popular man." Matthijs said, gesturing with his glass. 

"Always has been." Keeley smiled, "It's good to see them all together again."

"They've really missed him. Is Dani still crying?" Rebecca leaned over to look around.

"Dani's been crying all week, loves a wedding." Roy grumbled.

"It's sweet, leave him alone." Keeley elbowed him in the ribs. Eventually, Ted was able to make his way over. He greeted Roy first with a handshake, then with a huge hug. 

"Good to see you Roy Kent. Where's our Beardo?"

"Just trimming his beardo. I've sent Will to hurry him up. Nate and Jade are on their way down from their room,"

"Leslie and Julie are just out putting some things in their car." Keeley interrupted. 

"And I think that's everyone organised." Roy finished. 

"Ooh, look at you So Solid Crew!"

"Ted, you know who the So Solid Crew are?" Keeley looked incredulous. 

"I do not, no. They came on the radio one time when I was back in Richmond." Rebecca turned to Ted and gestured towards Matthijs,

"Ted, I'd like you to meet Matthijs. We first met in Amsterdam. Matt, this is one of my very closest friends, Ted."

"Ted, it's nice to meet you." Matthijs and Ted shook hands firmly. Keeley watched wide eyed as the knuckles of both men whitened.

"You too, Matthijs. Heard a lot about you." Ted replied with a tight smile.

"Great, great, love an intro!" Keeley jumped in, grabbing Ted's drink from Rebecca and handing it to him. 

"Whistle! Whistle! Drink up you lot, time to get on the bus down to the ceremony. 10 minutes!"

"I love it when you get all Coach on them, babe." Keeley winked. Jamie came over with her coat over his arm. He held it out for her. "Thanks, Jamie! Are they all ready to go?"

"Nearly, yeah. Hiya Ted." He stepped into the centre of the group to shake Ted's hand, but the elder man grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into a Lasso hug.

"Jamie Tartt, how you doin'?! Walk with me, huh? I want to tell you about Henry’s football team." Ted thanked Rebecca for the drink and moved away with Jamie. There were two buses organised to take the team, staff and various plus ones to the ceremony, along with Beard and Jane. At Stonehenge, the sun was starting to set, Ted was able to get Beard alone for a short time while everyone else stood around in small groups. It was a lovely ceremony, short but sweet. As the sun disappeared over the horizon, the cold set in and people started to shiver and pass Trent’s hip flask around until the contents were exhausted. They made their way back to the buses to go back to the hotel to warm up and party. As the groups got off and made their way inside, Matthijs pulled Rebecca to one side. 

"I have to go. I'll see you in a few days?" She nodded, 

"Yes, have a safe trip." He leaned in to kiss her but she locked eyes with Ted over his shoulder, Ted was glaring at them. She turned her face just slightly so that Matthijs kissed her cheek instead. He frowned a little, but didn't call her out on it. As he left, he raised his hand in a brief wave to Ted who didn't wave back. Rebecca stayed outside for a moment, to watch him leave, Ted made his way across the front steps of the hotel to join her. “I do believe it’s your round Coach Lasso.” She said pointedly, turning for the entrance. “I need a drink to warm me up.”

“Is he nice to you?”

“He is, yes. Far nicer than I’ve been to him to be honest. I’ve not been the easiest person to live with in the last 6 months. Anyone inside that hotel will attest to that.”

“And are you happy?”

“I’m not unhappy. Sometimes that’s good enough for the time being. And you?” He hummed softly in agreement. 

“Think you’re probably right. Sometimes you do the right thing just to get to the other side. Does that constitute us both Oklahoma’d?”

“I think so for tonight. Don’t want to bring the place down do we?” She smiled sadly.

He followed her up the grand steps, his hand at the small of her back first remembering the softness of her skin from their earlier hug and then remembering the warmth under his palm 6 months ago as she ground her body against his. The second memory caused his hand to tense against her, gripping the fabric of her dress. If she noticed, she didn’t say a word.

As anticipated, the party was in full swing. The Richmond Team loved any excuse to let their hair down and have fun together. In Amsterdam, they could have gone their separate ways and done what they’d all wanted, instead they tried to work it out together under Isaac’s leadership and favoured spending time together doing nothing rather than doing something alone or in smaller groups. No one was planning on a pillow fight this evening though, to Keeley’s disappointment. They danced and drank and sang long into the night, Rebecca finally collapsed into a sofa  and kicked off her high heeled boots. Ted dropped down next to her, slumping into the seat. The combination of a lot of whiskey and jet lag was beginning to hit him hard. She reached over and used a hand to brush his hair back and out of his eyes, not quite realising what she was doing until her hand was actually in his hair. She drew it back quickly,

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. It was just a, y’know,”

“Subconscious action.”

“Yeah. I haven’t seen you much? No dance for me?”

“I’ve been with the fellas. Wasn’t really sure a dance was a good idea given our history.”

“We’re still friends, Ted?”

“Oh I know we are.” His voice dropped, “I’m just not usually in the habit of fucking my friends, Rebecca.” 

“Is this because of Matt? I am allowed to date. Sleeping with you doesn’t mean that I don’t get a life of my own, surely you date?”

“Of course you are. I just, I wasn’t expecting him to be here.” He ignored her last question. They sat in silence for a short time, watching Jamie and Will leading an impromptu Macarena to a song which was most definitely not the Macarena.

“He’s not here now.” She said, barely above a whisper.

“No he’s not.” He slid his hand across the seat of the sofa to rest next to hers and drew random patterns on her palm with his fingertip. “I’m glad he’s not.”

“Why? Jealous?” She teased.

“I am, yeah. Very.” He caught her surprised look. “Why is that a surprise?”

“I didn’t think you’d be like that.” She replied honestly.

“Rebecca, for as long as I’ve known you, the thought of another man touching you has driven me near insane. The thought of Rupert treating you so badly when he should have been worshiping you made me crazy. And now that I know what you sound like? What you taste like? How you feel underneath me? Well shit Rebecca, I’m sorry but I don’t want anyone else to know those things about you.” He felt her breathing change beside him, saw the flush on her chest. She didn’t say anything, unsure of what to say. Eventually, Roy came over and asked if she wanted to dance. She didn’t bother putting her boots back on, warning him to stay away from her toes.

“So why does Ted look like he’s chewing a wasp?”

“It’s November Roy, there are no wasps.”

“You know what I mean, Blondie. You upsetting him again?”

“Why do I always get the blame? The only thing I’ve apparently done wrong is bring my boyfriend to a wedding.”

“So uhh, which boyf-”

“Fuck off, Kent. You know I mean Matt.” 

“Sorry, sorry. I know. He’s jealous then.”

“He has no reason to be jealous. I’m not, I have never been, in a relationship with Ted. My feelings for him are entirely different and separate to the way I feel about Matt.”

“Ted thinks he’s losing that battle then.”

“There is no fucking battle, Roy.” 

“Do you or do you not care more about Ted? If they were about to be eaten by a shark, which one would you save? Who would get your kidney? Who would you share your last chocolate with? Who’s seen you at your lowest point?” Rebecca glared at him. “I know the answer is Ted. You know the answer is Ted. Ted thinks that the answer to at least 4 of those questions is Matt. Who is a lovely bloke by the way - I’m not shitting on Matt, he’s just had a hard act to follow. It’s like auditioning for something after Chris fucking Rock has just been and impressed everyone.”

“Wish I’d never said yes to a dance now.” She grumbled. “It’s late. I’ve had a lot to drink. I’m going to bed.” Roy pulled her into his arms properly and kissed her cheek.

“Just looking after you, boss.”

“Thank you, Roy.” She stopped on her way across the dancefloor to wave to and hug different groups of people goodnight, letting Keeley wrap her tiny arms around her, and accepting kisses from her very drunk and boisterous footballers. She stopped off to say goodnight to Beard and Jane, Leslie and Julie and Trent, then she went back to where Ted sat on the sofa. Her spot was now taken up by Nate with Jade on his lap. “I’m going to call it a night. See you all later.” She squeezed Nate’s shoulder and smiled warmly at Jade. “Nathan, could you remind the bar to close off the bar tab on my suite once everyone is finished, please? They have the details already.”

“Will do, thank you.”

“You’re in the habit of these small acts of kindness, boss.” Ted smiled.

“I learned from the best. Walk me back to my room, Ted? Just in case I don’t see you tomorrow.”

“Sure thing.” He took her boots from her hand and let her lead him from the room.

They walked slowly down the winding corridors to the rooms and suites of the hotel.

“It wasn’t my intention to make you jealous, Ted. I didn’t think it would be a big deal. You’re living in Kansas, this is the first time you’ve been back. We knew we only had one night, I was never going to put my life on hold, I made my feelings clear and I was never going to try and strongarm you into changing your mind. Not when it came to Henry.”

“I appreciate that. Though I would pay to see you strongarm someone.”

“Next time you visit, come to the club. Roy bears the brunt regularly.” She laughed. When they reached her door, she hesitated. “Would you like to come in?”

“Thought we only had one night? Thought you were happy with M-”

“Don’t.” She whispered, pressing a finger to his lips. “Please don’t. I don’t want to think about that right now.” He nodded, kissing her fingertip. She turned the key in the lock and pulled him with her into the room. He crowded her immediately, hands in her hair, trailing down to her waist and hips, pulling at her dress. She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. He unzipped her dress and let it puddle at her feet. He nudged her through the room to the bed. She was overwhelmed by the memories of 6 months previously, her body instantly responding to his large hands and the tickle of his mustache. He deepened the kiss, earning a low moan as Rebecca tried to control her hands long enough to try and remove his shirt. He tipped them onto the bed, the length of his body pressing against her. He pressed his palm against her, grinding it against her clit through her underwear. “Fuck, Ted I missed you.” She felt him laugh against her neck.

“Oh yeah? Sure you missed me or is it something else you missed?”

“Everything, all of you. Please, Ted.”

“No one fucks you like I do.” He pulled back to look her in the eye, his hand not stopping. She gripped his biceps,

“God, don’t stop.”

“No one fucks you like I do.” He repeated, she nodded,

“No one fucks me like you do, Ted.” She gasped With a final, firm press of his palm against her, she threw her head back, coming with a guttural groan. “No one, Ted. No one. Only you.” He removed his hand and she whined with the loss of contact. He slipped her underwear down her legs, then he finished taking off his shirt and worked his way out of his suit trousers. She reached out to touch him but he moved away.

“Not this time, baby. Turn over.” She did as she was told and moved onto her knees. He gripped her hips harshly, she knew there would be little bruises. “Yes?” He leaned his body over her to whisper in her ear. She nodded. “Words honey, I wanna hear you say it.”

“Yes, Ted, god yes.” He pushed into her quickly. She grabbed at the bedsheets under her hands and called out in surprise. He pounded into her, pressing her lower back down and pulling her hips up to meet his. He reached out to unclip her bra and she raised up to her knees so she could remove it. He wrapped an arm around her to cup her breasts and hold her against him as she met him thrust for thrust. He bit her earlobe,

“Touch yourself sweetheart.” He demanded. She moved a hand down to her clit and touched herself as he’d asked. “You gonna come again?” He asked.

“Yes, yesss.” She sighed, desperate for the release she was so close to. He pinched her nipple hard and the perfect combination of pleasure and pain had her moaning and grinding down into him as she came. He held her tightly, kissing her neck and jaw as he spilled into her a second later, her name growled low into her ear. She let her legs relax and moved to lay down on her stomach. He moved with her, holding her more gently now and massaging her hips where his hands had held her so tightly. He kissed the back of her neck and shoulders, sweeping her hair out of the way. “That was intense.” She mumbled into the pillow when she was finally able to speak. “I’ve never seen you like that before.” She rolled onto her back to see him smirking.

“Guess the green eyed monster got to me.” He admitted. “You’re beautiful. Did I hurt you?” She shook her head.

“Will you stay?”

“Do you want me to?” She nodded. She went to clean up in the bathroom first, when he returned afterwards, she was responding to a text. “Will you two be ok?”

“I won’t tell him, if that’s what you mean. I feel awful, truly I do. I just can’t stay away from you.” He pulled her to sit between his legs and held her as they fell asleep.

“I know what you mean honey.”

This time, he was gone by morning. Rebecca woke up alone. A note on hotel stationery on the table by her phone.

If I wake up with you this time, I’m afraid I’ll never leave. - T xo

She considered ordering breakfast to her room, afraid to bump into him in the restaurant. Instead, she texted Keeley to ask for moral support and made sure that she went down with her, Roy and Jamie. Ted was already down there at a table with Will, Nate, Jade and a handful of players. Leslie and Julie were nursing a few players at their table and Beard and Jane were nowhere to be seen. Rebecca gave a small smile and nod as she caught Ted’s eye, but didn’t move to join their table. Jamie and Roy demolished the biggest breakfasts she’d ever seen while she nursed a cup of tea and a chocolate croissant. 

“I can’t believe you’re already going, Ted!” Keeley said sadly when he joined them.

“Just a flyin’ visit this time Keels. Maybe next time I’ll be able to stay a few days.”

“You’d better. I want to see you properly!”

“Good to see you all. I’ll speak to y’all soon ok?” He hugged Roy warmly, and Jamie, then moved around the table to say goodbye to Keeley. When he stopped in front of Rebecca she stood to embrace him. “You take care, Rebecca.” He nodded, dropping a brief, chaste kiss to her cheek.

“Goodbye Ted, I’m glad you could make it.” She watched him walk away before sitting back down next to Keeley who looked to the door then back to Rebecca putting two and two together. “Don’t say a word please, Keeley. Not a word.” She hissed quietly so that only Keeley and Roy could hear. She could already feel the guilt gnawing at her.

#ted lasso #tedbecca #ted and rebecca #tedlassoedit #ted lasso s3 #rebecca x ted #rebecca welton #ted lasso fic #ted lasso fanfiction

[thunyielding]

the unyieldling bodement , princess elizabeth of england , daughter of anne boleyn

penned by velvet. for bloodydayshq

BULLETPOINTS: 

name: elizabeth tudor age/dob: twenty five / 5th may 1534 status/rank: princess of england country of origin: england place of birth: the palace of placentia, england birth order: she is her father’s fourth child, her mother’s second - her brother edward being only a few months younger than her mother & father: queen anne boleyn & king henry tudor viii ✟ siblings: duke henry fitzroy of richmond ✟ (illegitimate), queen mary of spain, king william iii of england, edward seymour (illegitimate, unknown) sexuality: bisexual horoscope: taurus  virtues: earnest, alleviating, enlightened vices: opinionated, impulsive, domineering marital status: n/a issue: n/a alliance(s): king william iii, the reformation, the boleyn family adversaries: the seymour family, strict anti-reformist courtiers, spain

TIMELINE:

1534 — Born in Palace of Placentia to Anne Boleyn, named after her grandmothers Elizabeth of York & Lady Elizabeth Howard, her godparents were Thomas Cranmer, Henry Courtenay, Elizabeth Strafford & Margaret Wotton 1536 — Moved to Hatfield House for her safety & education after the death of Katherine of Aragon, her mother suffers a stillborn son and Jane Seymour gives birth to a son, Edward 1537 — Edward, Thomas & Jane Seymour are beheaded to secure the rumours around William & Elizabeth’s legitimacy 1538 — Mary Tudor returns to court and marries Philip of Spain, leaving England 1439 — Her first summer is spent at Hever Castle 1545 — A warrant for the arrest of Anne Boleyn is signed, but her death is only just dodged. Elizabeth remains at Hatfield House, but by the end of the year begins to travel to Greenwich Palace and Hampton Court on occasion to see her parents 1557 — King Henry VIII dies, followed by William (her older brother) as the next King of England, Elizabeth moves to court to join her brother’s coronation and present herself as no longer daughter but sister 1559 — Anne Boleyn marries Thomas Wyatt, Elizabeth joins court again to attend the wedding

BIOGRAPHY:

The chroniclers of Henry’s Tudor Court would describe the birth of Elizabeth Tudor for years to come - mostly, her beginning was an enigma; a mythology of its own. Seymour Loyalists would whisper that she had been born from the low-hanging fruit of the Percy household due to her mother’s swindling ways. Others would declare that she had been conceived well before the private marriage between the King and his adored subject, Anne Boleyn. Others, coated in sugar by the royal household, would bear the new Princess as a holy comet sent to signal a new dawn and age upon the English royal throne. 

But beneath each and every whisper comes a slither of truth. She had arrived fighting, her lungs heavy with breath as she took her first screams. Coated in her mother’s blood with the feral instinct of Tudor burning within her eyes, Elizabeth was heralded as the King’s legitimate and most beloved daughter - and in time, as Henry Tudor would insist, a son would follow. 

Separated soon after to be fed by a wet nurse, Elizabeth barely knew her parents as a bairn. Surely, she was visited now and again but to an infant they were but strangers who’d sometimes bring new toys or would influence her household to bow and curtsey with deep admiration. No, she didn’t know them as any other normal child would’ve - but then, Elizabeth wasn’t normal. She never would be. With fire shimmering atop her crown, she was prepared to enlist herself into a lifetime offered for England’s future. As her parents brought forth a new playmate, Elizabeth was taught to give way and stand aside for the baby who was now heralded as the one and true heir of the English Kingdom that had once been ruled by giants - descendents of Troy, or so her nanny would whisper. 

As a girl, Elizabeth grew fiery. In some other lifetime where she had lost a mother and her gilded title, she would’ve been forced to become modest and coy - her own father would’ve named Elizabeth as a bastard after all, tarnishing her to become something quite hidden within the shadows till the ever-loving touch of a stepmother who thought each of Henry Tudor’s children were deserving of a place in their father’s heart. But in this timeline? She had been bolstered by her blossoming relationship with her mother and father, often claimed as Princess of Hearts and future Queen of some far away land (even if Mary had been promised to the King of Spain, it did not mean that Elizabeth would not carry a crown - her governess would insist). She prepared with eagerness, studying attentively - learning foreign tongues and histories, indulging herself in horse riding, poetry and philosophy. 

Though celebrated as a daughter of England, Elizabeth was kept from the haunted gloom of court and instead was held within Hatfield House, where she grew from girl to woman - flourishing in her father’s colours as she took to dancing at balls and hosting elaborate feast days and plays. Styled as the Golden Princess, she would cast a wide net to entertain friends and courtiers, often mistaking true friendship and confidants with people who’d whisper behind sugared palms - this would ultimately lead to another sort of mythology to cloud Elizabeth’s public persona. The forever growing Seymour Loyalists and Anne Boleyn’s enemies would often say that her parties grew thick with the devil’s pleasure - that she bore a witch’s mark upon her navel and danced with unmarried men without a chaperone present. Others would say that her entertainment was heavenly, marked with laughter and prayer. Some wouldn’t care to repeat what they saw or heard. Certainly, the truth cannot be known, but Elizabeth’s reputation was soon taken over by the death of her larger than life father, the King. 

Henry Tudor died by a wishbone - choking till his skin turned purple, grey then a bloated whitish-yellow. Elizabeth, who had been walking the gardens before retiring to her chambers, was alerted by a messenger who had been sent by her mother and brother - or should that be mended to read, King William III. No longer a daughter, but presently a sister, Elizabeth moved from Hatfield to London for both the coronation and to reinstate herself as a woman. Hands clasped, she swore to protect her brother and agreed (hesitantly) to marry if such a union would strengthen William’s reign. Now a sister to the King, and the prize pawn to be sold at market, Elizabeth strains against the rules set upon her - and burns with the Boleyn might that nearly every Englishman has grown to fear. 

Now at court, her toes inching closer to the doomed centre of the Tudor court, Elizabeth must protect herself and her family - what with the ghost of war growing louder with each day that passes. No longer a girl of soft fat and small curled fists, Elizabeth’s reputation is at stake. A maiden of pure white linen and an overflowing cup, the Princess bides her time and holds back any type of suitor in the hope to remain a feared Tudor.

[sebastian-thibodeau]

E U R E K A  T A S K  0 0 2 // FINDING YOUR ROOTS

SEBASTIAN THIBODEAU’S FAMILY.

Where was your muse born?

Bash was born Sebastian James Thibodeau in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Were they the first born, middle or youngest? Are they an only child? Adopted?

Sebastian is an only child, as his parents weren’t exactly up to the task of parenthood or the responsibility entailed.

Does your muse have a favorite memory with their family?

Bash was, in essence, raised by his paternal grandmother. He and his grandmother spent a great deal of time together, particularly in her green house, which had a great deal of exotic flowers. He loved to spend time with her there, often losing track of the hours as they chatted and tended to the plants.

Does your muse get along with their family? What is the family dynamic?

Bash has a very strained relationship with his parents, particularly because they weren’t exactly parents. Both of his parents worked in the foreign service, and spent much of his life abroad, with him constantly being plucked from one country to another and then subsequently being sent back to live with his grandparents in Toronto. As an adult, they’ll speak on someone’s birthday or a holiday, but that’s the extent of it.

Does your muse have a favorite family member? Why?

His grandmother by far — she taught him of unconditional love and acceptance, and has always encouraged his dreams.

What are the names of your muse’s parents? Siblings?

Sebastian’s father is James Alexander Thibodeau, and his mother is Ronit Mofaz Thibodeau. His father is of English descent and a native-born Canadian, while his mother’s family was Mizrahi Jewish and she was raised for some years of her life in Cairo, Egypt. He was more-so raised by his paternal grandparents, though, whose names are William James Thibodeau and Emilia Jane Thibodeau.

Who does your muse take after more? Any habits?

Bash shares mannerisms of both of his parents, but in terms of his temperament and interests, he is likened more to his paternal grandfather. They both enjoy a good morning tea and to sit quietly and read the paper, a pastime they typically enjoy when he comes back to Toronto to visit them.

#eurekatask #eurekamedia #sebastian + muse

[crackspinewornpages]

Jane Eyre 33/38 -Charlotte Bronte

30

She liked the family, “There was a reviving pleasure in this intercourse, of a kind now tasted by me for the first time-the pleasure arising from perfect congeniality of tastes, sentiments, and principles.”p.358 (sometimes the meaning of words change and make some sentences interesting) They let her borrow books and talked to her and weeks passed. St John was at home often so they didn’t get close as he was busy with ministry and charity. Hearing him speak Jane was sure despite his zealousness he hadn’t formed peace with God.

After a month Diana and Mary had to go back to their lives sand St John had found something for Jane. Since he’s poor he can only offer a service in poverty of being a teacher for girls, (so many years and teachers still get paid a pittance) Jane accepts. Mary worries for her brother since he takes poor care of himself. Then St John comes with a letter that their uncle John died and when the sister reads it it cheers them up a bit that they’re no worse off. Diana tells Jane they never met their mother’s brother but he left twenty thousand pounds to a relation (that’s almost three million dollars) giving them only thirty guineas. They next day Jane leaves for the school as the siblings shut up the house.

31

She teachers twenty students but only three know how to read, some are rough and ignorant but others want to learn. “I must not forget that these coarsely clad little peasants are of flesh and blood as good as the scions of gentlest genealogy;”p.368 (some districts don’t) But Jane felt degraded, not rising in the social scale, and surrounded by poverty but she’ll have to overcome them and maybe be happy in a month seeing progress. She asked if it was better to give up temptation to be Rochester’s mistress, he would have loved her for a while. but would have loved her. (oh honey just wants love and to not be lonely but girl sometimes being alone is better than being hurt if you’re that lonely ger a dog) She felt right adhering to law and felt happy but why was she crying.

She saw St John and his dog walk up the road and he asks her how her first day went, she’s thankful for it. He tells her to resist temptation, to turn back and pursue this career, she is intending that. He also thought he made a mistake in entering the ministry but since he accepted it he dropped everything but the career and plans to go East. (so he has regrets about choosing this path and plans to leave his security net this can only end badly) Their conversation is interrupted when a pretty young girl joins them, she came to see the new school and teacher. She’ll come help teach when she can, St John just has a stern face, he’s hiding his feelings for Rosamund.

32

Things get easier when her students got to know her and got into learning. She grew amiable with them and their parents and was loved in the neighborhood. She spent her evenings alone and in dreams with Rochester. Rosamund did visit usually when St John was there and he tried to ignore her presence and she knew what effect it had on him. He wouldn’t give in for love and give up the alter.

Jane became friends with Rosamund and sketched her as requested, Rosamund’s father liked it so much he invited Jane to Vale Hall. Mr. Oliver told her the Rivers are an old name and has since lost their wealth but are still respectable, pity St John went to the clergy. She was finishing Rosamund’s portrait when St John visited her, he saw the picture but didn’t say anything. She gets him to talk as he tries to avoid the subject and offers to make him a duplicate, he’s not sure it would be wise. She tells him he should go to the original, she likes him he should marry her. He’s had careful plans self-denying but can now see himself in Vale Hall with Rosamund but it’s all false.

She wouldn’t make him a good wife, it’s not for him and would realize it a year after marriage and live a lifetime a regret. (is this supposed to be a mirror of what Jane might have had with Rochester) Rosamund couldn’t be a missionary’s wife, Jane says he could give it up but he wants heaven it’s what he looks forward to. (you sound like you're doing this out of obligation not ambition or passion just a means to get what you want in the end so all the wrong reasons) He’s sure after a month Rosamund will forget him but then he praises Jane. Rosamund is lovely but he won't take her portrait and looks at some scratch paper before ripping off a piece, looks at Jane and leaves.

33

St John returned soon having got caught in a snow storm and she said Mary and Diana were right to worry about him being reckless with his health. St John tells her a story of a poor man falling in love with a rich man’s daughter twenty years ago. She was disowned and they both died a year later and their baby was left with the Reeds of Gateshead. After ten years she was sent to Lowood and became a teacher and later became a governess to Rochester. Rochester almost married the girl but at the alter discovered he had a wife and the governess left and couldn’t be found.

Jane wants to know if Rochester is well, but he doesn’t know, “You should rather ask the name of the governess-the nature of the event which requires her appearance.”p.391 The letters were sent by Fairfax and Briggs and Jane feared he left England. St John produces the slip of paper he took that she doodled her real name on. He asks if she knew why Briggs was looking for her, her uncle had died and left her all his property.  

Jane was stunned into silence to be rich but only the result of losing a relation she couldn’t meet. St John goes to leave but Jane stops him confused by why Briggs would write to him about her. She’s not satisfied with the excuses until he reveals his full name is St John Eyre Rivers. His mother had two brothers, one married Jane Reed of Gateshead and the other was a merchant who left his fortune to his orphan niece. Jane is connecting the families of her cousins, she found a brother and sisters she could love, even as strangers, now revealed to be blood relations. “Glorious discovery to a lonely wretch! This was wealth indeed!-wealth to the heart!”p.395 (when you lived a lonely life when no one cares about you finding out you have relatives you love you is more valuable than millions)

She’s more elated to have family than to be wealthy, but with it she could unite them, she could share her money. She would give Mary and Diana five thousand each and persuade St John to stay and marry Rosamund. St John tries to get her to calm down but she insists in dividing her wealth among them, she will live at the Moor house. He wants her to think about it for a few days since she doesn’t know the importance of twenty thousand pounds, she could have class and marry well. She tells him he doesn’t know what it’s like to not have a family or a home. They’ll be her family without her money, but she wants them to be equal. “Marry! I don’t want to marry, and never shall marry.”p.398 (she’s a strong independent woman who don’t need no man) They won't take her for love, only money and she won't take a sympathizing stranger. He’ll take her for a younger sister and she’ll stay at the school until a replacement is found and so she split her wealth with them.

NEXT

#jane eyre #charlotte bronte #books #book summaries #romance #gothic fiction #social criticism #fictional autobiography #bildungsroman

[purplerocker-thesims]

The Middleton family

The dramatic and crazy Middleton. Where to start? As if the lower class weren’t bad at all. The middle class are just as bad as them, with more than enough dramatic, needy and class hungry sims. However before getting into their history together. Who they are shall be first.

Plus their equally dramatic maid.

Vincent Middleton

- Adult male - Family sim-

Traits: Inappropriate, dramatic, green thumb, can’t stand art, love the cold.

Born from a higher middle class family. He raised without much issues. Wasn’t rushed into marriage, wasn’t pestered into marrying some middle class lady, some random mother threw his way. Even though he did want to marry and have a lot of children. 6 children. He wants 6 children, no less, probably more. But at least 6. Nobody questions why exactly 6 but he wants 6 children.

Due to being an only child he took over his parents house and father’s job when they died. He spent his time working, buying wine from the Local winery or the brothel. Where he first — scarlet then Estee, despite Estee saying otherwise.

Estee Middleton

Adult female - Romance

traits:  Brave, Dramatic, Kleptomaniac, Absent-minded, good Sense of Humour

(Her hair has changed)

Born as a vagabond alongside Amber Jane scarlet. She, at a very young age, learned hard work, living day by day, with little to nothing, not even a family to seek for comfort or a safe home to return to after a long day of work. She worked in a brothel, in the day as an aspiring artist.

Holding many secrets to herself, one will never leave her lips and only people who knew such things. The women that took her in and Amber.

Estee became a scandalous young lower class woman, expecting to die very young, but a charming man, Vincent Middleton, naturally from the middle class. saved her from the illness.

They met under the cover of darkness. A lady of the night and her customer was how it all began. Each meeting became more meaningful. Learning more about each other every visit but was it all one sided?

One visit, Vincent came to end it, knowing people would find out about how much time he frolic with a woman like Estee. It really wasn’t something he wanted on his name.

Within the room, which was occasionally occupied by the nightly activities, they sat. Estee coaching, untreated illness plagued her and feared death.

Vincent saw a sparkle in her eyes. An heavenly beauty that coats her with such purity and grace, despite how much he took advantage of the poorer and sickly woman. He couldn’t help but feel bad. I paid for her to get treated, allowed her into his home, showing her nothing but kindness. He lied to people who knew him. A beautiful foreigner that he owned.

Estee reserves:

A place to stay

medication and medical help

a home

proper food

someone to care for her

Vincent deserves:

What he wants

Seen as a hero for saving a woman out a charity and good faith

A beautiful woman is alone with him in his home.

They got married after a year of living together to minimize the risk of scandal. Nobody would ever find out who Estee once was, with a new last name and know money. Her intentions are unclear if she truly loved Vincent the same way he did or if it was a quick way to get out of poverty.

Despite this, Vincent wanted 6 children minimum. None had yet shown up. He never questioned why, just assumed it wasn’t the right time for an estee to have children. Assuming women controlled when they can have children.

Until their maid showed up.

Amber jane scarlet

During her childhood, She was once good friends, growing up in similar situations, Estee just had other plans in life that Amber couldn’t dream of doing. From a young age, she hated what she did for a living, but what could she do. Often finding herself in situations, which she had no choice.

One day, she was saved by a young gentleman, he shimmered in her eyes the first time she saw him. His beauty made her heart pound and her knees weak by the handsome man that saved her.

“T-thank you!” Amber let out after being helped up from the floor. “Didn’t have to, my lord.”

“it’s Sir. Please if you're going to be formal be correct but it’s Vincent and don’t need to thank me.”

“What brings you here? Sir?”

“What else have I come here for? I’m bored and lonely.”

“I assume avoiding a wife or enjoying your time away from one.”

“No wife. Just bored, would you like a drink? I would enjoy the company of someone. A chat?” 

She nodded, eyeing him down as if he was the brightest star in the dimly lit building. She admired him, his perfect green eyes that made her drool. Her heart dazed for him, seeing his loving side. Each conversation was build more of a friendship, He learned of her ambition and wants, hear fears.  

Estee took her opportunity away by walking into the room dazzling with beauty that not even the well cared for could undermine the true beauty of a demon, according to Amber. She always was like this. Below Estee.

The amount of money and attention he gave to Estee always frustrated her. Her crush on the young and charming lad caused her to seek more than she was. She wanted an opportunity like Estee had and could have had it. Her goals of being a writer.

The newlyweds wanted a new maid after the other left for a better opportunity somewhere else. Amber Jane Scarlet showed with a smile and a plan built up in her head of how she wants things to go, all because a reputation spoiling a secret about the new lady Middleton. Imagine if the town talker got her hands on such a secret.

Estee and Vincent hired her, for multiple reasons.

Vincent considers her as a lovely, well just woman that was able to take care of things and she knew Estee, assuming they would get along and that he felt bad for her.

Estee agreed because she knew something that Estee was hiding. Something that could destroy her new life, her marriage and her future.

#lundy-characters #Ts2 #ts2 simblr

[forthosebefore]

Restaurateur Thomas Downing, the New York Oyster King

Thomas Downing (1791–1866) was an American restaurateur and abolitionist active in New York City during the Victorian era who was nicknamed the "New York Oyster King". He was one of the wealthiest people in New York City at the time of his death, though he spent his life being prohibited from acquiring U.S. citizenship until the Civil Rights Act of 1866 was passed, the day before he died.

Thomas Downing was born in Chesapeake Bay on Chincoteague Island, Virginia. His parents were enslaved, and eventually freed, by Sea Captain John Downing after learning that owning slaves was not condoned by the Methodist Church. They adopted the name "Downing" as their own and began working as paid caretakers of Captain Downing's Methodist Meeting House. Eventually, they bought some property on the Island and the family began earning extra money by gathering and selling oysters, as well as other seafood, such as clams and fish. Thomas was raised alongside his wealthy neighbors and shared the same tutor as their children. One of his tutors was Henry A. Wise, who went on to become the Governor of Virginia (1861–1865).

Thomas Downing grew up on Virginia’s Chincoteague Island, where his family made their living from the sea by fishing, clamming, and raking oysters. The skills Downing acquired during his childhood carried him to Philadelphia—he’d followed the troops North after the War of 1812—where he spent seven years running an oyster bar.

In the 1820s, most registered oystermen were African American, and opportunity in the industry was abundant, especially for people like Downing, who came from oyster-rich states along the Chesapeake Bay like Virginia. But the world’s oyster capital was New York City, and Downing moved there, spending his days on a schooner harvesting oysters from the beds of the city’s waters and selling them to restaurants or on the streets.

At the end of the War of 1812, Thomas joined the United States Army and followed it to Philadelphia. There he met and married his wife, freeborn Rebecca West, and they had five children: George, Thomas, Henry, Jane, and Peter. Thomas worked as a valet, continued oystering, and, wanting more out of life than oyster digging, he eventually opened his first oyster bar. This allowed him to keep ties with his family's roots while establishing his new career as an esteemed businessman. Thomas used his knowledge of oystering to his advantage and used his connections to the fisherman to sell the best oysters around.

Source: Wikipedia, Fishers Island Oyster Farm, Atlas Obscura

Visit www.attawellsummer.com/forthosebefore to learn more about Black history and read new blog posts first.

Need a freelance graphic designer or illustrator? Send me an email.

#Thomas Downing #New York Oyster King #seafood #New York’s Black Oyster King #New York history #Black history #history #Black culinary history #Chesapeake Bay #New York City #Virginia #Henry A. Wise #foodways #African American foodways #Rebecca West

[crisispider]

Soulmates 15 ?

Soulmate AU - Always Accepting - @spinxeret​ You share dreams with your soulmate when you’re both asleep

Everyone knows that Dreams are often deeply connected with a person's heart, so much so that it was often said that soulmates will share the exact same dream every night for the entire lives. (As long as both are alive that is.) This was a fact that Peter had grown up knowing his entire life, because he was raised by his aunt & uncle who were the very PICTURE of perfect soulmates.

The first dream he can ever remember having.. She was there. She had to of been about the same age as him, no older than four. He had almost immediately recognized her as the girl that lived next door to his aunt & uncle. Peter was able to recognize her bright red hair and her warm smile absolutely anywhere. (He had been infatuated with her from the first time his parents brought him over to visit.

He only has vague memories from there, he does remember her laugh! He had tried so hard to get her to make giggle as much as possible. ( She never seemed like she did it enough whenever she visited.) He had practically shot out of his bed the next morning to tell his parents all about it and to BEG THEM to take them over to see his Aunt & Uncle so he could go see the girl next door, to see if she had the same dream as him. (They of course made him wait till the next time they visited instead of rushing over.)

Of course once he was actually face to face with Mary-Jane he had forgotten to even ask. (Or maybe the little four year old had chickened out, whose to say.. he was only four after all.) Instead he had just opted for spending the day with her, TRYING TO MAKE HER LAUGH (her laugh really was his favorite sound.)

As the years went by, the two of them continued to share all of their dreams at night, and spent their days together going to school and growing up. (Though rarely ever speaking of what they had dreamed about the night before, there was never any need to. They just took comfort in the fact that they would always be connected.) Eventually the two were brave enough to confess their feelings. (Or rather MJ got tired of waiting on Peter to take the hint and just KISS HER already!)

Even on the night before their wedding though it was considered BAD LUCK to be with one another physically. They were still able to be with one another in their dreams. Over the years the two found peaceful comfort knowing that they would ALWAYS have one another and were ALWAYS on the same page.

Until they weren't.

It had been Peter's doing. He had fucked it all up, and he would always take all of the blame. (Not that anyone was ever stupid enough to talk shit about Mary-Jane, there was never anything to say.) If he chalked it down to a simple answer (Not that it ever was one) he was afraid, plain and simple.

They no longer shared their mornings, afternoons, evenings.. but they still shared their dreams. There was no denying universal truths. (Despite Peter's determination to do so) Mary-Jane and Peter Parker were forever intertwined. The dreams turned to nightmares, the two of them left swirling in a painful kind of silence with no escape. The nightmares always left him restless, to the point that he actively went out of his way to sleep LESS.

So she could have peace..

If he wasn't asleep, her dreams could be her own. Peter had broken her heart, so the very least he could do was do his best to ensure she got some sort of peaceful night's rest. (Though he had a feeling she wasn't sleeping much either..)

But then Peter FINALLY got his shit together, and though it would NEVER but what it once was. The two of them clicking back into place, despite their new jagged pieces. The Parker's found a new rhythm, one that they could make all their own all over again. It was easy enough to see that Peter had finally learned his lesson.

Peter Benjamin Parker had won the soulmate JACKPOT and he had no intentions of every letting her go again...

#spinxeret #i have to make them a soulmate au taaaag #but hopefully all of this makes sense??? idk man i just love soulmate aus #they give me such life romantic or platonic they are just *chefs kiss* #[ ◉¯] ✧˖° → I handled it like a champion. [ Inbox Interactions ] #[ ◉¯] ✧˖° ♡ → Everybody was kung fu fighting while we dance the night away [ MJ || Spinxeret ]

[eugene114]

20Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the Lord’s priests. 22So David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father’s [c]house. 23Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe.”

Only a step, only a step, Come, He waits for thee; Come, and thy sin confessing, Thou shalt receive a blessing; Do not reject the mercy He freely offers thee.

Frances Jane Crosby, the daughter of John and Mercy Crosby, was born in Southeast, Putnam County, N. Y., March 24, 1820. She became blind at the age of six weeks from maltreatment of her eyes during a spell of sickness. When she was eight years old she moved with her parents to Ridgefield, Conn., the family remaining there four years. At the age of fifteen she entered the New York Institution for the Blind, where she received a good education. She became a teacher in the institution in 1847, and continued her work until March 1, 1858. She taught English grammar, rhetoric and American history.

This was the great developing period in her life. During the vacations of 1852 and 1853, spent at North Reading, Mass., she wrote the words to many songs for Dr. Geo. F. Root, then the teacher of music at the blind institution. Among them were, "Hazel Dell,", "The Honeysuckle Glen," "Rosalie, the Prairie Flower," "Music in the Air," "Proud World, Good-bye, I'm Going Home," "All Together", "Never Forget the Dear Ones," and others. Subsequently she wrote the words for the cantatas of The Flower Queen and The Pilgrim Fathers, all of which were very popular in their day, though it was not generally known at the time that she was the author.

While teaching at the institution she met Presidents Van Buren and Tyler, Hon. Henry Clay, Governor Wm. H. Seward, General Winfield Scott, and other distinguished characters of American history. Concerning Mr. Clay, she gives the following: "When Mr. Clay came to the institution during his last visit to New York, I was selected to welcome him with a poem. Six months before he had lost a son at the battle of Monterey, and I had sent him some verses. In my address I carefully avoided any allusion to them, in order not to wound him. When I had finished he drew my arm in his, and, addressing the audience, said through his tears: 'This is not the first poem for which I am indebted to this lady. Six months ago she sent me some lines on the death of my dear son.' Both of us were overcome for a few moments. Soon, by a splendid effort, Mr. Clay recovered himself, but I could not control my tears." In connection with her meeting these notable men, we might add that Miss Fanny Crosby had the honor of being the first woman whose voice was heard publicly in the Senate Chamber at Washington. She read a poem there on one occasion. In addition to the thousands of hymns that she has written (about eight thousand poems in all), many of which have not been set to music, she has published four volumes of verses. The first was issued in 1844 and was entitled The Blind Girl, and Other Poems, a second volume, Monterey, and Other Poems, followed in 1849, and the third, A Wreath of Columbia's Flowers, in 1858. The fourth, Bells at Evening and Other Verses, with a biographical sketch by Rev. Robert Lowry, and a fine half-tone portrait, in 1897, the sales of which have reached a fourth edition. The book is published by The Biglow & Main Co., New York.

Though these show the poetical bent of her mind, they have little to do with her world-wide fame. It is as a writer of Sunday-school songs and gospel hymns that she is known wherever the English language is spoken, and, in fact, wherever any other language is heard.

Fanny was married March 5, 1858, to Alex. Van Alstyne, who was also a scholar in the same institution in which she was educated.

She began to write Sunday-school hymns for Wm. B. Bradbury in 1864. Her first hymn, "We are going, we are going To a home beyond the skies", was written at the Ponton Hotel on Franklin Street, New York City, on February 5th of that year. This hymn was sung at Mr. Bradbury's funeral in January, 1868. Since 1864 she supported herself by writing hymns. She resided in New York City nearly all her life, where, she says, she is "a member of the Old John Street M. E. Church in good standing." She spent regular hours on certain days at the office of The Biglow & Main Co., the firm for which she did most of her writing, and for whom she has composed over four thousand hymns. Her hymns have been in great demand and have been used by many of our most popular composers, among whom may be mentioned Wm. B. Bradbury, Geo. F. Root, W. H. Doane, Rev. Robert Lowry, Ira D. Sankey, J. R. Sweney, W. J. Kirkpatrick, H. P. Main, H. P. Danks, Philip Phillips, B. G. Unseld, and others. She could compose at any time and did not need to wait for any special inspiration, and her best hymns have come on the spur of the moment. She always composed with an open book in her hand, generally a copy of Golden Hymns, held closely over her eyes, bottom side up. She learned to play on the guitar and piano while at the institution, and has a clear soprano voice. She also received a technical training in music, and for this reason she could, and did, compose airs for some of her hymns. One of these is, "Jesus, dear, I come to Thee, Thou hast said I may," both words and music of which are wonderfully sweet. "Safe in the arms of Jesus", probably one of her best known hymns, was her own favorite. Fanny loved her work, and was happy in it. She was always ready either to sympathize or join in a mirthful conversation, as the case may be. The secret of this contentment dates from her first composition at the age of eight years. "It has been the motto of my life," she says. It is: "O what a happy soul am I! Although I cannot see, I am resolved that in this world Contented I will be;"

This has continued to be her philosophy. She says that had it not been for her affliction she might not have so good an education, nor so great an influence, and certainly not so fine a memory. She knows a great many portions of the Bible by heart, and had committed to memory the first four books of the Old Testament, and also the four Gospels before she was ten years of age.

Her scope of subjects is wide, embracing everything from a contemplation of heaven, as in "The Bright Forever" and "The Blessed Homeland", to an appeal to the work of this world, as in "To the Work" and "Rescue the Perishing." The most of Fanny's published hymns have appeared under the name of Fanny J. Crosby or Mrs. Yan Alstyne, but quite a large number have appeared under the nom de plumes of Grace J. Frances, Mrs. C. M. Wilson, Lizzie Edwards, Ella Dale, Henrietta E. Blair, Rose Atherton, Maud Marion, Leah Carlton, nearly two hundred different names.

Slede, spisslede. Kunstner: Peder Pedersen Aadnes. Brukssted: Norge, Oppland, Gjøvik, Biri. Hestekjøretøy i rokokko. Høvlet og skåret tre, meier og beslag i smijern, malt dekor i linoljemaling. Lengde (Ca.): 220 cm Motiv: Kvinne i landskap med klassiske ruiner, hun er ikledd 1700-tallsdrakt og stråhatt.

[rosenallies]

Sit down, grab a snack and grab your kitties because I got another (terrible) Jat story time. And just so that you don’t get a bunch of asks about who the fuck Jane and Nat are again 🥲 I’ll preface this by saying; Nat and Jane are og characters from Hailey’s sick au. I just hc them as future lovers and like to write little annoying stories for them:

While Nat is at Columbia, not only do they call like everyday, her and Jane try to see each other as much as possible. Whether Nat’s coming home to Vancouver or showing Jane New York, every time they see each other it’s always so fun and amazing. It’s like they never spent a single day apart. But something shocks the hell out of Nat during one of these NY visits.

Jane is playing hooky from her college classes and lied about “family issues” to get out work just so she can go see Natalie for a few days. Nat is no longer a freshman so she has a on-campus apartment. Now, we know that Natalie is not our cooking mama (I fucking love that game), she can basically only do the simplest of american breakfast foods. But she’s at her apartment with her best friend and for once all her roommates are gone, so she wants to make Jane’s favorite food (Nat’s making their favorite homemade dinner, like a Sunday dinner type meal. Had to say that because I fully believe that Jane’s favorite food would be like ramen noodles or some shit 😭). Nat’s, surprisingly, doing really well, until she goes to flip the chicken... And accidentally touches the side of her hand to the pan. As our resident crybaby she is ofc bursts into tears and Jane rushes to take care of her. They’re both at the sink and Jane, standing slightly behind her, is holding Nat’s hand to the cool running water. One hand is holding Nat’s and the other is touching the counter by her hip, effectively caging her in. Impulsively, Nat lies when Jane asks if her hand feels better just so that their body stays tightly pressed to her back. Eventually they move to the couch, where Jane insists on wrapping her hand, even though Nat’s in medical school and can do this on her own, and they end up wrapping that shit so wrong 😭 but Nat is just looking at how focused they are. Their eyebrows are furrowed and they’re slightly pursing her lips. Her eyes are just roaming their face and wondering when their eyelashes got so long and pretty. When Jane looks up, Nat’s just staring at her with big doe eyes leading them to jokingly ask if she’s waiting for them to kiss her boo-boo. Nat’s breath catches at Janey’s cocky smile. They don’t even notice Nat’s silence and leans in to gently kiss her bandages hand. By the time she snaps back into a reality that isn’t just every detail of Jane’s face, Natalie can hear them banging around in the kitchen, loudly teasing her for her ineptitude in the kitchen. Nat sits there for a few seconds, blinking hard, and makes the conscious decision to never tell anyone about up that one-sided moment (and she didn’t. At least not until their engagement. If you remember she goes to the beach with her new fiancé and parents. While they’re all sitting on the shore talking, she finally tells them about that moment, a moment that Jane honestly doesn’t even remember since Natalie burns herself every time she cooks lmfao after she finishes her little story, her parents are just awing at how in love these two are, Jane leans towards her and calls her a loser for keeping that in for so long 🥰)

Stop that’s so sweet 😭😭I love them falling in love and both of them just having these little moments that felt so one sided in the moment but later on they both realize they felt the same about them 💗

[yatescountyhistorycenter]

A lot of ‘Hart’ and the ‘Wright’ stuff

By Jonathan Monfiletto

One of the greatest scientists to ever call Yates County home gathered nuts as a boy and sold them so he could purchase two astronomy textbooks. The man billed as one of three Yates County scientists to have a plant genus named after him used to sneak up to the roof of his family’s home after his parents went to sleep so he could study the sky and identify the stars and planets.

So began the distinguished career of Samuel Hart Wright, the only child of James and Zilliah Hart Wright – who came from Peekskill in Westchester County to a farm in Starkey when their son was in his early youth – who had high aspirations but little opportunity to achieve them. After “the rudimental education afforded by the country school,” as Berlin Hart Wright’s “Memories of Local Naturalists” terms it, Samuel Hart Wright’s father denied him further learning and figured what little education the father had attained was good enough for the son.

Still the boy, born in 1825, did what he could to learn what he could, borrowing books whenever possible and eagerly absorbing their content and even taking them out into the fields (he and his religious and zealous parents labored on their farm every day but Sunday) and reading and solving problems while he worked. Once, two mechanics hired to construct an ornamental fence on the family farm brought astronomical books and charts out of their tool chests and spent one evening identifying the stars, planets, and constellations in the sky. The boy Samuel paid attention and listened, vowing to gain such knowledge for himself.

In order to do so, Samuel left the family farm “as soon as legally possible,” his son later wrote, securing a position as a teacher, marrying Joanna McLean, and purchasing a home in the village of Dundee. With support from his wife’s parents, he studied medicine in the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. After his graduation, Dr. Hart Wright rode with a local practitioner and later began his own practice. However, medicine was not the lucrative field it is today, so he decided to delve into his interest in mathematical astronomy and prepare an almanac manuscript.

Berlin Hart Wright’s biography of his father states Samuel prepared his first manuscript for 1840, but since Samuel would have been 15 years old then I have wondered if this is an error of some kind. Since Samuel and Joanna married in 1845, I wonder if Samuel’s first almanac was prepared for 1850 and his son was off by 10 years in his writing.

In whatever year it actually happened, Samuel sold his first almanac on his third attempt, earning $20 in cash and $20 in medical books for the manuscript. “The books were secured by driving 50 miles after them but the cash is still due,” Berlin Hart Wright wrote. The following year, Samuel was preparing another manuscript when he learned of the death of David Young – an astronomer who made calculations for many almanacs – and visited his widow in the Young home in Nyack. Looking over the man’s book collection, Samuel noticed a homemade memorandum book that contained the addresses, descriptions, and prices for the publishers with which Young worked. Samuel successfully solicited those publishers with his own manuscripts, and his almanac business finally took off.

In 1855, Joanna died shortly after Samuel received his doctor of medicine from Geneva Medical College (near the present-day site of Hobart & William Smith Colleges). Samuel began studying botany in his spare time to drown his grief in work and took botany trips to different parts of Yates County. Along these trips, he met Mary Jane Burtch, who became his second wife the following year. Mary Jane is the sister of the father of Verdi Burtch, making Samuel the uncle by marriage of another well-known Yates County scientist.

Dr. Hart Wright turned his attention toward botany and began collecting his own specimens and exchanging them with other collectors at home and abroad. He found and named new species; he even acquired equipment for microscopic examination of his plants and their parts. He also began studying insect life as it applies to botany and agriculture and obtained more collections and classifications.

The Yates County Chronicle actually had a mathematical department from February 1872 to August 1880 that Samuel oversaw, and he wrote a column for the newspaper in which he presented mathematical problems and solutions for an audience eager to learn. For approximately 430 weeks – there were 11 editions in that timespan without a mathematical column – Dr. Hart Wright, with a variety of contributors and diverse topics in mathematics – promoted mathematics and education through the newspaper.

In 1874, Samuel handed the almanac business off to his son and took up yet another scientific endeavor in conchology. He made several trips to nearby lakes and streams to once again collect and study specimens. Ten years later, he spent the winter in Florida and discovered a new plant that Dr. Asa Gray – a central New York native considered the greatest American botanist – named Hartwrightia in his friend’s honor. This made Dr. Hart Wright the third Yates County scientist to have a plant named after him.

Among his many accomplishments, Samuel – along with Berlin – is credited with being the first person to survey the aboriginal settlement known today as the Bluff Point ruins. In the spring of 1880, according to an article Berlin wrote, the pair was making a geological survey of Yates County and was near the summit of the promontory known as Bluff Point when they happened upon the remains of the settlement. The Bluff Point ruins – including the people who have examined them and the theories these people have about them – is a topic I plan to explore in a future blog.

Dr. Hart Wright died in 1905 at age 80, but the legacy of his scientific career lived on – not only in the scientific work of Berlin but also in the monument at his grave in Lakeview Cemetery in Penn Yan. After his father’s death, Berlin asked his son, Leon M. Wright, to obtain a section of ancient tree trunks from the Petrified Forest of Arizona to use in the construction of a memorial to Dr. Hart Wright. Leon obtained a fallen section of tree that originally measured 6 feet long and 18 inches in diameter and weighed approximately 1,600 pounds but that broke into three pieces nearly equal in length during its transport to New York.

To create the monument, two of the pieces were arranged horizontally on two granite bases with a granite die placed on top of these and the third piece placed vertically on top of the die. Because of vandalism in the cemetery, the top piece was apparently removed for safety’s sake and reportedly given to the Yates County History Center.

---

Berlin Hart Wright was born in 1851 in the same Dundee home his parents moved into upon their marriage six years earlier. Like his father, Berlin took an interest in all things science at a young age; unlike his father, Berlin was enabled and encouraged to pursue his interest. A bad injury at age 12 left him bedridden for a year, according to his autobiographical sketch in his “Memories of Local Naturalists” book, and he devoted that year to learning mathematics through his father’s books and his father’s assistance as needed.

With a desire to be independent, Berlin left home and worked for a farmer near Penn Yan, making arrangements for a salary and board while attending school at “the little red school house … two miles distant” from the farm. Later, he enrolled in Penn Yan Academy but “chafed under the slow pace in branches of chief interest” so left – presumably to take up self-education – with a goal, that he soon achieved, of returning to the academy as a teacher.

Berlin and his wife, Loretta F. Mills, were teaching in Dresden when a new railroad – presumably the Fall Brook railroad that was built along the towpath of the Crooked Lake Canal – was under construction and much sedimentary rock was being blasted out in the process. The Wrights gathered quantities of fossils and classified them, and they continued to make Saturday school excursions to the site as part of their lessons. This study led to a complete geological survey of Yates County – the first of its kind – that was published by New York State, with a report of new species discovered in the county’s rock formations.

Berlin gave up his classroom work to take over his father’s almanac business, and he also took up conchology and began collecting and classifying – along with his wife and his father – specimens of local shells. Berlin later took his work in botany and conchology to Florida, where he relocated in order to relieve his rheumatism, a disorder he attributed to his wading in cold waters in search of specimens.

In his autobiographical sketch, Berlin paid particular homage to his findings in Bellona, where he found exposed layers of Genesee slate on top of Tully limestone on top of Moscow shale. He uncovered several shell and fish fossils and even the spine of a shark – the first such fossil to be taken in America from Moscow shale. Reading this in Berlin’s own words made me recall our early Oliver’s Travels article on the discovery of a shark fossil in Benton, the town where the hamlet of Bellona is located, and – putting two and two together – wonder if the newspaper items highlighted in this article relate to Berlin’s finding a shark spine in Bellona.

Berlin, of Jerusalem at the time, died in 1940 at his daughter’s home almost a week after he suffered a fall and fractured the upper part of his leg. He sold his shell collection to the University of Michigan and more of his and his father’s collections to the Museum of Natural History of Cleveland; he also turned over his fossil collection to the Smithsonian Institution to make collections for schools.

#history #historyblog #science #astronomy #botany #conchology #archaeology #mathemathics #starkeyny #dundeeny #yatescounty #hartwright