#when we visited today we were supposed to pick her up and bring her home and then return her tomorrow but once we arrived she apparently | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rukia-writes · 1 year

Text

Hercules x (fem) reader

Setting: modern au

Plot: From high school friends ➜ college friends.

“It’s not nice to eavesdrop.”

“Shhh, now. Hercules brought a girl home from school today.”

A middle aged man had his ear to his step-son’s door listening to their conversation, while passing by the brother kindly scolded his father for his behavior.

“He brings a lot of friends that are girls home.”

“Don’t say it like that, Hermes.”

The father made a Shh motion with his hand only for the oldest son, Ares, to join in on the conversation.

“What going on? Hercules home?”

“Yes, and he’s also brought home a girl apparently.”

“But he’s brought home girls before.”

Hermes answered his older brother who was studying for his college exams, technically all three men were so supposed to be studying, Ares gave the same answer Hermes did which made him shrug his shoulders.

“Yeah, yeah. But this one is different. She’s hot.”

“Unless, (Name)’s behind the door Im not impressed.”

Ares told his father, as all three boys went to the same school and knew of a popular girl named (Name). Seemingly, everyone seemed and everyone seemed to think Hercules and (Name) were going out but they denied everytime when asked and once word got out that (Name) was visiting her supposed friend at home the school would be a buzz.

“Yes! That’s her name actually.”

“Really?! (Name)’s here?!”

“How did brother Hercules pull that off.”

“Are you saying your brother is ugly and can’t get a girl?”

Ares was surprised to hear that his younger brother had invited the popular girl to their home, Hermes didn’t believe it at first but did come to the conclusion that it wasn’t impossible and their father teased them only to have the door open knocking him almost out as it was Hercules who opened the door.

“I heard that! (Name) is my friend and she just came over to get her manga back from me.”

Poking her head from around his arm with a few manga books in her arms, both were still wearing their school uniform and Hermes could tell that weren’t up to anything. Ares, unknowingly stepped on his father to introduce himself as Hermes did the same ignoring their fathers cries.

Shaking all their hands and getting to know her friend’s brothers (Name) felt honored. Before she left to go home however, Hercules asked her to come over to study as he was a bit nervous taking his college entrance exams and of course (Name) agreed to do so as she was also a bit nervous about taking her exams.

“So, you’re not dating? Lame.”

“It’s not like that between us-and how did these rumors start anyways?”

Castor and Hercules were walking to class together and Hercules had already heard the rumors about him and his friend. The tall and muscular Hercules wasn’t too happy about that, while it didn’t matter to Hercules what they said about him it was (Name) he was concerned about.

“Not for sure, but it’s definitely a buzz at school.”

Castor was right Hercules was bombarded with questions from people he knew and didn’t know. Thinking to himself, what was the big deal about inviting a girl over. Not seeing the big deal Hercules ignored their comment but would add in that (Name) was a good girl and that they shouldn’t pick on her.

“(Name), we are supposed to be studying.”

“And we will. Right after I win this game.”

After school the two had walked by a arcade center and upon seeing a cute stuffed animal in a arcade crane game (Name) wanted to win and began to play. Hercules warned her not to play for too long as he knew people could spend hours on these games and the two needed that time to study. Twenty minutes later (Name) had successfully won her stuffed animal.

Rather, Hercules did as (Name) had spent all her money and Hercules helped her to get it. Thanking Hercules many times made him happy and as the day turned to night Hercules returned home to a bunch of questions from his brothers which he kindly told them he was out with a friend. Tomorrow, for sure the two would study.

“You guys were at the arcade all day?! And you didn’t study?!”

“No, but we will today.”

Castor kindly scolded his friend as Hercules kindly blamed himself as he remembered playing games all day with (Name), thinking to himself it was really fun and that he wanted play again but this time they had to study.

As the days passed, the two did study but they also had fun.

Whenever they studied at Hercules’ home they would study and talk about manga while having snacks. Ares and Hermes would sometimes eavesdrop on the two, just to make sure the two were studying. Sometimes, Castor, Hermes and Ares would join in on the study session and every time everyone seemed to enjoy each others company.

The day before college exams started it started to rain and of course (Name) forgot her umbrella. With no other choice (Name) decided to just run home, a little water never hurt anyone. Until thunder roared and the rain started to down pour preventing her idea from happening.

“Forget your umbrella?”

Recognizing the voice (Name) turned around to see her friend, Hercules with a smile on his face. Smiling back and confirming that she indeed had no umbrella, Hercules also confirmed he too had no umbrella but his school jacket would suffice. In disbelief, (Name) teased her friend saying, “I doubt your jacket will work.” Only for Hercules to reply back, “Just get in.”

Sure enough, the rain down poured and the two walked underneath Hercules’ school jacket. It was large enough for the both of them, getting the last word in by saying, “I told you so.” Hercules smiled at his friend as she walked beside him saying it was okay to be wrong sometimes.

As the two walked in the heavy rain, (Name) was asked a question she wasn’t expecting from her friend.

“Once exams are over, do you want to watch movies with me?”

“….Netflix and chill?!”

“What?! N-No! Absolutely NOT!”

Both had stopped walking as (Name) took her friend’s question the wrong way causing Hercules to become flustered and embarrassed, all the while looking at each as the rain poured heavy still.

“Well, don’t yell at me! You’re the one leaving their porn books out in broad daylight! I saw it!”

“What?! No! No! That wasn’t mine! That was my brother Ares. I would never look at such a thing and you know that-“

The two went back and forth with their “argument” but in truth they were both just flustered, (Name) believed Hercules was blaming his brother and Hercules was just flustered about the whole concept of Netflix and Chill. Eventually, the two kindly separated each frustrated with each other.

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

Hercules was the first to apologize and it honestly made (Name) heart skip a beat as she could tell it was genuine, clearing her throat she also apologized saying, “I’m sorry as well.” and the two shared a heartwarming laugh together in the rain.

Soon enough, the two graduated from school and went on to college of their choice.

Laying her stuff down in her dorm room, (Name) was ready to take on college life and have new beginnings. While unpacking her things she discovered the stuffed animal her beloved friend won for her, hugging it close to her she wished her handsome friend was okay on his endeavors.

“I hope you’re doing okay.”

“Wh-What are you doing in my dorm room?!”

Looking at her stuffed animal (Name) believed she was hearing things now, because that definitely sounded like her beloved friend. It was only when the voice said her name that she turned to the door way to see Hercules wearing the college’s sweatshirt with denim pants carrying his stuff, heavy stuff, with ease.

“What are you doing in my dorm room?!”

Both asked each other flustered and frustrated at the same time, poking his head from around the corner Hermes asked Hercules if (Name) was his roommate. Both blinked a few times and checked to see if they had the same room number.

They did.

“What are the odds? Well, maybe you can take it to the school Dean?”

Hermes suggested as he double checked to see whether the numbers matched, Ares walked in happy as he already had everything unpacked only to be in shock to see (Name).

“Well, if (Name) doesn’t mind we can take the room. We’re friends after all.”

Thinking to herself, if Hercules would be an decent dorm mate she concluded he would be fine. There was just one thing she wouldn’t budge on.

“…I get the shower in the mornings.”

“That’s fine.”

Both shook hands and agreed to certain terms and conditions while Hermes and Ares watched, Ares shocked that they just agreed to be room mates so quickly and not just any room mate but (Name) the popular girl in their previous school.

“They have to be dating, brother.”

Ares whispered to Hermes who tapped his chin with his finger thinking to himself maybe that was that case, only time would tell.

But one thing was certain, they were friends for sure.

Perhaps, this whole dorm mates thing wasn’t working out.

It was late at night as (Name) was trying to get some sleep as she had class the next morning, unfortunately her room mate was not asleep as he was playing games on his PS5 with other friends he had including his brothers.

Thinking to herself that it wouldn’t happen anymore, (Name) told herself she would talk to her friend in the morning. Ashame, since she liked having Hercules as a room mate as he was easy to get along with. In the morning, (Name) found her roommate who had just taken a shower exiting with just a towel wrapped around his waist and another towel drying his wet hair. Of course with a tattoo running across his torso from his right shoulder to the lower left side of his abdomen.

“Oh sorry, I have an early morning class today and borrowed the shower. Sorry about that-“

Rushing past him Hercules saw his room mate quickly by passed him and closed the bathroom door her and then hearing the shower running. Confused Hercules blinked a few times as he wondered if he did something to offend his friend.

In the shower, (Name) told herself she would tell Hercules about keeping the noise level down later that day.

Hercules abs and tattoo saved him that day.

🎀Rukia-Writes🎀

#record of ragnarok x reader #ror x reader #Hercules x reader #shuumatsu no valkyrie x reader #record of ragnorak

135 notes · View notes

tomhardyspinkyfinger · 2 years

Text

Work Place Romance

Summary: Y/N is Alfie Solomons secretary, she knows his entire schedule and everything about him. How is she not supposed to fall in love?

Warnings: Language, minor sexual themes

Request: an alfie solomons and reader where shes his secretary or sumn and she brings him food everyday(bcs hes always so busy to eat) and everyone asks her wgy she does it and goes through extra work and she says its bcs she likes him? and he overhears it?

A/N: hey y'all! Sorry I'm still updating so slow. I think for a while I'm going to attempt drabbles and shorts so I can still write for you guys but just not very long. I hope you enjoy this @acupnoodle !

Masterlist

The bakery was bustling with life all day today. The men knew an impending snow storm was inbound, and they were in a rush to finish early and get home to their families. It had been snowing since early morning, and was set to get much worse.

Y/N on the other hand was in no rush, she usually locked up after Alfie retired for the night. He continued to insist she leave when he does, but she always maintained that she had work to finish.

Which was always true.

Y/N knew Alfie's entire life and was responsible for organizing every single event and meeting he was required to attend. Y/N's involvement in his life has left her with unstoppable admiration for Alfred Solomons. It wasn't like she could quit or take a vacation to get over these feelings, Alfie paid way too well and was the best boss she was going to find in Camden town. (Plus the bakery would fall apart without her). She considered going out on the weekends and meeting a fine gentleman, but the weekend was when Y/N picked up Alfie's dry cleaning, took Cyril to the groomers, prepped Alfie's dinners for the week, and tidied up the bakery.

"He will see you in his office next Wednesday at 3pm sharp. Thank you for calling Mr. Lewis!" Y/N spoke, ending her call and putting the phone on the line, scribbling in Alfie's jam packed ledger.

"Who' was that?" Alfie's deep accent sounded from behind her. Y/N jumped and turned, seeing her boss standing looking over her shoulder with a curious look. Y/N placed her pen back in its holder and straightened out her papers.

"Mr. Lewis, he was scheduling a meeting to talk about investments down in Bristol. You're meeting with him Wednesday afternoon after your lunch with Mr. Shelby." Y/N explained. Alfie huffed.

"Bristol? Fuckin' posh city 'at is, what's in it for him?" Alfie grunted, walking to his desk while removing his coat and hat, shaking the snow flakes off.

"Not sure, I think his import business is struggling, bread would be sure to bring in customers." Y/N shrugged. She looked at her wrist watch and then back to the man sitting at his desk reading papers with his glasses resting upon his nose.

"Why are you back so early? Your visit with the distributors wasn't set to be done for another hour." Y/N flipped through her ledger with a puzzled face. Alfie grunted.

"Storm's movin faster than we thought, left early to get back 'ere" He explained without removing his eyes from his paper.

"Well I wish you would have phoned ahead to tell me, I could push your appointments for the rest of the day up." Y/N huffed, frustrated that her meticulous planning could have been adjusted to save them both time.

"I don't 'ave anymore meetin's today." Alfie stated plainly. Y/N furrowed her brows even more and flipped back through the ledger.

"You have five more meetings before close Alfie, Jim is coming in on your lunch break in an hour an-" Alfie cut her off.

"Ah yes lunch, where is it? I'm starved." Alfie said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his stomach, looking like a grizzly bear as he did so. Y/N resisted the urge to smile at his cute act.

"Alfie. What do you mean you don't have any more meetings?" Y/N pressed again.

"Christ love, you're going to give yourself an ulcer. Like I said the storm is comin' in quicker 'an we thought. I gave the men the rest of the day off and canceled my meetings." Alfie explained. Y/N just about had a heart attack. She stood from her desk across from Alfie's and began pacing the room.

"Alfred Solomons! This throws my entire ledger off! How am I supposed to reschedule that many meetings? You're completely booked for the next six weeks! This is terrible for business, maybe if I call them-" Before Y/N could finish, Alfie was standing in front of her, his hands on her waist to stop her pacing. She could feel the indentation of his rings through her dress and she shivered lightly. She looked into his eyes and let out a deep breath.

"You're about to pace an 'ole through the floor, sit down and take a breath yeah? Those meetin's weren't important. The bakery is just fine." Alfie spoke, rubbing his thumbs up and down her waist gently. Her anger towards his carelessness was gone immediately, he had a way of doing that. She huffed and let him guide her to his chair where she sat. After sitting in his chair she went into his desk drawer and placed his freshly made sandwich wrapped in parchment on his desk.

“Roast chicken sandwich I made from my leftovers last night.” Y/N explained, rubbing her forehead. Alfie unwrapped the sandwich and took a gluttonous bite, smacking as he chewed the food. He sat himself at the edge of his desk, something Y/N knew would bother his joints.

“Fuckin’ delicous ‘at is.” He mumbled with his mouth full. Y/N let out a sigh and reached up, gently pushing his chin so his mouth would close, swiping crumbs from his beard as she removed her hand. It was then that Y/N realized how quiet the bakery truly was. No chatter from the men, no heavy machinery, even the streets outside were devoid of all sound. Y/N felt tempted to lean in after she removed her hand from Alfie’s face but resisted. He stared into her eyes with that look only he could give, the one that made her scared, weak, and in love all at once.

“What would I do without you?” He asked, quieter than his normal speaking volume.

“Probably combust into flames.” She shrugged. He let out a scoff laugh and Y/N chuckled. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes longer while Alfie ate and Y/N organized his space.

A few hours later Y/N and Alfie were doing what they usually did during a normal day at the bakery. Y/N’s workload was a bit different and more stress inducing, she had to call and reschedule all of Alfie’s canceled meetings and adjust inventory and compensation for all the workers Alfie let off early. Y/N knew these extra tasks on top of her usual work load would have her in the office later than usual. Alfie worked on his own paperwork, sorting contracts and things alike. They worked in silence how they usually do, but today was different. The silence surrounding the bakery was deafening, and the tension was palpable.

Y/N sighed and looked out the window, the snow falling quicker than it was earlier. Her walk home was going to be miserable. She knew Alfie had men following her to ensure her safe return, but she always insisted she walk to and from work to maintain her independence. Alfie decided to have men follow her without her knowledge, but Y/N was Alfie’s secretary, she signed off on the raise for that task.

“Alright, treacle, I’m takin’ the car home, the roads should be clear for a while longer from what I ‘eard.” Alfie spoke, breaking the silence. He stood and put his hat and coat on, walking to the door as his cane quietly clanked on the wooden floorboards. He stopped at my desk and opened his hand out to me.

“C’mon now, love, day’s over.” Alfie spoke. Y/N shook her head and looked back at her ledger.

“You go on home Alfie, I still have meetings to rearrange and set up on top of going through today’s accounts and a few other tasks. I’ll see you in the morning if the roads are cleared up.” Y/N dismissed Alfie, continuing to write.

“M’not leavin’ ya’ here to freeze, treacle. Stop bein’ stubborn and let me take you home.” Alfie grunted, getting frustrated with the determined woman who sat in front of him.

“You and I both know I won’t be leaving this office any time soon, and I won’t let you wait for me. I’ll see you tomorrow, Alfred.” Y/N spoke, a bit of irritation in her tone. Alfie sighed, when she called him Alfred whatever she was saying was final, no if’s, and’s, or what's about it. He nodded to her and left his office, deciding to wait outside of the bakery in the snow for her to finish up. He would show her she wasn’t the only hard headed worker in the bakery.

Y/N continued on working like normal, telling herself she was most likely going to crash on the couch in the office to avoid the storm. It had been about an hour later when she decided to take a break and call up her friend Myrtle, Ollie’s wife.

Alfie on the other hand, cursed himself and Y/N for being so stubborn as his joints ached in the cold winter air. Alfie used his key to reenter the bakery, rubbing his hands together and deciding to go and get Y/N, whether she came willingly or not.

Y/N walked about the office while chatting with Myrtle.

“What in gods name are you still doing down at the bakery at this hour? Didn’t that Solomons let everyone go home early?” Myrtle questioned on the other line. Y/N huffed.

“Yeah I would’ve been home early today if that damned man didn’t cancel all his meetings. I was left behind to clean up the mess.” Y/N complained. Alfie stood outside of the open office door and held himself back for yelling at her for that rubbish she was spreading.

“Oh please Y/N, we both know you could’ve done that work tomorrow and the bakery would still remain unchanged. You just want to please that boss of yours.” Myrtle scoffed. Y/N huffed and played with the cord of the phone.

“I do not want to please him! I just prefer to be organized! Can you blame me for being good at my job?” Y/N ranted. Alfie felt a bit bad for listening in, but then again he’s probably done worse than light eavesdropping.

“Sweetheart, you only need to be good at your job during working hours. Cooking his meals and walking his dog is hardly under the job description of a secretary. That’s the job of a wife.”

“Well, he isn’t married! He only has one maid and she’s not getting any younger, you saw Edith at the market last week, she looked weak. I’m just giving a bit of extra help to his household.” Y/N continued to defend herself.

“Why can’t you admit you are in love with him darling? After I told Ollie I loved ‘em he basically pushed me into the synagogue and had us married.” Myrtle urged. Y/N sighed but smiled nonetheless at the love those two shared.

“I can’t ever be in love with my boss, Myrtle. It’s incredibly inappropriate, he would never love me back, and I care about him too much to toss what we already have in the trash.” Y/N spoke, pushing tears back.

“You’ll never know until you just tell him! Things don’t have to be different Y/N, he might love you too! And with the way you care for him? You’re practically betrothed without all the fuckin!” Myrtle exclaimed. Y/N laughed.

“Yeah well, the only man I would consider fucking is a man who will never love me the way I love him. Alfred Solomons has made it very clear I am not a woman he would ever desire.” Y/N spoke, trying to stop her throat from closing up. She came to that conclusion after overhearing Alfie saying he would never date or marry, especially a hard headed woman, he said he wouldn’t have the time or energy for a woman of that caliber. So, Y/N knew he didn’t want her.

“An’ who the fuck told you that?” Alfie spoke from the doorway. Y/N jumped and turned to see Alfie there with his hat and coat in hand, placing his cane against the wall.

“Did he just hear everything you-”

“I will call you later Myrtle.” Y/N spoke, her eyes still wide and her heart now beating rapidly. She ended the call and avoided Alfie’s eyes.

“I-I’m sorry Mr. Solomons. Please can we just forget everything? I don’t want to ruin anything and I need this job! I am so embarrassed I can’t believe I-”

“Christ woman, would you shut up?” Alfie called out, rubbing his beard. Y/N’s mouth snapped shut and she grew even more nervous.

“I never would’ve thought you’d go for a bloke like me. I’m fuckin’ criminal, dove. I steal, I kill, I lie, and I’m a selfish bastard. I know I’m no good for ya, but because I am such a selfish bastard, I plan on keeping you all to myself if you’ll allow it. Judgin’ by you wantin’ to fuck me an’ all, I think we’re in agreement, yeah?” Alfie spoke, placing his hat and coat on Y/N’s desk before approaching where she stood in the middle of the office. Y/N’s cheeks flushed.

“So, you… want to be with me?” Y/N questioned, looking up into Alfie’s eyes. Alfie scoffed.

“If I knew you were this daft, I wouldn’tve hired ya.” Alfie joked. Y/N laughed and gently smacked his arm.

“You couldn’t tell your head from your ass wihtout me, Solomons.” Y/N replied. Alfie’s face spread out in his beautiful grin he rarely showed off.

“An’ that’s why I fuckin’ need you more than air, dove.” Alfie muttered, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. Y/N moaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his thick hair. He responded by placing one large hand across her back, pulling her flush to him, while the other hand gripped her waist. Alfie’s beard scratched Y/N’s face in the best way, and the feeling of his coarse beard hair coupled with his plump lips against his had her melting in his hands.

The sound of a loud bang pulled the couple away from each other. The bakery had gone pitch black, the snow storm knocking the power out. They both took deep breaths and looked around in the darkness until the pair managed to light enough candles to light up the small room.

The warmth of the candlelight surrounded them both as Alfie picked Y/N up, laying her down gently on the couch.

“How about I show you just how bad I want to fuck you, yeah?”

#alfie solomons fanfiction #tom hardy x reader #tom hardy #reader insert #fluff #fic #tom hardy x you #request #peaky blinders alfie #alfie solomons #peaky blinders #alfie x reader

498 notes · View notes

anotherhumaninthisworld · 4 months

Note

Do we have any idea when Horace returned from the wetnurse ?

We don’t have any exact date, but some observations can nevertheless be made.

Horace was born on July 6 1792, baptised the 8th and sent to a wetnurse on the 9th (as seen through Lucile’s diary). We know through a letter Camille sent his father on July 12 that the wet nurse lived in Isle-Adam, about 60 km away from Rue du Théâtre 1 (today Rue de l’Odeon 28) where the Desmoulins couple lived (I don’t know exactly how long it would take to travel in a carriage between these two places).

Already in a letter written around ten days later, Camille tells Lucile, who has gone to rest up in the countryside (around 50 km from Isle-Adam), that ”I do not venture to speak to you about your baby, lest I should bring you tears into your eyes,” which seems like a clear indicator Horace is still with his wet nurse and that this caused Lucile pain. Only a few sentences later Camille tells her to ”kiss Daronne and Horace for me,” which could instead be read as implying Horace had already been brought over to his mother. That could also be the case when Lucile on July 28 writes in her diary: ”my little one is doing well.” I do however think it sounds more logical that Camille is just being sentimental and that Lucile’s simply received a letter from the wet nurse or even gone to visit her son herself, given the fact not even a month had passed since Horace’s birth when these texts were written.

On December 12 1792 Lucile picks up writing her diary again after having stayed silent for five months. ”O my child,” she writes that day, ”my dear child, what palpitation I feel when thinking of you! My son! Why then does this word make my tears flow?…” This sentence, which offers too little information for us to tell whether Horace has been reunited with his mother or not, is the only mention Lucile makes of him from this moment up until February 16 1793, a period during which she consistently keeps a diary. To me, it therefore comes off as unlikely he would have returned home somewhere during the spam of these two months, because wouldn’t that be something worth writing down for Lucile? The total absence of Horace in the entries also invite me to believe he hadn’t come home in the five months she’s not written anything either.

Just three days after the last diary entry, February 16, Lucile, while in Essonne together with Camille, does however write a letter to her mother back in Paris asking her to ”write to me if my little one is doing well,” which at first seems to be a clear indicator Horace is back in the capital. However, in the very same letter Lucile also asks her mother to come and join her and Camille at the place where they currently are, and four days later she again writes to tell her about her sister Adèle eventually joining them too. Would it be true that Horace had come back to Paris by then, we might therefore ask who was supposed to look after him, since apparently all his female relatives can get out of town without any issues. Was it the Desmoulins’ maid Jeannette, who lived in the same building as them?

A speculation I’ve had is that the reason Lucile’s diary entries end so abruptly in February is because she after this had a baby to look after, meaning she wouldn’t have been able to go out and do stuff as much as before. Madame Danton and Madame Robert did however have children born in 1790, 1792 and 1791 respectively, and as can be seen through the diary, this does in no way hinder them from vistiting the theater and other people’s homes together with Lucile. So I don’t know if all these girls had nannies looking after their kids for them, or if the kids are with them and Lucile just never mentions them.

We have this letter that Fréron’s little sister Thérèse Jeanne, wife of the general Jean François de La Poype, sent to Lucile. However, it’s unfortunately undated, and I can’t tell when it was written through the context either, but I take it as implying Horace was still with the wet nurse when it was penned down:

Coubertin, Monday morning. How good you are, my dear Lucile, to take such pains to answer so punctually, and to relieve my anxiety! rely upon your kindness to let me know any good news when you know it yourself. Neither my husband nor my brother has written to me; but, according to what you tell me, M. De la Poype will be with you immediately. Scold him well, I beg, my dear Lucile, and beat him even, if you think it necessary; I give him over to you. Goodbye, dear aunt; I embrace you with all my heart. Do tell me about your pretty boy; is he well? We shall, I hope, see him at some time together. (Parlez-moi donc de votre joli enfant; se porte-t-il bien ? Nous irons, j'espère, le voir quelquefois ensemble). Be the first to tell me of my husband's arrival; it will be so sweet to owe my happiness to you! Fanny (Thérèse Jeanne’s daughter) is perfectly well. I received most tenderly the kiss she gave me from you. My compliments to your husband. Fréron de la Poype Coubertin, near Chevreuse.

On August 1 1793 we get a good indicator Horace is back with his parents, as Camille on that date writes to his father:

I felt even more just now, in seeing my son, how sensible this blow (of having read that your son died in battle) must have been go your heart. My wife and I have been very touched by the interest that you show for this child so amiable and whom we love so much that I have a horrible fear of losing him. […] Where is the asylum, the underground where I could hide from all eyes with my wife, my child and my books?

We also know Horace was home in time for Robespierre to have held him in his arms ”so many times”as Lucile herself puts it in a letter written during her last weeks on Earth. Something which I assume he stopped doing at least after he and Camille fell out with each other in January 1794, and being a member of the Committee of Public Safety from July 27 1793 and forward might also have decreased the opportunities.

In the letter dated July 12 1792, where Camille tells his father Horace has been sent to a wet nurse, he mentions it’s the same one Danton’s youngest son François-Georges, who was born on February 2 1792, currently finds himself with. In the aftermath of the Insurrection of May 31 1793, Fabre d’Eglantine holds a speech where he reports that Danton at the end of August 1792 exclaimed: ”I’ve brought here my mother who is 70 years old; I’ve brought here my two children; they arrived yesterday. Before the Prussians enter Paris, I want my family to perish, I want 20 000 torches in an instant to turn Paris into a pile of ashes” when the idea of fleeing the capital and emerging foreign armies was brought up. This would imply François-Georges could do without the wet nurse after half a year spent there, standards we might assume were applied to other children taken in there as well, Horace included. This would fit rather well with the assumption Horace was home by February 1793, when Lucile writes to ask her mother for news about him…

Finally, we also have this family portrait attributed to either David or his school. I think Horace looks rather young on it, not appearing to have grown any hair yet, but it’s hard to tell exactly how old he is meant to be here:

#proof you can deep dive into literally anything #desmoulins #horace desmoulins #camille desmoulins #lucile desmoulins #frev #ask

10 notes · View notes

soclonely · 7 months

Text

OC-Tober Prompt List Day 3: Crunching Leaves

Link To OC-Tober prompts list

Summary: Tom and his granddaughter Eda spend an Autumn afternoon in the parks of Coruscant, enjoying the beautiful colors the season brings

Character Summary: Tom the owner of 79s clone bar, is a lifelong Coruscant citizen. He grew up in a middle class family and had a wife and 3 kids-two sons and a daughter- that live in different parts of the galaxy. But he has amazing relationships with each of them. When he was younger, Tom was a professional ice skater along with his wife. When he retired, he took the time to teach other aspiring skaters in a school run by him and Millie. A lot of kids from Upper Level families attended his classes, thus creating his connections throughout Coruscant on the influence level. Once his wife died, he lost his passion for skating and closed up the school. During a dark time in his life, the clone wars started and seeing those young clones one day just standing outside their barracks with nothing to do sparked something in Tom. He talked to his many friends, got together, and helped give clones their right to just cut loose and relax every now and then. They are people too afterall. He opened up 79s and sees evey one of those young men that walk through his door as a part of the family. Tom never judges anyone and would give you the shirt off your back if you needed it. You can usually find him behind the bar, cigar in hand, and ready to give you the advice you need or to just talk (because sometimes thats all you need is a conversation)

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Look at all of the cool colors, grandpa!” Eda laughs, twirling in the pile of fallen leaves. She turns to Tom and smiles, holding up a bronze colored leaf. “I think this one is my favorite-OH OR THIS ONE!” She immediately dives into the next pile, reaching for a vibrant yellow.

Tom chuckles. “I suppose you haven’t been to visit in the Autumn.” He looks around the busy park. “Its like all of Coruscant came out to enjoy the fall colors today.” He adds, grumbling to himself.

Eda runs over, taking Tom’s hand.”Oh grandpa! You are always so grumpy. Come on!” She pulls him along the pathway.”You said there was a covered walkway with more pretty leaves up ahead! I want to see them all!”

“Alright I’m coming, I’m coming!” Tom huffs, allowing the little girl to lead him through the sea of people. “Be careful Eda.” He adds as she narrowly misses bumping into a group of troopers. Tom gives them a quick nod as they laugh at the little girls determination. “Watch for others, especially the boys in white.” He reminds her sternly.

“There are so many of them.” Eda stops, looking up at the nearby tree.”I’ve never seen so many!”

“Well kiddo, it's wartime and Coruscant is the Capitol.” Tom explains, bending down next to his granddaughter. “Its only naturally it would be full of troopers.”

Eda rolls her eyes. “Not the troopers grandpa! The leaves! Colors!” she points to the quiet grove of trees in front of them. “We see big groups of troopers back home all of the time! Especially when they were evacuating the nearby planets. But we don’t have these.” She grins, bending down to pick up a small red leaf at her feet. “This one.. This one is my favorite!”

Tom sits silent as he watches Eda squeal and run through more of the warm colored leaves, the brisk breeze of war hitting him a little harder today.

#bartender tom #79s clone bar #star wars ocs #my ocs #star wars the clone wars #oc tober #MaxRebo'sBandStand

9 notes · View notes

invisibleraven · 4 months

Text

Haunted Holidays

December 18: Christmas Market <-AO3 link!

Julie wasn’t sure what she was doing here. No, that wasn’t right-she was in this tiny Oregon town because her boss sent her out to scout the location for the new hotel he was building. It didn’t matter that it was almost Christmas, Julie hadn’t partaken of the holiday since the year her mother died. What was the sense of celebrating a time of love and family when the most important member of yours gets stolen by cancer?

Sure, her dad and brother were still here, but they were all pretty shaken by Rose’s sudden decline and then death that the holiday hadn’t been all that important to them either. And Julie was single, so there was no special someone to spend the time with.

So sure, why not visit some quaint little village where they actually got snow to investigate a piece of property?

It was a nice town, all told. A main drag of shops and places to eat, plenty of friendly people. It was a little Christmas crazy, which Julie could do without, but she had plans to be back in her Malibu apartment with a glass of wine by December 22’nd, so what did that matter?

The property negotiations hadn’t even hit a snag like she had been expecting-it was a run down old house with no cultural or historical significance, the owners were an older couple who wanted to retire somewhere warm, and had given it to her for a song really.

So why was she still here?

Probably because the exceptionally cute granddaughter of the owners had invited her to, Julie supposed. Kayla was super sweet, making sure Julie’s stay had been lovely, treating her to all the joys of her little town; the delectable cherry pie and aromatic dark roast at the local diner, the stables where one could rent the horses for an honest to goodness sleigh ride, the pond where all the little kids went skating.

It was like something out of a fucking greeting card.

But despite herself, Julie was having fun. Sure she cringed whenever she heard yet another rendition of Jingle Bells, and rejected every bit of holiday cheer tried to foist on her, but so far Kayla had stuck to wintery fun, and a bit of flirting that Julie wasn’t exactly immune to.

She wasn’t usually the type to have a one night fling, but it might be a nice cap to her week before she went home to see if Kayla was really as sweet as she seemed in Julie’s high thread count sheets.

However, today she knew was going to test her. It was apparently the day of the annual Christmas market, and Kayla insisted that Julie accompany her.

“Why me?”

“Well you won’t get another chance now will you?” Kayla asked. “Might get a few items knocked off your list. Plus it means we get to spend more time together.” Kayla had blushed at that, and Julie reflected it in her own cheeks, finally relenting to go.

“But no caroling, and no eggnog!” she said.

“Spoilsport,” Kayla chided, and told her to bundle up, because of course it was an outdoor market. At least Julie had packed accordingly, even if her stylish leather gloves got in the way of feeling Kayla’s hand when she pulled Julie towards the stalls.

The first few stalls were distinctly holiday themed; wreaths of holly, wooden Santas for your doors, nutcrackers for your living room, and piles upon piles of mistletoe. Julie had no interest in those. The next few she liked though; thick leather bound journals, home knitted sweaters and mittens, and heaps of baked goods.

“You wanna split a cookie?” Kayla offered, and Julie agreed, almost moaning with delight at the flavours of white chocolate and cranberries as she bit into the treat, and made a point of getting a dozen of them to bring home with her, though she very much doubted they would survive until then.

They kept walking hand in hand, pursuing the wares, though they didn’t end up buying much. Kayla shoved a warm wool hat down over Julie’s curls, so Julie got her a nice neck warmer in thanks, they both picked up a few bars of soap, with Julie totally not on purpose getting a bar of the one Kayla claimed she loved as well.

“You see anything you want to get your family?” Kayla asked as they got closer to displays of ornaments and decorations.

“We-we don’t really celebrate Christmas,” Julie told her. “My mom passed around then back when I was a teenager, so it hurt too much for us to do it after that.”

“Oh Julie, I’m so sorry,” Kayla said, clutching her hands together. “I figured that maybe you were just a bit of a Scrooge, and I could maybe cheer you up, but… I won’t push any more holiday cheer on you, I promise.”

“I haven’t minded it too much,” Julie admitted. “It’s been over a decade, so it doesn’t hurt as much, but I always miss her most this time of year.”

“Will you tell me about her?” Kayla asked.

So Julie did, leading them to a secluded spot where she told Kayla all about her mom over steaming cups of cider and shared bites of fudge. About how losing her mom killed her love for the holiday season when it used to be her favourite time of year. How much it hurt to lose it, and how it had caused such a rift in her family because they couldn’t process their grief.

Kayla sat there through it all, listening, not offering advice or platitudes, but an open heart and an arm around Julie, giving her the strength to go on. Wiping away her tears and offering Julie the last bit of fudge in order to make her smile.

“You know, I didn’t always love this time of year either,” Kayla remarked. “My folks were about to split up, and then left me with lola and zǔfù so they could work on their marriage. Then it was easier on them to just… not come back. They send cards and call every so often. But they always made me feel like I was the reason they were fighting, when they just weren’t a good fit.”

She looked at Julie, giving her a small smile. “I was angry for a long time. Didn’t exactly lead to the easiest upbringing for my poor grandparents. But eventually they got me a good therapist, and between that and the people here, the season won me over again.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that,” Julie said, squeezing her hands.

Kayla shrugged. “It made me who I am. Plus it’s nice, always having this place left to come back to. I can’t wait to see what you do with the old house when I return next year.”

“You don’t live here?” Julie asked.

“No way!” Kayla said with a laugh. “I live in a nice bungalow near Venice Beach, I work for the LA Ballet, I’m only here for the holidays.”

“Oh wow, for some reason I thought this was your home,” Julie said, blushing.

“I mean it is, and always will be,” Kayla replied. “But I live in LA. So maybe after the holidays… we could do something together? See each other more?”

“I’d like that, maybe for New Years?” Julie suggested, and Kayla’s answering smile was all she needed in response. “Alright, I can’t wait. But for now… how about we go get some eggnog?”

#jatpadvent2023 #jayla #julie and the phantoms

3 notes · View notes

wonderlandleighleigh · 2 years

Note

One missing scene in Fashionable People I've wondered about was the first time Lenny visited post accident. He said that Midge thanked him for the flowers before, so I assume he came by before she showed up at his gig.

Rose picks up when the phone rings. “Hello?”

“Hi, Rose.”

“Lenny, hello. How are you feeling?”

“Not too terrible,” he admits. “It’s getting better, little by little…I uh…I was wondering if maybe I could come by and see Midge tomorrow.”

“Have you picked up more product?” Rose asks, lifting her eyebrows.

“No.”

“Do you plan to?”

“No.”

“Then, yes, it’s perfectly fine that you come and visit Miriam.” She pauses for a moment. “The doctors have her on some very strong medication, so she’s a little fuzzy from it…and I’ll be stowing the bottles away while you’re here.”

She hears him start to protest and then stop. “Yeah. That’s fair, actually.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Did she get the flowers I sent?” he asks.

“Yes, she did,” Rose replies, finding herself smiling gently at the note of hopefulness in Lenny’s voice. It makes him sound young; not as world-weary. “She liked them very much.”

“Good.”

“If you get here by six o’clock, Abe and I will be heading out to dinner,” Rose tells him. “Zelda will be keeping an eye on Miriam, and Joel will have picked up the children earlier in the day, so the two of you will have some time to chat in private. As I said before, she is fuzzy from her medication, and it plays havoc on her memory, so do try to keep things light. She is mostly keeping to her bedroom at present, but is perfectly able to sit up, and early evening usually finds her quite with it, as it were. When we return from dinner, I expect to find her happy to have seen you, and not the opposite. Am I making myself clear, Leonard?”

“I’m not going to upset her, Rose.”

“It’s a yes or no question.”

He sighs heavily. “Yes.”

“Good. We’ll see you around six o’clock then.”

*****

It hits him as he stands at the Weissmans’ door that he hasn’t seen her since before she left the hospital. That he doesn’t know what to expect.

He’d picked up something for her. It’s Hanukkah, after all, so he’d stopped off and…promptly had no idea what to get her. She wasn’t his girlfriend or his wife. She’s also limited in what she can actually do right now, so he settles on a book, because that’s what he would want if he were laid up after having his ribs surgically resituated and was waiting for a broken arm to heal and some brain trauma to let up.

But if her memory isn’t great right now a book isn’t the right thing, either, because how is she supposed to keep reading if-

He tells his brain to shut the fuck up and knocks on the door.

“Lenny!” Abe cries good-naturedly as he opens the door. “Good to see you, come in, come in.”

He does, seeing that even Abe looks tired; that things here have been hard, and if Lenny hadn’t been battling his own idiot demons maybe he could have helped more instead of dragging Midge’s mother away to help him.

“Miriam is very excited to see you,” Abe says conversationally. “Rose! Lenny is here!”

Rose floats by him as she puts on her coat to go out. “Hello, Lenny.”

He nods, gripping the little paper parcel in his hands.

“Did you bring Miriam a gift?” Rose asks, looking pleased. “That’s very nice.”

“Well, it’s Hanukkah…”

“Yes it is,” Rose nods. “I’m sorry I was short with you on the phone yesterday. The last time Joel was here to visit her, they got into an argument, and Miriam’s health faltered a little, so we’re trying to be more careful.”

Lenny frowns deeply. Not generally prone to violence, he’s a little surprised at how much he wants to strangle Midge’s ex.

“Until she’s back on her feet, Joel is only allowed supervised visits,” Rose explains. “We should be home in a few hours. Miriam is back in her room. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask Zelda.”

“Just as long as she doesn’t ask for my pants again,” Lenny jokes.

“They seem fine today,” Rose assures him, almost playfully. “She might even compliment you on them.” She pats his arm gently. “Abe? Are you ready?”

Abe walks up and nods. “We’ll be home later,” he tells Lenny.

Lenny nods as they leave and stands in the front hall, feeling a little unsure, but he slowly starts walking down the hall, past the kitchen, where Zelda eyes him a little suspiciously, and towards the master bedroom at the end, where a lamp provides soft illumination for whomever is inside.

When he leans into the doorway, he finds Midge settled in bed with the pillows helping to prop her up. The scar on her forehead has faded, and she looks good for someone who nearly died a month ago.

“Thank god,” she groans, looking up from her magazine. “I am so bored.”

He can’t help chuckling. “Don’t look at me, I’m not here to bust you out. I’m afraid Zelda might make a play for my clothes again.”

Midge laughs softly - much softer than Lenny is used to hearing, and then uses her unbroken arm to reach out for him. “You can at least talk to me.”

Lenny steps into the room, and pulls the door partly shut behind him before walking over and sitting next to her on the edge of the bed.

She smiles at him, and he gets a really good look at her now. Certainly, the drugs are doing their job in keeping her painless, but also a little dazed, he can tell. She’s dropped a little weight too, making her seem much more fragile than he normally associates with her.

“Thank you for the flowers,” she tells him with warmth in her voice. “They were really beautiful. And thank you for sending some for Mama, that was very thoughtful.”

“Well, everybody’s been through a lot,” Lenny concedes heeding Rose's warning to keep things light and not dive into his swan dive into getting clean. “You look good. I like this, you sitting up in bed, with your eyes open, lookin’ at me like you know what day it is.”

She laughs a little and reaches for his hand. “You and me both.”

The feeling of her fingers against his triggers unexpected relief to flood through his chest. She’s awake and smiling and here, and sure, she’s looked better, but also, she looks amazing just by virtue of having her beautiful eyes open.

“Hey,” she says gently. “You look tired.”

He shrugs. “I’ve been working a lot. I got arrested again. You know how it goes.”

“I’m sorry,” she says sincerely. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to bail you out.”

Without thinking about it, he leans in and kisses her forehead. “It’s okay. Alan and Larry covered for you.”

“Tell them I owe them a brisket,” she mutters.

He wonders, at her tone of voice, if she’s getting tired already, but one look down at her says quite the opposite.

“I’m not supposed to do or say anything to upset you,” Lenny tells her, as his eyes drift to her lips.

“I’m not upset,” she tells him.

“You’re also high as a fucking kite on painkillers,’ he points out softly.

“So you’re not going to kiss me, is what you’re saying.”

He clenches his jaw. “It’s probably not a great idea.”

“Neither is shooting your mouth off about race relations in America, you do that and you get arrested, but kissing me is a worse idea?” she points out.

He nods slowly, thinking her words over. “The drugs make you honest. That’s good to know.”

“I cannot believe you’re going to make me negotiate a kiss out of you,” Midge complains. “I’m very injured, and it would make me feel much better. And a month ago, you were practically begging to take my dress off-”

He doesn’t let her finish, leaning in and kissing her gently, his hand sliding up to hold her elbow, rubbing his thumb against her skin slowly as she reaches up to hold onto his neck.

She pulls away for air and leans back against the pillows slowly, breathing a little harder than she would have, if she hadn’t been injured.

“Happy now?” he asks, playfully annoyed.

“Very,” she says primly.

“Good,” he grins, before lifting up the little parcel. “I got you something.”

Midge gasps teasingly. “Me, you got me a gift? I’m so spoiled, what is it, what’d you get me?”

“I’m gonna recommend to your mother that she cut back on your painkillers,” Lenny teases.

“Gift, please.”

He shakes his head and hands it over, and she unwraps it carefully, uncovering a copy of William Makepeace Thakeray’s Vanity Fair.

And he automatically feels stupid.

“You got me the book Vanity Fair,” she states.

“I can return it.”

“Don’t you dare,” Midge tells him, lifting the book and hugging it to her chest with her good arm. “You got me the Vanity Fair book because you know I read the magazines.”

“I didn’t know what else to get you. It’s a bad gift.”

“It’s a great gift,” she says softly. “I read part of it in college and absolutely loved it, but I lost my copy when I moved out of my dorm room. I didn’t think about it again.”

“Well, now you have a brand new copy.”

Midge beams and leans in, kissing him again, more enthusiastically.

“Midge,” he mutters against her lips. “I appreciate the gratitude, but…”

She sighs and sits back again, still holding the book. “Can you stay?”

He gazes at her, nodding his head. “Yeah. Yeah, I uh…I don’t have a gig tonight, so I have all the time in the world.”

She smiles at him happily, and then holds the book out to him, and Lenny narrows his eyes.

“My vision swims a little,” she explains sheepishly. “It’s hard to read sometimes. But since you’re here, maybe you could read it to me.”

He grins fondly and takes the book, before climbing over her to sit next to her on the other side of the bed, allowing her to adjust and rest her head on his shoulder.

Lenny opens to the preface, clearing his throat, and starts to read. “‘As the manager of the Performance sits before the curtain on the boards and looks into the Fair, a feeling of profound melancholy comes over him in his survey of the bustling place…’”

*****

When Rose and Abe come home, everything is quiet. Zelda has left for the evening, and when Rose goes to check on Midge, she finds both she and Lenny, fast asleep, a book open between them.

She leaves them to it.

#fic #au #Fashionable People (Very Blue Rooms)#Midge/Lenny #Midge x Lenny #tmmm

65 notes · View notes

pipermint8magic · 11 months

Text

Bruce visiting Jack /Joker and getting him out of Arkham.

(AU where Joker never became a villian!

His real name is Jack)

Batman pov.

At first i didnt recognize the pale man. But slowly I relized who he was...Jack!

Oh-oh god!

"Sir, ar-are you okay?"

He looked in pain,crying trying to stand,but before he fell I catched him.

'Oh, Jack, what happend to you?'

"ah, everything hurts!"

"Everything is going to be al-"

"Please stay away!"

"Im not here to hurt you! Im going to bring you to Arkham so you can get help."

I picked him up to bring him into the Batmobile.

He tried to escape put lost his breath quickly.

"Everything is going to be alright. I wont hurt you."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

'I know you wont, and im sorry for breaking youre heart, J.'

"Because, I promise I will help you."

At first he didnt say anything, but then said something that broke my heart and hit with guilt

"Last time I trusted someone, they hurt me and that got me looking like this..."

' Jack, babe, I'm sorry! I want you back! I never meant things to turn this bad!'

"It's alright, you don't have to trust."

The ride was silent except for some laughter.

It was laughter from pain.

I wanted to hug him, comfort him,remove the mask, but if I did, he will have a break down... actually no, he would have a second one and propably a heart attack.

No, instead I put on some music which he slowly fell asleep

I gave him to the doctors and said "I will let Wayne know about him. He will be intrested to visit."

The doctors nodded and I went back to the Batmobile. Giving a last look at the small figure being taken for care.

Atleast I hoped.

Sadly I could only visit him as Bruce Wayne in a week. Harley decided to bring her crime to the next level. Luckily I could stop her and she was placed into Arkham. I requested her to be placed far away from Jack.

When I asked as Batman how he was, doctors said he was healing. They said it with a hint of disgust, but I trusted them so I left.

But today my trust fell.

They tried to turn me away, but I had none of it!

So I went to see Jack.

"What have you done with him?!"

"Mr. Wayne, we-"

"You, what? You were supposed to help him!"

"He was having problems."

"Yeah, no wonder he was. Out of all people you should know beating or giving somone unknow drugs is a risk! Were you trying to kill him?!"

"Sir, he is a criminal. He tried to attack a officer after -"

"Did you hurt him first?"

The doctor nodded.

"*sigh *I came for a visit, and after im done, I want to know everything whats been going on. And I will take him with me as well."

"Bu-"

"I will get the police involved. If you want to have a chance for a job, you will tell us the truth." I said and the doctor decided to let me stay and went away.

"Jack?"

"B-Bruce?" he looked at me with fear but also anger.

"Jack, I-"

"What do you want from me, Wayne?"

"Jack, look I came here to visit you. And apolagize."

"Apolagize?"

"Yes. I didnt mean to brake things up with you. I wanted to apolagize sooner, but couldn't. Im sorry."

I gently placed my hands on his cheeks and gave him a warm smile.

"This is all youre fault."

"I know, and I-"

"Dont say youre sorry. I heard it. I want to give you a chance, but I'm pretty sure you moved on from me."

"No!"

"Huh?"

"I mean no. I have not. It's true, I did try, but I relized that youre the one I care about. You trusted me, and I broke you. I see what this place is doing, and Im willing to help you heal, give you a place."

Silence...

"Why?"

"I-I still love you. Always have. "

With that Jack started crying, so I gently huged him, being carefull with the chain around his waist.

I noticed that they dont have cameras. So not only do they abuse him and others propably, but also don’t keep a eye on him.

"Y-you said -"

"I know what I said back then. *sigh * look how about we get you out of here and home, alright?"

"You do that... for me?"

As prove I kissed him and said

"Always."

* time skip to when Bruce is taking Jack home*

"J, you alraight?"

"*sigh * Do I look alraight?"

He was looking out of the window, staring on his reflection.

"I look like a monster..."

"It's not what I see."

"You must be blind."

"Jack, I see that youre a butefull man. Even with the white skin and green hair."

"Thank you...You didn't have to do this. "

'But I did... ' i think to myself, but give a kiss to him, before focusing on the road.

"Hey, be carefull."

"Yeah, yeah." I say and smile.

I quickly looked at him and decided to get some stuff at the store.

"Huh?"

"Wait here, I'll be back soon, okay ?"

"okay *sigh *"

I go to get food for him. He looked like he didnt eat anything.

I buy him some donuts for now and a milkshake. But before I left, something cought my eye.

A rainbow blanket.

"Excuse me! How much for this?"

Was it expensive? Yes, but I only cared about giving Jack some joy.

"Hey, I'm back! Got you some stuff."

I get out the blanket and wrap it around him, and gave him his food.

"F-for me?"

"Ofcurse!"

"Thank you." he gave me a smile, so I smiled back.

* almost home *

"Enjoying the food?" I ask as he almost finishes his last donut and nods.

'Good'

"J?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to ask you... What happend after I kicked you out (without a reason) and before the accident?"

He gave no answer, instead looking down and shaking.

"Jack?" I ask as I noticed tears falling down his face.

"Just, just drive... "

#joker #Good joker #bruce

4 notes · View notes

exoticalmonde · 8 months

Text

So in today's day of eventful events that were not supposed to happen but they did:

I got Carnelian. It's actually a double slap to Dr. Kryo who got my Gnosis, because not only did his wife Surtur visit (for which I have her at pot 5 now and subsequently - folded and leveled her up to 45 with an M2S3) but his other operator of preference came home after he was wondering if it's worth pulling when he barely has anything saved up for Yato-alter.

I'm slowly driving it back to 12K orundum for those sweet 40 pulls that should definitely totally get me the Noir Corn-alter.

How many posts is it that I mention him? Countless at this point.

Dr. Kryo just picked me up and set off guiding me along the chapters. I finished at 9-14 last time with S9-2 being my best work yet because I need to start unlocking the Salt.

While miles away from the actual goal of 11-2 where I get the T3 Salt, it's still advancing at a speed I doubt I've moved with alone before.

Can't even believe most of these were a two-OP runs. Mostly using Kal'tsit and people like Thorns, Blaze, Mountain. Of course I had the support of Chongyue. And morally supported by the presence of Ling since I need her 100 trust because that ark forsaken Module.

The AFK Lee and Mountain level was really funny, definitely recommend if your Lee is E2 lvl60 to bring a Myrtle or Bagpipe to block the other side until he charges up good. I leaked twice, learned that lesson the hard way.

youtube

Chapter 10 baby, it's time for the Sanguine Arc. Where we fight not the Sanguinearch but definitely something hideous and simmilar. I saw the worms yesterday when Pinkie showed me around the enemies for Chapter 11. Imagine... Leeches. In a trenchcoat. I hate them so much, looking at the enemies is putrid and they're all just slowly moving 20 pixels.

Yet here's the GORGEOUS video for the start of Chapter 10, which is supported by stunning vocals and a goosebump-indusing energy when you see it play on your own screen.

Gosh, I don't even know what this is but it sure looks like another set of achievements I will need to be getting. Nothing to be tryharding about, surely, as we leave the border between 'Tier 2 hardness level + Challenge Mode' and we sink right into 'Tier 3 hardness - which IS the CM' .

Amiya, it's been a pleasure working with you. Disappointment happened only during the Mandragora fight because I forgot turning Mon3ter skill... So we leaked...

And also one gargoyle got through...

I should go back and do that before future me hates for losing the will to fight Mandra again + just forgetting the run.

Which, spoilers, if you know what you're doing, is actually quite pathetic to fight. Just throw a rock at her and she sits down and pouts for long enough to Surtur/Texas-alter her.

But moving onto chapter 10!

Oh, I remember the good old days of being chapter 7 and suddenly CC10 operation Nuke (Ashring) landed with its fully charged Orbital Space Cannon to give me the sad news that, no, I will not in fact get all the medals.

Dr. Pinkie joins the conversation just on time to reminesce over how they used to guide me during Ashring. Very fun times.

---

Pinkie: "It's good that you're well aware how the Orbital Space Cannon works now, because for the next 16 operations you'll be doing just that."

Me: "..... WHAT?"

---

Pinkie: "It's alright, the Nuke does only 3000 damage, so as long as your defender has more than that, they should survive."

Me: *Checks Hoshiguma's health*

Hoshiguma: 3158 HP

Pinkie: "Oh, oh no."

---

Me, Kryo and Pinkie: "HERE IT COMES."

---

Me: *Pauses to think what to do after the Nuke blows because I can see that Hoshiguma will be blocking and Archetto will be in her range.*

Pinkie: "Oh, it would have been so nice if you had an operator whose skill 2 makes them invulnerable."

Me: *Knows it's not Ethan so I click on Archetto to read what her skill does*

Pinkie: "Oh, you know. Someone who can, potentially, block." *Nervous because the enemies are coming* "Especially since you have one place to guard."

Me: "Do I put her IN the range?"

Pinkie: "YES."

Me: *Drops Specter there*

Pinkie: *Sighs*

---

Hoshiguma: *Dies after the second Nuke*

Pinkie: "A wonderful opportunity to use reinforcements."

Me: *Positions Archetto and Ethan*

Pinkie: "I MEANT SPECTER SKILL."

Me: *Barely surviving the stage* "They're fine, they're all doing very well."

Pinkie: "I think you need to go to more morning sessions."

Me: "NOOoooo..."

---

Me: *Doing kissy noises at the scren*

Pinkie: "There Eve goes, licking the sweat off his armor. Like a dog."

Me: "Hoederer is just so... Mm..."

---

Me: "Can I catch you for a screenshot with your eyes open?"

Me: *Looks at him*

Me: "Well... Eye... Open..."

---

Me: "Pov, every time I see that my operator who is E2 level 50 is not doing enough damage on an E1 level 30 operation."

---

Operation 10-4: Warning Shot

Me: "Haha, warning shot."

Pinkie: "Imagine what they'd do if it was a threat."

Finally, here is a silly bird boy being deployed.

#arknights #friendship #doctor of ri shenanigans #chapter 9 arknights #chapter 10 arknights #guiding #handholding #Doctors braincells multiplying #working hard for that salt #lee arknights #kal'tsit arknights #mountain arknights #simping for HIM #elysium arknights #Youtube

3 notes · View notes

scriboniuscurio · 10 months

Text

Rest in Peace, Sid.

We found Sid and assumed he was a stray, so we left food out for him until he became friendly. Then he spent his days lounging on our back porch, occasionally begging for food or picking a fight with our indoor cats through the window. We did eventually find out he belonged to our next door neighbors, but it was clear he lived here now. My mom named him Sid after the children's book "Six Dinner Sid" about a cat who had six homes so he got dinner six times.

As much as we wanted to, we couldn't bring him inside due to him not getting along with out cats, so we made the garage as comfortable as we could for him. A cooler for the summer, a heater for the winter. My dad always acts aloof or even annoyed towards our pets, but it was his idea to get Sid a heated cat bed.

Eventually the neighbors who were technically his owners moved, they didn't say anything to us before they did. Made no arrangements about officially giving Sid to us despite them knowing he was living with us. While a conversation would've been appreciated, Sid was now officially ours. It was a relief because we were always concerned about who would take responsibility if he needed vetinary care or for some other emergency.

Our usual routine continued for several years. He would hang out on the porch, keeping us company when we did outdoor activities and chores. We'd take him into the garage for the night. He was a cat. He slept on my dad's Acura, leaving his hair and small scratches. He'd leave the entrails of rodents on the floor for us to clean up. We loved him. He was an important part of our lives for so long.

One day, we noticed the sides of his abdomen bulging out, I now know this is called ascites. It went away after a few days, so we didn't think much of it, maybe he just ate something bad. A few weeks later it came back, and worse. Other than the bloating, he still seemed fairly normal, maybe a bit lazy, but it's summer in Arizona, and he's not at young as he used to be, so some lethargy was to be expected.

My dad called for me and asked me what I thought, I thought he needed to see a vet, but I know my parents are reluctant about that currently since we have another cat who is diabetic and needs regular vet care. I told him I don't know what he wanted me to do about it other than call the vet.

Appearently he had some sort of free subscription to an online vet consultation service, so we did that. We sent some pictures, did a video chat with the vet, upon seeing Sid's gums, he told us he was having liver problems and would need to see an in-person vet right away.

My dad grumbled, he hoped that the online vet could just write us a prescription for antibiotics and that would be that. He grumbled more as my mom made calls to various vets trying to get an appointment in for today, and was quoted an $800+ figure at an emergency vet for diagnostics. My mom accepted, and I accompanied her to the vet.

After only a few minutes of what was supposed to be an overnight visit, the vet came and told us that all the tests they did would just tell us what's obvious, he had acute liver failure. We could prolong his life for a while, but it would be costly and would only delay the inevitable. So we made the decision to put him down. Several hundreds of the $800 my mom had just paid were refunded in favor of putting him down and cremation.

It was so sudden. We hadn't gone there to put him down, we went there to see what was wrong. We never expected our elderly and diabetic cat to outlive him. We don't know his exact age, but he was probably around 8-10.

A previous cat of ours also died due to liver failure, but it was so obvious she was sick. She pretty much constantly had diarrhea. She wouldn't eat. Her jaundice was so easy to spot. As Sid spent his last moments wandering the room, sniffing everything, annoyed that he couldn't walk well due to his leg wrapped up in preparation for the injection, it didn't seem real how sick he was.

As my mom and I cried and spent our last moments with him, we apologized to him. We're sorry we couldn't make him better. We're sorry we didn't take him in sooner. We're sorry we made him live outside rather than trying harder to make our cats get along with him.

Having pets is a learning process, and unfortunately their deaths feel like the greatest learning moment, especially when it happens early. But also, you can't always know exactly where you went wrong. I want to do better. Maybe it's comforting to assume his disease was a random bodily failure we couldn't prevent, but I can't help but feel guilty. I always thought it seemed so sad that he had to live outdoors while our other cats enjoyed the comforts of the house, so why didn't I try harder to get him inside?

I'm sorry, Sid. Goodbye. We love you.

#Animal death #Pet death

2 notes · View notes

parcequecestnotreprojeeeet · 1 year

Note

Hi, it’s me, Fanfic Anon #2. Brigitte was just the gift that kept on giving these last few weeks, I’m going to be so sad now that it’s over for a bit. This one is inspired by something she said on 12 coups de midi. Hope you all enjoy. (EMT, I saw your request for a messy Emmanuel in the kitchen - it’s next on my list. I just had this one done before I saw your request.)

She had stayed home today. Things were still new enough that she didn’t need to be at the office everyday yet. After all, they barely had a skeletal staff, much less her cabinet resembling anything like she is going to need in a couple of days (that the NATO summit is so soon into the job was giving both of them a stomach ache but that was a problem for a later day), and she could pick office furniture, paintings, other pieces for spaces, just as well from her couch at home as she could from inside a stuffy palace that they had to yet make their own.

She was surprised by the knock on the door, they weren’t expecting company, and guests to their home became fewer and less frequent the closer they got to power (and the more guards posted outside their door).

"Hi!" she greeted warmly when she opened it to see their neighbor from across the way, "come in! Can I offer you anything? What brings you by?"

"Brigitte," the neighbor sighed as she presented her with a lovely bouquet of flowers, "this is a little awkward."

"The flowers are lovely!"

"Well, thank you, but I meant what I have to say."

"Oh. Yes. Go ahead."

"You know that we love you two. You and Emmanuel are great neighbors. You’re both lovely, and charming, and so kind to the rest of us. So this is really hard for us to say. But we’re going to need you to move."

"I beg your pardon?" Brigitte asked, stunned.

"It’s not you. It’s not this job. Well it is this job. We can’t live like this for the next five years, Brigitte, you must understand. We have to show four forms of ID and endure a pat down just to bring groceries back into our building! The street is completely blocked off, our guests have to be registered in advance so they can get a security check. This is untenable!"

Brigitte sighed in resignation, realizing that she was right. "But what am I supposed to do? This is our home." she asked in a small voice.

The neighbor looked at her sympathetically, seeing this strong, confident woman she has known for years look like a lost little girl in the face of how much has changed so rapidly. "You will figure it out," she reassured, "you two always do. And, for what it’s worth, when this is all over, we’d love to have you move back in here. We are all going to miss you."

As soon as she had sent her neighbor on her way, with a promise of no hard feelings, Brigitte scrambled around for her cell phone.

"Come on, come on, pick up, pick up," she begged as she dialed her husband.

"Chérie! What a pleasant surprise!" she could hear the smile as he answered the phone.

"Chéri -"

"What’s wrong? What’s happened? Are the kids okay? Did something happen at school with the little ones?" he asked in rapid succession, able to tell from the sound of his wife’s voice something was wrong.

She sighed deeply, "no. Nothing’s wrong with our family. I just had a visit from our neighbors. They’re requesting that we move."

"What?" he roared back, angry that someone dared to make that request. That was their home. Like hell were they moving.

"Chéri, that was my reaction at first too, but then she laid out how much the security guards and protocols have impacted everyone’s lives making it impossible really for them to go about their daily business, and she’s right. We have to move."

He took a deep sigh on the other end of the phone, "we’ll talk about it when I get home tonight."

"Okay."

"Thank you for telling me, I’ll try and get some options that I can take home to you tonight."

"Okay."

"Hey, I love you."

"I love you too."

"We’ll figure this out. Together. I’ll call you later."

"Bye," she said as she hung up the phone.

"Chérie, I’m home!" He called out, doing a double take as he passed the beautiful flower arrangement on their entry way table as he set down his keys. He doesn’t remember giving her those flowers.

"Hi," she greets him, meeting him at the door, needing him to hold her as soon as possible after the day she had had.

"These are beautiful," he said, gesturing towards the flowers with his head. "Should I be jealous?"

"They’re from the neighbors. To soften the blow."

"Oh."

"So that’s a firm ‘no.’"

He laughed before he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Pulling back, he grabbed her hand, and started walking towards their dining room for dinner. "I’ve been thinking about it -"

"As have I -"

"And the way I see it there is only one option."

"The Élysée," she supplied. "I know."

"I know, I’m not thrilled either -"

"I hate the idea of living above the shop. We did that at Bercy and you worked all of the time. This is an even more time and attention consuming job and -"

"What if I promise no one else will ever enter our home?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean just that. What if I promise that the only people, ever, allowed in that space are you, me, and our family?"

"Do you mean that?"

"I need a space that is ours just as much as you do. You’re right, this job will be ten times harder than the one at the Ministry. We’ll make that space private, we’ll make it a sanctuary, we’ll do whatever we need to do to make it our home."

"Home?"

"Wherever you are, Brigitte, that is where my home is. You are my home. Everything else is just a room, or a building."

"Even a palace?"

"Especially a palace. For what good is a palace without its Queen?"

Hellooo fanfic Anon #2!❤️

Looking forward for the messy Manu in the kitchen piece 😜

Hahaha I was waiting for someone to pick up the fact that the neighbors basically force them to move out 😅 which was understandable and at least they did it in a very nice way and will flowers and all hahaha

Brigitte making Emmanuel promise that their home and the Élysée would be only theirs 🤧 And together, they did find a “home” there 🥰

Thank you so much, fanfic Anon #2! ❤️❤️❤️

#fanfic #fanfic anon 2

5 notes · View notes

zaneaquaman · 1 year

Text

How Death Changed Me

This was written a while ago but oh well, enjoy...

I remember the first time I saw the movie “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”. My parents had made a rule that I couldn’t watch any Harry Potter movie until I had read the book, so I knew what was coming. I wasn’t surprised when Snape killed Dumbledore. However, I was still in tears when it happened. I tried to hide it from my mom since she didn’t seem to be shedding tears. I used a pillow as a shield and tried to control my breathing. Apparently, my methods weren’t very effective.

“Since you’re already crying,” my mom started, “You should know why your dad wasn’t able to make it to your play today.”

I hadn’t even realized he wasn’t there. I was too anxious to notice. I pushed aside that thought, choosing to listen to what she had to say.

“Grandma Sue, she had a heart attack…”

Even at a young age, I knew where this was going. I started crying harder, curling up into a ball. This was my first time losing a family member. Grandma Sue was someone I was incredibly close to too. She’s the woman who showed me how amazing creatures, including bugs, are and that it’s good to get your hands dirty and dig in the mud. My love of nature and animals stemmed from her. She was the person I looked forward to seeing most when we traveled to stay with my other relatives and her in Manteca. Losing her was like losing a central part of my life. Who else was going to understand me and show me how to love the world? I cried on that couch for what felt like forever, while my mother tried to console me, although she was starting to fall apart too. I thought the world was ending. How was I supposed to live when she wasn’t there?

Until last year, I had never watched “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” since then. I couldn’t imagine watching it and reliving the experience of being told she was dead all over again.

A few years after Grandma Sue died, my mom had to once again bring me more sad news. This time, it was my great-grandmother, who we called Granny. She was Grandma Sue’s mother and had also lived in Manteca.

When my mother told me, I had an odd reaction that was completely different from when I heard Sue died. I must have been in shock, for I stood there for a long while, not saying anything. I knew I should’ve felt sad to hear the news, but I didn’t. I felt fine. Not happy, not depressed. I was simply fine. At that moment, I don’t think I fully understood what she was saying. Of course, I had lost my grandmother before, so I knew what death was and how final it all is, but for some reason this time it felt different. I didn’t burst into tears. I didn’t feel an overwhelming sadness. I was just speechless for a moment. But when those few minutes passed, I went on with my day like normal. It was as if nothing had happened.

Later that night, as I was preparing to take a shower, I found myself staring at the bathroom mirror. I’m not sure exactly what made me fall apart. Maybe it was knowing the repetitive sound of water falling and hitting the floor would cover up my cries, or the fact that I was alone in a locked room with no windows and no eyes watching. Either way, that feeling of shock vanished. Tears started falling down my face as I gripped the side of the sink. I began sobbing. I watched my face in the mirror as my eyes grew red and got so watery that I could hardly see. All I could think of was the fact that I was never going to see her again.

Granny used to buy this ice cream called MooseTracks when we’d come to visit. She knew how much I loved it, and when she scooped the ice cream for me she would always pick out the best bits full of peanut butter cups and chocolate ribbons. Even after our long tiring car ride from Los Angeles to Manteca, I’d be so excited as we pulled up into her driveway. When I entered the house, I instantly felt at home. In her home, there were several stuffed animals for us, but my favorite was this baby sheep. When I was very little, I always wanted it with me when I went to sleep. She had two trucks, one a fire truck and another an ambulance, which my cousin and I had covered in stickers one time when we played with them.

She had display cases full of things. In one, there was a large white porcelain cat with bright blue eyes and a pink ribbon around its neck. In another, there were some fragile Native American figurines, one a father standing beside a wolf, and another a mother holding a child. I don’t know how accurate or possibly insulting these figurines were, but as a kid, I always thought they looked kind. Part of me wanted to live with them when I was younger. I had fallen in love with the idea of living out in the forest, with nothing but wildlife and animals. I looked at this artwork in one of the halls, of a painting done on a stretched-out animal skin. In the painting, there was a river, trees, a fire, a tepee, and the beautiful sight of a sun rising behind it all. That’s where I wanted to be. I looked at this image and the figurines, and I wanted to live with them. I dreamed of wearing their clothing and following their cultures. All I knew at the time was that they appreciated nature, saw all the beautiful life out there, and treated it with respect. I wanted to live in a society with values such as that.

Years ago, when Granny was still alive, my mother and I went shopping to find Christmas gifts for Granny. I remember us walking into a row full of Christmas tree toppers. We looked at most of the angels, but only one stuck out to me. It was, in my eyes, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The angel wore a bright red dress with the edges covered in white fluff. She held a wreath in one hand, and she had the prettiest smile on her face. I pointed out how I liked the angel to my mom, and I wanted to keep her. But instead, to my disappointment, my mom insisted that we give the angel to Granny instead. I felt like my heart was breaking when we handed over the angel to her. But I kept my mouth shut because I thought it would be selfish of me to keep the angel for myself rather than to give it to Granny.

But Granny would always smile when she saw my brothers and me. She used to call me a little mouse because I’d be able to enter rooms without making a sound, startling her and making her laugh. We’d both wake up early in the mornings, while everyone else stayed sleeping, and she’d turn on the television while I helped her make breakfast. She’d used to wave my dad, my brothers, and me out as we walked across the street and over a grassy hill to this little park that hardly anyone went to. It had slides, a climbing wall, and a spider-web-like thing made of rope, which was my favorite. Every Thanksgiving we’d go up to Manteca and stay at Granny’s house. They’d prepare a feast all day long, with turkey, mashed potatoes, pie, and more. Even though Granny had lost her husband years ago and was staying alone at her house all the time, she never struck me as lonely or sad. She was a strong woman in my life who taught me to be kind to everybody, and she showed me how everyone is beautiful in their own ways.

And now, she’s gone. I’m never going to hear her laugh or see her loving smile. I’m never going to step into her house anymore. When I search through my memories, trying to recall what her house even looked like inside, I find myself walking through a deserted home, missing the life that was once in it. I’m never going to see her again. But, that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten her, or Grandma Sue. That little stuffed sheep from Granny’s house is sitting on my desk. On my dresser, I have that blue-eyed cat with the pink ribbon that stands by several smaller cat figurines from Grandma Sue. The animal skin painting is hanging on my back wall, and the Native American figurines are right below it. I also have the beautiful angel that we gifted Granny. I keep parts of her with me so that I never forget her.

#death #death and dying #death talk #funeral #lost loved ones #i missed them so much #i miss you #personal #personal narrative #personal thoughts #true story #griefrecovery #griefjourney #grieving #coping with grief #original work #original writing

2 notes · View notes

naturecoaster · 1 month

Text

The NatureCoaster.com Story for our Ten-Year Anniversary

I was stuck in a chair. I could get up, but I wasn’t supposed to. I was instructed to sit and heal from the extensive wounds I had suffered on August 26, 2013, exactly one week past my 51st birthday. Now, we are celebrating ten years of NatureCoaster on April 6 and I hope you will join us. Event details are at the end of the story. Meanwhile, this is the condensed version of how NatureCoaster.com came to be. I had been in an induced coma in the UF Shands ICU and Burn Units for months and was “sprung” just before Thanksgiving, at which time I was sent to an excellent rehab hospital in Brooksville. At least I was on home turf while I relearned how to walk, pick things up and move them where I wanted, and how to use the bathroom without help. Still, I didn’t want to sit in a chair too long. I wanted to do something. While talking with a very good friend she suggested, “You should take the magazine online. Everybody loved it!” It is now early 2014 and I got a spiffy laptop computer, beginning my future… creating NatureCoaster.com. It began with learning WordPress and using the free template of the year, Magazine, and free web hosting to recreate the very popular, but not profitable “Travelhost of the Nature Coast” that I had published from 2004-2010 when the Gulf Coast oil spill put the final nails in the coffin of that business. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve8NjnBAGH0 NatureCoaster.com is Born I got a call from a former colleague, asking me to be part of a Familiarization (FAM) Tour of Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco counties with Robin Draper, creator of Authentic Florida. We visited parks, ate in some of the best local restaurants, and took a wonderful boat tour together with the Tourism agencies for each County. One night, we stayed at one of the cabins on Chinsegut Hill together, just Robin and me. “You need an email list! That’s how you grow,” she told me. She also gave me her phone number and a LOT of encouragement. Robin became my mentor and without her, NatureCoaster wouldn’t have made it to the end of our first year. In April 2014, I interviewed Howard Bellamy for our first feature story. He was a true gentleman and shared stories with me of growing up in a different time on Florida’s Nature Coast. I still remember him telling me about Frances (he and his brother, David, called their mom by her first name while she helped them negotiate the music business of the 1970s and beyond) and how she and their dad tamed the land in Darby and grew their cattle business. David and Howard Bellamy at their family ranch in the 1970s. Image courtesy of The Bellamy Brothers. He also told me about going fishing in Port Richey, jumping in the Weeki Wachee River, the origins of the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival, and more. We sent out our first newsletter. Were there 50 readers? About this time, I realized that if this was going to be my career, I would need to have income, so I began a local business directory. This required paid hosting and an investment in software. I began searching for the domain name. The one I wanted, NatureCoasting, wasn’t available. I liked the action verb idea, but compromise had to be made, so NatureCoaster it is. I charged $36.50 to be in the directory because I figured it had to be worth at least 10 cents a day to a local business. Several of the customers from the printed magazine invested in this, giving me enough hope to keep going. Some wanted to pay more, so I made a “top-of-the-directory” position for $100/year. Friends and Partners make NatureCoaster.com Grow Our newest NatureCoasters at Art in the Park. Image by Diane Bedard. Over the years, so many people came alongside us to bring us to where we are today: More than 245,000 unique visitors to the site in 2023 and growing! I got freelance jobs from former customers and new customers. I was able to work on a video series with Shannon Burns and Steve Sofcheck called “Gems of the Nature Coast,” writing and editing half-hour segments. These Gems aired on the Citrus County Key TV station only and could be seen on YouTube. I worked in trade for a commercial being made for NatureCoaster.com and a media schedule on the station. The commercial we created won second place at the Florida Outdoor Writer’s Association Excellence in Craft awards that year. Greatest Hits 106 management, Steve and Stephanie Schurdell met with me and agreed to sponsor our calendar of events with radio spots. Their support was instrumental in getting the word out that a digital magazine was available for organizations throughout the Nature Coast to add their events to, connecting the region. Captain "Shell" Marinaro, Marla Chancey, Robin Draper, and Diane Bedard enjoying the Gulf of Mexico on their way back to Gill Dawg's Marina. When COVID came, the events came to a standstill, and the radio stations and I agreed to stop the sponsorship until there were events to promote again. When the time came to revisit, NatureCoaster.com was so strong that I never reached back out to them. Mentors and Friends Contribute to NatureCoaster.com Robin encouraged me to join the Florida Outdoor Writers Association. She encouraged me to enter their Excellence in Craft Awards and I actually won a couple of awards in 2017. Again in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. I met Sally White at my first conference, and we became fast friends, both serving on the Board of Directors. Meanwhile, Robin retired and found Melanie Lentz-Janney to take on the next chapter of Authentic Florida. Melanie Lentz-Janney, publisher of AuthenticFlorida.com, and Diane Bedard, publisher of NatureCoaster.com proudly display their 2018 Sunshine Blog Awards at FLBlogCon. Robin also brought me to Florida BlogCon, where I met hundreds of bloggers from around Florida, as well as major advertisers who recognized blogging and social media as viable promotional channels. One of my connections from that organization places all our community news on the site as well as helps with blessing and editing events that are added to the NatureCoaster Calendar: Meagan Goepferich. A writer, Jacqueline Bodnar, got my name from FLBlog Con and reached out to me about being a part of her book, Blogging for Bucks. NatureCoaster.com is Chapter Five! Sally White has won many writing awards and has become a regular contributor to NatureCoaster.com. I love her writing, and as NatureCoaster has grown, I had to take on more management responsibilities. Sally publishes Florida for Families and she and her husband, Chef Randal White, are part owners in Remington Steakhouse at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida. One of those responsibilities was best outsourced… website management. Delegation Makes NatureCoaster.com Better In the first few years, every time I had an idea of ways to grow NatureCoaster’s content or usability, I ended up working on a WordPress project that came with a lot of challenges, so I would be frustrated, cussing, and pounding away. One day my husband suggested I contact Stefen Phelps, now co-founder of Kelp Creative Agency. At that time, Stefen was coding websites for a well-known web agency in Tampa and he took me on as a freelance project on his own time. Whew! Then Stefen wanted to meet. “This is my friend, Luke Kenney, a graphic designer. We want to start our own agency in Brooksville and we want to have you as our first customer,” Stefen said as we sipped coffees in downtown Brooksville. They named the agency KELP and NatureCoaster.com was their first customer. They took our homemade logo and made it professional, providing us with a level of professionalism rarely seen. They understood and believed in our mission to connect our readers with the “Best of Florida’s Nature Coast” and they have been true partners in making us who we are today. Come to the NatureCoaster.com Ten-Year Celebration and Help a Great Cause In February of this year, I realized that April marked the tenth anniversary of NatureCoaster. It seemed appropriate to have a celebration. On April 6, 2024, please join us for our party. Every business, nonprofit, tourism agency, events planner, or reader that has been a part of this journey is an integral part of our success. Please join us for the NatureCoaster.com Ten-Year Celebration to benefit the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation on Saturday, April 6 from 2-9 pm at the Masaryk Winery and Upicktopia farm, 19125 Phillips Road, Masaryktown, FL 34604. The phone number is 352-308-0110. About the Event - This is an outdoor event under a large pavilion with a stage. There are outdoor games and a silent auction to benefit the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation. We are asking for a $10 donation to the Corridor Foundation, and if you want to be part of the paint party, please donate $25 or more. There will be outdoor games, u-pick, food and drink, t-shirts for sale, and a silent auction to benefit the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation. Also, raffle tickets will be available for $5 to win a Freedom Boat Club Pontoon Boat Cruise for 6. Schedule of Activities - 2 - 4 pm Painting Party by Traveling Art Parties - 4:15 – 6:15 pm Blues Concert by Sarasota Slim Band and Dancing - 6:15-7:15 pm Dinner Break and Silent Auction - 7:30 – 8:30 pm Florida Wildlife Corridor short film, O2O, and Panel Discussion - 8:30 pm Silent Auction Closes and Raffle Ticket pulled for Freedom Boat Club Pontoon Boat Cruise for 6 VIP Tickets are Available Please consider a VIP Ticket, which includes all activities, your dinner of pulled pork or chicken sandwich, potato salad, baked beans and dessert, water and iced tea, a raffle ticket for the Freedom Boat Club pontoon cruise for up to six, an event t-shirt, and a donation to the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation. Your donation is $75. Click Here for your VIP Tix "Farmer Dan" bottles wine he and his wife create from fruit grown on the 53-acre farm. Guests are welcome to taste any of the many varieties. Image by Diane Bedard. About the Masaryk Winery The venue is a 53-acre U-pick farm with strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, as well as vegetables and flowers in season. On site is a cozy air-conditioned winery that offers several wines created from fruit grown on the farm. They offer free tastings (two types of wine for free – full tastings are available for a nominal fee), wine for sale by the glass or the bottle, beer on tap, a variety of packaged sodas and drinks for sale, and an on-site restaurant and catering business with fantastic food and desserts. Read the full article

0 notes

yiliawolf · 2 months

Text

I am at a loss.

I am no stranger to death and it’s cold pitiless work. I know it is as much a part of life as anything else. This does not mean I have to like it.

In the evening hours last night we received a phone call from the hospital that my sister in law had passed away.

She had been fighting cancer for over a year now, and recently it had begun fighting back really hard. She was struggling to breathe and in so much pain. She had been admitted to the hospital and was on oxygen but it want enough. They drained so much fluid out of her lungs and from around her heart. She was doing better after that. Happy, joking, smiling. And then she was gone. Just like that. Here one moment, and gone the next. We were planning to visit her today…

I’m not sure how her boys are taking the news. They hadn’t really been handling her being sick very well… they’re still so young. Pre-teens and young teens…

I am angry that she’s gone. It’s not fair. People aren’t supposed to die in their forties from cancer. They’re supposed to get old and weird. They’re supposed to see their kids bring home questionable girlfriends and console them when they break up. They’re supposed to help them pick out a suit for prom. To be there on their wedding day… to be there for their birthdays…

I’m not sure how her husband is dealing right now. We were all so hopeful. Things are looking better. She was doing so good.

He works long unpredictable hours as an electrician. His boys will have to be more independent now, and that is a shitty necessity. I had to grow up fast at home. I had so many chores and responsibilities at a young age. I always loved that her boys had more time to be kids… they will have to pull together and help each other out with chores and stuff. It’s not going to be an easy task, and they will likely resent it.

I feel utterly useless.

No words I can offer will heal them.

No words I can say will make the loss they feel disappear.

All I can think of is to make them a casserole… that’s what my mom would have done.

0 notes

legends-of-time · 2 months

Text

The Journey of Living at Downton

Chapter 37: Late April to Early May 1924

Masterlist

Mary is returning from her 'sketching' trip today. Emma and Anna have been working hard on preparing a folder that contains either fashion sketches or portrait sketches for Mary that were supposedly made on her 'sketching' trip.

"So, what did Mary think of the proposition from the man in Leeds?" Emma asks her husband as he picks her up from the Hospital.

Tom frowns contemplatively. "Not sure yet, but she'll be open to it when she realises how good of a deal it is. Her father on the other hand..."

"Would it be weird if I somewhat agreed with him?" Emma says tentatively.

Tom glances over at her, surprised. "It is. Why?"

"I just worry that an outsider, someone that doesn't know the Village will build these new modern homes that might not fit with the local area." Emma explains. "In my time, there'd be similar style houses going down the road then suddenly this new modern one that stands out like a sore thumb and doesn't match its surroundings."

"Well, we don't have to make a decision now and we won't know anything till we see the plans." Tom replies.

——

Emma is just fixing her hair before dinner when Gemma knocks, picking her head round the door. "Just coming in to see if you have anything that needs washing."

Emma smiles at her friend through her mirror. "Yes, the basket is over there." She gestures to the corner of her room.

Gemma goes over and begins shifting the washing into her own basket.

"Any development on your job hunting?" Emma questions the maid.

Gemma sighs, putting down her basket and slumping on the bed. "Nothing yet, I'm not even sure what I'm looking for."

"You need to try a few or more to find what fits you. You'll find your calling." Emma reassures her. "A war had to happen for me to find mine."

"I suppose."

Emma smirks at her friend. "I bet you never thought you'd be leaving Downton and here we are."

Gemma rolls her eyes, but it's softened by the smile on her face. "And I bet you never thought you'd be dining with the great Earl and Lady Grantham and here we are."

Emma laughs. "True. So, how's things downstairs?"

Gemma shrugs. "Alright I suppose. Mr Molesley is getting used to being the only footman, Daisy is singing Miss Bunting's praises."

Emma chuckles. "Nothing new then."

"No, but..." Gemma pauses, frowning.

"What?"

"A Sergeant Willis has been popping up the past week."

Emma freezes. "Sergeant? As in Police? Whatever for?"

Gemma shrugs carelessly. "It's the Mr Green business. Turns out his death might have not been an accident at all, there's a witness or something. I don't know why they're bothering us."

Emma stares at Gemma with wide eyes, panic rising inside her. "And what did they see?"

"I don't know, only Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes know." She looks at Emma questioningly. "Why?"

"N-nothing." Emma says hurriedly. "Best be going, they'll be waiting for me." She darts out of the room before Gemma can say a word.

——

They enter the Drawing room after dinner with Thomas holding the door for them.

"Of course, you must bring them. If you want to." Cora says to Rose.

"Oh, they do so love an excursion." Rose says.

Rose has been spending a lot of time with her Russians in York and has brought up the idea of them visiting Downton.

"Well, it'll be fun, and I'll come and help." Isobel remarks.

Emma nods. "Me too if it doesn't clash with a shift at the Hospital."

Rose and Edith go to the card table. While Emma sits on the settee with Cora and Isobel sitting down in chairs next to each other.

"What are you going to do in London?" Mary asks as she moves past her mother.

"I have a fitting with Monsieur Molyneux. He's over from Paris." She replies.

Mr Molesley approaches Mary. "The Dowager Lady Grantham is on the telephone for you, M'lady."

"Thank you." She walks off.

Emma frowns. Why is Violet calling Mary at this time for?

"Will you stay at Rosamund's?" Isobel asks Cora.

"If she'll have me." The Countess replies. "Robert, any chance you could come, too?"

"I'm afraid I can't. I've a dreary meeting all afternoon." Robert replies from where he, Billy and Tom stand talking by the fireplace.

"What about you, Edith?" Cora asks. "I'm going to take Mr Bricker up on his offer to show me the National Gallery."

Emma raises an eyebrow at that.

"I'm watching little Marigold. Mrs Drewe is taking the youngest boy to the dentist in Thirsk." Edith answers.

"Can't someone else step in?"

"I said I'll do it."

Emma observes for a moment before Cora pulls her back into the conversation. "Emma, Billy?"

"I'm sorry, Cora, but I've got work." Emma apologises.

"And I promised to help Tom." Billy adds.

"Rose?"

"We're taking my Russians to Haworth, to see where the Brontës lived." Rose replies.

"What will they make of the Brontës?" Cora wonders.

"Oh, good things, surely." Isobel says. "Hopeless lovers wandering over a desolate moor. If it wasn't Emily Brontë, it could be Tolstoy or Gogol."

"That's why I want to bring them to Downton." Rose adds. "They can compare the old Chekhovian vie de chateau with the way the English do it."

"Won't that make them unhappy?" Billy questions.

"A little nostalgic maybe, but they seem to enjoy that."

"We have some Russian things here, from when Papa and Mama went in 1874. I should look them out." Robert says. Mary returns from the telephone. "What did your grandmother want?"

"She wondered if I'll have time to look in tomorrow. That's all." Mary replies.

Emma waits till Mary is sitting next to her before leaning over. "Seriously though. Why she calling you now of all times?"

"I honestly don't know." Mary admits. "I'm sure I'll find out tomorrow."

"So, how's Tony? Did he sweep you off your feet enough for you to marry him?" Emma questions quietly.

Mary doesn't react as she expects. The look that goes across the eldest Crawley daughter's face is one of uncomfortableness. "Not yet, but there's no rush."

Emma raises her eyebrows. "I'd argue the opposite."

——

Cora heads off to London the next morning while Emma is at work and, to her surprise, she also learns that Thomas departed as well. Gemma tells her his father is very ill and Thomas needs to hurry to see him. This causes Emma to sense something is off as she doesn't recall Thomas getting on well with his father, if anything Thomas had implied to her that his father may have been physically abusive. Another surprise is that Robert's meeting is cancelled so he'll be heading off to London to surprise his wife, which Emma thinks is quite sweet.

Mary also immediately pulled her aside to explain that turns out Spratt, Violet's butler, had spotted Mary and Gillingham in Liverpool causing Violet to find out and come up with the lie that Gillingham had taken Mary to a conference. Violet hadn't been pleased with her granddaughter's actions but had been happy to hear of Gillingham's proposal. Once again though, when Emma questions her on setting the date or whether they're going to announce it, Mary is evasive and uncomfortable. Emma is beginning to wonder whether Mary has changed her mind and finds Gillingham isn't the one.

——

The situation with Sergeant Willis has gotten worse. It turns out Green had complained about being mistreated and having a quarrel with Mr Bates to those he worked with. Wallis had fooled through with those comments and had interviewed Mr Bates.

Mrs Hughes explains this to both Emma and Mary as the three of them gather in the housekeeper's Sitting room just before dinner.

"But surely if Bates convinced Willis he was in York that day..." Mary argues.

"I only said it may not be over." Mrs Hughes placates.

Emma frowns. "What do you mean?"

"The Sergeant's a nice man, but he's not the brightest button in the box. According to Mr Carson, Mr Bates told the Sergeant he visited a shoe shop as it was opening. The shoe shop is in Queen Street, ten minutes' walk from the station." Mrs Hughes explains.

Mary and Emma share a look of alarm.

"He also had a cup of coffee at the Royal York, which operates as a station hotel."

"So, he still had time to get a train to London and back?" Emma questions. This isn't good.

"Do you think Carson registered any of this?" Mary asks.

"I doubt it. And he wouldn't give Mr Bates away if he did. But there's a danger that Sergeant Willis or someone he talks to may put two and two together." Mrs Hughes replies.

"They'd still have to prove it." Mary insists.

Emma nods in agreement. "Exactly, the evidence so far is very circumstantial."

"Yes, let's keep a hold of that." Mrs Hughes agrees.

——

"Edith seems to be a bit off to me. Did you notice?" Emma wonders as she and Mary sit on the settees, opposite each other, in the Library after dinner.

"I'm not sure I'd notice." Mary remarks casually.

Emma rolls her eyes at this. "Well, she does to me. As if she were always thinking about something else."

"I might say the same of you." Mary says pointedly.

Emma shrugs. "Maybe, oh I don't know. Something's up with Edith, Mr Bates being interviewed, Gemma might be thinking of leaving and then Tom and me moving closer to making plans for America. Everything is happening and I don't know what to do for the best. I worry I'll hurt people."

"I know exactly what you mean." Mary blurts out then looks surprised. "Sorry. That just slipped out."

"Are you talking about Tony Gillingham?" Emma questions her, seeing this as her chance.

"Maybe." Mary admits, sighing. "I don't know. I'm not sure."

"I thought you'd settled on him. Everyone seems to think so." Emma pushes.

"I had. I think. But now, I seem to have un-settled." Mary says. "Goodness! I haven't said it out loud before." She gets up to get herself a drink.

"So, what's he done wrong?" Emma asks.

"Nothing. Spending that time together recently made me begin to wonder how much we really had in common." Mary confesses.

Emma gets up to join Mary, who pours drinks for both of them. "Yeah, that so-called sketching trip. I think Tom, and maybe Billy, suspects it wasn't the truth."

"The point is, I wasn't seeing him clearly, but now I do..." Mary reveals, "he's a nice man. A very nice man. But not... I mean, of course, we'd talked about things. But I think my judgement was rather clouded by..."

"The sex? The risqué opportunity to be alone with a man you're not married to?" Emma remarks with a smirk.

Mary rolls her eyes but there's no heat behind it. "You sound as if you're writing Elinor Glyn's next novel."

Emma chuckles slightly. "Well?"

Mary sighs. "Maybe I was. But I seem to have got over that now." She acknowledges as they sit back down.

"Well, I'll back you up if you support me."

"With your move to America? Are you both really moving forward with it?" Mary questions.

"Seems so." Emma admits, staring into the fire in a daze.

"Well, you're asking a lot. I can't bear the thought of you and Tom leaving." Mary replies.

"Well, if you love me, you'll support me." Emma says.

"Then I suppose I'll have to." Marley says with a sad smile.

Emma sighs. "I just worry about leaving everyone and everything."

"You went to Ireland." Mary points out.

"That was different." Emma argues. "America is so much further away. Literally a different continent."

"You don't have to, you know. It's your life too." Mary argues.

Emma smiles softly at her friend. "I know, but honestly, I'm happy wherever Tom is, and I want him to be happy if that's not too cheesy."

Mary smiles softly back. "Not to me."

——

Everyone – Rose, Emma, Billy, Edith, Mary, Tom and the staff – are busy in the Great Hall, arranging tables and chairs for the Russians when Cora, Robert and Baxter come in, followed by Mr Carson.

"We're back." Robert calls, drawing their attention.

Emma smiles. "Ah, we thought you were going to miss it. Rose was beside herself." She notices Cora going straight upstairs without greeting any of them, shooting her husband an irritable look. What's that about?

"No, not likely." Robert replies. "By the way, before I left, I asked Pattinson to look out the Russian things from my father's visit there. Did it happen?"

"Oh, it did. And they'll be so thrilled." Rose says, slightly out of breath but she has been running about all morning, trying to set everything up.

"If we're going to do it, we might as well do it properly." Robert says.

"There's not nearly enough lemon." Rose says, distressed as she checks the buffet.

"Well, shall I go down and tell them?" Edith offers.

"No, I'll do it." Rose rushes through the servants' door in the corner.

As if pulled out of a magic hat, Tony Gillingham walks in at this point too with Isobel and Violet not far behind. Emma spots him and nudges Mary.

"Tony? I don't believe it!" Mary greets him with a smile before they embrace.

Gillingham looks around. "What's going on?"

"Don't ask. Rose wanted to invite some Russians for tea, and it's turned into a Jubilee celebration." Mary replies.

Emma leaves them to join Robert, Violet and Isobel, tactfully leaving Mary and Gillingham to talk in private.

"Hello, Violet, Isobel." She embraces them in turn. The two greet her back before moving along to say hello to Gillingham and Mary. Emma watches curiously as Mary and Violet walk off together.

By the time Cora comes walking down the stairs, everything in the Hall is ready for the visiting Russians, who soon arrive, and they all move forward to greet them.

——

Everyone is having tea and chatting. There are many Russian men and some women, the men nearly all bearded.

Emma sees that Gillingham and Sarah Bunting stand talking to an elderly gentleman with Billy later joining them. She had been downstairs to teach Daisy and had consequently been invited. Emma had happily greeted her but had felt uncomfortable with her being here because of how Robert dislikes her so much.

Everything seems fine until the Russian gentleman suddenly yells, "How dare you say such things to me?!"

"I don't think she meant any..." Billy tries to say apologetically. Seems Sarah has already managed to irritate the Russian gentleman.

"She curses the name of our Holy Father, the Tsar!" The man retorts, enraged. He's so loud that more people are turning to watch.

"I said he was misguided in his policies." Sarah says. Emma winces, really not the right person to say that to.

The gentleman is deeply distressed. "No, no, no, no, no. I can't listen to this!" He turns to find Rose. "Lady Rose, would you please arrange for us to return to York immediately?"

There's an embarrassed silence but thankfully Cora saves the day. "Oh, but before you go, won't you come and see the mementoes of the wedding of Tsar Alexander II's daughter? Lord Grantham had them put out especially for you to see."

The Russian man is surprised. "You have Romanov relics here?"

"My parents went to St Petersburg in 1874." Robert replies cheerfully, but Emma can see him casting an irritable look in Sarah Bunting's direction.

"When Queen Victoria's son, Prince Alfred, married the Grand Duchess Maria." Cora adds.

Their guest is tearing up. "Grand Duchess Maria." He clasps his hands as if in prayer. "Those words... they already make me weep."

Rose moves in to take his arm, comforting him. "Oh, dear. We can't have that."

"Thank you." Rose puts her arm around him and leads him towards the Library with the others following.

Robert turns to Billy then. "Billy, keep her under control."

Emma is outraged that he'd say this. "Now hang on. Don't put this all on Billy!"

"She only wants..." Billy tries to say but they've already moved away. Billy sighs, looking very unhappy.

Emma opens her mouth to say something but then Isobel calls to them from the Library door, "Are you all coming?"

Emma gives her a slight smile. "Of course."

Hopefully, Ivy's fourth birthday will have less conflict.

——

The mementoes of Robert's parents' journey to Russia have been laid out on a table – among them a fan, two Fabergé eggs, a snuff box, a book, photographs and more. The Russian guests are admiring them, the men wiping tears, the woman crying openly.

Emma stands with Mary, Isobel and Tony while the others group around the emotional group, watching them.

Violet soon approaches the table. The man offended by Sarah earlier, shoos his countrymen out of the way to make room for her. "Excuse me. Make way. Make way."

Violet speaks, looking at the mementoes, "Oh. Oh, how funny. I wondered what had happened to that fan." She turns to Robert, who'd followed. "That wasn't given to your father. It was given to me."

She seems to rather relish the memory. The Russians are listening attentively.

"Who by? The Tsar?" Robert questions.

"No. No. Not by the Tsar. No. No, we were at a ball. In the Winter Palace." Violet explains, Emma walks forward, curious to hear more. "And it was so... oh, it was so hot. There were icicles outside the window. But the rooms were as hot as the tropics. And I was wearing pale blue velvet, trimmed with silver lace."

An elderly man with long grey hair and a beard speaks up, "And when I gave you this fan, you hid it in your reticule in case Lord Grantham should be angry."

Violet clearly recognises him and looks almost startled at his appearance. "Good heavens."

"I hope you can forgive me." The man apologises. "When I knew the others were coming, I could not resist the temptation."

Emma shares a look with Mary. This is interesting.

Robert is hugely surprised and doesn't seem to recognise the underlining meaning of their words. "This is amazing. You know each other? You met in St Petersburg?"

"We did." The man replies.

Violet makes the introductions. "Allow me... to present my son, Lord Grantham. Prince Kuragin."

"I am flattered to be remembered." Prince Kuragin says.

"How is the princess? Well, I hope." Violet asks.

"I don't know." There's an awkward silence.

"Why don't we go back to the hall and have some more tea?" Rose interrupts.

Violet looks at Rose, grateful to be rescued. "Yes. Thank you."

Violet and Rose lead the way back into the Hall. The Russians follow. Emma, Mary, Tony and Isobel hang back.

"Granny has a past!" Mary remarks, astonished. "Thank heaven Papa and Aunt Rosamund were already born, or we could spin all sorts of fairy tales!"

Emma rolls her eyes fondly and nudges Mary as if to chastise her. Though she has to agree, it's very interesting.

——

A/N: Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.

#downton abbey

0 notes