#trying to get home from Strasbourg | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

blueiskewl · 13 days

Text

European Court Upholds Italy's Right to Seize Greek Bronze from Getty Museum

A European court on Thursday upheld Italy’s right to seize a prized Greek statue from the J. Paul Getty Museum in California, ruling that Italy was justified in trying to reclaim an important part of its cultural heritage and rejecting the museum’s appeal.

The European Court of Human Rights, or ECHR, determined that Italy’s decades-long efforts to recover the “Victorious Youth” statue from the Malibu-based Getty were not disproportionate.

“Victorious Youth,” a life-sized bronze dating from 300 B.C. to 100 B.C., is one of the highlights of the Getty’s collection. Though the artist is unknown, some scholars believe it was made by Lysippos, Alexander the Great’s personal sculptor.

The bronze, which was pulled from the sea in 1964 by Italian fishermen and then exported out of Italy illegally, was purchased by the Getty in 1977 for $4 million and has been on display there ever since.

The Getty had appealed to the European court after Italy’s high Court of Cassation in 2018 upheld a lower court’s confiscation order. The Getty had argued that its rights to the statue, under a European human rights protocol on protection of property, had been violated by Italy’s campaign to get it back.

The court ruled Thursday that no such violation had occurred.

“This is not just a victory for the Italian government. It’s a victory for culture,” said Maurizio Fiorilli, who as an Italian government attorney had spearheaded Italy’s efforts to recover its looted antiquities and, in particular, the Getty bronze.

The Getty has long defended its right to the statue, saying Italy had no legal claim to it.

Among other things, the Getty had argued that the statue is of Greek origin, was found in international waters and was never part of Italy’s cultural heritage. It cited a 1968 Court of Cassation ruling that found no evidence that the statue belonged to Italy.

Italy argued the statue was indeed part of its own cultural heritage, that it was brought to shore by Italians aboard an Italian-flagged ship and was exported illegally, without any customs declarations or payments.

After years of further legal wrangling, an Italian court in Pesaro in 2010 ordered the statue seized and returned, at the height of Italy’s campaign to recover antiquities looted from its territory and sold to museums and private collectors around the globe.

Thursday’s ruling by the Strasbourg, France-based ECHR was a chamber judgment. Both sides now have three months to ask that the case be heard by the court’s Grand Chamber for a final decision. But Thursday’s ruling was unanimous, with no dissenting judges, and the Grand Chamber can refuse to hear the case.

There was no immediate comment from the Getty, and its lawyers referred comment to the museum.

Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano praised Thursday’s decision as an “unequivocal ruling” that recognized the rights of the Italian state and its ownership of the statue.

“Following today’s ruling … the Italian government will restart contacts with U.S. authorities for assistance in the implementation of the confiscation order,” he said.

In a statement, he doubled down on Italy’s campaign to bring its looted treasures home, and noted that recently Italy has ceased cooperation with foreign museums that don’t recognize Italian legal confiscation orders.

Recently, Italy banned any loans to the Minneapolis Institute of Art following a dispute over an ancient marble statue believed to have been looted from Italy almost a half-century ago.

The Getty had appealed to the ECHR by arguing, among other things, that Italy’s 2010 confiscation order constituted a violation of its right to enjoy its possessions and that it would be deprived of that right if U.S. authorities carried out the seizure.

The ECHR however strongly reaffirmed Italy’s right to pursue the protection of its cultural heritage, especially from unlawful exportation.

“The court further held that owing, in particular, to the Getty Trust’s negligence or bad faith in purchasing the statue despite being aware of the claims of the Italian state and their efforts to recover it, the confiscation order had been proportionate to the aim of ensuring the return of an object that was part of Italy’s cultural heritage,” said the summary of the ruling.

It wasn’t immediately clear what would happen next, though Fiorilli said the Getty had exhausted legal remedies and it’s now for U.S. the courts to enforce the Italian confiscation order.

“It’s not about guaranteeing the right to property, it’s about guaranteeing the internationally recognized value of every nation’s right to protect its cultural patrimony,” Fiorilli told The Associated Press over the telephone.

The statue, nicknamed the “Getty Bronze,” is a signature piece for the museum. Standing about 5 feet (1.52 meters) tall, the statue of the young athlete raising his right hand to an olive wreath crown around his head is one of the few life-sized Greek bronzes to have survived.

The bronze is believed to have sunk with the ship that was carrying it to Italy after the Romans conquered Greece. After being found in the nets of Italian fishermen trawling in international waters in 1964, it was allegedly buried in an Italian cabbage patch and hidden in a priest’s bathtub before it was taken out of the country.

Italy has successfully won back thousands of artifacts from museums, collections and private owners around the world that it says were looted or stolen from the country illegally, and recently opened a museum to house them until they can be returned to the regions from where they were looted.

The most important work to date that Italy has successfully brought back is the Euphronios Krater, one of the finest ancient Greek vases in existence. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which purchased it for $1 million in 1972 from an art dealer later accused of acquiring looted artifacts, returned it to Italy in 2008.

In 2010, the same year that Italy ordered the “Victorious Youth” statue confiscated from the Getty, a criminal trial ended in Rome against the Getty’s former curator of antiquities, Marion True. After years of trial, the Rome court ruled that the statute of limitations had expired on charges that True received stolen artifacts. She has denied wrongdoing.

In 2007, the Getty, without admitting any wrongdoing, agreed to return 40 ancient treasures in exchange for the long-term loans of other artifacts. Similar deals have been reached with other museums.

Under the 2007 deal, the two sides agreed to postpone further discussion of “Victorious Youth” until the court case was decided.

By Nicole Winfield.

70 notes · View notes

semper-legens · 2 years

Text

118. The Dance Tree, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Owned?: No, library Page count: 287 My summary: In the sweltering summer of 1518, in the city of Strasbourg, women have begun to dance. They dance for days, without stopping, though their feet bleed and tear and their loved ones beg them to return. The religious leaders are concerned, fearful of this strange affliction. But just beyond the city’s limits, Lisbet has her own concerns. Her sister-in-law has returned from her penance in a convent, and she is due to give birth any day. But with the dancing plague only getting worse, and the city wanting to take her livelihood, how can Lisbet keep herself safe in this world gone mad? My rating: 4.5/5 My commentary:

You know, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, one beautiful and bittersweet novel about a historical event featuring surprise lesbians is enough. You didn’t have to give me two! Honestly, I’m honoured. This one’s about the Dancing Plague of the 1510s, where in a city in Germany, people just started to dance for no apparent reason - feverishly, contagiously, resulting in many deaths. There have been a lot of potential explanations given for this by historians, and Hargrave characterises it as pretty much all of them. A hallucinogenic response caused by the poor food available at the time? A religious mania? The result of the lot of women at the time? Hargrave weaves a rich tapestry of pain and pleasure, of ecstasy and deprivation, and it’s honestly an incredibly moving piece of fiction. I really enjoyed it.

One of the strengths of this novel was its broad mix of characters. Though most of the story is about Lisbet, there are asides into the women dancing, short chapters showing who they are, why they have joined the dance, and what kind of things have led them to this moment. It’s a slice of this society at this point in time, mostly focusing on women who would be on the fringes of society, the marginalised and oppressed. They are treated with all due humanity, given strengths and loves and hopes even though they’re only extant for a couple of pages or so. It really helps to strengthen Hargrave’s message about how this was largely an event carried by women, and her focus on specifically women’s parts in history.

On to Lisbet herself, and her story. She’s trying her best to keep her home and livelihood despite the local authorities trying to take everything from her, and at the same time attempting to find out the secret behind her sister-in-law Nethe’s penance in the mountains. It turns out, it’s because Nethe was in love with a woman, something that I suspected from the start - it’s something sinful and shameful, something the family did not wish to speak about and wanted to hush up, and something that caused a rift between Nethe and their neighbour Ida. Nethe and Ida being in love makes sense. Poor girls. Their story carries on in the woods around Lisbet’s home, and while it doesn’t exactly end well for all of them, Ida and Nethe at least get some snatched moments of happiness.

Hargraves’ writing is beautiful and evocative, Lisbet herself is such a wonderfully complex character, managing to remain sympathetic despite doing and saying some bad things. Every character is so well-written, managing to maintain a sense of depth even for the character who do not have as much focus. I absolutely loved this book, and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in this particular slice of history.

Next up, a book that is somehow even more harrowing.

#The Dance Tree #Kiran Millwood Hargrave #bookblr #book blog #book blogging #4.5

7 notes · View notes

umichenginabroad · 2 months

Text

Abhi in Paris

Week 7: A Week of Returning, Surprising, and Exploring

Hello everyone! I'm back again with my weekly update :) I'm back from my backpacking adventure of Spain & Portugal, super tired, but ready for what's next. Here's an update on this week of recovery & celebration.

Monday: Back to Routine (February 26th)

Monday was all about shaking off the tiredness from my recent travels and getting back into the swing of things at ENSEA. My communication systems class in the afternoon was my first dive back into schoolwork after the break. It felt odd to be back but also kind of exciting to see what the rest of the semester holds. After class, I went to see a piano performance at the Paris Philharmonie. It was a nice way to ease back into my Paris life, and a thrilling performance. I can't wait to be back at the Philharmonie again!

Tuesday: Sneha's Birthday Surprise (February 27th)

I had a full day of classes on Tuesday, starting with Signals & Systems and then a three-hour French class. It's my every Tuesday routine, but one that I definitely don't look forward to with all the classes I have in a row. But the real highlight of my day was heading to CDG airport to pick up my girlfriend, Sneha. It was her 21st birthday at midnight, and I had planned a surprise trip to Venice for her. She had no idea where we were going until we landed. We managed to check into our place and then went out to try some local drinks to celebrate her birthday. It was a great start to our mini-adventure for her birthday!

Wednesday: Discovering Venice (February 28th)

On Wednesday, Sneha and I explored Venice thoroughly. We visited St. Mark's Cathedral, marveling at its history and architecture. Wandering around Venice, we took in the sights of the Grand Canal and ended up on a romantic gondola ride, which was definitely a highlight. We celebrated her birthday with a nice lunch and some Italian drinks. It was an unforgettable day in a city that feels like it's straight out of a storybook. Venice is the most beautiful & perplexing city ever. It's an island structure, built on top of a lagoon a few miles off of main land Italy. In order to habit the area, the settler had to lay up thousands of wooden pillars in the lagoon, on which to build the city. This begs the question, didn't ancient Italians have something better to do than make an island. Anyway, for all their hard work, it was an incredible beautiful (albeit rainy) day in Venice.

Thursday: Heading Home (March 1st)

Our journey back to Paris on Thursday was long and a bit tiring. We caught a train to the airport via Trenitalia, flew to Beauvais Airport, and then took a bus and metro to get back home. It was a full day of travel, but the memories from Venice made it all worth it. We got back around 7pm, tired but happy from our trip.

Friday: Recovery Day (March 2nd)

Friday was my day to catch up on rest and get back on track with school. I didn't have any classes, so it was a good day to relax and reflect on the past week's adventures.

Saturday & Sunday: Weekend Routine (March 3rd - 4th)

The weekend was pretty low-key. I did some chores around my place, which reminded me that adulting can be tough. I also took some time to relax, cook pasta, and start thinking about where I might travel next. Despite the busy week, it was nice to have some downtime to recharge and plan for the future. This week was spent (for the most part) recovering from the crazy adventures of the past three weeks. But every week has it's own adventures. This week that was being introduced to classical music & trying to understand Italian :) Stay tuned as I continue my study abroad--next up, Geneva, Strasbourg, Edinburgh, and Cork here I come. A plus,

Abhi Athreya

University of Michigan, Aerospace Engineering 2025

ENSEA at Cergy, France

#umichenginabroad #ipewinter24 #france #ipeensea #study abroad #AbhinavAthreya #italy

0 notes

minimag1c · 7 months

Text

How do I even tag french provinces here-?

Anyway

Wait... You nearly DIED because you DANCED?!

➪Wowee i post again even after the horrible one-shot i've done lmao.

➪At first i was like "Yeah Alsace and Strasbourg are just going to talk about what happened to him when during the dancing plague and that's it" but then I decided to actually write what happened because yeah fuck that.

➪Tw : death by dance (literally), some disturbing scene, talk of possession.

➪I headcanon Strasbourg as a trans ftm that's why in the flashback of the XVI th century, he uses she/her.

➪Sorry, I got a little carried away with this (nearly5kwordslol) and it gets a little unhinged at the end-

➪the music above is just for the atmosphere. You can play it or not it's your choice.

_______________________________________

"Wait wait wait wait wait wait... So let me get this straight. YOU nearly died because you DANCED???" Alsace repeated again, still not believing it.

Strasbourg sipped a bit on his hot chocolate before looking back at the alsacian with an eyebrow raised as he put his drink back on the table and cleaned his throat.

"Yeah, what about it?" he asked, as if it was something normal. Alsace got even more confused and a little bit disturbed about how her friend was so casual about it.

"But how... Like H O W?? How on Earth were you able to dance to death??? And even be dead by such stupid conditions?!" Alsace insisted. Strasbourg rolled his eyes and took a sip of his beverage again.

"Please have some respect for the four people who died from it." he said, offended but soon widened his eyes and put his cup back as talked now in a lower tone, sheepishly. "Wait... Were they forty? Or even fourteen? Oh god I don't even remember-"

This time, Alsace was the one who raised an eyebrow as she crossed her legs and arms. "And then you say that I'm the one with the worst memory." she said.

"Oh ta gueule (Oh shut up)" he retorted a little bit annoyed, making the alsacian snort a little but she regained her posture and even leaned a little bit more. "Still, you haven't answered my question... HOW CAN YOU DIE OF DANCING???" She yelled at the end as Strasbourg cringed a little.

"Okay okay I'll tell you all the story that I could remember but please stop yelling. " the strasbourgeois finally surrendered, putting his hands up.

Alsace seemed to be satisfied as she leaned back on her seat and finally drank for the first time during this whole conversation with her now warm chocolate drink. The other french region cleared his throat as he also leaned on his chair, looking thoughfully nothing, trying to remember this event that started in July 1518.

"Let's see..."

┈┈┈┈┈◦•✩•◦┈┈┈┈┈

It was an average day during the month of July 1518 as Strasbourg was sitting on the grass near a river, washing cautiously a few dirty clothes as she was humming a small song under her breath. It was pretty sunny outside therefore she wanted to enjoy some warm weather instead of trying to rush herself because the water was too cold and her hands were freezing.

"Maybe after that, I'm going to cook something, they must be starving" Strasbourg thought to herself, getting up and streching her back, preparing herself to go back to wash the clothes.

Until she heard not really from afar some howlers and gasps.

Curious, the woman went to see what caused this small commotion only to find a small crowd forming around another woman that Strasbourg knew.

Frau Troffea.

It was surprising for the Strasbourgeois because she knew that this woman wasn't the kind to put herself into the center of the attention, preferring to stay at home.

But it wasn't the most shocking part,it was what she was doing.

Frau was dancing eagerly, spinning and almost jumping around, giggling uncontrollably while she was putting a lot of effort in each of her dance moves. It was weird to not say odd because she seemed so eager to dance and yet there was no music, no instrument or whatever,even the small crowd who looked at her didn't seem to take at least an instrument in order to put some music since it was bizarre.

Obviously, after a very long moment of dancing non-stop, Frau troffea started to get tired and eventually collapsed in front of everyone. At first, no one batted an eye until two men decided to pick her up and drag her away, probably at home.

The crowd still stayed there, without moving until after a few moments, one then two then a few started to go away, muttering and talking with each other about the strange moment that just happened.

"I didn't know Frau troffea loved dancing that much."

"Pff. I'm pretty sure that she only danced because she didn't want to do the chores that her husband asked her to do."

"Haha. She's going to get in trouble after he hears what she has done!"

"How strange of her to do that..." Strasbourg thought, ignoring on purpose the gossip that grew. She started to get a little bit worried. "Why did she even do that?" The countryhumans tried to resonate. If there was music probably she would not question it but there was no sound nothing and she was dancing so eagerly, so happily even though everyone looked at her, probably some of them even was mocking her because yes, she had to admit that the scene that just happened was very odd, mainly coming from a woman like her.

But the thing that actually worried Strasbourg is the fact that she danced herself until she collapsed. Until she didn't have energy anymore. Was it a dare? Some sort of way to relieve stress? No that wouldn't make any sense, Frau wasn't like this.

"Excuse me ma'am, are those yours?"

Strasbourg came back to reality when a man behind her asked her a question, holding a basket of wet clothes. She turned her head and widened her eyes.

"Oh euh oui (yes) these are mine merci (thank you)" the woman exclaimed as she awkwardly thanked him and took them, going away from the plaza, numerous thoughts still running through her heard and the fact that no one can give her proper answers only infuriated her.

"Well... better continuing the chores instead of just moping around." she said to herself, huffing as she went to her house, trying to forget what just happened, trying to convince herself that it would not happen again.

"And those were your last famous words." Alsace jokingly said as the Strasbourgeois snickered a little and rolled his eyes. "Alsace, I would never be able to finish the story if you keep interrupting me". The alsacien laughed a little.

"Okay okay j'arrête- (I'll stop-)" she said, raising her hands. Starsbourg smiled a little.

"D'accord (alright)... Alors (so) where did I stop myself..."

┈┈┈┈┈◦•✩•◦┈┈┈┈┈

Well, it seems like Strasbourg was wrong.

Not even two days later, Frau Troffea came back, dancing even more than last time but this time, it felt odder than yesterday. Yes, it was already weird to not say disturbing when she danced in front of everyone for no reason but this time, it felt... Scary.

Strasbourg, at first, didn't want to see, not wanting to see the scene that seemed to haunt her as she looked away.

Until she noticed something even more worrying.

Frau's feet were bloody red and swollen and in each step she took and in each dance movement, her face showed ecstasy and pain but her suffering took over the joy the more time she kept dancing. Upon seeing that, Starsbourg widened her eyes, alarmed and in shock and horror at that sight and said loudly.

"Frau, your feet-!" But before the personification could do or say anything else to catch the dancing woman's attention, she heard someone else and footsteps. She and a few villagers turned their heads and saw two other adults joining Frau Troffea in her dancing mania, also dancing eagerly but with less happiness, as if they were forced to do this.

This time, instead of mocking the three, the villagers were only surprised and even a few of them whispered to each other, judging but also creeped out by this strange behavior.

Starsbourg looked at them, starting to feel even more shivers down her spine and felt even more scared and backed up a little when one of the men screamed in already.

"Help! Help me! I'm begging you!"he pleaded despite continuing to dance, his sound of pain showing how he was suffering whereas the other woman was dancing as well, screaming and whining loudly about how she wanted to stop and that her feet hurt.

A few villagers backed up, terrified and horrified by this scene and even a kid started to cry, holding his mother's dress while hiding behind her. That scene wasn't actually scary giving the context but seeing them pleading, begging someone to save them was the most disturbing part, as if they can't go out of this dancing mania. However, if nearly everyone backed away, not wanting to be near these people, Starsbourg went forward, making the villagers gasp at her bravery.

"What is she doing???"

"I don't know but she's very brave to approach them in this way"

"Brave??? That's just some pure reckless act!!"

Actually, the fear was rising in Strasbourg's chest but she was a countryhumans, a personification, therefore she needed to help these poor souls, it was a duty.

But she didn't know how.

The Strasbourgeois thought that maybe she could try to stop them by force but she wasn't unfortunately that strong plus they already seemed hurt with their feet and energy drained, she didn't want to harm them even more.

The man looked at her, his suffering visible through his eyes and face and yet, a small, very small spark of hope was mixed. Starsbourg hesitantly held her hand, trying to hide her stress. "Here, laisser moi vous aider- (let me help you-)"

But before, she could do anything else, someone violently grabbed her arm and dragged her away, earning a yelp from the woman.

"Hey! What are you doin-" she got cut off by the man who took her. "Vous êtes folle madame ?! (Are you crazy madam?!), Those people are dancing until they fall even though they are in pain and you still think it's a good idea to approach them?! They're possessed by the devil and you still have the guts to approach them!"

Strasbourg widened her eyes upon that statement.

"Quoi?! Mais- (what?! But-)" she couldn't finish her sentence again when the remaining who stayed to watch the "show" got shoo away as the two with Frau who still danced looked in horror, still begging for people to not leave them in this suffering. Starsbourg could only look at them, angry at the villagers'cowardice and sad at the victim's fate, the words of the man stuck in her head.

"They're possessed by the devil and you still have the guts to approach them!"

Possessed by the devil?? No no it can't be, their case couldn't be that severe. They still had their mind and their senses and the church said that anyone possessed by the devil would lose them a long time ago after the possession. Those were just gossips and rumors, nothing else! They were aware about what they were doing and that it hurt them, they maybe had a fever or a disease but not to the point of possession!

Finally, after it felt like eternity, the man finally let her go after she was away enough as she huffed and rubbed her arm and went away, not wanting to believe what those people who never studied medicine said.

"Wait wait wait wait... Wait no- no no Starsbourg don't tell me that it will go like what I'm thinking-!" Alsace said, her eyes wide as a plate while gripping her now empty cup. The man stopped talking and looked at the woman again, an annoyed and exasperated expression on his face.

"Well, je sais pas moi (I don't know) how it will end... I f y o u k e e p i n t e r r u p t i n g m e-!" He detached every word he said as Alsace stared at him back, this time she was the one bothered.

"Well, sorry if I think that this story is interesting!" She huffed. Starsbourg blinked a few times, dumbfounded by her response.

"Wait, you think it's interesting?" He asked, confused. She threw her hands.

"Well, duh ouais (yeah), that's how I show that a story is captivating, by making a commentary every time! Now finish it, I want my answer!"

The Strasbourgeois raised an eyebrow in confusion but eventually, he just shrugged and sank even more in his chair, clearing his throat and continued his story.

┈┈┈┈┈◦•✩•◦┈┈┈┈┈

Well, it seems like Strasbourg was wrong. Again.

"Maybe I should really stop talking too fast."she mumbled to herself, deadpan and annoyed expression on her face.

But soon, this expression got replaced with a more worried one as she looked through her window the same three people who danced last time.

However, instead of the usual three, four more people joined, of course not intentionally, their trance, their screams of pain getting louder.

Oh Strasbourg wanted so badly to help them but villagers have decided that no one could get out of their house anymore unless it was necessary.

Don't try to blame her, Starsbourg has already tried multiple times to convince them that the necessity was to help the dancers but they refused to the point where they locked her from the outside, making her blood boil.

The scene was even more disturbing than before, the dancers were skinny, dirty and seemed on the edge of their lives and yet, they continued to dance. Hell, even their movements were heavy and painful, making them look like some sort of moving corpse rather than a human.

It was scary and that creeped out the woman who wanted to help them so badly but her door was locked and she tried multiple times to open it in some way but to no avail. Yet, she was stubborn and determined to help the villagers, her people. She kept forcing the door to open itself, starting to lose patience.

"Come ooon! Dammit, why did they have to lock it up as if I'm some sort of beast in a cage?!" She exclaimed, angry at the villager who had this idea. She looked back and forth at the window and the door, growing even more worried each second as her blood ran cold when she heard a tore screech from outside.

Immediately, she went to check as her eyes widened in horror at the scenery.

In the dancing mania, a man has collapsed however unlike Frau Troffea who fell because of exhaustion, the man have let out a last scream, a last call of help before succumbing and falling, his body now stiff and immobile. The dancers and the people who looked from their windows saw it and gasped in horror, others hiding their kids or putting their hands on children and youngsters'eyes, not wanting to create a trauma for them. The man who danced didn't seem to react anymore, his chest didn't moved an inch and his body could feel more heavier than when he was dancing. It only meant one thing.

The man was dead. Dead from dancing too much.

Instantly, Starsbourg shook her doorknob more violently, even pushing it as she screamed, wanting someone to hear her. "LET ME GO SACREBLEUE!(DAMMIT !)!!!One of them DIED and you still dare to LOCK me ?! I need to help them!!" She was enraged and scared, as she heard even more cries of help, plead and protest.

Five other people got out of their house and started to dance as well, forcing themselves to stay still as others begged their relatives to not lock the door and let them in.

"S'il vous plaît aidez-moi!!!(help me please!!!)"

"Non! Je ne veux pas danser!! (No! I don't want to dance!!)"

"Je vous en prie, je ne veux pas mourir!!(I'm begging you, I don't want to die!!)"

The speeches and cries only got louder and more numerous, some of the victims even started to cry while dancing eagerly, more people from last time collapsing. If anyone who wasn't "infected by the disease yet" was backing up, locking even more their house, the Strasbourgeois was trying to destroy like crazy her door but her efforts were no avail as she let out a grunt of rage, looking around her house, trying to find an object solid and heavy enough to break her door.

She trailed her eyes and they laid on chandelier she had on the table. Immediately she took it but cautiously made sure to think I'd it's solid enough to break the door. In the end she sighed in exasperation and instead, aimed at the window, muttering an apology for herself to sacrifice such an expensive item, taking a big breath before forcefully launch the chandelier with all of her strength on it.

She was lucky, the window shattered and despite a few debris of glass that went on her hands and face, the chandelier was intact. Plus, the people were too scared to go out of their house to warn her, at this rate it was each for himself.

Starsbourg saw the opportunity and immediately tried her best to slip out without accidentally hurting herself further and finally succeeded, taking the edges of her dress in order to walk better and faster. She could still hear the call of help, starting to crave themselves in her brain.

"I'm coming! Je vais vous aider!(I will help you!)" She yelled from afar but soon stopped her track and locked her eyes on the scenery, feeling something drop in her stomach.

It was worse when you approached the dancers.

On her spot, the Strasbourgeois could clearly see how much pain the villagers were in. Their feet were all bloody and swollen, others had their face completely ruined by sweat and tears as their bones started to show off below their skin. It really looked like some sort of twisted puppet show without strings attached on them or just some macabre dance with living skeletons.

But that sight didn't stopped Strasbourg to try to save them. Or more like that sight shouldn't stopped her, despite how scared she was.

Cautiously, the Strasbourgeois approached the dancers, like some sort of veterinarian approaching a dangerous animal, ignoring on purpose the screams and cries that really started to infest her brain, making her feel the urge to throw up because how much it sicken her. Still, she needed to help them, no matter the cost.

"Can you hear me?" She asked. Asking how they were doing was pretty much a stupid question at this rate but she didn't knew how to talk to them in their current trance therefore she thought that maybe it was a good start to know if they still had their senses.

The dancers ignored her literally, as if she didn't existed, each of them trying to ease their pain as they could. Strasbourg blinked a few times, seeing how no one cared about her on the slightest. She huffed a little before continuing, trying to use a more softer tone, still with a stressful undertone.

"S'il vous plaît- (please-), do you actually hear me or not? Hello?" She slightly waved her hand but none of their faces looked or even aknowledged her. She got impatient.

"I literally broke out of my own house and try to help them but how can I even achieve my goal if they don't even look at me?!" She thought to herself, infuriated.

However, when she was about to speak furthermore, everything stopped.

Strasbourg widened her eyes in confusion and shock, not processed what was happening in her surroundings. The screams, pleads and cries of help but instead of making her sick, the personification felt... Nice? Well nice wasn't the right word to define it but bad either couldn't describe that feeling either.

Everything all around her was blurry and distorted as her body felt numb. She couldn't feel any of her limbs anymore as if a weight was put in each of them, making her feel like some sort of heavy bag as a headache started to form too. Strasbourg's eyes grew heavy as well, a veil of fire enveloping while her vision made everything spin around.

"W-wha-" she wanted to speak up or even open her mouth but something have sealed it, making her lips and teeth glued to each other.

But the most surprising view was the dancers.

Instead of seeing the almost skeletal, moving corpses and the face of agony, the Strasbourgeois met joyous and lively people, dancing eagerly to a music that the anthropomorphic territory never heard before, some sort of distorted yet organized symphony, a loud whisper audible by nearly everyone who danced in the same beat on it.

Strasbourg couldn't believe what she saw. Was it some kind of fever dream that she couldn't wake up for? Or a trance that got an hold on her because she have gotten too close next to the victim of this bizarre dance mania?

She didn't knew anymore, she was lost. Everything was happening too fast and yet slow at the same time as her head was heavy and spinning, despite how hard she tried to make her gaze focuses right. It felt as if someone took control of her and she couldn't do anything about it except let it be.

"Please... List...en... T....me!" Despite the fact that she only thought those words, they were all slurred out and stuffy, as if even her own mind couldn't actually comprehend that she was talking.

"P....le....se....!"

But her efforts were in vain. All of the dancer's faces turned to look at her but they didn't seemed to be worried on the slightest.

Instead, while they were dancing, they reached out their hands towards her, in a way of invitation.

Strasbourg widened her eyes in utter surprise. They had the same face of the victims who were caught by the dancing plague but instead of seeing the horror on their faces, they were smiling happily and seemed so joyful and relieved unlike their faces before.

"They're.... Inviting me in their dance...?" The Strasbourgeois thought to herself as, without realizing, she reached out her hand too. When she realizes what she was doing, she instantly panicked.

"No no no no no no!! No!! STOP! STOP IT! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!!" She thought to herself, feeling in horror how her own body was against her will as it started to move each of her limb as if it wasn't paralyzed in the first place.

Strasbourg felt her blood running cold as she tried to take control of her body again but something blocked her to have an access of it.

"Is someone actually taking control of it??! Please! Someone! Anyone! HELP!!"

She wanted to yell so much but she couldn't. She couldn't speak, move, see or even hear anything clearly at this rate and the only thing she could do was watching herself succumb into the dancing mania as well.

If only she should have listened, she wouldn't have been seeing her own body having an stupid ecstatic smile while her limbs would move in coordination with the invisible music...

Strasbourg stopped his story as he innocently took a sip from his beverage. Alsace, who was already on the very edge of her seat, looked at him intensely before shifting her gaze into a confused, impatient and irritated one.

"AGH-!! Come on!! Really?!!"

The Strasbourgeois stopped drinking his chocolate as he looked at the alsacien, raising an eyebrow in a light playful tone.

"What?" He asked, chuckling lightly. Alsace huffed as she crossed her arms.

"Don't play dumb with me Strasbourg! You know what I mean! How did it even end?! I mean- you literally interrupted the story in the middle of it, where you literally got possessed!!"

Strasbourg rolled his eyes as he put down his now third empty cup as he looked at the other woman, deadpan.

"Pour la dernière fois (for the last time), I was not possessed. I still don't know what happened to me during that time but I still had my mind therefore it's not possession" he explained. Alsace snorted.

"Alright alright, si tu le dis (if you say so). Still.. how did it end?" She eagerly asked in insistance. Strasbourg thought about it, crossing his legs as he spoke again, this time his tone was more serious, trying to remember correctly what happened.

"Well.. After my.. fever dream- I woke up with a few pastors and cleric surrounding me, saying that I was possessed and they were able to get the demon out of me when I wore red shoes."

Alsace's tense position fell off when she heard what he have just said.

"Wait no kidding. Red shoes???"

Strasbourg nodded as he took his cup only to remember that it was empty. He grumbled a little but didn't really minded it as he put it back down. He cleared his throat.

"Yeah, it seems so weird but this whole case of "dancing plague" was already bizarre in the first place. And when I didn't believed them, I saw a few people who used to dance resting on a couch. Some of them really seemed to be on the edge but also relieved that their misery was done. And I actually saw that they wore red shoes, just like what the church have said. I really don't know how ok earth did they come with it but eh, that... Thing just disappeared mysteriously as much as it appeared. Therefore meh" he ended his story with a shrug. Alsace glared at him as the Strasbourgeois eyed her too.

"Quoi? (What?), I'm serious. It ends like this. If you excepted a dramatic end, sorry but it's not for this one"

Alsace raised her hands.

"Alright, alright I understand. Plus, it was already quite disturbing but interesting at the same time that you couldn't... Stopped yourself from dancing."

"Now that I think about it. It WAS weird what happened"

"Yeah no shit Sherlock"

Strasbourg rolled his eyes as he lightly punched the alsacien who laughed as well. The two waited a few moments before the woman started to get up, stretching herself a little as she checked out her watch.

"Well, seems like I need to go now, I don't want Lorraine to worry about me moping outside for too long" she said. Strasbourg nodded as he got up too.

"Do you want me to accompany you to the metro station or not?" He asked. Alsace shook her head.

"Nah it's only a few minutes from here plus, you're probably tired now. I mean it's quite late now" she dismissed. Strasbourg hummed as he sat down again.

"Alright then, thanks for the chocolate by the way"

Alsace smiled at him with a hint of mischief.

"I know. Allez au revoir (alright bye)" she waved as the Strasbourgeois laughed and waved back. He wanted for her to go away completely before getting up and locking the door.

He breathed out heavily as he started to clean up the table and the cups that he and Alsace have used. When everything was clean, he laid on his bed, breathing out as he ran his hand through his hair. Everything was dead silent as he looked at the ceiling, not moving an inch.

Then he started to laugh and laugh even more.

Finally, when he started to calm down a bit, he looked back at the ceiling, still giggling to himself as he breathed in and out before speaking out loud.

"Sorry, I didn't meant to keep repeating that argument I just didn't had ideas on the moment"

Another audible silent. Strasbourg laughed again.

"Yeah I know I could have just dodged it but- It was just too tempting I guess" he breathed out.

Silence again.

"Okay okay next time, I'll try to find a less suspicious way to tell people what happened but still-"

Strasbourg sat up on his bed as he removed his socks. His feet were swollen red and rubbed mark on it, alongside with barely visible cuts and ecchymoses. He sighed before laying back again. Another oppressive silence could be heard as he spoke again.

"Could you at least hide those this time? I would very much prefer sleep in more comfortable conditions thank you"

As Strasbourg spoke, the marks and bruises on his feet somehow started to fade out in a mysterious way. After a few seconds, he checked on them and seemed satisfied.

"Merci (thank you), I'll repay you in a way. Probably with a soul or two" he spoke loudly as he finally relaxed, this time the silence in his room seemed more loudly than ever.

----

Wattpad version

Archive of our own version

_______________________________________

{4874 words}

Strasbourg in Real life : 🏙️☃️🌰

Strasbourg in the one-shot : 😈👹

Yeah I wanted to write some horror stuff again and it really seemed like I'm really not good at it-

Anyway bye lol

-Miranto

Posted: 29/10/2023

#countryhumans #countryhuman #countryhumans Strasbourg #countryhumans Alsace #statehumans Strasbourg #statehumans Alsace

0 notes

rsfannan2 · 2 years

Text

Day Thirteen: Colmar, the Lexus of Fairytale Towns.

Since we have been planning this trip, Colmar has been on our list of day trips out of Strasbourg. And I am happy to report that it did not disappoint! It is situated 40 miles south of Strasbourg, just a short 30 minute train ride.

Colmar itself is a decently large town of 70,000 people along the Route des Vins (Alsatian Wine Route, considering itself to be the capital of Alsatian wine), but what draws visitors is its well preserved old-town. This area of the town was somehow spared by the destruction during The French Revolution, and the wars of 1870-1871, 1914-1918, and 1940-1945.

The area that is crossed by canals of the River Lauch was formerly, like Strasbourg, the home of tanners, butchers, millers, and fishmongers. Today it is called La Petite Venise (Little Venice), and a visit there shows you why.

A short walk from the train station deposited Diane and me a ten minute walk from the heart of this old town. Wow! What a cool place. Our first stop was for a cappuccino at the covered market to get our game plan for this lovely little town. We spent the next three hours wandering its little streets, taking a gondola-like cruise on one of the canals, trying Alsatian snacks, but mostly enjoying immersing ourselves in this perfect blast from the past. We got lucky that the rain that was expected never developed and Colmar did not seem to be crowded at all.

The designer of The Statue of Liberty, Frédérick-Auguste Bartholdi, was born and lived most of his life in Colmar, so the Museum de Bartholdi is one of its main attractions. This small museum was very interesting and I love stuff like this. Makes me want to read more about this interesting man.

Walking around town, you notice that most of the buildings have dates on the outside indicating how long they have been there. Sometimes it is comical what a very old building has become. One in particular had us both laughing out loud. A beautiful 1626 structure is now the home of “c’est deux euros” (the two euro store). Another is probably the only bagel store in The Alsace.

If you are ever in this part of the globe, enjoy this lovely place.

More to come…..

1 note · View note

sourgrenadine · 2 years

Note

Wanted to start by saying I love your Dano!Riddler content 💙 For a scenario, could you write Dano!Riddler inviting someone over (platonic or romantic, idmtm) to just drink instant coffee all night and play ARGs with him. A bit of a dumb headcanon, but I imagine Edward as being obsessed with internet urban legends (this man definitely had a Creepypasta account 😭) and trying to find online rabbitholes.

a/n: tysm! also this ask has inspired me to make this ghdfaufafjk (edward trying to explain his batshit insane theories to reader)

i wrote hcs and then a little blurb under the cut! general/platonic hc

i imagine him enjoying those monthly boxes you can get like hunt a killer

calling you up to say its been delivered

or for online things calling you to say he discovered a new lead

wakes up in the middle of the night having dreamt of the arg

immediately waking you up to pour over his thoughts

"ed its 3 in the morning"

"yes BUT if you go into the html of the website--"

likes to write his thoughts and theories down on paper

has ledger book journals for each arg

comes up with a large number of theories, not all of them are correct though

given clues he can pretty easily figure out the solutions, but args have a distinctly human storytelling element that makes it a little more unpredictable

ABSOLUTELY ran creepypasta blogs in the past

wrote some of his own but looking back on them theyre pretty awful

if you find them online, he BEGS you not to read them

physically tugging you away from the computer because its so cringe

blurb:

as you step into ed's apartment, you're greeted with paper lining the floor, plastered on the walls, and trailing to where you see your friend's form hunched over his dinky laptop.

"oh, you're here!" he leaps to his feet, pages of notes falling from his lap. "great, great, now look," he picks up a handful of crumpled papers, thrusting them into your hand. scrawled in his signature chicken scratch are bulletpoint lists of various urls. half are crossed out and the rest are just barely legible through his flurry of pen strokes. "everyone on the subreddit seems so sure that the aurelia referenced in the goldsaint.mp4 youtube video is aurelia of strasbourg. you know, the 4th century one?"

he doesn't wait for an answer, instead frantically tracing the covered walls with his hand. "but that doesn't make much sense, does it? there's too many references to 'being solitary' to be strasbourg. it HAS to be aurelia of regensburg. the 11th century saint."

he's almost breathless as he dances about the room, picking up his laptop and handing it to you. "and see? if you enter those clues as a website url--" he continues to ramble, leading you through his cluttered thought processes. his mind moves a mile a minute, jumping from idea to idea like a rabbit on the move.

he heaves, catching his breath and you take his silence as an opportunity to offer to make a pot of coffee. "maybe a coffee break is needed?"

"oh, but i don't want to break! i'm on the cusp of figuring out what happened to adam, i feel it."

"ed, you've been at this since, what you got home from work? a little coffee on your work won't hurt any-"

"THATS IT!" he jumps up and shouts. with a startled yelp from you, he takes your shoulders in his hands and shakes you. "THE COFFEE STAIN ON THE JOURNAL ENTRY"

"thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

"jesus ed, will you take the coffee break now?"

"but-"

"you can catch me up on the last video while it's brewing?"

"ah, alright."

#edward nashton x reader #edward nygma x reader #the riddler x reader #the batman 2022 #dano!riddler

229 notes · View notes

ricciardosheart · 3 years

Text

I'm Sorry - Daniel Ricciardo

I love this man

"I see you've decorated the place," he said, gesturing towards the world map. "I like it."

She put down the box and glared at him, trying to ignore how captivating he looked with the sunlight filtering through her new chiffon curtains, falling on his eyes and accentuating their dark hazel colour. She had the urge to scream at him; "Are you here to taunt me?" but nothing came out of her mouth. It was as though all the feelings bottled up inside of her for weeks have dissipated into thin air, leaving her standing in front of him, hollow chested and uncertain.

"How did you..." She cleared her throat, trying to regain composure. "How did you get in here?"

Daniel lingered at the doorway, his eyes flickering between her and the scattered boxes, falling on the ones he'd sent a fortnight ago. "You left the door open," he finally said. 'As always,' she imagined him adding.

She took a few steps towards him, strapping her arms together against her chest. "You should sit down," she mumbled softly, and, even though to him it looked as though she didn't want him there, Daniel walked briskly to the sofa left carelessly at the back of the room. He recognized it as the one she had in her old apartment; it looked sad and dejected here, covered with plastic saran wrap and devoid of the crocheted throw pillows her friend had gifted her for Christmas. He heard her say something about making coffee and looked up only to see the tail of her red maxi skirt swooshing out of the door, the sound of those worn sandals she loved to wear flip-flopping annoyingly against the ceramic tiles of her new home.

In the kitchen, she leaned against the marble counter and watched her paint-splattered fingers tremble after turning on the coffee maker. Her eyes instantly traveled to the calendar stuck to her fridge, to that date marked dolefully with a yellow highlighter. It's been six weeks, she counted, six weeks since that guy and the fight, six weeks of not seeing Daniel, six weeks passing by without going to his games and without him congratulating her on her birthday. And now he was here, he had stood in front of her, only an arms-length between them, and for once she understood that eye roll-worthy phrase that made her recoil when reading it in a novel or hearing it in a film; so close yet so far away. She shook her head as she turned to take the mugs.

When she came back, he was still looking at that black and white world map suspended on the wall crookedly. He remembered when she bought it from a souvenir shop in Strasbourg, and how they went back to their hotel room and coloured the countries they'd traveled to together in blue; France, Japan, England, and Belize. He recalled regretfully how they'd been planning their trip to Cape Town before...that night. He didn't understand why she had it up there in a new house, where she was supposed to start afresh. He had begun to ask her about that when a waft of her perfume mixed with the rich scent of the coffee struck him, and he swallowed, trying hard to keep it from dizzying him.

The shrill sound of cardboard scraping the floor broke through the heavy silence as she pulled one of the taped-up boxes to sit on. He looked at her then, sipping on her coffee and taking swift glances at him from behind her mug. They sat there for a while, speechless and heavy-hearted, but it was a comforting and serene sort of silence, the one he was used to with her. Then she asked him how he was, and they fell into a circle of small talk until their conversation faltered off and muted once more.

She took a deep breath, the question turning over and echoing in her head. "Why are you here, Daniel?" she asked finally.

Truthfully, she didn't expect that slow shrug and doubtful pout, and him saying, "I wanted to see you," with an air of indifference as if she surely should have known that.

"Did you get my letters?" she uttered suddenly. The broken words were laced with embarrassment, her ears going pink as she bit on her bottom lip, waiting for a response.

"Yes," Mats spoke quietly, fondling the handle of the steaming mug. "I thought about what you said..." His voice faltered as he looked out the window, where a tree's branches swayed lazily with the October wind, the sun creeping in through the holes in the blanket they'd created. He'd thought about what she said. "I don't know if it's because of the power of your writing," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Or if it's because I was actually being ridiculous and I only realized it now, but I...I overreacted and I'm...sorry."

She'd been longing to hear these words for days and nights that molded into each other into one long chain. She'd spent hours in her bed staring at the ceiling and imagining him saying variations of the sentences he'd just uttered to her. But the words had left his mouth rather fruitlessly, leaving her blinking at him and waiting for that magical, miraculous thing to happen.

"I shouldn't have doubted you; I should have listened when you tried to tell me that nothing happened with you and that...guy," he breathed, refraining from cursing. "But to say that was the only issue we had would be insane."

She knew it was coming, she'd expected it. "I know," she nearly shouted, "That night I- I said a lot of things I shouldn't have said...things I didn't mean to say," she corrected herself.

"I did too," he whispered, wishing she would come to sit next to him and play with his hair and kiss him like she always did. This was the height of missing her, sitting in front of her and not being able to touch her and tell her how much he'd been yearning to be with her. But his pride held him back, forcing him to watch her breakaway right there before his eyes. He could tell she was tearing up and hiding it from him, her voice fracturing when she spoke next.

"So, what now?" she asked, clapping her hands together.

Mats leaped to where she was, kneeling beside her on the cold floor, looking up at her tear-stained face. "A number of things."

He took her hand, pleased to see her entwining her fingers with his. And although it's been over for six weeks, it still felt as familiar as ever to hold her hand. "First, you forgive me,"

She finally broke into a smile, leaving his heart feeling like it was about to burst with the sun. "Done,"

It was his turn to beam at her; "After that, we unpack these boxes." He said and she nodded.

"Then, we take this mattress and we baptize it."

She shook her head as she swatted his hands away from her and giggled. Her laugh rung through his ears pleasantly, washing over him blissfully. "I love you,Ric," she said as she wrapped her arms around him, his head buried in her coconut-scented hair.

"I love you," he closed his eyes and breathed her in, feeling her bones under his once more. "And I'm sorry, again."

#one shot #f1 x reader #f1 #daniel #daniel ricciardo #danny ric #formula 1 #dan #f1 imagine #f1 fanfic #f1 smut #dr X reader #dr x reader #ricciardo X reader

169 notes · View notes

cielrouge · 3 years

Photo

YA SFF Books by Latinx Authors

A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry: Spending the summer with his hotel-developer father in Puerto Rico, 17-year-old Lucas turns to a legendary cursed girl filled with poison when his girlfriend mysteriously disappears.

All the Wind in the World by Samantha Mabry: Working in the maguey fields of the Southwest, Sarah Jac and James are in love but forced to start over on a ranch that is possibly cursed where the delicate balance in their relationship begins to give way.

Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria: In the city of Eldra, people are ruled by ancient prophecies. For centuries, the high council has stayed in power by virtue of the prophecies of the elder seers. In the present day, Cassa, the orphaned daughter of rebels, is determined to fight back against the high council. But by the time Cassa and her friends uncover the mystery of the final infallible prophecy, it may be too late to save the city — or themselves.

Blanca & Roja by Anne-Marie McLemore: The del Cisne girls, Blanca & Roja, have never just been sisters; they’re also rivals. Because of a generations-old spell, their family is bound to a bevy of swans deep in the woods. But when two local boys become drawn into the game, the swans’ spell intertwines with the strange and unpredictable magic lacing the woods, and all four of their fates depend on facing truths that could either save or destroy them.

Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz: 17-year-old Lana Torres, who after rescuing a prized dragon, is awarded a spot on her native Puerto Rico’s Blazewrath World Cup team. But the return of the Sire, an ancient dragon, soon threatens to compromise this year’s tournament.

They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera: Set in a near-future New York City where a service alerts people on the day they will die, about two teens who meet using the Last Friend app and are faced with the challenge of living a lifetime on their End Day.

The Body Market (Wired #2) by Donna Freitas: When Skylar's sister betrays her and opens the Body Market, everyone in the App World is for sale and Skylar resolves to stop her sister and the malevolent market.

Bruja Born (Brooklyn Brujas #2) by Zoraida Cordova: Teenage bruja Lula Mortiz tries to save her boyfriend, Maks, by cheating Death; however, Lady de la Muerte is not so easily bested.

The Buried by Melissa Grey: After disaster strikes the remote town of Indigo Falls. A horrific event drove the residents underground, into shelters that keep them safe from the danger on the surface. Now, a handful of families inhabit this bunker together, guided by a charismatic leader named Dr. Imogen Moran.

Cazadora (Wolves of No World #2) by Romina Garber: In this follow-up to Lobizona, Manu and her friends as they continue to fight for a better future.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas: Latinx trans teen Yadriel, hoping to release his cousin’s spirit and prove himself as a brujo, accidentally summons the wrong ghost and resident bad boy Julian Diaz, falling in love with him.

Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore: Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family. Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella Oliva’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward a boy who knows the dancing fever’s history better than anyone: Emil.

Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera: 16-year-old Nalah leads the fiercest all-girl crew in Mega City, but when she sets her sights on giving this life up for a prestigious home in Mega Towers, she must decide if she’s willing to do the unspeakable to get what she wants.

Diamond City by Francesca Flores: Pulled from the streets at age twelve and trained to become one of the most powerful assassins in Sumerand, Aina Solis discovers a conspiracy that could rewrite the kingdom's history.

Dragonblood Ring (Blazewrath Games #2) by Amparo Ortiz: After the Sire’s capture, teen athletes Lana Torres and Victoria Peralta travel to Puerto Rico with their former Blazewrath team. While Lana discovers her roots, nothing fills the void Blazewrath’s cancelation has left in Victoria. But it’s up to their team and the Bureau to protect their dragons.

Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro: Xochital is destined to wander the desert alone. Her one desire: to share her heart with a kindred spirit. One night, Xo’s wish is granted—in the form of Emilia, the cold and beautiful daughter of the town’s murderous mayor. But when the two set out on a magical journey across the desert, they find their hearts could be a match… if only they can survive the nightmare-like terrors that arise when the sun goes down.

Fire with Fire by Destiny Soria: A contemporary fantasy about two sisters, Dani and Eden Rivera, who were raised to be fierce dragon slayers but end up on opposite sides of the impending war when one sister forms an unlikely, magical bond with a dragon.

The First 7 (The Last 8 #2) by Laura Pohl: After leaving Earth, now devastated by an alien attack, and exploring the galaxy, Clover Martinez and her fellow teen survivors return home to find crystal formations in the soil that are threatening to destroy the planet, and a colony of survivors who are not who they seem.

Five Midnights by Ann Davila Cardinal: If Lupe Dávila and Javier Utierre can survive each other’s company, together they can solve a series of grisly murders sweeping though Puerto Rico. But the clues lead them out of the real world and into the realm of myths and legends.

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante: To have her family’s asylum request accepted, 17-year-old Marisol participates in a risky experiment to become a grief keeper, taking another’s grief into her own body to save a life.

The Healer by Donna Freitas: Manifesting astonishing healing powers that cause some people to consider her a saint, Marlena Oliveria struggles with edicts that prevent her from attending school, having friends and falling in love when she meets a boy who makes her question what she is willing to sacrifice.

Hollywood Witch Hunter by Valerie Tejeda: When a coven bent on retaining their youth must sacrifice the beautiful, and rich women of Southern California, a society of witch hunters will try to protect humans from a great evil uprising.

Incendiary by Zoraida Cordova: As Renata Convida grows more deeply embedded in the politics of the royal court, she uncovers a secret in her past that could change the entire fate of the kingdom–and end a costly war.

Illusionary (Hollow Crown #2) by Zoraida Córdova: Reeling from betrayal, Renata Convida is a girl on the run. With few options and fewer allies, she reluctantly joins forces with none other than Prince Castian, her most infuriating and intriguing enemy.

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera: In the Bronx, two brothers, Emil and Brighton, get caught up in a magical war generations in the making.

Infinity Reaper (Infinity Cycle #2) by Adam Silvera: Emil and Brighton Rey defied the odds. When Brighton drank the Reaper’s Blood, he believed it would make him invincible, but instead the potion is killing him. In Emil’s race to find an antidote that will not only save his brother but also rid him of his own unwanted phoenix powers, he will have to dig deep into his past lives.

Iron Cast by Destiny Soria: In 1919 Boston, best friends Corinne and Ada perform illegally as illusionists in an infamous gangster's nightclub, using their "afflicted" blood to con Boston's elite, until the law closes in.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova: Alex is a bruja and the most powerful witch in her family. . When a curse she performs to rid herself of magic backfires and her family vanishes, she must travel to Los Lagos to get her family back.

The Last 8 by Laura Pohl: After an alien attack devastates the Earth, pilot and future astronaut Clover Martinez bands with seven other teens to survive.

Lobizona by Romina Garber: As Manuela Azul uncovers her own story and traces her real heritage all the way back to a cursed city in Argentina, she learns it’s not just her U.S. residency that’s illegal… .it’s her entire existence.

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas: When children start to go missing in the local woods, eighteen-year-old Wendy Darling must face her fears and a past she cannot remember to rescue them in this novel based on Peter Pan.

The Mind Virus (Wired #3) by Donna Freitas: Skylar Cruz has managed to shut down the body market that her sister Jude opened, and to create a door to allow App World citizens reentry into the Real World. But as tensions between the newly mingling people escalate, she s not sure if it was the right decision after all. Still reeling from Kit’s betrayal, she s not sure of anything anymore.

Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia & Anna-Marie McLemore: Two friends, Lita Perez or Chicky Quintanilla, one made of stardust and one fighting to save her family’s diner, take on their small town’s 50th annual pageant in the hopes that they can change their town’s destiny, and their own.

The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore: Graciela Cristales meets Lock, a boy who was sexually assaulted at the same party as her, and they find their fates unexpectedly intertwined during a month of vanishing trees, enchanted pan dulce, and inherited magic.

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera: After enduring his father's suicide, his own suicide attempt, broken friendships, and more in the Bronx projects, Aaron Soto, sixteen, is already considering the Leteo Institute's memory-alteration procedure when his new friendship with Thomas turns to unrequited love.

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera: An Afro-Latinx retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice set in the Bronx. Pheus is a bachata-singing dreamer who falls in love with Eury, a girl who lost everything in Hurricane Maria and is haunted by the trauma—and by an evil spirit.

Nocturna by Maya Motayne: In the Latinx-inspired kingdom of Castallan, face-changing thief Finn Voy and grief-stricken Prince Alfehr must race to vanquish a dark magic they have unleashed.

Oculta (A Forgery of Magic #2) by Maya Motayne: After joining forces to save Castallan from an ancient magical evil, Alfie and Finn reunite once again to preserve Castallan’s hopes for peace with Englass. But will they be able to stop sinister foes before a new war threatens their kingdom?

Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda: Tuck Durante, a shipraider, and Lana Gray, a curator, must work together to try to rescue a space capsule hijacked by nightmarish creatures who kill with a scream.

Rated by Melissa Grey: For the students at the prestigious Maplethorpe Academy, every single thing they do is reflected in their Ratings System. But when an act of vandalism sullies the front doors of the school, it sets off a chain reaction that will shake the lives of six special students – and the world beyond.

Sanctuary by Abby Sher & Paola Mendoza: In a near future dystopian America set 2030, 16-year-old Vail and her brother must escape a xenophobic government to find sanctuary in California.

The Savage Dawn (Girl at Midnight #3) by Melissa Grey: A darkness has entered the world and the Dragon Prince is wreaking havoc wherever she goes. With the war upon her, Echo must use every bit of her firebird powers or risk losing those she holds dear.

Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda & Valynne E. Maetani: A contemporary fantasy set in Japan, about Shinto temple priestess Kira Fujikawa, who must seek the aid of seven demons in order to protect her village and the world from an ancient evil.

Shadow City (The City of Diamond and Steel #2) by Francesa Flores: Aina Solís has fought her way to the top of criminal ranks in the city of Kosín by wresting control of an assassin empire owned by her old boss, Kohl. But Kohl will do anything to get his empire back.

The Shadow Hour (The Girl at Midnight #2) by Melissa Grey: With the firebird awakened, the war has become even more dangerous for Echo and her friends. There is a darkness spreading too and staying in hiding might not be enough to keep them alive.

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older: When her summer plans are interrupted by supernatural phenomena, Puerto Rican teen Sierra Santiago finds herself in a battle with the killer targeting her family of shadowshapers who believes she is hiding their greatest secret.

Shadowhouse Fall (Shadowshaper #2) by Daniel Jose Older: While working on her shadowshaping skills, Sierra Santiago is beginning to think she may need all the skill she can summon because it seems that when she channeled hundreds of spirits through herself in order to defeat Wick, she woke up something very powerful and very unfriendly and put her family and friends at risk.

Shadowshaper Legacy (Shadowshaper #3) by Daniel Jose Older: Sierra Santiago and the shadowshapers have been split apart, but a war is brewing among the houses. As old fates tangle with new powers, Sierra will have to harness the Deck of Worlds and confront her family’s past if she has any hope of saving the future and everyone she loves.

Shutter by Courtney Alameda: When a routine assignment goes awry, 17-year-old ghost hunter Micheline Helsing is infected with a curse and on the run, pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, with only seven days to exorcise the entity or be destroyed body and soul.

Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland: A Mexican American teenage girl discovers profound connections between immigration, folklore, and alien life, when a spacecraft crashes in front of her car…and it’s carrying her long-lost mom, who’s very much alive.

Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry: Loosely inspired by the story of King Lear and his daughters, set in San Antonio, Texas, following the Torres sisters, struggling to escape their tyrannical father’s claustrophobic world while dealing with the loss of their eldest sister, whose troubling death continues to haunt—perhaps even literally—the loved ones left behind.

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson: While investigating the supposed suicides of her best friend, Riley, and mean girls June and Dayton, 16-year-old Wiccan Mila Flores accidentally brings them back to life.

Unplugged by Donna Freitas: When she moves from the Virtual World to the Real one, Skylar Cruz discovers that her body is both exquisite and valuable -- a dangerous combination in a place where bodies are sought after in sinister ways.

Wayward Witch (Brooklyn Brujas #3) by Zoraida Cordova: Rose Mortiz begins to discover the scope of her powers, the troubling truth about her father’s past, and the sacrifices he made to save her sisters. But if Rose wants to return home so she can repair her broken family, she must figure out how to heal the land of Adas, a fairy realm hidden in the Caribbean Sea, first.

The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore: Although Lace Paloma knows all about the feud between the Palomas and the Corbeaus, she finds herself falling for Cluck Corbeau when he saves her life while both families are performing in the same town.

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia: When she is asked to spy for a resistance group working to bring equality to Medio, Daniela Vargas, a student at the Medio School for Girls, questions everything she's worked for.

We Unleash the Merciless Storm (We Set the Dark on Fire #2) by Tehlor Kay Mejia: La Voz operative Carmen Santos is forced to choose between the girl she loves, Dani, and the success of the rebellion she’s devoted her life to.

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore: As odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel's skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they're willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore: A novel of magical realism, the Nomeolvides women have tended the lust estate grounds of La Pradera which they’ve grown for generations, until the reemergence of a family curse starts to makes the men they love disappear, again.

#authors of color #latinx authors #booklr #book recs #book recommendations #yalit

306 notes · View notes

bonvoyage-boncourage · 2 years

Photo

Jour 30: View out of part of the Casemates du Bock, Luxembourg.

I left Strasbourg early in the morning to try and get to Luxembourg, but as I was eating my breakfast in the train station, I noticed that..... my train had been canceled. This hasn’t happened yet, so I decided my only option was to go to where they sold the tickets in the station and talk to somebody.

This was nerve-wracking because I have always just bought my tickets over the internet to avoid having to try and explain myself to someone in person. When I got in there and explained, the woman hastily told me that I should take a bus that was running in about 20 minutes to Saverne, a small city. She told me that the same ticket would work, but I honestly didn’t believe her. A train ticket for a bus? But I followed her instructions, and found out that plenty of people on the bus had also been on the same train! So I was actually in the right place.

From Saverne, there was a train leaving for Nancy (a bigger city) pretty much as soon as we arrived; I talked to a man at the train station who told me that from Nancy I could definitely get to Luxembourg. Well, I’d been relying on the word and kindness of strangers the entire trip... I might as well have relied on him. And the guy was actually super nice in that he called the train conductor and had them actually hold up the train for about two minutes so me and a couple of other passengers could board! Just like in the U.S, the people in the smaller cities are always so kind.

The other two passengers had been travelling with me since Strasbourg; it was a mother and her young daughter, Ava. I talked with them the entire train ride, and actually these were the first French friends I made the entire trip! Ava was very cute and she loved to sing, and I learned that lots of French children’s songs are the same as English ones but with different lyrics, like Jingle Bells and Old MacDonald. I ended up teaching her You Are My Sunshine. Her mom told me that they were trying to get to a birthday party, but because of the train situation, they’d just missed the party and spent the entire day on the train and then would have to return home. That... is so awful. I felt so bad for them.

Because I was getting into Luxembourg at around 15h, I ended up just cancelling and rebooking my train tickets back to Dijon; I would leave in the afternoon instead of the morning so I could spend more time in Luxembourg. This is very important. You’ll see why tomorrow.

From Nancy, I ended up parting ways with Ava and her mom and getting on the train to Luxembourg, which was uneventful, except I could’ve sworn that there was blood on my window. Those high speed trains aren’t screwing around, I guess; I felt bad for the poor bird.

From the Luxembourg train station I searched for the bus that would take me to my hostel, but realized there was strangely nowhere for me to buy a ticket; I found a bus driver and asked him, and he told me that public transit in Luxembourg is free! Cool!

When I went to check in to the hostel, I told the man my name and he immediately asked if I was Irish. I said “No, but my family is!” And then from then on we spoke an absolutely wonderful Franglais. I love Franglais, I already loved Luxembourg. He said it was funny that I was American with an Irish last name but spoke French.

Wow. Luxembourg is. CRAZY. I wasn’t planning on going outside of the capital city, but it was enough. The city is split into a part that’s up on a huge hill and another part that’s below the hill. I climbed up the hill after putting my stuff in the hostel, and let me tell you, it was not easy. At the top, I climbed around for a while in the outer parts of the casemates du Bock, which you can see here. They’re a series of defensive tunnels built directly into the hill, and they’re cool as hell. I guess they had a majority of them closed for the moment, but I was super impressed with even the section I got to walk around. Again, Tara’s Climbing Urge was satisfied.

I found a tabac-esque store and bought a candy bar to feed myself, a sticker of course, and, would you believe it, a music box of “La Marseillaise,” France’s national anthem! I said yesterday I collect music boxes, and this was definitely a worthy addition. They had Germany and the UK and some others, but interestingly, no Luxembourg. Huh.

I was really impressed with the cashier once I realized what she was doing. Luxembourg is really a completely multilingual country; the cashier was waiting for the customer to say “Hello” to her in their language and then she would finish the rest of the transaction in that language. The man in front of me said “Hello” in German, so she did the transaction in German; I said “Bonjour” so she did the transaction in French; the woman behind me said “Hello” so she did the transaction in English. Sorry, I know I get excited about the stupidest things, but I really was excited about that.

After eating my candy bar, I wandered into the main “tourist” area of the city, toured a church, then somehow managed to walk all the way back to the train station. It was getting cold, and I hadn’t made any friends that day... I was getting kind of lonely. I called my best friend and talked to her for a while as I walked back to the touristy part of the city, found a restaurant, and went inside.

I was seated but immediately noticed the men next to me speaking English; it was only another few seconds before they invited me to sit with them. They pegged me as American right away; I asked if they were Australian, and they all shook their heads and gave me a hard time. Yup, they were Kiwi. I felt bad but they told me it was really common.

There was also one Frenchman, Laurent, among them. I had dinner with them for the night, and when everyone went to the bathroom, Laurent and I talked to each other in French. Which was nice. Gosh, I’m getting so confident! He told me my French was actually very very passable. Like, to the point that when I was first ordering my food, he’d thought that I was French. Woo!!!

We ended up going to a bar styled like a speakeasy, which was very funny because I’ve never heard of a speakeasy bar in the U.S. even though the entire concept of speakeasy’s is exclusively American. We had a very good conversation there; I was glad I found some friends. By the time we left, it was 1:30 in the morning! Luckily, Luxembourg has essentially no crime; I walked all the way back down the hill to my hostel and didn’t see another person the entire time. It was very peaceful, and it was the safest I’ve ever felt in a city at night.

That’s it for this first day in Luxembourg, but... just you wait for day 2.

Bon voyage, bon courage !

#travel #travel stories #luxembourg #france #french #language learning #langblr #study abroad #bvbc-daily

5 notes · View notes

merelygifted · 2 years

Photo

Facts You Might Not Know About Christmas Trees | Mental Floss

1. THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH DID NOT LIKE CHISTMAS TREES.

Evergreen trees used to be seen as pagan symbols that had no place in a religious celebration. As far back as 1647, preacher Johann Conrad Dannhauer of the Strasbourg Cathedral criticized trees as “child’s play” that were getting more attention “than the word of God and the holy rites.” In North America’s Plymouth Colony, Puritan governor William Bradford railed against the tree’s “pagan mockery.” The trees’ connection with the celebration of the winter solstice, which generally fell on December 21 or 22, was seen as antithetical to a proper Christian gathering. But as the tradition persisted, church leaders decided that if they couldn’t beat the decorated trees, they would adopt them as part of their own Christmas celebrations. ...

... 6. CHRISTMAS TREES CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

From their earliest days, Christmas trees have been fire hazards. Before electric lights were introduced, many families set open candles on their trees to illuminate them, which meant that each Christmas morning, the newspapers included stories of homes going up in flames when the branches ignited. Even when families abandoned the obvious hazard of open flames on the trees, the conifers could still cause major trouble once they dried out. In Philadelphia in 1878, Christmas trees caused two fires on the same street, first when a gas jet ignited a tree in a brownstone, then later that day when a dressmaker’s in-store tree went up. Today, trees can still pose a hazard if they are allowed to dry out. ...

... 10. SCIENTISTS ARE TRYING TO BUILD A BETTER CHRISTMAS TREE.

All those pine needles that accumulate below the tree each day may one day be a thing of the past. Washington State University plant pathologist Gary Chastagner, also known as “Mr. Christmas Tree,” led a five-year, $1.3 million research project partly aimed at helping Christmas trees retain their needles for longer. Chastagner and a team of researchers collected tree samples from farms throughout the country. They tested which were the most resistant to root rot and had the strongest needle retention, then sourced those for seeds to plant the next crop of Christmas trees.

11. CHRISTMAS TREES ARE VERY THIRSTY.

Each day, Christmas trees need a minimum of one quart of water per inch of diameter at their base. That’s far more water than many tree stands on the market are able to hold. In a test of 30 tree stands, Chastagner found that only two could contain enough water for all the tree sizes they were supposed to hold. About a quarter of them couldn’t even accommodate the hydration needs of the smallest tree they could hold. (In 2007, Chastagner tested whether Christmas trees could be hydrated with an I.V. drip, but that worked even less effectively than a traditional tree stand.)

#Happy Crimbo!#Christmas Trees

2 notes · View notes

latremoille · 3 years

Text

THE BASICS !

&&. announcing her grace, ( iéna sélène la trémoille ), the ( 31 ) year old ( duchess ) of ( alsace ). she is often confused with ( zoë kravitz ). some say that she is ( idealistic & stubborn ), but she is actually ( casual & curious ). ( ooc: anne )

THE STORY !

iéna la trémoille. she’s been many things throughout her life. the math nerd, the half-american, the little duchess, the artist, the eastern bitch, the lazy classmate... iéna has gone as many phases as the moon has. she has always had a great need to be everything and everyone at the same time. her curious nature made her rather unstoppable. it’s why iéna knows a little bit about everything but never enough to be well-versed in anything.

the first years of iéna’s life are as idyllic as they just can be. her parents spend all their time on her and dote on her. she learns to read around the age of four. all because her mother likes to teach her. a tragedy strikes just a month after iéna has turned six. her mother dies in a car crash, leaving the family of four nearly paralyzed. her younger brother is too young to really understand what’s going on.

a few year pass and her father remarries. the woman is nice. likable. but she isn’t a worthy replacement. iéna spends most of her time doing hobbies. and she has a plethora of them. on mondays she paints. on tuesdays she’s riding horses. on wednesdays she’s learning german. on thursdays she’s trying to become a contemporary dancer. on fridays she’s playing tennis. she was an active child, there’s no denying it.

only after her step-sister is born, she starts spending more time at home. the mansion begins to feel warm again. she’s gotten used to the new woman. iéna ditches every other hobby except for dance and art. she’s finally getting good !

then it’s time for her to go to uni. it’s difficult to choose what to do. iéna has never had difficulties finding a thing she is interested in. she has always had trouble choosing. so she listens to her father’s advice and picks political science. so she moves to the states for that. she’s got money so why not ? she gets to spend more time with her mother’s side of the family too. it’s a win-win. she gets her bachelour’s and decides it’s for the best if she takes a break. life’s too short for her to spend her best years on political theory.

so she moves to paris. spends her days doing absolutely nothing. it’s fun. she gets into dancing and art again. the next year she starts studying art in a parisian university. it’s just a fun degree to have !

she doesn’t finish the degree on time though. she starts her master’s studies during the third year of her art degree and just can’t find the time to actually do anything. she finishes both of the degrees at the same time. it’s 2016. she returns home to strasbourg, her father is not feeling very well and needs her to take over.

she spends 2016 and the first quarter of 2017 trying to figure out what she’s supposed to do. then her father passes away and she has no time to figure out anything. she just has to do. time is money, time is important. no one will wait around for her to figure things out.

iéna’s politics have been based on tight cooperation with germany. the majority of alsace speak german, german culture is very prevalent in alsace. hell, iéna herself finds german customs more familiar than french. she’s sick and tired of the king’s ambitious plans. she’s sick and tired of having to navigate through difficult questions. she’s sick and tired of having to defend his majesty while simultaneously condemning his actions. it’s been hell trying to keep alsace from going under since most of their business is with germany.

it’s why iéna takes germany’s actions very personally. she’s done nothing but tried to keep things civil only for germany to grab strasbourg for themselves. it’s something she can’t forgive them for.

THE QUESTIONS !

1. what has been your greatest achievement ?

“ my first year as a duchess. i didn’t screw up. i managed to see through a project my father hadn’t managed to finished before passing away. people like me based on 2017. it’s quite something. it wasn’t an easy year. fucking terrible if we’re being honest. but i managed. ”

2. what kind of a role does religion play in your life ? how do you feel about faith ?

“ i’m jewish so it definitely plays a role in my life. sometimes it matters more, sometimes less. my mother was pretty religious and she liked the community. she’s the reason i haven’t steered away from faith. judaism keeps me connected to my mother, i suppose. my mother cared a lot about our religion. she made sure i know all there was to know about judaism. but not even she could follow every rule. she was a bit too selfish for that, but hey, most 24-year-olds are, can’t blame her. she married my father. a very catholic man, publicly catholic anyways. my father was an important figure in alsace so the church had made him into their superstar. my dad couldn’t have cared less about god and the church. i think he would have converted for my mother if it had been an option for him. but to answer the actual question, because of my mother, i have appreciation for religion. i like the idea of a higher power. it makes the world more likable, i think. the community’s great, they keep me rooted. it’s so easy to connect with other people through religion. it’s what i’m thankful for. but i don’t think there’s any point in following the rules blindly. it’s more important to do what’s right by you. ”

THE EXTERIOR !

#hshqintro

8 notes · View notes

maddie-grove · 4 years

Text

My Top Ten Victorian (Ish) Romance Novels

Notes: Queen Victoria’s reign lasted from 1837 to 1901, but I learned in a literature class that sometimes the Victorian era is defined as lasting from 1832 (when the First Reform Act was passed) to 1901 (when Victoria died). When it comes to historical romance novels, I think the second definition works better; a romance set in 1831 usually comes at the tail end of a series or universe beginning in the 1810s/1820s and still has a Regency flavor, while a romance set 1832-1836 has a decidedly non-Regency feel. Incidentally, I’ve noticed that 1830s-set Harlequin Historicals are labeled “1830s,” rather than “Regency” or “Victorian.” No one knows what to do with the 1830s! Also, many of these novels are set in the USA. Three are specifically set in Chicago, which is kind of weird!

1. The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan (2013)

Exact Setting: 1860s England.

Premise: Politician Oliver Marshall has ambitions of enacting egalitarian laws, including the proposed Second Reform Bill, but his illegitimate birth and non-aristocratic upbringing make that an uphill battle. Then a marquess makes him a peculiar offer: in exchange for supporting the Second Reform Bill, he wants Oliver to publicly humiliate Jane Fairfield, an heiress who is despised by high society for her bad taste and oblivious rudeness. Oliver, too often the object of aristocratic bullying, has no desire to harm Jane, but he doesn’t feel that he can refuse the marquess outright. Then he realizes that Jane isn’t what she seems; instead, she’s a brave, clever, lonely woman who’s putting on an act so she can stay unmarried and continue protecting her younger sister. Also, he likes her and finds her wildly attractive, despite her nightmarish fashion sense.

Why I Like It: This is my favorite romance EVER. Jane is an all-time-great heroine: intelligent enough to engineer a complicated marriage-repellent scheme (and change it when circumstances require), strong enough to expose herself to ridicule out in the world (and come home to an uncle who thinks she’s inherently a bad person), and vulnerable enough to break your heart. Oliver, a bruised idealist who must reassess his go-along-to-get-along approach, is nearly as compelling. Their romance is full of top-notch banter and solidarity in the face of a world that wants them to be enemies. And there are almost too many excellent subplots to count: Jane’s sister’s secret romance with an Indian student at Cambridge, Oliver’s younger sister’s foray into activism, and Jane’s brittle frenemy-ship with the Johnson twins, to name a few.

Favorite Scene: The first time Jane drops her act in front of Oliver, or the defeat of the marquess.

2. A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole (2017)

Exact Setting: North Carolina, USA, during the Civil War.

Premise: Marlie Lynch's life has always been complicated. The daughter of a free Afro-Caribbean root worker, she spent half her childhood with her mother before being sent to live with her white paternal relatives. Now she works for two different secret organizations: the Underground Railroad (with the help and approval of her white abolitionist sister) and the black-Unionist-run spying organization the Loyal League (with the knowledge of no one). When she’s not doing that, she’s pursuing her scientific interests while still honoring and using her late mother’s rootworking practices. Her situation becomes even more fraught when she agrees to harbor Ewan McCall, an escaped Union POW, in a secret chamber behind her bedroom wall. They bond over their shared intellectual interests, but is there any time for romance when Marlie’s home is being overrun by loathsome Confederates?

Why I Like It: Many historical romances have good love stories but don’t do much with the setting, while a few excel at portraying the past but fail at creating a compelling central relationship. Alyssa Cole’s Loyal League novels are the total package, and the Southern-Gothic-tinged A Hope Divided is the standout among them. Marlie and Ewan’s courtship is portrayed with tenderness, intelligence, and delicacy. Cole brings just as much sharpness and nuance to her portrayal of the time and place, representing groups of people who tend to disappear in popular discussions about the Civil War. I also really appreciate Ewan as a character. His mind works differently from most people’s (in that he would probably now be considered to be on the autism spectrum), and he worries that he’s a bad person because he doesn’t feel a lot of angst about some morally complicated decisions he made in the past. The narrative does a good job of showing that Ewan is no better or worse than anyone else for using tools other than empathy in his moral reasoning. Also, Marlie is a top-tier Gothic heroine.

Favorite Scene: Marlie reflects on the villain’s oh-so-convenient conception of Southern womanhood. I’m also a big fan of the entirety of the bedroom-wall courtship.

3. The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan (2014)

Exact Setting: 1870s England.

Premise: After his hateful father and self-serving brother abandoned him to a grisly fate in war-torn Strasbourg, Edward Delacey narrowly survived, with his faith in himself and the world around him shattered. Now he’s back in England, and his younger brother stands to inherit the viscountcy that legally belongs to him. He’s not interested in the title; however, he does feel compelled to stop his brother from ruining the life of Frederica Marshall, a daring investigative reporter who writes about discrimination against women. As he lends his (jaded, reluctant) assistance, Frederica’s optimism begins to infect him...and that’s not the only reason he wants to stay around her.

Why I Like It: I love Frederica as Oliver’s little sister in The Heiress Effect, and she’s even better as the cocksure firebrand heroine of her own story. It’s rare that a heroine is allowed to be so successful in her chosen field at the beginning of a romance novel, but Milan accomplishes this while still giving Frederica enough vulnerabilities and flaws to make her interesting. Yet Edward, a wounded cynic who chooses to do good despite believing that he’s a garbage bag and the world is a shit-pile, is what really pushes the novel to all-time-great status. Their story is a wonderful illustration of the best things that love can do; his faith in the world is revived by her ideals, and her worst impulses are tempered by hearing about the lessons he’s learned in his darkest moments. Plus, they have some really funny banter.

Favorite Scene: Edward explains why torture is ineffective and wrong. (I put years of hard work into getting my torture degree at torture college! Fuck off!)

4. After the Wedding by Courtney Milan (2018)

Exact Setting: 1860s England.

Premise: After her father was accused of treason and committed suicide, Lady Camilla Worth was passed from home to increasingly shabby home, eventually fading into obscurity as Camilla Winters, a housemaid in a corrupt clergyman’s home. Adrian Hunter, the son of a black abolitionist activist and a white duke’s daughter, is visiting the clergyman in disguise to gather information when he and Camilla fall victim to a dastardly plot. Force to wed at literal gunpoint and thrown out of the house, they must work together to annul their marriage and get to the bottom of the clergyman’s sinister doings.

Why I Like It: Camilla is the first bisexual heroine I ever encountered in romance, so I was already primed to love her, but it would’ve happened regardless of her orientation. Desperate for any kind of affection after losing her family in a particularly cruel way, her struggle to find love while trying to protect herself is extremely moving. Adrian also has an affecting arc, in which he learns how to let go of family members who don’t really care about him and acknowledge his grief for his brothers who died in the Civil War. Finally, the conspiracy plot is absolutely explosive.

Favorite Scene: Camilla deals with trauma through legal research.

5. An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole (2019)

Exact Setting: USA (mainly Illinois and Mississippi) during the Civil War.

Premise: Daniel Cumberland once believed that freedom and justice would prevail for black people in America, but then he was kidnapped and enslaved for several months. Now free, he works for the Loyal League, fueled not by hope but by pure rage. Janeta Sanchez, a mixed-race Cuban-Floridian lady from a wealthy Confederate family, is also working for the Loyal League...as a double agent, because she believes that’s the only way to save her father. Paired with Daniel to gather intelligence about possible European aid, she begins to question her loyalties as she sees more of the world and gets to know the people her hypocritical white family has kept her away from. Daniel, meanwhile, begins to see a way of coping with his trauma and an uncertain future.

Why I Like It: Historical romance often shies away from the worst parts of history, or at least frames them as remaining firmly in the past. Alyssa Cole not only starkly portrays the horrors of American slavery, but also confronts head-on the terrifying realization that things do not inevitably improve over time. Yet Cole’s frankness doesn’t reduce the novel to a horror show; there is plenty of joy and kindness and hard-won hope between Daniel and Janeta. Deceived and guilted by her family into supporting an appalling cause that hurts her, Janeta is a complex heroine who develops wonderfully throughout the novel. Daniel is also one of the best-written heroes in romance. Finally, as in A Hope Divided, Cole sheds light on an aspect of the Civil War (the involvement of Europe) that doesn’t get a lot of attention in popular culture.

Favorite Scene: Janeta and Daniel talk alone for the first time.

6. Wild at Heart by Patricia Gaffney (1997)

Exact Setting: 1890s USA (Chicago, Illinois).

Premise: Lost as a child and raised by wolves in the wilds of Canada, the Lost Man has been discovered by “civilized” people and forced to “live” with a Chicago anthropologist for study. (Really, he’s being held captive.) Only Sydney Darrow, the anthropologist’s widowed daughter, has the sense/compassion to say, “Hey, maybe we should treat this man like a person and not keep him locked in a glorified cell where a disgruntled employee can taunt him.” She gently introduces the Lost Man back into human society, and the two find themselves getting along better and better. But can the Lost Man ever truly adjust to the human world? Or will he forever express his love by giving dead fish to people? Or is okay, sometimes, to express you love with dead fish?

Why I Like It: This is one of the most bizarre romances I’ve ever read. It sounds like a romance that someone made up for a sitcom. It sounds like a fever dream. It’s absolutely brilliant, too, because Gaffney commits. The Lost Man thinks of everything in animal terms; he accurately identifies Sydney’s aunt as the “dominant female” of the household, he has decided opinions about which animals are neat and which ones are pains in the ass, and he shows his love with a beautiful, freshly caught fish. There’s a real sense of loss in his arc; it’s necessary for him to transition into human society, but he’s also lost a beautiful, meaningful world. His romance with Sydney is also a great version of the Monster Boyfriend story; she’s the one who sees his humanity and recognizes many of his more “animal” traits as positive. The backdrop of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition is also charming.

Favorite Scene: Michael reflects on who’s hot (otters) and who’s not (wolverines) in the animal kingdom.

7. To Love and to Cherish by Patricia Gaffney (1995)

Exact Setting: 1850s England.

Premise: Jaded Anne Verlaine moves to the tiny village of Wyckerly after her wildly unhappy and unpleasant husband Geoffrey inherits a viscountcy. They’re greeted by Christian “Christy” Morrell, the local vicar and Geoffrey’s childhood best friend. Christy is dismayed to see the man Geoffrey has become, but he’s even more disconcerted by the attraction he feels for Anne...who returns his feelings.

Why I Like It: Although she stopped writing historical romance in the late nineties, Patricia Gaffney remains one of the most stylistically inventive and emotionally intense authors in the sub-genre. Anne, a warm and witty bohemian atheist, is a wonderfully unique heroine, while the sweet and scrupulous Christy is a similarly refreshing hero (and, really, an ideal clergyman, with high standards for himself and hardly a judgmental thought towards others). Despite the (delicious) angst involved in their relationship, they’re one of the most convincingly happy couples I’ve seen in romance; they don’t just grow close because of sexual chemistry or their shared complicated feelings about Geoffrey, but also because of their shared interests, oddly compatible senses of humor, and respect for each others’ differences. The village of Wyckerly is vividly portrayed, plus Gaffney makes great use of Anne’s writings and correspondence with Christy to shape the narrative.

Favorite Scene: Anne gets angry with Christy for being so good in the face of Geoffrey’s bullshit.

8. Silk Is for Seduction by Loretta Chase (2011)

Exact Setting: Mid-1830s England and France.

Premise: After emigrating from Paris to London, Marcelline Noirot and her two younger sisters started a dress shop catering to newly rich and middle-class women. Thanks to Marcelline’s innovative designs and her sisters’ sales/accounting skills, they now stand a chance to be the favorite shop of the entire aristocracy...but first they need an early adopter. Help comes in the form of Lady Clara Fairfax, a beautiful but dowdily dressed girl who’s starting to have doubts about her perfect-on-paper betrothed, the Duke of Clevedon. As Marcelline devises a new wardrobe for Clara and spends more time with Clevedon, it becomes more and more clear that Clevedon is perfect...for Marcelline.

Why I Like It: I’m a simple woman; I like elaborate descriptions of over-the-top 1830s fashion. What’s more, I love Marcelline. She’s a fully realized character with interests, talents, and history that have nothing to do with Clevedon; she misses the sweet husband she lost to an epidemic, is anxious to build a future for her young daughter and her sisters, and spends a lot of the book demonstrating her talents in gorgeous detail. Just like the massive gigot sleeves on her dresses, she takes up space. Overall, the romance resembles a really good 1930s romantic comedy; Clevedon is a great straight man, the love triangle is elegantly resolved, and everything just feels beautiful.

Favorite Scene: In one of the best sex scenes in romance, Marcelline tells Clevedon that she loves him, knows they don’t have a future, and wants him for one last night just the same.

9. The Hostage by Susan Wiggs (2000)

Exact Setting: 1870s USA (Chicago, Illinois and Isle Royale, Michigan)

Premise: Beautiful new-money heiress Deborah Sinclair has always done what’s expected of her. When her aristocratic betrothed shows his true colors, though, she works up the courage to tell her dad that she wants out. Unfortunately, Mr. Sinclair is not receptive...and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 is literally happening around them...and this random dude just showed up to kidnap her in all the chaos! Before she knows it, she’s on a boat to remote Isle Royale with Tom Silver, a rugged frontiersman who lost many of his friends and his adopted son in a mining accident caused by Mr. Sinclair’s negligence. Because Mr. Sinclair was found not legally liable, Tom has resorted to holding Deborah for ransom. Although he has no desire to harm her, he’s prepared to hate the daughter of his greatest enemy; she’s also not too fond of him, given that he kidnapped her and all. As they wait for Mr. Sinclair’s reply on Isle Royale, however, they get to know each other better.

Why I Like It: I never thought I’d love a kidnapping romance that wasn’t Beauty and the Beast, but Susan Wiggs can sell me on pretty much anything. (It helps that Tom has excellent motives, yet isn’t validated by the narrative for choosing to kidnap Deborah.) This is one of the best adventure-romances that I’ve ever read; much of the first act is an incredibly tense, complicated chase sequence through the flaming inferno of Chicago, while the later chapters consist of their trying to survive together on Isle Royale in the depths of winter. The emotional journeys of the characters are just as compelling as their physical ones. One of my favorite romance tropes is when one protagonist feels like they should hate the other one, but instead ends up going “wow, this person is obviously not doing okay...wait, am I worried? Should I help them? Actually, I kind of admire them now???” The Hostage has this trope in abundance.

Favorite Scene: The entire part where they’re trapped on Isle Royale together. So many survival details! So cathartic!

10. The Firebrand by Susan Wiggs (2001)

Exact Setting: 1870s USA (Chicago, Illinois)

Premise: Outspoken and awkward, Lucy Hathaway (Deborah Sinclair’s BFF) is a failure at being a lady, but she’s far too passionate about women’s suffrage and dress reform to care (much) about society’s scorn. On the night of the Great Chicago Fire, her world is upended in two ways: her family loses most of their money, and she catches a baby who got thrown out of a burning hotel window. Years later, she’s a kick-ass activist and single mom running a proto-feminist bookstore. Then she learns that her daughter’s father, banker Randall Higgins, is still alive. Once a proud, thoroughly conventional family man, Rand has been a practical recluse since the fire that scarred his face, ended his marriage, and (he thought) killed his daughter. He’s overjoyed to have his daughter back, but now he and Lucy must figure out a way to raise the child that they both love so much.

Why I Like It: I was worried when I began this novel, because Rand starts out as a smug, boring sexist who thinks that a woman’s place is in the home. I would probably hate the book if Rand didn’t end up completely changing his worldview, agreeing with Lucy’s parenting methods, and risking the wrath of his bank colleagues by joining Lucy at a protest. As it is, Rand’s character development is incredibly satisfying, particularly because it’s emotionally realistic. (Instead of being swayed entirely by romantic love or overwhelmed by Lucy’s vast superiority, he learns to see things from her perspective and recognizes that her actions make the world a better place.) Lucy, for her part, is probably one of my top ten heroines. She’s an active, thoroughly engaged progressive who listens to people more marginalized than her without making a big show of it; she’s a thoughtful mom who genuinely likes her weird kid; and she’s got massive insecurities and a stubborn streak that keep her from being too perfect.

Favorite Scene: Rand sees Lucy’s ideals reflected in their daughter’s response to his kind-of-messed-up face.

Further Note: Is Victorianish my favorite type of historical romance? I think it is!

#romance novels #books #reading #the heiress effect #a hope divided #the suffragette scandal #after the wedding #an unconditional freedom #wild at heart #to love and to cherish #silk is for seduction #the hostage #the firebrand #courtney milan #alyssa cole #patricia gaffney #loretta chase #susan wiggs

39 notes · View notes

summer-gretch · 4 years

Text

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗴

Strasbourg was the last city we visited in Alsace. And just like all Alsace towns, this city is a wonderful blend of French and German culture. And you can just imagine how charming this city is. It is bigger than Colmar, yet the old town is small and is perfect for tourists to wander.

What will attract you the most is the “Petite-France”, where the holiday makers enjoy wandering. Among the stunning sights you’ll see are the cobblestone streets, the Ill river and the well-preserved timbered homes. We also crossed the “Pont du Faisan”, a swing bridge in the old town where it allows the little boats to pass through.

Panoramic views by the bridge

♡ The colorful Strasbourg

I can’t get over with the stunning sights of the town that I had to stopped and took pictures of it.

More of Strasbourg

DO YOU HAVE A SWEETH TOOTH?

If you are fond of sweets, then try the nougats here in Strasbourg.

Nougat means “nut cake”. A common confection you’ll find here in Strasbourg.

CATHÉDRALE NOTRE-DAME DE STRASBOURG

Who wouldn’t notice Strasbourg’s cathedral? From afar, you will see a peerless structure that will take your breath away, from the outside to the inside. It is considered to be among the finest example of Gothic architecture.

An astronomical clock located inside the cathedral, attracted many tourists’ attention.

Erwin von Steinbach, was a German architect who was considered as the major contributor in building the cathedral.

Me and the musician .

The Grande-Ill, including Neustadt are recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The quiet side

Strasbourg is absolutely worth a visit. I believe there’s no need for me to say this. For sure, whoever will see Strasbourg even on web pages will definitely add this city to their travel bucket list.

The reformed church of Saint Paul

Salut Strasbourg! ツ

#travel #strasbourg #alsace #france #france travel #inlovewiththeworld

10 notes · View notes

newstfionline · 3 years

Text

Monday, November 30, 2020

Turns out working from home means more work (LinkedIn) Employees around the world put in on average half an hour more each day while working from home during lockdowns, workplace software developer Atlassian says in a report. Out of the 65 countries studied, only Brazil and China logged shorter hours during the crisis. Based on when employees interacted with Atlassian’s software, the study also found that people started to shift their workload from the afternoons to mornings and evenings—suggesting greater flexibility, but also a trend of work intruding on what is typically considered downtime.

A professor offered to deliver Thanksgiving meals to all her students (Washington Post) When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued recommendations against traveling or gathering for Thanksgiving, Liz Pearce, a longtime lecturer at the University of Iowa, was worried for her students. “I was afraid many of them might be spending the holiday alone, without a proper Thanksgiving meal,” said Pearce, 61. “I’m a mom and wouldn’t want anybody to feel alone and sad.” Plus, she added, “a lot of local businesses are closing down, and many students work part time in the restaurants and bars, so their sources of income have dried up.” The communication studies professor and mother of four swiftly drafted an email to her 130 students on Thursday, spontaneously offering to hand-deliver a warm, traditional Thanksgiving meal. Finally, Pearce offered to provide additional portions for roommates or significant others. Then, she hit send, having no idea her thoughtful gesture would soon go viral. Within hours, the post amassed close to 1 million likes, over 70,000 retweets, and thousands of comments. For Pearce, the offer to cook for her students was “no big deal,” she said. “I just wanted everyone to know that there was room at my virtual table.” Pearce’s children are especially excited about cooking for students this Thanksgiving, she said. In fact, her 10-year-old son asked to make it an annual tradition. Given the outpouring of support, Pearce decided to pass along the same email to the whole undergraduate class of more than 600 people. She wants to ensure that anyone staying behind in Iowa City is well taken care of. “I don’t want any one student to feel like they are alone,” said Pearce.

Pandemic calls off Christmas markets in Europe (AP) The European plazas where people would usually gather at crowded stalls to partake in hot mulled wine, gingerbread, sausages and other delicacies are just empty squares. Christmas markets, a cherished tradition in Germany and neighboring countries, have joined the long list of annual traditions that were canceled or diminished this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. November saw many European countries impose partial or tougher lockdowns as new virus cases soared. The restrictions are either being retained or only partially loosened as Advent begins Sunday. Nuremberg’s sprawling, bustling Christkindlesmarkt, one of Germany’s best known holiday markets and traditionally a big tourist draw, was called off a month ago. Markets across the country—including in Frankfurt, Dortmund and many in Berlin—have suffered the same fate, with authorities canceling the events or organizers concluding that it didn’t make sense to push ahead with their plans. Over the border in France, the roughly 300 stalls of Strasbourg’s popular Christmas market won’t go up this year. And it’s the same story in the Belgian capital, Brussels.

French protesters clash with police over new security law (AFP) Violent clashes erupted in Paris Saturday as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest against new security legislation, with tensions intensified by the police beating and racial abuse of a black man that shocked France. Several fires were started in Paris, sending acrid smoke into the air, as protesters vented their anger against the security law which would restrict the publication of police officers’ faces. Some 46,000 people marched in Paris and 133,000 in total nationwide, the interior ministry said. Protest organisers said some 500,000 joined nationwide, including 200,000 in the capital. President Emmanuel Macron said late Friday that the images of the beating of black music producer Michel Zecler by police officers in Paris last weekend “shame us”. The incident had magnified concerns about alleged systemic racism in the police force.

Pope urges finding good even from pandemic (AP) Pope Francis is encouraging people to try to take away something good “even from the difficult situation that the pandemic forces on us.” Addressing faithful gathered a safe distance apart in vast St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Francis offered these suggestions: “greater sobriety, discrete and respectful attention to neighbors who might be in need, some moments of prayer in the family with simplicity.” Francis said that “these three things will help us a lot.”

Turkey’s new virus figures confirm experts’ worst fears (AP) When Turkey changed the way it reports daily COVID-19 infections, it confirmed what medical groups and opposition parties have long suspected—that the country is faced with an alarming surge of cases that is fast exhausting the Turkish health system. In an about-face, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government this week resumed reporting all positive coronavirus tests—not just the number of patients being treated for symptoms—pushing the number of daily cases to above 30,000. With the new data, the country jumped from being one of the least-affected countries in Europe to one of the worst-hit. That came as no surprise to the Turkish Medical Association, which has been warning for months that the government’s previous figures were concealing the graveness of the spread and that the lack of transparency was contributing to the surge. The group maintains, however, that the ministry’s figures are still low compared with its estimate of at least 50,000 new infections per day. The country’s hospitals are overstretched, medical staff are burned out and contract tracers, who were once credited for keeping the outbreak under check, are struggling to track transmissions, Sebnem Korur Fincanci, who heads the association, told The Associated Press. “It’s the perfect storm,” said Fincanci, whose group has come under attack from Erdogan and his nationalist allies for questioning the government’s figures and its response to the outbreak.

South Korea bans year-end parties, some music lessons, as virus spikes again (Reuters) South Korean authorities announced a ban on year-end parties and some music lessons on Sunday and said public saunas and some cafes must also close after coronavirus infections surged at their fastest pace since the early days of the pandemic. South Korea has been one of the world’s coronavirus mitigation success stories but spikes in infections have reappeared relentlessly, triggering alarm in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said restrictions would be tightened on gatherings and activities seen as prone to virus transmission, especially in the capital Seoul and surrounding urban areas.

Severe fire danger for Australia as temperatures smash records (Reuters) Parts of Australia, including Sydney, sweltered through the hottest November night on record with temperatures likely to stay high on Sunday, prompting authorities to issue a total fire ban. Sydney CBD surpassed 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) on Saturday while swathes of western New South Wales, South Australia and northern Victoria baked through even higher temperatures nearing 45 degrees. Temperatures are expected to cross 40 degrees for a second straight day on Sunday while the Bureau of Meteorology has predicted a five or six-day heatwave for parts of northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland.

Attack on Afghan army base with car bomb kills at least 30 (Washington Post) A Humvee laden with explosives backed by gunmen struck an Afghan army base in central Afghanistan Sunday, killing at least 30 people and wounding 16, according to local officials. Local media is reporting that most of the casualties were members of the security forces. The bombing is one of the single deadliest attacks to strike Afghanistan in recent months, where violence has been on the rise nationwide despite ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government in Doha. Ghazni, seated along a key highway that connects the Afghan capital to the country’s south, is one of the least stable provinces in Afghanistan, with roughly two-thirds of its districts controlled or contested by Taliban fighters.

Sudan inflation soars, raising spectre of hyperinflation (Reuters) Inflation in Sudan has risen to one of the highest levels in the world, and the country risks slipping into hyperinflation unless it gets its budget deficit and money supply under control, economists say. The government has run up enormous budget deficits by subsidising the cost of fuel, then financed the deficits by printing money. This has debased the currency, weakening it against other currencies and driving inflation up to annual 230% in October, according to the state statistics bureau. The skyrocketing prices have led many consumers to spend their salaries quickly, particularly on durable items that hold their value. Idrees Abdelmoniem, who works in marketing at an engineering company in Khartoum, said he had snapped up car spare parts and furniture, but was not as quick with food and drink, whose prices were not increasing as fast. “If I have something I want to buy outside of the monthly house supplies, I buy it as soon as I get money, and I won’t even try to haggle because tomorrow it could be double the price,” he said.

Ethiopia says military operation in Tigray region is over (Reuters) The Ethiopian government launched a manhunt on Sunday for leaders of a rebellious faction in the northern region of Tigray after announcing federal troops had taken over the regional capital and military operations were complete. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed government has been trying to quell a rebellion by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a powerful ethnically-based party that dominated the central government from 1991 until Abiy came to power in 2018. He said on Saturday evening federal troops had taken control of the Tigrayan capital Mekelle within hours of launching an offensive there, laying to rest fears of protracted fighting in the city of 500,000 people. The prime minister, who refers to the three-week-old conflict as an internal law and order matter and has rebuffed international offers of mediation, said federal police will try to arrest TPLF “criminals” and bring them to court. However, TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael told Reuters in a text message on Saturday evening that TPLF forces would fight on, raising the prospect that the conflict could drag on.

#headlines #news

1 note · View note

merrysithmas · 5 years

Note

hi! what are your predictions for boris and theo’s future after the end of the novel? are they going to move together and where - new york or antwerp? is boris going to get clean? is theo going to find out boris lied about his wife and kids? please share your thoughts I’m really curious!

I don’t have any predictions bc I know that Donna will just ruin their lives - Lmao. But my FANTASY is that Theo becomes some kind of tenured art professor that travels back and forth from NYC to London with his grants from the high-brow University he works for — he’s head of Art History and looks up to the Dean of his school as a mentor and mother-figure (can’t get away from that one, can ya Theo).

Boris works in his underground Odessa mafia crime syndicate - stationed in Antwerp but often traveling to NYC, Tel Aviv, Miami, Budapest, London, Amsterdam, and various other places — Theo kind of on the DL works as his stony-faced accountant being a bit knowledgable on the laundering and financial fraud end of things himself (he used to dabble in millions in art fraud himself) and fine arts consultant, and everyone knows they are these inseparable partners of unknown dynamic. Boris, flippant and personable and wily, Theo quiet and elitist and aloof - always at each other’s sides.

So Theo’s become a bit of a “we have to find lost and stolen relics and return them to the places where they truly belong, or the very least to a museum!” and uses his grant money from his University to investigate such matters and has been successful in several returns (cue proud newspaper articles that Hobie framed and puts up on the mantle) and has brought some amount of prestige to the University.

However Theo’s philanthropic fixation often clashes with Boris’ “holy fuck this is worth 300 million dollars” attitude and there are hijinx, usually with Boris always caving and/or Theo making it worth his while by appealing to his Boris-ly interests (i.e. “Please I need your resources to go to Syria” “Are you fucking kidding me? For what a plank of wood?” “It’s a sacred Persian relic and it’s in the hands of people like Martin!” “Listen to my words, Potter. It is. plank. of fucking. wood.” “Fuck you, Boris. There will be gold.” “... Gold? How much gold exactly?”).

So as Theo dabbles in Boris’ life, Boris also pops up in Theo’s, unexpectedly interrupting Theo’s lectures in the halls of European museums, waving to the kids, pulling Theo away for “just a moment” as he explains someone in the museum in trying to kill him insisting they “switch coats” and Theo has to hide him in the archives. Or he plops down while Theo is eating outside in a café in Strasbourg, casually sitting down across from him while Theo grades papers and smiles to himself at the familiar shadow falling on his gradebook (they eventually get into a fight and Theo calls him a “walking contraceptive” before he blusters off and Boris is left to eat the rest of Theo’s brunch in the company of a bunch of diners who are side-eying him, taking to reading a paper Theo left behind while finishing his Gerwurztraminer).

Or Boris is exhuasted, burning the midnight oil, black rings under his eyes, thinner than usual, wiry and punkish, under the gun, dead asleep on Theo’s couch in his office at his London library University headquarters, and Theo carefully tucks a heavy woolen blanket around his shoulders as he sleeps like the dead, deep tired breaths, safe, at home, as the rain pours down like a flood outside and Theo smokes quietly in the dark working on another grant proposal.

Or Theo turns up at Boris’ door in Antwerp, late nightcap after a surprise flight for a conference and seminar that he hasn’t told Boris about, and he sees Boris has barely eaten for weeks, holed up after trying to figure he and his gang’s way out of some absolute fuckery they got themselves into and losing one of his longtime members in the process — grieving and he can’t show anyone else and it hurts. And Theo runs his hand through Boris’ hair, and Boris closes tired, red eyes. And Theo is cooking him a meal at 3am, putting on some boiling hot tea, insisting he “come home” for a while. To New York.

New York City in the winter — operas and symphonies — snow falling like feathers and covering Central Park, winter holidays from school and Theo doesn’t have work, gallery events at museums that Boris can complain about - the Old Rich Hierarchal stuffiness - the insulting of which always makes him feel a bit better. Old movies and (bad, hard) drugs and stealing shit for old times sake from Duane Reade even though Boris has enough money for the two of them to span three lifetimes. Hot showers after getting in from the freezing cold and Theo’s apartment is meticulous and Boris disturbs it like a tornado. And they sleep in and for some brief moments, sometimes, tipped over vodka bottles, creaking floorboards in the night, city sounds and Vegas-bright Christmas lights, it’s like they’re kids again.

Meanwhile on the other end Boris’ gang is like a second family to Theo — Myriam, Gyuri, Cherry, Anatoly, Shirley T, Dima (and all their girlfriends, wives, boyfriends - sometimes all three): one is constantly showing up in rotation somehow in Theo’s life. Either randomly in London pulling him off the street “casually” SWEARING he’s not the subject of an assassination plot, or turning up sheepishly and/or desperately at his doorstep for some Boris un-sanctioned advice that Theo feels he is not exactly equipped to give (advice on girlfriends or spurned wives or cheating or kids or haircuts or boobjobs or what’s “in fashion in New York”) but they keep showing up like he’s the crew psychologist so he just pulls out the dining chair at this point. Myriam, now a close friend forged by their mutual taste for the High End of life, keeps an eye on Boris for Theo when Theo is across the ocean — she knows why, of course, they all do, an open secret. The whole gang has them, a criminal syndicate of misfits.

And one day Theo comes to Boris with a proposal to go to Siberia to retrieve an ancient sacred object called The Divine Source (an source of immortality) that was coveted and obscured by the Soviet Union and Boris is like fuck no Fuck no because if there is one place on Earth that Boris fears and sends a shiver up his spine and he doesn’t fuck with - it’s Mother Russia. Growing up in post-Soviet countries it’s an unspoken unanimous agreement among the gang, an overhanging government that has mostly wanted or had their eyes on them all since they were kids for various reasons - stealing or living on the street or used by street gangs - something you don’t want to get involved with or retamper.

And Theo’s a bit obtuse, still American for all his worldly ventures and education, having grown up in relative privilege from a sociological standpoint, and is super upset about Boris’ refusal to help (and thus, his gang’s refusal to help) - thinking they’re overreacting or being bombastic about their fears. The Dean is insisting on his help and Boris has long held suspicions about this lady and has kept it to himself because of Theo’s adulation of her (Boris knows Theo and mother figures are let’s say, a sensitive spot). Not wanting to disappoint the University (and moreover - her) Theo says fine he’ll just go alone to which Boris freaks the fuck out claiming its dangerous and he’s going to get himself killed and the Dean is an untrustworthy bitch who is manipulating him.

Cue an all-out end-of-times fight with Theo basically saying fuck him for all time, he’s done. And Theo leaves for Siberia by way of Syria, and Boris is fuming, left behind.

Long story short Theo gets betrayed by the Dean in a moment of gutwrenching horrifying realization - he was being used, Boris was right, now she has the relic and he’s going to die alone and freezing to fucking death, shot by some operative from the secret organization that Dean is in — he hears footsteps, sees the armored guard walking towards him with a gun, feels his stomach drop and braces himself and then Pow - the guy falls to the ground after a blow to the head revealing— Boris, behind him.

And Theo, overjoyed, alive, is asking how the fuck he got here, what he’s doing here— to which Boris replies incredulously Who do you think has been keeping you safe all this time?

Then Boris, who is very much on edge in this place, gets captured and tortured and Theo is forced to find and hand over the Divine Source in exchange for his life — which he does, terrified of the Source getting into their hands but more terrified of losing Boris. The Source is then greedily opened and eats all of their souls (because of moral impurity reasons but spares Theo and Boris for their self-sacrifcing devotion to each other) a la Raiders of the Lost Ark because of what Theo discovers, excitedly, was a mistranslation in Aramaic (thief of eternal life, not giver) and Boris is like — talk about what do you call it? false advertising.

So they return back to Antwerp with nothing but they’ve got each other and they snooze hard on each other on the plane ride back — several pounds of gold glinting away in Boris’ carry-on under the seat, alongside some old notes of other obscure and stolen relics, because he unknowingly picked up the Dean’s bag, not his, when escaping the sacred city.

So basically their life is a mix of Lara Croft video games (when I got the Divine Source storyline lmao but added a few things), Eastern Promises, The Odd Couple, The Da Vinci Code, and dark academia mixed with shitton of doping. With this mostly unspoken bi-continental devotion to each other over-arching it all.

#ask #anon #these hcs brought to you by myself and terriblygrimm #the goldfinch #boreo #sorry this is so long #soft fantasies lol where they live

79 notes · View notes