𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒎

aurora liliana di savoia montavon queen of switzerland

[mcntavcn]

𝐴𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑟𝑎 𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟’𝑠 𝐸𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑦.

[mcntavcn]

*    — — —    𝟎𝟎𝟐    :    𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑖 𝑑𝑖 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑎.    \    giorxcci‌.

“I’ll have to pass this time around. I’m sure Guiliano has your hands tied at the moment.” Fun bets weren’t uncommon, they bet on just about anything. “Yeah, you got me.” He held up his hands, shaking them a bit. Boring, Gio would blame it on their age difference coming from her. “Think of something else then. It’s no fun if you’ve already had a bob. Maybe a mohawk?” It was a joke yet he didn’t smile. “Shame on me, how could I forget.”

            ❛    ARE  YOU  SURE    ?    MULTITASKING  IS  one  of  my  specialties  ,  but  i  understand  if  you  feel  intimidated  .    ❜    her  tone  isn’t  understanding    ;    it’s  condescending  ,  but  she  doesn’t  think  anything  of  it  .    ❛    i  knew  it  .    ❜    she  brings  the  wine  glass  to  her  lips  ,  but  has  to  pull  it  away  given  his  suggestion  .  she  has  to  wonder  if  he’s  being  serious  .    ❛    a  queen  can’t  be  seen  with  a  mohawk  ,  giovanni  .  you’re  digging  your  own  grave  .    ❜    she  finally  sips  on  her  wine  .    ❛    do  you  really  think  i’d  be  nice  to  you  by  choice    ?    my  goodness  .    ❜

[mcntavcn]

*    — — —    𝟎𝟎𝟐    :    𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑎 𝑑𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑐̧𝑎.    \    barbiebraganca‌.

“ it is impossible to run from the genes. ” barbara was only half italian but the pride in it came from being a member of the house of savoy which was bigger than just having an ancestry — she had a title. “ i learn fast. that is because there are a lot of us to pick from, if you’re tired of someone’s face you can just find a similar one and go with them. personalities aren’t so far apart either. ” she shrugs. those were only half truths — they shared many traits which probably came from all the time they spent together but in another points they had their differences. “ yes, let’s not even sign him for tests, he’s an instant turn down. he also told me i’m rubbing off on you, as if he didn’t know we’re two sides of the same coin already. maybe he had some hope that you’d like him more. ”

            ❛    I’D  SAY  UNFORTUNATELY  BUT  I  had  to  get  my  looks  from  somewhere    &    it  certainly  wasn’t  my  father  .    ❜    so  enthusiastic  ,  but  anyone  who  knows  aurora  knows  how  much  she  dislikes  her  father    &    that  she’s  closer  to  her  mother’s  side  of  the  family  than  she  is  to  his  .  she  figures  it’s  just  a  force  of  habit  .    ❛    i’d  expect  nothing  less  .  i  suppose  so  ,  but  some  of  them  i  have  less  tolerance  for  .  we  can’t  all  be  smart    &    charming    &    get  away  with  it  ,    ❜    rory  teases  .  she  wouldn’t  trade  them  for  the  world  ,  though  ,    &    if  they  ever  needed  her  for  anything  she’s  be  the  first  jetting  it  to  wherever  they  are  .    ❛    he  shouldn’t  even  be  a  consideration  .  perhaps  he  did  ,  but  have  you  see   his  hair    ?    i’d  rather  not  be  seen  with  someone  who  looks  like  they  use  baby  shampoo    &    shops  from  the  discount  rack  at  bloomingdales  .    ❜

[mcntavcn]

*    — — —    𝟎𝟎𝟐    :    𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑎 𝑑𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑐̧𝑎.    \    barbiebraganca.

“ an apple never falls too far from the tree. ” as her mother said: every single woman in their family was the same as her grandmother, celine — the one they inherited it all from. it wasn’t a bad thing, barbie admired her nonna like nobody else. “ maybe that’s me coming for your place. of course i know; that was a rhetorical question, rory, dani, me and two little lions here are your salvation. ” her obsession with lions obviously didn’t get any smaller as she, without even noticing, started calling her unborn children that. maybe it would change once she had names set in stone for them but maybe not. “ hm, sebastiano is my actual favorite and who would we laugh at during parties if we didn’t have giuliano ? maybe we’ll banish a selective group of men. gio is definitely out, i don’t care what you say. ”

            ❛    UNLESS  IT’S  PICKED  UP  BY  somebody  else  ,  but  once  a  savoia    always    a  savoia  .    ❜    their  family  may  not  all  be  in  the  same  country    any  more    but  there’s  a  level  of  devotion  that comes  with  being  a    part    of  this  family  .    ❛    you’ll  have  a  hard  job  .  i’ve  been  doing    this    for  thirty - five  years  ,  my  darling  .  well  ,  i  have  to  have    some    ,    &    with  our  family  ,  they  don’t  really  make  it  difficult  .    ❜    although    she  loves  each  member  of  her  family  individually  ,  aurora  has    always    had  a  stronger  connection  with  barbie  than  the  rest  .  she’ll    always    be  more  like  a  younger  sister  to  her    &    there’s    very    little  rory  wouldn’t  do  for  her  ,  even  if  they  were  countries  apart  .    ❛    okay    ,  let’s  place  auditions  .  i  thought  giovanni  was  gone    already    ?    can  you  believe  he  had  the  nerve  to  say  you’re    influencing    how  i  treat  him    ?    i  have  never  heard  such  preposterous    language    in  my  entire  life    !    ❜

[mcntavcn]

*    — — —    𝟎𝟎𝟐    :    𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑖 𝑑𝑖 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑎.    \    giorxcci.

“I don’t think you have it in you.” He smiled cheekily but his words were not a challenge. She didn’t have the reach on him. “That is a nice offer but I will have to decline. I’ve never been bald in my life and I don’t think testing the waters now will help anyone. But you, on the other hand, what do you have to lose?” Although, it may help him keep up the fight against an arrangement. “When you first arrived, you were so sweet to me. I think you’ve been hanging out with Barbara too much already. She’s a subtle bully.”

            ❛    YOU  UNDERESTIMATE  ME  ,  GIOVANNI  .  I  already  have  a  bet  with  giuliano  ,    don’t    make  me  start  one  with  you  too  .    ❜    she  has  bets  with  her    uncles    on  a  regular  basis  ,  ones  which  she  has  a    stubborn    determination  to  win  .    ❛    wow  ,  i  always  knew  you  were    boring    but  i  never  knew  you  were  a  wuss  ,  too  .  i’d  cut  my    hair    into  a  bob  .  it’s  nothing  i  haven’t  done  before  .    ❜    she    shrugs    her  shoulders  ,  hand  grasped  around  her  signature  glass  of  wine  .    ❛    how    dare    you  even  insinuate  that  i  wasn’t  otherwise  like  this  .    ❜

[mcntavcn]

*    — — —    𝟎𝟎𝟐    :    𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑎 𝑑𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑐̧𝑎.    \    catarinabraganca.

“One summer I tried to use the excuse of it being too hot so I needed to stay inside. It didn’t really work,“ she laughed softly and shook her head. “I’ll be waiting for her call then. What is going on with her? I might have to go over there and make her pick up her phone. Have you spoken to your father? I don’t know how she does it. She just goes on and on and on.“ It almost seemed to be genetic, Cat wouldn’t deny that her whole family quite enjoyed talking. Maybe not as much her mother though. “I don’t understand it. These people are disrespecting us. Have you seen how some people do pizza these day? It’s like they don’t even care. That’s why you need to get more kids, so you always have some little ones. You’ll have to help me then, they seem tired of me now. A snowman? It’s too cold for that!“

            ❛    THAT’S  BECAUSE  PEOPLE  ARE  INCONSIDERATE  ,  aunt  cat  .  some  summers  are    far    too  hot  to  even  consider  healthy  yet  some    people    do  not  understand  that  .  what  is  the  world    coming    to    ?    ❜    she  tsks  . a  bittersweet  smile  is  on  her  lips  as  they    discuss    her  mother  .    ❛    i’m  sure  talking  to  you  would  make  her  feel  much    better    ;    she’s  been  so  quiet  lately  .  i  haven’t  spoken  to  my    father    since  he  had  an  affair  ,  but  my  mother  is  somehow  able  to    forgive    him  .  i  honestly  have  no  idea  why  .  she  could  make  a    conversation    out  of  a  cardboard  box  ,  but  wouldn’t  we  be    worried    if  she  couldn’t    ?    ❜    being  reserved    &    being  a  savoia  don’t    really    work  well    ;    they’re  such  a  huge  family  that    whenever    they  get  together  ,  any  sort  of  silence  is    foreign    .    ❛    it’s  so  upsetting  .  all  of  these  tools  they’re  flashing  around  are  nothing    compared    to  tradition  .  i  don’t  think  we’ll  be  having  any    more    little  ones any  time  soon  .  noah  is  still  so  young  .  i  could    send    them  a  paragraph or  two  ,  say  some  things  they  couldn’t  possibly    ignore    .  but  it’ll  be  fun    !    is  nando  around    ?    perhaps  he’d    like    to  help  .    ❜

[antiqone]

A Simple Favor (2018), dir. Paul Feig

[mcntavcn]

*    — — —    𝟎𝟎𝟐    :    𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑖 𝑑𝑖 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑎.    \    giorxcci.

Gio narrowed his eyes, “short? What makes you think I don’t want it long? I may even be trying to grow a mullet here.” He ran a hand swiftly through his hair. Short, back, and sides, he mumbled to himself before returning, “ Dio, that is only fit for a prepubescent boy that thinks a tapered look will make him a debonair.” Even the scruffiest of boys shaped up nice with a haircut, he could admit this.  “I’ll consider it if you try a bob?”

            ❛    BECAUSE  IF  YOU  LET  IT  grow  long  i  will  personally  shave  every  last  bit  of  hair    off    your  head  as  well  as  any  dignity  you  have  left  thereafter  ,    ❜    she    says    in  a  sickly  sweet  tone  ,  folding  her  arms  over  her    chest    as  she  rolls  her  eyes  at  his  words  .    ❛    well  ,  then  ,  it’ll  fit  you    perfectly    .  i’m  so  glad  you’re  finally  accepting  you’re  true  self  .    ❜    aurora    chokes    on  air  a  little  a  his  preposition  ,  pursing  her  lips  .    ❛    i    will    after  the  new  year  if  you  go  bald  .    ❜

[mcntavcn]

*    — — —    𝟎𝟎𝟏    :    𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑖 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒.    \    vnncli.

anneli’s eyes settle on the item in the queen’s hand. she has no opinion; she never does. “ i like the colour, ” she replies honestly and shrugs. she knows there is something she isn’t getting about it. there’s a reason why she sticks to her greyscale wardrobe — the splashes of color she occasionally adds are part of her stylist’s vision, not hers. “ do colours really go out of fashion ? ” she is frowning now. “ i always pick whatever i just think looks nice. it’s quite simple that way. ” then again, she has never been called a fashion icon.

            AURORA  HUMS  .  ALTHOUGH  SHE  ISN’T  considered  a  modern  day  fashion  icon  ,  she    still    has  her  own  style  that  she’s  very  peculiar  about  .    ❛    hm    ...  i’m  still  not  completely  sold  .  i  feel  like  it  would  look  a    little    too  dark  on  a  white  christmas  tree  .    ❜    she  hums  ,  moving  along  to  the    next    sample  of  baubles  that  were  presented  to  her  .  rose  gold  .    ❛    of  course    they  do  .  i  believe  a  lot  of  people  have  been    adoring    mustard  recently    ?    it’s  not  my  cup  of  tea  ,  but  apparently  people    love    it  .    ❜    she  hums  ,  smiling  at  her  friend  .    ❛    well  ,  for  someone  who    doesn’t    know  a  lot  about  fashion  you  certainly  dress    yourself    a  lot  better  than  most  people  i  know  .    ❜

[mcntavcn]

*    — — —    𝟎𝟎𝟐    :    𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑎 𝑑𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑐̧𝑎.    \    barbiebraganca.

“ and that’s the barbie you see. i don’t change, rory, i improve. ” another classic barbara choice of words. her cockiness would always be accompanied by a load of humour even if she meant every word she said. “ smart decision, plus i’m the only person you could take that would understand how much you need the rest. how many of your  friends have small children ? ” she finishes the question with an arched brow. daniel and noah would keep each other company — it was visible how much those two liked each other. “ well, you won the lottery. congratulations. should we start a petition within the royal family to banish all the men from italy ? make it the world’s feminist capital. ah, forget it, won’t work — we have too many of them in our family as well. italy’s doomed. ”

            ❛    I  WOULDN’T  HAVE  IT  ANY  other  way  .  like  a  true  savoia  woman  .    ❜    she    nods    her  head  in  appreciation  .  any  savoia  has  a  certain  level  of    confidence    that  can’t  be  swayed  nor  disrupted  ,  which  aurora  has    always    seen  as  what  naturally  occurs  when  you  come  from  such  a    powerful    family  .    ❛    that’s  also  very  true  .  you  need  to  stop  being  right  so    often    ,  you’re  starting  to  sound  almost  as  clever  as  me  .    you    &    i  both  know  i  don’t  do  friends  very  well  ,  but  the  select  few  i  have    don’t    .    ❜    even  from  a  young  age  rory  struggled  to  completely    understand    other  people  .  she  blames  it  on  her  lack  of  interest  in    other    people’s  lives  ,  but  she’d  be  lying  if  she  said  she  wished  noah  would    become    the  same  .  the  boy  is  too  outgoing  .    ❛    no  ,  no  ,  i    wouldn’t    quite  say  that  ,  but  he’ll  have  to  do  .  oh  well  ,    banishing    the  men  in  our  family  would  be  a  worthy  sacrifice  .  except  perhaps    uncle  giambattista    .  he  can  come  .    ❜

[mcntavcn]

*    — — —    𝟎𝟎𝟐    :    𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑎 𝑑𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑐̧𝑎.    \    barbiebraganca.

“ and i will always use it in my favour. you shouldn’t be surprised. ” there was just a whole reason as to why: barbie had many strong female figures to look up to but aurora was the one easy to reach — who she could ask for advice without it being in some way awkward. “ try to convince me i’m wrong and fail. ” she was yet to meet someone who could talk that boldly to her cousin and not face any consequence but it was just as rory said: she had a soft spot for barbie. “ come on, don’t generalize. just because we haven’t found decent men anywhere or met anybody who has it doesn’t mean they’re all trash. but you’re right, italians are very disappointing. ”

           ❛    I’D  BE  MORE  SURPRISED  IF  you  didn’t  .  the  barbie  i  know  would  use  it  at    every    angle  .    ❜    the  queen  nudges  her  cousin  with  a  small  laugh  slipping    past    her  lips  .  aurora  remembers  being  over  the  moon  when    barbie    was  born    ;    of  course  ,  she  had  her  own  siblings  to  be  ecstatic    about    but  she  had  bonded  with  the  portuguese  princess    immediately    .    ❛    i  never  fail  so  i’m  not  going  to  start  now  .  we    both    know  you’re  right  .    ❜    aurora  is  educated  in  many  things    &    one  of  them  is    knowing    when  to  keep  her  mouth  shut  .  however  she  sometimes    struggles    with  this  ,  thinking  her  opinion  matters  more  than  the    values    of  others  .    ❛    i  think  the  only  man  i’ve  met  who  isn’t  so  horrid  is  my    husband    ,  but  even  he  sometimes  gets  on  my  nerves  .  they  shame  our    country    .    ❜

[mcntavcn]

*    — — —    𝟎𝟎𝟐    :    𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑎 𝑑𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑐̧𝑎.    \    catarinabraganca.

“That’s the best part,“ she nods and raises her glass slightly in a salute. The south could get cold but nowhere near what she was experiencing right now. “Your mother has been dodging my calls! She knows I’m mad at her for not coming down here. When did you last talk to her? You’re right. Us Savoias are generally lucky but only a few of us are truly blessed. If you ask your grandmother, I’m sure she has some kind of family tale explaining why.“ she chuckled and shook her head. Her mother told so many stories, Cat was unsure which were real and which weren’t. “They were smart on that. Swedish food can be hard to swallow sometimes. Noah keeps getting bigger and bigger each day I see him. Will his father be coming down any time soon? No more than you would. I don’t have time for trouble anymore and none of my partners are here. I have about a hundred siblings and none of them can come keep me company.“

           ❛    IF  ONLY  WE  COULD  GET  away  with  it  back  home  ,  no    ?    ❜    admittedly  she    misses    italy  but  she  couldn’t  stay  anywhere  too  close  to  her  father  .    ❛    that    doesn’t  sound  surprising    ;    getting  a  hold  of  her    recently    has  been  arduous  .  i  did  ,  however  ,  manage  to  ask  her  if  she  could    call    you  last  week  when  we  spoke  for  the  first  time  in  ...    two  weeks    ,  i  suppose    ?    she’s  making  me  worry  .  goodness  ,  it’s  a    relief    we’re  on  the  goo  side  of  the  things  otherwise  i  truly  wouldn’t  know    how    to  cope  .  please  ,  no  ,  i  spoke  to  her  just  yesterday    &    she    kept    me  talking  for  hours  .    ❜    she  waves  her    hand    in  the  air  .  she  doesn’t  mind  ,  though  .  she  misses  her  grandmother    &    her    family    dearly    ;    being  so  far  away  from  them  has  proven  to  be    difficult    .    ❛    the  same  goes  for  swiss  .  i  had  to  hire  an  italian    chef    for  the  palace  because  the  one  we  had  was  using  packet  pasta  .    packet  pasta    !    he’s  growing  too  fast    ;    i  wish  i  could  just  slow  it  down  .  i’m    hoping    so  ,  he  has  a  few  things  to  sort  back  home  first  .    perhaps    they  just  need  a  little  more  persuading  .  should  we  attempt  to  make  a    snowman    ?    ❜

[mcntavcn]

*    — — —    𝟎𝟎𝟐    :    𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑖 𝑑𝑖 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑎.    \    giorxcci.

Her sarcasm almost cuts like a knife. My darling, she must want something from him or was up to her usual no good teases. Gio scoffed, “yes, leave it on my voicemail though.” Of which was already full, “I’ll get to it in time.” He saw nothing wrong with the cut, his usual barber was flown out and the appointment was made weeks in advance. “But if your hair is any indication of their work, don’t bother.”

            BY  THIS  POINT  SHE  THINKS  giovanni  should  no  better  than  to  take  offence  by  her    words    .  when  it  comes  to  family  ,  they’re  always  in  good    jest    &    her  smile  proves  it  .    ❛    are  you  sure    ?    i  don’t    think    you  would  remember  .    &    i  personally  thing  a  new  hairstyle  is  in  order  .    ❜    she    lifts    a  hand  to  ruffle  his  hair  ,  a  smirk  gracing  her  ruby  lips  .    ❛    i’ll    tell    him  you’d  like  short  ,  back    &    sides  then    ?    ❜

[gifsofbravotv]

[mcntavcn]

*    — — —    𝟎𝟎𝟐    :    𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑎 𝑑𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑐̧𝑎.    \    barbiebraganca.

“ you’re favoritizing my children, it’s the same as favoritizing me. ” at least in her head it was and that was what mattered for barbie. one way or the other she still had aurora’s heart to herself. aurora was the closest barbie had to a big sister and that explained just how close they were. “ you couldn’t, that’s the whole point of it. nobody, you would want nobody other than me to go with you that’s why i assumed — rightly by the way — that it would be a trip for the two of us. that’s on you, you could’ve found a husband in italy but no, you had to go to switzerland. ”

            ❛    THAT’S  UNFAIR  .  YOU  KNOW  I  have  a  soft  spot  for  you  .  besides  ,  i’m    practically    their  aunt  .  how  could  i  not  favouritise  them    ?    ❜    it’s  not    just    aurora    &    barbara  that  are  close    ;    their  boys  are    close    too  which  is  admittedly  influenced  by  the  nature  of  their  connection  .    ❛    you    know    ,  if  you  were  anybody  else  saying  that  i’d  send  them    marching    along  a  river  ,  but  since  it’s  you  i’ll  let  it  slide  .  that’s    because    nobody  else  would  put  up  with  my  intolerance  .  besides  ,  we  both  could    do    with  the  break  .  mi  scusi  ,  the  men  in  italy  are  utterly  disappointing  .  don’t  give  me  wrong  ,    most    men  are  but  italians    ?    i’m  disgusted  .    ❜

[mcntavcn]

            ❛    WHAT  DO  YOU  THINK  OF  this  colour    ?    ❜    aurora  fondles  a  burgundy  bauble  as  she    tries    to  decide  whether  she  likes  it  or  not  ,  which  is  a    far    stretch  considering  she  barely  likes  anything  .  she  glances    over    at  anneli  with  a  raised  eyebrow  .    ❛    i  personally  might  go  with    teal    &    silver    this  year  .  burgundy  is  ...  out  of  fashion    ?    i  suppose  .    ❜    \    @vnncli.

[icarvschained]

“I barely missed what I heard was a fantastic Christmas party –  I was too busy celebrating Hanukkah at home but how was it? Did you go?”

[mcntavcn]

            ❛    IT  WAS   A  PARTY  .  A  party  full  of  barely  functioning  adults  but  still  a  party    no  less    .  how  was  hanukkah    ?    ❜    the  queen  crosses  a  hand  over  the    other    ,  displaying  mild  interest  as  she  looks  up  from  the    glossy    magazine  she  started  reading  .