Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III

It is interesting to me that Manfred had to find out about a sex institute in Berlin from a magazine in America.
As it was noted before that Playboy was trying to be more of a "Men's Lifestyle" magazine then a " nudie sheet" and it really came off to me as what a boy from the small town Midwest which Hefner was thought what was big city sophistication.
As for me I only read it for the pictures.
 
Once Suse understands what's gone on, I suspect that Manny and her will be fine, even if he mother is slightly jealous.
 

ferdi254

Banned
Manfred has acted far above any expected responsibility. It was not uncommon for parents to send the son into a brothel so he could get some experience. Sexual education in schools? Impossible at that time. So chapeau.
 
While a historical fact, that still didn't stop me rolling my eyes at the concept so hard that I now know what the back of my eye sockets looks like.

Sure wasn’t that why Peig Sayers had a load of kids after her husband died? A guy I knew from Kerry told me that on the Blasket Islands, she was one of the women families sent their sons to when they ‘wanted men made of them’ :p
 
Sure wasn’t that why Peig Sayers had a load of kids after her husband died? A guy I knew from Kerry told me that on the Blasket Islands, she was one of the women families sent their sons to when they ‘wanted men made of them’ :p
You keep down this line Theg and I will be sending the bill from the Eye hospital to you.
 
Manfred has acted far above any expected responsibility. It was not uncommon for parents to send the son into a brothel so he could get some experience. Sexual education in schools? Impossible at that time. So chapeau.
OTL didn't Michael Jackson's dad lock Michael in a room with a prostitute when Michael was 14, to make a man of him. That was what, early 80's, so this idea lasted a long time. It's also part of what messed MJ up so much.
 
December 1982: I was home from college when my father told me to get in the car at 10:00 AM and we went to Tiajuana where we went in to a bar and my father pointed to a group of women standing at a stage and told me to pick one out for my Christmas present, I "politely" declined then told my father that I wanted to go home.
We had a frank discussion about how I learned that women working as prostitutes in Mexico are virtually slaves who are exploited and I would not contribute to their exploitation, what was left unsaid by me was the quality of women working at a cheap bar 10:00 AM in Tiajuana left much to be desired .
Over the years my father would tell that story which made me glad that I didn't go through with his plans as at least I kept my dignity and came off as the better person in this story.
 
Part 110, Chapter 1813
Chapter One Thousand Eight Hundred Thirteen



31st August 1967

Ionian Sea

The German Gunboat whose crew called the Little Greyhound was cruising on a parallel course to the Greek Flotilla. Her Captain had been unable to hide his disgust over how events had played out, the German Prince had gone on and on about unforeseen consequences. As if the Germans had any room to complain about the actions of those who lived in the Balkans. Anthypaspistis Fotios Papadopoulos was certain that it had not been a coincidence that many leaders of revanchist political parties throughout Europe had ended up dead back in the 30’s, particularly in France and Italy. It was an action that Fotios completely understood. They had known that they were going to be fighting for their lives against the Soviets and couldn’t afford to have an enemy at their back. The Greek situation was no different and like with the Soviets, Fotios knew damn well that if the other side had been the victors, they would have been far less merciful.

Fotios looked at the rust covered hull of the freighter as it slowly passed the ships of the Greek Navy, just one of the hodgepodge of old freighters he had seen over the prior days. It was a sign of the resounding victory that the Hellenic Empire had achieved and Fotios wasn’t finding nearly as satisfying as he had thought it would be. The Turks had started this war at a time when the Greeks and their Allies had been prepared to end it. The terms of the ceasefire that the Greeks had imposed involved the Turks taking the refugees from territories formerly known as Albania and Bosnia. Anyone from those people who wished to remain were more than welcome to, they just did it with the understanding that no one would stop the various other people they had been at war with for centuries from killing them.

It was a brutal but necessary action. The Croatians might be the wrong sort of Christians for example, at least they weren’t heathens like the Turks and those who were allied with them. There was simply no living with them.



Hohenzollern Castle

Marie ran down the spiral stairs to the courtyard, emerging into the late summer sun. The others were gathering in a corner of the Great Hall for lunch and she didn’t want to be late. All morning she had been sitting with a woman from the town below the castle who had come to show the girls how an old-fashioned loom worked. The schedule said that they were being given a free afternoon and Marie still was finding new things when she explored the castle.

It had gotten cold the night before, a clear reminder of how the Summer Holiday was drawing to a close. In a few days Marie would board a train that would take her back to Berlin and her old life. Then it would be back to schoolwork and living her life vicariously through books and flights of fancy. Sure, Marie missed her dog Fleur and cat Cheshire, but here in the castle she was living the sort of thing that normally only existed in books or movies. The ankle length blue tunic and sandals she was wearing were a part of that, they were exactly what someone like her living in this castle would have worn at any point in its history. Marie wished that she could slow down time and spend a lot longer in this place. Being unable to do that, she was certainly keeping the tunic and sandals.

The younger girls were of all different minds. Nella and Nan wanted to resume their old lives. Nan had pointed out that Uncle Louis could well have engaged in all manner of deviltry in their absence. Nella had seconded that. She understood her father well. Considering that Marie knew who they were talking about, it was probably a fair assessment of what had happened over the summer. On the other hand, Sophie didn’t ever want to return home. Apparently, things were difficult for her there…

Walking across the courtyard, Marie had an unexpected sight. Standing there smoking a cigarette was Kage Akio. A trusted colleague of her mother who mostly stuck of his own volition when he wasn’t off doing the bidding of the Japanese Government. He said that life was rarely dull around Marie’s Mother. They had known each other for years and like always Marie had to remember to not run up and hug him, he really didn’t like it when she did that.

“Herr Kage” Marie said in greeting as she approached.

“Ojosama” Kage replied and he gave her a slight bow. Marie understood what that meant and having watched many Japanese animated films, knew that Kage was poking fun at her by using that formal address.

Marie returned the bow as he had taught her over one of their prior encounters and played along with it.

“What brings you here Herr Kage?” Marie asked in Japanese. Which got her a raised eyebrow. Over the previous school year, she had taken upon herself to learn the language and it had not proven as difficult as Korean or English. It also revealed a few things that Marie hadn’t quite understood. Kage’s name translated to Luminous Shadow and the reference material had shown woodcut painting of a dark hooded figure that was considered semi-mythological in his native country. Was Kage such an individual? That certainly explained a great deal.

“Your Mother is here to meet with Lady Kristina in the Hall about a bit of emergency surgery she did last month” Kage replied, “And to visit you, of course.”

Before she went into the Great Hall, Marie did have one last question for Kage.

“You have castles in Japan?” Marie asked.

“Yes” Kage replied, “Not as drafty and this place needs nightingale floors.”

“Nightingale floors?”

Kage didn’t answer the question. Instead he gave Marie the sly look she knew all too well; Figure it out yourself. It was one of the rules of their exchanges. Kage would only answer questions for as long as he felt like it and if he felt like Marie should figure it out on her own, he wouldn’t give her an answer. With that Marie shrugged and ran into the Great Hall.
 
It shouldn’t be too hard for Marie to ask Kiki and Kat if she could stay for a bit longer or come back at times.
 
Incoming: one ninja Marie... 😅
Let's see, she'll be trained by Kat and others in that circle in self defense arts, she absorbs languages easily it seems, she's intrigued by fantasy and mysteries .... She's either going to be the female John Wick of this timeline or she's going to be someone who COULD be John Wick but chooses not to be. Her potential as she gets older is going to get scarier and scarier as more people recognize what she might be capable of.
 
What is next for the Hellenic Empire, Enois with Cyprus ?
If so look for another round of ethnic cleansing of Turks and I doubt that the British will be happy.

I see Marie following in her mother’s footsteps but without all the personal baggage that Kat had which makes her even more dangerous then her mother if that is possible.

It looks like Sophie is going to spend a lot of time over at Nella’s and Nan’s home when they leave the Castle and that may mean trouble for Sophie with her own family as they really don’t sound like good people to me or it may be a case of the unreliable narrator striking again.
 
Let's see, she'll be trained by Kat and others in that circle in self defense arts, she absorbs languages easily it seems, she's intrigued by fantasy and mysteries .... She's either going to be the female John Wick of this timeline or she's going to be someone who COULD be John Wick but chooses not to be. Her potential as she gets older is going to get scarier and scarier as more people recognize what she might be capable of.

And be Kat’s worst nightmare come to life I believe if I recall an earlier post. Can't see Kat and by extension any of her circle being involved in training. Kaga the ninja on the other hand.......
 
And be Kat’s worst nightmare come to life I believe if I recall an earlier post. Can't see Kat and by extension any of her circle being involved in training. Kage the ninja on the other hand.......
I recall I once did a gag post set sometime in the 70's featuring Kat's older daughter Tatiana as a BND Agent operating in Boston. That hasn't changed. Marie has a different path, but all of Kat's children will be problematic for her in the future.
 
And be Kat’s worst nightmare come to life I believe if I recall an earlier post. Can't see Kat and by extension any of her circle being involved in training. Kaga the ninja on the other hand.......
Training her to go into the same business no, but as adamant as Kat has been in regards to a woman being able to defend herself, yes, there is no way that marie would not get the full martial arts and karambit training.
 
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