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[Games] Re: 1920’s America congrats (round 3)
H, 50: Laurence Michael Bellamy
W, deceased at 42: Rose Eliza WashingtonS, deceased at 25: Nathaniel Abraham Bellamy
- W, 26: Anne Alice ChevalierD, deceased at 23: Lydia Caroline BellamyS, 22: Julian Philip Bellamy
- GF, 22: Evelyn Hazel BakerS, 20: Alexander Simon Bellamy
- GF, 20: Lillian Marion BestJulian's reappearance seemed to signal a break from the dramatic and tragic events taking place in the Bellamy family. That, at least, would have been proper. But Julian found his rescue was not received quite as warmly as he had hoped. He overheard Lydia gossiping with a friend that Julian might well have in fact been kidnapped - but only after his actual disappearance at the funeral. After all, there was no sign of forced entry in the house, and the note he left, while vague and hasty, showed no indication of being penned under duress or phrased by the purported kidnapper, Julian's uncle. Most tellingly, however, the ransom notes only started coming in weeks after Julian was kidnapped, and even after his rescue, details of how he was kidnapped remained blurry, Larry using his connections to silence the media from speculation. Lydia theorized that Julian might have run away, overwhelmed by his mother's death and perhaps jealous of his elder brother's happy marriage. Or that something more scandalous than that had happened - that Julian might have got involved with crime, fled with a lover, or left willingly with his uncle, and the kidnapping was a ruse.Julian was offended and disgusted. Any trust he had held in his sister had vanished. Lydia's emotions were strong too: she had been touched profoundly by her mother's premature death and was actively involved in organizing the funeral. The thought that Julian might not have been thinking of his deceased mother and remaining family members at that point, and instead cavorting around or disappearing for attention repulsed her, though she would never dare say it to her brother's face. Julian confronted her about her gossip and speculation. The argument soon turned nasty, Lydia accusing her brother of not caring that their mother died and disappearing to draw attention to himself. Julian retorted that it was Lydia who made their mother's death all about herself, using the funeral to showcase her musical talent rather than to mourn properly, and that, in fact, her mediocrity and jealousy led her to make his traumatic kidnapping all about herself too, concocting ridiculous stories about his supposed culpability to detract from her own humdrum life. Though Larry, the patriarch, attempted to reconcile his middle children, it was in vain. Not only have Lydia and Julian had not spoken to each other for over a year, and also expected the other family members to take sides (which they were reluctant to do).The rift in the family was soon followed by another tragedy. Nate Bellamy, the renowned architect who built the tallest residential building in Chicago, and the eldest son of Larry and Rose, died in a workplace accident, aged only 25. While he was inspecting the construction of an opera house he was commissioned to redesign, an ornate chandelier detached as he was standing right beneath it, crushing him and severely wounding a few others. The family was devastated, their grief amplified by the recent traumatic event of Julian's kidnapping and Rose's death. Anne, Nate's wife, was especially deeply affected. They had been married only a few years, and Nate left her no child to remember him by: only buildings named in her honour. Larry took on a supportive role as the family's patriarch - finally reconciling Lydia and Julian, and treating Anne like she was his own daughter. Another funeral was hosted at the Rose Hotel, and Nate, like his mother, was commemorated with music and art. Blissfully, no-one was kidnapped this time as America mourned the loss of a great architect.Tragedies come in troves. It was only weeks after Nate's death that Lydia was taken frightfully ill. She died days after hospitalization. It turned out that Rose's heart condition, which killed her when she was 42, had passed down to her daughter, who died at 23. The Bellamy's were devastated, especially since her death came so close after Nate's. The media covered the family sympathetically - apparently, no amount of riches and fame could protect the Bellamy's from grief. The loss of another sibling and child wounded the Bellamy's greatly - now, only Larry, Julian, Alec, and Anne remained. Another memorial was held. The Rose Hotel, which used to host the weddings of the Chicago elite, had become the home to many a funeral.Not all was horrible among the Bellamy's, however. Julian had started going steady with Evelyn Baker, a young woman who studied literature at the same college as him. Her warmth captured Julian's reserved, bookish heart, and the two lovebirds could debate for hours about the most recent novels and poetry collections. The media soon took notice - Julian, months after he buried his two siblings, and only years after his kidnapping shook the nation, could now be seen at every art exhibition, literary soirée, and concert of note - the charming Evie Baker, with her hazel eyes and captivating smile always at his side. While some called him heartless, Julian found solace in Evie, who saw the silver lining of every crowd, and she made his grief a bit more bearable.Alec, too, got into a relationship. The object of his affection was the ambitious and spirited Lillian Best, who was studying journalism. Alec and Lillian could be spotted together at jazz clubs, dancing the nights away. Alec was studying engineering. While Larry and Nate had designed buildings, he wanted to do the same with bridges. Aside from that, he was a polymath - always tinkering at a new, usually ridiculous invention, mind always racing with the newest developments in technology. He admired Lillian's curiosity about the world - though his was related more to machines than people - and her insatiable zest for life. 🕊️❣️🌻💌🌻❣️🕊️masculine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124079
feminine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124080
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