#Alison marry me instead

[inkkwormm]

i hate hate hate when chainshipping fics demonise alison. SHE DID NOTHING WRONG!!!!!! she was a good mother who was being cheated on and ignored by her arsehole husband who was then kidnapped with her 8 year old daughter all because larry couldnt keep it in his pants, she was NOT a judgemental homophobic bitch who was mad at sweetheart Lawrence who can do no wrong for no reason.

[nostalgia-tblr]

i am reading a book and i am not 100% sure but i think alison weir has misinterpreted what a 'precontract' is?

[the-fox-with-no-name]

Aftg Skit Tumblr edition: Anonymous question to the Foxes: “What happened to hey, hi, or hello, you wanna have lunch, or dinner, or wanna go on a date?”

Matt: “Hey, hi, or hello? I say that to Dan every day! Then we have lunch and dinner together because we’re basically living the rom-com life.”

(Ends with some cute emojis like ❤️🍕.)

Dan: “What do you mean? That’s literally how Matt asked me out for the first time. Guys, the classics still work if you’re sweet and not a jerk about it.”

(Attaches a cute throwback photo of them sharing coffee.)

Nicky: “Oh, honey, they’re too busy swiping on apps and using gifs for flirting these days. No one has the guts to ask someone out properly! But for real, if someone texted me hey, hi, or hello and asked me to lunch, I’d marry them on the spot, even if it’s, like, Taco Bell! PLEASE bring this energy back, the streets are lonely!!!”

#Love you Erik!!! 💋 😗 💏 😙 😽 😚 💋 

Kevin: “That’s because people are lazy and weak. They rely on ridiculous emojis and don’t understand how to communicate clearly. If you want something, just say it.

Also, 'hey, hi, or hello' isn’t even efficient these days.”

Neil: “I don’t understand the question. Are people not capable of saying this anymore? It’s a string of words. Just say it. Is this a real issue?”

(Blunt and confused, clearly missing the social context entirely.)

Andrew: “Because it’s pointless and stupid. Nobody needs to say all that. Either ask directly or leave me alone. I’m not interested. Don’t ask again.”

(Sounds like a threat and probably terrifies half of Tumblr into deleting their blogs.)

Nicky (freaking out in the tags): #oh my god andrew no one’s even asking YOU out calm down

#why are you like this??

#neil you’re not helping either WHAT IS THIS TEAM

#can we have normal answers for once??

Aaron: "I don’t see the problem. It worked fine for me. I said ‘Hey’ to Katelyn, and now we’re engaged. I mean, it’s not that hard. Just don’t overthink it."

Nicky (in the tags, of course):

#aaron THAT IS NOT HOW YOU ASKED HER OUT YOU WERE A NERVOUS MESS ESPECIALLY WITH ANDREW WATCHING YOU

#katelyn is the reason it worked don’t lie

#stop acting like you’re cooler than you are!!!

Neil: "I don’t bother with all that. I just ask Andrew if he wants to eat, and he usually just goes with it. It’s not complicated."

Nicky (in the tags, again):

#'he usually just goes with it' NEIL THAT’S A RELATIONSHIP RIGHT THERE

#why do you make it sound like you’re exchanging strategies in a war instead of planning a date

#these two need therapy but like… together??

#andrew is 100% glaring while neil types this

Kevin: "What’s even worse is that their entire relationship started because Andrew hit Neil with a fucking racquet that day in Arizona. That’s not ‘hey, hi, or hello.’ That’s assault. And somehow, it evolved into whatever this is. Neil asks, Andrew grunts, and people in this app call it romance. It’s frankly nauseating."

Nicky (in the tags, losing his mind):

#KEVIN YOU DID NOT NEED TO BRING THAT UP

#why are you like this

#also stop pretending you know anything about romance you're the LAST person qualified to comment

#i hate it here

Neil: "If you think about it, it was kind of breathtaking. Not just the hit itself, obviously, but what it led to."

Alison (texting the group chat):*"What the hell? How did we go from ‘hey, hi, or hello’ to breathtaking abuse? Can you fuckers stay on topic for five minutes?"

Nicky (back in the tags):

#NEIL WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS

#breathtaking MY ASS

#ANDREW STOP GLARING AT ME I CAN FEEL IT THROUGH THE SCREEN

#Alison is the only one making sense right now for once

Renee: "I think it’s sweet, in its own way. Everyone’s version of love looks different, and theirs just happens to involve... unconventional beginnings. It’s still love."

(She ends her response with a serene emoji, probably a 🌸.)

Andrew: I hate him

Matt and Dan (immediately in the replies):

Matt: “Nope. I’m out. This got way too out of hand.”

Dan: “Same. We’re done here. Good luck, everyone!”

(They both log off Tumblr for the day, probably to go on a wholesome dinner date.)

Nicky (in the tags, yet again):

#renee you’re too nice for this team i swear

#matt and dan are the only sane ones to leave

#meanwhile neil is calling violence romantic

#WHY AM I EVEN STILL HERE

Jean (enters the chat panicking): "Guys, Jeremy just asked me out on a date. Like, an actual date, with burgers and ice cream. WHAT DO I DO? Is this normal? Do people just... do this??"

(Long pause in the group chat)

Kevin, Nicky, Aaron (all typed together): "Oh, Jesus Christ."

Neil: "Just go. I’ll be fine."

Renee: "Aww, that’s so sweet! You’ll have a great time, Jean. Jeremy is such a wonderful person."

Aaron: "I completely forgot about this guy’s trauma."

Andrew:":| "

Nicky (freaking out in the tags):

#EVERYONE IS SO USELESS EXCEPT RENEE

#jean sweetie it’s NORMAL JUST GO HAVE FUN

#but also kevin why are you like this you’re supposed to be his FRIEND

#and andrew could you TRY to be more supportive?? no? okay cool

#poor jeremy he’s gonna have to deal with this team’s emotional mess

[sunnyy3d]

Hi are requests still open? If they are could you write about Thomas with the reader being Isabels sister, she has always loved him but couldn't say anything as she was already betrothed and died shortly after him due to illness, it wasn't until Allison came and Thomas starting flirting with her that the reader finally snaps and reveals her almost 200 year old feelings for Thomas?

All the Time in the World| Thomas Thorne x Reader

A/N: Thank you so much for this request, I hope you love it!! It was actually so fun to write! I'm so sorry it took so long; it has been a STRESSFUL few weeks... But Happy Valentine's Day <33 I hope you guys had a wonderful day! This isn't necessarily a special, but I made sure to get it out today... Requests Open!!

     I remember the day Thomas died. It was one of the worst days of my life. The only other day that comes close to it was the one that revealed that I was to be betrothed to a man whom I did not love. Even if I tried, I could not love him, for my heart already belonged to someone else.

     Being the eldest daughter meant that I had responsibilities that Isabel did not. Regardless of whether I had found my true love, I was expected to be wed first and fast. And by the time I did, I had the choice ripped away from me.

     My parents wanted me to marry someone with a respectable profession, which Thomas did not fit into. So instead, they passed me along to a viscount. But I had no interest in him. He was the complete opposite of Thomas. He was serious and uncreative, not to mention old. I needed someone to share my love of art with.

     To cope, I made more paintings in my month of betrothal than I had ever before. I put all of my emotions into my art. Both my love for Thomas and my hatred for the viscount.

     Not long after Thomas' death, I fell ill. The doctors said that there was nothing that could be done besides living the rest of my life in peace. When I received the news, I was unsure whether I should be sad that my life would end short or happy that I would not be forced to live a life full of lies. I put the last of my life into my paintings, some of which still reside in the Button house.

     I often think about the life I could have lived if only Thomas had opened his eyes and looked closely. If only he were not so oblivious. But he was not. So, instead, he died fawning over someone who did not love him. I wish he had looked past Isabel's beauty and realized she was not the one who loved him. Alas, there is no changing the past.

     He still has not stopped being obsequious to every woman that walks past him. Even though he knows he has no chance with her, that does not stop him from spouting poetry at her. It is aggravating and, quite frankly, a bit pathetic. I mean, she cannot even see him. If he would just be a little less blind and catch all of the hints I have dropped, he would see a woman who loves him and all his stupidness.

     The only thing that has changed since Alison has shown up is that Thomas is more persistent. Now that he knows someone can see and hear him, he believes he has a chance. Of course, that is not actually true. Alison is like two hundred years younger than him, alive, and married. Honestly, it has never been more frustrating.  

     "Alison, my dear, you are the pinnacle of beauty," Thomas exclaims as I walk into the family room. Hearing the beginning of a rant, I walk straight out. 

     Unfortunately, Alison spots me before I can sneak away. "Wait, wait, I need your help!" she shouts, cutting off Thomas. I freeze right outside the door and debate whether or not I can get away with pretending like I had not heard her. Before I can decide, Alison seals my fate with a little "Please!"

     I sigh and spin around to re-enter the family room. "Yes, Alison?"

     "I was wondering if I could get a little of your artistic expertise?" she smiles shyly, walking closer. Thomas follows behind her like a lost puppy.

     "Of course you can, Alison. I am glad you asked." I really am glad she asked. It is not often that I get to participate in art-related things, being dead and all. Alison gives me a genuine smile and leads me to the other side of the room where the canvas she has been working on lies.

     "Something's off about it, but I'm not sure what it is. What do you think?" she asks while frowning. I tilt my head as I suspect the portrait. It is of Thomas, but she is right; something is off.

     "I think it is absolutely beautiful, Alison. Much like yourself," Thomas praises.

     I roll my eyes. "It is not bad, there are merely a few things that need to be fixed. Alison, I think you made his lips a bit too small. And the eyes need to be fixed as well. Everything else is good though." It only makes sense that I would recognize this; I have spent years yearning for him. With how much time I have spent around Thomas, I would be disappointed if I did not notice.

     Alison squints for a second, looking between Thomas and the portrait. "You're right! How did you notice that so fast?" I can only shrug in response, not willing to reveal the truth. 

     "I think that you have done a wonderful job, it is perfect like it is," Thomas claims. This is starting to get old. Actually, it is old, about two hundred years so. 

     "But that is not true. Besides the fact that nothing is perfect, Alison has only managed to capture your likeness, not you." It is true; she had the portrait of Thomas but had not gotten the more minor details. Though they may seem insignificant, they were the things that made him him. The things such as the sparkle behind his eyes that show his passion or the dimples in his cheeks that show his joy.

     "That is also not true," Thomas states matter of factly. "There are many things in this world that are perfect, and Alison's portrait is just one."

     Unbeknownst to me and Thomas, Alison slowly backed out of the room, trying to avoid the argument. "Oh, of course you think that! Of course Alison is perfect and of course her portrait is perfect! It is missing the most important detail about you! But no, it is perfect because she is," I yell, throwing my hands about. I do not mean to lose my temper, but I have been perfectly calm about this for far too long. 

     “I never said that! I merely stated that the portrait is," Thomas stammers.

     "You do not need to say it, it lies within your actions."

     Thomas looks into my eyes, "Clearly, I would need to say it because my advances have gone unnoticed."

     "It is not that they have gone unnoticed; it is simply that she does not return your feelings! She is married, for god's sake!"

     Thomas frowns, "But just because one is married, does that mean that she does not love another?"

     I hesitate, debating my next words. "No, it does not. And you would notice that if you would just open your eyes."

     "Are you saying?" Thomas cuts himself off.

     "Yes, I suppose I am. Thomas Thorne, I have been in love with you since I first saw you," I avert my eyes from him. "But you never loved me. You loved Isabel."

     I hear Thomas step closer. He grabs my hand, saying my name. "I did not love Isabel. I never did. But you were betrothed to the viscount."

     I finally look Thomas in the eyes. "Are you saying?"

     "I suppose I am," Thomas jokes. "I have been in love with you since I first saw you."

     "But, what about all the other women were infatuated with?" 

     Thomas squeezes my hand, "It may sound ignorant, but they were solely distractions. I genuinely believed you did not love me back, which I now know is stupid. It was the only way I could think to cope." 

     I purse my lips, thinking for a moment. "As nonsensical as that is, I suppose I understand," I say, clasping his hand within mine. I smile, and we stand in blissful silence, enjoying each other's presence. 

     After a moment, my smile drops. Thomas' brows furrow in confusion. "What is the matter, my love?"

     "You are telling me that we have been in the same house for over two hundred years, pining over each other? We could have been together forever ago!" 

     Thomas drops my hand, instead placing it gently on my cheek and softly caresses it with his thumb. "Well, at least we have all the time in the world to make up for it."

[sobbingstars]

SEASON 4 UMBRELLA ACADEMY SPOILERS!!!

-

-

-

-

Hi! WHAT THE FUCK! My hot takes on this latest season bc if I don’t say these I’m gonna go insane.

Luthor: becoming a dancer was really funny. It was also kinda nice bc he was so ashamed of his body b4 when he was part monkey, so it’s good to see him being more comfortable in his own skin. And speaking of him being part monkey, that had NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS POWERS. His powers are SUPER STRENGTH, his father INJECTED HIM WITH MONKEY DNA OR SMT TO SAVE HIS LIFE. Made NO SENSE!

Diego: Diego being an absent/emotionally neglectful/bad father made NO SENSE! We saw him with Stan, he learned to be a father. Plus, he had his own issues with his dad, of course he would mentally do everything he could to avoid being his father. And also, him and Lila being in an unhappy marriage was so weird. Like, man was literally obsessed w/ her in season 3. What???

Alison: So we decided to not address any of her wrongs and just forgive her. She ASSAULTED LUTHOR. She tried to KILL VICTOR. SHE KILLED HARLAN. SHR TEAMED UP WITH REGGIE. Nothing??? Just forgive her for reasons??? That being said, Claire bear you were STUNNING thank you for being here and thank you Millie Davis, you were my childhood. But also, girl??? Show some support for your uncle. He needs help sometimes, just bc he’s immortal doesn’t mean he doesn’t have feelings :(

Klaus: I actually think they didn’t go super wrong with Klaus. Him becoming super paranoid after losing his powers made sense bc he died like every other day and just didn’t notice bc he just kept coming back, so I’d be afraid of everything too. And I think him being scared to have his powers again bc he was afraid he’d relapse is honestly so in character. That being said, fake that he didn’t even consider talking to Dave once he was sober and had his powers and wasn’t actively trying to stop the end of the world. And yall don’t even know how upset I was when he started levitating with his SHOES ON. NOT COMIC ACCURATE.

Five: WORDS DONT DESCRIBE MY RAGE. BECOMING A CIA AGENT? WHEN THE WORLD WASN’T ACTIVELY ENDING AND HE COULD JUST RETIRE? YOU KNOW AT LEAST ON OF HIS SIBLINGS WOULD LET HIM STAY. AND FALLING IN LOVE WITH LILA?? IT MADE NO SENSE, WAS SO OUT OF CHARACTER EHRN HE LITERALLY WAS LIKE ‘Lila would be stupid to throw away her happy life’ AND PROCEEDED TO WRECK HER HAPPY LIFE? I GET THAT IT WAS SEVEN YEARS BUT GOD DAMN FIVE, YOU WERE MARRIED TO DOLORES FOR THIRTY! AND THEY DIDNT EVEN BRING HER UP! NOT ONCE! AND JUST GIVING UP AND LETTING THE WORLD END? FOR FUNSIES? ABANDONING HIS FAMILY? NOT GIVING TWO SHITS? MAN ENDED THE WORLD THREE TIMES TRYING TO SAVE HIS FAMILY! HIS FAMILY IS ONE OF THE ONLY THINGS HE CARES ABT AND HE WOULD NEVER EVEN CONSIDER GOING AFTER HIS BROTHERS WIFE! Five Hargreeves, they could never make me hate you, but what the FUCK!

Ben: So unrealistic that he didn’t break down any his siblings all being dead once. We deserved a heart between him and Five where Ben was like ‘All my family is dead’ and Fives like ‘I know how that feels’ bc his siblings were dead for 40+ years. Instead, he just had no character development at all and just died bc of a girl he met once. The only reason I was a little sad when he died was bc of season one and two Ben who was so sweet and amazing and season three Ben who just wanted to be loved and accepted. They didn’t even have any relationship development between him and Jennifer.

Victor: I’m sorry, he owns a BAR and was an awful boyfriend?? WHAT!? I was hoping we were gonna have this emotional scene where he plays the Violin again bc he hasn’t played it since he ENDED THE WORLD in season one, and he would be happy bc Violin was a genuine passion of his and he was gonna no longer be afraid. And being a bad boyfriend?? Unrealistic, he was so kind and good with kids??? Are you kidding??? That being said I really liked when he stood up to Reggie. That was rlly funny.

Lila: Yall know what I’m gonna say. You just KNOW. I GET that transitioning from full time assassin to full time mom would be a hard switch but you’re telling me she WOULDN’T have ANY sort of job? NONE??? With all her family being back in her life? She’d just sit in the house? And she wouldn’t sit in the house and be unhappy. She would absolutely call Diego out on his shit and complaining problem and he’d be like ‘Yes ma’am.’ Bc their relationship was so fun in season two and three and then they made it into a no-fun, unhappy marriage, and Lila just had so little of her original personality. And her liking Five was so weird. She sees him as a KID. He LOOKS like a kid. Made no sense.

Reggie: Actually wasn’t a total ass this season. Got into a malewife/girlboss relationship. Managed to actually have feelings. That being said, why how the fuck was he an ALIEN IN SEASON TWO??? I get that his wife was the one with the weird power things, but they just??? Never explained it??? What was going on??? I was so confused this ENTIRE SEASON.

[jinxedgods]

its so weird how pretty little liars (the tv show) made characters who were sexual abusers innocent cute boyfriends. PLL was originally a book series. Toby was a creep who inappropriately touched his sister,Jenna, and eventually commits suicide when Emily confronts him about it. The night Alison disappeared, Jenna and Alison conspired to kill Toby with a firework. It ended up blinding Jenna instead, but she was so desperate to end the abuse that she doesn’t care and is thankful Alison helped her.

In the show, Jenna LIED about being abused to send Toby to jail because he didn’t sleep with her???? Toby and Spencer form a cutesy couple?? Jenna is an evil bitchy villain for multiple seasons. She is blind for some unrelated reason.

Now, EZRA FITZ. In the show, a perfectly normal guy who dates a girl who just happens to be his student. Their relationship only has downsides because of random soap opera drama and the legal issues surrounding teacher/student relationships. Nothing to do with grooming. No power imbalance. No abuse or manipulation on Ezra’s part. In later seasons Ezra turns out to be morally fucked up — not because he’s a huge perv — but because of random soap opera shenanigans. Before that, he’s an upstanding guy. And don’t tell me the showrunners planned for him to eventually become some half-baked bad guy. They had no idea what was coming next at any point in the show. Him and Aria get married and we are supposed to be happy.

Book Ezra Fitz literally gets fucking arrested. The police break in while him and Aria are together and it’s fucking humiliating. As soon as Aria tries to get back together with him, he’s kissing another student. Because in PLL (the books) grooming is bad!

[cutedisneygirl]

Love Online Chapter 36

Warnings: Language and mention of blood and sex but no smut mainly just cute and fluff.

Wedding part 2 and Honeymoon part 1

Everyone headed to the reception area except for the wedding party. Chris and Merida rode back towards the castle and took pictures. Once all the pictures were taken they walked towards the reception area.

"Here they come. I present you for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Evans."

Everyone then claps. "They will now share their first dance as husband and wife."

Chris leads Merida to the dance floor. Just as they walk up and Chris takes Merida in his arms Twitch and Alison walk up. "Merida, Chris we have a surprise you. We tried to get Angela Lansbury to come and sing but she was not able to, so instead we have Celion Dion and Peabo Bryson." They both walk onto the stage.

"Oh my gosh!" Merida exclaims.

"Merida, Chris, congratulations. This song is for you."

And Celine Dion begins to sing Beauty and the Beast

Chris and Merida begin to dance. Chris looks down at Merida.

"Babe, you okay?"

Merida nods and lays her head on his chest. Chris kisses her head. They continue to sway to the music. When the song ends everyone claps. Merida and Chris make their way around and greet everyone.

"Chris!" Tara calls.

Tara is Chris's childhood best friend.

"Tara," Chris says hugging her. "I'm glad you could make it."

"I wouldn't miss it. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks. She is a great girl." He says looking over at Merida. She is holding his hand but is lost in conversation with Tiffany.

"Babe,"

"Hmm?" She asks looking over at Chris.

"I want to introduce you to Tara."

"Tara, nice to meet you. Chris talks about you lot." She says holding out her hand.

"Its lovely to meet you finally. I am so glad Chris met you. I was starting to worry he would become a lonely bachelor."

Merida laughs. "Let's make our way to our table babe." Chris says

They find their seats at the head table. Later dinner is served and everyone eats and enjoys more music. There is more dancing later. Merida remains quiet for most of the night. She is sitting at the table with Chris. He looks over at her.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, don't lie to me. You know I can tell when your lying."

"It's nothing really."

"Your being very quiet, and that's not like you. What's wrong babe?" He asks taking her hand.

"I'm fine Chris. I promise." She says leaning towards him and kissing him.

Just then one of the security guards approaches the table.

"Ms Evans, I was told to give you this."

"What is it?"

"I don't know. I didn't open it."

"Who is it from?" Chris asks.

"I don't know that either." He then walks away. Merida looks down at the evenlope that has her name on it.

"Open it babe."

Merida slowly tears the envelope and pulls out a piece a paper. And begins to read

I may not be able to be there or be close to you, but don't think I am still not watching you. I warned you that we were not through! This is your wedding day and your married now but don't think for one second that you will get your happily ever after with Chris! Your life is going to be a living hell just like you made mine!

"Oh no!" Merida cries.

"Babe, what is it?"

Merida holds out the piece of paper. Chris takes it and reads it. "Shit! How the fuck?"

Merida continues to cry and sniff.

"Babe, it's going to be okay. I will take care of this. I will be right back."

Chris then leaves the table and heads to find the security guard that gave her the note. Merida sits at her table and continues to cry. Tiffany looks over and sees her crying. She approaches the table.

"Merida, what's wrong?"

Merida doesn't say anything she just holds out the note. Tiffany takes it and reads it.

"Oh shit! Where is Chris?"

"I don't know. He just said he would take care of it and said he will be right back."

"Don't worry. Chris won't let anything happen. He will handle it."

Merida nods. Chris then walks back.

"I talked to the security guard again and I called my manager they are going to look into what is going on and they will make sure nothing happens." Chris says sitting back down next to Merida. He takes her hand.

"It will be okay babe."

"It's time to cut the cake!" Alison says.

Chris stands up still holding Merida's hand. "Come on babe."

Merida follows him towards the cake, which is a projection cake of beauty and the beast.

They stand in front and cut the cake and feed each other a piece. Merida laughs as Chris takes some and puts it on her nose.

"Chris!"

Chris laughs and leans forward and eats it off her nose. Merida laughs. After everyone enjoys the cake then it is time for the bouquet and garter toss. Merida goes first. She stands up front and waits for the all the single ladies to come up front.

"Okay everyone ready?"

"Yes!" They all say.

Merida throws it and it flies up in the air and Tiffany catches it.

"Now the garter toss," Twitch says.

They grab a chair for Merida and she sits down.

"Now Chris, you cannot use your hands. You have to get the garter off without using your hands."

"Okay," Chris smiles.

"Oh God." Merida says bitting her lip.

Chris sits on his knees on the ground and lifts up her dress and sticks his head under. He grabs the garter with his teeth and begins to pull it down in her leg. "Chris!" Merida laughs. Chris continues to pull it down her leg. Then he reaches her foot. "Take your shoe off babe." Chris says through his teeth.

Merida starts to take it off. "Nope! Merida you can't help him."

"What? But how will he get my shoe off?"

"That's for him to decide."

Merida looks down at Chris. Chris lets go of the garter and uses his head to nudge her foot. He nudges till it comes off and it falls to the floor. He picks the garter back up with his teeth and slowly works it down onto her foot and then off. He sits back and holds the garter in his teeth

Chris stands up. All the single men walk forward. Chris turns and faces Merida and throws the garter up. Scott ends up catching it. Chris helps her put her shoe back on then takes her hand and helps her up. They start to walk towards the carriage that is waiting for them. As they walk bird seed is thrown at them. Chris helps Merida up into the carriage and then climbs into the other side. They turn and wave at everyone and then share a kiss just as it takes off back down main street and to the hotel.

Once they reach the hotel Chris climbs out and helps Merida down. They walk inside hand in hand. They ride the elevator to the honeymoon suite. Chris is still holding Merida's hand. He looks over at her. She has not said a word since they left the wedding.

"Babe, you, okay?"

Merida nods just as the elevator does open. They walk out and head to their room. Chris pulls out his room key and unlocks the door. Merida gets ready to walk in, but Chris stops her. He picks her up and carries her into the room.

"Chris! What are you doing?"

"Carrying my wife over the threshold."

Once they are in the room Chris sets her down and then rolls their suitcases into the room.

"Wow this is a nice room and there are even petals everywhere and ooo chocolate strawberries!"

Chris looks at Merida and smiles. Merida then looks at the big bed. Chris notices she looks nervous all of a sudden . He walks over to her and wraps his arms around her.

"Babe, you nervous?"

Merida just nods and bites her lower lip and looks down. Chris lifts her chin up, so she is looking at him.

"Babe, its okay you don't have to be scared."

Merida bites her lower lip. "Chris?"

"Yes babe?"

"I...we..."

"What is it?"

"I don't want to disappoint you or let you down but..."

"Babe, hey, you won't. Don't worry about that. I will..."

"No I mean, I...we can't..."

"We can't what?"

Merida bites her lip again.

"Babe, what is it? Tell me. Are saying we can't have sex?"

Merida nods.

"Why?"

"Because I...I'm on my...I started this morning."

"Oh, babe. It's okay. It's just a little blood. You're probably going to bleed anyway since its your first time."

"What!"

"You didn't know that?"

Merida shakes her head.

"Yes, you usually do your first time, but its okay. You don't have to be scared."

"Can I change out of this dress?"

"Sure." Chris stands back a little.

"Can you undo my dress in the back?"

"Sure, turn around."

Merida turns and Chris unzips and unties her back.

"Thanks."

"Welcome."

Merida rolls her suite case towards the bedroom and lays it down and opens it. She looks through it.

"Chris?"

"Hmm?"

"Are we going anywhere?"

"No, not unless you want to."

"Okay."

Merida looks back in her suite case. "Dang it Tiffany!"

"Babe, what's wrong?"

Merida keeps looking through her suite case. At first she is only finding sexy outfits but finally finds her thumper pjs that Miranda had gotten her. She pulls them out and starts to head to towards the bathroom.

"Babe?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are you going?"

"Bathroom to change."

"Did you forget, we are married now. You can change in front of me."

"Oh, umm...right." She says biting her lip.

"Hey it's okay. You don't have to be nervous."

Merida pulls her dress down slowly and grabs her shirt and pulls it over head and then steps out of her dress and grabs her pants and pulls them on. Chris laughs as she quickly dresses before he has a chance to react to her undressing in front of him.

"I'm going to go brush my teeth."

"Okay babe."

Merida grabs her toiletries bag and heads into the bathroom. She comes out of the bathroom and Chris looks up and smiles at her.

"Cute babe."

Merida looks at Chris he is only wearing boxers. She bites her lip. Chris walks towards her.

"You and that lip. What am going to do with you?"

Chris leans forward and kisses her. "I love you babe."

"I love you too."

"Are you tired?"

"A little."

"Why don't we curl up in bed and watch some tv and maybe..." he smiles.

"Maybe what?"

Chris just smiles again and leads her towards the bedroom. They both climb into bed and get under the covers. Chris grabs the remote and turns on the tv. He starts flipping channels.

"What do you want to watch?" Chris asks

"Something romantic?"

"Romantic huh?"

"Yeah."

"Let's see what I can find. If you see something let me know."

Chris flips through and then Merida says.

"Wait go back."

Chris flips back a channel. "This one?"

"Yes. I love this movie. It's just coming on."

"What is it?"

"Forever my Girl."

"I've never seen it."

"It's a good movie. It's a sweet movie."

"Alright sure."

Chris lays the control on the bedside table and leans up against the headboard. Merida curls up next to him. She lays her head on his chest. Chris looks down at her and smiles.

"Babe?"

"Hmm?" she asks, looking up at him.

"Don't go to sleep."

"I won't. Oh I forgot. I have something for you."

Merida climbs out of bed and heads over to her suite case.

"Where is it?"

Merida searches through her suite case. "Dang it! Where is it?"

"Babe, you didn't have to get me anything."

"I wanted to. I just have to find it."

Merida grabs her phone from bedside the bed and sends a message to Tiffany.

Merida-Where did you put the gift for Chris?

Only a few minutes later she gets a response back.

Tiffany-In the pocket of your suitcase after you open it.

Merida looks at the pocket above her suitcase.

Merida-Got it! Thanks 😊

Merida grabs the box and heads back to the bed and climbs back under the covers. She gets ready to hand it to Chris but he said

"Wait a minute I have something for you too." He climbs out of bed and walks over to his suitecase and opens it and pulls out to small wrapped gifts. He walks back to the bed and climbs back in.

"Okay babe."

"Me first?"

"Sure."

Merida hands him the gift Chris opens it. "Wow babe. I love it!"

"Turn it over."

Chris turns the watch over and finds the enscription Every Beauty needs her beast to protect her from everything but him.

"Aww babe. Thanks." Chris leans towards Merida and kisses her. "I love you so much!"

"I love you too."

"Now your turn."

Chris hands her two small wrapped packages.

"Two?"

"I couldn't resist."

"Which one should I open first?"

"Umm." Open this one first." He says pointing to the one wrapped in white paper.

Merida tears off the paper and finds two charms.

"Oh my gosh! Chris! They are beautiful! Thanks."

"Your welcome babe. Where is your bracelet we can put them on it."

"I'm not sure where it is packed. I know I packed it just not sure where."

"Alright. Open the other one."

Merida tears the wrapping of the one which is in yellow paper. "Chris! Oh my gosh!"

Authors note- the picture on the inside is the one from when they got engaged of Chris proposing.

"I love it, its beautiful."

"Turn it over."

Merida turns it over and see the words You are the best thing I never knew I needed

"Aww Chris!"

Merida leans forward and kisses him. "Thank you."

"Your welcome babe. I love you. I am so glad I met you and your my wife."

Merida smiles. "Me too."

Chris takes the gifts from Merida and sets them on the bedside table beside him along with his watch.

"Come here babe."

Merida moves closer to Chris and lays her head on his chest.

"We missed part of the movie."

"I don't care." He says looking down at Merida. "Babe look at me."

"Hmm?" she says looking at up at him

He leans down and kisses her and starts kissing her passionately.

The next morning Chris wakes up and looks at the clock. 5:00 am. He looks down at Merida and smiles as he remembers the events of the night before. Last night was the one of the best nights of his life. He thought back to his first time with Merida.

Merida wakes up and looks over at Chris and sees him smiling.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Well good morning wife."

Merida smiles. "Morning husband. What you smiling about?" Merida asks moving closer and laying her head on his chest looking up at him.

"Thinking back on last night."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I love you babe, I love you so much. Your amazing you know that?"

"Chris."

"No really. You are. I honestly don't know what I'd do with you."

"I feel the same way about you. So what's the plan for today?"

"Well we have several hours before we have to leave to head to our where we are going for honeymoon."

"What time is that?"

"We have to leave no later than 2:30 pm."

"Oh okay so what will we do till then?"

"Well I can think of a few things." He says grinning and winking.

"Chris!" Merida says reaching up and smacking his arm.

Chris laughs. "Babe, we can as much as we want. We are married now remember."

"I know, but...didn't you get worn out from last night?"

Chris laughs again. "Nope! And that was hours ago."

Merida laughs. "Well I want to get a shower."

"I'll join you."

"What! Seriously?"

"Why not? I would love to shower with you." Chris grins.

"Um..."

"Babe, after last night don't tell me your still nervous about me seeing you."

Merida bites her lip.

"Oh babe, you have got to stop that!" He says taking her face in his hands.

"Come on, it will be fun."

Chris climbs out of bed and walks around to Merida's side and holds out his hand. Merida takes it and they walk towards the bathroom. After their shower, which consisted of not only taking turns washing each other but also shower sex. Then they climb out and help each other dry off.

"Would you like to go to Disneyworld for a few hours?"

"Yes! Do you have to ask?"

Chris laughs. "I guess not. Which park?"

"Ummm how about magic kingdom?"

"Good choice. Lets get changed."

Merida heads to her suitcase case and grabs her clothes. Chris walks by her and smacks her butt as he walks over to his suitcase.

"Chris!"

Chris turns and laughs. They both change.

Authors note- he does not have the jacket from the pic just the jeans and t shirt and sunglasses

"Your beautiful babe."

"Thanks."

"You ready?"

"Yep."

"Make sure you have everything. We won't be coming back here."

Merida looks around grabbing her stuff. "Where did you put my charms and necklace?"

"On the beside table beside my side of the bed. I'll get them."

Chris walks over and grabs his watch, the necklace and the charms. "Want me to put them in my suite case?"

"Sure."

Chris packs them. Merida grabs her stuff from the bathroom.

"I think I have everything now." Merida says zipping up her suitcase.

"Me too. Here I'll take your suitcase."

Chris rolls the suitcases towards the door.

"You have the room key?"

Chris holds up the room key.

   "Okay, oh wait!"

Merida heads back to the bedroom and grabs her phone off the bedside table and unplugs her charger.

"I almost forgot my phone and charger. Do you have your charger?"

"Yep. I already packed it and my phone is in my pocket."

"Okay. Then I guess we got everything."

"After you."

Merida walks out into the hall of the hotel. Chris follows her and closes the door behind him rolling out their suitcases. They head towards the elevator. Once they reach Chris's car he puts their suitcases in and then climbs in. He drives to magic kingdom. They spend most of the day at the park. They ride the rides and visit some shops and watch some shows. Then Chris looks down at his watch.

"Babe, we need to go."

"Okay."

They walk towards his car. It takes them an hour to get there.

"So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." He says smiling.

Merida nods then looks out the window and bites her lip. Chris reaches over and takes her hand.

"Babe, you okay?"

Merida nods her head.

"You sure? Is something bothering you?"

"I'm just..."

"Your just what?"

"I'm scared that...what if Bradly..."

"Babe, listen to me. Bradley is still in jail. He can't hurt you. He has a while before he gets out and when he does you have protection and I will be with you. I promise nothing is going to happen. I won't let it." Chris says interrupting her and kissing her hand.

Merida nods her head.

"It will be okay. Okay babe?"

"Okay."

About an hour later Chris pulls into a parking deck. He climbs out helps Merida out and then grabs their bags from the trunk.

"Where are we going?"

"You will see." He smiles, takes her hand and they start walking. When they reach their destination Merida smiles.

"Chris oh my gosh! We are going on a cruise!"

"Yep! A Disney Caribbean cruise."

"Seriously! Oh my gosh!"

"Seriously." Chris laughs looking down at her and smiling.

Taglist:

@cevansbaby-dove

@sarahrogersevans

@nescavaneck

@willowsages-blog

@krissy25

@lizette50

@tess-love

@bookishtheaterlover7

@eva-knits12

@kmc1989

@shywhisperscreator

@denise1605

@angelbabyyy99

@frogeezz-blog-blog

@nicoline1998enilocin

[impossibly-irrelevant]

I think I'm finally able to verbalize why the ending of S4 didn't work for me (and for the narrative).

Love is supposed to change the ending.

Because that's the point. Five arrives and his whole motivation is to stop the apocalypse. Because he loves his family. And through the process he ends up getting them to get along a little better. To heal old wounds, or to simply try. Try to be better people, better siblings, better heroes. It's a non linear process, because people are messy, and they make mistakes. But the love always wins out.

Then we have season 4.

We get there six years in, and everything is off. And we as the audience, think, ok, sure. They regressed into old patterns because they are grieving the loss of their powers. But then we see Diego and Lila, and how they made them the typical unhappily married couple and it is wrong for the characters in their very essence. We see Luther and how he barely has any motivations. We see Alison and how she's putting her job before the daughter she proved she'd do anything for.

(Addendum : And we see Ben and Jennifer and how that could have been a love story that could have changed the ending. Because I think Ben and Jennifer had started hitting it off before it all went to hell. If they had more time, they could have actually fallen for each other for real, not due to an alien substance causing their brains to act weird. (And there could have been so much angst, with the whole cannot touch or the world ends thing but that's neither here not there).)

Love doesn't win out. Instead a weaponized fake version of romantic love is used to trigger the end of world. And the love the Hargreeves' feel for each other can't save it, sure, but that isn't the point of the story. We don't care if they save the world. We care if their love changes their endings. They don't end the story better people, better siblings, better heroes.

They just end. Like they never even existed. Like the fact that they tried didn't matter, that it was actually worse that they did.

So what was the point of all the love?

[claudia1829things]

"THE BUCCANEERS" (1995) Review

"THE BUCCANEERS" (1995) Review

Years ago, I had anticipating watching for the first time, "THE BUCCANEERS", the 1995 television adaptation of Edith Wharton’s last novel. After all, I have been a major fan of "THE AGE OF INNOCENCE", Martin Scorcese’s 1993 adaptation of Wharton’s award-winning 1920 novel for years. But my eager anticipating nearly ebbed away, when I discovered that "THE BUCCANEERS" only managed to rouse a lukewarm reception from many television critics.

The five-part miniseries turned out to be an unusual production from the BBC. One, it was based upon a novel written by an American author – namely Edith Wharton. There have been other British television productions based upon the literary works of an American, but they are very rare. Another interesting aspect of Wharton’s "The Age of Innocence" is that the author did not finish it, due to her death at the age of 75. Fifty-six years later, Wharton scholar Marion Mainwaring finished the novel, which was published by Viking. Around the same time, the BBC hired screenwriter Maggie Wadey to adapt and finish the novel for the television adaptation. As a result the novel has two slightly different endings. Another aspect of this miniseries that struck me as unusual was that instead of hiring British actresses to portray four of the five leads, the BBC hired four Amercian actresses – Carla Gugino, Mira Sorvino, Alison Elliott and Rya Kihlstedt.

The plotline for "THE BUCCANEERS" is very simple. The story begins in 1873 Newport, Rhode Island; in which two sisters of a noveau riche businessman and their two friends are introduced – Virginia "Ginny" and Annabel "Nan" St. George, Conchita "Connie" Closson and Elizabeth "Lizzy" Elmsworth. Whereas the Brazilian born Conchita manages to snare Lord Richard Marabel, the dissolute second son of the Marquess of Brightlingsea, the other three girls struggle to find a place amongst the members of old New York society. When a prank committed by Ginny and Lizzy backfires, Nan’s English governess Laura Testvalley proposes to Mrs. St. George that Ginny and Nan have a London season amongst the upper-class British. She argues that their acceptance by the British high society would assure them a place amongst the upper-class New Yorkers. Due to their friendship with the vibrant Conchita, Virginia and Annabel are introduced to Lord Richard’s family – the impoverished Brightlingseas and their neighbors, the equally impoverished Sir Helmsey Thwaite and his son Guy. As they get settled to conquer British society, Ginny and Nan are surprised by the arrival of Lizzy, who has arrived in Britain for her own season.

Although the girls’ original purpose for visiting Britain was to enjoy a London season, a friend of Laura Testvalley has other plans for them. Thirty years earlier, the American born Jackie March had been engaged to a British aristocrat – namely the very young Lord Brightlingsea, who abandoned her at the altar. Miss March remained in Britain and became something of a sponsor/matchmaker for young society girls. It was Miss March who recommended that the visiting Americans rent a villa owned by one of her former sponsors, Lady Idina Hutton. She also recommended that the girls do more than just enjoy a London season in order to impress old New York society. She recommended that they consider marrying into upper-class British society. Miss March’s plans eventually come to fruition:

*Virginia or namely her father’s wealth attracted the attention of Lady Idina Hutton’s lover and Lord Richard’s older brother, Lord Seadown.

*Lizzy ended up marrying a self-made aspiring politician named Hector Robinson

*Annabel fell in love with Guy Thwaite, but ended up marrying the very wealthy Julian Folyat, Duke of Trevennick; when Guy left Britain to find his fortune in South America.

As I had stated earlier, most critics were not initially kind to "THE BUCCANEERS". Most British critics dismissed it as a costumed soap opera of the second-rate kind, with an ending that had been "Hollywoodized" (happy ending). These same critics also accused the miniseries of mocking the British aristocracy. The American critics, at least those who considered themselves Wharton purists, accused the miniseries’ screenwriter, Maggie Waddey, of changing the elements of the author’s story by including topics such as marital rape and homosexuality. Personally, I found all of these arguments irrelevant. Most dramas about personal lives – whether first-rate or not – tend to possess soap-operish elements. This hostility toward soap operas has always struck me as infantile and irrelevant. And why are all Hollywood productions guilty of having a happy ending, when that has not been the case? Other literary works and their adaptations have mocked the British aristocracy. Why was there such a big hullabaloo over how the aristocracy was portrayed in this particular story? As for the additions of marital rape and homosexuality, these elements did no harm to the story, as far as I am concerned. And I must admit that I have become increasingly weary of demands that all movie or television adaptations should be completely faithful to their literary source. Such demands strike me as impractical.

My complaints about "THE BUCCANEERS" are very few. In fact, I only have two. The first time I ever saw actress Gwen Humble on the television screen was in a miniseries called "THE REBELS", an adaptation of a John Jakes novel. Although I had no problems with her performance in that particular production, I must admit that I had a problem with her performance as Virginia and Annabel’s mother, Mrs. St. George. I understand that Mrs. St. George was supposed to be a shallow and somewhat silly woman. But I feel that Humble went a little too far in conveying those certain traits. Her performance struck me as exaggerated and a little amateurish. Another problem I had with "THE BUCCANEERS" is a rather minor one. It has to do with Virginia’s husband, Lord Seadown. His father is a marquess – which is ranked somewhere between a duke and an earl (count). As the eldest son, he is entitled to a courtesy title. But what was Seadown’s courtesy title? His younger brother was called Lord Richard Marable, which is correct for the younger son of a marquess. The courtesy title for the eldest son of a marquess is usually an earldom – namely Earl of Something. Was Seadown’s name a courtesy title - Earl of Seadown? Or was he supposed to be regarded as Lord Seadown Marable? If the latter, what was the courtesy title he used? I found it all slightly confusing.

However, "THE BUCCANEERS" has been one of my all time favorite miniseries, ever since I first saw it. And there is so much about it that has made it such a favorite of mine. One, producer-director Philip hired a production crew that did justice to Wharton’s story. The miniseries featured some elegant locations that served as the story’s various settings. Some of these locations included Castle Howard, Burghley House and Newport, Rhode Island. I also enjoyed Remi Adefarasin’s photography. It had a deep and rich color that did justice to a story filled with emotions and passion. Colin Towns provided an elegant and entertaining score that remained memorable for me, since the first time I heard it years ago. But it was Rosalind Ebbutt’s costumes that really blew my mind. She provided exquisitely outfits that were beautiful and elegant – especially those for the lead actresses. More importantly, her costumes not only reflected the fashions wore by the American and British upper-classes during the 1870s, they also reflected the change in the main characters’ status and in women’s fashion throughout the decade, as the following photographs show:

Another one of the major virtues of "THE BUCCANEERS" turned out to be its cast. Wharton’s novel is filled with interesting characters. And Saville and his casting director did an excellent job in finding the right actor/actress for the right role. Aside from Gwen Humble’s portrayal of Mrs. St. George, there were so many first-rate performances in the miniseries that it would take me another article just to describe them. But the supporting performances that stood out for me came from the likes of Sheila Hancock, whose portrayal of the Dowager Duchess of Trevenick struck me as an expert mixture of cool haughtiness, sharp wisdom and long suffering; Michael Kitchen, who skillfully conveyed both the charming and shallow nature of Sir Helmsley Thwaite; Jenny Agutter, who was excellent as Lady Idina Hatton, Lord Seadown’s insecure and tragic mistress; Dinsdale Landen and Rosemary Leach, who both portrayed the Marquess and Marchioness of Brightlingsea with a mixture of class haughtiness, charm and great humor; Peter M. Goetz, who seemed to personify the self-made 19th century American businessman; and Connie Booth, who gave one of her best performances as the ambitious and sharp-minded Jackie March.

Richard Huw gave a humorous, yet intelligent performance as Hector Robinson, the ambitious young Member of Parliament who ends up winning Lizzy Elmsworth’s hand. And Mark Tandy was pretty solid as Lord Brightlingsea’s heir, the mercenary Lord Seadown who marries Virginia for Colonel St. George’s money. I was very impressed by Ronan Vibert’s portrayal of the dissolute Lord Richard Marabel, Conchita’s husband and Lord Brightlingsea’s younger son. But the two male performances that really impressed me came from Greg Wise and James Frain. The latter portrayed the haughty Julian Duke of Trevenick, who manages to win the hand Annabel St. George (much to the surprise of her governess), before alienating her with his lack of skills as a husband. Frain could have easily portrayed Julian as a one-note villain, especially when one considers the act of marital rape that his character committed against his wife in Episode Three. Being the skillful actor that he is, Frain conveyed all facets of Julian’s personality – both the good and the bad. And his assertion near the end of Episode Four that he is "not a monster" may have been one of Frain’s finest moments on screen. Greg Wise probably gave one of what I consider to be three of his best career performances in his portrayal of Guy Thwaite, Sir Helmsley’s only son. His Guy could have been one of your typical handsome, romantic heroes. But Wise did an excellent job in revealing how Guy’s insecurities regarding his lack of funds led him to lose Annabel to Julian. And he also conveyed how in the throes of love, Guy could be a slightly selfish man with no thought to how his "friendship" with Annabel might affect her social standing. Thanks to Wise’s performance, his Guy Thwaite proved to be equally complex.

We finally come to our five leads in the story – the four American heiresses and Annabel St. George’s English governess, Laura Testvalley. I have noticed that whenever someone brings up Cheri Lunghi, he or she inevitable brings up her role in "THE BUCCANEERS", the Anglo-Italian governess Miss Testvalley. I certainly cannot blame them. Lunghi proved to be the glue that held the story together, skillfully serving as its eyes and narrator at the beginning of each episode. Rya Kihlstedt gave a charming and solid performance as the blunt and level-headed Lizzy Elmsworth, who seemed more impressed by Hector Robinson’s ambitions than any aristocrat. She and Richard Huw managed to create a very credible screen presence. Alison Elliott’s Virginia St. George proved to be one of the most complicated characters in the story. Thanks to the actress’ excellent performance, she conveyed Virginia’s haughtiness and obsession with being connected to an aristocratic family; and at the same time, garnered sympathy by expressing the character’s love for her husband and disappointment upon discovering that he had only married her for money. And less than a year before she won her Academy Award, Mira Sorvino proved just how first-rate she could be as an actress in her portrayal of the Brazilian-born Conchita Closson. Her Conchita was a delicious and complicated minx torn by her desire for the luxurious and glamorous lifestyle of the British aristocracy and her contempt for what she deemed as their cold personalities. If Cheri Lunghi’s Laura Testvalley was the story’s eyes and narrator, Carla Gugino’s Annabel St. George aka the Duchess of Trevenick proved to be the heart and soul of "THE BUCCANEERS". Thanks to Gugino’s superb performance, the actress literally transformed Nan from the childish and naïve sixteen year-old girl, to the bewildered nineteen year-old bride and finally to the weary twenty-one year-old wife, disappointed by a failed marriage and in love with another man. There are times that I wondered if any other actress could have accomplished what she did. It seemed a pity that none of the major television and critics awards organizations never acknowledged her performance with a nomination.

Many critics have heaped a great deal of scorn upon Maggie Wadey’s adaptation of Wharton’s novel. Frankly, I believe this scorn was undeserved. I may not have been that impressed by her other works, but I honestly believe that "THE BUCCANEERS" was her masterpiece by far. Many accused her of failing to adapt Wharton’s "spirit" or "style" by including marital rape and homosexuality into the story. Since both topics where added without any tasteless sensationalism, I had no problems with these additions. And Wadey also made sure to give the story’s happy ending something of a bittersweet edge. Despite leaving Julian for the man she loved, Guy Thwaite, Annabel found herself ostracized by society and especially by her sister Virginia – as was proven at the Marquess of Brightlingsea’s funeral. Annabel and Guy’s elopement also left the latter disinherited by his father, Sir Helmsley. And her assistance in the elopement left Laura Testvalley rejected by Sir Helmsley and unemployed. So much for the "happy ending". Because the story revolved around four American heiresses marrying into the British upper-classes, "THE BUCCANEERS" also proved to be an interesting study in culture clash between two Western nations in the mid-to-late nineteenth century. But in all of the articles I have read about the miniseries, I find it surprising that no one has bothered to noticed that the topic of the continuing decline of the British aristocracy was also mentioned . . . more than once. It almost became a secondary theme. The Brightlingseas’ interest in the St. George family certainly seemed an indication that they were more willing to marry money – regardless from where it came – rather than find a way to earn it. This seemed like a far cry from Guy Thwaite, who preferred to create his own wealth with two years in South America, rather than marry it. And the character of the Marquess of Brightlingsea literally became a symbol of the aristocracy’s decline in scenes like a heated conversation between him and Hector Robinson; and a speech by Guy Thwaite to the House of Commons during a montage that featured of his death.

Now that I think about it, why should I care what others feel about "THE BUCCANEERS"? Every time I watch it, I always fall in love with the miniseries over and over again. Maggie Wadey wrote an excellent adaptation of Wharton’s novel – probably her best work or masterpiece, as far as I am concerned. Led by the likes of Carla Gugino, Cheri Lunghi, Greg Wise and James Frain, the cast proved to be first-rate. And Philip Saville did justice to both the cast and Wadey’s screenplay in his direction of the miniseries.

[droids-in-disguise]

Favorite Books I've Read in 2023 (so far)

So fun fact I read a lot, here are my top 10 books that I’ve read so far this year, in the order I read them. Never really posted this sort of thing on tumblr before but I thought I’d give it a try.

Book details and some of my thoughts under the cut.

A Thousand Steps Into Night by Traci Chee (2022)

YA Fantasy

A Thousand Steps Into Night is a book I 100% picked up because of the cover and because it was super cheap. I hadn’t ever heard anything about the book or author. The best way I can describe this novel is that reading it conjured up the same feelings that I get from watching a Ghibli film. Our protagonist Miuko is an ordinary girl from a small village until one day she is cursed and slowly begins transforming into a demon. Hoping to find a way to break the curse, she begins to travel the land meeting lots of colorful characters, gods, and mythic figures along the way. It’s a very atmospheric and wonderfully written book that pulls a lot of inspiration from Japanese mythology and folklore

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske (2022)

Romance/Fantasy

This is the second book in the Last Binding trilogy. I feel like you could probably get away with skipping the first book if you wanted to since both books are somewhat self-contained, but why would you? The first book (A Marvellous Light) is awesome. Our story takes place in an alternate-Edwardian England where magic is real and certain people can practice it, unbeknownst to the rest of the non-magical population. Maud Blyth, a non-magical person who has the privilege of knowing about magic, is working with members of the magical community as well as her brother (the protagonist from the first book) to prevent a dangerous magical contract form falling into the wrong hands. She is travelling on an ocean liner when the old woman in her care ends up dead. Cue the murder mystery shenanigans and sapphic romance!

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun (2022)

Romance

I actually read this book twice this year, once by myself and once for my book club. It has what is quite possibly one of the most bonkers rom-com plots I’ve ever seen and I love how ridiculous it is. Basically, our main character Ellie meets a women in Powell’s books and they have a magical, Christmas one-night-stand. Fast forward almost one year later, Ellie is having a difficult time out here in good-old Portland, OR after getting fired from her dream job and having to instead rough it as a barista. In a last-ditch effort to not lose her apartment, she agrees to marry her job’s landlord so he can get his inheritance and Ellie gets a percentage in exchange. However, it turns out that her one-night-stand from last year is her new fake-fiancé’s sister. GASP! The only place this book loses points for me is that there’s too many goddamn Taylor Swift references.

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer (2021)

YA Sci-Fi

If I had to pick a favorite out of all these books it would be this one. Reading this book felt like getting hit by a bus. Our POV character is Ambrose Cusk, an astronaut aboard the Coordinated Endeavor who has been sent on a mission into deep space to rescue his sister. His only companion is another boy named Kodiak who comes from a rival nation (think Cold War-ear space race). As they slowly start to interact with one another it becomes clear that for some reason neither one of them have any memory of the ship’s launch. The only knowledge they have of what’s going on comes from the ship’s internal computer and infrequent communications from Earth. As they begin to investigate, they discover a lot more than they bargained for. The first half of this book is like your typical gay space adventures and then at like the 50% mark onwards the rug gets pulled out from under you and you just have to go WHAT THE FUCK and then when you finish the book you just have to pretend like you’re fine and can move on with your life (you can’t). My only complaint is that this book should not have been YA, like there’s absolutely 0 reason for it to be.

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley (2021)

YA Thriller

This book was unexpected for me. I have a habit of just reading books I know absolutely nothing about because someone, somewhere said it was good and because I think the cover is pretty. For some reason I assumed this would be a fantasy book but it’s actually a thriller/mystery novel, which is not at all a genre I typically go for. Our main character, Daunis Fontaine, is a biracial Ojibwe girl who loves hockey and her community. Her status as an unenrolled member of her tribe has her stuck with a foot in each world. After a family tragedy, circumstances push her to agree to work undercover with the FBI in order to find the source of a dangerous substance that has infiltrated her community and threatens the lives of those she cares about. I found Daunis to be an extremely compelling character with a strong narrative voice. Watching all the layers of the mystery getting peeled away through her investigation was extremely satisfying. She uses mainstream scientific knowledge in tandem with more tribal specific knowledge of botany and medicine in order to figure things out, which I thought was super cool. This is another book where I feel like it could’ve gotten away with not being YA, but I don’t feel as strongly about it as I do in regards to The Darkness Outside Us.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune (2023)

Sci-fi

Where to even begin this one… Have you ever wanted a book that was partly a story about a robot found family on post-apocalyptic Earth and partly a Pinocchio retelling? Yeah me either, but I’m so glad I got it. Victor Lawson is a human raised by robots. He has a peaceful existence with his android father and other mechanical friends until his curiosity unknowingly alerts robots from his father’s former life to their existence. Vic’s father is captured and it’s up to the rest of the family to rescue him. Victor is also asexual and how he describes and navigates his asexuality was so similar to my own it was like looking in a mirror.

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. (2023)

Memoir

This was a wonderful memoir about a queer Muslim as she reconciles those two pieces of her identity, and the struggles she faces finding community. Growing up religious, there were a lot of experiences in this memoir that I personally related to. Something I really enjoyed is how the author retold stories from the Quran and used them to frame her own queer experiences. There was a lot about this book that was very comforting to me, and I feel like it was written in a way that was accessible and easy to understand.

Black Sun (and by extension it’s sequel, Fevered Star) by Rebecca Roanhorse (2020/2022)

Fantasy

Black Sun is the first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, an epic fantasy series with a world inspired by pre-colonial American civilizations. This series has such a large and complex cast of characters, with chapters from multiple POVs, so it’s impossible to say if there is really any one protagonist. Essentially, the upcoming solar eclipse foretells the return of the crow god and the unbalancing of the status quo that has previously been maintained by an order of priests. Some characters are working to make sure this comes to pass, some hope to prevent it, and some aren’t quite sure where their loyalties lie. By the end of the first chapter I already knew I was in for a wild ride (the book opens on a mother sewing her 12-year old son’s eyes shut, ew). This series also features a queernormative world, where non-binary characters and same-gender relationships are commonplace.

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron (2021)

YA Fantasy

This book was so cool and really had a lot going for it. Briseis Greene has the uncanny ability to grow and control plants. She and her two moms live in Brooklyn where they run a flower shop. One day, a visitor arrives to tell Bri that she has inherited an old country estate in upstate NY from her birth family. Bri wonders if this house could be the answer to her family’s financial woes and so they travel upstate where Bri begins to learn more about her abilities and her family’s history. Every answered question leads to dozens more unanswered and between strange individuals wandering the estate, townspeople who seem to know secrets, and increasing instances of violence and vandalism, Bri begins ask herself if staying here is worth it if it means her family might be in danger. This book is a queer, mythology inspired, part urban fantasy, part thriller/haunted house story, of a modern fairytale. Truly something in it for everyone.

[warningsine]

There are so many moments in season 5 that make me facepalm.

Leaving aside the fact that in the first four episodes nothing happens and the plot is nonexistent, many of the farcical developments do not land.

Not only does it feel like they are belittling the tragedy as well as the critical subject matter it represents (BLM and police brutality), but it also cheapens heartbreaking moments like Tasha's speech about Poussey and Brook's library tribute to her deceased lover.

Exhibit A: The seance in order to talk to Poussey. What is this, Yellowjackets 1996?

Other ridiculous scenes that may make you chuckle momentarily and might have worked tonally in earlier seasons (s2-s3), but not as parts of a season with such serious consequences for everyone involved:

The guards playing "fuck, marry, kill" while the inmates run amok.

Luschek getting a boner in front of all the angry prisoners while his colleagues are being humiliated and then joking about it.

That extended scene where that guard is performing a striptease. Wanted to capture the female viewers' attention there, huh?

The whole "talent show" arc.

Linda running around like a puppy instead of using her mobile phone. I enjoyed the short-lived Boo/Linda thingy because it allowed me as a viewer to see Boo's softer side, but sheesh.

The neonazis hanging out with the women they hate, because [spins wheel] there are coffee and funny impressions. Whatever happened to that tension among the tribal units in late season 4?

Gloria getting the hostages to the Poo.

Red, the other matriarch, spending half a season running around aimlessly.

“The Tightening” episode in general.

Moreover, I cannot for the life of me understand why the scenes where the inmates abuse, harass and rape the guards are treated as sitcom moments with no laugh tracks.

(Black comedy would have been more fitting than slapstick humor anyway.)

Subverting the power structure did not have to be about how the inmates, whom they had been humanizing for 4 seasons, are capable of doing bad things. We already know that.

More things that had me either scratching my head (bullets no. 1 & 2) or eye-rolling (bullets no. 3 & 4):

Certain background episodes. Until this season, the flashbacks had served a purpose: telling us why the ladies have ended up in prison and helping us gain insight into their personalities and actions. But Freida, Red and Alison's were not exactly that. At least, Linda and Piscatella's episodes--just like Bayley's in season 4--were used to point out the hypocrisy: these fuckers are responsible for people's deaths as well. Also, in the latter's case, his focus on avenging his lover made him lose his last shred of humanity--unlike Tasha's which remained intact.

Judy King being forced to look like Jesus. The series had tried to tackle white privilege before, but this symbolism (?) was bizarre.

It's no secret that I didn't like how they turned Maria (and Blanca and Ouija) into an antagonist in season 4 by having her brand Piper. Similarly, very original that in a room full of women the ladies of color are the ones perpetuating the abuse and herd mentality whereas a white character (Alex) cannot stand the sight and walks.

For similar reasons, the "white pride nationalists are mistaken for Muslim terrorists" arc rubbed me the wrong way.

Moving on to some of the other topics they touched upon and then dropped like hot potatoes.

Mass shootings? No mention of gun control.

Internet culture and inappropriate memes being toxic af? No commentary there.

The series asking us to root for the neonazi inmates because, um, they're funny and just like the other inmates, yo. No commentary on white supremacy being extremely dangerous either.

When they needed a strong script to make an organic transition from lightheartedness (s1-s3) and the existential grief of season 4 (from Piper and Maritza to Lolly, Sophia and Poussey) to drama, they failed.

The riot was not enough to sustain the stakes for 13 episodes, which is why the season dragged.

At least:

Selenis Leyva (Gloria), Danielle Brooks (Tasha) and Uzo Aduba (Suzanne) were there, managing to evoke some strong emotions out of me. Too bad that Laverne Cox didn't get more screen time.

Janae's flashbacks were great.

The show did try to say something about hostages, slavery, mob mentality and that portion of humanity that chooses to distance itself from the torturers.

Except for the case of the white pride inmates that I cannot comprehend, it was interesting to see the usual cliques fall apart, e.g., Flores working with Red instead of Gloria or Maria, Piper working with Taystee and the others.

The season came full circle. Daya, who accidentally got the gun and then chose to shoot one of the most brutal guards, to Taystee deliberately pointing the gun at the true villain--whose actions led to Poussey's murder--and then choosing not to murder him. Too bad that even touching that gun will come to bite Tasha in the ass.

Choosing to have Piscatella killed by a rookie with no training was quite poetic.

Reversing the roles and having Nicky comfort Red (and Lorna but that's besides the point here) was great to watch. If only these three women had been given actual arcs.

[avada-kedavra-bitch-187]

Fic ideas

Anyone who writes them pls tag me

The rookie

We need a Tim Bradford fic based on 4x5 where the reason y’all meet was because it was the loud party he got dispatched to and you all thought he was a stripper. And deep down he is glad he got dispatched there (A very Handsome Boy by @fluentmoviequoter )

We need a Tim Bradford fic where it’s based on 4x5 where your friends or related to one of the 3 OG rookies (Nolan,Lucy,Jackson)(let’s pretend Jackson never died) and they tell you about the stripper incident and when he gets home he is still in his uniform and u make a joke about it or ask him to strip for you so he does

We need a Tim Bradford fic where you and tim just had a baby and after you had them (maybe twins) some nurse came and took them saying they need to do something and a real nurse comes and is like where are the babies and turns out the nurse kidnapped the baby’s (maybe to get back and Tim putting away her boyfriend or killing her kids) and tim and Angela (love them 2) and the rest of the crew fight like hell to try and find them and get them back maybe Angela is the godmother (Home to my family by @fluentmoviequoter )

We need a Tim Bradford fic where it’s based off of the Dim and Juicy episode where instead of Lucy being the doppelgänger it’s reader and the reader and tim are already married with kids but it’s weird to see each other like that and the interviewer asks weird questions because of it and Tim gets mad and maybe the kid runs up to dim or juicy saying something like mama or daddy or something and the reader and Tim have to explain (More than meets the eye by @fluentmoviequoter )

Ncis

But anyway i just watched 2x20 and it's where Kate and Tony sneak into Tim's apartment to see him in his "natural environment" and when they leave a girl (Spencer from Pretty little liars)(think her names troian) comes out and plays his game he was on Well i was wondering if anyone wants to make a fic based on that but when they burst in reader and tim are making out or in a compromising position or as they are sneaking around she comes out fresh out shower going to say sun to him or something and meets them

Jack reacher

We need a jack reacher (Alan Ritchson) fic where it’s based on the 2nd season. But him and the reader had settled down but he was still way off grid because everything was in readers name and no one knew about her plus he would go out for like a week or something and travel which is when he went to margrave and stuff and on his last trip is when he gets the receipt thing and he uses reader and his house as a safe house and the crew meet reader and his kids.

Teen wolf

Ok so imagine beacon hills high school it’s a college instead and there all 20 not 21 just yet and it’s when Lydia meets Alison’s dad and you could see on her face she’s like damn he’s hot well what if reader was there too and she’s on bed by Lydia and she’s thinking the same thing. Well let’s say either Alison’s mom died before she came to beacon hills and reader ends up with Chris

Orrrrrrr Allison’s mom isn’t dead but Chris and her aren’t really getting along but they can’t get a divorce or something and one night reader hears them arguing and she ends up sleeping with Chris and they end up together publicly after Allison’s mom dies

I’m rewatching teen wolf and i need a scott McCall x reader where reader knows Scott hasn’t had time to study because of being the alpha and having wolf problems aka another bad character problem and so she gives him the answers to the test (she’s rlllllyyyy smart) and whispers them knowing he can hear her and she’s like make sure u miss a couple due to them knowing the teacher will know something is off

[bisluthq]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14124181/amp/Josh-OConnor-girlfriend-Alison-Oliver-New-York-City.html

I think it's the most confirmation we're ever gonna get

we actually have pap photos of them looking more coupley than this (I’ve seen some where they’re holding hands and idk about you guys but I tend not to randomly hold hands with opposite gender friends as we walk unless we’re crossing the road and one of us is drunk in which case yes I hold the hands of both my friends called M and my friend called E and also I used to hold my friend I’s friend but he turned his life around and found Jesus and a wife who obviously isn’t a massive fan of me or all his other queer community friends because he went from messy bisexual nutjob to very heterosexually married church going husband and briefly we did hang out with my current bf and them but my current bf and I are still extremely alternative and hedonistic and weird and it didn’t go so well lol) but that’s like because we love each other platonically and hope the other person doesn’t die.

tl; dr: alison and Josh had or are having a thing but it’s hard to know exactly what happened because they and their normie friends (and they both mostly have normie friends) are not crazy into social media. Also as a fan of both, the tl there is once again not incredible or easy to understand because Josh very much had a life partner he shared the London flat with and was with for a long time and Alison is a bebe but she was with Eanna for a fair while and the overlap between these two meeting through shared circles (and I actually do think Joe may have played a role) and them having a thing is… somewhat complicated from the outside but also we don’t know.

finally: I actually got a writing assignment I don’t hate that I’m supposed to be working on which means that today I will be very wordy and very distracted so present here for y’all because I’m trying to write this shit for these people and 1) I am battling imposter syndrome today because I don’t know why these people want to pay me for the stuff I offered to write about because there are so many people who are smarter and write better and 2) writing here is an incredibly good outlet for me and I’ve discussed this with my therapist and she actually said that because basically I write (which I love doing) and people I don’t know (even if I think I do in my head) relate to or sympathize or empathize or laugh and instead of woe is me journaling, I get to be reminded every day that I make someone else feel less alone and less insane and for that, for you, I am endlessly grateful.

[famousautomatondreamsrockstar]

Alison, baby, I miss you. You should have married me instead.

[endofthe1980s]

victor/chloe glamorama relationship poast

i have been sooo in my feelings when it comes to the relationship between Chloe and Victor. they are such a tragic couple…. they have been making me so sad

🚢 long and quote heavy post under the cut

it’s hard to appreciate their relationship because their best moments happen when plot-heavy things are going on, or are mentioned offhand. the story catches them in a bad time, with Victor cheating on her and valuing the reputation of her name more than her as a person

“What do you see in that poor little girl besides a staggering intellect?” is what Alison asks Victor. Chloe is the only person that wants Victor to better himself, while still staying by his side. it’s evident that no other person has done that for Victor, his only other relationships remaining surface level, the other party only wanting him for his appearance

I would tell [Jamie] “I’m not looking for a serious relationship” and she would stare back at me like I was insane, as if I wasn’t capable of one in the first place. […] She forgave me for a lot of flaws because I was “simply too good-looking.”

because while it’s easy for Victor to get anyone he wants, the first interaction he has with Chloe is essentially her telling him to fuck off

When I looked over at Chloe, she shrugged. I observed the shrug. She mouthed the words Take … a … hike ….

this shows that Chloe didn’t reciprocate his advances just because of his appearance

they even have, in a warped sort of way, a love song playing when Victor decides to go for Chloe that predicts their relationship. “Last Day of Our Acquaintance” by Sinéad O’Connor outlines a person looking back at when their relationship was full of love, as they finalize their divorce

the acquaintanceship in the song refers to the acquaintance having once been someone they used to love and know. in Glamorama’s context, it refers to the beginning, instead of the end. before this day, Victor and Chloe have little to no idea of the other’s existence. the song resonates the most in the lines, “And since then you have taken me for granted” and “I'll talk but you won't listen to me” showing Chloe’s dissatisfaction

could the song also show a possibility of how their relationship ended if Victor never became trapped in a conspiracy? Victor did plan to marry Chloe… 😢

Chloe, in a way, represents Victor’s personhood. she’s the only barrier to the impersonator Victor fully taking over Victor’s life, because the impersonator can get away with fooling everyone but her. he can talk to Alison and even Victor’s sister, Sally, without them noticing a difference because they don’t know him as well as Chloe does. before Victor leaves New York, his impersonator stays on the sideline and interacts with Chloe from afar

“And she says thanks for the flowers.” “What flowers?” I ask. […] Pause. “I didn’t … send the flowers, Victor.” Pause. My turn. “Well, I didn’t send the flowers.” Pause. “There was a card, Victor. It said, ‘Ain’t no woman like the one I’ve got’ and ‘Baby, I’m-a want you, Baby, I’m-a need you.’” JD looks at the floor, then back at me. “That sounds like you.”

“Oh my god, you’re such an absolute dick,” [Alison] groans. “You spoke to me at the Alfaro show, baby.” She glares cross-eyed while thrusting her tongue in and out of my mouth. “Barely, but you spoke.”

when Victor leaves New York, that’s when the impersonator is able to strike

“That day you called me out of the blue?” she asks. “It was a Sunday and you called me, Victor. I’d just gotten back from Canyon Ranch. I met you at Jerry’s? Remember? In SoHo? We sat in a booth in the back? You talked about going to NYU?” She pauses, staring at me wide-eyed. “Then we went back to my place . …” She looks away. She softly says, “We had sex, then you left, whatever […] you just never called me again and … oh forget it, Victor—it’s all in the past, right? I mean, isn’t it?”

(and yeah, this confession bothers me because she doesn’t recognize a difference. maybe their outing was short enough that Chloe couldn’t realize something was off about him ?)

the most endearing quality that Victor has is his protectiveness over Chloe. alongside this is how much he cares about her, though it’s not expressed very well and can be heavily undermined because of his two-timing… but this is coming from Victor Ward, who is vapid and narcissistic

the true extent of these feelings come out when he thinks Chloe is planning on ODing

I cry out and try to run back into the lobby but crew members are struggling to hold me back and I’m crying out “No but why but why this wasn’t in the script” until I collapse and a technician props me up on the steps where I’m still freaking out and shouting “But you don’t understand you don’t understand” and suddenly the director kneels beside me and gently tells the two crew members to let go, that it’s okay, shhh. I’m shaking so hard the director has to hold my face in his hands, steadying it, before he can talk to me. Basically summing things up, he asks, “Do you really want to go back up there?” I’m shaking so hard I can’t answer him. “Do you really want to go back up there?” he asks again. “Is this something your character would do?”

it’s the first of Victor’s many freakouts. the reality breaks amplified post-club opening, and now the mentions of film crew have increased

but this is the first interaction between Victor and the director that show that there may not be a script at all. the director is questioning Victor’s decision to go back or not, as opposed to earlier interactions where it’s just accepted that there was a script that Victor’s supposed to follow

While I’m processing this information the cameraman keeps circling the pay phone, distracting me into forgetting my lines, so I decide to improvise and surprisingly the director allows it.

…the director, getting fed up with me, hisses “Look anguished” and I try to but I’m just vaguely unhappy.

in the context of Ellis novels, it’s also the first real reaction a narrator gives to someone possibly dying. (unless i’m forgetting something in Less than Zero, lol). and this isn’t even anything real, this is just Victor knowing his girlfriend and her past

compare this to a scene in The Rules of Attraction, where a boy is concerned that his friend may have ODed. when told about what has happened, the narrator only says: “He’s just a Freshman. Freshmen don’t O.D.”

it takes Chloe being in possible danger for Victor to break out of the helplessness he feels while "acting" in accordance to a script (however real it may be), to begin to directly question what was going on

this happens again when Bobby threatens Chloe

throughout the hostage situation, Victor follows Bobby’s orders with little to no complaints. any pushback is done behind Bobby’s back, from a safe distance. Victor questions Bobby’s terrorism, but he never openly rebels against him, until Chloe comes into the picture. he even MAKES SURE that Bobby heard his threat

“If you ever touch [Chloe], Bobby, I swear to god I will fucking kill you, I swear to god,” I say, enunciating each word. “Ooh, how confrontational,” Bentley giggles. […] “Did you hear me, Bobby?” I ask.

because of Chloe, Victor begins to fight to break out of the script that Bobby had him playing

Bobby ... asks me, “Where are you going?” “To see Chloe,” I say. “Are you trying to rescue her?” he muses. “Or are you trying to rescue yourself?” He pauses. “That’s not really a solution,” he says, and then, less sweetly, “Is it?” “I’m just going to make sure everything’s okay with her.” “I think that’s another movie,” Bobby says. “And I think you’re confused.”

… it’s just too bad that once Victor is with Chloe, he lets his guard down. his trust in her is taken advantage of

“I’ve gotta go.” “What?” she asks, sitting up. “I’ve gotta get my stuff,” I say in a controlled voice. “I’m moving out of the house. I’m coming back here.” […] “Just wait here. I’ll be right back.” At the door, something shifts in me and I turn around. “Unless … you want to come with me?” I ask. “How long will you be?” She’s holding the script again, flipping through it. “An hour. Probably less. Maybe forty minutes.” “Actually,” she says, “I think I’m supposed to stay here.” “Why?” “I think I’m supposed to shoot a scene.” “What am I supposed to do?” I ask. “I think”—Chloe squints at the script and then, looking up—“you’re supposed to go.”

if these words came from anyone else, anyone other than Chloe, Victor probably wouldn’t have listened. listening to her, trusting her is what leads to her death

in a way, Bobby did listen to Victor’s threat to not touch her. she’s killed with non-contact means and with Mifepristone, a medication used to stop a pregnancy

Bobby could have used anything. but choosing to use an abortion pill on Chloe, who is pregnant.. brutal shit

i don’t even know how to end this honestly 😔 have a cute moment between these two?? if that even helps ??:

I order a bowl of raspberry sorbet and try to cheer Chloe up by turning it into a Prince song: “She ate a raspberry sorbet … The kind you find at the Bowery Bar …”

tldr.... Victor can be a nice guy and it's usually, no, ESPECIALLY when it comes to Chloe. they don't have a perfect relationship, but they fared better than the other couples in Ellis's novels

[ao3feed-janefoster]

Speak Now (My Favourite Couples' Version)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/TXgG6aB

by That_One_Dwarf

"I think it's such a metaphor, that moment where it's almost too late, and you've got to either say what it is you are feeling or deal with the consequences forever... And this album seemed like the opportunity for me to speak now or forever hold my peace."

- Taylor Alison Swift, 2010

A compilation of stories of my favourite couples featuring all the songs from one of my two favourite albums of all-time, the other being Ocean Eyes by Owl City, the almighty herself, Speak Now.

Ladies, Gentlemen, Non-Binaries, allow me to provide the stories of these individuals to all of you, I am essentially... Speaking Now!

Words: 3777, Chapters: 1/22, Language: English

Fandoms: SPY x FAMILY (Manga), SPY x FAMILY (Anime), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions, Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions, Fairy Tail, Gravity Falls, Thor (Movies), Doctor Strange (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010), Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Loid Forger | Twilight, Yor Briar Forger | Thorn Princess, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood, Theodore Nott, Haruka | May, Tsuwabuki Daigo | Steven Stone, Lucy Heartfilia, Loke (Fairy Tail), Pacifica Northwest, Dipper Pines, Jane Foster (Marvel), Loki (Marvel), Wanda Maximoff, Stephen Strange, Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Rapunzel (Disney), Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Luka Couffaine, Chloé Bourgeois

Relationships: Loid Forger | Twilight/Yor Briar Forger | Thorn Princess, Loid Forger | Twilight & Yor Briar Forger | Thorn Princess, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood/Theodore Nott, Haruka | May/Tsuwabuki Daigo | Steven Stone, Lucy Heartfilia/Loke, Pacifica Northwest/Dipper Pines, Jane Foster/Loki, Wanda Maximoff/Stephen Strange, Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood)/Rapunzel (Disney), Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois/Luka Couffaine

Additional Tags: Romance, Drama, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Smut, Fluff, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Title from a Taylor Swift Song, Inspired by Taylor Swift, Album: Speak Now (Taylor Swift), Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Angst, Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Many other alternate universes, Post-Canon, Married Life, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, no beta reading, Slice of Life, we die like my brain after writing this, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/TXgG6aB