#Madame Elayne

[foofoodecor]

Foo Foo Decor By Elayne & Don Seasonal Decor Halloween Display Madame Elaynes Spirit Palor EST 1884

[theriddletrades]

WICKED - BROADWAY - JANUARY 2024

Wicked | Broadway | 2024, January | MP4 (11.02 GB, 2160p) | The Riddle’s master Cast: Mary Kate Morrissey (s/b Elphaba), McKenzie Kurtz (Glinda), Jordan Litz (Fiyero), Michael Thatcher (u/s The Wizard), Christianne Tisdale (u/s Madame Morrible), Kimber Elayne Sprawl (Nessarose), Jake Pedersen (Boq), William Youmans (Doctor Dillamond), Chase Madigan (Chistery), Allsun O'Malley (s/w Midwife), Alison Jantzie (Witch's Mother), David Scott Purdy (s/w Witch's Father / Ozian Official), Matt Farcher (s/w Ensemble), Kelsey Kaufman (s/w Ensemble), Dashi Mitchell (s/w Ensemble), Colby Q. Lindeman (s/w Ensemble), Allsun O'Malley (s/w Ensemble)

Notes: Great 4k capture of this superb cast with the phenomenal Mary Kate Morrissey.  Moderate to severe lighting washout throughout, but follows all the action near perfectly.  Shot with a mix of mediums, wides, and zooms.  Occasional slight obstruction from the person in front of me fixing their updo.

NFT DATE: NOVEMBER 22, 2024 Sales only until NFT date; price is $15

email theriddletrades@gmail.com if interested Screenshots: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBbAH7

[ao3feed-snape]

When Stars Align

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/5G8xqsk

by radakalexis

Carina Elayne Toussaint, the girl everyone knew as the 5th marauder, suddenly becomes acquainted with a certain slytherin boy who just so happens to be Sirius's younger brother.

How the two of them haven't had any run ins prior to their 6th year at Hogwarts is a mystery.

They quickly become good friends, it's as if the two of them had known each other their whole lives.

Their newly found friendship also seems to uncover some secrets...

...full of strange dreams, a twisted past and an even darker future.

They become tangled in a sea full of light and darkness. They must make a choice, they must to do the right thing.

How much are they willing to risk for the people they care about?

{A friends to enemies to lovers AU marauders era story full of hope, change and happy endings. Because everyone deserves a good ending.}

Words: 3700, Chapters: 3/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: Regulus Black, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Lily Evans Potter, Evan Rosier, Maria Evergreen, Carina Toussaint, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes, Alice Fortescue, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Andromeda Black Tonks, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Madam Rosmerta (Harry Potter), Pandora Ollivander, Lizzie Toussaint, Emmeline Vance, Vivienne Price, Simon Minsky, Mary Macdonald (Harry Potter), Xenophilius Lovegood, Grace Vanity, Avery Family (Harry Potter), Carrow Family (Harry Potter), Antonin Dolohov, Original Nott Family Characters (Harry Potter), Otto Bagman, Original Abbott Family Characters (Harry Potter), Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Black Lestrange

Relationships: Regulus Black/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Regulus Black/James Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter, Lily Evans Potter & Original Female Character(s), Remus Lupin & Original Female Character(s), Evan Rosier/Original Female Character(s), Regulus Black & Evan Rosier, James Potter & Original Female Character(s)

Additional Tags: Happy Ending, Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Enemies, Constellations, Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Hogwarts, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders, Jegulus, wolfstar, jily, dorlene, Sirius Black Needs a Hug, Bisexual Remus Lupin, Sirius Black & James Potter Friendship, Bisexual James Potter, Pansexual Sirius Black, The Order, First Wizarding War with Voldemort (Harry Potter)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/5G8xqsk

[povestotrischane]

uhhh rating lancelot dolls bc i'm bored. there are more than i expected but also there. aren't that many.

flower prince lancelot by creata

alright i'm going to be honest: idk shit about this line. it doesn't seem to have any real connection to the arthurian lancelot apart from the name but also the lore is. so thin (literally only exists in the world of the back of the box) that i'll take it and run with it. the main three princesses in the line are "laurelle, lissette and leanna". i saw the first two names and got my hopes up bc lissette looks a bit like lynnette, if i were making this line i would've leaned into the arthurian names a bit more, but i suppose not that much thought can be expected from a barbie clone from the 80s. overall i have to give him a 7/10 bc. he's cute and oh they don't make boy dolls like they used to.

effanbee camelot collection lancelot

he has the tristan-in-any-portrait haircut and it makes me uncomfortable. i don't like that i can see his nostrils and his eyes are disconcerting. if you showed him to me i wouldn't guess he was a knight much less sir lancelot. the nostrils are really getting to me. there's a doll named "lady elaine" in the line who'd better be elayne of astolat. she's somehow more uncomfortable to look at then lancelot. 1/10 i don't like the nostrils and the colors are unflattering.

robin woods camelot collection young lancelot

cute! his outfit is giving less knight and more royal guard though. i don't have much to say about him. this line also has a "lady elaine" doll but she has a sweet face so i'm leaning towards elayne of astolat with that one. the more i look into this line the more i realize how many characters there are, they even added lynnette to the lineup. anyway, lancelot gets 6/10.

treasured heirloom sir lancelot

alright look. i tried my best to find a good photo of this guy but this is the best there is. i don't like his face it looks too much like this one kid in my school musical. points for being vaguely medieval though. 5/10 i don't have strong feelings on him.

madame alexander camelot pair 79550

he brought a friend this time! but we're going to be ignoring guinn for now to focus on lancelot. he's fallen into the age-old madame alexander trap of looking a bit too much like a toddler playing dress-up, with the too-smoothed hair, the wide forehead, and the kinda cheap materials. at least he has a sword this time. 6/10.

madame alexander fantasy collection: camelot: lancelot 13550

he has a friend this time too! they come separately but this is the best photo i could find and they're cute together! i love him so much he's actually wearing armor this time. he looks like a knight and he looks like what i picture when i think lancelot. 10/10 love him so much my skrunkly. my little meow meow. we're not talking about guinn rn but she looks really nice and they coordinate really well this time.

[lizziestudieshistory]

Books of 2020 - March

Enforced isolation made me read a lot... Here are the 10 books I read!

The Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive #1)    We all know I adore this series - I reread it every year after all. This time I read it to annotate the text and do a proper deep-dive into the world Sanderson is creating in preparation for Rythmn of War coming out later this year.

The Binding - Bridget Collins    I still don’t know how I feel about Collins’ book. It’s a historical fiction novel with a subtle hint of magical realism through the concept of Binding - using some form of magic (I’m not entirely sure how) to turn real memories into books. This concept is what made me and my uni friends buddy read this novel in the first place; it sounds fascinating, especially to bookish people like we us! However, this book is not really about book binding - it’s a love story between Emmett Farmer and Lucian Darnay.

If I’m honest the part two, which covered the original courtship of Lucian and Emmett, was the most interesting section of the novel. I thought their relationship was a bit cringey (as befits teenagers) and incredibly sweet. The romance made the novel. But it wasn’t the book we signed up for. I was expecting a book about the secrets about Binding - maybe a bit of a thriller/mystery but with beautiful writing and an ethereal setting? I was definitely expecting more information about Binding. Instead we got a angsty romance, endless cutting and gluing of endpapers for books and ONE scene of Emmett book binding that didn’t tell us what the process actually is.

For what the book actually is, which is an angsty gay romance in a very subtly magical alternate ‘Victorian’ society, it’s a decent book. If I’d known this I probably would have read it and considered it a lovely cutesy read. However, it’s not the book I was sold and it left me disappointed. I’d recommend giving it a shot, but it’s not a book I would necessarily read again...

The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Orcsy    This was a ridiculous, over the top, and melodramatic classic adventure story. I had so much fun reading this! The Scarlet Pimpernel is a mysterious English aristocrat who, with his band of devoted fellow gentlement, travels to France during the height of the Revolution to rescue innocent French nobles from the guillotine. However, the French are at their wits end and Chauvelin blackmails the ‘cleverest woman in Europe’, darling of English society, and French wife of Sir Percy Blakeney, Lady Marguerite Blakeney, to find out the indentity of the Scarlet Pimpernel. 

From there we go on a wonderfully melodramatic romp through 18th century England and France, and watch as Marguerite tries to save the Scarlet Pimpernel. It’s a silly, over the top, novel in a similar style to The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. I’d highly recommend it as an entry into classic literature - or just as a ridiculous fun story!

Reticence - Gail Carriger (The Custard Protocol #4)   My last full length parasolverse novel was A LOT of fun. I adored Percy and Arsenic’s slightly cringey but incredibly sweet romance bloom, alongisde the exploration of the supernatural in Carriger’s version of 1890′s Japan. The Custard Protocol was my least favourite of Carriger’s three main series (plotwise at least) but Reticence was a beautiful homage to the entire parasolverse! I adored the cameos (or just the entire wedding scene, let’s face it!), silly humour, and Percy’s happy ending.

My small niggle with this novel was the plot. As with the rest of the Custard Protocol novels I felt the plot wasn’t spectacular. It was a bit thin on the ground, particularly in the first half... This series is about character, and I love all the characters, but I wanted a little bit more from all of the novels. I wanted to see a bit more of each country (and spend a little bit less time on the Spotted Custard whilst travelling through the grey...) Nevertheless, I think Reticence was the strongest of the four Custard novels and I really loved it. Carriger’s world is my comfort blanket, it makes me smile, and I adore the world she’s created - and for that I will be forever grateful to Miss Gail!

Poison or Protect - Gail Carriger (Delightfully Deadly Novellas #1)   This novella was a lot darker than I was expecting from Carriger. The plot and on-screen action was just a silly and entertaining as I was expecting (Preshea goes to a house party to prevent the assassination of the Duke of Snodgrove, and stop his daughter marrying a gold digger, whilst falling in love with a dashing Scottish captain.) However, Preshea’s backstory was much darker than we usually see in the parasolverse, the only comparable one I can think of off the top of my head is Rodrigo’s abuse from the Templars! She suffered through years of abuse and neglect at the hands of her father and husbands, leaving her damaged and shying away from all relationships. 

The actual romance in Poison or Protect left me a little but underwhelmed. Gavin was actually what I was expecting from Connal Maccon in the Parasol Protectorate, and I’m much more on board with his ‘gentle-giant’ style romance with Preshea. I’m personally not a huge fan of the stereotypical kilt-wearing, enormous Scottish bloke... Just not my thing...but good for Preshea if she likes that! I just wasn’t that invested. 

Personally, I would have loved Preshea’s book to revolve a bit more on her relationships with women, not romantically (she has never read as bi or a lesbian) but platonically. In the Finishing School Preshea held herself aloof from the girls around her, never really having a proper friend or friendship group. Instead she was like a vampire queen surrounded by her hive - beautiful, deadly, and set above everyone around her. Preshea herself comments on it in the book! Because of this I would’ve really loved the novella to focus on Preshea learning to be friends with other women, not see them as enemies or competition, and maybe getting her man on the side. We did get this growth as a sub-plot with Lady Flo and Mis Pagril, but I think it was more important for Preshea with her Finishing School background and the abuse she suffered to find herself with other women before jumping into bed with husband number 5...

The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince - Robin Hobb (Realm of the Elderlings)    This was a fun little novella that expanded the backstory of the Six Duchies and explained why the Witted and Wit magic are so feared in the Farseer and Tawny Man Trilogies. It’s not Hobb’s finest work, but it did flesh out the history of the Six Duchies a little bit more. The story isn’t incredibly important to the main series but I’d highly recommend for fans of Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings and it’s best to read the tale either before of after the Tawny Man Trilogy.

Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert   A disappointing classic. Madame Bovary is supposed to be selacious and scandelous. I found it tedious and irritating. Emma Bovary was one of the most uncompelling heroines I’ve read outside of Dickens - she was a selfish snob, with no redeeming characteristics for the reader to latch onto. She’s adored by her husband, but bored in her marraige because Charles is only a middle class, mediocre doctor... She is manipulated by the men around her (both lovers and the guy who lends her money, I can’t remember his name) but is also incredibly stupid in her decisions, particularly around money and her last fateful decision at the end of the book.

The language (both French and my English translation) was dry, and the pacing was off. Important parts of the novel went by in a whirl, but then there were long stretches where almost nothing happens. I’ve read similar novels that were much better with similar themes, plotlines, and much more interesting characters. I am glad I’ve read it but Madame Bovary is not a book I would read again, nor would I recommend it unless you want to cross it off your list of classics. 

Winter’s Heart, Crossroads of Twilight, and Knife of Dreams - Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time #9, 10, 11)    This post is incredibly long and I’ve spoken about this series at length already so I don’t really have any new criticisms to rasise. However I am slowly making my way through the rest of the Wheel of Time and I’ve now reached the end of the books solely written by Robert Jordan himself. Winter’s Heart and Crossroads of Twilight really were the height of the slump, however, I did manage to read through them both quite quickly with the amount of time I have at the moment. Both books were quite slow but had hugely important moments in them for the entire series.

Knife of Dreams was a return to form for Jordan before he died and we got the resolution to several tedious plotlines that had been running through the last few books (Perrin and Faile, Mat in Ebudar, Egwene travelling to the White Tower.) Personally, I loved Elayne’s struggle to claim the Lion Throne, however, this is one of the plotlines people tend to dislike and it had a particularly satisfying conclusion at the end of KoD. I’m incredibly excited to the series conclusion that I can see coming and I can’t wait to jump into the installments written by Brandon Sanderson in April! 

Currently Reading

I’m still working through Fellowship and the Companion... It’s fallen by the wayside slightly but I am still working through it.

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens    This is my buddy read book for March/April, but it’s also a reread for me (as we know from my turbulent relationship with this book from 2019) We have just finished Book 2 Chapter 5.

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon    I’m not a huge fan of this book so far, however, I don’t hate it. I think the plot and world building is quite shallow (circa. 200 pages in anway), and the writing makes me feel like I’m watching the characters through a glass screen. Hopefully it will pick up a bit, but at the moment I think it’s overrated. (I don’t think it’s helping I’ve been reading a lot of brilliant epic fantasy at the moment...)

[islecaptain-a]

JEALOUS / POSSESSIVE  MEME PT 2

@wicxedxcharming​ said:“ i thought you only had eyes for me ” (From Elayne to Claude)

“You’re overreacting Elayne.” The Church gang leader rolled his eyes. He’d been merely talking to one of the daughters to Madame Medusa, who was telling him that Diamond had quit working for Ursula and had started working at Giavanna Legume’s tavern. He got why she was worried, he wasn’t exactly known for being the most reliable. However it stung that she of all people didn’t trust him. “I was talking to one of my father’s parishioners.”

[sxilingthegalaxy]

@naughtyxstories​

“We...hope to see you tomorrow, madam.”

“Yes...Yes. See you tomorrow.” Elayne whispered softly, looking at herself through the mirror as her maids slowly made their way out of her bedroom. They locked the door behind them, knowing that is to be done. Dress her in gems and colorful layers, make sure she looked like a queen of a kingdom, before leaving her bedroom. Locked from the outside so that Elayne couldn’t escape.

A princess, that was what she was. A princess and an only child, the heir to the kingdom. She believed, for most of her life, she would be queen on her own, only choosing to marry when the time was right. But sadly, she was wrong.

Her twenty first birthday had only been 5 days ago, five days she has kept herself from those barbaric men. She knew that the time was slowly ticking away, she only had so many more nights before one of them found her and stole her kingdom from under her nose.

None of them cared about the villagers, No prince knew what was right for her kingdom. They wanted the armies, the label as king, the mistresses, and of course, her. Elayne Telcontra, a beautiful princess that would be made their bride.

Elayne had it, she wasn’t going to let them succeed. She wasn’t going to let them steal everything she loved away from her. 

The knife, the one hidden beneath the fabric of her bedding, was her father’s. One he wouldn’t notice was missing but would get the job done. Her father had told her that this custom insured that their kingdom thrived but Elayne didn't believe it. Her kingdom had kings for generations before she was born, she believed her father was making it up, just so she had the excuse of marrying her off.

No matter, she was prepared this time around. If one of those monsters died tonight, it would be from her hands.

The knock on the door informed her it was time. Elayne slowly hid the knife in her dress, sighing as she gave a small prayer to...whoever was out there that this would work. That her life was not the one that would end tonight.

Opening the door, she glared at the sight of her father, who only gave her a curt nod. “I will not tolerate this nonsense for much longer Elayne. Do this for your kingdom, I promise it will not kill you to allow a man to catch you.”

“If they want me...they have to try harder then they have.” Elayne murmured simply, feeling proud as her father huffed before leaving her door. He would be locked, with her mother, in their bedchamber until a man caught her or until the sun came up. Recently, the game had gone on until dawn broke. But not tonight. Tonight, she was taking a man’s life to secure her own.

After a moment, Elayne heard it. The chiming of the bell from the North Tower. 

The hunt has begun and she was ready.

[catholicwatertown]

Pope sends message to UN conference on nuclear weapons

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a message to the “United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Towards their Total Elimination,” the first part of which is taking place in New York from 27-31 March. The message was read by Msgr Antoine Camilleri, Under-Secretary for Relations with States, and Head of the Delegation of the Holy See to the meeting.

Below, please find the full text of Pope Francis’ Message:

  To Her Excellency Elayne Whyte Gómez President of the United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Towards their Total Elimination

I extend cordial greetings to you, Madam President, and to all the representatives of the various nations and international organizations, and of civil society participating in this Conference.  I wish to encourage you to work with determination in order to promote the conditions necessary for a world without nuclear weapons.

On 25 September 2015, before the General Assembly of the United Nations, I emphasized what the Preamble and first Article of the United Nations Charter indicate as the foundations of the international juridical framework: peace, the pacific solution of disputes and the development of friendly relations between nations.  An ethics and a law based on the threat of mutual destruction – and possibly the destruction of all mankind – are contradictory to the very spirit of the United Nations.  We must therefore commit ourselves to a world without nuclear weapons, by fully implementing the Non-Proliferation Treaty, both in letter and spirit (cf. Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations, 25 September 2015).

But why give ourselves this demanding and forward-looking goal in the present international context characterized by an unstable climate of conflict, which is both cause and indication of the difficulties encountered in advancing and strengthening the process of nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation? 

If we take into consideration the principal threats to peace and security with their many dimensions in this multipolar world of the twenty-first century as, for example, terrorism, asymmetrical conflicts, cybersecurity, environmental problems, poverty, not a few doubts arise regarding the inadequacy of nuclear deterrence as an effective response to such challenges.  These concerns are even greater when we consider the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences that would follow from any use of nuclear weapons, with devastating, indiscriminate and uncontainable effects, over time and space.  Similar cause for concern arises when examining the waste of resources spent on nuclear issues for military purposes, which could instead be used for worthy priorities like the promotion of peace and integral human development, as well as the fight against poverty, and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

We need also to ask ourselves how sustainable is a stability based on fear, when it actually increases fear and undermines relationships of trust between peoples.           

International peace and stability cannot be based on a false sense of security, on the threat of mutual destruction or total annihilation, or on simply maintaining a balance of power.  Peace must be built on justice, on integral human development, on respect for fundamental human rights, on the protection of creation, on the participation of all in public life, on trust between peoples, on the support of peaceful institutions, on access to education and health, on dialogue and solidarity.  From this perspective, we need to go beyond nuclear deterrence: the international community is called upon to adopt forward-looking strategies to promote the goal of peace and stability and to avoid short-sighted approaches to the problems surrounding national and international security.

In this context, the ultimate goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons becomes both a challenge and a moral and humanitarian imperative.  A concrete approach should promote a reflection on an ethics of peace and multilateral and cooperative security that goes beyond the fear and isolationism that prevail in many debates today.  Achieving a world without nuclear weapons involves a long-term process, based on the awareness that “everything is connected” within the perspective of an integral ecology (cf. Laudato Si’, 117, 138).  The common destiny of mankind demands the pragmatic strengthening of dialogue and the building and consolidating of mechanisms of trust and cooperation, capable of creating the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons.

Growing interdependence and globalization mean that any response to the threat of nuclear weapons should be collective and concerted, based on mutual trust.  This trust can be built only through dialogue that is truly directed to the common good and not to the protection of veiled or particular interests; such dialogue, as far as possible, should include all: nuclear states, countries which do not possess nuclear weapons, the military and private sectors, religious communities, civil societies, and international organizations.  And in this endeavour we must avoid those forms of mutual recrimination and polarization which hinder dialogue rather than encourage it.  Humanity has the ability to work together in building up our common home; we have the freedom, intelligence and capacity to lead and direct technology, to place limits on our power, and to put all this at the service of another type of progress: one that is more human, social and integral (cf. ibid., 13, 78, 112; Message for the 22nd Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Agreement on Climate Change (COP22), 10 November 2016).

This Conference intends to negotiate a Treaty inspired by ethical and moral arguments.  It is an exercise in hope and it is my wish that it may also constitute a decisive step along the road towards a world without nuclear weapons.  Although this is a significantly complex and long-term goal, it is not beyond our reach.

Madam President, I sincerely wish that the efforts of this Conference may be fruitful and provide an effective contribution to advancing an ethic of peace and of multilateral and cooperative security, which humanity very much needs today.  Upon all those gathered at this important meeting, and upon the citizens of the countries you represent, I invoke the blessings of the Almighty.

                                                                                                            FRANCIS

From the Vatican, 23 March 2017

  (from Vatican Radio) from News.va http://ift.tt/2ocsUhK via IFTTT from Blogger http://ift.tt/2od3a4X

[foofoodecor]

Foo Foo Decor By Elayne & Don Seasonal Decor Display

Abandoned De Cemetery & Spirit Palor Halloween Display