#They just had to make it such a baddie including the Mille heads and the two huge arms on top of the body like lol what is this thing

[supermacaquecool]

Ultimate chaosdramon is my fav overdesigned digimon

[whitewolfbumble]

The Little Dragon & the White Wolf

A Bucky x Reader Fluffy One Shot

Summary: You were the little dragon of the group, hoarding gold (whether it’s from Iron Man’s suit or not), snapping at anyone that threatened your Avenger family, nestling down in comfort as often as you could, and falling for one Bucky Barnes. 

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: One tame and short fight scene, beside that just pure FLUFF!

Word Count: About 2k

A/N: The summary is pretty much what you get! Cute little dragon-like you, being adorable, kicking a little bit of butt, and loving Bucky (who may just love you back...). I wrote this on a long drive home so please don’t go in expecting a flawless work of literature here people, but a fun lil romp lol.

MY MASTERLIST // SEND ME A REQUEST 

“Y/N, what the hell are you doing in here?” Tony asked, startling you out of your glassy-eyed, euphoric little haze.

Your head snapped to him in an instant, arms completely full of shining gold odds and ends, all taken from Tony’s workshop that he now found you sneaking around in.

Undeniably it was pieces from his Iron Man suits, some coming from the reject pile, some very much snatched from the new suit he had been working on. You, in your greed, were overtaken by the beauty of so much gleaming gold, not realizing Tony had walked in on you in your little clepto session.

Your mouth dropped open slightly, causing the gold-plated piece that looked to be a finger from his suit fall to the ground as, running out of room to hold anymore, you had placed it between your lips. In your (and his) shocked silence it clattered loudly to the ground, echoing through the dimly lit workshop. 

Your expression turned in an instant from one of satisfaction at your hull, to a half-blank, half-guilty look as Tony confronted you.

“Um, I uh,” you started. “I didn’t uh…”

Tony just rubbed his eye’s with a sigh before pointing to his work bench. “Just put it all back. Now.”

You went from shock to anger in a second, muttering and cursing darkly under your breath at Tony. In an act of defiance and grief, you opened your arms in a huff and let everything fall to the ground right there where you stood.

Tony sputtered in anger, smacking his forehead. “What the hell was that? I was going to let you keep some of it, but I can’t have you just ripping off parts of my brand new suits here Y/N.”

“I didn’t even want it.” you said hotily, quite stupidly and clearly lying.

You kicked one small gold object clean across the room in an angry huff before turning on your heels and storming out, leaving the mess to him.

“Wait, isn’t this Thor’s?!” he called out after you.

You decided not to respond to that.

Besides gold, you certainly had other loves, though nothing as strong as that one (much to the teams occasional annoyance). And just like the majority of the whole world, chocolate was certainly one of them. 

On team movie nights you always particularly enjoyed little bite-sized pieces in with your popcorn. It was sweet and salty and comforting, plus nestling down with cozy blankets and plush pillows, you couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Wednesday evening.

Usually, in your excitement, you were there earlier than everyone else, always wanting the best seat on the couch. Somehow Bucky always walked in just moments after you did, and always sat right beside you despite the large number of spots wide open.

Today though Bucky was no where to be seen, the rest of the team already milling around in the adjacent kitchen or hunkering in for the movie already. And a feeling of discomfort settled in you as you got more anxious by the minute, waiting to see him and wondering when he would arrive.

Sam was on popcorn duty tonight, with various sized bowls in a rainbow of colours set out on the kitchen island, dumping the freshly popped bags into them as the microwave beeped. He was on his last couple bowls and the team was just about to press play before Bucky sprinted in. The sight of him spread a smile across your face, enabling you to turn back towards the screen contently, Nat smirking at you unnoticed from across the room.

The smile stayed on your face as he walked over everyone’s legs up on the coffee table to get to you, getting quite the look from Steve as Bucky decided to squeeze into the three inches of space between you and Cap.

“Thought you were going to be late,” you said to him, smile growing as he plunked down, both of you ignoring the huff from Steve. “We were just about to start. Where were you, anyways?”

The corner his mouth turned up as he took the bowl of popcorn from your hand (which was rude) and passed it off to Tony as he walked behind the couch, who was instantly elated to have two bowls in front of him now.

Before you could protest, he gave you the large bowl in his hand, watching your expression light up at the contents.

Sprinkled in throughout the fluffy bowl of popped, pale yellow kernels were little oval chocolates wrapped in a thin gold foil.

You positively beamed, pushing yourself in deeper to your blanket cocoon with absolute delight. You shimmied excitedly as you took the bowl from Bucky’s hand, clutching it to your chest, humming with delight as you looked down with sheer contentment to the bowl. Your happy little dance shuffled you closer to Bucky who sat beside you, bringing his arm up around the back of the couch by your shoulders. 

The pair of you missed the first ten minutes of the movie, munching away and looking at each other (your goofy smile to his side smirk) before realizing it had already started.

Just like the main character in that action movie you watched several nights ago, you were out in the intersection of a usually busy downtown city street. The civilians and cops long since backed away as you and the Avengers came to take down the baddies.

Unlike while you watched the movie though, there were no remarks on improperly done moves during the fight sequences, or completely reimagining the protagonists “brilliant” plan to one that would actually be a lot more reasonable.

Now it was all hands on deck, fighting side-by-side both on the ground and in the air to take down masked men with guns, and drones with heavy artillery, all enhanced by black market alien tech.

More shots rang out near by, you pulling a masked man on top of you briefly as cover, before flipping him over and slamming a fist down on his face, knocking him out.

A small explosive rang out at the corner and you ducked down to the ground, eyes zeroing in on the enemies through the chaos around you as Tony and Vision whizzed by overheard and Nat and Steve tag-teamed just down from the intersection. 

But instead of launching into another attack of the two men only a couple feet away from you, more shots rang out from behind a glass bus shelter to the left of you, where you knew Bucky to be. Instinctively your head snapped to him, watching as Bucky dropped to the ground with heavy, laboured grunt.

That was when you saw red, a fire from deep in your chest spreading across your body and lighting up a fury that would not be contained.

In a flash you sprinted in behind the shooters, wrenching one back to the ground and pounding in the first man’s face with the butt of his own gun. Lightening fast you moved to the second man before he even turned around, too distracted by the explosions to realize you were there. 

You grabbed the back of his head and slammed it against the metal corner of the bus shelter before kicking in the side of his knee and breaking it. You brought your elbow to his spine, using not a small amount of force, and a loud crack rung out before he crumped to the ground. Your heel hitting his temple was the last thing he would have felt before being completely knocked out.

They both were incapacitated now, but you did not and could not stop. That fire in your was not close at all to quieting down, needing them to feel your wrath and burn them to ash with it.

But as you moved back to the first man who was still unconscious- though that hardly mattered to you- you felt a familiar grip encircle you from behind, pulling you down to the concrete sidewalk.

Arms restrained to your sides, you turned your head, hitting a stumbled jawline and the familiar warm smell of Bucky. His arms remained around you as your chest heaved with angry breath, billowing out of your nose like an enraged bull.

You could barely contain yourself so he was here to do it for you, only with his grip around you to keep you from stopping your attack. You were overrun with fury at Bucky being hurt, feeling such a deep seeded need to protect him that all else- the mission or your safety included- fell instantly by the wayside. It was making you positively steam.

“Shot through the calf,” he murmured to you, having seen your reaction shift from enjoying this rousing fight to murderous fury. “Went clean through, I’ll be just fine, doll.”

But your breathing came just as hard, anger through your lungs and veins and showing clear as day in your eyes like a blazing sunset. Nothing of what you were feeling you could voice, your instinct to protect him having fully taken over every piece of you, including the reasoning side of your brain.

That feeling stayed well after the fight was over, you still holding onto Bucky on the quinjet back to home base. You held fast, practically growling when anyone got too close to him.

At one point Sam tried to inch closer to take a look at Bucky’s leg, but you practically bit his head off. Even with Bucky cooing in your ear you only barely calmed down, watching the others with furious, intense eyes constantly.

It was no better back at the compound when the doctors tried to look at him. You wouldn’t leave his side, clutching to him and creating a barrier blocking anyone from getting to him (doctors included) with your own body. Eventually Bucky had to sit you on his lap facing him, metal arm around your waist to keep you from turning, his flesh hand feeling almost cool against your burning cheek.

He held you in place, eyes locked to yours and binding you into him while they patched up the super soldier. After the fact, when you had in fact finally calmed down enough to use your brain again, he didn’t seem all that upset about it...

“You know, she’s pretty protective of you,” Nat said, heating up some of Clint’s leftovers (unbeknownst to him) after an overnight mission.

“So,” he shrugged casually, leaning back against the counter as the morning coffee was brewing. “I’m pretty protective of her.”

Neither had to specify who they were talking about. Every member- including Bucky- already knew what was happening, even though no one- including you- had said anything about it.

“Uh, she’s protective in a different kind of way.” Nat pointed out, trying to be coy about it.  

Particularly after the last mission you guarded Bucky almost like he was your gold now. And it was not escaping the notice of everyone around. The two of you were attached to the hip even more now. And both seemed to like it.

Bucky didn’t say anything to her comment, just turned before his face could betray his feelings, pouring himself a cup as the coffee maker beeped.

“Makes you wonder how she’ll do when you’re on your two week Wakanda mission, huh.” she added, not bothering to be coy about that.

Again not responding, Bucky took a few long strides out the kitchen with his cup in hand. Natasha smirked as she watched his figure vanish down the hall, his silence confirmation enough for her.

“They didn’t know! We can’t exactly have him take it back now anyways,” Sam muttered to Nat.

They were huddled together, concentrating and intense as you casually wandered down to them. You really didn’t know what brought you down to this part of the compound anyway, you just felt drawn to it for some reason or another. The two of them were halfway down a corridor, creating a blockade of sorts, making you wondering what was on the other side.

“Well it’s already been two days, she’s going to smell it on him soon enough. We need a better plan than-”

“What’s going on?” you asked loudly, breaking their concentration.

The pair, who were lost in serious thought, turned to you with a modicum of shock before plastering what looked to be fake smiles on their face. You frowned ever so slightly at that, now really wondering what was happening.

“Nothing, Y/N,” Nat said quickly. “Just figuring some details of our the next mission.”

You were about to ask more when suddenly Steve emerged with Bucky (you didn’t even know they were even back from Wakanda yet) from a room just down from Nat and Sam.

Sam made a choking “no” sound, but it was too late. You had already seen it.

Your eyes dilated visibly, locking your black gaze instantly onto Bucky’s arm. The metal there was surprisingly different from his silver one now, appearing to be almost blue in hue. Clearly he had gotten quite the upgrade in Wakanda.

And laced between the blueish metal panels were ribbons of gold.

“Y/N,” Steve said with his hands up to you. “We need to set some rules here about this. First of all, no stealing his arm in the nigh-”

But with almost a yip, you were racing down the hall, too quick for either Nat or Sam to grab you, while Steve didn’t bother to put up a fight, knowing this was a lost cause the second you saw the gold.

You launched yourself into Bucky’s arms, wrapping around his neck. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around you, holding you securely up off the ground. Your eyes just about glowed as you hastily and without at all thinking planted quick kisses on his lips in quick succession with sheer pleasure.

After a moment he dropped you down to the ground, still holding tightly, now looming over you. His hand snaked up to the back of your head, and instead of the quick pecks you were pressing on his lips, he held you still and deepened the kiss, holding you fast. It was an intense and wet and intoxicating kind of kiss, the heat of it flooding and drowning you both.

“Well, they’ll be inseparable now, that’s for sure.” Nat said, not wholly shocked or unhappy with this turn of events.

“He didn’t ask for gold on his arm... did he?” Sam wondered, still shocked as the trio stepped back.

“No... there’s... I mean, he wouldn’t...” Steve started blankly, voice fading away as the pair of you finally broke apart, both looking happier than either had ever looked before.

If you enjoyed please reblog or let me know what you thought!! Thanks darlings!

Permanent Tag List: @dontpanc @smodvocate @bungalowjamaica@buckybonky @methefandompanda @hangirl93 @captainrogerrsbeard@friendly-neighborhood-lich-queen @thisgirllikeme

[marshmallowgoop]

I can’t think of anyone else who does this kind of year-in-review compilation for writing, but I put one together for 2017 and would like to continue to do so. It’s just nice to get a sense of what I’ve accomplished in 12 months, especially when I feel that I haven’t accomplished much of anything.

Unlike last year, though, I’m including all kinds of writing I’ve done this time around. My non-fiction work is important to me, too.

Mental health talk and text versions of these snippets under the cut.

To cut right to the chase, 2018 was rough. No matter all my flowery pep talks trying to be positive and uplifting, my feelings of inadequacy skyrocketed. I drenched myself in my own self-depreciating “humor,” and I ridiculed my hopes and dreams. Every time I felt my work was poorly received, I’d tell myself, “Well, what did you think would happen? That people would actually like what you do?”

But I never wanted to stop “keeping on.” I wanted to continue what I loved no matter what, and I threw myself into my writing. There would be days where I wouldn’t eat or do anything else until I’d finished an essay. I spent practically the entire month of November sleeping on my couch because I never wanted to “go to bed” until I had written more, posted more, done more. My head became filled with a constant mantra of, “You’ll never be enough.”

And I wanted to prove myself wrong. I wanted to be something—even if that something was just being happy with myself. But all the proclamations that I’m “getting better!” and “improving so much!” never did much for my confidence. What good is progress, after all, if I still feel like I’m nowhere?

Still, I tried to be productive about my failure. So I wasn’t satisfied with what I was doing. What could I do to be satisfied? I took different approaches to my content. I asked for advice, opinions. But that feeling of being nothing remained.

And yet, I’d always say things like, “I’m okay. I’m just frustrated.” Or, “I felt better after I binged some Netflix, haha.” I wanted to be helpful, inspiring. I wanted to tell people that it’s hard, but it gets better. I wanted to come off as the happy person I so wish to be, and I felt guilty every time I revealed any of my insecurities. Nobody wants to hear that stuff. Everyone suffers. I’m not special.

So maybe that’s why I feel it’s important to say now that I’m not okay. I’m hurting. I’m in pain. There are times I hate myself so much that I can think of nothing but how I’m ugly both inside and out, that I’m selfish, ungrateful, a total bitch.

And I want to be better! Of course I do. And I want to continue to work to be better.

But right now? I’m not okay. And running away from that fact and trying to hide it won’t help me or anyone else.

It was a rough year. I feel I made a total fool of myself more times than I would care to admit. But I also created a lot of art. I shared a lot of art with the world.

And you know what? I am proud of myself. I did impact people with what I did. I answered over 100 asks! I added more than 17 pages to my “replies” tag! I’m not nothing, and I need to stop treating myself like I am!

On to a better, healthier 2019!

Texts

January

Yes, DARLING goes way further than I’m comfortable with, but in doing so, and in doing so seriously, it tells the viewer in no indirect terms that the relationship between Hiro and Zero Two isn’t a joke. This ain’t another Ryuko and Senketsu, where all the blatantly suggestive themes between a human and a non-human are easily neglected and there’s the insistence that the relationship is akin to that of a child and their parental figure (yuck), because unlike Ryuko and Senketsu, there is 1,000% the sense that this series intends for its leads to be like that. There’s practically no other way around it. Just look at the title.

DARLING also doesn’t seem to be following in the footsteps of a run-of-the-mill monster movie, either, where a relationship between a human and a non-human is treated as something terrifying. There have only been two episodes so far, but I would say that there is something genuine in the relationship between Hiro and Zero Two already.

February

So, I don’t have a “bad” section this week. While DARLING might have tonal problems as a whole, as far as “Your Thorn, My Badge” is concerned, there’s little to complain about. The episode is serious, and it stays serious. For the first time ever, there’s a distinct lack of gratuitous fanservice, and other issues that plague the show are also wonderfully absent. No awful cockpit set-up can be seen here, abuse from a woman isn’t depicted as funny, quirky, and cute, and what’s unsettling is portrayed as unsettling.

March

Senketsu’s story—intentionally or not—has easy parallels to stories of marginalization and “otherness.” Like Akira Fudo of Devilman, Senketsu has the body of a “monster” but the heart of a human, and consequently, he can’t fit well in either world. No matter how silly Kill la Kill is, there’s something incredibly worthwhile in a narrative where someone who feels worthless and as though they don’t belong anywhere finds love and comes to understand that they matter. The fact that Senketsu’s story gets so neglected is beyond disappointing for exactly this reason.

But the erasure is also disappointing because Senketsu’s story is plain good. Throwing out everything I just wrote, isn’t it sweet, for a girl to decide that she cares more for a kind, compassionate person than what anyone thinks of her for being with him? Isn’t it heartwarming, that she would push herself to be as strong as she can be to return him to full health when he’s injured? Isn’t it worthy of praise, that there’s the depiction of a relationship built on communication and respect between the two, without either of them unhealthily idolizing the other even though they are both among each other’s first friends, and where they openly discuss their thoughts and feelings and concerns together? Isn’t this all something to be celebrated?

April

To make matters worse, the almost-final version of the script (as included in The Complete Script Book) doesn’t even include that tiny moment of Ryuko’s grief in the end at all! To quote:

街(数ケ月後)

可愛い服を着てマコとデートしている流子。ソフトクリームを買おうとショップによる。そこにもう一人の手が伸びる。買っているのは皐月。彼女も私服だ。驚く流子とマコ。はにかむ皐月。三人、笑いあう。その姿は屈託のない１０代の少女だった。

Incredibly rough translation:

City (a few months later)

Mako wears cute clothes on her date with Ryuko. The two go to buy soft-serve ice cream. Another person’s hand extends, and it’s revealed that Satsuki is buying the ice cream for them. She’s wearing normal clothes, and Ryuko and Mako are amazed. Satsuki is shy. The three laugh together. It is the image of carefree teenage girls.

May

Of course, as I’ve said before, I do think it’s important to talk seriously about media, because media is important. Media constantly impacts and influences us. #TheDiscourse definitely has a place.

But the goal of these kinds of discussions should be to improve. We should strive for better and more inclusive media. We should strive for better and more inclusive fandom. When #TheDiscourse instead becomes more about who’s the most morally superior and who’s the most garbage, it’s failing at this goal. Instead of being about bettering our art, #TheDiscourse seems to, more often than not, be about bullying other people under the guise of righteousness. And it’s utterly repugnant.

June

But what bothers me most about the argument isn’t really the argument itself. What irks me more than anything else is how this widely held belief emphasizes a disheartening trend: whenever something as popular as Kill la Kill comes along, there’s perhaps an eagerness to accept some of the most negative interpretations possible, almost as if there’s a desire for something awful.

And, sure. Maybe I’m just “reacting in shock and horror” to interpretations that are separate from my own. It’s not like there’s anything inherently wrong with a negative view of a work. It’s not like any of my more positive readings are “more correct.” I can’t claim to “get” a piece of art more than anyone else does.

But I can’t help it. I wish things were different. I wish negative interpretations weren’t seen as “more valid” simply because they’re negative. I wish more people weren’t afraid to disagree with popular negative interpretations for fear of sounding like they’re “reacting in shock and horror,” as though there’s really something so wrong about being passionate about art and finding a negative interpretation of art to actually be negative in itself. I wish for more nuance. I wish for more discussion. 

July

I mean, just imagine this. You’re fighting a battle whose outcome will literally decide whether or not your entire planet explodes into a billion pieces in like two hours. It’s not only your life on the line. Everyone you care about have their lives on the line, too. 

To make matters worse, it ain’t going well for your side. You’ve been rendered basically immobile by a cheap attack from these world-destroying baddies… and so have all your allies. Things are looking pretty grim, to say the least.

And then one of your big-name enemies goes and does it. She laughs at your efforts and taunts you and—get this—she says something that totally insults your OTP.

Now, a normal person would probably not be thinking about OTPs during a fight to save the Earth from turning into confetti. 

A normal person is not Mako Mankanshoku.

August

But I find Grosz’s thesis compelling in regards to Kill la Kill because, in a lot of ways, Ryuko and Senketsu do rather embody typical positions of men and women in fictional stories both East and West… except, the roles are reversed. Ryuko is the unruly, aggressive, and hot-blooded protagonist just as a man often is, and Senketsu exhibits many traits that are traditionally associated with women; he’s sensitive, emotional, and a considerable worrywart. Further, while I find the term “love interest” both degrading and unfitting for Senketsu in a series that Word of God denies any romantic intention for, I have to admit that he fits many of the conventions. In an anime with a cast primarily composed of women, the fact that Senketsu is arguably coded as male makes him, just as the standard heteronormative “love interest,” the most narratively significant character of another gender in the show (for just a few other examples, see Ran from Detective Conan, Sam from Danny Phantom, Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon). Whether I’m watching an anime or an American cartoon, I don’t think I’d be too surprised to see a scenario like the one from the end of Kill la Kill’s thirteenth episode, where a man tells a woman that he’s afraid of losing control and needs her to be there for him so that he doesn’t.

September

The official website for Kill la Kill the Game: IF is now up.

As of this writing, the site details gameplay mechanics and other general information regarding the game. There are also short bios and new game-specific artwork provided for the four confirmed playable characters: Ryuko Matoi, Satsuki Kiryuin, Ira Gamagoori, and Uzu Sanageyama. The “Video” section features the trailer from Anime Expo 2018 and the original 30-second commercial (which now has English subtitles available).

The “Top” page also includes a link to the Arc System Works Event Portal Site, where any potential players can download a detailed Play Guide for the game. Additionally, the site provides a schedule for the upcoming showcase of Kill la Kill the Game: IF at Tokyo Game Show 2018:

October

She catches their reflection in the long mirrors that line the gym walls and asks how in the world it all works.

He does not know what she means.

She holds a hand to her hair. The strands are bright and red, leaping into the air like fire.

His voice is a low rumble. The sound fills her as though it is her own.

We are one now, he says. Your skin is my skin, and mine is yours.

The words remind her to once more return to herself.

But when she looks to the glass, she still sees him.

November

Gridman is also quite stunning from a directorial and visual standpoint. As I wrote up some notes for the premiere while waiting for my multiple-hours-delayed Greyhound bus (hey I can’t not recommend that service enough, but those of you who were in full-out cosplay at the station are so much stronger than me), I made sure to mention how much I enjoyed the focus on scenery and environments. A lot of anime will rely heavily on stale shot-reverse-shot conversations in which the characters hardly move, but Gridman mixes things up. When the characters talk, viewers get these wonderful glimpses of their world. Sometimes, you’ll hardly even see the characters at all! This choice feels so fresh and different, and I was particularly taken by how the opening moments of the show are just about entirely background shots.

Takeuchi mentions in the interviews that Gridman director Akira Amemiya is incredibly skilled at what he does, and everything in a cut—from objects to angles to facial expressions—all have meaning. I think I could definitely see that from episode 1, and it’s a real treat. That’s exactly what visual storytelling should be doing.

December

Jiro’s Mubyoshi is neat, but Ryuko’s? It’s sweet as all heck. No matter Houka’s complicated info dump about what she’s doing, the actual scene simply plays out like one of the purest expressions of love. There’s a reason that there’s nudity here, and it’s not for fanservice or titillation. It’s to signify the closeness of Ryuko and Senketsu in this moment—to say that, right here, the two of them are uniting as one.

And it’s beautiful. Intimate. Absolutely heartwarming. Ryuko openly shares a part of herself that even Senketsu hadn’t known before, and he adores it. He loves being with Ryuko so much. He loves her so much.

And Ryuko? Shy, closed-off, keeps-her-distance-even-from-her-family Ryuko? She’s completely unabashed. Senketsu has always paid attention to her pulse and breathing and so on and so forth, and she doesn’t even hesitate to reveal more. This is her sound, and she wants him to listen. She wants him to hear nothing else. She trusts him, fully and completely—and this trust is so breathtakingly powerful that Houka even unzips his hoodie in awe of it.

[allthingsjaneausten]

I was going to write my own review when I started talking to Hazel Mills – Editor at All Things Jane Austen on Facebook – and we found out we thought the same things about the movie. It just so happens she is a better writer and more knowledgeable than yours truly. So here is what she thinks and I wholeheartedly agree!

My first reaction on hearing that there is to be a new adaptation is “Yay, more Jane Austen”, my second reaction is “Oh no! What are they going to do to my beloved book?” Therefore I usually approach the production with fairly low expectations in the hope of being pleasantly surprised. The new production of Emma was not released in Denmark, where I live, until the 7th March so I had to decide whether to hide from social media or embrace the onslaught of reactions to the latest offering. I chose the latter, so by the time I watched the film I had read how perfect Johnny Flynn is as Knightley and how wrong he was for the part, how good the music was and how inappropriate it was, that it was too comedic to those who saw little humor and so on! I, therefore, did not know if I was going to be “excessively diverted” or “all astonishment”. (yes, I know that’s the wrong book!)

My reaction at the end was, to quote Miranda Hart, “Such fun”. It is always impossible to fully reflect an Austen novel in the time frame of a feature film compared to a six-hour series, but I came away thinking this was indeed the story I know and love despite its chopping and changing. Many of the characters were recognizable to those in my head, others not so much.

Emma certainly started as a heroine whom no one but Jane Austen would much like, with her utterly superior treatment of Harriet Smith. I felt so sorry for Harriet when Emma manipulated her into refusing the very eligible Robert Martin. Anya Taylor-Joy plays Emma well, allowing the audience to be a party to her thoughts even when she is silent. She makes a very public journey in the film from spoilt child to a much more enlightened young woman.

The actor who played her love interest and our hero pleasantly surprised me. I had seen many stills of Johnny Flynn as Mr. Knightley and was finding it difficult to reconcile myself to a blond hero, however, I really enjoyed his portrayal of the leading man. I think one of the reasons he comes across differently than other adaptations because we see far more of his story. Emma is written from Emma’s point of view, so we do not see what Mr. Knightley is like away from our eponymous heroine. This production allowed us to see his struggle which makes him even more human. It is a reflection of the beloved 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice where we saw what Mr. Darcy was doing to recover Lydia even though, in the book, we are not privy to his actions until Elizabeth finds out. I liked this production for this. I have been known to say that Mr. Knightley is too perfect for me and I prefer my heroes more flawed and making a journey such as Mr. Darcy and Captain Wentworth, but this portrayal raised him in my estimation. Some criticized the nude scene but I enjoyed seeing how the gentlemen were dressed by their servants for a change.

The comedy value of the film was greatly enhanced by the presence of both Miranda Hart and Bill Nighy. I thought the performance of Miranda Hart was excellent as Miss Bates; her verbosity was well delivered and her reaction to Emma’s cruel remarks at Box Hill was perfection. In the book were know more about how Emma felt after the incident but Miranda Hart made me think much more about what Miss Bates was feeling. Bill Nighy was also very good and played the part written for him superbly, but he was not Mr. Woodhouse that lives in my head. Nighy’s Mr. Woodhouse was much more sprightly than I imagine and, other than draughts, his concern for his health and that of others was not much in evidence.

The comedy I did not enjoy was that of John and, in particular, Isabella Knightley. I found them quite grotesque caricatures and wonder if the writers were trying to produce a new Mr. and Mrs. Palmer from Emma Thompson’s Sense and Sensibility. I also did not like the nosebleed which intruded upon the proposal, which I considered a silly, unnecessary distraction from what should be the loveliest scene in the film and not an opportunity for comedy. However, I did enjoy the comedic value of the Eltons. Mr. Elton may have come across as rather Mr. Collinsish at times but Mrs. Elton was absolutely ripe for ridicule. Whoever came up with her outrageous hair creations was a genius. However, in a departure from the book for me, I even felt a tad sorry for Mr. Elton. This adaptation made me think that he really had married in haste and was repenting at leisure.

I loved the girls from Mrs. Goddard’s school with their identical red cloaks marching around the village. They reminded me of the pictures painted by Diana Sperling between 1812 and 1823 of scenes from Regency life.

I have to admit that I did not like Frank Churchill much. I always feel we should like him at the beginning of his arrival at Highbury, but, had I not known the story, I would have immediately identified him as a baddie. I found him very sneering and unlike-able. I also felt that Jane Fairfax was also rather underwritten.

For me, the role of Harriet was very well played by Mia Goth. Her “rabbits in the headlights expression” when first taking tea with Emma was wonderful; her discomfort at trying to fit in was palpable as she struggled to perform amongst the high society at Hartfield.

The locations were stunning and the houses sumptuous, although I did feel that Donwell was rather too sumptuous for Mr. Knightley who, “having little spare money”, would have had something a little smaller and less ostentatious. The costumes were utterly amazing and I spent far too long looking at how the clothes were constructed. There is a particular pelisse I would like to recreate now! The food should have also had its own credit. It was spectacular. I would love to know how many chefs, cooks and kitchen servants the Woodhouse’s employed!

There were many little things I really enjoyed too, including Emma wearing a replica of Jane Austen’s own topaz cross, gifted by her brother Charles, and a glimpse of Lucy Briers (Mary Bennet in 1995) as Mr. Knightley’s housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds. Surely not THE Mrs. Reynolds? Had Mr. Knightley poached her from Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley?

However, the people who stole the show for me were the ever-present, all-seeing servants. I loved Charles and Bartholomew, the footmen for Emma and Mr. Woodhouse. Their ability to supposedly ignore what was going on around them with the foolishness of the gentry was superb, but I would love to know what they said to each other afterwards. It really struck me was how much the servants saw, from the coachman when Emma was being reprimanded and told that things were “badly done indeed” to a speedily retreating footman from a distraught Mr. Knightley on the floor.

So, all in all, I really enjoyed the production despite its flaws and I know many will take issue with some of my comments but I will be happily adding the DVD to my collection. Now did someone say there is a new Pride and Prejudice coming out?

Hazel Mills is a retired science teacher and a founder member of the Cambridge Group of the UK Jane Austen Society. Until her move to Denmark, she was a Regional Speaker for the Society. Hazel discovered Austen as a thirteen-year-old Dorset schoolgirl when reading Pride and Prejudice and fell in love for the first time with Mr. Darcy. She has researched the history of Jane Austen’s time, presenting illustrated talks around England and Scotland, on diverse subjects including Travel and Carriages in Jane Austen’s time; the Life of John Rawstorn Papillon, Rector of Chawton; Food production and Dining, and the Illustrators of Austen’s novels. She lives in a lovely house overlooking the sea with her husband who built her a library to house her extensive Austen collection, which includes over 230 different copies of Pride and Prejudice.

Hazel Mills reviews EMMA (2020) I was going to write my own review when I started talking to Hazel Mills - Editor at All Things Jane Austen on Facebook - and we found out we thought the same things about the movie.