#because i adore rilla

[laurapetrie]

She had her own inner life of dream and fancy. She fashioned secret drama for herself out of everything she heard or saw or read and sojourned in realms of wonder and romance. "Far, far away" had always been words of magic to her.

- L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Ingleside (1939)

[oldfashionedbooklove]

tell me about your favorite lm montgomery novel please <3

Okay this is SO hard because her books are amazing but I just have to admit Rilla of Ingleside is my favourite, which is saying a lot because I LOVE HER BOOKS, okay! I adore the Story Girl duology and I absolutely love the Anne series and Jane of Lantern Hill.

But Rilla. This book is a heartbreaker. And it’s so beautiful.

I don’t know if I can fully express how much is to be found in this book. I have been reading it yearly for many years, and always come away with new thoughts. As I grow older, and see more of the world, I relate and understand more, and another level of the book is discovered.

The setting—a small P.E.I. town carrying on through WWI. I’m pretty tough when it comes to war books, but I have to take breaks from this one because it is so raw and real. The agony is intense. I cannot even cry over it—my heart hurts too much for tears. This shows exactly what the Great War was for people. You sway back and forth, feeling the dread and terror. You know how it ends but you are broken anyhow. And when the end comes, you too can only rejoice softly. You feel as if you have paid part of the price yourself.

“‘We’re in a new world,�� Jem says, ‘and we’ve got to make it a better one than the old. That isn’t done yet, though some folks seem to think it ought to be. The job isn’t finished—it isn’t really begun. The old world is destroyed and we must build up the new one. It will be the task of years. I’ve seen enough of war to realize that we’ve got to make a world where wars can’t happen. We’ve given Prussianism its mortal wound but it isn’t dead yet and it isn’t confined to Germany either. It isn’t enough to drive out the old spirit—we’ve got to bring in the new.’”

The characters in this book—they are alive. Splendid Jem, brave and merry and true; Jerry, steady and dutiful; Walter, sensitive and courageous; Carl, cheerful and fearless; Shirley, honest and reliable; Nan and Di and Anne, all heart-wrung and smiling; Gertrude, tragic and grasping for hope; the Doctor, determined and self-sacrificing; Susan, simple and true—and Rilla, who starts out a silly, frivolous girl and ends a strong, mature woman. Then there are all the minor and side characters—the Merediths, Cousin Sophia, Jimsy, Ken, Irene, Whiskers-on-the-Moon & his family, Mary and the Elliotts, Norman + Ellen, and everyone else. They’re all so alive, so real, so funny and terrible and beautiful—I swear Glen St. Mary exists and all the inhabitants thereof.

The story follows the Great War, from the first days in August 1914 to the bitter Summer of 1919, where peace has come but normal will never return. As a child, this story was simply World War One—a faraway, long-ago grief and horror and agony. Now, in 2024, as a woman, I have experienced a slight taste of what the people of 1914 felt, and it has humanized the story of the War. This, more than any other book I have read, brings the War and the world of 1914-1918 to life, showing how they were people just like us. The heart is wrung by their suffering, and there is no escape, for the war must drag on for long bitter years. And the price! Walter has become the face of unknown, forgotten heroes, and Jem has become that of the scarred heroes who returned. Every November we grieve the young men who never came home, and for the ones who came home missing a part of themselves, physical or otherwise. I have wept thinking of the children of Rilla, Ken, Faith, Jem, and the others—children who fought in WWII and whose parents were forced to relive the horrible conflict of mankind.

“It has been such a dreadful week,” she wrote, “and even though it is over and we know that it was all a mistake that does not seem to do away with the bruises left by it. And yet it has in some ways been a very wonderful week and I have had some glimpses of things I never realized before—of how fine and brave people can be even in the midst of horrible suffering.”

And yet the book overflows with humour—real laugh-out-loud scenes and witty, clever banter on princes and politics. It is another aspect of the humanity—the part that cannot fully let go of laughing despite the drain. Another angle is the shrewd commentary on principalities and powers, nations and cultures, is thought-provoking, as is the remarks that show us how the war truly changed the world.

“There was a time,” she said sorrowfully, “when I did not care what happened outside of P.E. Island, and now a king cannot have a toothache in Russia or China but it worries me. It may be broadening to the mind, as the doctor said, but it is very painful to the feelings.”

But the biggest things to me is the SPIRIT of this book. The spirit of perseverance, endurance, courage, and love. Of course, man is man, and there is suspicion, contempt, and a feeling of superiority—but this is not exclusive only to Anglo-Saxons. As someone who isn’t Anglo-Saxon myself, and actually of mixed cultures, I can attest every nation is guilty of such. World War One was a battle of good vs. evil—not of man vs. man, but Idea against Idea—the idea of civilization against militarism. Perhaps not on the part of the leaders—but when one studies the writings, letters, poems, and speeches of the everyday folks caught up in the war, one sees this distinction plainly. It was not a war of European against European, Anglo-Saxon against German—it was a war between an old, terrible Idea of Prussianism (Frederick the Great, anyone?) and the Idea of Respect and Peace.

“And you will tell your children of the Idea we fought and died for—teach them it must be lived for as well as died for, else the price paid for it will have been given for nought.”

May we never forget.

A REMARK: I discovered that Rilla of Ingleside was abridged by about 4,300 words (~14 pages), so I searched for an unabridged copy. I definitely encourage you to take the extra trouble to find an *unabridged* copy. It is SO worth it! I’ve read both versions and the unabridged is so much fuller, with a great deal more humour and fun.

I just have to pick out my favourite quotes, too…

“We all come back to God in these days of soul-sifting,” said Gertrude to John Meredith. “There have been many days in the past when I didn't believe in God—not as God—only as the impersonal Great First Cause of the scientists. I believe in Him now—I have to—there's nothing else to fall back on but God—humbly, starkly, unconditionally.”

“‘Our help in ages past’—‘the same yesterday, to-day and for ever,’ said the minister gently. ‘When we forget God—He remembers us.’”

Below her [window] was a big apple-tree, a great swelling cone of rosy blossom.... Beyond Rainbow Valley there was a cloudy shore of morning with little ripples of sunrise breaking over it. The far, cold beauty of a lingering star shone above it. Why, in this world of springtime loveliness, must hearts break?

And I can’t leave without some humour:

“‘The Germans have recaptured Premysl,’ said Susan despairingly… ‘and now I suppose we will have to begin calling it by that uncivilized name again. Cousin Sophia was in when the mail came and when she heard the news she hove a sigh up from the depths of her stomach, Mrs. Dr. dear, and said, ‘Ah yes, and they will get Petrograd next I have no doubt.’ I said to her, ‘My knowledge of geography is not so profound as I wish it was but I have an idea that it is quite a walk from Premysl to Petrograd.’ Cousin Sophia sighed again and said, ‘The Grand Duke Nicholas is not the man I took him to be.’ ‘Do not let him know that,’ said I. ‘It might hurt his feelings and he has likely enough to worry him as it is.’ But you cannot cheer Cousin Sophia up, no matter how sarcastic you are, Mrs. Dr. dear. She sighed for the third time and groaned out, ‘But the Russians are retreating fast,’ and I said, ‘Well, what of it? They have plenty of room for retreating, have they not?’ But all the same, Mrs. Dr. dear, though I would never admit it to Cousin Sophia, I do not like the situation on the eastern front. [But] Grand Duke Nicholas, though he may have been a disappointment to us in some respects, knows how to run away decently and in order, and that is a very useful knowledge when Germans are chasing you. Norman Douglas declares he is just luring them on and killing ten of them to one he loses. But I am of the opinion he cannot help himself and is just doing the best he can under the circumstances, the same as the rest of us.’”

[jomiddlemarch]

A letter always seemed to me like immortality

Everyone Diana wanted to write to was dead.

Walter, what seemed like a dozen lifetimes ago, at Courcelette if his last letter to Rilla was to be believed; Diana had often wondered whether he had already considered himself a dead man walking before the day of the last battle, the boy he’d been destroyed beyond repair or rebirth.

Aunt Leslie, whom she’d found it easier to talk to than her own mother, perhaps because she’d also had a brother she adored. Perhaps because she’d left Glen St. Mary and never missed it. 

Perhaps because Leslie liked whiskey better than tea, newspapers better than poetry. 

Una, who’d been too pale since she barely survived nursing her father and stepmother through the Spanish flu, who’d been someone everyone underestimated or decided to treat as a martyr, who would not have judged Di the way her own sisters would. 

Rosalind Foyle, whom she’d had to ask about as discreetly as she could, counting on her general reception as a cheerful and polite Canadian, not much like a bossy Yank, to yield her the few details she’d squirreled away. An artist, a mother. A beauty. Better-bred than her husband, well-liked, she’d had elegant hands and never forgot to wear gloves.

Diana only wore gloves to operate and if an actual gale was blowing in a blizzard.

Who had thought all she wanted was to go to France, to make something of her life that would last her the rest of it. That might make the rest of it of a duration she could bear, an end her family could cope with or justify why she’d never return to PEI.

Dear Una, You’re the best one to write to, I think. The one who’d mind the least, like it the most. The least awkward for me to imagine reading this, the least likely to tell me something I don’t want to know. I leave for France in a few weeks and now I don’t want to go. Or rather, I do and then I don’t. There’s something holding me in England now, something to do with Walter, a mystery. Men, who’ve died. A man who’s alive, very much so.

A man I want to know. His name is Foyle. Christopher. He knew Walter, said Walter knew him as Kit. Everyone calls him Foyle or sir or Superintendent. Christopher. Oh Una, I thought this was behind me. That it was something I’d never have to deal with, some sort of consolation of being a woman in a world missing a generation of men. I thought I wouldn’t know this and that was a relief, watching you and Rilla and Nan. Faith. Mary. I thought it was fair, that I’d never know heartbreak like this. And now there’s Christopher. A half-dozen dead men. Walter’s poem. And France, waiting for me. I have to go, I know that, but how do I go wanting to stay here, a place I can’t call home. Wanting to come back.

Christopher. I like writing his name because I oughtn’t say it often. That’s what a young girl does, lovesick, dull, embarrassing herself, making everyone around her smile behind their hands unless it’s Miss Cornelia, scolding you for making a fool of yourself and for what, a man? What’s a man worth, I ask you—can’t you hear her say it, tart, ready to wash her hands of us— I don’t care what a man’s worth, Una. Just Christopher. And I can’t answer the question, not to satisfy Miss Cornelia or you or myself.

You’d write me back something comforting, if you could. If you hadn’t died before your time, twice over, after the telegram, after the epidemic. I should have insisted you leave before me or with me. I should have told your father you were worth more than all the rest of them put together or made Dad send you away to convalesce, somewhere warm, where you might have lolled about, turning brown in the sun. I’ve said I’ll go to France and sew up the men who need sewing up. Cut off the parts that need cutting off. I’ve said that’s my life, my vocation, as important as Mother’s poetry, as Walter’s, as the babies Jem delivers and the columns Ken Ford writes, and it must be but now there’s murder and Christopher to contend with, a dozen mysteries at the heart of me. For it seems I’ve a heart after all, Una. It beats and beats and leaps when it oughtn’t. It will break, I know it shall.

Christopher. I’ll take a dream in lieu of a letter. A flower, out of place, in lieu of a word. Answer me if you can, Una. You can’t and I know that, but I’ll still hope, silly Di Blythe.

She put the letter in an envelope but left it unsealed and unaddressed.

Left the envelope in an otherwise empty drawer of the desk in her flat. If she didn’t return from France, well, that didn’t bear thinking about too closely. If her papers were sent back to Canada, her father would likely burn the letter rather than let her mother see it unless if gave it to Nan, thinking her twin would derive some comfort and, happily married to Jerry, the bonny wife and mother Di had not made of herself, could weather any pang it gave her.

If somehow it ended up with Christopher, he’d know how she’d once felt.

She could make that happen, writing his name across the white field of the envelope, but that was too much like a dare, and for all she was her father’s daughter, she still had her mother’s wise fear of the fey.

She’d written his name enough. She’d hope she’d come back to say it.

[welcome-to-ratterrock]

i wonder what music artists they would listen to!

i know DAMN well that Sorcha would listen to Lana del ray, Saorise would listen to chapell roan and i think that Rilla would listen to Laufey

GOODNESS, this took a while. Both Baji and I are ardent music lovers and aficionados, so music is veryimportant to us and to this story and these characters. So I wanted to make sure I got everything in order before answering these asks! 

Sorcha loves jazz and music that’s heavily influenced by soul and movement, so she loves hip-hop, pop soul, R&B, club music - stuff that’s sexy and feminine and full of confidence, like Janelle Monae, Rihanna, Beyoncé, HER, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish. 

She’s absolutely a Lana Del Rey fan, also loves Amy Winehouse, Paloma Faith, Clairy Browne, April Smith and the Great Picture Show, Laura Mvula. For more old school stuff she goes for Irma Thomas, Nina Simone, Peggy Lee, Julie London. 

Rilla loves fun energetic pop that she can dance to but also makes her feel free to - Kesha (the Rainbow album was DEEPLY important to her), Doja Cat, Dimie Cat, Sabrina Carpenter, Chapelle Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, Brittany Spears. She loves Laufey for a softer, romantic vibe, and even though she doesn’t listen to a ton of alternative she LOVES Molotov Jukebox. 

Also, girl ADORES Dolly Parton. She’s dressed up as her for Halloween, loves her endlessly. She got into Kacey Musgraves too, but Dolly has her heart. She likes some of Taylor Swift’s stuff, but she’s definitely not a die hard Swiftie. 

Lorcan unironically adores Kesha, very happy to jam with Rilla whenever their girlie’s music is on. In general he loves music that would be perfect for a barroom brawl - Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, IDLES. Loves rock in general, especially Def Leppard and AC/DC, the Clash and the Black Keys. Likes Gaelic Storm and the Beatles for softer moods. 

Brig listens to a lot of metal and punk and rock music - she and Lorcan would definitely jam to AC/DC and the Black Keys. Also loves blues music, definitely a fan of Johnny Cash. Also likes Gin Wigmore a lot. 

Luella loves soft indie core songs and groups - the Wailin’ Jennys, the Oh Hellos, the Crane Wives, the Jane Austen Argument, the Hush Sound, Brandi Carlisle, Cat Power, Paris Paloma. She and Rilla both love Laufey. She listens to Florence + the Machine and P!nk when she wants to feel empowered. 

Locke is also into soft indie, lots of underground bands no one has ever heard of but have very intense poetic lyrics - Hozier, the National, Cigarettes After Sex, Florence + the Machine, Nicole Dollanganger, the Oh Hellos. There’s a lot of overlap between him and Lu, actually! He also loves viola music, he plays it and it’s a very healing, therapeutic passion of his. 

Regal…whoo boy, his taste in music covers such a wide and diverse spectrum. He loves operas and classic musicals, very much a devotee to classical music by artists like Debussy and Puccini and Bizet. One of his absolute favorite songs is “Danse Macabre”…

He’s a virtuoso with the piano and has described himself as his own favorite musician. 

But he does like some more modern music, he’s just VERY snobby about what he wants to listen to. Marina and the Diamonds (“Bubblegum Bitch” is a favorite), Queen (he is very fond of Freddy), Voltaire, Fish in a Birdcage, the Real Tuesday Weld are some examples.  

Bogdan is even more a snob than Regal, and stays away from most modern music. He’d much rather focus on composing his own music than polluting his ears with the dreck that passes for songs nowadays. Sorcha has her work cut out with him, but she’s more than up to the task…

Casimir, sadly, probably doesn’t listen to a lot of music because of his injury - it’s too much stimulation and he suffers from horrible headaches to begin with. Not all music does it, but too much stress and sounds would very likely trigger an episode. It’s incredibly tragic because music is such an important and treasured facet of his and Bogdan’s culture…

[alwayschasingrainbows]

Whats your fav LMM novel? Please rank from the most you like to the least you like. Thank you 😊.cn.

Thank you for this question! First of all, I am very sorry it took me so long to answer, but I have to say it was a difficult choice for me (Sophie's choice, one might even say).

Before I start, I want to give a little disclaimer: there are some books I haven't read in ages. For example, I was the biggest fan of Anne series back in the days - I read Anne of Green Gables at the age of 8 and I remember loving it so much.

But then, I read other Montgomery's novels and loved them... even more. While Anne's books are still close to my heart, I haven't read them in years, while I still keep coming back to other books. That is something I should definitely change - if I reread Anne series (and Maud's other books) and my rating changes, I'll make a new list!

That being said, Anne of Green Gables is definitely the most iconic Montgomery's book - it is a beautiful, heart-warming tale of coming of age - and Anne herself is the most iconic female character Montgomery had ever created.

Ok, the disclaimer was very long, but I needed to make things clear, for Anne series is only listed as fourth - but not because I don't enjoy it, but because I need to reread it...

Oh, and another thing: I only included the novels, not short stories.

Emily of New Moon trilogy - my absolute favourite. I know many people have issues with these books and I understand this. Still, that's my number one. I must say I was not too satisfied with an ending of Emily Climbs (2nd book) and the last chapter of Emily's Quest (3rd) seems very rushed (although I like the way it ended... generally). All three have the first place ex aequo.

The Blue Castle - very close second. I love this book so much. In my opinion, Valarney is the best romance Maud had ever written. It is a lovely book - full of humour and fantastic characters; the one I keep coming back to each time I need a little cheering up. It never fails to do so. But oh, poor Cissy...

Rilla of Ingleside - it is probably the saddest book Montgomery ever wrote, but it is just so beautiful. Rilla is the heroine that goes through the biggest inner change... My favourite things about this book were: Rilla and Jims's relationship and Rilla's development. I wasn't into the romance there, tbh. Also... Walter... (tearing up).

Anne series - I will rank the books from my most to less favourite among the series: Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Island, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley, Anne's House of Dreams, The Blythes Are Quoted. That being said, I really liked all of them, but I still can't get over Joy (that's why AHoD is so low. I mostly like reading about Anne pre-motherhood, even though I also adore all her children... I know, I just contradicted myself...).

Story Girl and Golden Road - I adore stories about childhood friendships and this one doesn't fail! The only sad thing - Cecily's fate :(. But truth be told, I got the impression that the King children acted a bit young for their age... on the other hand, maybe that's the way things used to be in the past.

Jane of Lantern Hill - another great book! Jane is very different from other Montgomery's heroines - she's so practical! I adore her as a character.

Magic for Marigold - I remember loving this book, but... I haven't read it in ages. I need to change that.

Tangled Web - I have some issues with the book (the racism, marrying close relatives etc.). But on the whole, I enjoyed it. I liked some stories more, some less... and one can get lost among all these Darks and Penhallows (I always get their last names wrong, even though there are only two choices!).

Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat - another series I haven't read in ages. But I wasn't too fond of these books as a child - I couldn't understand Pat too well... But I really liked Hilary. I think I should give the series another try someday... maybe I'll like them more now.

Kilmeny of The Orchard - the only Montgomery's book that I dislike... no sparkling humor. No lovable characters. Ideal Kilmeny... stuck up Eric... and the awful references towards Italians. No sir, thank you. Not me.

Ok, that's my list. I feel the need to say that I find all of Montgomery's books delightful. Even Kilmeny of The Orchard had some lovely descriptions of the nature...

I truly hope that I haven't offended anyone. I am really curious what other Montgomery's fans rating would be...

Again, thank you for this question!!!!

[hondagirll]

@dollsome-does-tumblr tagged me on my top 9 books. I need to stress how HARD this was to choose only 9. As someone who (checks my GR) reads an average of 75 books a year, this was incredibly stressful but I did it. This are my top books that I come back and re-read, year after year, some decade after decade.

The Queen's Thief by Megan Walen Turner: Our first introduction to Gen, love of my life and the most unreliable narrator I have ever met.

Persuasion by Jane Austen: Second chance at love? Indifferent family members? Anne who thinks Wentworth is completely and totally over her and Wentworth, who thinks he is completely and totally over Anne except she's the sole focus of his attention every time they meet up? HERE FOR IT.

Betsy Was a Junior by Maud Hart Lovelace: It is really hard to pick one from the series, the last six books I usually re-read in one go but I love Betsy's junior year if only for the herbarium project shenagians - "THERE WERE NO FALL FLOWERS TURNED IN! NEVER, IN ALL MY TEACHING YEARS!" Incredible.

The Firebird by Susanan Kearsley: You have to read book #1 first but this sequel is my favorite (and I love books 1 and 3 a lot!). So many characters and storylines and I adore the setting. At 500 pages it's one of those books you can just sit down and spend a entire day getting lost in it. Which I do no matter how many times I re-read.

Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh: Re-read this back in July and this historical romance novel still holds up. Such a great love story. Also nice to see Wulfric meet someone who isn't afraid of him, his ducal title and his quizzing glass.

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery: I first discovered Anne when I was 10 or 11 and instantly recognized she was a kindred spirit. That feeling hasn't changed over the years. That said, I had a hard choice choosing between this one or Rilla of Ingleside, because I love Rilla so much as well. This one won out 'cuz it the start of Anne and her story but Rilla was a close runner up.

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell: Don't get me wrong, I love North and South and the romance, but this monstrosity of book depicting small town (white) life back in 1800's England I love just a smidge more. It's got everything - family, step parents, young love, charismatic older men, secrets and gossip. Lots and lots of gossip. Seriously. This book is little old ladies gossip central station.

Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White: Final book in the President's Daughter series and my absolute favorite. Meg is one of the toughest fictional characters I have ever met and I am in awe of her and her strength. Plus, she's the President's daughter which is its own strain to bear.

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn: I know people have *opinions* on the show but let me tell you, when I first read this book twenty years ago it imprinted on my soul like a little baby bird. Colin and Penelope forever! Always!

tagging @queenofattolia @ladytharen @acehardy @mrgaretcarter @librarianmouse @stars-inthe-sky @hmsharmony @waywardted and whoever else wants to do this. I know I have more readers on my dash!

[sky-fire-forever]

I know everyone is obsessing over the new Junoverse episode right now (and so am I, trust me), but I’m relistening to Second Citadel The Battle at World’s End Part Four and thinking about RAD Bouquet.

Okay, but Rilla straight up had an emotional affair. Like she high-key cheated on Damien with Arum. And I feel like no one talks about that. She says she “figured it out” how she can be with them both before even mentioning Arum to Damien. She planned to be with them both without discussing it with Damien at all. She tells Damien he’s paranoid for noticing that her feelings for Arum are deep.

That’s an emotional affair. It’s not about her feelings, it’s about her plans. She was already planning on just telling Damien the situation instead of communicating and asking his feelings. That’s what’s fucked up. And I get why! It’s a character flaw of Rilla’s that she rushes in, that she’s excited by new things. She does love Damien! She loves him very much. She just didn’t pause to think about how he might feel, which is what she talks about in Battle at World’s End Part Three, which is also a hugely important part that few people talk about.

Rilla learning that she needs to value Damien and can’t just brush his feeling aside. That’s a HUGE character moment for her and I genuinely love it. I love that Rilla learns to value what she already has. That she doesn’t want to lose Damien.

Kevin and Harley have talked in commentaries about how having Rilla and Damien be in a traditional (ish) relationship makes it hard to cheer for them because introducing Arum is a break to the status quo, which people tend to want to see.

But I love Rilla and Damien’s relationship! They love each other! It’s comfortable to them! But it’s only comfortable because they find comfort in each other! They adore each other and make each other happy.

And Damien and Rilla both love Arum too! Of course they do. But their relationship is also important.

Damien is hurt by Rilla’s betrayal and he’s confused and hurt and he prays. He is so afraid of losing everything he’s ever known. Everything is changing and it frightens him. This change is hurting him. He learns to move and he changes a lot. He grows to change and to embrace change. (Kinda like Sasha Wire, huh)

But gods, this relationship compels me. I’m going feral.

[powerpolyculeshowdown]

Vote for the Pendragon polycule!! Since Rilla, Arum, and Damien already lost (rest in peace, RAD Bouquet, I love you) I have decided that Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot are my new champions!!!!

Okay, so I'm someone with a special interest in Arthurian Legend. And Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot have ALWAYS had some polyam vibes that tend to get more explicit in more modern interpretations (including my own Arthurian series I've been writing since I was sixteen)

High Noon Over Camelot is no exception!! They are explicitly in a very beautiful polyamorous relationship. It's shown that while Arthur is the "sheriff", all three of them make decisions together as a team. They make each other better and stronger. The first song that introduces them shows that they each have their own strengths.

And they sing a love song together called Blood and Whiskey, which is one of my favorite songs of all time. It's a beautiful song showing how they balance each other out and also how they have fun together and help each other heal from their deep traumas.

There's the line Lancelot sings that's "Guinevere, you're my stars, Arthur you're my night" which I adore. Because of the play on words with night/knight

They also have a trans son together. So there's that

omg they have a SON???? i thought i knew everyhing from the propaganda in the first showdown but i dont remember being told about a son!!! thats so cool!!!!!

[damienthepious]

Can you reccomend your fave smutty rad bouquet fics? Either your own or other peoples. Looking for new reading material.

OKAY forgive me please for taking literally weeks to actually get to this. the entirety of my March was spent slowly and then very quickly moving to a new house, and it has been CHAOS over here.

MORE IMPORTANTLY! Happy Lizard Kissin' Tuesday, let me recommend some SMUT.

(tho honestly you'd do just as well checking my bookmarks on ao3 because... for some bizarre reason the smutty stuff is the ONLY thing i ever think to bookmark? I don't get it.)

HERE we go. These aren't really in an order but i'm starting with my three all-time faves and then moving to some sturdy solid mainstays:

Sir Arum and the Green Knight [ao3] (27k words) - I mean it's a green knight au AND a monster-human swap au AND it's full of fucking feelings and ALSO it's joyously smutty and ALSO- look!!! i keep this fic open in a tab on my phone at all times. I truly love the way this one is written. it was the first fic i EVER bookmarked. i would call it plot with porn rather than the alternative but the sexy chapter is VERY sexy.

Here's Eglantine, Here's Ivy [ao3] (5k) - PWP Of All Time for me. ALL TIME. Pure and beautiful kink, Arum playing dom and slowly and perfectly ruining his humans with magic vines. i am ruined also by this fic. good lord.

The Honey of Our Lit Up Veins [ao3] (5k) - also magic sex vines! don't perceive my vibes from this. I love Damien in this one honestly, he's so very sweet and his inner emotional path throughout the fic is so deeply enjoyable and relatable.

.💖.

A Shift in Leverage [ao3] (9k) - Rilla in armor. Rilla in armor getting fucked by an extremely enthusiastic Arum. Rilla in armor getting to fuck an extremely enthusiastic Arum. It's all incredibly enormously sexy and lovely and warm and i fucking adore it.

in my world (constantly, constantly) [ao3] (6k) - Very soft and sweet and gentle, i love to see damien get taken care of in ALL capacities 🥺🥰

easy like [ao3] (4k) - I associate this one with like... slow lazy summer warmth. honey gold. it's a soft happy place for me. and also it's fucking sexy.

Snapdragon [ao3] (8k) - includes the tag "T4T4L (trans 4 trans 4 lizard)" so like. yesssssss. Rilla breaking the other two is extremely my jam. Hell yeah.

should've worshipped her sooner [ao3] (4.5k) - I mean you start with a hozier inspired title and then the fic is about damien getting pegged, so. All good all around. fucking LOVE it.

selfish prayers [ao3] (4k) - ... another magic tentacle one. there was a THING going on for a while, it's honestly not my fault. This one is shockingly funny? Arum in particular is so fucking charming, but it's also VERY sexy.

I smelled no salt, I touched no sand [ao3] (3k) - okay this one is probably the most nonstandard pull on here because it's sir damien/saint damien and maybe that's not what you'd expect but . it's written by the same person who wrote the green knight au and it's honestly VERY compelling! i love it very much ngl.

Also this isn't a fic BUT honorable mention to:

lilf rights! [ao3] (art!) - Genuinely and truly the best and most joyous smutty bouquet art in the world. One of the pieces overtly inspired a chapter of hb3! go. enjoy. ENJOY.

...

and okay sure my own smut is here

[the-moral-of-the-rose]

"It was quite a nice little letter for a seven-year-old who had been going to school only a year to write, even though Jem's spelling was a bit uncertain and there was a big blob of ink in one corner."

Anne of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery

So... it seems that Jem start school when he was only six? He was born in June, so if he started school along with seven-year-olds, he'd be close to eight at the time of the quote, I think. And we know for sure he was only seven; he was born two years after Anne and Gilbert's wedding and as Mrs. Lynde said: "It's nine years since you went away, but Marilla and I can't seem to get over missing you." (Anne of Ingleside).

At first I thought it was because it was obligatory to start school at the age of six on PEI, but: "“No,” said Marilla resolutely, “my father always said that no child should be cooped up in the four walls of a school until it was seven years old, and Mr. Allan says the same thing. The twins can have a few lessons at home but go to school they shan’t till they’re seven.” (Anne of Avonlea).

Of course, Davy and Dora started school almost twenty years before Anne's children, so the rules might have changed during this time. But, Anne's twins - Di and Nan - started school at seven:

"Nan and Di were going to school. They started the last week in August.[...] Now, in early September, Anne and Susan had got used to it, and even took pleasure in seeing the two mites trip off every morning, so tiny and carefree and neat, thinking going to school quite an adventure. [..] Diana, with her red hair, could not wear pink, but it suited Nan, who was much the prettier of the Ingleside twins. She had brown eyes, brown hair and a lovely complexion, of which she was quite aware even at seven." (Anne of Ingleside).

The twins were seven years old at September, but eight next June: "Cock Robin did come back when Ingleside and Rainbow Valley burned again with the green, evasive flames of spring, and brought a bride with him.[...] They had got through the winter without anything very much out of the way happening to anyone and in June it was Di's turn to have an adventure. [...] Jenny Penny had nine years to Di's eight." (Anne of Ingleside). So, the twins were probably born somewhere between spring and summer... although it is quite possible that they might have been born in winter and Anne and Gilbert decided it would be better if they waited few more months before sending them to school?

Six year old Rilla didn't attend school during "her" chapter of Anne of Ingleside, either. But then, perhaps it wasn't a start of the school year yet. But this quote, in my opinion, suggests that it might be a year yet until she would start school: "Last year Daddy had measured her by a rosebush; this year it was the phlox; soon it would be the hollyhocks and she would be going to school." (Anne of Ingleside - Rilla's chapter).

I wonder... did Anne's children start school at different ages? Maybe some were ready for a school at six and some were not?

Is it possible that Jem was sent to school a little earlier, because Anne was still not strong enough after Shirley's birth...?

@gogandmagog @the-piper-and-the-lion who both adore Anne of Ingleside.

[laurapetrie]

Your personal ranking of L. M. Montgomery's heroines? ;)

I'm going to exclude Anne because it's just too obvious and there are so many others who are worthy of a little love note. 1.) Philippa Gordon. My frivolous, fanciful glamour girl who gives it all up to live in the slums with her One True Love, the ugliest boy in town. Truly the most loveable, and my favorite of Anne's friends - yes, including Diana Barry. Choice soundbite: "Of course I know how pretty I am. What are looking glasses and men for?"

2.) Nan Blythe. The best of the Blythe girls. She's adorable, hilarious, and the only one in the family who can pull off pink. And she never grates on me like Rilla does sometimes. When it comes to the Ingleside years, Nan is where my heart lies. And I need more of her romance with Jerry, because I ship it on the basis of this line alone: "I was all alone and afraid—terribly afraid. Dead men were all around me—and I thought of the old spring in Rainbow Valley under the maples. I seemed to see it just before me—and you standing laughing on the other side of it." I mean !!!!!!

3.) Sara Stanley. Don't we all want a dress made out of moonshine with stars for buttons? I must add that The Golden Road wrecked me at a young age, but as an adult it's one of my very favorites. That's what I love about Montgomery's books - I devoured them all by age 12, but they're always changing for Adult Me. 4.) Robin Stuart. A little out of left field with this one, because on the surface she's just a Barbie doll, but I think she deserves more love because she's actually a great example of what lifelong emotional abuse can do to someone. (True for a lot of Montgomery's heroines, tbh.) I love Robin because she manages to regain a bit of her spunk towards the end AND she gets her happily ever after as the cherry on top. Also, Jane is my favorite standalone novel by LMM, which is probably another reason why I have a soft spot for Robin. 5.) Ilse Burnley. My favorite chrysanthemum-smasher. She escapes her own wedding by climbing out the window! She gets drunk during snowstorms! She swims in the moonlight in nothing but her petticoat! I know it's bordering on blasphemous, but I would have preferred a trilogy just about Ilse. Also Perry > Teddy.

[theflyingfeeling]

I can't write a comment under post for some reason BUT get well!! 💕💞 I myself overcame the disease this summer (Siberia..) so I can understand how hard and painful it is 🤒 I don't know if you believe in it or not, but I will make a manifest for your recovery!

Also, I would like to say that I like your fanfics so much like for real, your Olli/Allu fics are my favourite! It is your "cup of tea" for sure!

Sending lots of love and hugs through the screen, xoxo. 🥰🥰

oh, you're so sweet!! 😭 I could use the manifestation, I really want to get better already 🙏

thank you so much for saying that 🥺💖 I'm so happy you like my fics, especially the Olli/Allu ones, thank you for reading them <3 I swear I'll eventually try to write something else as well (if I get a good idea) but for now the brainrot is too deep for me to write much else😅 they're just so fucking cute together 😭💕

here's a cute lil' snippet of my WIP (chapter 2). consider it a Friday treat:

He didn’t know how he could even begin to explain exactly how much he adored Olli’s company and cherished every single moment they were together no matter what they were up to, so he snapped his mouth shut and hoped Olli knew anyway, at least in some sense. Maybe one day, in (hopefully) far future, when the band would no longer exist and they’d all be gone separate ways, he’d find the courage to write Olli an overly formal email or leave a drunken, incoherent voicemail on his phone where he’d spill all about the truthful nature of his feelings towards him, but until then, Aleksi had little to no other choice but to swallow all those words he really wanted to say to Olli. Such as you’re in my mind constantly and I’m going insane with how much I need you here and how much I want you.  Or I can’t remember the last time I woke up in the morning and my heart didn’t break a little when I realised I’m not on tour and you’re not next to me. I dream of you. I dream of us. I dream of running away with you, of leaving everything (except Rilla) behind me, even though I know that’s not how you would do things. But I can’t help it, because every time you pull me into a hug, you pull me into an alternate reality in which I won’t have to let go of you when Tommi honks his car horn and it’s time for you to go back home. A reality in which you’re mine to keep. 

(I realise that from this snippet one might get the idea Olli & Tommi are an item but no, that's not the case, Tommi's just his driver 🤭)

[mondscheinprinzessin]

Oooh ship game 😌 rilla & rommi?

On a more serious note - tommi & aleksi?

Rilla and Rommi are probably a love/hate relationship. I at least would watch it all going down xD

For Tommi/Aleksi though, I don't necessarily ship it myself, but I would read with certain authors.

In my last ask I already gave a little input into why I find all Tommi ships difficult. But on the other hand it gives much space to explore him and his ships I guess.

I think with Aleksi it could be interesting because he is the new one, and it would be funny if his friends see him changing a bit, letting lose so to say when the menace is around, it would be kind of adorable too. Maybe it could also show Tommi that he doesn't need to be the strong one in the relationship (maybe before he had to be because of his size, being a man, a strong mind etc.) because Aleksi isn't fragile by any means and can support him perfectly well.

...Do I just want to see Tommi being vulnerable?😅

[welcome-to-ratterrock]

I do had lots of questions to mademoiselle marrila :D

does she have any favourite hobby when she's bored?

does she have a super close with like friends?

does she sometimes get uncomfortable when physically in touch?

what is her most favourite dish?

does she love rats than mice?

Rilla’s biggest hobby isn’t so much a hobby as it is a passion - dancing! Her mother was a professional dancer and passed on her love of dance to Rilla. Ballet is what her mother taught her, but she goes to plenty of clubs and knows all the popular dances too! It is her joy and her escape from whatever weighs her down.

She also LOVES designing and sketching dresses and clothing, and would love to bring her creations to life but she’s never been able to find someone to teach her how to sew. She also is known in her social circle to be a dab hand at crafting some stunning flower crowns. 

As for her closest friend, Luella is her dearest companion and confidante, one of the few Rilla shows her vulnerabilities to. Rilla’s very bubbly and fun and sweet, so she’s very popular and makes friends easily, but Luella is her best friend because she’s never been dismissive of Rilla and truly believes in her capabilities. Rilla adores her and would do anything for her.

If someone gave off a bad vibe, Rilla wouldn’t enjoy them crowding her and would gracefully step back to give herself some space. Otherwise, she’s a total cuddle bug! She loves giving hugs and getting snuggled from her favorite people. She’s been scolded in the past for being “far too physically demonstrative” by her nursemaids and governess, but she’s just a naturally affectionate person.

For her favorite food, Rilla adores fresh fruit, especially apricots and cherries, raspberries and strawberries and blueberries. A bowl of fresh fruit with clotted cream? Heavenly. She also loves a baked sweet treat like scones and muffins.

Lastly, Rilla doesn’t have a preference either way when it comes to mice or rats! She is sympathetic to what the rats struggle with and thinks society is very unfair to them, which isn’t a terribly common trait for the blue bloods of Saltscratch to have.

[crazydreamer6]

Oh, to go to pride with those you love, decked out and PROUD

Inspired by Flair by @damienthepious / AetherAria on a03 because i cannot STOP making art for my fave writer. Nor do i want to because i love these idiots.

Question: Is human Arum just incredibly tall, or are Rilla and Damien both adorable small? The answer: Yes.

[damienthepious]

multiples of five :3

owo thank you!!

5. What is the perfect environment for you to write in? the PERFECT environment? probably a quiet, cozy office with a big window for lots of sun, maybe a birdfeeder outside to give me something to stare at while i'm Plotting or muttering dialogue to myself, with a warmer under the desk for my terrible cold feet and an electric kettle for constant tea.

10. Do you enjoy writing dialogue, exposition, or plot the most? DIALOGUE!!!!! when i was a kid i was obsessed with lush description but these days dialogue is my babygirl. I love dialogue. i think it's my strongest suit by a mile.

15. A Hollywood producer tells you that they want to film just one of your fics. Which fic would you want it to be? my immediate instinct is Scattered, BUT i think that Reckoning would make a better visual product, and it is the fic that i daydream about turning into a comic/graphic novel style the most often, which is BASICALLY like storyboarding, so.

20. What’s your favorite minor character you’ve written? of all time? for fanfic specifically? uhmmmmmm, oh man, maybe Damien's brother Aaron? i haven't talked about him in a long time but i fucking adore him and he breaks my heart......

25. Which idea came to you first in [x fic]? i was not given a fic to parse so uhhh. for the Amnesia fic that i just posted, the first idea was literally the opening. waking up together but having NO CLUE who Damien was? that shit is JUICYYYYY

30. Tell us an idea for a longfic you want to write in the future. :) i could give like eight is the problem, because i HAVE a problem. okay so there's this vaguely castlevania(show) inspired, Corrupted!Keep au that i do want to write, someday, but it's very intimidating as far as scope goes, so i keep putting it off. Basically Arum is Alucard, Rilla is the Belmont, and Damien is Sypha. but it's... loosely the whole thing, because i only watched the first season of castlevania and it's the SETUP that i'm stealing more than anything