#catherine blythe

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

[yungluv16]

elle fanning ❤︎₊ ⊹

[specificpollsaboutbooks]

F/M Couples S2

Round 1

Anne and Gil :

"The ultimate enemies-to-friends-to lovers ship!"

[creativedifferencespodcast]

Welcome to Basgiath War College! A new dragon series is on the horizon with the popular book, Fourth Wing, and in honor of the release of the recent book, Onyx Storm, we've decided to give it our own fancast! Is there a man hot enough to play Xaden Riorson? What makes the perfect Violet Sorrengail? Who do we think has one of the greatest voices in the world to play Tairn? And if Xaddy has picked up steam, can Mommy Mira? Come join a hardcore fan, a casual fan, and a man who's never read a word as they cast their versions of the Empyrean series! You can also find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

[duckprintspress]

June 2023 Releases: 6 All-New Titles from Duck Prints Press Just in Time for Pride Month!

Happy Release Day, Everyone! We publish new short stories and novelettes for our General Imprint on the fourth Thursday of the month, and here we are with five new short stories and a novelette! 

-

June 22nd Releases:

Title: Of Loops and Weaves Author: Catherine E. Green

F/F, Getting Together, Maximum Fluff

Robin loves to sit in the local coffee shop, crocheting a sweater for her friend Dee, who she hopes will become more than a friend.

She doesn’t expect to need to frog a chunk of project.

And she really doesn’t expect Dee to walk in on her doing so…

-

Title: Solarpunks: Viva la Revolución (a story in the Solarpunks ‘verse) Author: J. D. Harlock

Found Family, Utopian Future, the Very Teenage Urge to Rebel Against Authority

The future is perfect, with strong community ties, collective ownership, plenty for all, and an ideal balance of private life and public life.

In such a setting, what’s a group of bored teenagers to do to shake up the order of things?

Sami, Ros, and Amara aren’t sure…but Sami has a plan.

-

Title: Seal Island Author: K. B. Vimes

M/M, Queerplatonic Relationship, Ace Trans Main Character, Selkies

Michael has always known he was a boy, and always known he didn’t fit in with either the boys or girls around him in the quiet fishing community where he grows up. To escape the insistence of his friends and family that he become a “proper young lady,” he seeks refuge on the island in the bay where the seals sun themselves during the summer.

It’s not until he’s 18 that he realizes he might be able to make the island a more permanent home. Will the seals welcome the young man who’s never felt like he’s belonged?

-

Title: More Than We Deserve Author: Nicola Kapron

M/M, Finding a Slice of Hope Amidst Dystopia, Trans Main Character, Spies and Super Soldiers

Every year, the employees of The Winterborne Group have to fill out Form 301-A, checking off boxes related to gender and sexuality to enhance the megacorp’s diversity numbers. 

This year, Dice uses this opportunity to finally, after years of passing, tell the company he’s trans.

That’s not the problem.

The problem is that Grey, Dice’s favorite company-owned Horizon super soldier, has asked for Dice’s help completing his Form 301-A.

-

Title: Live Like There’s No Tomorrow (a short prequel story in the Welcome to PHU ‘verse) Author: Tris Lawrence

Family Feels, Surviving Cancer, Finding Hope Through Everyday Struggles

Middle-school student Jackson is not particularly upset about his cancer; the doctor’s assure him he’ll recover, and his biggest concern is that his friends will be a grade or more above him by the time he’s able to get back to school.

Well, that and that he’s sure that his mother is keeping a secret from him, but he can’t figure out what that secret is and she’s not talking about it.

-

Title: Moongatherer Author: Willa Blythe

F/F, PTSD, Recovery From Trauma, Bonding While on a Quest Together

The Summer Solstice is approaching, the day when the sunlight lasts the longest and the dangers of being out in the world, exposed to the harsh rays, is greatest. As is their way, Clan Firefox has once again chosen two representatives to travel to Moon’s Rest and make an offering to the Goddess to bring the moonlight back.

No one is surprised that Pomegranate will be making the journey.

But everyone is shocked when Honeycomb is selected, and no one more so than Honeycomb herself.

And, as they set out on their journey, all Honeycomb can see is the memory of harsh solar rays and burning fires…

Maybe during this journey, these two young women can find more than they ever thought to seek…

-

Think they all sound amazing? Well, you should, because they are. And we’ve got you covered – you can buy ALL SIX of these new titles in one awesome bundle – and save 20% off the list price for buying each story individually! 

Come on over to the Duck Prints Press webstore and find your new favorite short story! And, while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out the anthology we’re Kickstarting!

Want more stories, and to support our awesome, queer-owned, fandom-based small business indie Press? We rely on your backing on Patreon to keep our prices low and maximize the royalties we pay to authors! Support us, and get free stories every month – the higher your backer level, the more you get!

[fandom]

Celebs

Here comes Hugh Jackman out of nowhere with the steel adamantium claws.

David Tennant +2

Hugh Jackman

Pedro Pascal -1

Neil Gaiman

Michael Sheen

Oliver Stark +46

Ryan Reynolds +18

Ncuti Gatwa +84

Walker Scobell

Nicola Coughlan

Ryan Guzman +49

Jensen Ackles

Misha Collins -6

Vivienne Medrano

Luke Newton

Hugh Dancy +13

Assad Zaman

Mads Mikkelsen +10

Sam Reid +11

Zendaya +12

Ewan Mitchell +23

Jacob Anderson +14

Leah Jeffries

Elon Musk -23

Sebastian Stan -1

Tom Hiddleston +25

Lou Ferrigno Jr

Margot Robbie -22

Nicholas Galitzine -8

Joseph Quinn -19

Ayo Edebiri +23

Drew Starkey

Sofia Coppola

Ryan Gosling -25

Ryoko Kui

Catherine Tate

Taylor Zakhar Perez -17

Eric Bogosian

Jenna Ortega -25

Josh Hutcherson

Sydney Sweeney +35

Kristen Stewart

Joe Keery -17

Jonathan Bailey

Taika Waititi -26

Emma D'Arcy

Rhys Darby -24

Alex Hirsch

Hayao Miyazaki

Austin Butler

Marilyn Monroe +8

Mike Faist

Lily-Rose Depp -19

Olivia Cooke

Akira Toriyama

Tom Glynn-Carney

Matthew Lillard

Kathryn Hahn

Cillian Murphy -16

Tom Blyth

King Charles III

Aubrey Plaza

Chris Evans -47

Jacob Elordi

Matt Smith +7

Jeremy Allen White +8

Toby Fox

Barry Keoghan

Selena Gomez -2

Delainey Hayles

Hayden Christensen -32

Peter Capaldi

Millie Gibson

Glen Powell +10

Kate Middleton

Matthew Gray Gubler

Andre Braugher

Emma Watson

Maggie Smith

Noah Schnapp -58

Jared Padalecki

Florence Pugh -17

Scarlett Johansson +16

Jacob Wysocki

Matthew Perry

Tom Holland -41

Timothee Chalamet +3

George Rexstrew

Simone Ashley

Monica Bellucci

Manny Jacinto

Gillian Anderson

Alexandra Daddario +1

Ana de Armas -32

Anne Hathaway -20

Anya Taylor-Joy -3

Emily Ratajkowski

Joe Locke -50

Owen Wilson

Jodie Whittaker -13

The number in italics indicates how many spots a name moved up or down from the previous year. Bolded names weren’t on the list last year.

Did you know you can now create a dedicated fan Community for your fave here on Tumblr and discuss their merits with others?

[hotvintagepoll]

THE TOURNAMENT IS OVER! Eartha Kitt lounges in her deck chair in the sun, dipping her toes in the pool with Toshiro Mifune and sipping a brightly colored fruity something with an umbrella in it.

Far below in the shadow realm, however, the fallen hotties dance in the dark—let's take a minute to look back at them under the cut.

PRELIM PRETTIES:

Claude Gensac, Silvia Pinal, Ewa Aulin, Rita Tushingham, Annette Funicello, Norma Bengell, Catherine Spaak, Brigitte Auber, Micheline Presle, Nanette Fabray, Libertad Lamarque, Vera Miles, Martha Raye, Catherine McLeod, Virginia Mayo, Elizabeth Allan, Belle Bennet, Virginia Cherill, Mary Brian, Ruth Chatterton, Agnes Ayres, Merna Kennedy, Marie Prevost, Corinne Griffith, May Allison, Virginia Brown Faire, Alice Brady, and Jetta Goudal

ROUND ONE WONDERS:

Angie Dickinson, Thelma Ritter, Geraldine Chaplin, Evelyn Preer, Vanessa Brown, Betty Blythe, Susan Hayward, Mae Clarke, Sally Ann Howes, Ossi Oswalda, Adrienne La Russa, Hermione Gingold, Barbara Bouchet, Melina Mercouri, Anna Karina, Edwige Fenech, Charmian Carr, Pina Pellicer, Marlène Jobert, Tsuru Aoki, Alice Roberts, Leila Hyams, Lady Tsen Mei, Geneviève Bujold, Dolores Hart, Anita Berber, Bonita Granville, Vonetta McGee, Claire Windsor, Zizi Jeanmaire, Tuesday Weld, Grace Darmond, Carol Channing, Deanna Durbin, Laraine Day, Mariette Hartey, Wendy Hiller, Candy Darling, Hermione Baddely, Valeria Creti, Ella Raines, Ann Miller, Dana Wynter, Dalida, Martine Beswick, Gale Storm, Simone Signoret, Cristina Gaioni, Mabel Normand, Stéphane Audran, Ruth Weyher, Anna Wiazemsky, Ann Sheridan, Sandhya Shantaram, Alice White, Anne Francis, Gena Rowlands, Lyda Borelli, May Whitty, Cathleen Nesbitt, Jessica Walter, Virna Lisi, Barbara Shelley, Iris Hall, Heather Angel, Anne Shirley, Joanna Pettet, Virginia O'Brien, Joan Collins, Greer Garson, Gracie Allen, Peggy Ryan, Frances Dee, Shirley Maclaine, Geraldine Farrar, Kathleen Byron, Margaret Hamilton, Eva Gabor, Francesca Bertini, Julie Adams, Olga Baclanova, Misa Uehara, Yvette Vickers, Milena Dravić, Jenny Jugo, Madeleine Carroll, Benita Hume, Olive Borden, Shirley Jones, Miyoshi Umeki, Dorothy Lamour, Gale Sondergaard, Mary Anderson, Charlotte Greenwood, Sybil Seely, Mona Barrie, Kathryn Grayson, Katharine Ross, Madge Bellamy, Rhonda Fleming, Sally Gray, Jana Brejchová, Debra Paget, Madame Sul-Te-Wan, Evelyn Brent, Zelma O'Neal, Marie Laforêt, Türkan Şoray, Beatriz Costa, Irene Zazians, Eleanor Powell, Susan Luckey, Patsy Kelly, Lil Dagover, Norma Talmadge, Dorothy Mackaill, Madge Evans, Virginia McKenna, Amália Rodrigues, Mamie Van Doren, Valerie Hobson, Isabel Jeans, Beata Tyszkiewicz, Claire Luce, Aleksandra Khokhlova, Nieves Navarro Garcia, Janet Leigh, Carmen Miranda, Jean Harlow, Aud Egedge-Nissen, Nina Foch, Jean Simmons, Piper Laurie, Katy Jurado, Jayne Mansfield, Anita Garvin, Frances Farmer, Lizabeth Scott, Joan Greenwood, Una Merkel, Arlene Francis, Ethel Merman, Doris Day, Suzanne Pleshette, Ruta Lee, Carolyn Jones, June Richmond, Eva Nil, Diana Dors, Anna Chang, Colleen Moore, Alexis Smith, Yvette Mimieux, Ruby Keeler, Viola Dana, Dolores Grey, Marie Windsor, Danielle Darieux, Jean Parker, Julie Christie, Acquanetta, Leatrice Joy, Ghita Nørby, Julie Newmar, Joanne Woodward, Sandra Dee, Eva Marie Saint, Simone Simon, Katherine Dunham, Birgitte Price, Lee Grant, Anita Page, Flora Robson, Martha Sleeper, Elsie Ames, Isabel "Coca" Sarli, Glenda Farrell, Kathleen Burke, Linden Travers, Diane Baker, Joan Davis, Joan Leslie, Sylvia Sidney, Marie Dressler, June Lockhart, Emmanuelle Riva, Libertad Leblanc, Susannah Foster, Susan Fleming, Dolores Costello, Ann Smyrner, Luise Rainer, Anna Massey, Evelyn Ankers, Ruth Gordon, Eva Dahlbeck, Ansa Ikonen, Diana Wynyard, Patricia Neal, Etta Lee, Gloria Stuart, Arletty, Dorothy McGuire, Mitzi Gaynor, Gwen Verdon, Maria Schell, Lili Damita, Ethel Moses, Gloria Holden, Kay Thompson, Jeanne Crain, Edna May Oliver, Lili Liliana, Ruth Chatterton, Giulietta Masina, Claire Bloom, Dinah Sheridan, Carroll Baker, Brenda de Banzie, Milú, Hertha Thiele, Hanka Ordonówna, Lillian Roth, Jane Powell, Carol Ohmart, Betty Garrett, Kalina Jędrusik, Edana Romney, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Kay Kendall, Ruth Hussey, Véra Clouzot, Jadwiga Smosarska, Marge Champion, Mary Astor, Ann Harding, María Casares, Maureen O'Sullivan, Mildred Natwick, Michèle Morgan, Romy Schneider, Elisabeth Bergner, Celeste Holm, Betty Hutton, Susan Peters, Mehtab, Leslie Caron, Anna Sten, Janet Munro, Nataša Gollová, Eve Arden, Ida Lupino, Regina Linnanheimo, Sonja Henie, and Terry (what a good girl)

ROUND TWO BEAUTIES:

Evelyn Nesbit, Thelma Todd, Tura Satana, Helen Gibson, Maureen O'Hara, Rocío Dúrcal, Mary Nolan, Lois Maxwell, Maggie Smith, Zulma Faiad, Ursula Andress, Musidora, Delphine Seyrig, Marian Marsh, Leatrice Joy, Sharon Tate, Pina Menichelli, Teresa Wright, Shelley Winters, Lee Remick, Jane Wyman, Martita Hunt, Barbara Bates, Susan Strasberg, Marie Bryant, Diana Rigg, Jane Birkin, Rosalind Russell, Vanessa Redgrave, Brigitte Helm, Gloria Grahame, Rosemary Clooney, Bebe Daniels, Constance Bennett, Lilian Bond, Ann Dvorak, Jeanette Macdonald, Pouri Banayi, Raquel Welch, Vilma Bánky, Dorothy Malone, Olive Thomas, Celia Johnson, Moira Shearer, Priscilla Lane, Dolores del Río, Ann Sothern, Françoise Rosay, June Allyson, Carole Lombard, Jeni Le Gon, Takako Irie, Barbara Steele, Claudette Colbert, Lalita Pawar, Asta Nielsen, Sandra Milo, Maria Montez, Mae West, Alma Rose Aguirre, Bibi Andersson, Joan Blondell, Anne Bancroft, Elsa Lanchester, Nita Naldi, Suchitra Sen, Dorothy Van Engle, Elisabeth Welch, Esther Williams, Loretta Young, Margueritte De La Motte, Ita Rina, Constance Talmadge, Margaret Lockwood, Barbara Bedford, Josette Day, Stefania Sandrelli, Jane Russell, Doris Dowling, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Donna Reed, Ruby Dee, Diana Sands, Billie Burke, Kyōko Kagawa, Françoise Dorléac, Hend Rostom, Monica Vitti, Lilian Harvey, Marjorie Main, Jeanne Moreau, Lola Flores, Ann Blyth, Janet Gaynor, Jennifer Jones, Margaret Sullavan, Sadhana, Ruby Myers, Lotus Long, Honor Blackman, Marsha Hunt, Debbie Reynolds, Michèle Mercier, Irene Dunne, Jean Arthur, Judy Holliday, Tippi Hedren, Susse Wold, Vera-Ellen, Carmelita González, Nargis Dutt, Purnima, Harriet Andersson, Yvonne De Carlo, Miroslava Stern, Sheila Guyse, Helen, Margaret Dumont, Betty Grable, Joan Bennett, Jane Greer, Judith Anderson, Liv Ullman, Vera Zorina, Joan Fontaine, Silvana Mangano, and Lee Ya-Ching

ROUND THREE ELECTRIFIERS:

Jean Hagen, Sumiko Mizukubo, Mary Philbin, Ann-Margret, Margaret Rutherford, Claudia Cardinale, Eleanor Parker, Jessie Matthews, Theresa Harris, Brigitte Bardot, Alla Nazimova, Faye Dunaway, Marion Davies, Anna Magnani, Theda Bara, Myrna Loy, Kay Francis, Fay Wray, Barbra Streisand, Bette Davis, Hideko Takamine, France Nuyen, Claudine Auger, Miriam Hopkins, Maylia Fong, Samia Gamal, Maude Fealy, Machiko Kyō, Sharmila Tagore, Lucille Ball, Ginger Rogers, Juanita Moore, Anna Fougez, Waheeda Rehman, Ruan Lingyu, Nina Mae McKinney, Ethel Waters, Nadira, Olivia de Havilland, Abbey Lincoln, Louise Beavers, Agnes Moorehead, Lana Turner, Norma Shearer, Maria Falconetti, Reiko Sato, Marie Doro, Clara Bow, Margaret Lindsay, Catherine Denueve, Madhabi Mukherjee, Rosaura Revueltas, Hu Die, Mary Pickford, Fredi Washington, Louise Brooks, Leonor Maia, Merle Oberon, Paulette Goddard, Vivien Leigh, Francine Everett, Savitri, Tita Merello, and Meena Kumari

ROUND FOUR STUNNERS:

Judy Garland, Dorothy Dandridge, Yoshiko Yamaguchi, Marilyn Monroe, Irene Papas, Lupe Vélez, Pola Negri, Gene Tierney, Barbara Stanwyck, Gina Lollobrigida, Lena Horne, Nutan, Jean Seberg, Kim Novak, Gladys Cooper, Tallulah Bankhead, Linda Darnell, Julie Andrews, Carmen Sevilla, Gloria Swanson, Glynis Johns, Anne Baxter, Angela Lansbury, Anita Ekberg, Toshia Mori, Deborah Kerr, Hazel Scott, Chelo Alonso, Cyd Charisse, Nancy Kwan, Devika Rani, Shima Iwashita, and Anouk Aimée

ROUND FIVE SMOKESHOWS:

Setsuko Hara, Pearl Bailey, Joan Crawford, Madhubala, Marpessa Dawn, Keiko Awaji, Rita Hayworth, Veronica Lake, Ava Gardner, Greta Garbo, Grace Kelly, Xia Meng, Suraiya, Natalie Wood, María Félix, and Mbissine Thérèse Diop

ROUND SIX SEXY LADIES:

Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Vyjyanthimala, Jane Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Josephine Baker, Elizabeth Taylor, and Ingrid Bergman

QUARTER FINALIST GLAMAZONS:

Audrey Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Anna May Wong, and Lauren Bacall

SEMIFINALIST ICONS:

Rita Moreno, Diahann Carroll

FINALIST FABULOSITY:

Hedy Lamarr

ULTIMATE CHAMPION OF THE HOT & VINTAGE MOVIE WOMAN TOURNAMENT:

Eartha Kitt

[thewebiweaveforyou]

linda monroe & her father

nightmare time, team starkid \\ family tree (intro), ethel cain \\ satanay, tumblr \\ dna, lia marie johnson \\ black friday, team starkid \\ richard siken, twt \\ nightmare time, team starkid \\ cut, catherine lacey \\ if my body could speak, blythe baird \\ black friday, team starkid

[allurilove]

Crackhead question…BUT!…how’d our favorite husband handle having 12 daughters?!

I ask because Catherine O’Hara voiced the Duchess Rowena in Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses…so this is where my whack question is coming from!

Oh that sounds…. hectic.

In his office, he has a huge calendar filled with the extracurriculars Henry does. The karate classes, when school starts and all of the breaks, playdates, the first time the tooth fairy visited (yes, Henry celebrates that), and his birthdays. If yandere husband were to have twelve kids, oof.

He would have to hire an assistant and multiple nannies and tutors to help him. Maybe he'll even get his sisters to look after them too lol.

Yandere husband takes five-ten minutes out of his day to spend time with each of them. Five minutes hearing them ramble on about whatever shows they watched, playing dress up or other princess tea parties, reading them books and going through old comic books he used to read, and he'll even show up to his workplace with tiara. Deep down, he knows he looks good them.

He probably wouldn't be able to show up to all the sports games or any dance recitals, so he'd have his wife film everything for him to watch before bed and see how his cute little kids did.

Good thing I have a list of names yandere husband would use:

Alora or Elora

Anne

Blythe

Eleanor

Cecilia

Cyndi

Jane or Janie

Leah

Maeve

Magnolia

Moira

Sloane

[the-bi-library]

Here is the part 2 of my bi4bi books posts!

Books listed

Truly Madly Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur The Stand-Up Groomsman by Jackie Lau Something Like Love by Christina C. Jones Bidding for the Bachelor by Jackie Lau Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi Have Me Forever by Ally Blythe Everyone's Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni Heat Wave by Elyse Springer An Act of Devotion by A.M. Leibowitz Passion Over Power by Karmen Lee Party Favors by Erin McLellan Winning Move by Skye Kilaen False Notes & Broken Frets by Elle Bennett Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli Off the Record by Camryn Garrett The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian The Hellion's Waltz by Olivia Waiter The Electrical Affairs of Dr. Victor Franklin by Catherine Stein Trouble by Lex Croucher Guarding the Countess by Jess Michaels I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver Things We Couldn't Say by Jay Coles The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco Cutting Your Teeth by Caylan MacRae A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson Death Warmed Over by M.L. Eaden The Blood-Born Dragon by J.C. Rycroft The Dragon’s Devotion by Antonia Aquilante The Envoy’s Honor by Antonia Aquilante Til Death Do Us Bard by Rose Black Baptism of Fire by Jessie Thomas The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta The Fire's Stone by Tanya Huff Water Horse by Melissa Scott Silverglass, No. 1 by J.F. Rivkin Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler Wild by Hannah Moskowitz In The Event of Love by Courtney Kae A Lot Like Adiós by Alexis Daria Fandom by Eden Finley Dare to Live, Dare to Love by Nicole C. Moon Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves Meeting Her Match by Liz Lincoln Wild Pitch by Cat Giraldo Don't You Dare by C.E. Ricci Road Rules by Brigham Vaughn Fire Season by K.D. Casey Home Plate by Christina Lee Blindsided by Eden Finley

[ricard-blythe-ffxiv]

DWC February 2025 - Day 3 Suspicious

Something was afoot. 

She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but Catherine Blythe had lived through far too many of her brother’s harebrained schemes, seen her husband’s plans fall apart before they could take off, and watched her son scamper in moments before the Temple Knights had knocked on the door far too many times not to know when the men in her life were up to something.

And the men in her life were up to something. 

Finger lightly tracing the rim of her coffee cup, seated comfortably in her husband’s office, seemingly content to watch as Gerald finished flipping through the files he was working on - convenient, as he didn’t see her narrowed gaze, particularly as Ricard called out to the pair to inform them that he was leaving for the evening. 

“Leaving so soon?” She managed to school her features as she turned towards her son with a curious look - it wasn’t like  him to leave the office early…not as often as he had been.

“Hm? Oh, yes. I’ve a meeting across town I need to see to, and all my work here is complete. There an issue, mother?” 

“No…I was just curious, that’s all.”

Her statement was met by a huff from the other side of the desk as Gerald finally closed the file he was working on, standing to slide it into place along with its fellows. “Leave the boy be, Catherine. He’s doing his job.” 

Oh, because that wasn’t going to make her more suspicious than she already was. What were they hiding…

“Is it? I don’t remember you taking meetings after hours, dear. That must be a new requirement…”

“Father…was just mentioning today how clients when he was starting out didn’t request meetings after hours like clients today do, weren’t you?” Ricard’s gaze cut over towards his father - she hated how it had gotten harder and harder to read him as the years had gone on, and turned her attention towards her husband instead.

He was, for better or worse, infinitely easier to read…and his body language screamed that he’d just been caught. 

The question was still, in what.

Gerald turned slowly, reaching up to rub the back of his neck, “Ricard’s right, we were just discussing that earlier today. And us discussing it now is keeping him from his appointment. And us from our dinner, so why don’t we let him be on his way and we’ll be on ours…You can ask him all about how the appointment went at dinner  this weekend, hm?”

Catherine blinked, “What dinner?”

“The dinner I meant to inform you we are having…With Ricard. At the end of the week.”

She turned back around to ask her son a question and Ricard was gone, having slipped out while his father was speaking. Fingers pinched the bridge of her nose as she pushed up from her chair, moving over towards her husband. 

“You…my dear, had best start talking. Now.”

“It’s not my information to share, Catherine.”

“...Gerald.”

“Do you enjoy sleeping in your office?”

“Not particularly. Why?”

“Because I don’t like having important information about my son withheld from me. It seems we’re both going to be waiting until the end of the week to get what we want.” She gave his cheek a light pat before turning on her heel and leaving the room.

Catherine Blythe could be many things - a patient woman among them.

And that didn’t mean she was going to be happy about it.

@daily-writing-challenge

[specificpollsaboutbooks]

F/M Couples

Matchups for Round 1 (S2)

Nancy Drew/Ned Nickerson (Nancy Drew series) VS Matthias Helvar/Nina Zenik (Six of Crows)

Emma Woodhouse/George Knightley (Emma) VS Lucy Carlyle/Anthony J. Lockwood (Lockwood & Co.)

Jane Bennet/Charles Bingley (Pride and Prejudice) VS Marisa Coulter/Lord Asriel Belacqua (His Dark Materials series)

Celia Bowen/Marco Alisdair (The Night Circus) VS Catherine "Cathy" Earnshaw/Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights) VS Anne Shirley/Gilbert "Gil" Blythe (Anne of the Green Gables series)

Mortimer "Mo" Folchart/Resa Folchart (Inkworld series) VS Faramir/Eowyn (The Lord of the Rings trilogy)

Cordelia Naismith/Aral Vorkosigan (The Vorkosigan Saga) VS Commander Sir Samuel Vimes/Lady Sybil Ramkin (Discworld series)

Alanna of Trebond/George (Tortall books) VS Miles Vorkosigan/Ekaterin Vorsoisson (The Vorkosigan Saga)

Jane Eyre/Edward Rochester (Jane Eyre) VS Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane (Lord Peter Wimsey series)

[creativedifferencespodcast]

Rebecca Yarros has not only created an imaginative world, but a long list of interest, fleshed out characters. And when it comes to fancasting, that means there are a lot of different elements to take into consideration. Check out episode 298 to hear the reasonings behind our choices for Violet, Dain, Tairn, and so many other Fourth Wing fan favorites!

[thecrenellations]

"How many souls on this earth call you Francis?"

In 60 years of the Lymond Chronicles, I'd bet that many others have compiled this exact thing, but here is a list of who calls Lymond by his first name! Marthe draws our attention to the question near the end of Pawn in Frankincense, but it's clear throughout the series how deliberately Dunnett chooses what to call the characters in narration and dialogue - the choice can reflect who Francis Crawford (for example) is to others as well as to himself, at any moment. I love it, and Meaningful Naming is a feature of most of my favorite stories.

Characters are listed with the book in which they first call him Francis in dialogue. Italics indicate they call him that when he isn't present. If they directly Francis him later, they’ve been added to the list for that book, too.

I've also noted to whom he's just Francis in the narration - it's always someone who thinks of him like that, and it always makes me feel a lot.

If you notice something I left out, or if you know where to find similar analysis, let me know! Let us all be scholars of Francis.

Lists below! Plus some thoughts and quantitative stuff. (many, many spoilers)

The Game of Kings

Sybilla Semple (see, I have to decide what to call all of these characters, too!)

Margaret Lennox

Christian Stewart (to Sybilla, and I'm sure she called him Francis in their childhood)

Richard Crawford 

Francis in narration from the POV of: Richard

Queens’ Play

Tom Erskine

Jenny Fleming

Margaret Erskine

Martine

Oonagh O’Dwyer

Phelim O’LiamRoe

George Douglas

Francis in narration from the POV of: Richard, Margaret Erskine

The Disorderly Knights

Will Scott

Kate Somerville 

Graham Reid Malett

Adam Blacklock

Janet Beaton

Jerott Blyth (I'm also sure Jerott called him Francis in the old days, but he doesn't return to it until the scene with Evangelista Donati at Midculter)

Francis in narration from the POV of: Richard, Tom, Kate, Sybilla

Pawn in Frankincense

Jerott Blyth

Dame de Doubtance 

Marthe

Francis in narration from the POV of: Jerott

The Ringed Castle

Alec Guthrie

the Abbess/Sybilla's sister

Francis in narration from the POV of: Richard

Checkmate

Philippa Somerville

Marguerite de St. Andre

Catherine d’Albon (to Philippa)

Nicholas Applegarth (also to Philippa)

Danny Hislop

Fergie Hoddim

Piero Strozzi

Francis in narration from the POV of: Jerott, Philippa, Richard, Sybilla, Adam

Observations

Aaaaah!

Richard's monopoly on the narration Francises in the first two books kills me, I love it. The first, of course, is "God, Francis had screamed."

As a reader, I started calling him Francis, sometimes, somewhere in the middle of Queen's Play and stopped overthinking it by the beginning of the next book.

I didn't count, but I'd bet that Jerott says and thinks it the most. He's there more than probable runners-up Gabriel (shut up, Gabriel) and Richard (ily Richard) are, and Philippa goes on her own ... journey before thinking of him that way and allowing herself to think of him that way.

Adam is unique for making the list in his first book, specifically not calling Lymond Francis in The Ringed Castle, and then putting himself back on the list through address and narration in Checkmate. But that's The Ringed Castle for you 😬. And their entire relationship - there's a chapter or so in which Adam's narration calls him de Sevigny.

Who even calls him Francis in RC? Just Alec, Richard, and Margaret, I think. ("Do you call her Slata or Baba?" Thank you, Philippa.)

I would teach myself tarocco and play for at least a few hours to learn when Will started calling him Francis. Also the Erskines! They're all so genuinely close in the years after Game of Kings.

Notable Absences

Güzel - well, that feels meaningful. They were together for years. If she did, we didn't see, and I would also believe that she didn't.

Archie - will he ever? Who can say. Either way, he's the best. Also, see here.

Mariotta - I bet she does, after the first book, we just haven't been there.

Fergie, probably?

Piero Strozzi - Francesco? My petit François? I don't remember any Francises, though!

Ivan (and others?) - I'm not counting Frangike, either

Robin Stewart - I mean, I'm sure he would have if he'd known his boyfriend's real name before ... all of that went down.

Diccon Chancellor - probably not? I'd also put this down to the Ringed Castle state of mind. As meaningful as their friendship was, it makes sense for the book to continue to distance the reader, at the very least, in that way.

Does Francis call himself Francis?

No.

He doesn't, really! He's never that from his own point of view, but we do see him sign a few letters with his first name. These are to:

Kate (Pawn in Frankincense)

Catherine d'Albon (Checkmate)

Philippa (Checkmate)

All of this is not to say that “Francis” represents who he truly is; it certainly shows intimacy and usually vulnerability, but I feel that Lymond and Francis Crawford can be just as definitive when deployed, and that Lymond has a certain neutrality. There's also something really interesting that happens when the characters are stripped of names and become just "he" or "she," from their own perspective or others.

And then we get things like "Mistress Philippa's decorative husband," which really deserve their own list.

"How many souls on this earth call you Francis? Three? Or perhaps four?"

18 of the 25 Francis-ers on my list are living at the end of the series, and when Marthe, who is not one of them, asks that question at the end of PiF, it's 12 (out of 18 total).

18 out of 25 is a 72% survival rate! Great!

2 of the 18 are pretty awful (Margaret Lennox and the Abbess)

4 of the 18 live in France, which he's currently exiled from

1 of the 18 lives in Ireland, but I think they should still hang out!

2 of the 18 may be departing for Malta, apparently

7 of the 18 are people he probably sees or keeps in touch with regularly, 9 if I count Janet Beaton and Margaret Erskine, because I like them and they're not very far away.

As much as I wish that many of the others hadn't died, I think he's doing pretty well.

[fandom]

Celebrities

Week Ending January 8th, 2024

Walker Scobell

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[hotvintagepoll]

This is a preliminary poll for the Hot & Vintage Movie Women Tournament. There will be 7 prelim polls of 12 hot ladies, all of which can be found under the tag #hotladyprelims. The 4 lowest-scoring hotties of each poll will be eliminated, while the remaining 8 will continue on to Round 1 of the tournament.

The ladies included here were chosen for this round because they were submitted without text propaganda. If they continue to Round 1, I will include additional photos they were submitted with.

This preliminary poll will last 24 hours.