#emma garland

[diioonysus]

flower crowns + art

[fictionadventurer]

Potential January Reading:

A Bell for Adano by John Hersey

The Foxhole Victory Tour by Amy Lynn Green

The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Something by Pope Benedict XVI/Joseph Ratzinger

A classic (new-to-me or reread)

[leaving-fragments]

i'm having my friends over for birthday coffee and cake this afternoon and am extending the invitation to the mutuals. hope u can attend in spirit

[seesree]

Wolf Pretty 🐺 Mula Nakshatra(Mini Observation)

Mula ASC, Priscilla Presley

This dreadful, tikshna nakshatra tend to possess a wolf-like mysterious beauty which reminiscent us of the moon at night completing cycles while wolf howls

The nose of Mula’s tend to be wider and their noses are generally straight. They tend to manifest very ghostly, intense eyes. Their eyes give off an effect of them not being in touch with the real world but in some other dimension instead. Their eyes are generally bigger in shape, and downturned sometimes hooded. The lips of Mula tend to be long and full but very distinctive (similar to Ashwini). The eyebrows are generally thin.

Edwige Fenech, Mula Sun

Big Gorgeous Dark Eyes with long, full lips with thin brows

Mula Natives; Amy Winehouse(Moon), Priscilla Presley(ASC), Anita Sirene(Sun), Amy Jackson(Moon), Honey Bees Tarot(Moon) A liking for darker shades in their aesthetics and they often have distinct, unique hairstyles/hair.

I forgot to mention Mula’s tend to have dark thick hair just like the other 2 Ketu nakshatras. Ketu Blessings

Mula Natives; Brooke Hogan(Moon), PriscillaPresley(ASC), Honey Bees Tarot(Moon), Naomi Watts(Moon), Emma Watson(Moon), Neve Campbell(Moon), Hoyeon Jung(Moon), Yaya DaCosta(ASC) and Judy Garland(Moon)

Mula Moon, Rosie Huntington Whiteley

[p1325]

My book collection so far

Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice

Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights

Louisa May Alcott - Little Women

Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre

Jane Austen - Sense and Sensibility

Edith Wharton - The Age Of Innocence

Jane Austen - Emma

Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary

Jane Austen - Northanger Abbey

Edith Wharton - The House of Mirth

Jane Austen - Persuasion

Louisa May Alcott - Good Wives

Nathaniel Hawthorne - The Scarlet Letter

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor

Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina (Part 1)

Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina (Part 2)

Jane Austen - Mansfield Park

Anne Bronte - Agnes Grey

Thomas Hardy - Far from The Madding Crowd

William Makepeace Thackeray - Vanity Fair (Part 1)

William Makepeace Thackeray - Vanity Fair (Part 2)

Pierre-Ambroise-François Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons

Alexandre Dumas fils - The Lady of the Camellias

Henry James - Washington Square

Louisa May Alcott - A Garland For Girls

Henry James - The Portrait of A Lady (Part 1)

Henry James - The Portrait of A Lady (Part 2)

Jane Austen - Lady Susan. The Watson. Sanditon

Anne Brontë - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Thomas Hardy - Tess of the D’Urbeville

Edith Wharton - The Mother’s Recompense

Daniel Defoe - Moll Flanders

Henry James - The Wings of the Dove

Edith Wharton - The Customs of the Country

Kate Chopin - The Awakening

Jane Austen - Juvenilia  

George Eliot - Middlemarch (Part 1)

George Eliot - Middlemarch (Part 2)  

George Sand - Nanon

Henry James - The Ambassadors

Elizabeth Gaskell - Cranford

Thomas Hardy - Under The Greenwood Tree

Edith Wharton - Summer

George Sand - Indiana

Henry James - The Bostonians

George Eliot - Silas Marner

Henry James - The Golden Bowl (Part 1)

Henry James - The Golden Bowl (Part 2)  

Edith Wharton - The Twilight Sleep

Emily Eden - The Semi-Attached Couple

Edith Wharton - The Glimpses of the Moon

Mary Elizabeth Braddon - Lady Audley’s Secret

George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss

Elizabeth Gaskell - Mary Barton 

Fanny Burney - Evelina 

George Sand - Little Fadette

Emily Eden - The Semi-detached House

Charlotte Brontë - Shirley I

Charlotte Brontë - Shirley II

Daniel Defoe - Lady Roxana

Theodor Fontane  - Effie Briest 

Edith Wharton - The Cliff

Thomas Hardy - Two on a Tower

Frances Hodgson Burnett - A Lady of Quality

Louisa May Alcott - Moods

Edith Nesbit - The Incomplete Amorist

Frances Trollope - The Widow Barnaby (Part 1)

[reccyls]

Chev's birthday story for this year: Emma wants to throw a surprise party for Chevalier and enlists the help of Clavis, Nokto, and Luke. Emma distracts Chevalier and comes up with an excuse for them to leave his bedroom and the others will sneak in to decorate, and throw a surprise. Since they had all initially protested at the idea, Emma assumes they'd just decorate and then leave, but...

Chevalier's room was normally neat and tidy, but now colorful garlands were hung around everywhere.

My homemade sweets were set up on the table they had prepared, along with some vintage rose wine that Nokto had procured from an acquaintance.

There were some small bottles of honey surrounding the whole thing like it was some sort of demonic ritual.

And then also some... extravagantly colored things that may or may not have been food.

(Looks like they set up everything while Chevalier and I were out.)

(They were able to pull off their parts successfully, so the surprise should be-)

But Chevalier was not looking at the table at all. Instead he was standing in front of his normal desk with his brow furrowed.

And then he reached out his hand and yanked Clavis out of the shadows.

(Huh...?)

(Clavis did say, "We'll leave you two alone afterwards because he'd kill us otherwise", I'm pretty sure...)

I initially suggested that we all celebrate together, but the three of them had refused.

So I thought that they'd all just set up the surprise and then leave...

Clavis: Oi! If you pull on my collar like that I'm going to choke!

Chevalier: Everyone else, come out. Unless you want me to pull you out like this?

Chevalier effortlessly dangled Clavis by the collar. Then slowly, Luke emerged from behind the curtain, and Nokto stepped out from the shadow of a bookshelf.

Nokto: Ah, damn. I did kind of want to see his surprised face.

Luke: We got totally found out. Even though I was doing my best to hide.

Clavis: Urk...

Nokto: Yeah, yeah, all intruders get out, right?

Luke: Too bad, Emma. I thought he'd be a little more excited.

Clavis: ...You guys... Your dear older brother... is being murdered right now...

Nokto: See you, you two have a good time together.

Luke: The honey I brought is really good so enjoy it, all right?

Emma: Okay. Thanks for helping, guys.

Nokto and Luke waved as they left Chevalier's room, and Clavis was thrown out after them.

Clavis: Why... are none of you... helping me.........

Clavis: Hey, you! Don't drag me along like this, be more humane, you-!

[lola-jo]

Mula Nakshatra Female Appearance

The Last One Standing

Mula Chandra (Moon) Beauty (Type 1)

Left to right: Joan Fontaine, Reese Witherspoon, Lea Seydoux, Naomi Watts, Vanessa Williams, Kelis, Kelly McGillis, Alice Faye, Maria Sharapova.

These type 1 beauties: - Are low in contrast. - Are very blended looking (no particular feature stands out). - Have understated (classic) beauty. - Have a slight pointed butt chin. - Have a full oval face. - Are fleshy on the eyelids and mid portion of their face. - Look wise and enlightened. - Have an old soul but youthful/naive aura about them. - Look dreamy. - Cannot be underestimated. Mula Chandra (Moon) Beauty (Type 2)

Left to right: Adele, Amy Winhouse, Judy Garland, Myself, Rose McGowan, Camilla Cabello, Myself (Again), Anais Nin, Patrizia Reggiani.

These type 2 beauties: - Are higher in contrast. - Are magnetic. - Look spiritual/witchy. - Have big bedroom eyes (eyelids/eyebrows droop and look sleepy). - Are transformative. - Have big full lush features on top of sharp but delicate bone structure. - Have 'birdlike' low septum nose. - Have a slightly sharp jawline or pointed butt chin. - Look frozen in time (been through many past lives). - Can manifest. Mula Chandra (Moon) Beauty (Type 3)

Left to right: Emma Roberts, Emma Watson, Keke Palmer, Willow Smith, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, LeAnn Rimes, Taissa Farmiga, Barbara Eden, Hillary Swank. These type 3 beauties: - Have a sharper look (jaw, eyes, lips, nose). - Have a longer oval face. - Look ethereal and dramatic at the same time. - Have a pixie-like beauty. - Are radical but delicate. - Look like they have a rebellious side. - Have intellect beyond this earth and multifaceted talent. - Keep the look natural and are natural beauties. - Can pull off many different looks. - Are contemplative. - Are in tune with their shadow side. - Can stare through your soul. Mula Lagna (Ascendant) Beauty will be up next xxx

[sasukeisawake]

some essays i’ve enjoyed recently: 

Anne Boyer - “No” 

Parul Sehgal - “The Case Against The Trauma Plot” 

Brandon Taylor - “against character vapour” 

Jhumpa Lahiri - “Indian Takeout”

S.L. Huang - “The Ghost of Workshops Past” 

Frankie Thomas - “What Was it About The Animorphs?” 

Carmen Maria Machado - “How Surrealism Enriches Storytelling About Women” 

Jaya Saxena - “The Limits of the Lunchbox Moment” 

Emma Garland - “What does it mean to be a ‘dissociative feminist?’” 

Hussein Omar - “Unexamined Life” 

Roland Barthes - “The Death of the Author” 

Laura Mulvey - “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” 

Andrea Long Chu - “Hanya’s Boys” 

Jia Tolentino - “Love, Death, and Begging For Celebrities to Kill You”

Robin D.G. Kelley - “A Poetics of Anticolonialism”

Angelica Jade Bastien - “The Hollow Impersonation in Blonde”

i’ll probably be adding to this list with more pieces as i come across them-- please feel free to add on your own recommendations, or send me an ask if you agree, disagree or want to chat more about any of the essays already listed! 

[franklycharmed]

TASK: TALENT SHOW

WEDNESDAY EVENING | SEPTEMBER 7, 2005 ♡ THE SPARE ROOM, WOODROW HOUSE

Before, when Frankie hadn't been standing in front of the most accomplished group of people she had ever known with two handles of liquor and sixteen glass teacups lined up as surrogate shot glasses, this really had seemed like a good idea.

But like the hosts of TRL said, probably, the show must go on.

Frankie clapped her hands. "Alrighty! Let's give a round of applause for fencing! You're going to have to show me how to do those moves, Mick." She dropped a wink in her direction. "I think I have a few exes where they could be put to good use."

With a press of the play button on a small CD player resting on a stool at her hip, the dreamy strings and first warbling notes of Judy Garland's Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas started up. Frankie turned back to the tea table before her and picked up a bottle of grenadine, pouring it into a metal shaker.

"So, you all know that Richard was–" her pour slipped, splashing a bit of sticky liquid onto her hand. "Sorry!" she said quickly, shooting an apologetic look at Mrs. Tristan. She took a steadying breath, "You all know Richard is, like, super old. Spiritually, I mean. Old books, old scotch, old movies. TCM's biggest fan."

There was a bucket of crushed ice next to the glasses, and she dumped a large scoop into the shaker with a light laugh. "I remember I tricked him into seeing Clueless with me because I told him we were going to see an Emma adaptation. He was so pissed after, but you know, in his Richard way. Instead of grounding me, he made me read the book."

She grabbed a can opener and affixed it to a can of pineapple juice, chattering all the while. "Anyway, the only old movie we both like is The Wizard of Oz. Which Judy Garland is in, but we don't have a CD for that; I could only find Meet Me in St. Louis so we're listening to that instead." She gestured vaguely as she poured the pineapple juice into shaker as well. "But I feel like it still works."

The vodka bottle was cold against her hand, which was helpful, because Frankie was feeling increasingly hot, particularly behind the eyes. She swallowed thickly as Judy sang about golden days of yore.

"We would watch The Wizard of Oz, and omg he loved to talk about what a technological feat it was, doing the movie in color." One splash of vodka. On second thought, two. "That's why he thinks I liked it so much as a kid."

Grabbing the blue curaçao, she smiled at the room, a fragile, close to shattering thing. "It was the color, but it wasn't because it was cool."

Someday soon, we all will be together–

"It 's because that's how it felt coming to Woodrow House."

–If the fates allow–

"Like everything was black-and-white wherever I was before, and suddenly my life was technicolor."

Blinking quickly, Frankie added the curaçao, topped the shaker with a strainer, and one by one, filled the clear teacups with color. Blue. Green. Yellow. Orange. Red.

Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow.

For a moment, all Frankie could do was stare down at her work, lips pressed thin, eyes dangerously wet for someone wearing a thick application of mascara.

Then she inhaled sharply and lifted her head with a forced smile, spreading out her hands in a ta-da gesture. "'Somewhere Over the Rainbow Shots'. I thought everyone could use a pick-me-up to make things more fun. That's my talent."

[thatchronicfeeling]

It has come to my attention that it's Period Drama Appreciation Week 2023. I love period dramas and grew up watching them. They have been a formative part of my life and I'm now too disabled to watch video. Even gifs are too difficult for my brain to process. It is also Bi Visibility Week and I'm posting this on Bisexual Visibility Day. Since I can't safely post a pile of gifs, here is a list celebrating actors/characters/moments from period dramas that have been significant to my bisexuality. [Yes, this is a big list. I am missing out on watching and re-watching A Lot of awesome period dramas and I hate it. This list is helping me reclaim a bit of joy. Also I've probably forgotten some favourites and may update this.]

Lori Petty in A League of Their Own

Jodhi May in any period drama

Mary Wickes in any period drama

Freddy Honeychurch in A Room with a View

Anne Hathaway playing cricket in that rust-coloured dress in Becoming Jane

Esther Summerson (disabled heroine!) & Allan Woodcourt in Bleak House

the freshly-painted yellow cabin door swinging shut with the names 'Calam & Katie' painted on it in Calamity Jane

the sequence where Doris Day sings 'Secret Love' in Calamity Jane

Michelle in Derry Girls (and James too, a wee bit)

George Eliot & Lenore in Edgar Allan Poe's Murder Mystery Dinner Party

the moment where Emma and Mr Knightley start dancing together and it feels like you're inside the music in Emma

Polly Waker's haircut in The Enchanted April

Matthias Schoenaerts in Far From the Madding Crowd

Idgie & Ruth in Fried Green Tomatoes

Suranne Jones in Gentleman Jack

recognising Marian Lister as a bisexual who hasn't realised it yet in Gentleman Jack

Mary Agnes McNue in Godless

Bel & Freddie in The Hour

June Allyson leaping over a hedge (or is it a fence?) as Jo March in Little Women

the Patricia Rozema adaptation of Mansfield Park

the whole sequence where Judy Garland strides onto the neighbours' porch to sock The Boy Next Door in the jaw in Meet Me in St Louis

Katie the cook in Meet Me in St Louis

the moment where Benedick braces his arm against a doorframe in a desperate panic to stop Beatrice from going to eat Claudio's heart in the marketplace in Much Ado About Nothing

Denzel Washington in Much Ado About Nothing

Mr Thornton's hands (ok, and also his face) in North & South

tomboy Doris Day in On Moonlight Bay

Valentine in Parade's End

all of Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Papi in Pose

Lizzy Bennet declaring that she would never marry someone she did not love in Pride & Prejudice

Mr Darcy diving into a pond in Pride & Prejudice

both Angel and Joanne in Rent (the 2008 broadway version)

Martha the maid in The Secret Garden

Lelia Walker in Self-Made

swashbuckling Margaret Dashwood in Sense & Sensibility

the dance sequences in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

the whole Thomas Kent situation in Shakespeare in Love

Maria (when she is not a nun) in The Sound of Music

Kitty Butler onstage in Tipping the Velvet

Annie and Janette and Jacques and Linh in Treme

Audra McDonald and Anne Hathaway and Raúl Esparza in that promotional photo for Twelfth Night

Julie Andrews and her male co-star singing a version of 'Home on the Range' with the line 'and the deer and the antelope are gay' in Victor/Victoria

Justine Waddell in Wives & Daughters

[sqwintersolstice]

Title: Wary Hearts And Cardboard Stars [Art] Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53236135 Artist: namelessranger Rating: General Audiences Warning(s): No Archive Warnings Apply

--

Title: Wary Hearts And Cardboard Stars Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53235004 Writer: namelessranger Word Count: 8k Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warning(s): No Archive Warnings Apply Summary: She prepares for the worst but when she spots Emma in a corner working on a garland by herself, she curses Henry for signing her up for this. And then herself for giving in and going. She marches over there. “What the hell are you doing here?” Emma looks up, startled, and takes an earbud out of her ear. “Huh?” “You. Here. Why?” She does not have the patience for this today. “Oh, yeah. Henry signed me up.” “That little-“ Regina sighs. She looks around the gym, avoiding meeting anyone’s gaze at all cost. “Me too.” Emma tilts her head. “He didn’t say.” “Indeed, he did not.”

Please check out the work and don't forget to give some love to the creator — leave a comment, kudos, share it! Nothing makes a creator's day and inspires them more than knowing how much you appreciated it! 💜

[non-un-topo]

13 Books Tag Game

Was tagged by @disregardandfelicity Thank you! This is really getting me back into the spirit of reading. I needed this <3

1) The last book I read:

Coma by Alex Garland. I love him as a director, and I just recently found out he's also written some books. It was fun and mind-bendy, sort of reminded me of the stuff I try to write. Also really fast. I think I finished it in one or two hours.

2) A book I recommend:

Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab by Shani Mootoo. I recently formed a little book club around this book because I just think it's so special. And almost no one has heard of it, which is such a shame! Everything this author writes is just stunning. Heartbreaking, guttural, sometimes disturbing, but always always stunning.

3) A book that I couldn’t put down:

Pillars of Light by Jane Johnson. Became one of my all-time favourites almost immediately, and I plowed right through it. I've been itching to read it again, actually. Oh, John the sad gay foundling, I miss reading from your pov...

4) A book I’ve read twice (or more):

For some reason I've read Room by Emma Donoghue twice. I wouldn't be able to stomach it now, but I guess it did something for me at the time. If anything, it's a fast read once you get used to the five year old's voice.

5) A book on my TBR:

So, soooo many... After the book I'm currently reading, I was hoping to pick up White Noise by Don DeLillo or Foe by Iain Reid.

6) A book I’ve put down:

Cloud Atlas, for now. Just sort of fell out of it by accident.

7) A book on my wish list:

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott. I've read her other book, A Mind Spread Out on the Ground, and I genuinely think it's one of those must-reads for any Canadian (or non-Canadian) interested in Indigenous lit.

8) A favorite book from childhood:

I was partial to The Spiderwick Chronicles. In earlier childhood, though, it was The BFG by Roald Dahl.

9) A book you would give to a friend:

The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano. I know what you're thinking --- kind of a depressing book to give to a friend. And yes, it is depressing and very rough. But it opened something in my heart, idk. I felt comforted by it. I would also give a friend The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. Basically, books that have made me cry and hug them after I finished them.

10) A book of poetry or lyrics that you own

Can't remember the titles off the top of my head, but I have some Neruda. My partner is the poetry reader.

11) A nonfiction book you own:

Oh, sooooo many. I used to only read non-fiction for the longest time. But I'll go with the one that makes me look the most pretentious: Gender Trouble by Judith Butler. Found in the special little book sale room at the library I work at.

12) What are you currently reading:

The Kite Runner, for the first time. It's as gorgeous and heartbreaking as promised.

13) What are you planning on reading next?

Essex Dogs by Dan Jones. I bought a copy last year, got a few chapters in, then gave it to my dad for Christmas because we're big Dan Jones fans and I couldn't find another copy anywhere. I waited months for my new copy, so I have to read it now!

Hmm, tagging @spacegirlsgang @raedear @captainshakespear @maddielle @polarcell @knoepfchen but no pressure ofc

[frogyjones-writes]

General info:

I'll only do requests that interest me this is something I do for fun in my free time so you might get an answer awhile after a submission :]

Most likely to get through headcanons/short prompts done first!

Characters I write for:

Don't be afraid to ask for a character from the same Fandom however! I'm just better with these guy's characterization :]

The Last of Us: Ellie Williams, Dina, Abby Anderson

Dead By Daylight: The Trapper (Evan MacMillan), The Nurse (Sally Smithson), Ghost Face (Danny Johnson), The Huntress (Anna), The Pig (Amanda Young), The Plauge (Adiris), The Onryō (Sadako Yamamura)

Silent Hill: Lisa Garland, Maria, Mary Shepard-Sunderland, James Sunderland, Angela Orosco, Harry Mason

Misc: Sadako Yamamura (ringu), Selene (underworld), Carol Aird (Carol),

Resident Evil: Alcina Dimitrescu, Bela Dimitrescu, Cassandra Dimitrescu, Daniela Dimitrescu, Donna Beneviento, Jill Valentine, Claire redfield (games/movies), Alice Abernathy (movies), Rebecca Chambers, Helena Harper

The Quarry: Emma Mountebank, Abigail Blyg, Kaitlyn Ka, Laura Kearney, Max Brinley, Nick Furcillio, Jacob Custos, Dylan Leviny, Ryan Erzahler

Until Dawn: Sam Giddings, Ashley Brown, Emily Davis, Jessica Riley

Life is Strange: Maxine "Max" Caufield, Chloe Price, Rachel Amber, Kate Marsh, Victoria Chase, Dana Ward

Tomb Raider: Lara Croft (better with the survivor series), Sam

Saw: Amanda Young, Adam Faulkner Stanheight, Lynn Denlon

(More to be added later!)

Do's:

Character x Reader, Character x Character, Some OC X Characters, Polyships, LGBTQ+

Heavy angst/sensitive topics

AUs and alternative settings

Accept headcanon requests for multiple characters

Dont's:

NSFW (suggestive stuff is fine but I'm not writing smut)

Incestual/pedophilic ships (yes this includes adoptive family or parental/sibling figures don't test me)

Any dead dove sort of shit

General NoNo's

Writing examples

[uncertainwallflower]

Amongst the swollen heads bounced honey-breasted chats, gorging themselves on seeds and singing in their merry way. Their birdsong was lead by a young child, long of hair and light of foot. Her tresses were a bright as flame, and her face so soft and beautiful she could only be a faery’s child. Her lips were sweet with meadow song, softly smiling around the syllables as her nimble fingers worked at a garland of fragrant thorny gorse.

We will hasten, my fair, to the opening glades, The quaintly carv’d seats, and the freshening shades; Where the fairies are chaunting their evening hymns, And in the last sun-beam the sylph lightly swims.

— John Keats, To Emma

...the world existed only for them. The hill’s side was their hillside, the birdsong belonged to them, the hawthorn was their secret, the babbling brook their bower, and the rose blossoms the very symbol of their love.

So fondly I’ll breathe, and so softly I’ll sigh, Thou wilt think that some amorous zephyr is nigh; Ah! no–as I breathe it, I press thy fair knee, And then, thou wilt know that the sigh comes from me.

— John Keats, To Emma

[everything-person]

Kazoos Advent Calendar

@kazoosandfannypacks Day

Well it’s officially been a week of gifts. Hopefully the gifts haven’t been disappointing and made you at least crack a smile. Is there anything you’d like to see or have me mix in?? Any advice??

Without further ado here is todays gift.

Summary: Henry surprises his mother with a visit home around the holidays. But he comes home to the house not decorated and a strange man is there. (Inspired by A Muppets Family Christmas)

Haul out the holly

We’re getting home so we can celebrate

Fill up the stockings

We may be rushing but we can hardly wait now

For we need a little Christmas, right this very minute

Jacinda reached over and turned down the radio, “Henry are you sure your moms is going to be okay with this?”

“Oh absolutely! Cin you need to know one thing about my mom she’s predictable.” Henry glanced at his girlfriend, seeing one eyebrow lifted and her lips quirked to the side, looking back at the road he continued, “Look I know exactly what she is doing right now. She sitting in our house, everything decorated tree in the corner. She sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, in front of the fire, cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon in her hands. Just a bit sad thinking she will spend the holidays alone. Trust me she will be thrilled.”

“Mhmm,” Jacinda hummed, still unsure this surprise is going to go as Henry said.

They continued to drive down the road as snow flurries began to fall on the scenery. It wasn’t long before they passed an intricately carved sign reading ‘Welcome to Storybrooke.’ And not long after that they pulled up to a blue Victorian style house starting to be covered in a layer of snow.

“Hmmm?”

Jacinda paused before getting out the car looking over at her boyfriend who seemed busy scanning the house. “What?”

“She didn’t decorate the outside like we usually do.”

“Oh?”

“I’m sure it’s nothing. Come on.” Henry got out of the car racing up the steps, Jacinda following cautiously behind him.

Henry knocked on the door with in minutes it flew open. He was welcomed with the sight of his mother. Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. It took her a moment of her opening and closing her mouth blinking rapidly before she was able to muster up words.

“Henry?”

“Hi mom.”

A forced chuckle escaped her lips and a smile crept to her face and she moved aside to allow him in and enveloped him in a hug. Jacinda didn’t miss when the smile dropped for a moment over Henry’s shoulder.

“Henry what are you doing here?” She asked pulling out of the hug.

“I can’t come home.”

Emma gave him a light tap on his arm causing him to laugh, “Of course you can. But I thought you were staying at school for the break?”

Henry shrugged, “We wanted to surprise you.”

It was in that moment she realized there was someone else with her son. “Jacinda?”

“Hi Ms Swan.”

Emma came forward taking the girls hand, “it’s so good to finally meet you in person.”

“You as well Ms Swan.”

“So? Do you like your surprise?” Henry asked, wanting a little bit to prove his girlfriend wrong.

“Yes! I always love seeing you,” she shifted slightly, “It’s just that…”

Henry took a look around and saw his childhood home was bare completely unlike the Christmas he knew growing up. “Mom where is everything? Where’s the tree? The lights? The garland?”

“Well-” Before she was able to answer everyone’s attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. A man with greying in his bread and hair came bounding down the stairs.

“Who was at the door-” the man looked up before finishing his sentence, “oh hello.”

“Hi,” Henry greeted then turned to his mother, “mom who’s that?”

The gentleman spoke up again, “Ah you must be Henry,” he continued down the stairs approaching the small group with his hand out stretched, “a pleasure.”

Henry cautiously took his hand, “Yeah. I’m sorry who are you?”

“My apologies. Killian Jones I’m-“

“Renting the house!”

Everyone turned at Emma loud interruption.

She let out a nervous laugh, “Kid you know how much I love the beach. When I found out you weren’t coming home I decided to treat myself and take a trip down the coast and have a sandy Christmas instead of being cooped up here. You know all by myself.” Her eyes nervously shifting between her son and the man next to her, “I didn’t want to house to sit so Mr Jones was going to stay here.”

Henry and Jacinda looked back at the man who’s smile now seemed tighter, “Aye. I usually live on my boat figured I could get my land legs back this season and have a nice quiet Christmas.”

“I’m sorry if we have ruined both of your plans,” Jacinda spoke up, eyeing her boyfriend, “we should’ve called.”

“It’s quite alright lass.”

Henry spoke up again, “I’m sorry Mr Jones. Will it take you long to gather your things? I’m sure my mom would be willing to give you a refund.”

Killian reached up and scratched behind his ear, “Unfortunately I can’t leave. My boat is in storage and with the storm coming in it doesn’t seem safe to be on it now. And with it being a week from Christmas I doubt any inns will be available.”

“I’m sure we can figure something out later. Henry why don’t you go get your guys luggage and take it up to your room.”

“Let me help you lad,” Killian offered.

As Henry turned exited back out the door missing the silent exchange Mr Jones had with his mother. But Jacinda didn’t.

When they were gone emma turned to Jacinda and smiled, “I guess we have some decorating to do. Mind helping me bring some up from the basement?”

“Lead the way.”

[p1325]

The 'Timeless Classics' series by RBA stands as a commendable collection of 85 literary masterpieces, predominantly drawn from English literature, with notable inclusions such as Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina from diverse cultural landscapes. This curated anthology transcends geographical boundaries, making its enriching content accessible not only in various European countries under the names of ''Storie Senza Tempo'', ''Romans Eternels'', and ''Novelas Eternas'' but also in South America. RBA's commitment to delivering these cultural gems on a global scale reflects a dedication to fostering a profound appreciation for literature across diverse audiences.

Here are all the titles of the following collection: Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice

Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights

Louisa May Alcott - Little Women

Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre

Jane Austen - Sense and Sensibility

Edith Wharton - The Age Of Innocence

Jane Austen - Emma

Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary

Jane Austen - Northanger Abbey

Edith Wharton - The House of Mirth

Jane Austen - Persuasion

Louisa May Alcott - Good Wives

Nathaniel Hawthorne - The Scarlet Letter

Charlotte Bronte - The Professor

Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina (Part 1)

Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina (Part 2)

Jane Austen - Mansfield Park

Anne Bronte - Agnes Grey

Thomas Hardy - Far from The Madding Crowd

William Makepeace Thackeray - Vanity Fair (Part 1)

William Makepeace Thackeray - Vanity Fair (Part 2)

Pierre-Ambroise-François Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons Alexandre Dumas fils - The Lady of the Camellias

Henry James - Washington Square

Louisa May Alcott - A Garland For Girls

Henry James - The Portrait of A Lady (Part 1)

Henry James - The Portrait of A Lady (Part 2)

Jane Austen - Lady Susan. The Watson. Sanditon

Anne Brontë - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Thomas Hardy - Tess of the D’Urbeville

Edith Wharton - The Mother’s Recompense

Daniel Defoe - Moll Flanders

Henry James - The Wings of the Dove

Edith Wharton - The Customs of the Country

Kate Chopin - The Awakening

Jane Austen - Juvenilia

George Eliot - Middlemarch (Part 1)

George Eliot - Middlemarch (Part 2)

George Sand - Nanon

Henry James - The Ambassadors

Elizabeth Gaskell - Cranford

Thomas Hardy - Under The Greenwood Tree

Edith Wharton - Summer

George Sand - Indiana

Henry James - The Bostonians

George Eliot - Silas Marner

Henry James - The Golden Bowl (Part 1)

Henry James - The Golden Bowl (Part 2)

Edith Wharton - The Twilight Sleep

Emily Eden - The Semi-Attached Couple

Edith Wharton - The Glimpses of the Moon

Mary Elizabeth Braddon - Lady Audley’s Secret

George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss

Elizabeth Gaskell - Mary Barton

Fanny Burney - Evelina

George Sand - Little Fadette

Emily Eden - The Semi-detached House

Charlotte Brontë - Shirley I

Charlotte Brontë - Shirley II

Daniel Defoe - Lady Roxana

Theodor Fontane - Effie Briest

Edith Wharton - The Cliff

Thomas Hardy - Two on a Tower

Frances Hodgson Burnett - A Lady of Quality

Louisa May Alcott - Moods

Lucy Maud Montgomery - The Story Girl

Elizabeth Gaskell - Ruth

Thomas Hardy - The Woodlanders

Elizabeth Gaskell - North and South

Matilde Serao - Fantasy

Thomas Hardy - A Pair of Blue Eyes

Emilia Pardo Bazán - Sunstroke

Ann Radcliffe - The Romance Of The Forest

Louisa May Alcott - A Long Fatal

Charlotte Bronte - Villette

Sybil G. Brinton - Old Friends and New Fancies

Edith Wharton - The Bunner

Sisters Virginia Woolf - The Voyage Out

Margaret Oliphant - The Chronicles of Carlingford

Edith Nesbit - The Incomplete Amorist

Virginia Woolf - Day and Night

Guy de Maupassant - Our Heart

Frances Trollope - The Widow Barnaby (Part 1)

Frances Trollope - The Widow Barnaby (Part 2)

Elizabeth Gaskell - Half a Lifetime Ago